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The Crazybrave Songwriter Podcast
The Crazybrave Songwriter Podcast celebrates exceptional songwriting at its best. Songwriters share - from the ground up - their personal songwriting stories, important advice on maintaining a balanced mental outlook and some real DIY marketing strategies to keep the music moving. This podcast is curated by Lisa M. Arreguin as songs are chosen for their song integrity, storyline and superior craftsmanship. Episodes are published once or twice a month.
The Crazybrave Songwriter Podcast
Writing a Song About FOOD | Artist: Jim Rojas | Song: "Provecho (Comida Mexicana)"
My guest today on the show is the extraordinary bassist and songwriter, Jim Rojas.
Today’s show topic is FOOD! - everyone's favorite topic.
Jim's single, “Provecho” is a fun tune that highlights the marvelous cuisine of Mexico. I’m sure you’re gonna find this one engaging, satirical and lighthearted. In Mexican culture, before starting a meal, it's common to say "provecho". It conveys the heartfelt wish that the meal will be enjoyable and beneficial for the person partaking in it. It's a way of saying, “I hope you enjoy your meal”. Much like saying …“Bon Appetite!”
Jimmy’s had some fun on this one, combining great music, with top-notch musicians; mixing it all with his love for the food he grew up eating with his love for crafting great songs. You’ll find a blend of diverse Mexican elements woven into the production along with satirical lyrics and yes, folks... there are real mariachi strings used on this track - helping to bring the authenticity home.
Listen to "Provecho" on Spotify
Discover Jim's full album on Spotify
Featuring:
Jimmy Branley on drums; Ricky "Z" Zahariades on guitars; Justo Almario on soprano and tenor saxophones, clarinet and flute; Gabriel Gonzalez - Lead Vocals;
Songwriters: Jim Rojas, Joey Arreguin, Karina Vargas
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Host: Lisa M. Arreguin @ LivingCrazybrave.com
Recorded @ LoveandLaughterMusicGroup.com
Podcast Music: Joey Arreguin
Engineering & Sound Design: Trevor King
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Host: Lisa M Arreguin @ LivingCrazybrave.com
Recorded @ LoveandLaughterMusicGroup.com
Podcast Music: Joey Arreguin
You are listening to the Crazy Brave Songwriter podcast. This is a podcast about the magic of making music one song at a time. My name is Lisa M. Arreguin. I'm happy to be your host for today.
Lisa Arreguin:Today's show topic is food, everyone's and anyone's favorite topic. My guest today on the show is extraordinary bassist and songwriter Jim Rojas. Jimmy's newest single Provecho is a fun tune that highlights the marvelous cuisine of Mexico. I'm sure you're going to find this one engaging, satirical, and lighthearted.
Lisa Arreguin:In Mexican culture, before starting a meal, it's common to say provecho. It conveys the heartfelt wish that the The meal won't be not only enjoyable, but also beneficial for the person partaking in it. It's a way of saying, " I hope you enjoy your meal" or "Bon Appiteite!"
Lisa Arreguin:Jimmy's had some fun on this one, combining great music with top-notch players, mixing it all with his love for the food he grew up eating and his love for crafting great songs. There are three writers on this song, Jim Rojas, Joey Arreguin, and Karina Vargas, each bringing their best to the project. You'll find a blend of diverse Mexican elements woven into the production, along with satirical lyrics and yes, folks... there are real mariachi strings used, helping to bring the authenticity home.
Lisa Arreguin:Several great players grace their talent on this cut, including Mr. Jimmy Branley, Cuban drummer extraordinaire, who has played for the likes of Celia Cruz, John Patitucci, Pancho Sanchez, and others, and Ricky Z on guitars, who's played with Josh Groban, Steven Tyler, Jessica Simpson, Don Grusin, Lauryn Hill, and so many more.
Lisa Arreguin:One of my favorite lyrics in the song, if you were to say it in English, is, "Oh, if you only know how to eat tacos, you've missed the best" So if you are so inclined, listen to Provencho, played in its entirety after the interview. Grab some great Mexican food wherever you can. And all I can say about that is, "Buen Provencho.!" And don't forget to visit Jimmy's Lyrics by checking out Jimmy's music in the links below.
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Jim Rojas:It's a humorous song. I've heard many, many Cuban or Puerto Rican composers write songs about their food. And being a Mexican, I'm prejudiced because I think Mexican food's the best food there is on the planet. And so as a joke, I was kind of poking fun at the Cuban Puerto Rican penchant for writing about food and they make whole compositions about food. And I said, sorry guys, our food is better and here's a song that's going to talk about it. And we got Karina Vargas to write the lyrics and her husband is a Mexican food caterer. So she had more than enough material to draw from and listening to it, you get hungry. But it's basically making fun of or poking fun at some of our Latin brothers and sisters and their cuisine and talking about how their food is so good and I'm saying well you gotta try this and that and that other thing and see if you can compare the flavor and so it's a joke it's not serious because I've had really good Cuban food and I've had really good Brazilian food (I didn't make fun of Brazil) but I thought Brazilian food was incredibly good but I always revert back to my roots and how i was raised and the frijoles and the arroz and all that sort of stuff and and i built up a tolerance for hotter and hotter chile salsa so that's basically the motivation behind it and adding all of the other elements the mariachi strings and all that was was amazing. That was really fun. That was kind of unexpected, but that was incredible.
Lisa Arreguin:This is Lisa again, and I want to take this moment to applaud the team at loveandlaughtermusicgroup.com, a safe and knowledgeable spot for musicians who wish to learn more about writing songs and recording great music. This episode is a product of livingcrazybrave.com, another hub where musicians can cultivate new awareness about what it takes to honor the sacred art of making honest music.
Jim Rojas:Well, it was amazing that, once again, we got a Cuban drummer, Jimmy Brantley, a Puerto Rican percussionist. Jimmy Brantley just, you know, out of his amazingly creative mind, really captured what needed to be played on that particular track. And he brought his expertise. And once again, created kind of a hybrid rhythmic thing. This is a Mexican huapango, which is a 6'8 meter. The Latin musicians have no problem with that at all, because it's a very African thing, and you're talking about Afro-Cuban roots. Because as I listen to that song, there is such a driving force behind it rhythmically, and it's a lot of fun to just listen to. And Ricky Z, who played, I believe he played the cuatro, did an amazing job bringing the authenticity.
Lisa Arreguin:And here is the song Provecho, played in its entirety.
A few song lyrics:Hoy cantamos un guapango a los platillos mexicanos Hechos del maíz y chile, el frijol y el arroz Hoy cantamos un guapango a los platillos mexicanos Hechos del maíz y chile, el frijol y el arroz con respeto a los latinos, los vecinos nacionales, hoy les pido su atención. Ay, qué delicia mexicana, su cocina y botana. A sauce soaked with avocado.
Lisa Arreguin:The great Dolly Parton said, "if you see someone without a smile, give them yours". So I know I get serious on this podcast and music can be quite a serious thing, but sometimes you need just to have a little fun and let it all ride. Let go and let the song tell you what it wants and have a good time doing your craft.
