Category Archives: REM

Fall 2015

Posted on by

Journal del Pacifico Fall 2015 cover by Kaia ThomsonIt was a long, hot summer with lots of changes, but Journal del Pacifico, your ultimate guide to Baja California arts, culture and adventure, is back and ready for an exciting new season!

Once again, in our Fall 2015 issue, Bryan Jáugerui of Todos Santos Eco-Adventures has written a fascinating article on the importance of mangroves to our fragile coastal ecosystem and how they are threatened by developments. Bryan and her husband, Sergio, will also be speakers at this season’s Todos Santos Writers Workshop in January 2016, “Earth Needs Writers!” See our article in this issue for more information.

The multi-talented Kaia Thomson provided many of the photos for species living amongst the mangroves, this issue’s dramatic cover shot, plus a little fun with area rock formations. She also took the stunning lunar eclipse photos from September 2015 for “El Cielo.”

Mangrove Collage by Tori Sepulveda and Students

Mangrove Collage by Tori Sepulveda and Students

We’d also like to thank the art class of Tori Sepulveda for their lovely collage of the mangrove lifecycle, which was created just for this article. The artists who created this collage were: Tori Sepulveda, Monica Devine, Carol Bailey, Susan Willison, Joanne Spinoza, Christina Douglas and William Dubroraw.

Michael Cope of Galería de Todos Santos shares his experience over the past 20+ years painting and running a gallery in Southern Baja in this issue’s Art Talk.

Also in this issue, Bruce Bennett of Allende Books in La Paz reviewed the bilingual photographic book Tendiendo Redes / Tending Nets by La Paz photographer Alejandro
Rivas Sánchez.

We’d like to welcome Snell Real Estate to Todos Santos. You can find their offices on the newly repaved calle Juárez in Galería La Poza.

Rancho Pescadero is excited to announce their Guest Chef Weekends, a series featuring top culinary talents offering cooking classes, special dinners and more. The series starts November 12-15, with Renee Erickson, author of A Boat, a Whale and A Walrus and Chef/Owner of The Walrus and the Carpenter, The Whale Wins, and Barnacle in Seattle, plus three new projects opening this fall. In March 2016, Jessica Koslow of the Los Angeles restaurant Sqirl and the soon-to-open Sqirl Away, will be the Guest Chef. Following Knowles, in April will be Executive Chef/Partners Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow of Ne Timeas Restaurant Group in San Francisco (flour + water, Central Kitchen, Aatxe, Café du Nord, salumeria). In May, the resort will host Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton of OX Restaurant in Portland; the couple will be releasing their first cookbook Around the Fire in March 2016.

This November, Pescadero Surf Camp presents Desert Moon—a new hotel right on the Cerritos beach surf break—the perfect location for relaxation and sports activities.
Each of their large rooms with kitchenettes has an ocean view.

Just up the road, FreeSouls offers an amazing culinary experience at Cerritos beach, featuring wood-fired pizzas, fish, lamb, steaks and homemade desserts. Not to mention
the rooftop, ocean view Mediterranean bar and heated swimming pool.

Need a ride? Todos Santos Private Transportation provides professional airport transportation, private car service, transportation for wedding parties, and shopping
services to La Paz or Cabo at daily and hourly rates.

Shut Up Frank’s, Todos Santos’ first sports bar, is under new management. John Brown, with over 40 years bar and restaurant experience, has partnered with Frank Henley. In
addition to the locals’ favorite menu items, John has added his family recipe for Southern fried chicken, homemade meatloaf, world-famous chili, chili dogs and chili cheese
fries—as well as many new specials to come during the season.

Start your NFL Sundays with 2×1 Bloody Marys at Chill N Grill. They’ve also added tasty grilled French bread pizzas topped with pepperoni, veggies and cheese to their menu. Check their facebook page for upcoming live music events. Like their Halloween Party, Friday, October 30th.

Hosting a party or celebrating an upcoming event? Baja Pastry Girl makes custom desserts, cakes, ice cream and pastry with locally sourced and organic ingredients. Her
specialties include pumpkin pie, apple pie, three-berry pie, key lime pie, cheesecake, ginger rum Bundt cake, pumpkin cream pie, fudge, holiday cookies, macaroons, red velvet
cake and fruit tortes. Baja Pastry Girl needs three day notice for an order—call or email now!

New this season, The Todos Santos Speaker Series. This series features six different speakers covering Baja California natural science subjects. Author Graham
Mackintosh, starts the series on December 4, at the Centro Cultural “Prof. Nestor.” Upcoming speakers include: Dr. Jon Rebman, author of the 3rd edition of Baja California
Plant Field Guide; Stephanie Rousso of ProFaunaBaja; and “Indigenous Rock Art of The Baja Cape Region” with Anibal Lopez. Advanced tickets are available at El Tecolote
Bookstore.

ATV Adventures in Las Playitas (north of Todos Santos) provides ATV rentals, fishing and horseback riding. Call their cell (612) 156-4213 for more information.

January 2016, Peter Buck and friends will be back for the 5th Annual Todos Santos Music Festival in partnership with The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C. featuring
the strongest musical lineup to date. See our exclusive stories next issue, Holiday 2015/2016. For more information and VI P tickets visit: http://todossantosmusicfestival.com/

We were saddened by the sudden passing of local graphic artist, Jan Piere on October 5. Jan was a frequent Journal del Pacifico advertiser, creative, strong willed and a
memorable person in our pueblo.

Fall / Otoño 2013

Posted on by

We’ve received a lot of great feedback on the Summer issue White Sand Massage and Day Spa feature story. I’m glad that our readers enjoyed learning about facials as much as I enjoyed getting one. This issue I sat down over a couple of beers with local artist “Indian” Dennis to talk about his popular painted cow skulls.

Reading Rainbow producer Kyle Rohrbach filming biologist Stephanie Rousso, Baja, Mexico, Sea Turtles

Reading Rainbow producer Kyle Rohrbach filming biologist Stephanie Rousso

This fall I also had the opportunity to spend a night at “sea turtle camp” with Todos Santos Eco Adventures and their wildlife biologist Stephanie Rousso, who wrote “Moon Dance of a Sea Turtle” (JDP Summer 2013 issue). Reading Rainbow producer Kyle Rohrbach was along filming the night patrol for an upcoming episode. We had a lot of fun, learned a lot and saved four Olive Ridley turtle nests.
I hope to share more of my adventures with our readers in upcoming issues.
In this edition, look for our feature story on water—an important issue for all of us living in Baja California Sur. Local artist Nanette Hayles’ “Sea un Avatar” posters benefit the groups working against mining in the Sierra de la Laguna mountains (the source of our water) and are available at Galería NE Hayles and La Esquina in Todos Santos.

We’ve also included a sampling of fun restaurants in Todos Santos. For the complete series of reviews, visit Todos Santos Eco Adventures’ blog.

H2O Water Professionals sell and install state of the art water purification and conditioning systems for homes and businesses. Visit their showroom on Calle Madero in La Paz, or contact their Todos Santos / Pescadero representative.

Rancho la Venta is one of the oldest ranch sites in Southern Baja, located in a greenbelt between San Bartolo and San Antonio. You can enjoy horseback riding, hiking and bird watching on hundreds of acres of mountain trails, swim in their spring-fed granite pool, and lunch on authentic ranch fare including organic veggies from the garden. Touring the wine cellar, vineyard and art studio makes a great day trip, or stay overnight in one of their cozy casitas if you’d like to experience it all.

Many of Journal del Pacifico’s contributors have books coming out soon. Photographer Claude Vogel’s new collection of stunning photographs from the Hotel California is due out in November. Also in November look for Pamela Cobb’s Tales from Tiny Town, a compilation of her experiences since retiring to Todos Santos and illustrated by local artists.

Birding in Baja book by Kaia Thomson, Baja, MexicoPhotographer Kaia Thomson has shared some photos from her 12 years of birding in Baja California Sur on this issue’s cover and in our feature “Birding in Baja.” Her book Birding in Baja California Sur, published by Todos Santos Eco Adventures and produced by Journal del Pacifico, will be out soon!

You’ll be able to find all the above books at El Tecolote Bookstore in Todos Santos and Allende Books in La Paz. El Tecolote also serves up the best espresso in town at their Juice/Espresso Bar. Enjoy a latte, mocha, or Americano coffee or have a delicious juice or smoothie made to order from their large selection of local fruits and veggies! Mmm…

Just behind El Tecolote Bookstore you can find the best handmade chocolates in Todos Santos at Chocolates La Laguna. This year they will also have full-size chocolate bars, including dark chocolate/peppermint, dark chocolate/orange and 66% Mexico Origin dark chocolate.

Jackie Scherer and Keith Van Cleve have published the 4th edition of Some Birds of Baja / Algunas Aves de Baja California (see article in JDP Spring 2012 #4 issue). This book is for sale at the San José Organic Farmer’s Market and at Liga MAC bookstore in San Jose del Cabo.

The improvement project in the “pueblo nuevo” part of Todos Santos has been completed and all the newly paved streets are one way streets now. We’ve highlighted all the one ways in yellow on our Todos Santos map with arrows showing the correct driving direction.

Rancho Pescadero is open again after their summer remodeling. November 14 through 17, they are hosting “The Best of Baja Culinary Weekend.” A “mix + mingle” with Baja’s top chefs and renowned winemaker, Phil Gregory of Vena Cava. Activities include cocktails and cooking classes, demonstrations, wine and tequila tastings and, of course, gourmet dinners.

Hotel Guaycura was also busy remodeling this fall. Their beautiful boutique hotel, restaurant, pool and sky bar are open again in the historic district of Todos Santos. All that is missing is you!

Insurance agent Gaby Trujillo Coronado has opened a new office on the “otro lado” of Todos Santos, called Coronado & Fernandez. They can help you with your auto, home, health and life insurance needs. AF Design & Construction will be sharing the new office space.

Baja Zen yoga studio is now open near Los Cerritos beach. They have morning and evening yoga classes and many interesting workshops scheduled for the upcoming season. Visit their facebook page for details and a map to their location.

Brody’s Pizza, on the road to Cerritos beach, will be serving breakfast in addition to their tasty pizzas this season. Look for them to re-open in November.

Baja Retreats is a new retreat center in Pescadero. Yoga, art, surf, meditation, skim board, nature… Vacation with Inspiration! Call or visit their website for information.

The third Todos Santos Music Festival will take place at the Hotel California January 16 through 25, 2014. For more information, see our blog post and be sure to check out our great feature in the next issue of the JDP about the bands and festival.

If you’ve missed any of the articles or issues mentioned above, you can find them all online, read our blog and find our publishing schedule at: journaldelpacifico.com

2014 Todos Santos Music Festival

Posted on by

Vaso Loco LLC logo for the Todos Santos Music FestivalVaso Loco LLC and the Hotel California will be presenting the 2014 Todos Santos Music Festival January 16 through January 25, 2014.

Shows will take place at the Hotel California in Todos Santos January 16, 17, 18, 23 and 24. Doors open at 7 pm, music starts at 8 pm.

The Todos Santos Music Festival Town Plaza Concert will be on Saturday, January 25. Seating starts at 7 pm, music starts at 8 pm.

This year’s bands include Peter Buck’s own band, The Minus 5, headed by Scott McCaughey and featuring Peter Buck and Steve Wynn’s Dream Syndicate known as the saviors of alternative rock.

Kevn Kinney, who played the 2012 festival, will return this year with Drivin’ n Cryin’ an American hard rock/Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia.

Other bands that played at the 2013 Festival will be playing this year:
Torre Blanca–This Mexican group play post-pop with symphonic touches, with intimate, deep, playful and thoughtful lyrics.

Twin Tones–This Mexico City band’s music is an explosive fusion of rock, surf and spaghetti western film music. They stole the show during their 2013 debut at the Todos Santos Music Festival! This year that are also featuring one of their side projects, Sonido Gallo Negro, that takes the sound of psychedelic Peruvian cumbia of the 70s and covers it with garage attitude.

New this year, there will also be a “local bands” night at the Hotel California on Wednesday, January 22.

When REM disbanded, after 32 years of creating music and fans around the globe, guitarist and founding member Peter Buck was in the process of making Todos Santos, in Baja California Sur, a south-of-the-border second home. The idea for the first Todos Santos Music Festival was born in September of 2011, and took place in January 2012.

The 2013 Todos Santos Music Festival featured ten nights of entertainment over the course of three weekends, including two free concerts in the town plaza. The lineup of artists was hand-selected by Peter Buck and featured an eclectic array of musicians ranging from industry legends to emerging local talent.

Both the 2012 and 2013 Todos Santos Music Festival raised money for the Palapa Society of Todos Santos A.C., which provides educational after-school programs for local children. Some merchandise, including t-shirts and tank tops are still available from the 2013 festival via the Palapa Society.

The proceeds from some of the shows for this year’s festival will again benefit The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C. Other shows will benefit the Hogar del Niños orphanage, ProPlayas A.C. (lifeguards), The Todos Santos Internado (boarding school for local ranch children), DIF, the Bomberos (fire department), Escuela Pacifica and local animal welfare groups.

Festival founder, Peter Buck of REM, has had a busy year making albums and touring with his band, Tired Pony, as well as with The Baseball Project, The Minus 5 and Kevn Kinney. He is currently planning a US tour of the Midwest and South with Alejandro Escovedo (Todos Santos Music Festival 2013) in late February and early March 2014. Peter and singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata both accompanied Ed Kowalczyk of Live on his second studio album, “The Flood and the Mercy,” available on October 29. http://audioinkradio.com/2013/10/ed-kowalczyk-new-album-r-e-m-peter-buck/

For more information on Peter’s busy year, read this great interview at Salon
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/09/peter_buck_i_think_we_were_all_really_ready_for_a_change/

Peter Buck’s first solo album was released on vinyl only in November 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCEcfeTL5pU He also has a second, vinyl only, album coming out in 2014 on Mississippi Records. His 45 vinyl single, “Peter Buck! El Rei de los Monos Presente! You Must Fight to Live on the Planet of the Apes” available from Mississippi/Change Records. http://blurtonline.com/feature/the-singles-scene-vi-blurts-indie-45-roundup/

Tired Pony’s second album ‘The Ghost Of The Mountain’ was released in the UK/Intl. in August and in the US in October. You can order in the UK now at Fiction (CD) – http://trdpny.com/FictionCD / Fiction (Vinyl) – http://trdpny.com/FictionVinyl / iTunes – http://trdpny.com/iTunes

To watch a preview with Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpZPt3pFkvk  You can follow Tired Pony online at their Facebook page and on Vine and Twitter @TiredPony.

Erick Ochoa, president of the Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C. stated that they are grateful for everything that the Todos Santos Music Festival has done for the Palapa Society. The contributions and publicity generated from the Music Festival and the move into their new home in the San Vicente neighborhood of Todos Santos have enable them to include over 100 children in their programs. They have also received a US fellowship via the International Community Fund allowing them to hire both a full time teacher and part-time assistant for their Bridge to English program.

Todos Santos, near the tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula on the Pacific Ocean, features colonial architecture, top-rated restaurants, fine art galleries, miles of pristine beaches and a colorful community of locals and expats. Todos Santos has a population of just under 8,000 people, but offers an abundance of creative events, annual arts and cinema festivals and other cultural activities that cater to an international tourist and expat crowd as well as locals. It was the first town in Baja designated as “Pueblo Magico” by the Mexican government, which signifies places in the country that have “a unique authentic historic and artistic charm.”

Check TodosSantosMusicFestival.com or Facebook: TodosSantosMusicFestival for more information and tickets soon!

Other upcoming Todos Santos events and festivals include:

Todos Santos PorQue 5k? Walk/Run. December 28, 2013. Sponsored by the Palapa Society of Todos Santos A.C.

The Festival de Arte Todos Santos takes place February 1-8, 2014.

The 5th Annual Open Studio Tour will be held immediately following the Todos Santos Art Festival on February 9, 2014. Last year there were 35 artist studios open for viewing, covering mediums from oils, pastels, watercolors, mixed media, en-caustic, ceramics, sculpture and photography. Sponsored by the Palapa Society of Todos Santos A.C. All proceeds go towards Children’s Art.

The 11th Festival de Cine de Todos Santos, February 20 – 28, 2014 with the Premiere of ‘Youth in Video’ films on February 20.

Todos Santos Historic Home Tour takes place Sunday, March 16 from 10 am to 2 pm. Sponsored by the Palapa Society of Todos Santos A.C.

The Todos Santos GastroVino Festival will be held in May 24 and 25, 2014.

For a complete listing of events visit:  http://journaldelpacifico.com/blog/events-2/

About Peter Buck
Peter Buck is a founding member and lead guitar player of REM.

About The Hotel California
At the hub of Todos Santos is the legendary and colorful Hotel California. Originally built in 1948 this unique hotel underwent a masterful renovation in 2001 that would go on to win numerous awards for design and décor. The original 16 rooms were transformed into the eclectic 11-suite hotel it is today.www.hotelcaliforniabaja.com/press

About The Palapa Society
The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C., founded in 2003, is a multicultural, non-profit Mexican Civil Association. The mission is the development and administration of scholarship, educational, medical and environmental programs for the benefit of local children and their families. http://palapasociety.org/