Playing Turkish Rock for a Good Cause in Guadalajara Mexico
My name is Ali Deniz Ozkan. I am a nomad rock musician living on the road, mainly in Latin America, since 2018. My one-man band is called Black Sea Storm.
On March 10th, 2023, ONCO Y VITA AC, Ojos de la sierra, Casa Huichol AC invited me to play a fundraiser show in Guadalajara, Mexico. Those are independent organizations helping indigenous communities of Jalisco access medical attention.
The solidarity project is called IYARI WANEIKA. When translated from the Wixarika language means, “Only from the heart good things emerge.”
Pulqueria Mexica
The event occurred in a beautiful Pulqueria named Mexica, located in the famous Chapultepec area of downtown Guadalajara.
The interior design of Mexica, mainly made of indigenous art, aligned itself to perfection with our solidarity event with the local indigenous communities. Considering that people particularly were consuming a pre-hispanic beverage, and some artisanal clothes and wearables were displayed for sale gave an authentic colorful visual to the entire venue.
Pulque is a pre-hispanic fermented drink made out of Maguey. A Pulquería is a bar where the Pulque is consumed.
Tuba
Since I don’t drink alcohol, I couldn’t get a taste of Pulque, but there was an alcohol-free beverage made of palm tree sap called Tuba. It was a bit sugary but still delicious and refreshing. It’s the closest, along with kombucha on tap, that I get the sensation of having an alcoholic beverage since I called it the quits with alcohol in 2016.
Participating Artists
With Black Sea Storm, I was the opening act. Right after I played, a shamanic ritual started. I was still getting my gear off stage when that ceremony occurred, but I could still follow it and take pictures. The ceremony was followed by Odette Gutierrez, Leonardo Nicolas, and McFles. Finally, the headliners Overdrive and Dj Cachi closed the party.
About Guadalajara
Guadalajara is a fantastic city that offers all the positive things of a big city minus all the negative aspects. It is as if someone put a high-pass filter on cities like Buenos Aires, Istanbul, New York, or Los Angeles.
On this occasion, it was my third time in Guadalajara. I am enjoying the city more and more with every visit. The weather during this time of the year suits me and my guitar immensely. It’s dry, sunny, and quite hot during the day. It gets a bit chilly at night.
Somehow my Taylor 110ce electro-acoustic guitar’s action adjusts to the perfection in Guadalajara. All these favorable conditions made it so that during my last two visits to the city, I came up with many new ideas for my next album with Black Sea Storm.
People’s sensitivity to modern art and indie rock music excites the most in Guadalajara. I’ve been to several coffee shops in Colonia Americana, and their music was like a carbon copy of some of my playlists. A hipster from the US or western Europe could adapt to Guadalajara in less than 15 minutes.
In that regard, one coffee shop that blows my mind at all levels is Gabinette. This place’s interior design, food, playlists, beverages, and menu are perfect for people with good taste.
Guadalajara is a five million-plus city, yet socially it has the human warmth of a small Mediterranean village. People in Guadalajara are so warm, welcoming, sincere, and full of positive energy. I’ve rarely witnessed such a combination of positive human qualities living in a big industrialized city.
The Black Sea Storm Show
Since my stage lineup with Black Sea Storm is minimal for a rock band, I voluntarily asked to go on first. The headliner band “Overdrive” had sent their roadie/sound engineer/ technician to set everything up for them in the afternoon.
The technician showed up fifteen minutes after I made it to the venue, which worked perfectly for me. He was friendly, helpful, and professional. He let me use the band’s P.A., did my soundcheck, and lent me a better-performing microphone than mine. His positive and professional attitude reinforced my perception of the people’s attitude in Guadalajara.
Although I was going on first, there was a good crowd for my show. As is often the case in bars and restaurants, most weren’t actively listening to my set and socializing instead. The heavily arpeggio-based songs suffer when there’s a loud ambient noise in the bass and midrange frequency. It makes it harder to connect with people and convey my music to them.
What ended up happening was that I could grab the crowd’s attention at times, mainly with the heavier songs where I am primarily strumming chords. Throughout the entire set, people were supportive and applauded me at the end of the songs.
The event was a success
This event allowed me to play the 48th live show with Black Sea Storm, and I was thrilled and honored to be a part of such an event. After the show, the ONCO Y VITA AC even gave me an award. Since extra weight is a problem for a nomadic rocker like myself, I sent the prize to my mom with UPS before leaving Guadalajara. It is an absolute first in my 30+ years of career as a rocker to receive an official award.
From my point of view, the event was a great success. We could raise a lot of money for the communities, have a good time, and share our music with a supportive crowd.
From the heart, good things did emerge that night.
