Red Collar Media
RED BULL
MAPA DE LOS MUERTOS
BRINGS CITY TO LIFE
- Celebration built around Day of the Dead brings unique concept around music and art to North St. Mary’s Strip-
San Antonio, TX – November 4, 2011 – San Antonio’s North Saint Mary’s Strip played host to a unique combination of art and music Friday night with Red Bull Mapa de los Muertos. Some of San Antonio’s best bands and a selection of the nation’s best visual artists came together to create a night full of inspired live music, intricate pieces of art and over 1,200 San Antonians looking to get down, many with faces painted in traditional ‘sugar skull’ fashion.
“This was an opportunity to show that San Antonio isn’t the sleepy little town that some people believe that it is,’ said David ‘Shek’ Vega, who enjoyed the night’s festivities, but was also responsible for curating the visual artists taking place in Mapa.
Based around Dia de los Muertos, which honors and celebrates the lives of passed loved ones, Red Bull Mapa de los Muertos is a concept that takes a cue from this holiday to create altars, or ‘ofrendas,’ based around the deceased musical influences of participating bands. These altars were then showcased at each music venue throughout the night while the bands took to the stages to give San Antonio a night to remember.
“All art has an influence on other art forms,” Shek continued. “I wanted to select artists that represented Chicano culture across a variety of mediums.”
And represent they did. Artist Jimmy James Canales used his body as the centerpiece for his altar, placing lit candles all across his body and remaining still throughout the night until the candles burnt out. Other altars included Adriana M. Garcia’s intricate work, renowned accordionist, Toomer’s street-inspired altar featuring a hand-painted model and Cruz Ortiz’s multimedia takeover of the outside of Hi Tones.
Participating bands were a solid representation of San Antonio’s Hispanic culture, both traditional and contemporary, and included Grammy-winning Grupo Fantasma, Mexicans with Guns and Pinata Protest, among others. Participating venues on the North Saint Mary’s Strip were Web House, Salute, Limelight and Hi Tones.
“For this event to be successful, Red Bull had to tap into the San Antonio Chicano culture that has normally been untouched,” said Maclovio Perez of Mapa band, Master Blaster Sound System. “That was probably one of the liveliest audiences we have had so far. San Antonio is such a great city to embrace Latin music of all kinds.”
Photo Credit: Erik Gustafson / Red Bull Photofiles
Photo Credit: Josh Roberts / Red Bull Photofiles