APAture!

I went to the "Groove With It" event on the 26th and the event showcased a bunch of upcoming Asian Pacific American bands from the Bay Area. The two bands I was able to see were Autonomous Region and Lumaya. Autonomous Region consisted of three male Asian American guitar players, an African American drummer, and a female Asian American singer. Their genres of music was a range from rock to funk, with a taste of Southeast Asian sounds including the Pilipino instrument, the Kulintang. Their overall sound reminded me of the popular group No Doubt and a Japanese punk band known as Thee Out Mod. The last song sang by Autonomous Region was about the fall of the I-hotel. The song discussed the night of the vacate, the strength the people in the I-Hotel gained from the protest, and their feelings about being kicked out. The song definitely impact me in some way because it brought back my thoughts and feelings when I watched the I-Hotel film in class.
Lumaya had a totally different sound than Autonomous region. Their style of music was a bit more dark and had angry fighting songs. Their band's sound was similar to AFI or Garbage since it was a band that consisted of a female lead singer with male band mates.
These two bands combined had songs and sounds with a message, anger, and revolution, highlighting the struggles and attitudes of Asians in America before our time and present day.