>>[Jorge] Folks, today
on Crossing South,
we experience a rocking
Blues Fest in Rosarito Beach.
We also enjoy some
craft beer love
with the Baja breeze and sun,
and it's coming
to you right now!
(upbeat rock music)
Rosarito is the main beach
destination in Northern Baja.
People from all over the world
vacation and retire here.
The largest expat community
is from the United States.
Which is why, at the storied
Rosarito Beach Hotel,
there's a popular
annual music festival
called the Baja Blues Fest.
Hey folks, here in Rosarito
there's a blues festival
that's been going on
for some time now.
We've been meaning to come
and we're finally here.
It's apparently for
a very good cause,
to help children of Baja,
and one of the guys responsible
for this blues festival
is the one standing right
next to me right here.
It's Tom Stewart, how
are you doing, my friend?
>>Jorge, nice to see you, man.
I'm so honored that you guys
are here at this
wonderful event.
>>You're the music
director of this thing.
Talk to me about it.
How long has it existed and
what's its main purpose?
>>Seven years!
>>Wow, that's pretty good.
>>This is our seventh year
and I've been involved
with this from the
very beginning.
>>[Jorge] What's the objective,
other than playing great music?
>>Well, the coolest
thing is what we do
is the finished
product, we raise moneys
for the children's
charities of Northern Baja.
And we're almost to
$80,000 given so far.
>>You're kidding!
>>Last year we gave $17,000.
It's a three day event.
So tonight is the intro party,
you know, the pre-party.
So tonight 800 people are
gonna be in this room.
We've got every band
playing 20, 30 minutes
as a teaser set.
>>Oh, really?
>>[Tom] Tomorrow
is the main event.
>>[Jorge] Tomorrow?
>>[Tom] Starts at
11, goes to 8:30.
So each band plays a
little bit over an hour.
And that's right on the beach
and we have vendors
from all around Baja,
different wine
people, cheese people.
>>[Jorge] Oh really,
while the band is playing,
you do have vendors
on the sides?
>>[Tom] Absolutely.
>>[Jorge] Oh, that's
very nice, very smart.
>>So every year we
have national artists.
>>[Jorge] Who did
you bring this year?
>>Well, this year I got a
couple different people.
So Anthony Gomes, and
he's an award-winning
blues artist out of St. Louis.
So he's gonna be
playing with us.
>>Very nice.
>>And our headliner's
Chubby Carrier and
the Bayou Swamp Band.
>>[Jorge] Oh, really,
Chubby Carrier?
>>[Tom] Yeah, and these guys are
kind of a zydeco,
Cajun blues band.
So Grammy Award winners.
>>Really?
>>People think blues,
B.B. King, right?
You know, The Thrill Is
Gone, well that's not true.
There's 150 styles of
blues out there, you know?
And if you think about it,
from The Rolling
Stones to The Beatles.
>>Everyone's influenced
by the blues.
>>Absolutely, you know.
>>They basically are
the cornerstone of rock
that we know today, right?
>>Without question.
>>[Jorge] For sure, for sure.
Where are all these people from?
All these fans, all
these aficionados
who are listening to the
blues at this festival,
where's your market from?
>>I would say 80% from
Southern California.
>>Really, so they're crossing
south for this event.
>>From San Bernardino,
Riverside, L.A.,
but then we have
international people,
we have people come
from Australia,
we have people come from the UK,
and then have, I don't
know if people know this,
Northern Baja, Rosarito proper,
there are 17,000 retired
Americans that live here.
>>In all of Baja?
>>No, just in the
Rosarito proper area.
>>You're kidding, 17,000?
>>[Tom] Yes!
>>(laughs) We look forward
to your event, my friend.
Thank you very much, Tom.
>>You're welcome, brother.
>>Folks, don't go
anywhere, Crossing South,
this is a pretty cool event
and we're gonna show
it to you, right now!
(saxophone music)
The festivities begin with
a welcome dinner party
in one of the
ballrooms of the hotel.
Music lovers get a tease from
all the festival performers.
And, yep, they all
rock out, for sure!
(electric guitar music)
♪ Baby of mine ♪
♪ 'Cause she's got what I can ♪
(audience cheering
and applauding)
>>Thank you so much!
♪ I'm added to your
chain, chain, chain ♪
♪ My zydeco shoes got
the zydeco blues ♪
♪ You're the same old baby ♪
(electric guitar
and piano music)
>>You know, the headliner for
this year's blues festival,
it's his first time, his
name's Chubby Carrier,
and he's sitting right
next to me right now.
How you doing, my friend?
>>Yes indeed, how you doing?
Good to be here,
good to be here.
All the way from
Lafayette, Louisiana.
>>Oh wow, yeah, so
southern blues, right?
>>You know, man, I mix it up
with a little gumbo style.
>>Oh really? (laughs)
>>Yes, sir!
Whatever we got, we
throw it in the pot,
we make a gumbo, buddy.
Whether it's blues,
Cajun or zydeco.
>>Okay, so it's no
stereotype, it is what it is.
>>It is what it is, man,
it is what it is, yes, sir.
>>So what's your
story, my friend?
Your path, trajectory, you
guys seems to be pretty famous.
Where have you guys been?
>>Well, you see,
my grandfather taught me
how to play the accordion,
my daddy taught me how
to play the accordion,
I'm the the third
generation that's playing
the accordion in
the Carrier family.
And I'm from a little town
called Church Point, Louisiana.
Everybody thinks the music
comes from New Orleans,
this music don't come
from New Orleans.
It comes from
Lafayette, Louisiana.
All the small towns like Church
Point, Lawtell, Opelousas.
All the small towns.
>>So that's what I
was gonna ask you.
Is the accordion a
typically blues instrument
or did you guys implement it?
>>We implemented on that,
because you know what?
It really was an
accordion that played
with the blues feel
but sang in French.
>>What?
>>The Creole families.
You know what I mean?
>>Yeah, yeah!
>>But they still, it was a
lot of influence on the blues.
Because the blues is in
everything, every music.
But they took it, they
played the zydeco music,
because a lot of the time
when you're hearing the blues,
the zydeco music is the
same but it's sped up.
Hey, we're talking the blues.
(slow accordion music)
Blues!
>>That's your
typical blues, right?
>>That's your typical blues.
See how it's slow?
And zydeco, let's take
that same blues hook.
Now we're gonna listen
to a zydeco band.
(fast accordion music)
Same song.
>>It's the same song!
Wow!
Should we be in a
river boat right now?
>>[Chubby] Yes, sir!
(laughing)
Down the Mississippi, babe.
>>[Jorge] Oh, that's awesome!
>>[Chubby] They're
the same song, too.
>>[Jorge] So zydeco
only has this rhythm?
Or can there be slow zydeco?
>>There can be some
slow zydeco too.
>>[Jorge] But normally
zydeco is upbeat?
(slow zydeco music)
>>[Chubby] It's a slow zydeco.
A little waltz.
>>[Jorge] Oh, Chubby talented.
Chubby Carrier
talented right here.
>>[Chubby] Hey hey hey!
>>My man!
(laughing)
>>That's the difference between
zydeco and blues, brother.
>>Oh wow!
>>Yes indeed.
So zydeco music is
blues but sped up.
If you google zydeco music.
>>Yeah, I will!
>>You're gonna see
all the dances.
And they say, man, everybody
dancing with everybody!
Yes, indeed, it's
all of it, man.
Because it's just a dance
music, it's a dance party.
You see women dancing with men
and men dancing with women.
There's a lot of kids dancing
with their mom and daddies.
(zydeco music)
>>Chubby was right,
it's impossible
to stay still while
the music is playing.
Come on, admit it, it makes you
wanna get up and dance, right?
So if somebody mentions
zydeco, the only place
that they're referring to
is Lafayette, Louisiana?
>>That surrounding area,
southwest Louisiana.
>>Southwest Louisiana.
>>If you say zydeco
band, zydeco music,
anything dealing with zydeco,
they're gonna say, oh, that's
Lafayette, Louisiana area.
Southwestern Louisiana.
>>[Jorge] Southwestern, okay.
>>That's right.
>>[Jorge] So are there many
bands that play zydeco music?
>>Everybody, on the corner, man.
There's a zydeco
band on every corner.
You know like the CVS or the
pharmacy, all these pharmacies?
We've got a zydeco band on
every corner in Lafayette.
>>Okay!
(laughing)
So are you guys ready to tear
it up here for the people in
Baja at the festival?
>>Yes and it's for a
wonderful good cause too, man.
You know, it's raising
money for all these kids?
And be able to get out here and
play zydeco music in Mexico.
>>[Jorge] You're
introducing it, basically.
'Cause you might well
be the first ones
to ever play down here.
>>[Chubby] Oh, really?
>>[Jorge] I mean, I don't
know, I don't know. (laughs)
>>[Chubby] You know what,
I'm honored if I am!
>>Well, you're gonna
get to see it, folks.
You're gonna get to
see my friend here,
Chubby Carrier, do his thing.
>>[Chubby] Do some zydeco!
>>Very happy to
meet you, my friend.
>>Thank you, sir.
>>And we're excited
to see you play.
>>Yeah, that's good, let's
make a gumbo together, brother.
>>Okay, let's do it! (laughs)
♪ I want to see you groove ♪
♪ The way I feel ♪
♪ I want to make you move ♪
♪ I want to make you move ♪
♪ I ain't never never never ♪
(blues rock music)
♪ Hear me now ♪
(rocking guitar solo)
>>[Jorge] No lack of
passion here, folks.
>>Tomorrow is the main event.
And who's gonna be up here?
Everybody that's performing
tonight but then some!
>>[Jorge] So that
was the precursor.
Now this is the real
deal, Holyfield.
(upbeat blues music)
♪ When I think about you,
baby, my heart aches ♪
♪ Seeing you with another man ♪
>>[Jorge] The musicians
are incredibly diverse.
You have local Mexican
blues bands as well.
Pretty rad!
(electric guitar music)
♪ I found out, Lord ♪
♪ How I'm gonna leave ♪
(electric guitar solo)
(blues music)
>>So I have to say that
I'm pleasantly surprised
over this event.
I thought it was a little
event. They've been inviting
us for years.
We hadn't coincided with it.
And this year, I'm
just glad we did.
So it's a great event.
It's so many people,
so well organized,
and really high quality bands.
So if you like blues,
if you like the beach,
if you like Baja, this
is the place to be.
>>I wanna bring you up
on stage before we--
>>No, no, no, no! (laughs)
>>Please?
Come on!
>>You should know,
I'm more embarrassed
with live presentations than
with camera presentations.
Crap.
>>Ladies and gentlemen,
give it up for my buddy.
Jorge Meraz, ladies
and gentlemen.
Just say something
to 'em, buddy.
>>Rock on, Baja Blues
Fest, woo! (laughs)
(audience applauds)
First, I know you
don't care about this
right now, you're
here for good music
so I won't take
much of your time.
Watch the show
Crossing South on KPBS
and this will be featured.
Hope you're having fun,
take care, bye bye!
Oh man, (laughs) that
was embarrassing.
I just made it short and sweet.
So my man, Mopar here, you know.
Experienced, seasoned
blues player.
He plays now with a
blues band from Tijuana.
Mexican guys, all the musicians?
>>Hola Soy Lola,
baby, Hola Soy Lola!
>>So talk to me, that's
the name of the group?
>>Hola Soy Lola, yeah.
>>Hola Soy Lola.
Like, hi, I'm Lola, in Spanish?
>>Exactly, that's it, uh huh.
>>Oh wow, that is crazy.
I would have never thought that
a blues band existed in T.J.
>>Oh yeah, you know what?
There are actually three
different bands here.
You have us, you have JL Blues,
and he actually teaches music
and blues and stuff like that,
and then you have Pachuco Blues,
which is a popular
blues band here.
You know, we all
teeter between blues
and a little bit of classic
rock and stuff, so it's fun.
We try to stay focused to
the blues the best we can
and so everybody has their own
theories and versions of it.
But it's all good.
We're considered one of the
top blues bands here in
Tijuana-Baja.
>>Are you living in Baja or
do you live in the states?
>>No, I live here, I've
been here for six years.
>>Wow!
>>So it makes it easier.
>>You're living the
dream, my friend. (laughs)
>>You know what?
I love it, I love it.
>>Baja Blues, loving it!
>>Woo!
>>You know, being here
at the Blues Fest,
I ran into an old friend,
Jorge Luna, you remember him?
We did an episode on his
glass blowing art shop.
♪ Let's get this
party started right ♪
And he's here because
he's apparently
teaching kids to do art,
kinda like what we did
but in sheets of metal,
like aluminum metals.
And the kids are doing this!
So he is teaching
now in an art school
and he's saying how the
money that is gathered
from these portraits
that the kids are making,
it's literally
paying their tuition.
So it's becoming
self-sufficient.
He's teaching kids about art,
about all the different
inventions that he
knows how to do.
And (laughs) it's a great thing!
The guy's right
here, Jorge Luna!
Jorge Luna if you need
him, great guy to visit.
>>Thank you again!
>>So within the Blues Fest,
you have local and expat
merchants that set up temporary
shops and sell their stuff.
Artwork, jewelry, trinkets,
all of them made with love.
But I'm not much of a
knickknack kind of guy.
I tend to look more
for the yummy goodies.
You know me, it
shouldn't surprise ya.
Oh, thank you.
>>White Russian, right?
>>They're got liquored
up gelato here.
The good stuff.
Oh, that's good, I
want one of these.
Mmm.
It's a vodka White
Russian gelato.
So good, oh man.
(laughing)
Banana pudding!
(distant blues music)
Oh, this is so good, oh man.
It's Crossing South folks, hey!
(group cheering)
It's just a fake my own
death, move to Mexico
and live off tacos and
tequila kinda day. (laughs)
(slow blues music)
And as dusk sets in,
we notice artists
working on a sand
castle exhibition
on the beach in
front of the hotel.
It's called the
Baja Sand Festival.
A well-timed coincidence
with the Blues Fest.
It's reported to be the largest
sand figure festival
in Latin America.
It's amazing how
the artists make
such intricate art
with just sand.
With a bit of water, some
tools and a lot of patience,
amazing figures appear for
the enjoyment of spectators.
It's the kind of thing
you can randomly run into
when you make your
way down to Baja.
That's so nice!
Oh yeah, that's so nice!
But back to the Blues Fest!
The music was not over!
>>We came to party!
(crowd cheering)
(blues rock music)
(crowd applauding and cheering)
>>[Announcer] Ladies and
gentlemen, we're Chubby Carrier
and the Bayou Swamp Band!
♪ Well I feel all right ♪
♪ From head to toe ♪
♪ Tonight is my night ♪
♪ I'm gonna zydeco ♪
♪ Dancing and fun ♪
♪ And drank that booze ♪
♪ My zydeco shoes ♪
♪ Got the zydeco blues ♪
♪ We make a good gumbo ♪
♪ On the old bayou ♪
♪ Make some gumbo, woo ♪
(crowd applauding and cheering)
>>[Jorge] I have no choice but
to recommend this fun event.
It's held every year,
it's the Baja Blues Fest.
It's a win win exchange.
Musicians love
producing their art
and festival goers are more
than happy to enjoy such talent.
Everyone walks
away feeling great.
(accordion blues music)
♪ Like I remember you ♪
♪ You used to laugh at me ♪
♪ And now I'm hoo hoo hoo ♪
♪ I used to walk you home ♪
♪ Every time it rained ♪
♪ I used to walk you home ♪
♪ Every time it rained ♪
♪ Rockin' Robin ♪
♪ Rockin' Robin ♪
>>Thank you for howling at us!
See you next one, everybody!
>>[Jorge] The Rosarito
day brings the sun,
brings the views,
brings the waves
and brings offshore
winds to the point.
Perfect ingredients for surfers.
This surf spot in Rosarito
is known as Teresa's.
Nearby surfing spots
include Kilometer 38,
Bus Stops, Calafia
Point and Mushrooms.
Teresa's is a famous
surfing spot in Rosarito.
Easily accessible, you can
see decent crowds of surfers,
especially when the surf
is up like it is today.
The large waves and
great water clarity
make for a great surf day.
And it is at this point
where you will find
one of the best places to
sit and enjoy craft beer.
>>We knew the
craft beer industry
was starting to boom down here
following what's happening
in the San Diego market.
And we came down here and
we found this hidden jewel
behind the world
famous K-38 Surf Shop.
And you can see the view, I
mean, it's absolutely amazing
and, like you said, the view is
just as great as the
beers that we sell.
>>[Jorge] Of course, for sure.
>>And you know
our slogan is
Craft brews and ocean
views and we got 'em both.
If you're not taking advantage
of what the location offers,
I think you're really missing
the point of being in Baja.
And it's the only
reason why I opted
to go ahead and move
forward with this.
I mean, look at
this beautiful view.
>>[Jorge] I know, for sure, man.
>>I don't know how you
don't highlight that
and make that part
of the business plan.
(laughing)
You know when people
picture Mexico,
some people have
different perceptions,
what's being played out
in the media right now
on the other side of the fence.
And this is what people
really need to see.
They need to see
the beauty of Baja.
They need to see that
the people down here
are some of the nicest people
that they'll ever meet.
The views are world class,
the food's world class,
and now the beer's world class.
>>[Jorge] And now the beer, wow!
>>Great beer should be
served with great food.
>>(laughs) On a great location!
>>On a great location and
now Baja has everything.
>>I don't know if it gets
much better than this, folks.
You've got seagulls
floating here,
ionized air just
(inhales loudly),
that beach smell, the sound
of the waves crashing.
You've got delicious
beer from all over Baja.
On the same premises
with Kilometer 38,
it's where the Baja Pig is
so all the food provided
here is from Baja Pig.
So I'm so happy that that's so.
Look at this big ol'
shank with adobo.
He brought me these
octopus chicharon tacos.
Which look amazing.
This confluence of circumstances
and characteristics
of just raw nature,
of just quality products
and a cuisine style,
the Mexican style
which is good as is,
and now we're
exploring all these
variants that you
can add to them.
When you mix cultures,
great things happen.
And I think Baja, like maybe
many places in the world,
but Baja for sure
is one such place.
Well, we hope you're
liking it, folks.
It's called Sin Fronteras
Brewing and, boy, it's good!
(upbeat rock music)
It's just the right amount
of rustic to feel free.
And now you know
of its existence.
So as we met great folks
who make the Baja
Blues Fest possible,
passionate musicians,
visionary entrepreneurs
that have made Baja
a permanent home,
we enjoy the region,
we enjoy the people
and are left wondering
what new adventures
will await us the next
time we cross south!
(electric guitar music)
>>[Announcer] Like to know more
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