Musica TijuanaTijuana's influence on music and its favorite son,Paco Serrano

Maria Camille - Experience SeriesEnjoy Beauty International

Tijuana Music

This is a city thick with tales of music andhunger, music and oppositions, music anddeath.

What's left after the tourists go home;hundreds of men and women trying to keepit together, moonlighting and divorcing andstruggling to pay the landlord but holdingtheir heads up, baby, because they're not init for the creature comforts.

Business In The City Would NotSurvive Without It

The story of the starving artists is nothing new. But thisis the story of Tijuana.

Tijuana beckons visitors from every continent with itsbanquet of sounds.

Undaunted by dank allies where you wouldn't walk adog - the slamming smells - this is where the touristspay their $5 to hear the music.

They wait in straw hats and diamond rings. Theystraighten up and clap like children when the Playerswings in off the street with his guitar. This is where theyjoin the famed party – the party of Tijuana.

"They're realizing what our talent means for business,"says Paco Serrano, a well known Tijuana musician thathelped to form the first non-profit music institute,Instituto de Filmacion y Musica, A.C to help give back tothe musicians by promoting supportive projects.

"I mean what would Tijuana do if there were nomusicians here? What would there be? People don'tthink about how they're living."

Many of the musicians came to Tijuana to play musiclured by the promise of a steady gig. One such musicianis Carlos Santana who came and then went on over theborder to the riches of California and the history of hisfame needs no explanation.

But there is always a beginning, and it starts with themusicians who taught one such musician how to play andthese are the musicians who are is still living and playingin this decrepit old sin city.

Santana holds a key to the city, but never owned apart ofthe Tijuana dirt. He's stayed away for a decade.

"Yes, the tourists love the music, the city loves the music. But what nobody sees is these artists are going hungry,without medicines, without housing, and in the placewhere their art originated." says Serrano.

"We're so proud. But we should all be embarrassed."

Listening to Paco Serrano play Santa Ceclia for thefirst time was like hearing multiple guitars playingwith a naked distinction that peaked the senses andcould tear ones heart in two.

I heard clarity and tone. Guitar players spend theirwhole life looking for the magic combination ofinventiveness and ability to make the guitar"speak."

Souls get sold and lies get told in search of "thesound."

Paco had it from the beginning people say, as itcomes from the heart.

When listening, the intensity of his playing was builtin spirals to where you felt that the ferocious feelingsflowing from within him was shared very speciallywith the outside world.

When he played this song his beautiful smolderingface looked both serious, full of love and pain all atthe same time.

But its never been just about the music with PacoSerrano. He shares the nights in playing his music as apreacher would who works an alchemy on hisaudience - intense and soothing, gritty and graceful,o�en all at the same time.

The rescue line he throws out gives a bit of happiness. Even if he has masked salvation to his audience as aveil, he takes it on as a daunting responsibilitythinking if he can get his own feelings across, thenothers might walk with him to another side.

Watching him work his magic was to witness puremusical power.

As I know him - - Paco Serrano

Paco Serrano

Paco Serrano currently lives in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur where he invitesguests to visit him at his Organic Paint Art & Music Gallery where he loves to sharehis music and art. Paco also provides special performances for parties and events.

Look for his book - "Strings of Pain" - to be published in 2016

Contacts are welcome at:

pacoserr@gmail.comSkype: asmodeuspater