Pacific Underground: Recent Episodes
Pacific Underground
The producers of Pacific Underground curated an hour of music by API musicians!
We're kicking off the New Year with music! We have had the pleasure of interviewing truly talented musicians and artists at Pacific Underground and today, we curated a playlist of songs by API musicians. Not all of them have been on Pacific Underground and some of the songs are older, but here's a taste of what plays in our earbuds.
1:04 Tito Felix- Anak
6:00 Abhi The Nomad- Somebody to Love https://www.instagram.com/abhithenomad/
10:07 Julie Plug- Devoted
14:56 ZAYN- Scripted https://www.instagram.com/zayn/
18:36 Anderson Paak (feat. Kendrick Lamar)- Tints (Clean version) https://www.instagram.com/anderson._paak/
23:01 cdza- History Of Lyrics That Aren't Lyrics https://www.cdzamusic.com/
26:05 The Slants- From the Heart (Track Town Records edition) http://www.theslants.com/
29:58 H.E.R.- Hard Place https://www.instagram.com/hermusicofficial/
33:58 Mitski- Nobody https://www.instagram.com/mitskileaks/
37:09 One Vo1ce- Here I Go (Falling in Love Again)
42:04 POPgoji- I Wish https://www.popgoji.com/
46:29 Jocelyn Enriquez- Do You Miss Me
50:13 Hanz Araki- The Snows http://hanzaraki.com/
Elections are quickly approaching here in Portland so we're talking to Brandon Cruz from APANO (Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon) to talk about their Voter Guide and efforts to increase voter participation. We'll also be talking to Matt Lim who works for the city of Portland about affnity groups for city employees. Also, we include a vox pop about mental health from interviews collected at this year's East Portland Arts and Literary Festival.
Links about the city's affinity groups: Diverse and Empowered Employees of Portland (DEEP): https://www.portlandoregon.gov/50880?fbclid=IwAR2Of8Dbh3eSO_Og4zYSNcug5BPdZ9dqWdUTCqDJes9dGLQC8gFvDJ5WEzc Filipino American City Employees (FACE): https://www.portlandoregon.gov/50893?fbclid=IwAR0SonC-FvpIpA6pXbzmhwgzCPJ4pWPChdUQV0eu2kIYOZSgFYicQfmxj-M Hapa, Asian, and Pacific Islander (HAPI): https://www.portlandoregon.gov/71327?fbclid=IwAR0YGWtV8paO1rWbL3uNEv3OgViPnBbmc2zNpkpNKPtXh_hYB8oKwJ1SaFk
Music by @chops
We return to the Portland Chinatown Museum to chat with 2 artists that have work on exhibition at the museum. Roberta Wong and Lynn Yarne talk about their work, identity, and their inspirations. We also have a vox pop from EPALF, the East Portland Arts and Literary Festival, of folks sharing their mental health stories. And want to know about November API events in Portland? Listen in!
It's Asian femme time! Tabitha and Jenna hang out live on air. They try out double eye lid tape and talk about all the things they talk about when they're hanging out off air like dating, music, whiteness, and east Asian American topics.
2018 marks 13 years of public affairs programming at KBOO for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, between the last three years of both Pacific Underground and the equally fantastic Intersections Radio, and the ten (!) years that APA Compass was on the air (2005-2015). To celebrate this anniversary, producers Jenna and Tabitha are joined by special guests and founding members of the APA Compass collective Liz Rogers, Marie Lo, and Patti Sakurai.
While the active roster of both shows has evolved over the years, the need for shows that highlight and stress the diversity of our experiences and viewpoints over and against images of our communities as passive, apolitical, and homogeneous, is as crucial as ever in this current political climate.
Crazy Rich Asians is doing well in the box office and is trending on social media, especially among Asian American. There are many who love the movie and say it represents a big step in representation, while there are many who could do without it and say it only furthers the problems in Asian mainstream representation. The Pacific Underground crew will talk about their take on the movie and about other Asian American media they're consuming these days. We'll also have a special guest -- Portland's own Creative Laureate Subashini Ganesan -- to talk about the real Singapore.
"Yellow" by Katherine Ho -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6NQZHyJYO8
Wo Yao Ni De Ai by Jasmine Chen -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjepR9LWl-g
"The look of love" by Jacintha -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWO7PyDl7Ks&list
Viet Thanh Nguyen on narrative scarcity -- https://vimeo.com/170099979
New Expressive Works --
Suba's Dance School -- http://www.natyaleela.com/about.html
Let's get personal with T Ngu, owner of Project Object! Join producer Vy Pham in a journey of learning about T's life story, including her family's resilience and survival as refugees in America, the birth and vision of Project Object, and the hardships of being a small business owner.
Project Object is a retail shop that features and supports artists and designers who identify as women, people of color, and/or lgbtq. It donates a portion of proceeds to non-profits and organizations making a difference in our world. Support this radical small business by grabbing some goodies in-person at the beautiful storefront on 2502 NE Sandy Blvd or online at https://projectobject.co/
Image credits: Nicholas Peter Wilson (http://www.nicholaspeterwilson.com/)
If you've ever wanted to learn more about tech and computer science but thought that it was too inaccessible a field for you, Vaidehi Joshi wants to help change that. Vaidehi is a software engineer with Tilde, and she also co-hosts the Base.cs podcast. Producer Kat Batuigas chats with Vaidehi about the tech industry, learning as well as teaching, and putting together Base.cs. Bonus: Vaidehi lets us know which side she's on with Salt & Straw versus Fifty Licks.
Follow Vaidehi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/vaidehijoshi
Check out the original Base.cs series on https://medium.com/basecs, and listen to episodes of the Base.cs podcast on https://www.codenewbie.org/basecs
Music and sound credits: Wire Ties by @Chops, Kitty in the Window by Podington Bear, and JarredGibb.
Joe Kye plays live, talks about his experience as an immigrant, and talks about his artivism.
Producer Vy Pham talks to La Vang, owner of the only Hmong eatery in the Pacific Northwest - aptly named "@La's, A Hmong Food Cart," located in Aloha/Beaverton, OR. La is using her kitchen talents to spark conversations and educate the people of metro Portland about Hmong culture and history. An activist at heart, she is cultivating a platform for the Hmong community through her food.
Jenna, Tabitha, and Jake talk about Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Discussions includes a history of the International Hotel in San Francisco, feature on Grace Lee Boggs, Geena Rocero, and a brief overview of what the month is all about.
Music/Spoken Word "Hate" by Ruby Ibarra "We are the children" by Yellow Pearl "Wire Ties" - @chopsmusic
Producer Kat Batuigas chats with Carmel Laurino, founder of Kalsada Coffee Company. Kalsada, which means "road" in Filipino, partners with smallholder coffee farmers in the Philippines to bring quality Philippine coffee from farm to cup.
Carmel and Kat talk about the coffee industry in the Philippines, Kalsada's beginnings, and their approach to working sustainably and ethically with local producers. Carmel also shares her experiences being "simultaneously in and out" as a Filipina-American living in the Philippines.
Learn more about Kalsada Coffee Company at https://www.kalsada.com/
Music: Wire Ties by Chops
Lilian Dirrebes Ongelungel speaks with Pacific Underground producers Jake and Kat about being the only Pacific Islander in the room, Moana, tattoos, and storytelling / oral histories.
On February 16th, Whitenoise Project held an event in memory of Quanice Hayes, one year and a week after he was shot and killed by police. Join Pacific Underground as we replay some of the recorded audio from that event and talk about the connections between art and activism, as well as some concrete steps nonblack folks can do to be in solidarity with Black lives.
Featuring: Teressa Raiford/Don't shoot Portland: http://dontshootportland.com Glenn Waco: https://glennwaco101.bandcamp.com Jamila Osman: http://www.jamilaosman.com Kalimah Abioto: http://www.kabioto.com
Bedding music in this episode by: Chills in the Foothills - Cal-s-thetics (www.doggmauno.com)
Until a few months ago, Nadya Okamoto was ashamed of being Asian but didn't really realize it. We talk to her about how her upbringing in New York and Portland affected how she viewed herself and how a recent run for city council brought her identity issues to light. We also talk about what it's like for her now as someone who is just starting to embrace their identity. Read Nadya's piece "Until Three Months Ago, I Was Ashamed of Being Asian" on nextshark.com. The Pacific Underground collective also joins in to share their own stories of shame, self-embrace, and the on going journey of feeling comfortable in one's own skin in America.
Nadya Okamoto, who grew up in Portland, OR, is 19-years-old and a Harvard sophomore. She is the Founder and Executive Director of PERIOD (period.org), an organization she founded at the age of 16. She is also the Co-founder and spokesperson of E Pluribus (eplur.org). PERIOD is now the largest youth-run NGO in women’s health, and one of the fastest growing ones here in the United States. In 2017, Nadya ran for office in Cambridge, MA. While she did not win, her campaign team made historic waves in mobilizing young people on the ground and at polls. Nadya recently signed with publisher Simon and Schuster to write a book to mobilize the Menstrual Movement, and is currently writing her manuscript. Nadyaloves to dance, whether that be for fun with friends or on Harvard’s competitive hip hop team.
2017 has been a tumultuous year for the United States and Pacific Underground. We take a look back and discuss what we've learned this year and maybe what we might do differently going ahead.
For many API who call Portland home, eastern Oregon is a rarely visted or talked about part of our homestate. Producer Tabitha Teo spoke with Justin Chin about his experience of living in small town eastern Oregon and what it is to build community in a place where you don't always expect to find it.
Local editorial and lifestyle photographer Celeste Noche joins us in studio to talk about representation in media, freelancing, and her project Portland in Color.
http://www.celestenoche.com
Musician Matt Dorrien, formerly known as Snowblind Traveler, talks to us about his music and his experience as a Filipino-American. He also gives us a special in-studio concert!
October is Filipinx-American Heritage Month. According to Wikipedia, Filipino-American Heritage Month, has been celebrated since 1988.
If it has been around nearly 3 decades, then why don't many people-API-identified or otherwise-- seem to know about it or acknowledge it?
This month we're centering Filipinx voices in a live conversation around Filipinx-American identity. Does Filipino-American Heritage Month matter to Filipinos? What, if anything, are folks under the broad API umbrella doing to stand up for and center these communities in the Pacific Northwest?
Featuring archived audio from whitenoise project discussion panel at the East Portland Arts and Literature Festival (EPALF), plus a live conversation featuring Jake Vermaas of the Whitenoise project in conversation with Maryanna Hollomon and Angelica Lim of GABRIELA Portland.
Portland can be a stressful place to live for people of color. POC who have moved here are often met with a feeling of being unwelcomed that stems from our state's historically racist founding. Writer Zahir Janmohamed's recent piece in the Portland Mercury talks about his experience of living in Portland and why he decided to leave.
Portland artist Alex Chiu joins us to talk about his recent work and what inspires his latest style.
Continuing our conversation with activists, we talk to Jacob Bureros of Direct Action Alliance. He has a fascinating upbringing that inspired him to do the work he's doing today. He believes in getting to know your neighbors and talking to the people that live on your block to know what directly affects peoples' lives.
We talk with labor organizer and activist D Pei Wu. How did they get involved? How do they stay motivated? How does their API identity help motivate or influence their work? Listen and find out!
Our planned guest wasn't able to make it in today, so we talked about our complex feelings about the 4th of July. Plus, we talk about Hawaii Five-0 and the two prominent API cast members leaving the show and other pop culture topics!
We spoke to Portland actor, poet, and spoken word artist Ken Yoshikawa about his work and how he explores his identity through his art. Also, an update on The Slants Supreme Court Case!
"It still feels weird checking off the box 'Asian Pacific Islander' on....anything....because it seems clear to me that what they want to know is if I'm East Asian."
Portland-based activist Amina speaks about her relationship to Muslim, South-Asian, and Asian-American identities, and the general lack of education/awareness that characterizes her experience negotiating PNW Whiteness.
May is Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month so we've decided to have another awkward episode about it. Last year, the crew of Pacific Underground found themselves in the not so comfortable position of being live on air while realizing that most of us didn't care to celebrate a month that was create to honor us. For some reason, we didn't really address it much, we just had a weirdly awkward show. So this year, we're tackling it head on. Bring on the awkwardness and much needed discussion about why having our own month is a good/bad/good thing. We're also featuring a live in-studio interview with Alex and Mazzy, stars of the YouTube cooking show, The Mazzy Show. They talk about what it's like to go viral and what their show means for API representation.
Music by @CHOPSmusic
In a time where discussions around activism has taken over the social media scene, the topic of oppression olympics has become a relevant one. Although not a new idea, the pitting of marginalized groups against one another has been a tool of oppression used in our country since its founding. Activist and writer Scot Nakagawa of ChangeLab joined us live in studio to talk about the effect of oppression olympics on identity politics and cultural change. We'll also be featuring an interview with Hari Kunzru, author of the book, "White Tears." This dark tale of fiction explores the pathology of whiteness...need we say more?
Theme music by @chopsmusic
What does it mean to be an Asian woman in America in 2017? In this special International Women's Day episode, the women of Pacific Underground explore what the Asian American experience for women is in a time when gender expression, identity, and sex are being defined more fluidly than ever. Listen along as we dive into the exploration of self and reclamation. We also talk to the comedy duo SJ and Ginny about their new YouTube series "Quiet Tiny Asian," where they present a hilarious look at what it's like to be constantly seen as tiny and explain why, as an Asian woman in America, you just can't win.
www.sjandginny.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwTVy4CG0zo
Theme music by @CHOPSmusic Music: "Quiet" by @MILCK "Brushing by Heaven's Shoulder" by @kimmortal
Being an Asian American woman has it's set of challenges and New York based comedy duo SJ and Ginny have managed to capture the experience in their new YouTube series "Quiet Tiny Asian." This series of shorts explains the frustrations that come with having all your problems being perceived as "tiny" or always being seen as doing "asianthings." While Quiet Tiny Asian is hilarious, SJ and Ginny explain to us how the series aims to highlight those microaggressive moments that ultimately contribute to systemic racism and societal violence.
www.sjandginny.com "Quiet Tiny Asian" - www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwTVy4CG0zo
Call them what you want: the Muslim ban; the travel ban targeting 7 majority-Muslim countries (but curiously not many that pose any demonstrable terror threats to the US); the immigration ban; the executive orders; etc....
We felt that we needed to have an off-the-cuff conversation about the state of immigration at this all-too-strange moment. We speak with Diana Fakhrai, and immigration attorney in California, and Romeo Sosa of community organization, Voz. With both a legal and more community perspective, we gain insight into the particular measures being taken to support the communities targeted by the most recent orders that've come down from the Loofa-in-Chief.
Immigration Attorney Diana Fakhrai talks to producer Jenna Yokoyama about the current state of immigration. They discuss what green card holders should know about travelling, changes in the refugee program, and what immigrants here in the United States should do to help protect themselves from policies that could affect their status. Diana Fakhrai was featured on our February 3 episode where she briefly touched on these topics. This is an extended interview that dives deeper into the issues.
Douglas Tsoi, founder of the Portland Underground Grad School (PUGS) talks about what's lacking in education and how PUGS helps build community. He also talks about his book "Why Are Conservatives Always Wrong?" Then the dance rock band, The Slants, talks to us about visiting Washington D.C. for their Supreme Court hearing and share their new album, "The Band Who Must Not Be Named."
Theme music by @CHOPS Music: "Imperialism Is Another Word for Hunger" - Yellow Pearl "Grandma's Kitchen (ft Olivia Thai)" - @jasonchumusic and Joe Kye "Quiet" - @MILCK "Ue u muite aruko" by Kyu Sakamoto
The Portland based band, The Slants, have released a new album titled "The Band That Must Not Be Named," a reference to their recent Supreme Court case (and yes, Harry Potter). We talked with all four members of the dance-rock band while they were in Washington D.C. this last week to hear about what life in the Supreme Court spotlight has been like and to get a listen of their new EP. We also talked about their decision to decline an invitation to play for Trump's Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee Inaugural Ball, Simon's NPR fandom, and why the Courtroom of the Supreme Court may have the rarest Pokemon of them all. Music in this segment is from The Slants new album, "The Band That Must Not Be Named." Available now on iTunes, Amazon, and cdbaby.
Music- Theme music by @CHOPS - "Wire Ties" The Slants - "The Band That Must Not Be Named" --"Fight Back" --"From the Heart" --"Endlessly Falling"
You do not have to always march in the street to be an activist. Different people come to activism and resistance of oppresion in different ways. We talked to Portland zinester A'misa Chiu and musician/dancer Nobuko Miyamoto about how they use their respective artforms to resist and protest. They also draw links from activists from the past on how it influences their work in the present and beyond. Thanks to CHOPS music, A'Misa Chiu, Nobuko Miyamoto, and Yellow Pearl music.
Congrats to everyone who made it through Thanksgiving family dinner relatively unscathed! Tabitha and Jenna take on what's happened since then including the Global Month of Action for supporting the water protectors in North Dakota; World's AIDS Day shines a light on the need for the API community to talk about the taboo; congress honors WWII Filipino vets; and Michelle Yeoh is going to command an "Asian sounding ship" on Star Trek that we all want to serve on. Music by @chopsmusic.
Where do we go from here? This is a question we've been asking ourselves a lot since the results of the presidential election were announced. To help give us some understanding about how we move forward in fighting oppression, we spoke with anti-fascist activist Scot Nakagawa of the grassroots political lab, Change Lab. Scot talks about his recent post on RaceFiles.com, "The Next Wave: Getting Ready For Trump’s America" and what the API community needs to consider in this time of polarization. Scot touches on a range of topics such as authoritarianism and how it relates to our current "call out" culture; how different communities can begin to find understanding; race as a verb and not a noun; the relationship between the model minority myth and anti-blackness; and how we need to protect the most vulnerable amongst us. Producers Jenna and Canaan also talk about their reactions to the recent elections and the heightened state of racial awareness America is in right now.
Theme music by @chopsmusic Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
Links: www.changelabinfo.com/ www.racefiles.com/
It's time for more post-election discussion. We're still trying to figure out what to do with all the feelings. Canaan, Tabitha, and Jenna dare to touch the dreaded safety pin debate and talk about what wearing it means; Megyn Kelly disrupts a Trump surrogate on Fox News which is calling the API community to action; we talk about how to engage the API community as a whole and whether or not that's useful at all; and Tabitha makes a plan to spend some time in Canada by dating a movie star. Music by @chopsmusic.
Election results got you down? Yeah, us too. Join Jenna and Canaan as they talk about how they've been coping and not coping with the reality of a Trump administration. Jenna talks about seeking out "any kind of asian" while Canaan dares to dive into Facebook. Also, is Star Wars' Lord Palpatine the son of Trump and Pence?!
Music by @chopsmusic
Weekly Disruption is back! This week, Jenna, Canaan, and Tabitha share their ideas about how to support #nodapl; we talk bout what it means when one of the defendants of the Malheur Refuge is API; the book A Wrinkle In Time is being made into a film and stars an 8-year-old Filipino-American; and Jenna spoils The Walking Dead for everyone while Canaan advocates for #zombieequity.
Music by @chopsmusic
Pacific Underground Producers Pamela, Tabitha, and Canaan are joined by a friend, Chisao, to break down this week's headlines. This week we dive into API representation in sitcoms and romcoms; scratch our heads and think about APIs supporting Trump; and stare disapprovingly and condescendingly slow clap for the US Federal government for finally acknowledging indigenous Hawaiians.
Producers Pamela Santos and Canaan Schlesinger speak with Jeff Chang about some of the themes he write about in his new book: "We Gon Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation".
This week, Weekly Disruption focuses on one issue. Pacific Underground producer Canaan joins Jenna to talk about AAPIs and their role in today's social justice movement. We ask ourselves, how can we as a community help to support and amplify the voices of those who need to be heard?
music by @chopsmusic
This week, in addition to the pop news, we talk about API life in Portlandia. Have you ever wanted to move to Oregon? Before you do, have a listen to our lively discussion about all the wonderful b.s. going on in the headlines from our home state. Tabitha shares about a famous Oregon rodeo that portrays Chinese people as beggars, while Jenna reflects on the Portland Police's not so successful "Police Matter" PR campaign; Mark Wahlburg has finally dropped his pardon request for committing a hate crime against a Vietnamese-American refugee; the newest Bruce Lee flick is somehow about a white guy; Gwen Stefani brings her cultural appropriation to animation; and Pamela tells us about how you can meet the Pacific Underground crew at this year's IntersectFest in PDX.
Music by @chopsmusic
This week in headlines that need to be disrupted: the Standing Rock Sioux lead the largest native protest in modern history; Bon Appetite magazine tells the world how to eat pho via a white chef from Philly; Greg Pak and Dark Horse Comics brings us a Chinese cowboy; Mulan is being made into a live action movie by Sony, hopefully, with no Matt Damon; #MyAAPIVote album brings us music to inspire the vote. Join Jenna and Tabitha as they talk headlines and b.s. while also revealing Tabitha's secret talent of singing the hits from the 1990's.
Theme music by @chopsmusic Outro music - "The Love ft FUZZY" from Arrivals by @jasonchumusic and Joe Kye
On this week's round of disrupting the news, we tackle a broad range of headlines from the protests in Queens to APIs at the Oscars. Pamela shares her thoughts on the recent hate crimes in her hometown of Queens and why State Senate hopeful, SJ Jung, should have his New Yorker card revoked; NFL's Colin Kaepernick brings attention to what the heck we're singing about in the national anthem; Jenna discovers a yellowface novela on Brasilian TV via Twitter; and Jackie Chan is getting an honorary Oscar and we're hoping he grows a mustache for the event. Music by @chopsmusic.
links: Nazma Khanam - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nazam-khanam-muslim-woman-queens-stabbing-cair-possible-hate-crime-a7220886.html SJ Jung - http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/queens-candidate-erase-same-sex-couples-textbooks-article-1.2769162 Kaepernick - http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem Yellowface - https://outracoluna.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/globo-faz-novela-sobre-imigracao-japonesa-e-os-protagonistas-sao-brancos/ Jackie Chan - http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/business/media/jackie-chan-is-among-winners-of-honorary-oscars.html?_r=0
Weekly Disruption is back to it's regular format of calling out the headlines. This week, Jenna, Pamela, and Tabitha talk about Purvi Patel; a study about racism in Southern California shows that white people don't like living near Mexicans...but Asians are just fine; #MissSaigon forgets to cast Vietnamese people again; #StarringJohnCho is happening; the new youtube show, #SingleBy30, reminds us of why APIs have the best house parties (it's the leftovers); and Panda Express brings the #chork to the masses.
music by @CHOPSmusic
Weekly Disruption takes a break from our usual format to bring you a special interview with hip hop and spoken word artist jason chu @jasonchumusic. jason chu talks about what inspires him as an artist to create music that makes helps carry his message. In his music, jason chu has touched upon topics such as race, sexism, superheroes, and mental health. We get a special glimpse of his new album Arrivals and talk about his song, Asians for Black Lives. Music by hip hop artist jason chu
http://www.jasonchumusic.com/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/arrivals/id1148842979
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jasonchumusic/arrivals-a-brand-new-full-length-studio-album-and
featured music by jason chu - Asians for Black Lives #Apis4blacklives (ft. Jared Grimble)
featured music from the album "Arrivals" by jason chu and Joe Kye - I See (Little Sister) Sound & Fury New Eyes (ft Ruth Cho) Speak (ft Chance Calloway)
On this week’s Weekly Disruption, we take a look at Trump’s latest comments about the Philippines, the government’s profiling of Chinese-American scientists, Fu Yuanhui’s viral moment at the Olympics, Ichiro Suzuki’s favorite English phrase, Snapchat’s yellowface filter, and, of course, Asians in Star Wars. Join Jenna, Tabitha, and Canaan as they disrupt and dissect this week’s headlines. Music by CHOPS.
Storytelling in the whitest city in America can often mean that people of color don't often get their stories heard or told in spaces that are as diverse as the breadth of stories out there. Elina Lim is hoping to create a space for storytellers of color at her new storytelling event, Invisible Spectrum Stories: Storytellers of color in the whitest city in America. Muisc by CHOPS.
Weekly Disruption is back for another round of disrupting the news. This week we disrupt the news about Korryn Gaines and the toxic masculinity behind a killing of Anna Bui; the Khan family continue to disrupts Trump; Hollywood's further whitewashing in animated films; Suicide Squad gets it right; and we get excited about seeing multiple APIs in the same scene in Star Trek. Join us as we disrupt and hype the news that caught our attention this week. Music by CHOPS.
Being hafu in Japan can bring it's challenges as well as it's unique joys. Composer Winton White spoke with producer Jenna Yokoyama about his experience growing up in Japan while having a bicultural background. Winton shares about what it was like to speak champon with his hafu friends and how he came to terms with being both Japanese and American in his 30's. Music: Winton White.
Pacific Underground is proud to premiere our latest project, Weekly Disruption. While our regular monthly show focuses on telling the stories of our API communities, Weekly Disruption gives us a chance to look at the stories that are floating around social media and the headlines. This week, Jenna, Tabitha, and Pamela talk about API firsts at the DNC, that stupid murpheybed ninja song, and Jason Bourne saving China. Listen along as we laugh, angry, and disrupt. Also, we love you, John Cho.
Music: "Return of the King" by CHOPS
Ken Yoshikawa is a poet and actor in Portland, Oregon. In this interview with producer Alan Montecillo, Ken talks about his biracial upbringing, the cultural mores that have stuck with him, and convincing his father that he could make it as an actor. He also reads two of his poems: "Steel Wing" and "Seven Ways To Write A Poem."
This month we're featuring local Portland API creatives that use different forms of self-expression from storytelling to poetry and zines, visual art and audio documentaries, to original music. Featuring Elina Lim's Invisible Spectrum Stories, Ken Yoshikawa, writer, poet, and performer, aka Yo Shake Awaken, artist Anna Vo. With live performances by Jae Jin, Mree, Perlo and Eden C recorded at our home station, KBOO 90.7FM.
Being mixed race in a word that it focused on labels can bring it's share of challenges as well as joys. For this month's episode of Pacific Underground, we dive into stories of what it means to be mixed race and how those in the API community navigate being a part of multiple cultures. First, producer Canaan Schlesinger takes a look at the word "hapa" to see how this once pejorative term came to be used in the mainstream. Then Alan Montecillo explores the history of interracial relationships in the early 20th century. Composer Winton White shares his experience about being hafu in Japan. Music in this episode is from CHOPS, Hanz Araki, and Winton White.
The Pacific Underground production team shares their favorite API owned places to eat in Portland, Oregon. Even if you don't live in Bridge City, you'll still relate to the stories shared as we talk about why we love to chow down at our beloved local joints.
What do our memories of food from childhood say about our API identities? The Pacific Underground Collective had been interviewing an assortment of family and friends on their experience with food during formative moments of their lives. What we wound up with is a highlight reel of personal stories drawn directly from these conversations.
Canaan Schlesinger interviews his friend, Shohei Kobayashi, a singer/songwriter and graduate student in choral conducting at University of Michigan. In this installment of "Your English Is So Good", we worked the theme of food into mix, and asked Shohei to talk about his experiences with eating-related cultural practices with non-API friends, and how that stood in contrast to what he grew up with at home.
Food can be divisive. How do different Asian-Americans feel when white chefs open restaurants featuring "ethnic" food? Alan Montecillo hosts a roundtable with fellow producers Pamela Santos, Canaan Schlesinger, and Jenna Yokoyama to explore this question.
If food were a language, what stories do we tell? This month, Pacific Underground explores what food signifies for us as Asian and Pacific Islanders in America, what it means to us at different times of our lives, and, in a lot of ways, how we perceive ourselves. First, we share stories about eating lunch as kids. Then, the Pacific Underground team roundtables about the issues surrounding white chefs who own API restaurants. To throw some support to our favorite eateries in Portland, the Pacific Underground team talks about their must eat restaurants around town that are API owned. Producer Pamela Santos shares a love story about food. We also bring you our latest Your English is So Good.
We love Star Wars so much here at Pacific Underground that we did an hour long special called "Asians and Pacific Islanders in Star Wars!" for our home station KBOO 90.7FM. Listen to the Pacific Underground crew as we take a humorous and critical look at Asian and Pacific Islander representation in Star Wars. We talk about "asian aliens," Ewoks speaking Tagalog, orientalism, and the increasing amount of APIs in Star Wars. So join in with Pamela, Tabitha, Canaan, and Jenna as we laugh, analyze and nerd out in a candid roundtable discussion about everyone's favorite far, far away galaxy! We're also joined by Pacific Underground nerd guest, artist Albert Nguyen.
Simon Tam of the band The Slants sits down with producer Pamela Santos for another "Your English Is So Good" where we talk about people's experiences with microaggressions. Simon talks about his exotic San Diego accent and taking the time to see life's opportunities.
Artist Stephen Poon of OutNerdMe,com joined us live on air on KBOO 90.7FM for our April show. Stephen makes unique pop culture art that combines imagery with text. He's gaining popularity in the comic book convention scene and we were lucky enough to get a donation from him for KBOO's membership drive. Find out more about Stephen's work at www.outnerdme.com or on the internets @outnerme
Conductor Paul Kim of the Oregon Symphony talks about his John Williams concert for this next installment of API Nerd Talk. He talks about the appeal of John Williams' music as well as what it's like to be an API conductor.
A preview of our upcoming episode premiering live on KBOO 90.7FM on Friday, April 22 at 11am during the membership drive. Tune in for some amazing thank you gifts like tickets to the John Williams concert in Portland, custom nerd art by Albert Nguyen, and CDs from The Slants.
We'll be interviewing conductor Paul Kim about his upcoming John Williams concert; Pamela Santos talks with Simon Tam from The Slants, and the Pacific Underground team talks about APIs in Star Wars with a great Ewok impersonation by producer Canaan.
Alan Montecillo looks at the aftermath of Officer Peter Liang's conviction. In February, he was convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting Akai Gurley, an unarmed black man in Brooklyn.
In our third installment of "Your English Is So Good," Jenna Yokoyama sat down with Canaan Schlesinger, a Lewis and Clark graduate who volunteers at the KBOO newsroom. Canaan talked about being "hapa" (or part-Asian), and what it was like to bring his "weird" Japanese lunch to school.
In our second installment of Your English Is So Good (aired on Feb 26), Alan Montecillo talked with Marilou Carrera, who works at the Oregon Health Equity Alliance. We learned more about growing up in the Midwest, talking about sex, and how APIs can make their voices heard when it comes to reproductive justice.
Today, a culture of fear fuels prejudice against Muslims in the United States. For Japanese-Americans, that fear can seem eerily familiar.
Jenna Yokoyama delves into the events and actions that led to the forcible removal of 120,000 Japanese-Americans during WWII.
Yesterday, March 28, was the first Minoru Yasui Day in the State of Oregon. Alan Montecillo interviews Peggy Nagae and Chisao Hata to learn more about this civil rights hero who fought the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Pictured: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signing HB 4009, which designates March 28 as Minoru Yasui Day. Seated around her are lawmakers, Min's family members, and people involved in the Minoru Yasui Tribute Project.
This month: Jenna Yokoyama interviews Canaan Schlesinger about seeming racially ambiguous. Then, Alan Montecillo looks into the aftermath of NYPD Officer Peter Liang's conviction. Finally, we look into Japanese internment during WWII: why it happened, how it happened, and the civil rights heroes who fought against it — including Oregon's very own Minoru Yasui.
Music this month by Dave Depper, Blue Dot Sessions, Dana Boul, Podington Bear, Sergey Cheremisinov, David Szesztay, and CHOPS.
There are over 30,000 people in the US with roots in the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Marshall Islands. They've been long forgotten and ignored in American life, but after years of speaking up and speaking out, they're finally beginning to be heard.
Pacific Underground brings you a mixtape of kickass API artists: Run River North, jason chu, and Sugar Pie DeSanto.
Producer Jenna Yokoyama interviews comic book artist Albert Nguyen about growing up in Minnesota and being a Vietnamese-American artist in the comic book convention scene. Albert's work can be found at knewwhen.com and on Instagram at @albertnguyenart. Outro music is "Marvels" by hip-hop artist jason chu.
This month: stories and interviews about fitting into American life as an API. First, Jenna Yokoyama brings you an interview about fitting into nerd culture (1:08). Then, Alan Montecillo reports on Pacific Islanders' fight to get the rights and visibility they deserve (9:44). We'll also bring you an API Mixtape featuring songs by Asian and Pacific Islander musicians (28:08). Finally, Alan Montecillo interviews Marilou Carrera from the Oregon Health Equity Alliance in the latest installment of "Your English Is So Good." (45:32)
Regie Cabico spoke with Pacific Underground's Pamela Santos about why he became a poet, laughing at your own pain, and teaching writing to youth.
Regie is the first openly queer and Asian Slam Poet to take top prizes in the 1993, 1994 and 1997 National Poetry Slams. He is a former Nuyorican Poets Grand Slam Champion. He co-edited Flicker & Spark: A Contemporary Anthology of Queer Poetry and Spoken Word which was nominated for a 2014 Lambda Literary Award.
Kristina Wong is a solo performer, writer, and cultural commentator. Her new show, The Wong Street Journal, is touring in Minneapolis (Mar 11-12), San Francisco (Apr 7-9), and Philadelphia (Apr 14-16). The outro music in the segment is "Boss Lady" from Kristina's own rap album, produced by Nerio.
Jenna Yokoyama talks about her exotic Californian heritage, being typecast in theatre productions, and constantly hearing about how "cute" she is.
On our very first show, we learn how Asians and Pacific Islanders have to perform their identities in America — especially through the arts. First, we talk with Chinese-American comedian, writer, and performer Kristina Wong (1:35). Then, acclaimed Filipino-American spoken word poet Regie Cabico joins us in the studio (31:43). Finally, we debut a segment we're calling "Your English Is So Good," (48:37) where we learn about all the creative ways American society is still really, really weird about acknowledging that APIs belong here.