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San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
The most powerful act at Napa's La Onda festival? It's not on the main stage
One of the most important performances at La Onda in Napa doesn't take place on any of the big stages. It isn't projected on jumbo screens, doesn't feature any dazzling pyrotechnics or conclude with an audience-requested encore. In fact, for the tens-of-thousands at the Napa Valley Expo on Saturday and Sunday May 31-June 1, for the second annual Latin music festival, it may happen quietly, without them ever noticing. Yet, it may arguably be the most essential act of the weekend. In the margins of the two-day festival's footprint, Callpuli Anahuak, a Northern California-based Aztec danza group, gathered in a circle and offered ancestral drumming and prayer. No microphones. No spotlights. Just feet against soil. Carlos Romero, who leads the group and has been dancing for Callpuli Anahuak for more than 20 years, describes it plainly: 'We're ceremonial.' 'It's a spiritual journey from our ancestors, from our people. When we bring ceremony, it feels like everybody connects — every culture,' he went on. 'I feel like every human being needs that.' Romero and his multi-generational dance and ceremony cohort returned after a stirring performance at La Onda's inaugural year, one that stood in quieter contrast to the festival's usual programming. Their presence, however, isn't just some cultural veneer for La Onda. According to Romero, to the organizers' credit, that was never the intention when they first approached them for the festival's inaugural year in 2024. But given the current political backdrop, all four of Callpuli Anahuak's La Onda performances (both days at 1:45 and 4:45 p.m. on the field by the Verizon Stage) may feel like a spiritual intervention, arriving at a moment when Latinx identity is being simultaneously marketed, marginalized and persecuted. It certainly served as a respite for LIlian Zepeda. A Napa native, she's Mexican and African American; watching her fellow festivalgoers cheer on the group on Saturday afternoon, she said, made her feel more at peace amid the current political climate. 'It feels like an acceptance in this country,' Zepeda said, adding that despite 'what's going on, (we're) still proud of who we are.' Perhaps inadvertent, but that's the kind of chord La Onda festival organizers hit this year. 'In these challenging times, it's gratifying to know that these Callpuli Anahuak ceremonial performances are resonating with our attendees,' Dave Graham, a partner at BottleRock Napa Valley, which also produces La Onda, told the Chronicle. The fear that lives just outside the gates of La Onda is not imagined. In the Napa Valley and greater Bay Area, anxiety has risen among the immigrant community under the Trump administration following renewed federal threats of mass deportations. It feels all the more significant since Grupo Firme — one of the most prominent and highly anticipated acts on La Onda's lineup — was forced to withdraw from the festival due to delayed visa approvals. In that context, Romero sees Callpuli Anahuak's performance not just as entertainment but a form of resistance. 'We're being attacked,' said Romero, who was born in Mexico and raised in Sonoma County. But he quickly added, 'our people never give up. We work all the hard jobs. We're the backbone of this country.' Standing on the field of the region's premier Latin music festival he also notes that Callpuli Anahuak isn't dancing this weekend in direct protest. They dance in defiance of invisibility. 'We forget to be present,' Romero said. 'We forget to be in the moment, and I think ceremony helps you with that. It reminds you that you're here, right now, and you're breathing and that's a blessing.' And presence, right now, is power. Julio Lara is a freelance writer.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
La Onda festival loses major act as Grupo Firme is denied entry to U.S.
Grupo Firme, the chart-topping regional Mexican band based in Tijuana, has canceled its appearance at this weekend's La Onda festival in Napa, after being denied entry into the United States. The group was slated to headline the closing night of the two-day celebration on Sunday, June 1, at the Napa Valley Expo, but announced the cancellation just days from their festival debut. 'Currently, visas for Grupo Firme ... are undergoing an administrative process at the US Embassy,' the band wrote on Instagram on Friday, May 30. '(It's) a situation that makes it impossible for Grupo Firme to perform at La Onda Fest as planned.' Festival organizers confirmed the cancellation and announced that rising corrido star Tito Double P will take Grupo Firme's place on the Verizon Stage on Sunday. Now in its second year, La Onda has quickly become a major celebration of Latin music and culture in Northern California, with more than 60,000 attendees at its debut in 2024. This year's event, which begins Saturday, May 31, boasts major acts such as Marco Antonio Solís, Banda MS, Pepe Aguilar, Ángela Aguilar and Alicia Villarreal. 'There was something missing in the Northern California festival scene — an authentic, large-scale festival dedicated 100% to Latino culture,' said organizer Dave Graham, whose team is also behind the annual BottleRock Napa Valley festival hosted over Memorial Day weekend.
