Filipino

JAMES CELLES - REST IN PEACE - DEC 31, 2023

 


This is James Allen Celles, my beloved brother who unexpectedly passed away on New Year’s Eve at the age of 45. He was one of the best human beings I’ve ever known & I want the whole world to know how much I love him. He leaves behind a loving wife, four children, & a multitude of loved ones who all miss him dearly.

 

I met James in high school through my other brother Anton who was very kind to take me under his wing & introduce me to his dj crew. I was a scrawny freshman and aspiring dj. James was a junior, well-liked & one of the best djs at school. His dj name was DR. JACKLE ( a play on Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde) which was an acronym for James Allen Celles Kicking Lyrics Eternally. Along with my other brother David, they co-founded the dj crew PMD (Precision Mixing Dynamix). In my eyes that crew were gods among men. At various house parties, I studiously observed their stellar technique & mastery of song selection & crowd control. They weren’t just djs, they were storytellers through music.

I practiced extra hard every day just in case they opened up “tryouts” for PMD. Fortunately, that opportunity did come later that year when I performed an impromptu set at David’s bday party. The following week, James and the crew officially invited me into the crew!

It remains one of the greatest days of my life.

 

As a mobile dj crew, we spent a lot of time together since most gigs were a full day affair, & some weeks we had multiple gigs. I learned so much by being around James. Obviously, he was smart, talented, business minded & a great leader. But he was also so much more.

 

He taught us how to have fun, be silly & how laughing at onself can be healthy. He showed us that you can do the splits at any occasion, location, & to any song, even slow jams. He taught us how to drive stick shift & how to drive backwards using only side mirrors. He taught us how to scratch without using the crossfader while simultaneously giving a thumbs up. He taught us how to lift equipment twice my size & weight. He was our McGyver and taught us how to build with our hands or creatively fix broken things, including Tricia’s recovered stolen car.

He showed us that gorillas do exist in the mist and that magic is real. As a martial artist, he gave us pointers on how to survive at The Kumite.

 

He taught us how to eat huge portions of food in one big-ass bite. He taught us business, economics & the value of investment & to think long term. He taught us that it’s ok to not know everything but to also always stay learning. He taught us to dream big but to be patient, persistent & detailed.

 

Most importantly, he taught us to prioritize friendship, brotherhood, & family over everything. He taught us to be humble, selfless, & generous with our time & money, especially to those who are less fortunate, depressed & lonely. He taught us to respect & appreciate the wisdom from our elders. He taught us that when you hug, hug strong & from within your soul. He taught us to see the beauty in all things.

He taught us that when you love, you love hard & with everything you got. He taught us to live like each day was your last.

Little did we know that his last day would come so soon, especially after seeing him alive & well just 5 days before. It hurts deeply knowing that’s he’s gone. He was such a bright light & the world seems so much dimmer now. Our faiths are heavily being tried.

 

But as his wife Anfissa powerfully said at his memorial service, he was taken away from us because he was too good for this earth & received his wings because he maximized his time here living & loving to the fullest each day.

James, you won at life & we will celebrate you for the rest of our lives.

 

May you rest in love & enjoy eternal sunsets while mixing it up at your new gig in heaven

St. James of the Divine Splits.

We love you, Foo!

-Rich & Tricia

AAPI’s in Country Music

 


by Stephanie Lamond & Richie Traktivist


With the Country Music Awards (CMA’s) taking place on November 8, we got inspired to uplift some Country music artists with Asian American & Pacific Islander heritage. From the witty social media savvy of Alison Nichols and Samica to the genre-bending charm of acts like Gabe Lee and Maoli, here are just a few of the artists putting their unique stamp on the ever-evolving genre of country music.

Cody Hibbard

Hailing from Adair, Oklahoma, Cody Hibbard “grew up running and working on the family farm with dreams that spread across the horizon”. He picked up the guitar in campgrounds working as a pipeliner, inspired by his fellow blue collar workers and running the back roads of the country. After releasing his first single “Half Whiskey Half Lonely” in 2019, Cody has since released two EP’s and toured extensively with his biggest tracks “Ice Cold Therapy”, “Armed and Dangerous”, and “The Truth”.
https://www.codyhibbard.com

Travis Atreo

Filipino American country pop artist Travis Atreo got his start in Seattle indie-rock band New Heights before moving to LA and establishing himself as a producer. All the while, he continued creating, releasing hundreds of cover songs, EP’s, and albums before returning to his own music in the genre that was his “first love”, country. His first full-length album, My Country, was released in October 2023. He’s also the founder of Fanded, a crowdfunding platform that allows fans and superfans to invest in the projects of their favorite independent artists.
https://travisatreo.com

Alison Nichols

Cheekily self-describing as “half korean, half redneck, 100% american”, Alison Nichols’ witty charm and clever lyrics have led her to TikTok stardom. She’s got her finger on the pulse of what it means to be a social media aware artist and is a regular at the Song Suffragettes round at the Listening Room Cafe in Nashville.
https://www.tiktok.com/@alisonnicholsmusic

Maoli

Maui’s beloved “Country-Reggae” group Maoli is heralded as one of Polynesia's #1 commercial recording artists, and has been credited with over 21 #1 Regional Island Reggae Hits. Since their debut in 2007, the group has been steadily on the rise, and has developed their unique sound by fusing the elements of Country, R&B, Soul, Acoustic, Rock and roll, and Reggae.
https://www.maolimusic.com

Samica

A first-generation Indian American, Samica was raised in a musical house. Though surrounded by traditional South Asian music at home, she was heavily influenced by listening to Top 40 radio, and began writing songs at a very young age. Samica’s latest EP, Laurel Canyon, aims for an organic alternative pop-country sound, drawing inspiration from Amy Winehouse and artists from the 70’s like Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Nicks.
https://www.samicamusic.com

Gabe Lee

Equal parts classic songwriter and modern-day storyteller, Gabe Lee has built his own bridge between country, folk and rock. Lee began collecting stories as a bartender and honed his narrative skills through degrees in literature and journalism, eventually penning albums like Farmland, Honky-Tonk Hell, The Hometown Kid, and his most recent release Drink the River. Raised by Taiwanese parents in Nashville, TN, he’s played with fellow genre-bending artists like Jason Isbell and Los Lobos, and aims to unite through his music; as his bio states, “Lee isn't just writing songs about himself; he's writing songs about all of us. And maybe, in doing so, he can bring us a little closer together.”
https://www.gabeleetn.com

AJ Lee & Blue Summit

AJ Lee & Blue Summit made their first appearance in Santa Cruz in 2015. Led by singer, songwriter, and mandolinist, AJ Lee, the bluegrass band has performed all over the world, but finds home in California’s Bay Area. In 2019, they released their debut album, Like I Used To. Their second full length project, I’ll Come Back, came out August 2021, with national touring in support of the record ongoing. Drawing from influences such as country, soul, swing, rock, and jam music, the band uses the lens of bluegrass as a vessel through which to express and explore the thread that binds and unifies all great music.
https://www.bluesummitmusic.com

Troubadour Blue

Made up of Daniel Kim Ethridge and siblings Brenna and Eli Wheeler, Troubadour Blue marries the motifs of modern bluegrass with the poeticism found in Nashville’s songwriting scene. Their focus is on creating songs that tip their hat to classic country writing while incorporating modern influences, and after becoming fixtures at the Bluebird Cafe, securing sync placements, and touring in support of the GRAMMY Winning band The SteelDrivers, they’re set to release their debut album in the Spring of 2024.
https://www.troubadourblue.com