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This is an interview with author, Elijah Wald, from NPR news. In it, he speaks about narcotraficante music. For more information, check out his book; “Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas.” In the first full-length exploration of the contemporary and controversial Mexican corrido, award-winning author Elijah Wald blends a travel narrative with his search for the roots of this genre — a modern outlaw music that fuses the sensibilities of medieval ballads with the edgy grit of gangsta rap. From international superstars to rural singers documenting their local current events in the regions dominated by guerilla war, Wald visited these songwriters in their homes, exploring the heartland of the Mexican drug traffic and traveling to urban centers such as Los Angeles and Mexico City. The corrido genre is famous for its hard-bitten songs of drug traffickers and gunfights, and also functions as a sort of musical newspaper, singing of government corruption, the lives of immigrants in the United States, and the battles of the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas. Though largely unknown to English speakers, corridos top the Latin charts and dominate radio playlists both in the United States and points south. Wald provides in-depth looks at the songwriters who have transformed groups like the popular Tigres del Norte into enduring superstars, as well as the younger artists who are carrying the corrido into the twenty-first century. In searching for the poetry and social protest behind the gaudy lyrics of powerful drug lords, Wald shows how popular music can remain the voice of a people, even in this modern world of globalization, electronic media, and gangsters who ship cocaine in 747s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zjyDGnDUXs&feature=share&list=LPaagCbB6fU_g This opened up a whole new world to me when I was doing research for my book. I knew a little about the gangster rap out of Los Angeles but not that Mexico had it’s own version and that singers were killed as well when they squared off against a rival gang. And yes, it does sound like polka music.

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Coral Russell runs the blog http://alchemyscrawl.com where she reviews Indie books/authors. “By the end of 2013, I will have read close to 300 Indie titles. I can vouch that the quality and diversity of Indie authors is worth investing in.” On the blog you can find links to her on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Google+ and email. The Indie Exchange is a group of authors, readers, and book bloggers who post reviews, articles, and giveaways. Listen in Fridays to our radio show at http://blogtalkradio.com/alchemyofscrawl Ms. Russell won the 2003 McCaleb Peace Initiative which produced the non-fiction articles Peace on the Peninsula. All profit from the sale of that eBook goes to rebuilding Joplin, MO. Titles available: Amador Lockdown, Playing with Fire (Devil of a Ghost Tour and Key to a Haunting), Peace on the Peninsula, The DIY Guide to Social Media Marketing and eBook Publishing, and Twelve Worlds (profit goes to Reading is Fundamental).

Don’t forget to enter the Giveaway!

You have a chance at some awesome prizes. Check these out!

10 Sacrifice eBooks ~ Kindle, ePub, PDF (Int’l)

2 $10 Amazon Gift Cards (Int’l)

$159 Kindle Fire (US Only) or Paypal Cash (Int’l)

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FUONLYKNEW is NOT responsible for distributing the prizes. All prizes will be distributed by Coral Russell at alchemyofscrawl@yahoo.com

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