Suddenrush

Fresh off their appearance at this year’s July 4th Soccer tournament, Suddenrush is making waves with their unique styling and fresh sounds.  Made up of four siblings: Pat Her, Roger Her, Joe Her, and Cheenou Her, they hail from British Columbia, Canada. Their new album, “Tiam No”, breaks away from the common sounds of a Hmong band, by combining a taste of Rock, Pop, and even Country in a blend of melodies that will have you tapping your feet to the beat.

Talking about goals from their website, Suddenrushband.com:

“Suddenrush’s goal is to write and record music for themselves and their fellow Hmong, as well as to contribute something meaningful to the future of Hmong Music.”

The basis of most music and motivation comes from emotions experienced, the song “Mi Noog” draws from just that. Pat Her does a wonderful job of portraying the feelings and emotions of letting go. Her tender voice is quite deceiving as it brings forth such energy and spirit that it’s hard not to turn the volume up higher and higher just to have her closer. The electrical chords and beats in “Xav Kom Zoo” also showcases the other side of being a Hmong band, combining the rock band influence that’s reminescent of vintage Voltage and Sounders. Lastly, “Goodbye” leaves you yearning for more. Although the song is a nice closure to a fantastic album, you can be sure that they will continue to build upon what they’ve started. We’ll be here to hear them grow.

Hmongism is proud to feature this up and coming band as part of the new sound of a new generation. Suddenrush exemplifies all that is part of the Hmongism movement, combining solid Hmong traditions and adding their own style. We caught up with Suddenrush and had the opportunity to interview the band about music, life, and their new album “Tiam No”.

Interview with Suddenrush

Hmongism:  What is Suddenrush and how did you come up with your band name?

Suddenrush:  When Pat and Joe first finished writing Mi Noog, they decided that if there was to be a band, they needed a name. After running through a bunch of ideas Pat came up with Suddenrush. As Pat puts it, music is like a drug. It gives you this Suddenrush of energy and motivation.

Hmongism:  Tell us a little bit about your music and what it means.

Suddenrush:  We try to keep our music based on actual events that can, may, or have happened in somebody’s life. We want to give listeners something that they can really relate to. Music has susch a large influence on many peoples’ lives and having something as simple as a song to listen to while on your way to work or relaxing at home can be very inspirational at times.

Hmongism:  Was it difficult writing and recording an album? Any hurdles to overcome in the process?

Suddenrush:  The recording portion was quite tiring. Trying to juggle our everyday lives with recording time, as well as trying to work with the studio schedule was quite exhausting. Recording at odd hours of the early morning and night really took it’s toll. As for wrting the album, we’ve been working on certain pieces for quite some time before planning to record. Most of the songs have been in process for quite some time, the rest were written through the four of us throwing ideas around in the studio.

Hmongism:  What made you decide to sing your songs in Hmong vs. English?

Suddenrush:  Through experimenting with English and Hmong lyrics, we found that Hmong lyrics suited the type of music we wrote best. Everyone knows that the hmong music industry is growing slowly and has come quite a long ways. So what better then to contribute to it and help it grow even further. We do enjoy writing hmong and english music, but for now hmong is the direction we are headed and we are quite happy with our progress.

Hmongism:  Your song “Mi Noog” has won praises from your listeners, can you explain the song for us?

Suddenrush:  Mi Noog is a song about love and loss. Everyone at some point in their lives is faced with a situation, whether it be a broken relationship, loved one moving away, or even death. This song describes an individual who is dealing with having to let a loved one go and asking that the pain and misery be felt only within him/her. The song also goes on to describe that the indiviual’s love is so strong, that he/she is willing to go on living this life without any new lover, hoping that one day their loved one will return to them.  It is a very common scenario which is why so many listeners can relate to the song. The song not only describes the pain of losing someone, but also shows that one can be strong and have hope that they may one day be reuntied with their love.

Hmongism:  Who are your major influences in music? Who are your favorite bands/singers?

Suddenrush:  We are inluenced by many types of music and bands. Everything from Roxette to Bon Jovi, Motley Crue to Def Leppard, Luj Yaj, TX, Xob Dub, Mai Xiong…just for starters.

Hmongism:  Your first album was released at the July 4th 2008 Soccer tournament in Minnesota, how did it feel to perform live in front of the crowds? Was this your first visit to the United States? Any memorable moments at the tournament?

Suddenrush:  It was very refreshing to perform live again, minus the crazy hot weather. We’ve all been playing in various bands and doing shows prior to the creation of Suddenrush, so playing on stage was nothing new. It did feel very rewarding to get up and play live after quite some time being couped up in a recording studio. It would have been nice to have the whole band up there, but unfortunately our Roger (Suddenrush drummer) couldn’t make the trip. We have had a few visits to Seattle, as a band, and played a couple of New Years and small parties, but July 4th was our first trip to MN.

Hmongism:  Any new updates or upcoming events planned for the near future?

Suddenrush:  Our next venture is going to be to Sacramento’s Hmong New Years celebration. We will be selling our full length album at the vending area. Prior to that we will be perform at the Vancouver, Canada Hmong New Years. Many fans have been asking for a concert, which is something that we are taking into consideration, but as for this year goes it is highly unlikely. Fans can definately expect a concert sometime following New Years.

Hmongism:  What are some words of advice for aspiring Hmong artists?

Suddenrush: Don’t be afraid to dream too big. Every great artists starts from the same place. No one is born a star nor an artist. Some people take longer then otheres to grasp the skills, but don’t give up. There is a place in the music world for anyone who is committed and tries hard to excel with their talent. If you have an opportunity to show case your talent, no matter how minor, take it. You just never know who will be watching or listening.

Hmongism:  Any final words for the readers?

Suddenrush: Thanks to everyone, fans, family and friends for your kind words of wisdom and support. Without all of you Suddenrush would not be a reality. Much love to all! We hope that our music will continually touch your lives.

Hmongism:  And thank you for taking the time to help us out with this interview!  You definitely have a fan in us and also among our readers!  Please keep us updated on anything else that comes up!

End of interview

Like what you’ve read or seen?  Then please visit the band’s website at Suddenrushband.com and also on their Myspace page at myspace.com/suddenrushband. and let them know!

Gran Torino family

The plot of Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino is a closely guarded secret. But now that shooting has wrapped up, how the Hmong actors fit into their roles is becoming more visible. Clint Eastwood’s character, Walt, stumbles into the middle of a struggle within the Hmong community. He tries to intervene in a contest between a war-torn family and a ruthless street gang over the soul of a teenaged boy.

Meet the Gran Torino family

Bee Vang

What defines the young man who plays Eastwood’s alter-ego in Gran Torino? Bee Vang, 16, is as humble as the character, Tao, though not quite as bookish. With a mild-mannered countenance and a slight build, he’s equipped to fill the role of neighborhood wimp. At 5’5” he says the height difference with Eastwood’s 6’2” is part of the point. “Tao is literally ‘looking up’ to Walt” in the story, Bee explains.

Bee is still starry-eyed, despite working opposite Eastwood for weeks. Born in Fresno, and now from the Minneapolis suburbs, he never thought he would go into acting. In fact, he was buried in his high school books, already taking courses at the University of Minnesota. He was planning to go pre-med.

Bee thought medicine was his passion, but “I was hoping that getting this part was trying to tell me to follow my other passions.” Although he has no more than drama club for his theater training, this multi-talent also loves filming, painting and drawing. He plays classical music on piano, viola, oboe and flute. And he does school band.

Bee landed a private audition for Gran Torino before the May open casting in the Twin Cities. After his callback, he waited and waited. One day the phone rang. The guy said, “Are you driving?” Bee said, “No.” “Are you doing anything that would put your life in danger?” “No.” “Well, Clint would like to work with you!”  “I got down on my knees and started crying,” he recalls, with emotion. “The whole thing was really life-changing.”

It’s not surprising that he was “floored” by the news. Bee had been a longtime fan of Eastwood, owning videos of Letters from Iwo Jima, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the first Dirty Harry and several others. Eastwood, he informs me, has been known to Hmong since they used to watch his movies in Ban Vinai.           

It’s clear that Bee savors his work with this 78-year-old icon of Hollywood. He’s making Clint a mentor in life, just like their roles in the show. Bee’s had his share of being picked on, even had his bike stolen as a kid. But despite bringing up bad memories, he’s “enjoying every second of working with the entire crew…They know I’m inexperienced and young. They let me know when I need directing. I’m learning a lot.” 

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Hmong Veterans honored

APPLETON — SaiLee Thao took the microphone at Foster Elementary Charter School’s Veterans Day tribute Tuesday with a deep sense of pride. 

To be asked to represent Hmong veterans’ service to the American cause as soldiers in the “Secret Army” during the Vietnam War was a “great honor,” Thao said.

To command respect as a role model in front of three of his own children who attend Foster, and their Hmong-American schoolmates — 33 percent of the student body — well, that was priceless.

The Hmong sacrificed a great deal. As teacher, translator and emcee Anne Vang-Lo somberly noted, every Hmong person in the gym Tuesday had family members who fought and/or died in the Vietnam War.

Thao, coordinator of the Appleton Chapter 26 of the Wisconsin Lao Veterans of America, and five other Hmong vets followed members of VFW Post 2778 into the gym for the assembly that included patriotic songs and lessons in Veterans Day history and how Hmong vets enriched that history.

Both groups retired the colors together.

“Thank you for serving our country,” music teacher Colleen Perrine said as pupils, staff and visitors applauded all the vets, including Emmet Erdmann of Appleton, a Korean War veteran. “This is wonderful,” he said of the tribute. “I think it’s great.”

Foster’s celebration was just one of many Fox Valley salutes to veterans this week, many of them at schools.

Before Foster’s program, Thao said people are still surprised to learn of the significant role Hmong soldiers played in the Vietnam War.

Recruited by the CIA, these mountain tribesmen from Laos rescued downed American pilots and cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the enemy’s main supply route between North and South Vietnam. As many as 35,000 Hmong soldiers died in the war.

As U.S. allies, they faced persecution at the hands of the communist Vietcong afterward and many came here as refugees at U.S. invitation.

Thao, now 63, was 15 years old when he joined Gen. Vang Pao’s Secret Army in 1961.

“We did it because Laos was a war-torn country, and if you didn’t take up arms to protect your border and your people, you wouldn’t survive,” he said.

Thao led more than 100 soldiers entrusted with protecting an American air base in northwestern Laos, along with farmers and villagers living within a four-day’s walk.

He never imagined that fighting with Americans would lead him to the U.S., where Hmong children learn alongside American children and grow up to fight in U.S. wars alongside their peers. “We’re willing to let our children fight alongside other Americans to protect our country — our new home,” he said.

Fifth-grader Lucy Thao, 10, is proud of their father’s service. “He was like a leader and did good things,” she said. “My dad fought for our freedom and peace and so people wouldn’t be mean to each other.”

Source:  http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20081112/APC0101/811120505/1003/APC01

Kind Beats presents: Krash & Burn 2008

Come join Kind Beats as we celebrate our 7th birthday @ Epic!

ALL LADIES ARE FREE BEFORE 11PM.

Doors open at 10pm and we’ll be rocking the dance floor til 2am. 18+ Event. $10 cover charges all night. Visuals + Sound + Showstopperz Go Go Dancers. Gorgeous rooftop smoking patio. Coat check will be available. $3 Redbull drinks til 11:30pm. $100 off bottles til 11:30pm. For bottle service please call 612.968.6636.

DJs rocking the decks:
CREASHINN
FOODSTAMPS
KINKYTUNES
TONY THAO

Epic Event Center
110 5th Street North
DT Minneapolis
612.332.3742
www.epicmpls.com

For more information please visit us online at www.kindbeats.com.

===== LOVE FROM KB ====

To all the people who had supported us from the beginning and along the way, we thank each and everyone of you. To be honest, we’d never thought the group would expand this big or last this long. It was just a bunch of guys throwing parties in garages, restaurants, basements and small shacks here and there. Kind Beats grew due to the support and love from all of you.

We used to rock small joints and house party’s in basements and garages… now we rock multi-million dollar nightclubs from coast to coast. All of this would never have happened without your support, the fans and freaks who’d come to all of our events. So… we’d like to see all of you, our old and new friends, our co-workers, our relatives, our families, our friends of friends… come out and drink a round or two with us as we celebrate our 7th year bash at Epic Nightclub on Saturday November 29th, 2008. We promise this event will not dissapoint, as we seem to be doing something right for the past 7 years…..

With lots of love and respect,

KB

If you or anyone have a need or request for a group rate, please feel free to contact me and I will take care of each and everyone of you to the best of my abilities/capabilities. Please email me for further information.

Johnny
info@kindbeats.com

Increase in first generation college students

The class of 2012 has seen a significant increase in first generation college students, or students who’s parents did not go to college or earn a degree.  This signifies an increase in academic progress in which students are seeking higher educations and earning more degrees. 

Out of the 5,774 new students attending UW-Madison this fall, there are 1,170 first generation students who will represent their families as first time college students.

“Deanna Yang, of Sheboygan, was aware of the significance of coming to UW-Madison. She says that she comes from the Hmong community, among which high-school graduation rates and college retention rates are low. For her, coming to the university meant supporting positive images of the Hmong community by attending a four-year university.”

These increases in first generation students will benefit future prospective students as well since siblings and relatives are more motivated to follow suit and attain a higher education as well, which will ensure a continuation of college bound students for generations to come.

A New President, For the New Generation

November 4, 2008 marks a historic time in American history.  Not only did I witness one of the biggest miracles any one person can witness in their lifetimes, but I also saved a ton of money on my car insurance!  (okay, that last part I just made up)  But this monumental miracle of massive proportions includes a new President and a new change in American politics.  Not only is Barack Obama the first African American President, but the means in which he dominated the elections proved that there is a change coming to America.

Exit polls indicate that the majority of President Obama’s (that has a cool ring to it, huh?) votes, came largely from the 18-25 yr old voting population and the minorities, including some of the largest African American voter turnouts in history.  What this means is that the new generation, the 18-25 yr old voters, are making a large impact on politics and subsequently, history itself.

How it relates back to us here is that there is a growing trend with the young generation:  Change.  Now, we can see that instead of sitting quietly on the sidelines following direction from their elders, young people are now being heard and making a stand.  They are standing up for their beliefs, opinions, and views.  Together, they can and will be heard. 

Hmongism is founded on this same principle that change starts from the youngest of hearts.  The future leaders, role models, and teachers.  We all are able to make a large impact on our lives and the lives of each other if we just stand up and make ourselves be heard.  Believe me, speak loud enough and the entire world will hear you.  President Obama is proof of this.  His message of change and hope rings true to everyone, young or old, Democractic of Republican, Hmong or German. 

Maybe I will call up Geico and see if I can get a better price on my car insurance?  There’s always hope, right?

Signing off,

Hmooj Vang
Editor @ Hmongism.com

New Hmong Cookbook

 

Hmong farmers have introduced exotic produce to local farmers markets, including bitter melon, yard long beans and Chinese eggplant.

But non-Hmong customers often don’t know how to use the produce, observed Kong Vang, a former agriculture coordinator for Western Dairyland Community Action Agency. He worked with UW-Extension of Eau Claire County to help disadvantaged farmers market their products.

These “are not things we typically use in Western cooking,” said Nancy Coffey, coordinator of the Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program through the Altoona-based Extension office. And the language barrier can make it difficult for Hmong-speaking vendors to explain to English- speaking customers how to prepare them.

To increase the marketability of foods grown by Hmong farmers, the Extension office recently published “Hmong Cookbook.” It features specialty dishes from Hmong cooks in the Chippewa Valley.

Among the recipes are Beef Salad (Laj), which contains Chinese eggplants and yard long beans; Chicken With Cucumber and Bitter Melon; and Chicken Tofu, which uses lemongrass.

Vang, Coffey and Julie Keown-Bomar, the office’s family living educator, edited the colorfully illustrated 21-page cookbook, which represents a collaboration with several community partners over the past three years.

Twelve area contributors, including women and men of different ages and backgrounds, provided most of the 16 recipes. One non-Hmong contributor, Madison cookbook author Terese Allen, shared recipes.

Profits from cookbook sales will support Hmong businesses, entrepreneur grants and scholarships in the Chippewa Valley. This will help Hmong entrepreneurs to realize their dreams and Hmong businesses to grow, Keown-Bomar said.

Keown-Bomar listed other goals, including preserving the food heritage of the Hmong. Most culinary knowledge is passed along orally in their communities; with immigration and acculturation, they risk losing these traditions.

“There are very few Hmong cookbooks out there,” she said.

Another goal was increasing knowledge of dietary practices, she said, especially as diabetes and heart disease have soared in Hmong communities over the past 30 years.

One factor, Vang said, is in Laos the Hmong labored hard in fields and packed many calories into meals, eating a lot of starchy and deep-fried foods. They haven’t changed their dietary habits here, but they are not as physically active.

In addition, Hmong youth have adopted more of a Western style of eating, which includes sugary pop and high-fat fast foods.

The editors tried to present healthful options in dishes, he said. For example, they substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a skin-on whole chicken in Curry Noodles (Khob Poon).

Vang noted many of the featured recipes are celebratory foods not eaten regularly. Rice is a staple in the Hmong diet, which also includes stewlike dishes and deep-fried foods.

Research conducted for the cookbook offered insights into the Hmong diet but more needs to be known, Keown-Bomar said.

A nutritional analysis is given for each recipe. Tanya Becker, a UW-Stout dietetics major, completed the analyses, which were reviewed by a UW-Extension specialist.

Putting orally preserved recipes onto paper was not easy. Each took a lot of time to demonstrate and edit, Vang said.

Recipe contributors prepared dishes at home or in the Extension office kitchen, watched by the editors who measured the amount of each ingredient and recorded the preparation steps.

The Hmong language does not always have equivalent English terms, Keown-Bomar said.

For example, the cookbook has a recipe for making tofu. The Hmong would refer to the stage when the soy mixture is curdled - and resembles a blossoming flower - as “taum paaj,” which means bean flower, she said.

Most of the recipe ingredients are available in grocery stores.

While observing how cooks prepared dishes, the editors asked questions about dietary habits and beliefs and changing food practices. They shared the information in the cookbook’s introduction.

They want people not only to enjoy the recipes but also to learn about the culture, Coffey said.

Mai Pang Lee and Leah Rekau, food systems and technology majors at UW-Stout, helped with the food styling and photography as a research project. They won an award at UW-Stout for their work, Keown-Bomar said.

Vang, who now runs an adult family home in Menomonie, created the graphics for the cookbook. For the cover, he incorporated figures from a traditional Hmong story cloth.

For the first printing, 1,000 copies were made. UW-Extension and UW-Stout grants helped fund the project. Vang expects Hmong communities will have “an overall great reaction to it.”

Keown-Bomar and Coffey are contacting bookstores, libraries and scholars and trying to market the cookbook through Hmong media outlets. The Hmong National Development, a nonprofit organization that works to empower Hmong communities, has ordered copies.

“This is an innovative project that we hope will benefit generations to come,” Keown-Bomar said.

- “Hmong Cookbook” costs $8 at the UW-Extension office, 227 First St. W., Altoona; or $10 to have it shipped. Call Julie Keown-Bomar or Nancy Coffey at 839-4712 for details.

 

Source:  http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-features.asp?id=BI6RTO2KGC9

CHAT music award winner Sarah Yang

Yang performs “Love at Home” at the same event.

The winner of this year’s InSession songwriting contest, which encourages up-and-coming Hmong musical artists, is Sarah Yang of Oakdale.

The contest, organized by the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT), is now in its seventh year. This year’s judges included University of Minnesota composition professor Alex Lubet and previous winners Thomas Yang (no relation) and Oskar Ly. In winning the contest, Yang received a $500 gift certificate to American Guitar and Band in Maple Grove, as well as 20 hours of recording time at Essential Studios in St. Paul. “I’m going to buy a new guitar,” she says with a smile.

As with many of the Hmong residents of the Twin Cities, Yang’s past contains many different places called home. Yang’s parents were born in Laos, but later moved to California, where Yang was born. In search of greater job opportunities, the family moved to the Twin Cities. Now 16, Yang attends Tartan Senior High School.

Sarah Yang performs “Broken” at the Hmong Arts Festival.

Yang writes songs in both Hmong and English, and her lyrics often reflect her Christianity. One of the songs she performed at the contest’s finals was a retelling of the Prodigal Son parable. While drawing on these beliefs, she makes a conscious effort to frame her music more universally. “It’s kind of music based on problems, trials and tribulations that I go through. And it’s a way of giving people hope.”

Yang only started performing and writing her own songs within the last year, inspired by the many singer-songwriters in her church community and feels that the recording will be “a good jumpstart for what I want to do in the future.” She has her sights set on becoming a worship leader and performing at church conventions throughout the country.

Yang believes that events like InSession can help Hmong artists of all stripes, regardless of the style or message of their music. “It’s a good way to get it across to the Hmong community that they can write music,” she says, “a way to make sure that they use the talents they have.”

Justin Schell is a freelance writer and a grad student at the University of Minnesota’s Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society program. He’s working on a dissertation on Twin Cities immigrant and diasporic hip-hop and plays the washboard tie with The Gated Community.

Source:  http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2008/10/29/chat-music-award-goes-young-singersongwriter-sarah-yang.html