Bakersfield's Daisy Sanchez and her Latin singing dream

There's nothing like seeing local talent on the right path to fulfill their dreams.

Such is the case with Daisy Sanchez, Bakersfield's Latin singing sensation who will be performing 8 p.m. Saturday Sept. 5th at the Fox Theatre. The opening act will be romantic trio, Los Dandy's.


The 24-year-old who lives in Bakersfield but has spent a couple of months this year in Guadalajara, Mexico will be performing songs from her upcoming album. She recorded that album with a team of producers and musicians who work with the legendary Latin romantic and heartbreak crooner, Vicente Fernandez.

I recently caught up with Sanchez and asked her to share a bit about her for readers. Here's what she had to say:

Q: What inspired you to pursue a singing career?

A: I remember growing up and listening to my mom sing while she cooked and did house chores.  I was always intrigued when she sang rancheras since she sings very well.  Some of my favorite artists growing up were Vicente Fernandez, Whitney Houston, Marisela and Selena.  Their voices really impressed me, and I found myself singing along to their music all the time. When I was 8, I started performing in front of large crowds, and it was then I knew I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.


Q: Describe your music.

A:  My first CD at the age of 14 was a mariachi traditional album.  Later on, I recorded other genres, like Latin pop, ballads, and other popular sounds.  This upcoming album took me back to my mariachi roots but with a twist. It is a great combination of my musical influences and has allowed me to be versatile.  Some of the tracks have fusions of mariachi mixed with pop, jazz, Latin percussion, norteño, as well as the traditional ranchera.


Q: Being that the traditional Latin music world is lead by great male musicians, was it hard for a young Latina, especially American born, to jump into the Spanish music
scene?

A. It is hard to jump into the music industry period, but being that I am a woman in a male-dominated industry only gives me more motivation to continue working hard and represent the Latinas and sing songs they can relate to.  Being an American-born Latina in the Spanish industry has been a bit difficult in the sense that we can be misunderstood and like Abraham (Edward James Olmos) says in the movie, 'Selena', "We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time!  It's exhausting!" Either way, I embrace who I am and where I come from and proudly sing my Spanish regional music.


Q: What's it like to sing with Latin artists, such as Juan Gabriel, Pedro Fernandez and Vicente Fernandez?

A: It is such an honor to have shared the stage with greats like Juan Gabriel, Pedro Fernandez, and Vicente Fernandez.  I respect them all but I am forever grateful with Vicente for surprising me and inviting me to sing duet songs with him.  I was so emotional and could not contain myself from crying.  Just the thought that I grew up singing his songs in my living room to my family to being on stage singing with him in front of thousands of people.  I knew at that point I had succeded. It is an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life.


Q: What's your family think about your career?

A: My family and friends are very supportive of my singing! They truly believe in me and help me in so many ways to further my career. I am fortunate to grow up in a unique family of seven girls and two wonderful, loving parents who have been by far the biggest Daisy fan club.  We have created the "Daisy Dream Team" and they have contributed with their own skills from makeup/hair stylist to public relations.... My brother-in-law even offered to be my bus driver.


Q: What advice do you have for young artists?

A:  Go for your dreams and don't wait for someone to come knocking at your door.  Develop your talent and always put extra effort in everything you do, from rehearsing to performing to seeking opportunities in the music business.  But, most importantly, have faith in God!


Q: Where do you see yourself 10 to 20 years from now?
 

A: I see myself with several hit records, working on new recording projects in my own studio, touring countries from all over the world, including all the Latin countries, the U.S., Europe, Japan, etc. Perhaps some Grammy's and other awards.  By then, I would have been involved in several foundations helping people from all over the world who suffer from poverty and diseases.  Hopefully, by then, I would have found Mr. Right and looking into marriage, then having babies, adopting some children.... OK, my imagination has officially ran wild, but, hey, positive thinking leads to a positive outcome!


Q: What do your love about your hometown?


A:  I was born and raised in Bakersfield, and I love so many people in this community! I love the fact that we are tight-knit community that comes together and supports each other, and I must say we have the best Mexican restaurants!! 


If you haven't heard Sanchez's music, then give it a try. You can find Sanchez's first mariachi album on iTunes.  You also can find her independant production that featured Latin pop and ballads on www.cdbaby.com/Daisysings.

Sanchez also says to check out her music page at www.myspace.com/DaisySanchezMusic

Junior high marks new beginning

My 12-year-old son joined the world of junior high today.
Diego is an official seventh grader.
For him, it’s a sign he's becoming older, no longer an elementary kid. Junior high is one step closer to high school.
But for me, Diego’s new grade is a reminder that my firstborn is growing up, becoming his own young man.
I think the last time I felt this way, I was walking him to his first day of kindergarten.
There I was, hiding my motherly worries.Would he make friends quickly? Would he feel OK when he looked around and I wasn’t there? Would his teacher see the potential that his proud parents did?
On that day, I squeezed him tightly, kissed his cheek and turned my then-5-year-old over to Mr. Chapa, whom I’d just met but to this day, remains a distant friend to our family.
I remember waving good-bye, smiling and confident as my little guy did the same. Then I turned away, crying to myself, knowing that my baby was growing up.
He’s had some amazing elementary school years, thank to awesome teachers, including Mrs. Quinonez, Mrs. McKee, and Ms. Holden.
Now it’s a new ball game.
I realize I can’t cuddle him today like I did at kindergarten. That wouldn’t be cool.
And the thought of mom volunteering in his class as I suggested doesn’t sit too well in his mind. Do school activities at a distance, mom. OK, got it.
Over the weekend, I asked him if he was nervous about junior high.
“Nah,” he says then shrugs his shoulder.
“I’m used to going from period to period,” referring to his magnet days at Chavez School.
I wish I had an inch of that confidence when I started my 7th grade. But I was that insecure kid, wondering how to fit in.
Junior high turned out not too bad as I’d imagined. But it was a time where many of us searched for the right identity as we awaited high school.
Boy, did we jump on the trends bandwagon. I’m not sure if I’ll ever safety pin the pantleg of my jeans again. And pretty sure I’ll pass on shaving the side of my head for that 80s new wave/punk style. Finding ourselves in the midst of youth.
Diego seems to have figured it out. He’s sure of himself, smart in academics and deft in athletics.
But I’ll be there — at a “cool” distance, of course — waiting on him, whenever he needs me. And when I can, I’ll squeeze in a hug and kiss or two. We mothers can’t help that.

Ready for The Californian's weekday tab

We’re a couple of hours away from debuting The Bakersfield Californian’s new weekday tab, and I can’t help but think of the song, “Don’t Stop,” by Fleetwood Mac.

It had been playing earlier in the day off my Pandora playlist. I was at home at the time, folding clothes when the song caught my attention.

“Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.
Don’t Stop. It’ll soon be here.”

Yup, Fleetwood’s Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham were right. Tomorrow will be here soon.

Tomorrow will be a new moment in the history books for The Californian, a family-owned newspaper that began when Alfred Harrell, the Kern County superintendent of schools, purchased it in 1897. Harrell is the great-grandfather of our publisher, Ginger Moorhouse.

Our transformation into a weekday tab also coincides with the paradigm shifts facing our industry.
Years before, newspapers enjoyed profit margins that department stores would envy. These days, changing media habits of the consumer and our advertisers tightening their advertising budgets in this depressing recession have prompted some newspapers to close their doors or jump to web only.

So where does that leave us? As George Lopez would say, "I'm still here, ain't I?"

The Californian’s weekday format change arrives with hopes that the economy could finally turn the corner. That would be good news to our advertisers who provide us with the bread and butter. When our advertisers thrive so do we.

For now, our thriving on the editorial side is taking another form: giving our paper a new look, inside and out.

It’s been pretty intense in the newsroom as we considered different designs and formats, what elements wowed us, which ones didn’t. We decided what kind of stories to put in, what to pull out. Classic of newsroom, there was plenty room for debate and questions.

For those unfamiliar to a newsroom, the thought of changing their newspaper in any way is like asking them to wear those popular acid-washed jeans of the 80s on a date.

But they came through. So now some details:

The first couple of pages will be dedicated to local news. Our top stories will lead off the first pages, followed by our columnist page (featuring the likes of firebrand Lois Henry, the analytical Richard Beene and the warm-hearted Herb Benham).

Then you’ll see a variety of news stories of the day to will follow, along with nuggets of information, brought to you by our team of news editors (Christine Bedell, Christine Peterson, Davin McHenry, and Jennifer Self). No longer holding down just the “typical” duty of an editor (that is, to manage reporters and edit stories), these editors are also studying the digital and print world of community content and digging for the right information to include in our paper.
They are reviewing, sometimes coaching, contributors who submit stories. And when it’s necessary they are throwing on their investigative hats and producing stories that need to be told.

Aside from the local stories, we have a new section called Bakosphere. It will highlight worth-reading stories from our family of publications as well as snippets of Bakersfield happenings from the digital world.
And yes, we’ll still have the Opinion section, Eye Street section (Thursdays although we hope for other days); Sports every day as usual. We also feature a health and weather pages daily.
These are just some of the elements that will fill our new tab.

Call me the optimist but I am feeling like that Fleetwood Mac song right now.

“Why not think about times to come,
And not about the things that you’ve done,
If your life was bad to you,
Just think what tomorrow will do.”

Maybe it’s because I know I am not alone. We have some fighters in the newsroom.
Plus, we have advertisers and readers who are behind us. They want us to succeed.
Yes, they will criticize, question and debate about any change we do, but that’s because they feel the paper is theirs just as much as it is ours.
At the end of the day, when all the noise is gone, they’ll be rooting for us.
So we can't stop thinking about tomorrow.