The National Association for Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) chapter at the University of Nevada, Reno hosted a benefit concert in collaboration with The Holland Project on April 9. The concert helped raise funds to support sending NAHJ students to the national conference this summer in New Orleans.
Three bands performed throughout the concert: Closed Curtains, Half-Cocked and Limerence. Half-Cocked featured members of NAHJ and was the core segment of the show. Their selection of songs highlighted the energy of Latin rock and featured an original number.
Half-Cocked immediately captured the audience’s attention with their opening performance, “Paranoia” by The Marias. Camila De La Mora, bass player for Half-Cocked, explained “It was the first song we had chosen, and it felt like it was a good way to start off our set in a chill way.”
They continued their set with “Te Quiero” by Hombres G, a sentimental and nostalgic throwback to a childhood favorite among many Hispanic families. Half-Cocked introduced an original song titled “Chuparosas” halfway through their performance.
Their first original piece, “Chuparosas” was a collaborative effort from the band members thrown together during one of their practices. Wrapping up their performance, Half-Cocked played “Francés Limón” by Los Enanitos Verdes and “If My Dog Could Sing,” a silly and engaging closing song.
“The intention behind our set list was to share pieces of ourselves as a Hispanic band, share our work, what we’ve created, and also give a good vibe and a fun, enjoyable set,” De La Mora said.
She continued describing the evening, mentioning the fans that came up to her and other band members to share their excitement and energy over the performance. The audience filled the room with enthusiasm and expressed a collective joy over the music throughout the night.
While Reno has a 25% Hispanic population, band members said seeing representation of that culture in artistic spaces is not as common.
“This girl walked up to me and told me that she was just really happy to see people on stage that look like her, and people on that stage were singing songs in her native language,” De La Mora explained.
The Holland Project welcomes performers and audiences of all backgrounds and cultures, but finding Hispanic or Latinx focused groups was not an easy feat for De La Mora. She invited Limerence and Closed Curtains to share their culture on stage with Half-Cocked, yet the task proved to be challenging.
The management of The Holland Project communicated to the band that the concert was something they had not seen before. The energy that pulsed throughout the set stunned The Holland because it was so different from previous performances.
Several concert goers told De La Mora that it was their first concert ever, a shared sentiment by many young ethnic minorities.
“I think that’s mainly because you go to a space, no one really looks like you. It’s not a comfortable feeling,” De La Mora clarified.
She expressed how happy she was that the bands were able to open up the door for people of color to come and enjoy cultural music in a safe and welcoming space.
The audience turnout for the evening was also notable; The Holland Project told the coordinators from NAHJ it was a sold-out show. Crowds swarmed the stage as each band prepared to play, creating a vibrant and unified feeling for both performers and audiences.
“We already have so much support, and it’s the type I was not expecting. I think that it really shows how when you’re authentically doing something that’s true to you, the people appreciate it,” De La Mora said.