If you’re in the SF Bay Area, check out GO! OHANA tonite. Held every month at the historic La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley, GO! OHANA is RAMA’s monthly APA music and art show celebrating the pan-Asian family. Emceed by Ryan Takemiya, the event spotlights independent artists of every genre and style. It offers artists an intimate space that immerses you in the performances in an inclusive and welcoming community. Here’s this month’s line up:

Dil Se
UC Berkeley’s Dil Se was founded by Arjun Ohri in 2004 after many semesters of being just a dream. Dil Se combines the melody-based raagas of Hindi Film Music with the depth and harmony that drive western music to create a fresh perspective on the traditional A Cappella singing act. The group combines a wide range of experience, from years of training in Hindustani and Carnatic music, to Western Classical and Jazz Choirs, even countless mornings of singing in the shower. Our goal is to entertain the audience with a well-rounded performance that emanates Dil Se — “from the heart”.

Lion Riding Horses
Andrew plays some drums. Greg plays guitar. Young tries to sing and play guitar at the same time but has trouble doing it well sometimes. Alex is good at the bass. Young and Andrew like music and burritos so they formed a band. Greg likes music too so he came along for the ride. We found Alex on craigslist. We thought he was going to be crazy but he turned out alright. Young saw a picture of a lion riding a horse and he chose that for our name. He writes the songs and then the rest of us make them better. We like what we do and we hope you enjoy our music or at least not want to throw things at us. If you do, please throw sandwiches. Thank you.

Theatre Rice
Theatre Rice was conceived to provide people (particularly, but not exclusively, Asian American) who might not otherwise have a chance to participate in theatrical arts the opportunity to act, write, sing, direct, dance, and learn behind-the-stage techniques. What sets Theatre Rice apart from other dramatic groups is its open and un-intimidating environment, and the basic ethic that effort and commitment are more important than experience or innate talent. Because the group is comprised of both seasoned and fledgling actors, there exists a healthy dynamic within which members can share their experiences and learn from each other.

The Asian American aspect of Theatre Rice is important because it is a step towards combating the misrepresentation, as well as the lack of representation, of the Asian American community in popular culture. By its mere existence, Theatre Rice is fulfilling its purpose of putting forth ideas that stem from the minds of Asian Americans, and therefore addressing the Asian American population as well as the greater community within Berkeley and beyond.

Dating Site by Theatre Rice

Wilson Wong + Brandon Bigelow
Wilson Wong enrolled in a beginning guitar class in college, and his love of playing guitar grew. His sound combines folk, blues, country, bluegrass, and rock with lyrics ranging from Asian American themes to confessions of a young man in his twenties discovering himself. He’s still working on his craft and strives to keep growing as an artist. Wilson is a regular at the open mic scene and does the occasional coffee shop gig. He was a 2007 and 2008 APAture artist and a guest artist for the SF Streetside Storytelling After school Program. Not bad for something who just picked up guitar five years ago.

GO!OHANA
Thursday, November 18, 2010
7:30pm
La Pena “Cool-tural” Center
3105 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA

Admission $8
Doors open at 7:00pm
Food and Drink!
Free Raffle!