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The Sonic Trace map, sonictrace.org is live!
Over the past year, we’ve been documenting immigrant communities across Los Angeles. We have gathered 200 stories inside La Burbuja – our portable soundbooth, produced seven documentaries and made two short films – with a third in production. Visit sonictrace.org and click on the radio icons to hear broadcast stories. Within the pop-up window click on arrows for …

The Chapin Breakfast, served only once a month at Santa Cecilia’s church.

Long before the concept of a pop-up restaurant was even established in 2009 by a certain audacious, Los Angeles French chef, Santa Cecilia’s Catholic Church had already mastered it. In 2001 to be exact, when the South L.A. church’s congregants of various ethnic backgrounds formed four different volunteer cooking groups, as a way …

This week, we will be launching Sonic Trace’s interactive story-telling map on sonictrace.org! Stay tuned to facebook, twitter and our blog to explore the stories of Los Angeles that we’ve gathered this past year.
For the past year, the Sonic Trace team has been hard at work documenting pockets of LA that become gateways into villages and towns across Mexico and Central America. You …

Mexican Chef with Boyle Heights YouthThe somber cafeteria at White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights is perhaps the last place in Los Angeles you would expect to find Aquiles Chavez, the high profile, Mexican celebrity chef that has his own show on the Utilisima network (Mexico’s equivalent to the Food Network). But last week, the Mexico city-born chef that sports dreadlocks and a handlebar …

The Sonic Trace team is currently embedded with La Burbuja – our portable sound booth – at Santa Cecilia Church in South LA. Every Sunday we gather dozens of interviews asking people why they left their country of origin, why they stayed in LA, and about the importance of going back. We also document many of the church’s activities. At Santa Cecilia Church, the …

KCRW’s Sonic Trace is part of Localore – an initiative produced by the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR). You may have heard a version of that line in all our crediting. So, what does it mean?
In short, ten producers were given the enormous task to ‘incubate’ at public radio and television stations across the country and innovate, collaborate and help take the …

If you grew up Latin American (or Spaniard) and Catholic, the Chrismas season isn’t over yet. This morning probably finds you celebrating with goodies left by the Reyes Magos, and having a wonderful sweet bread called Rosca de Reyes for breakfast with a huge cup of hot chocolate, atole or champurrado to wash it down. January 6th is El Día de Los Reyes Magos …

KCRW DJ Raul Campos talks about his parents’ home in the Maravilla projects in East LA, and how many of his high school peers were phonetically challenged when it came to pronouncing his name.

Photo by Eric Pearse Chávez
Our sonic profile series was recorded inside La Burbuja – Sonic Trace’s mobile recording booth. They aired everyday on KCRW’s Morning thru the holiday season. KCRW’s Sonic …

Teresa de Jesus Rivera was born in the small town in California. Her parents came to the US from Sinaloa, Mexico in the 1950′s. Their job? Picking produce in the fields of Delano, California. Her family went on to make history in the early days of the United Farm Workers movement of the 1960′s.

Photo by Mike Arvizu
Tomorrow, our final interview profiles KCRW’s Raul Campos …

¡Feliz 2013! The beginning of a new year has arrived, but for the past three weeks millions of Angelenos have been taking part in holiday rituals and traditions imported from towns, cities and villages in Mexico. From posadas to processions, radish exhibits to pre-hispanic dance, Sonic Trace has been busy documenting moments of reverence, nostalgia and joy with Angelenos that share a deep bond …