Chilean-born and California-bred, Pilar Díaz is a talented singer-songwriter whose life highlights her many interests. Moving frequently between Santiago and LA as a child, she was taught guitar by her parents, both of whom were acclaimed folkloric musicians, and her voice was soon heard on various cartoons in her native and newfound countries. Accurately reflecting her adopted hometown of Los Angeles, she spent her teenage years going to punk shows in Hollywood, and her bedroom walls had as many photos of Victor Jara and Violeta Parra as they did REM and Bjork. She graduated from CalArts, where she majored in classical voice (specifically opera), was a member of a Bulgarian women's choir and Balkan music group, participated in a gamelan ensemble that toured Bali, and led a popular campus band with Ryan Francesconi, who currently serves as Joanna Newsom's musical director. During and after college, Díaz worked with Danny Elfman on numerous soundtracks, and her vocals appear in films like Spiderman and Sleepy Hollow. With her rock band Los Abandoned, a bilingual new wave outfit whose debut album was lauded everywhere from the LA Times to Perez Hilton, she performed on Conan O'Brien and KCRW, gigged with Sonic Youth and Neil Young, and played before a crowd of 40,000 in Mexico City. (Alexis Rivera)
Saturday October 10, 2009 10:50pm - 8:00pm PDT
The Velvet Jones424 State Street, Santa Barbara CA 93101