Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Churros Nochistlan

Efrain Jimenez, director of the Federation of Zacatecan migrant clubs, recently shared this nicely made travelogue about Nochistlan. The video was made by David Herrera, General Director of "Mexico de mis Amores", a television program that celebrates Mexican culture, geography, and traditions. The video is in Spanish without subtitles, but has some very nice shots of Nochistlan, Zacatecas, and the Mexican culinary street gem: churros. The narration colorfully weaves together descriptions of a typical Sunday morning in rural Mexico - from the mass in the cathedral to the sweet treats waiting outside to the characters that make those traditions possible. Run time is about 4 minutes.

I visited Nochistlan a few weeks back with Efrain. I'll be going back that way not before too long, partly to find some of these churros.
Enjoy, Matt

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Give the gift of music!

Hi friends, 
Matt, Bekah, Daniel, and David


If you're looking for a great gift for the holidays, check out The Hermit Tree CD available on most digital distributors and at cdbaby.com. We're offering a special holiday price for our album at $6.99 - physical copy or a digital download.

The Hermit Tree was my band while at the UA which blends irish, folk, and americana influences. Our music has been described as 'joyful', 'soothing', 'great road trip music', 'evocative', and 'good for studying'.  Whether you're looking for a gift for a friend, or something to play while baking those pies and cookies, take a look at 14 track album.  



The cd features David Berens (guitar), Matt Rolland (fiddle, mandolin, guitar), Daniel Sullivan (percussion), Bekah Sandoval (vocals), and Bob Hanshaw (bass). Also appearing on the album are Grace Rolland (vocals, cello), and Jen Sandoval (vocals). The physical cd comes with some wonderful art created by friends.



You can also listen to our music here:
http://www.myspace.com/thehermittree



Happy Holidays from the Hermits!