Ollin @ Amoeba Records, 3/15/07Ostensibly, there'''s not much that America'''s Mexican and Irish immigrant populations have in common '' and you'''re gonna get slapped if you mention a healthy appreciation for public drunkenness '' but the vibrant East L.A. band Ollin have found plenty of ways to bridge the two communities nonetheless. Originally a raucous chicano act that made its mark by spicing up punky rock '''n roll with Tex-Mex and Jarocho influences, Ollin (the Aztec word for ''"movement''" and ''"earthquake''") eventually turned outwards to the rest of the world, incorporating klezmer and African sounds and rhythms into its music. More recently, Ollin opened for famed Irishmen The Pogues in San Francisco, and made such an impression that The Pogues demanded that the band open for them in Los Angeles late last year. The influence goes both ways: Ollin'''s new album San Patricios pays homage to the Irish soldiers in the Mexican-American War of 1847, and shows off a comfortable alignment of Irish fiddle-music and traditional Mexican rhythms. This in-store spot at Amoeba Records comes two days before Ollin'''s annual St. Patrick'''s Day show (held at Spaceland and, earlier in the day, Self Help Graphics in East LA), where they cover The Pogues''' entire Rum, Sodomy and The Lash album. Where else in the world could this possibly happen? (ER)
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