In our conversation with open mic host Arturo Barz, we ride the high-energy wave of his birthday reflections to uncover what makes “The Art of Open Mic” at The Dakota such a special event.
Born into a life surrounded by and centered on music, Art's life of percussion, rhymes, and performance may have been preordained. But hosting? He didn't see that coming. Still, if Art is going to do something—be it percussion, poetry, or promoting an event—he’s going to give it 150%.

Join us for a little vocab, a little beef, and a lot of laughs as we get a look at what makes this “conscious burst of fire” tick.

• Arturo Barz
• The Dakota East Side Ice House & The PourBox
• Radio Tierra
• I35 Connekt (explicit)/Mind Assailant
• Los Nauhuatlatos
• Joaquin Muerte
• Combo Cosmico
• The Incomparables
• Caldo
• Craig ‘BBC’ Long
• The Magnolia Project
• Guacharaca
• The Tre Flip Funk Video
• Float Tank
• Cake Thieves

Check out this episode’s companion playlist curated by Arturo Barz!

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In our conversation with Brizzo Torres, we get schooled on what it’s really like to be on the go. “Occupied” is one thing, but multiple hats in multiple entities in multiple countries?

This is a new level of busy.

From nursing, to picking up junked cars, to running bands, to running a guitar school, to changing young lives in three cities separated by 3,400 miles, Brizzo's journey is one of education, and she has learned something from every stop along the way.

So, whether she’s traveling from San Antonio to NYC, hopping campuses to empower young minds, or merging her favorite parts of Aretha, The Stones, Selena, and Karen O, the result is the empowerment of the next generation.

Important People, Places, and Things Mentioned:

• The Pourbox
• The Dakota East Side Ice House
• Brizzo Torres
• La Huerta
• The Good Good Collective
• La Bandera Molino
• Cheetos Deja Tu Huella
• Baruch College
• Billboard Latin Music Week

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During today’s chat with Erica Monzón (aka: Ila Minori), we learn about Erica’s journey from open mic night to national tours, the significance of mentorship and community support, and why you should be practicing right now.

As a self proclaimed late bloomer in a family full of musicians, Erica walks us from being the good drama-free kid through cadging chords from her musician friends to keeping her band fed on the road. She takes us through her musical genealogy on route to finding her own voice.

As an adult who spends her time in the classroom and her weekends in the studio and on the road, this episode packs a punch for the artist who is thinking about starting and/or maintaining a career in music.

Important People, Places, and Things Mentioned:

• The Pour Box
• San Antonio College
• The Dakota East Side Ice House
• Sancho’s
• Ila Minori: ICU

Send us a text!

Thanks for listening! You can support our work via:

• Buy Me a Coffee
• Patreon

And check out our:

• Website
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• Facebook