Taken by Lauren Miyake

Filipino-American guitarist/composer Karl Evangelista presents “Auntie + Tebs,” a brand-new work that celebrates the enduring connection between political action and creative innovation. Conceived as a feature for experimental music duo Grex (Evangelista’s longtime collaboration with keyboardist Rei Scampavia), “Auntie + Tebs” blends cutting-edge sounds drawn from the realms of jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music with daring visuals and spoken word. This project underlines the relationship between Bay Area activism and hard-fought battles in countries like the Philippines and South Africa. The title “Auntie + Tebs” references two monumental figures: Miriam Defensor Santiago, Evangelista’s Aunt and a longtime Filipino public servant, and Louis Moholo-Moholo (“Tebs”), an innovative South African drummer and Anti-Apartheid activist. Both of these individuals devoted their lives to toppling corruption and oppression in their home countries. Like its titular heroes, ”Auntie + Tebs" argues that people of color are unified by a desire to uphold tradition and topple oppression - a message that is timely, empowering, and necessary.