IMPORTANT! READ BOTTOM TO TOP, IN NUMBER ORDER!

3.
What You Missed This Weekend

The LA Free Express, A&E Section

10/1/01

The Roxy was a sardine can Friday night, and if you weren't there, you probably knew somebody who went. Kicking off his U.S. tour, DJ Ritchie Valens and his band performed for two straight hours, non-stop, some of the best music this writer has heard in over twenty years. That is no lie. The unsigned, 17 year-old Valens plays an infectious style of techno pop that leaves no stone unturned when it comes to ferreting out the dance bugs in you. Plus, the kid plays a vintage Fender Telecaster throughout the entire set. Out of character for a DJ, but don't let that fool you. Every blip and bloop comes straight from the young man's imagination. He has a band, but the music is entirely his own creation. Be sure to catch his show sometime next summer; he'll be on tour from now until then.

- Adam Atwater