By Alexis Terrazas
On a night some 40 years ago, Miguel Govea and Susan Peña met, and forged a bond by playing music together. So when their first daughter — René Peña-Govea — was born, it seemed fitting that she too would forge her own musical path. That path has recently led René to her releasing her latest musical album, “Somos Diferentes,” a project born out of bonding with her own son, Diego, during the start of the pandemic.
The 20 songs on the album — which showcases René’s mastery of the accordion — pay homage to her rich cultural music roots and are intended for children, yet many adults may learn a thing or two from listening as well. Coming from an iconic musical family that includes not only Miguel and Susan, but also René’s younger talented sister Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Govea — known to many as La Doña — La Familia Peña-Govea will celebrate the release of their album with a live performance at Brava Theater on Sept. 11. While the show at Brava is sold out, you can find “Somos Diferentes” on all digital music platforms. The following interview has been edited for length.
Before we dive into the specifics of Somos Diferentes, let’s talk about how you were introduced to music.
So my parents met in 1982. So 40 years ago this year. And the first night they met, they started playing music together. And then they had me and my sister Cecilia, also known as La Doña, eight years later after me. There was always music in our house growing up. They didn’t really let us watch TV or anything like that. So music was like the thing to do and it was the thing to do together. My dad, Miguel Govea, had his salsa band, Los Compas, which played in the Bay Area for decades. And my mom also has played music since she was a child. So together they were always playing music in the house and it was just something to do together. And then when we got older, something to also make money. So that helped incentivize us to do that.
I started playing Violin at the Community Music Center in the Mission. And then I learned flute with John Callaway at Buena Vista Elementary School, and then I finally kind of found my instrument when my dad started teaching me accordion at about age 12 or 13. And I just felt like it was a powerful instrument. An instrument that connected me with my culture and my family.
You were raised in a musical household, and now you’re raising your own kids in a musical household. What has that experience been like?
I feel like it’s just a gift to give kids music. I feel like my kids are … it’s almost like when you talk about a fish not being able to see water. They’re around it so much that I don’t think they really appreciate it fully yet, just as I didn’t as a kid. They might feel like it’s something that I’m doing that’s taking my attention away from them, whereas I feel like it’s something that I’m giving them.
They haven’t yet started playing any instruments, but my son Diego actually helped me compose a few songs on the new album and he came up with the hooks. Like the hooks that everyone talks about, like the MUNI song. He’s like, ‘Bús bús bús, a tomar el bús.’ That’s all Diego. ‘Chameleon Boy,’ the idea for that and the chorus. So you know it’s in them and I think it takes a little while to fully appreciate the richness that music can give you and the spiritual kind of healing and nourishment that it can give you. I know it took me a while and so my struggle is kind of figuring out how much to hammer them over the head with that and how much to lay back and let them discover that for themselves.
Let’s get into the album, Somos Diferentes. What served as inspiration for the album?
It started really during the shutdown when all the schools shut down. There was a show on KTVU called SF Loves Learning that was in partnership with SFUSD and so there was a call that was put out to educators to create content for that show because it was every single day for an hour. So I submitted a couple of songs. And then they came to me and asked me if I wanted to do … I think this sounds unbelievable to me now … but I think it was a song a week. I have many art forms. I’m a poet. I’m a musician. But first and foremost, I’m like a scholar. I’m into school. I’m a teacher. I’m a librarian. And so to have that assignment every week and just the theme, like this was what I was writing towards, helped me to crystallize that intention and to produce all of that music. And so I ended up writing 20 songs, some with Diego for three seasons of the show and then I applied for two grants. One was from the Center for Cultural Innovation, called Zoo Labs, and one was from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts. So shout out to both of those because they gave me the money that would pay for a professionally recorded album and two music videos, and a little more.
I just kind of looked around me. I have my sister who among her other talents also has set up a home studio in her house and is sound engineering now. So I got her to do all the recording. Of course my family was all performing on the album. Naomi Garcia Pasmanick did the music videos. She’s a family friend also from Buena Vista and does all of La Doña’s videos. So I had all of the community resources to kind of pull it off and that’s really what the album’s about too. It’s not just from my head. It’s a community effort and speaks to the community and to the city that we’re from too.
The album really resonates, especially two of the tracks, “Abre La Mente” and “Mujer de Acero.” Were there any tracks that specifically resonated with you?
I can speak to those because those have specific stories. So “Abre La Mente,” it’s funny because it kind of came out sounding a little Slavic or Russian to me and I don’t know if that was subconscious. But it was about a specific disagreement that I had with my Ukrainian friend. One of my best friends. We had a disagreement but what was really beautiful was that we just kept talking and we kept talking. And the chorus, “sigue la conversación,” is really about staying in that discomfort and working through it. And if it’s someone that you care about, that’s important to you, how do you stay with that? How do you resolve conflicts? How do you disagree, respectfully?
And then “Mujer de Acero,” I’ve really wanted to pay homage to my tía, Jessica Govea Thorbourne, who as a child, was a farm worker in Bakersfield. And then she became part of the executive board, with Cear Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and others. And she actually led the Canadian grape boycott that resulted in contracts during the famous UFW grape boycott. And this was when she was like 20 years old. I think certain people maybe get a lot of the credit for some of the movements that are really about a lot of people doing a lot of community work and my tía not only was a great organizer, she was a great tía. She was a great daughter, sister, wife, which I mention all of those things. And so to just recognize the fullness of a person who also has been part of this really important struggle, I think was important to me and to my family as well.
On Sep. 11, you and your family will celebrate the release of the album at Brava Theater. After the toll this pandemic has taken on all of us, what will it mean to you to celebrate this with the community?
It feels great. I talked to Stacy Powers Cuellar (Executive Director of Brava). And it just reminds me of the power of community. I wouldn’t have been here without that community. It feels really great to celebrate that with everyone. And there’s just so many ties. We mentioned Brava in a song. I feel like it’s kind of a wrap up and a celebration and I know COVID is not over, but it is kind of a new experience to be able to celebrate with the community.
Do you have any final thoughts for our readers?
Just as a teacher, you know that’s kind of what gives me hope. Having kids of course, but also being a teacher. The message I want to send is like, in this pandemic, with gentrification, with climate change, like we’re still here.
You can still find community. You can still make art. And so to just keep doing that, that’s really what gives me hope and joy and love and so I just want to encourage everyone no matter what their age. It’s never too early. It’s never too late to express yourself. And to continue doing that because that’s what we’re going to need to to get through all of the challenges that we’re going to face. So, “Con Ganas” I would say.
