Alejandro Ramirez

1 month ago | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

Sometimes great ideas are born from a desire to prove someone else wrong. That’s a cheeky and reductive — but not not accurate — way to describe how Karina Daza formed Musicana, a collective of Latin American musicians in Nashville. Daza says she was inspired to form Musicana in 2023 after struggling to book gigs with venues in town, even places she had already played at as an opener, and was told each time that Latin music just doesn’t sell. “It lit a fire in me,” says Daza.

1 month ago | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

Carmen was nervous when she arrived in the United States in December 1999, leaving her home country El Salvador behind. She acquired temporary protected status, or TPS, in 2001, and after more than 20 years of — in her own words — surviving and working hard every day, she now owns a small business and provides for her family. And she says TPS, a temporary status given to people from certain countries fleeing dangers like civil war and earthquakes, helped make it all possible.

Jan 22, 2025 | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

As Donald Trump returns to the presidency, many immigrants and immigration advocates are bracing for his promised mass deportations and border crackdowns. One uncertainty is how Trump will handle a policy he once attempted to end: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Barack Obama established DACA in 2012 by executive order, granting young undocumented immigrants the chance to apply for driver’s licenses, pursue jobs, seek higher education and more without fear of deportation.

Nov 27, 2024 | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

So it turns out planning a wedding is complicated. The abundance of tasks is head-spinning, and my wife and I struggled to stay on top of the ever-growing list. When we finally got serious about learning a routine for our first dance, the wedding date was five or six weeks away — and we learned that most instructors recommend six months of practice. Fortunately we found an Instagram post by Curtsy Ballroom featuring a couple who also needed some last-minute instruction.

Nov 25, 2024 | nashvillescene.com | Alejandro Ramirez |Alejandro Ramírez

It’s a little dizzying to hear Nicolás Potere describe the high-flying work he does. A concert rigging professional of 12 years, he knows a lot about cables, anchors and safety lines, and their safest configurations. He knows the quirks of Bridgestone Arena, with its unlevel beams, as well as the tricks to set up stages at older venues around town.