The Soultown! Volume III: Issue 7 JULY 2019 | Page 8

TALK OF THE TOWN
One Beat At A Time
Talk of the Town Inspires and Instills Creativity with the Youth
San Francisco youth learn the art of drumming from Miguel Gonzalez.
EAST PALO ALTO, CA - When engaged in commu-
nity work, some experiments end up working, while
others fail. Some of those successful experiments
grow to become major projects that impact a lot of
people. Talk of the Town is one of those experiments.
It all started in East Palo Alto, California several
years ago, with one drum and one stencil. Today,
Talk of the Town has impacted thousands of youth
and families, through music, art, culture, and inspi-
ration. Miguel Gonzalez is the founder, owner, and
head instructor of Talk of the Town: Urban Arts and
Life-skills, a youth and community empowerment
service. He has a team of teachers and artists that
service schools in San Jose, Oakland, and currently
Redwood City. Talk of the Town also provides artistic
services, such as live urban art, musical performanc-
es, and mural painting, at private and public events.
Talk of the Town really started with the Slap Drum,
an experimental musical instrument whose creation
was inspired by the Afro-Colombian drum called,
Tambora. About ten years ago Gonzalez made a cul-
tural and musical return to his roots as a Colombian.
“I was already a percussionist,” Gonzalez states “I
played the congas, but when I heard the Tambora, it
felt like a drum that was created by our bay area hip-
hop sound; a lot of slap and bass. I began searching
for the bay area for the Tambora, and when I couldn’t
July 2019 • The Soultown International Magazine • Celebrating 2 years • Connecting Our Cultures to Our Cyber & Conscious Communities • thesoultown.com
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