Sari Sari Sunday

When we think of convenience stores, we may think of our neighborhood 7-11, a New York bodega, an English newsagent, or even the local Cypriot kiosk down the road. For Filipinos, we have the Sari-Sari store - an independently owned shop for whenever you need single item household goods, a cold drink, a single cigarette, or just a place for the local tsismis (gossip). These stores are part and parcel of daily life for rural and urban residents and integral to the grassroots micro-economy and society of Philippine culture and community.

At the start of 2022, the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, a champion of developing diversity in creative arts, media, and technology in east Los Angeles, reached out to propose an hour-long show featuring Filipino music to hosts Jacky Magana and Jamin Reyes who were previously guests on other shows. Their show soon developed not only to just play the countless hits of OPM (Original Pilipino Music) that spans the decades but to also center a talk show around the societal, cultural, and other musicological histories of both Filipino and Filipino-American life. From the birth of Pinoy Punk to the courtship traditions of the Harana to even the stateside swagapino era of the 2000s, Sari Sari Sunday likes to be the one-stop shop for all talk, tunes, and things Filipino.

You can catch the show every other Sunday at 101.5FM KQBH Los Angeles from 3-4 PM PST, or stream the full episodes and playlists on Spotify. You can follow Sari Sari on Instagram too.