damian trujillo: hello, to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today, suenatron, their music is on our show. plus gang violence, how to stop it on your "comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with a familiar face on "comunidad del valle." you all know pastor sonny lara. he's been fighting gang violence for decades here. and he brought with him anthony sanchez, who has a special message for all of our viewers. welcome to the show. sonny lara: thank you, damian, for having us. damian: tell us where we're at now, pastor sonny. let's get right to it because, i mean, when i'm out doing the news and reporting, you know, there's still--the violence is still there. sonny: yeah, the violence is still there, but right now, because of firehouse, we're able to go fishing and fish a lot of

them out of that, and give them an opportunity. it's like when they're in gangs, "where's this place i can go to get changed?" now that we have another building that anthony gave us, a building to work out of, we're going to have nighttime workshops, life skills, goal-setting, short-term, long-term, realistic. we're going to have our dream room, we're going to have a talk show called "the hotspot," and bringing the ones that have turned it around, coming from the hardcore lifestyle, and have turned it around because of that opportunity. "i want to change, but where's that place that i could go that will accept me the way i am, and help me transform my life?" damian: and then tell us about anthony. you brought anthony, and you talk about transformation. this is it right here. sonny: yeah, anthony used to be involved in gangs. he was a tag banger. he was going to andrew hill--no, foothill continuation school at the time. he was doing hours there. and the principal--he got caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing, and they talked to him. she said, "i can, you know, call the cops and have you arrested, or you can go on there and listen to this man,

what he has to say." and anthony came in and-- damian: what was it, anthony? what was it that flipped the switch for you and said, "i got to get out of this"? anthony sanchez: i always, always reminisce on it because it was a very important time for me. i knew i had to change my life. i was just a senior in high school, so i knew the next step was my career path. and i didn't want to continue that type of lifestyle anymore. i knew where it was going to lead into., i'd seen a lot of older friends never get out of jail again, or get into things, a lot of them not to ever--or be dis-privileged again. it's a lot of things, their freedom. and i didn't want that coming into the system. i didn't want that getting out of high school. i wanted a career that was going to allow me to be successful, and put my situation in a position where i can inspire people. damian: and you're in that position now. talk about anthony's a multi-millionaire. well, tell us about your success story because that--kids and their parents need to hear this. anthony: it's important to know that you could do it at a young age because i started from a very young age, getting into work. i used to work with my mom throwing newspaper at the age of 12, 13, and 14.

it just so happened that, at that age, i was still--we were still living in a neighborhood that was surrounded with street gangs, drugs, and a lot of things going on at the same time. so, being a part of that type of surrounding, you become consumed by that type of violence, you become consumed by that type of activity. and it really put me in a position to start to know not only what goes on in the streets, but what happens when you become young and responsible. so, as i got out of high school, i kind of made up my mind and said, "you know what? i want to be successful." and i looked for a short career path, doing insurance and investments. that's why i got a license to get into selling for that insurance. i got with a brokerage, i did pretty well there. i broke off and started my own company, so i started my first entrepreneur path when i was 18 years old. and that's normally the age where people are still in the university, trying to figure out their path. well, i caught a vision right away, and i knew that i wanted to be successful. and it took the fact that the after-school program led me

to be inspired for myself to want to change my situation, and to want to be successful. and last year, i launched a company, a fitness products company called trim tough incorporated. trim tough today has sold to over 100,000 customers worldwide, and it's allowed us to not only bring in millions of dollars in revenue, but to help other people with their fitness goals today. damian: do you trust your lborghini out in the nbc bay area parking lot? sonny: as long as there's enough-- damian: we have security. anthony: as long as there's enough security, obviously, yeah, but it's-- damian: what difference did this man next to you make in maybe--in helping you mend your ways, if you will? anthony: well, sitting in a classroom setting, i was one of those students, i was in the back, kind of just hearing out what's going on. at that time, i was already in trouble, so i had that young mentality, "i'm in trouble. i'm just going to sit in the back." well, the pastor said, "whatever doors you open, no man closes." and that automatically led into me, and said, you know what?

i kind of already run my own thing. i'm not going to let anybody tell me what to do. and that right there, that message just resonated with me. i took it home, and i started questioning myself, you know, what do i want to do with my life? do i want to be told what to do? do i want to follow the good path and be led by great things and inspiration? if it wasn't for that seed that the pastor planted for me, i wouldn't have opened up my mind to be more educational, to be more inspirational, to be more self-sustainable in a positive way. damian: is that what some of the youth need nowadays, somebody to either turn up the flame or lower the flame a little bit? sonny: exactly, when you speak to them, you're planting seeds in their mind. and like anthony said, you got to grab a thought, something. you don't change just to change. something has to resonate with you, something has to click and say, "man, if he did it, i could do it." now you know i entered the system at 12, and i thought that was my future. i was out, i never--i got on parole when i was 31. i would say, "who's going to hire me? you know, i have a past, i have a record."

but i had to dream too and say no. i had to believe in myself. d yoanhave to believe in yourself. and my wife was my--man, she was my anchor, and she still is to this day, helping me. and you need that, you know. everyone gave up on me, you know, but i knew there was life in me. i remember one correctional officer saying, "if you don't change your life, the boots you have on, your children will follow you in." i said, "oh, hell to the no," you know what i mean? i've seen it, but if i didn't change, most kids follow their parents into those lifestyles. damian: well, you're having a fundraiser gala coming up. and if you're interested, senator jim beall will be there. and it's on february 25th right here in san jose, on old oakland road, is that correct? all right, we'll be back and talk more about this gala, and maybe how your child, if he's getting in trouble now, how maybe he can one day drive a lamborghini. stay with us. anthony: that's right.

that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. it's always worth remembering... that icing the cinnamon rolls is a privilege not a right. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. about the gang issue and how to get the kids out of it, if at all possible.

camera three is yours, anthony. look into that camera and maybe talk to the soul of a teenager, a child out there, who is either in it, or teetering in it, or might be wanting to get out and just doesn't know how. anthony: you got to find an inspiration. i think most importantly, it's just finding the things that are inside your heart, you know. i always wanted to help people. and i was at a young age wanting to help people. and i positioned myself to be able to do that. i led a big gang, over 30 people. we sold drugs, we did this, we were up and down the streets. and every time, it was the same situation. somebody came over to me because i had something for them. and what so happened is it was a situation from home. you know, they didn't have enough support, so i provided that type of brotherly love that people wanted. and that's why they wanted to follow me more, in a sense. but it's important that you find the things. and education to me was more important than any mark on my body. and i knew that i was going to be able to get further with the things that i know, opposed to the things that are on my body, what i'm marked with. so, look for things that inspire you. you know, just the most important thing is, you know, finish school, look for your career path,

catch something early on. look for the things that you know are going to be successful, not only for you, but for your family. think about 5, 10 years from now. is what you're doing, is it going to get you further in life? is it going to keep you in the same place? is it going to descend you? and i've always thought ten steps ahead of everybody. that's what my situation led me to bring on for myself. and i didn't want to be the same age as my other friends without not having anything. i wanted to be successful, i wanted to leave a mark on this planet, and i wanted to make my name history when somebody else talks about it. so, i inspire you to do something educational, motivational, something that's going to make you help other people with what you're doing. damian: you know, i think one of the big issues is, for the kids nowadays, is they're thinking, you know, "what are my homies going to say if i back out?" is that a big if? i mean, you know. anthony: it's funny because i used to wear a suit at an early age. from the age of 17, i started wearing full blown suits, three-piece suits.

and for me, it was more of the professionalism and the image that i wanted to cast. and of course, i didn't have the right measurements, so i always had a longer shirt, or a longer coat, and nothing was tucked or tailored the right way, so of course it looked a little funny. but i think overall, you know, being sharp at an early age really led me to know that i could do this. you know, i didn't care what my friends said because i look at it--if i look at it backwards now and if i think about it, it's because i started wearing the suits from an early age. it's because i started talking different, shaking hands different, started thinking different. your associations are going to be different. it's because of those things that where i'm at today is not where i used to be. and now i have an open path for the rest of my future because of those decisions that i've made for myself. damian: and you're in a $30 million corporation, is that correct? or is it a little higher now? anthony: i think it's-- damian: well, it's been going up and down. anthony: it's going up and up, actually. it's going up and up. damian: well, talk about your gala because it's important to--it's a fundraiser, so you got to get these programs. sonny: exactly, and like you say, we have to capture them,

give them that place, let them come in the way they are, but don't let them stay the way they are. remember, whenever you put a thought in someone's head, especially when you're locked up or you're in trouble, my thing is getting the sons and daughters back to the moms and the dads. i always tell them, "when's the last time you hugged your mother or gave her a kiss?" and i've had mothers calling me, crying. "at first, i thought they did something wrong. what did you tell my son?" "what do you mean?" "he hugged me, gave me a kiss." they're going around hugging and kissing all the wrong people, the people--and i tell them, "your mother works two jobs just to keep the lights on. your mother works hard just to put food in that refrigerator. your mother will do or your father will work to get you a pair of sneakers that are 100 and some dollars, knowing that that's, like, almost 2 days' wages for some people, because they love you." but they don't get a chance to see that, they don't value that. and we got to teach them that, you know what i'm saying? damian: is anthony living proof that your strategy works? sonny: definitely, and the good thing about anthony is he didn't forget where he came from.

he went down the road, he seeked me out, and said that god showed him that he was to help me further what i did. then he took me to a building that he had on oakland road, and looked around, he said, "we're not using this one right now. we're over here. would you like to use this?" and to do so, you need to come and see it. and it's set up like classroom setting. we're going to have the talk show called "the hotspot." we're going to start music in there. i work with guys from marlow, wars, sly. i've got a lot of them that come to use their name to show them that you can do it. music is a powerful tool. damian: and the gala is to raise funds to keep these programs going. sonny: exactly, we need your support, not just good old boy or a pat on the back. your dollars will help us keep going. and when you come, you'll see where it's at. come. you know, you can call us. and you don't have to tell us who you are. we don't know your name through the phone, but we're here to help your son, your daughter, your neighbor, your cousin, your nephew. i know a lot of people don't want people to know who they are, but they want the help. we are here to help you and to make your

family life a better life. damian: what age--finally, anthony, what age should we start talking to our kids about where not to go? anthony: you know what, my son's a year and a half, he's going to be two in april. and right now, it's the time that i start talking to him about what he should do, what he shouldn't do. the reason being is because this starts from early age. it starts from building the habits from the moment that they start walking and talking, the things that start filling. it's important that he sees me doing the things that he should be doing. and it's important that the family supports that. and that's exactly what we have. start from the earliest age possible. start from whenever you start seeing that these kids are influenced by the opposite things of right. and start from whenever you get a chance to get an open-minded conversation with somebody. because it's never too late to turn it around, and it's never too early to start teaching something somebody positive. damian: be a good parent. the information, again, the gala is coming up on february 25th

at old oakland road. you can log onto that web address for more information, or call that number. they'd be happy to fill you in on this gala with senator jim beall, and of course the firehouse ministries. thank you so much for what you're doing, and good luck. both: thank you. damian: and up next here on "comunidad del valle," suenatron. stay with us.

♪ yo no me canso de admirar tu cuerpo. ♪ ♪ me has elevado de la tierra al cielo. ♪ damian: they're taking the country by storm. raul y mexia and suenatron. this is their latest release here called "caramelo." they're our guests here on "comunidad del valle." they're back by popular demand. welcome back to the show, guys. all: thank you. damian: this time you brought the whole cliqua here with you. tell us, first of all--tell us--introduce the guys for us, if you will. raul antonio: well, yeah, for those of you guys who don't know, well, i'm raul. mexia hernandez: mexia hernandez. abraham alvarado: abraham alvarado.

mexia: to our left, we've got abraham alvarado, 'cause they can't hear you. we got eduardo montelongo. he plays bass. gio hernandez: gio hernandez. i play the drums. matt gonzales: and i'm matt gonzales. i play guitar and i produce. damian: and some primos, or how are you guys all related, or friends, or how does that work? raul: yeah, well, of course, we're brothers. we brought our little brother this time. mexia: and then we got our cousin over here as well. our cousin abraham, he plays percussions with us. and then two friends that we've been playing with since--for a very long time here in the san jose local scene. damian: you guys are closer than family. you guys are together. you travel together. you're all over the country. i mean, how do you guys handle that? mexia: yeah, no. well, you know, fortunately right now--thank god we're traveling all over the country and doing what we love. taking it one step at a time, you know? just trying not to pull each other's hair out. no, but it's fun. damian: we're gonna hear their latest, the hit "caramelo," at the end of this show, so make sure you're tuned in for that. but i mean, you guys play everywhere. you're gonna play tonight over at great america. raul: we'll be at great america tonight. thankfully, this is one of our first shows here in our--where

we're from, from san jose, you know? for us, it's really special to come back here and show what we have. and we've been all over, all over the east coast, all over the south pretty much, and now we're making our way over to california. we'll be in this area for the next couple months working. thankfully, like i said, we've come a long way from "todos somos arizona" to where we're at now, and we're just happy to have work. damian: and you guys just came from mexico, no? mexia: yeah, we did. we were promoting our first single, "sencillamente," out there. "sencillamte" was actually in the number one charts within mexico, central america, south america, and making its way here to the states. and now with our second single, "caramelo," doing the same thing. so, we're kind of riding the wave, you know? cómo se dice? you know, we're very much grateful, very much appreciative of what's happening with us right now and the band. i think we've found, kind of, that perfect formula here, you know, with our producer matt, you know, here. we kinda found that sound that we were looking for for so long. damian: and what is that sound, matt? what's the genre that--if i go to pandora, what's the genre i'm gonna find you guys under? matt: i mean, you can look up regional mexican or pop, you know?

that's what we're putting it under, but we're calling it popteño. damian: popteño? matt: yeah, it's a mix between, you know, the traditional and the modern sound. damian: i mean, not just anybody can do that mezcla. you gotta have a creative mind. matt: it was--you know, it took a little bit of time to do. you know, but with these guys, you know, they're talented. and in the studio we really buckled down and just worked hard, and it was a good--at the end of the day, it was a good product that came out, you know? so, it was very organic, you know? it's cool the way it came out. damian: and did you not have a choice? did they say you're coming on board whether you like it or not? gio: well, i mean, i kinda knew that i was gonna be, you know, involved with them in this type of project. and sure enough, it happened and i'm very excited to work with them. it's not every day you can work with your brothers, you know? so yeah, no, this project right now that we have is going on very well. damian: do you try--i mean, it's a different genre. do you try to separate yourself from what your father with los tigres del norte have accomplished, or are you guys still-- i mean, i see the pictures. you guys are still kinda feeding off and trying to gain some

of his genius, if you will, in your music. tell us about that. raul: yeah, well, i think for anybody, you know, the first thing--it's like that you have to find that medium. either way, if we would have done norteño music, we would have had people, "oh, they're just trying to copy their dad." you know, you do something different, it's like, "why didn't they do what their dad did?" so, for us, we kinda see, you know, where both sides come from, and that's what the point was coming up with the sound called popteño. so, it was kinda like a happy medium between what people expected of us and what we wanted from ourselves also. us being born here in the united states, our story's different from our dad's, so a lot of people understand that now. and i think now, you know, from what we've learned and from what we've experienced over these past 10 years to the point where we got now is we realized that people now are just like us. the people who are growing up, they live like us. they were born here, they speak spanish, they speak english, and it's a sound for them. and i think now, when we go to mexico, we didn't expect that type of--how do you say "recibienton"?

mexia: expect them to receive us. raul: receive us with that much of open arms, you know? because you always hear--you see the selena story, and then you go to mexico, and you know, they criticize you 'cause you're spanish. and you know, but for us, you know, we go there and they were arms wide open. and it was like, wow, you know? our music's doing well over here. and we come here and it's the same. so, i said i think we're in that generation of the youth where now you listen to music on the internet, and it could be anything from reggaeton, to bachata, and then you're listening to rock, rap, alternative, and that's what our style is, you know? and i think at the end of the day, we found that. like my brother said, we found that perfect formula and we're going. we're riding this wave right now. damian: because you told me your dad's songs-- you talk to anybody and they say, esa música es tan perrona. do they say that about your songs? mexia: yeah, we've heard people tell us. yeah, 'cause the majority--like matt said, you know, the majority of the concerts we've been playing is, you know, regional concerts, you know? we've been playing with bands--with bandas, other norteño groups, and we definitely stand out, you know?

even the name suenatron is unique in its own, you know, which is a fusion of two words: "suena," de "suena fuerte," and "tron" of the electronic part. so, we put la parte electronica, you know, that we mesh with our music. so, even the name, you know, we don't dress--we don't wear the botas y tejana and everything. so, we definitely stand out amongst our peers, but i think we're definitely getting the respect from them as well. 'cause they're--you know, we even get some people coming up to us, other artists at the show, "you know what, i don't know what that's called, what that sound is, or what it is, but i love it. you guys are on the right track." it's a breath of fresh air to our genre, so it's definitely cool for us. damian: do you wanna throw on the botas sometimes? mexia: every now and again, yeah! [laughing] raul: the other day he rolled up to the practice place and he was blaring banda music, so i think it got to him already. damian: well, we're gonna roll to "caramelo." matt, tell us about "caramelo," or who's the right person to tell us about? matt: yeah, well, "caramelo" is a love ballad. it just talks about, "hey, i love you and i wanna--that's how i wanna see you. i wanna see you only and only you." damian: i wanna smother you with caramelo. [laughing] matt: yeah, pretty much.

damian: any final thoughts, guys, before i let you go and we play your video here? mexia: yeah, if you guys wanna find out more about us, you guys can visit suenatron.com, and you'll find all our social media sites there. and you know, like i said, we're very blessed to have this opportunity to be able to speak on platform like this, and we wanna thank you again for always inviting us and always supporting us. and like i said, for us, the most important part is to represent our community, our people, and every time we go out there, have a positive message. damian: do you get frustrated when they say, "somos hijos de los tigres del norte," or is that kind of a-- mexia: no, not at all. that kinda--it comes with the territory, you know? it kinda comes with it. but you know, the only thing--like our dad always instilled in us, you know, be innovative, do your own thing. como los tigres, no hay dos, you know? and so, we definitely keep that, you know, in our minds and in our hearts, but we are definitely trying to make our own way and our dad is definitely supportive of that. so, you know, if it was any other way, then i'd probably be like, "ah, okay." but no, our dad is definitely, you know, 100% behind us, just like our uncles are, and we're--you know, who better to learn from than them, you know? because they're the best example. damian: well, i've been waiting 19 years to have them on

the show, so what's another year to wait, right? well, there's information if you wanna get ahold of suenatron or listen to their music. all right, well, we're going to listen to a little bit of music by suenatron after these messages, so stay with us here on "comunidad del valle." ♪ ♪ bend me shape me, any way you wante ♪ ♪ as long as you love me, it's alright ♪ ♪ bend me shape me, any way you want me ♪ shape the best sleep of your life. sleep number beds with sleepia technology adjust any way you want it the bed that moves you. only at a sleep number store.

in your comunidad on que pasa. [music] [music] [music] [music] [music]

damian: and our saludos to those celebrating their special day. felicidades. [music] damian: here's our address for next week's saludos, where you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. and also pick up a copy of el observador newspaper, and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. also, watch us on telemundo channel 48 every saturday at 5:30 p.m., your "comunidad del valle" in español. we leave you now with the sounds of suenatron. buenos dias. [speaking spanish] [speaking spanish]

[music] ♪ yo no me canso de admirar tu cuerpo. ♪ ♪ me has elevado de la tierra al cielo. ♪ ♪ enamorado por primera vez, ilusionado mas de ♪ ♪ lo que crees, cuando te veo. ♪ ♪ mueves el centro de mi corazón, ♪ ♪ haces que tiemble todo mi interior. ♪ ♪ eres mi obsesión mi complemento. ♪ ♪ me gustas me erizas el cuerpo. ♪ ♪ eres caramelo que endulza ♪ mis sueños enciende el deseo. ♪ ♪ me gustas sin ti yo me muero y quiero ♪

♪ que entiendas que esto es no es un juego. ♪ ♪ quiero acariciarte y jurarte amor eterno. ♪ ♪ yo no me canso de admirara tu cuerpo. ♪ ♪ me has elevado de la tierra al cielo. ♪ ♪ enamorado por primera vez, ilusionado mas ♪ ♪ de lo que crees, cuandoveo. ♪ ♪ mueves el centro de mi corazón, haces que ♪ ♪ tiemble todo mi interior. ♪ eres mi obsesión--

>> announcer: nbc sports, home of the 2016 rio olympics, the nhl, premier league, the nascar chase and points playoff and primetime's number one show, "sunday night football," only on nbc. welcome to the u.s. bank nbc sports report. here's your host, carolyn mano. >> coming up in a moment, the cris collinsworth sunday night football special will preview the super bowl next week. first sports news starting with tennis and the first major of the year -- the men's final of the australian open a day after the heavily favored serena williams was upset in