My sister and I were very close, she was my biggest fan. When she was younger, she was a hardcore chola, she was connected and I was protected. I grew up around a lot of violence, south sac was full of low riders and Harleys, bikers and cholos. My junior high and high school were more like a prison yard with all the race riots that went on. She used to cruise Franklin blvd with her home girls. From what I remember, Saturday nights on Franklin blvd would always end in gun shots. They called her La Osa ( The Bear ). They called me El Payaso ( The Clown ). Maybe my way of maneuvering through and around all the violence was to make people laugh. When I picked up the guitar, I knew that was my ticket out of the hood, practiced every day til my fingers bled, then put tape on my fingertips and kept going. Melanie was a total sweetheart and very protective of her family. You may have seen her on my side of the stage Warped Tour Sacramento. She was so proud of me. I hope she will be watching when that breakthrough role comes my way and I knock it out of the park. Rest in peace my sister, I’ll see you on the other side when it’s my time to go. 🙏🏽