Big Top Locos II Promotes Community : Music: Chicano alternative-rock and <i> rockeros en espan~ol </i> find common ground in concert planned in support of Chiapas.

“I mean, man, they used to throw rocks at us!” said Jesus Velo, a member of East Los Angeles Chicano band Los Illegals, recalling the group’s visits to Mexico during the ‘80s. “They always saw us as gringos and wanted us out of there.”

Well, things have changed a little. On Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre, both Chicanos and rockeros en espan~ol --mainly Mexican-born musicians--will share the stage, celebrating a revolutionary fervor that has created a new sense of community between the two groups since the Zapatista army revolted in the Mexican state of Chiapas in January of last year.

Chicano bands Trulio Disgracias, Youth Brigade, Voodoo Glow Skulls and Yeska, and rock en espan~ol acts Todos Tus Muertos, Tijuana No, Los Olvidados and Victimas del Dr. Cerebro will play at Big Top Locos II, an event organized by the Culture Clash comedy trio to benefit children affected by the political turmoil in Chiapas.

Although the Chicano alternative and the rock en espan~ol scenes have been around for several years, it wasn’t until last year that they joined forces on the same stage, drawing a crowd of 7,000 for the first Big Top Locos at the Olympic Auditorium.

Before that, the sides did not mix easily despite their many cultural and musical links, and the rock movements developed independently. Stories abound of Chicano bands being looked down upon by Mexicans, and of Mexican immigrant students in Los Angeles being discriminated against by their Chicano schoolmates.

“We were always ‘the Mexicans,’ ” said Fernando Ramirez, singer for Los Angeles-based rock en espan~ol band Maria Fatal. “That’s why now it feels good to be playing with them, finally.”

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The origin of the newfound unity was last year’s uprising in Chiapas, which was warmly greeted by Chicanos and rockeros alike, and the passage of Prop. 187 in California, which both condemn. Galvanized by these political events, rockeros and Chicano alternativos began joining forces to organize concerts, and now Big Top Locos II solidifies a communication line that has vast creative potential.

“As Chicanos, we never saw this rock en espan~ol thing coming,” said Culture Clash’s Richard Montoya, one of the event’s organizers. “But now both movements fit very nicely. We need them, and they need us.”

Musically, both sides offer an original blend of folkloric roots and punk aggression, with the Chicanos generally appearing more technically skilled and the more rudimentary rockeros possessing the unique fury of youths who grew up in the underdeveloped Third World.

The strongest acts are expected to be Voodoo Glow Skulls, recently signed by Epitaph Records, and Argentina’s Todos Tus Muertos (“All Your Dead”), a five-piece punk band with touches of reggae, rap and Caribbean rhythms and a relentless but humorous critique of the worsening condition of post-Cold War Latin America.

Mexican actress Ofelia Medina, who is involved in a commission helping the Zapatistas, and actor Edward James Olmos will be the evening’s emcees. Zack De La Rocha, singer for Rage Against the Machine, will also take part in the event. “I don’t see Mexicans and Chicanos fighting,” said Montoya, who stressed the fact that Big Top Locos’ first edition attracted a multiracial crowd. “I see Mexicans and Chicanos knocking each other silly in the mosh pit and then shaking hands after it’s all over.”

* Big Top Locos II on Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 7:15 p.m. $30 and $35 (two for the price of one). (818) 622-4440 .