By José Gandue @Gandour Photo by Simona Malaika @simonamalaika
The second day of Rock al Parque has become the day when you should go with as open a mind as possible. and celebrate the variety of musical textures that one can be exposed to during the 9 hours of music offered on that date at the Simón Bolívar. It's a day to say "I didn't expect that," "what's that called?", "and where are those people from?" and other expressions of surprise, questions, and riddles. It's freak day, of the unexpected sound and the dialogue of the curious person who is excited by the unexpected textures.
I'm going to focus on 3 groups to explain what I experienced yesterday walking through the stages of Rock al Parque. In the early afternoon, I positioned myself on the Plaza stage to see the Chilean band How to Kill Felipes. I had had the pleasure of listening to them on several occasions, but I had never been able to see them live. I sensed a Film Noir atmosphere in their show, something that would immerse me in the world of a script by Raymond Chandler. I always pictured this band's music as being linked to crime stories, vulnerable women betrayed by the villain, and old cars full of liquor speeding through the streets of cities like Chicago or Boston during Prohibition and the era of Al Capone. Yes, that's exactly where the music of "Cómo asesinar a Felipes" transported me. The moment I saw them, the story changed. He was led by 5 seemingly unassuming musicians, with a rapper who had very particular rhymes, focused on presenting his lyrics. and with timid contact towards the public. That was not its proper setting: Plaza is a space intended for large crowds, who remain standing throughout all the performances, who seek to move from time to time and who expect a constant explosion in the music of the protagonists. How to Murder Felipes is more relaxed; it's meant to be observed patiently, looking for details calmly, with careful observation. Their natural habitat would have been the Eco stage, where people could sit on the grass and relax while the music played. They would have fared much better playing before the Venezuelan band Los Crema Paraíso. Como Asesinar a Felipes will not remember this performance as the best in their history., But it must be said that his contribution is appreciated., definitely.
The second band mentioned is Zhaoze. Guests from the People's Republic of China, their music is an intense and seductive instrumental progressive rock, performed with the tranquility and passion of a craftsman. They had the perfect setting to present their music to a curious audience., He wanted to be surprised and he was more than satisfied with his expectations. In addition, Zhaose's show took place against the backdrop of a beautiful Bogota sunset. (They must have had some kind of heavenly pact, because the scenery couldn't have been better). As they later told me, it was their first time outside their country, and they were amazed by the audience's enthusiasm for their music. Their approach is far removed from the typical rockstar lifestyle. They took to the stage as if they were about to teach a class to eager students. That's what clearly happened. Thank you for coming, please don't hesitate to return.
The third group in my story is called 8 beats memory, better known as 8BM. Bogota natives, friendly, funny, nerdy, and above all, incredibly intelligent. I imagine they've spent countless hours experimenting and playing with the history of video games, ever since the first console connected to a television and we saw pixels navigating before our eyes. Their style can be summed up as electronic rock., But what they do is the soundtrack for the Latin American sequel to Tron or similar films. Almost entirely instrumental (the vocals are sampled), the music is performed by four characters who don amazing costumes during their performance, and the visual arts fantastically complement the show's tension throughout. Behind the musicians, images of Salvador Dalí, the Venus de Milo, and other classic figures explode in a captivating burst of color that perfectly matches the sounds. I must confess that, due to personal matters, I was somewhat uneasy during the day and wasn't fully enjoying what I saw in the park. I liked 8BM a lot. During his songs I was happy in the way I needed to be to rescue myself from the demons that tormented me.
The avant-garde is the necessary engine to feel that what they call rock, and which we define in the broadest and most democratic way possible, continues to move forward. There's always time to celebrate the invention of new plots. There's always time to celebrate taking risks, even if they ultimately fail. Adventure, exploration, and the desire to challenge the status quo are what give our love for music its enduring appeal. The curators of this festival understand this. This is coming from an agnostic: God save the second day of Rock al Parque and its crazy spirit.
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