By Santiago Rivas @rivas_santiago Photo by Karin Richter @karinrichter
Sunday always It's the most exciting day of Rock al Parque. There are so many trends mixed together in the park, on the different platforms, that It's impossible to successfully pose as a purist. I was late again. I'm sorry I missed you. Elephants, Those I wanted to see celebrate their twentieth anniversary on stage, already Bestiary, who were following them, and who had very kindly sought me out so that I could hear them. So I owe you that one, gentlemen.
I did arrive, though, at Sick Of It All. I like Rock al Parque because when they bring in significant bands from genres other than your own, one can learn what it's about, What do fans look for in the music they like? Sick Of It All is an archetypal band; the sound of hardcore punk from New York, And of all those who have tried to imitate them, this is the sound they must aspire to. They are powerful, in every sense of the word, and their songs pack a punch. Pure eloquence, pure strength. It's still not my favorite thing in the world, but I'm already downloading their albums because I feel like I have a lot to learn there.
I went straight ahead, because my friends were starting from the Bambarabanda, who were celebrating fifteen years of being together on the festival stage, which seven years ago brought them to its stages for the first time. Very good show. When you do things honestly and from the heart, without pretense or affectation, people connect more easily with what you want to say. That's how it was. People really like Bambarabanda., because they perceive that they are being told the truth. Well, that, and the sonic complexity they've always displayed, their ability to jump from one genre to another, the demonstration they bring that Pasto sometimes seems like another country, and yet, how much of our own identity we can find in their music. I can't be objective, I think., But it was a great presentation.
The high point of the second day came next. Shock Band In the words of Chucky García, it's "the least RockalParque-like thing that's ever come to Rock al Parque" (perhaps sharing that title with Buraka Som Sistema). And as always happens when someone from outside the scene comes, someone who "doesn't belong to rock,", The surprise is twofold. Not only because of how similar rock is in practice to so many other types of music and genres, but also because all those words we associate with it rock, such as strength, power, and forcefulness, They take many different forms and, in that way, they are also a form of rock; we wouldn't even have to do a history of the world's hybrid music to understand it.
The nineteen lunatics that make up the Commotion Band came with the express mission of demonstrating to us once again that what we think rock is, It falls short very quickly. A massive string of brass instruments and a powerful percussion base, without the need for guitars or bass, without fingerpicking or double bass drums or drum solos or guitar solos, without screaming or guttural vocals. Crests, yes, because it is a band that promotes the resistance and struggle of the native peoples of America. Rock al Parque was more of a party than ever when they played, and I think what I'm saying can be confirmed by the last punk, the most radical of the Rastafarians, or the most die-hard ska lover. Anyone who was at the Bio stage knows that they should have closed that stage yesterday. But that wasn't the case. If you ask me, that was a programming error.
Lunch break. How disorganized this year's food area is. It's like they didn't make an effort to attract anyone's attention; there aren't enough tables, or bales of straw, or whatever. It feels small, dark, and uncomfortable. Limited selection., even less so for vegetarians. This is especially true on the second day, when so many straight edge And Rastafarians go to the park. Anyway, it's worth mentioning, but by the time next year's festival comes around, the ten people reading this article will have forgotten about it. Also, bad food area, let it be noted.
Tales of the Grind Brothers It's not a band of my style., But they sound so good. They've achieved what bands achieve over time: becoming a truly cohesive unit. It's not easy. Many bands are good, talented, interesting, and surprising, and yet they still don't sound like CHG did yesterday. They're good. And surprising, too. They compose melodies, which are sincerely appreciated, and they play well. The masks are still very much "we want to be Slipknot," which doesn't quite sit right with me, but overall I think that those who like the grind They have a good local band that they should support more, paying for their concert tickets and accompanying them.
Then I went to see Gustavo Cordera and the Magic Caravan, a group that continued with the usual formula of having at least one Argentinian close at least one stage of the festival (it must be a superstition). I repeat: that stage should have been closed by Banda Conmoción. Sure, Cordera is the genius behind Bersuit, and he's much better known than the Chileans, but There's nothing wrong with that group. It's not bad, but it's not very different from the rest of the stuff being made in Argentina that sounds like music for hooligans. The cumbia they make isn't as low-class as the cumbia from the slums, nor as sophisticated as that of postmodern producers around the world who want to make cumbia, nor is it pop, nor is it folk., It's really nothing outstanding.
Dancing doesn't add much to them, Their uniforms make them look like they came from a motorcycle dealership. And of course they play well, and the music is good, but people remember the truly bad ones more than any of the mid-table groups that do the same thing as those who already did it well. Add to that the fact that the guys from Banda Conmoción already looked colorful, eye-catching, and different; They had already danced better than them, they had already played the cumbia that thrills. Perhaps my criticism would be less harsh if they hadn't been chosen as the main act. Puerto Candelaria, Colorful, tasty, and talented, they could have also closed that stage without any problem.
Finally, we had to see Napalm Death. I don't like them, nor am I interested in them, but whenever there's a group of that caliber, it's worth going to see them, at least for a while.I still didn't like them, but they pleasantly surprised me; I think I understood them, and I understood why people like them so much. They're a band with a lot of character, for starters, and they have something to say. They talk about their reality, not about the gloomy valleys of Turbnamjayb, or the zombies in the movies they watch. They are one of the many products of Margaret Thatcher's England, which They turned their discontent into music for the whole world. What I liked most was their songwriting style. Since much of their music comes from punk, their songs are short and powerful. They don't drag out the growling for six unbearable minutes; instead, they cut the songs abruptly. They even managed to leave me breathless a couple of times., And that's why I'm very grateful to them.
I hope this summary of my second day at the festival is helpful, but above all, I hope it encourages you to come on the third day. Remember, you'll always find fun, new, and interesting things. It's worth remembering what Rock al Parque is for.
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