By José Gandue @Gandour Photos by Oscar Perfer @oscarperfer and Simona Malaika @simonamalaika
Every year a similar situation arises: Among the fans, upon seeing the poster and the program of Rock al Parque, Some celebrate the festival's decisions, while others criticize them. 2018, the twenty-fourth edition, was no exception. Some have said that the event, which will take place between August 18 and 20 in Bogota's Simón Bolívar Park, It lacks prominent figures, artists who can guarantee packed venues. Others, as usual, question the meaning of the word "Rock" in the hands of the organizers and trot out old dictionaries, criticizing the presence of one or two guest bands. In short, the same old argument. The good thing about these kinds of questions is that they give us the opportunity to talk with Chucky García, curator of the festival since 2014, having the opportunity to ask about details of what's coming and, of course, getting a preview of what 2019 will be like, when the twenty-fifth Rock al Parque will take place.
Now that the festival lineup and program have been revealed, how would you describe this new edition of Rock al Parque to the public?
Let yourselves be surprised. Trust that the lineup, even for bands you may not know, reflects the classic spirit of the festival, what the festival's main audience enjoys most, what niche audiences expect to see, and, moreover, the quality that is always expected from the bands that grace the Rock al Parque stages.
How do you feel about the criticism regarding the lack of big-name stars? Have you heard the speculation about potentially lower attendance this year?
I haven't heard the speculation because so far no one has approached me to say anything about it. And I haven't received any direct criticism about the lack of stars either. In any case, we'd have to see what those who make these criticisms consider "stars"; and based on that definition, even consider whether Rock al Parque, in its 24 years, has truly been a festival of "stars."« or whether it has been better to have a festival that has always opted for a mix of great figures from the genres that have always been represented at the festival; with new prospects. Punk rock, for example, has always been a genre represented at the festival. And Pennywise She's a globally recognized figure in that genre. In a way, one of its stars.
There's a high participation of Spanish bands in this edition. What kind of situation are they in, and what other kinds of exchanges can we expect to see in the future?
For several years now, through music markets and international events of this kind such as the BIME from Bilbao and the Monkey Week From Seville, we made a point of seeing new-generation Spanish bands live, as well as emerging bands that have become box-office hits in Spain over the last five years. For example, FASHION. Let's just say that over the years we've seen them grow and we were waiting to be able to bring them in, and last year it coincided with the fact that the people from the Spanish Cultural Action They contacted us because they were working on a Spain-Colombia focus group for 2018. So we took advantage of that framework, and it also opened up the possibility of including not just one band but four, and the expenses were covered between the focus group and the festival. Regarding other exchanges, this year marks the debut of one that was done with the people from Rock for life from Guadalajara, and we are working on another one with the people from Corona Hell & Heaven, a festival that, without any alliance, has come to Rock al Parque for the last two years and has brought two district bands to play at said festival.
Is there a possibility that this relationship with the Spanish will mean bringing local bands there?
No. The Spain-Colombia focus aims to promote Spanish bands in Colombia, but it doesn't have a section that includes the other aspect.
How did you feel seeing Pussy Riot at the World Cup final? Were you worried about their coming to the festival?
I have to be honest about this. I was watching the final with my girlfriend and my three cats, and as soon as I saw those people dressed like police officers enter the field, I shouted, "I just hope it's not Pussy Riot!" When seconds later they said on TV, "We can confirm it was Pussy Riot!" Pussy Riot "Those who invaded the field," a cold sweat ran through me, but I immediately remembered that they are a collective with many members and that those who make up their live show, starting with their leader Nadya, usually live outside of Russia.
Personally, from the international lineup, what do you most recommend seeing?
To the Germans Kadavar, who close the Bio stage on Monday, to Liniker already Descartes to Kant on the Eco stage that same day; to the trio that was put together with Jupiter & Okwess, Bulletproof y Dancing Mood Sunday on the Bio stage; and the entire Plaza stage program on Monday: I think having on the same stage Nobody, Chico Trujillo, Farce, Tokyo Ska Paradise, Skampida And Pennywise, followed by, is going to be very vibrant.
Let's talk about the local, district-level entries. The selection, as every year, was made by a jury independent of your curator. I'd like to ask you, how did you feel about the selection this time? Do you feel that Bogotá's representation is up to par?
To know if Bogotá's representation is at the expected level, I think the first thing would be to define or know if, in the eyes of the media, critics, the public, and everyone else involved, it's at a high level. And then we can determine it. If the consensus among all those people is that Bogotá's music scene is at a high level, for example, then we can see if the competition reflects that. For my part, I can say that I'm pleased it yielded results like the winning band being... Implosion Brain, A band that has worked hard over the past ten years to improve their music at every level; that a band like Ship that they have taken on the challenge of the competition and have passed; that Skampida, who are just celebrating 20 years in the business, have also done so; and that five or six very young bands have qualified as Apollo 7, Mad Tree o Lika Nova, which I believe can also continue to grow beyond the festival.
Some critics of the festival say that Rock al Parque is stagnating, that it's repeating itself. How would you describe the current state of the event?
Rock al Parque has a distinct identity and mission. And not because someone just invented it. It's always been this way, and its programming guidelines were established long ago. Personally, I don't think it's wrong to maintain that continuity, since that's ultimately what defines it as a festival and its spirit and reason for being. Saying "it's repeating itself" is like saying that an ice cream shop that's been successful for the last 25 years is repeating itself because it wants to offer the same flavors to its regular customers. Every program, at least since 2000, has aimed, in one way or another, to introduce innovation, movement, and new dynamics. I don't think that all of us who have been involved with the festival have worked to stagnate it. Quite the opposite. But the nature of Rock al Parque and the way it's run isn't what many people claim to know. The current state of the festival is that of a work plan that has been developing since 2014, with a work plan in hand, and not only internally but also externally, because perhaps this is not talked about much, but the work that has been done to internationalize the festival has been important and with concrete results. And I can affirm it: Rock al Parque is one of the few festivals in Colombia that has its own business roundtable, bringing international programmers from other festivals to see and choose the bands; which in recent years has managed to get local bands playing at festivals like Vive Latino, Hell & Heaven, and Rock por la Vida. What's more, this year Rock por la Vida had a stage dedicated entirely to local bands, and it was packed almost the entire time. You can verify this with the bands that performed.
Finally, people are already talking about the 25th edition. Is something big coming?
Work is already underway on the 25th anniversary edition, mainly focusing on how to organize a celebration that reflects the importance of the festival not only in terms of artistic programming. In other words, that 100% does not depend on a cartel, In other words, yes, we need to work on a top-notch lineup, but that shouldn't be the only thing: many things should happen, things that are felt throughout the year and from other disciplines or forms or types of expression. Let this be the year of Rock al Parque, more than just a 3-day event.
