By José Gandue @Gandour
We have talked several times about one of our favorite cities on the continent: La Plata, fifty kilometers from Buenos Aires. A little over seven hundred thousand inhabitants, and among them all a lot of rock stories have been exploding for 50 years in its streets, in its bars, in its auditoriums. Much of the most outstanding contemporary Argentine music has come from this city.
In a few months, a A compilation of bands and solo artists who have played a leading role in the history of rock in La Plata over the last half-century, curated by Juan Ignacio Pilegi, Continuing the proposal of the unusual local character Caio Armut, Over the past 5 years, he has compiled a record of nearly 1,400 bands and solo artists from La Plata founded between 1966 and 2016, sharing their digitized discographies and rescuing historical recordings that were thought to be lost, in the project Rock from La Plata to download.
Meanwhile, the transmedia designer Felipe Ibáñez It has been promoting since 2012, in This page, The official declaration of La Plata as "Capital of Rock" is a project that aims to restore the city's infrastructure for concerts (stages, lighting, and sound) in 10 plazas, with programming (stages available) 3 days a week, 4 hours each day, and double that in spring/summer. It also includes the creation of a public production company (with a recording studio). to record and produce, free of charge, the first album of bands that have played live 10 times (on this circuit) and have a digital demo.
Both projects come together in the certainty that the way forward is to initiate a collective project, independent of official structures, that expresses the reasons for this manifest declaration: La Plata is the Rock Capital of Argentina. A project that, like the rock and culture of La Plata, is carried out by its own artists for the whole of society. A historic meeting and recognition for all the bands and solo artists.
Following the launch of this initiative, we managed to speak with Pilegi to get a more in-depth explanation of the matter:
What is the Capital of Rock project about?
The project has several objectives, but at the current stage we are focused on creating a printed book with transmedia features. In it, (mostly) the musicians themselves from the city of La Plata will complete a simple form with their information, discography, and biography of their band or solo project, thus tracing 50 years of La Plata's rock history. The core idea of this project is that the city is exceptionally prolific in music (mainly rock), and due to its social structure, it's possible to be very close to the musician. One musician per block, one band per block. We will communicate with each other and thus realize the dream of capturing all the protagonists of this history in a comprehensive work.
What makes you say that La Plata is the rock capital? I mean, compared to other cities…
The music community in La Plata is made up mostly of people (besides the locals) who come from all over the country to study. We're basically a university town. This fosters culture in a small, confined space, creating strong connections among the key players, which in turn creates a virtuous cycle and results in a huge number of musicians and bands playing rock and related genres. There isn't another city in the country (and if you ask me, in the world) with this phenomenon.
In your opinion, which bands are the most representative of this phenomenon? I mean, to talk about La Plata rock is to talk about….
The most well-known: Patricio Rey y los Redonditos de Ricota, Virus, Estelares, Guasones, El Mató a un policía motorizado. But also: El Estrellero, Las Armas Bs.As., normA, Thes Siniestros, Mister América and so many more…
Which of the ones that have emerged in recent years are your favorites?
El Estrellero is my favorite new band. They evoke everything I love and move me with every song. I don't understand how they aren't multimillionaires and mega-famous. That's a phenomenon from La Plata. The people you admire most are standing in line at the supermarket with you.
Can we talk about a sound specific to La Plata, or is that greatly limiting the phenomenon?
I don't think there's a single "La Plata sound." But in the many examples of different styles within the scene, you always find creative and original elements. It could be a particular stage presence, rhythmic complexity, or well-crafted lyrics. And the band's deep connection to the city. Everyone likes to say they're from La Plata. I think there's a sense of pride in that. There's an invisible thread that connects the whole scene, even if it doesn't specifically identify with one particular sound.
A few months ago, we were talking about what was happening with Pura Vida, an iconic concert venue in the city. What's the situation like today for live events and the promotion of local music?
Not good at all. Culturally, the city is following the same path as the province and the nation. All of them are aligned with Macri's ruling political party. While the situation with Pura Vida was resolved and it's now operating normally, the other venues have either closed or continue to face persecution. And there's certainly no incentive for cultural activities from the government (municipal, provincial, and national); it's clear their objectives are quite different.
During that time of struggle for Pura Vida, I remember Santiago Motorizado (singer of EMAUMP) saying this great phrase: «"They think culture is one guy playing guitar for thousands, and we think culture is a thousand guys playing guitar."».And that's what La Plata rock is: a thousand guys playing guitar for one (laughs).
In the midst of this bleak outlook, is there any alternative? Any resistance?
Of course, there's always an alternative. This book is one. The hundreds of musicians who play in the city every weekend (even in terrible conditions) are both an alternative and a form of resistance. Last year, there was a kind of conspiracy against a festival organized by the province of Buenos Aires. All the bands (some with respectable fees) pulled out in a historic move. Rock always knows which side it's on.
When do you think the project will be ready?
We set out to publish the book this year and continue the project with other platforms (apps, website, etc.).
