By José Gandue @Gandour
I believe I mentioned this in a previous article, perhaps several years ago, that the best concert I saw in the history of the Rock al Parque festival was the performance of a Chilean band called The Ganjas. That happened in 2005, with these characters being in charge of closing the second stage of the event, in front of thousands of spectators who had not had the opportunity to get to know them well and who rather attended in search of the surprise, the unexpected celebration And, of course, the morbid curiosity of seeing a group that bore such a name. It was an intense revelry of layers upon layers of guitars and a sonic perfume of psychedelia and dark exaltation that gradually came to life in the atmosphere, amidst an effective mix of influences from Black Sabbath, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Alice in Chains, among many other references. A glorious moment when they performed Dance Hall, a theme that movingly covers eight minutes in length, where, upon seeing the faces of the spectators, one could feel unexpected ecstasy floating in the air.
Since then, The Ganjas have been developing their independent career, initially with Algo Records and for some time now with ByM Records, achieving tours in various parts of the world and being for some one of the continent's favorite cult groups. While awaiting their next album, a highly anticipated work which some privileged listeners claim will be the best material of their career, the band has re-released some tracks for digital distribution. Ghost River, A kind of greatest hits compilation, released physically for their European tour three years ago. This compilation includes not only some of their best songs from previous releases. but they include 3 tracks recently recorded with Jack Endino, his producer in recent times, collaborator on many albums from the early grunge era of groups like Soundgarden or Mudhoney, and whose most famous work has been Bleach, by Nirvana, in 1989.
The Ganjas kick off the year on digital platforms with Ghost River to remind everyone of the magnificence of their work and to demonstrate insistently with irrefutable evidence the valid prevalence of rock, Without creating unnecessary scenes, and instead filling the air with pleasant aromas, freeing ourselves from senseless violence and pointless shouting. It's about remembering (or perhaps, for some of you, experiencing for the first time) fascinating recordings like Darkside, Sonic Redemption, The Rain Doesn't Want to Fall and the very same Dance Hall, and in turn prepare the ground for what we hope will be one of the best albums of the year on the continent, mid-2018.
Listening to The Ganjas is to regain faith in good music., It is about feeding what believers call the spirit, which revolutionizes the energy that contains us. Ghost River It deserves to be heard again and again, making us forget that the world threatens to collapse outside our homes and giving us the confidence to believe that things can be better. Listen, leave the embarrassment for another day, and jump around your room. It's time to celebrate.