By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone Photo by Simona Malaika
It is being celebrated again, after going through the rigors of the pandemic, the free public festival in Bogota, Rock al Parque. The dates set for said event They will be on November 26 and 27, and December 3 and 4. International artists such as Underworld (Argentina/Uruguay), Ximena Sariñana (Mexico), Francisca Valenzuela (Chile) and Christina Rosenvinge (Spain) among others) and the Bogota bands selected by the district call have already been announced. Twenty local names have been chosen to represent the Colombian capital., Mostly newly formed groups with fresh music, in many cases (not all, hehehe) worthy of being supported by the audience attending those two weekends at the Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park.
Under the guise of presenting our readers with a playlist of songs from the twenty selected artists, we will begin (calmly and without too much haste) to publish articles and podcasts related to the festival., in which we will express our desire to relive, after all this time, the experience of listening to and experiencing music together with hundreds of thousands of spectators who will gather for the concerts. That said, we won't remain silent when it comes to expressing our opinions on all the factors that concern us surrounding an event that has lost over the years the opportunity to be a true platform for the promotion and growth of the capital's music scene throughout the entire urban area, often resulting in a spectacle that, once it's over, gets lost in the organizers' agenda. We attend Rock al Parque with great pleasure, because we'll see several outstanding acts, meet up with our journalist friends, and enjoy nature within the city, but we believe that, knowing this is a festival with a significant budget, funded by public money, It seems only logical and extremely necessary to us that its influence should be felt, as should also happen with the other festivals organized by the District Institute of the Arts (idartes), what happens in all the Bogota localities on topics such as audience development, incentives for the widespread use of venues throughout the city, job creation in the sector, and, crucially, a return to the philosophy of a culture of peace that guided the festival at its inception. We will discuss all of this soon.
Returning to the musical material we have arranged for this occasion, Here we find diverse sound proposals, ranging from metal, punk and rock and roll, to fusion, folk and indie pop. The list is varied and diverse (we already see several lifelong radicals crying dishonor and shame for what the event proposes, and returning to the old and now silly question of «"What is rock?", (with the subsequent outrage in protest). Some of what we heard in the selection pleased and surprised us, giving us hope for the evolution of the scene. However, without naming names (so as not to make unnecessary enemies), there are several names that, in our opinion, are superfluous due to their clumsy and boring approach. We dare to recommend three names right now (also, listen to the whole playlist, it's worth it) which, we believe, should be on your itinerary during the 4 days of the festival:
–Oh'lavillePerhaps one of the most popular bands within the selection of the call. This is a group with international experience, a solid sound, and powerful songs. Their live show is amazing and we believe it's time for their talent to be heard across the continent.
–BalthvsThis trio may be better known outside of Colombia than in their own country. His style is close to psychedelic rock, with strong influences from sounds from past decades. They deserve the attention of the attending public, especially among those who seek lysergic thrills and long, resonant journeys.
–The KitschIs it punk? Is it indie pop? Are they from Mars? Did they come to planet Earth to conquer even the most hardened ears? In any case, this is a fun band that makes music without prejudice and to lift the spirits of the fans. Another reason to celebrate: I'm sure the most extreme ones, those with a deaf fascist in their hearts, will hate them.
Anyway, with this compilation We started our partnership with Rock al Parque 2022. Thank you in advance for following us and keeping up with our news.
