I Went To See A Band...

[Ries]

One of my all time favorite Melero performances, a lovely song about human sacrifice. An allegory, we hope.

and another oldie but goodie- Melero reconstructs one of the very first Argentine rock songs sung in spanish, transforming it from gritty garage folk rock into catchy electro pop, a song I cant listen to enough, his remake of La Balsa, from 1982.

 

[Ries]

Its pretty difficult these days to make music that is not influenced by rock.
Now, dont get me wrong, I love rock music.
But its so pervasive, it gets on everything.


We havent been going out as much to see music, the casual lack of covid awareness in many clubs here scares me. I dont want to get sick. So we have been sticking to sit down, theater shows, which are much more disciplined.

Early in December, however, we went to see Sofia Viola at Teatro Xirgu, at Casal de Catalunya, a wonderful building from 1889.
We heard she was playing there, but tickets were sold out. Luckily for us, she added a second night.

This is a wonderful jewel box of a theater, small and intimate, with art noveau details, with curving oval balconies above and raised box seats around the outside of the main floor.





The show was celebrating 15 years of being a professional musician, but actually, she had her first paying job, playing trumpet on a tv show, at the age of 11, so its been more than 15 years. She is in her early 30s now, but has been touring internationally for a long time.
Of course, she is not completely unaware of rock music, but she has managed to create a musical persona that is based on the music she loves, that fits her voice and personality, and that includes tango, mexican corridos, flamenco, popular spanish language music from films and radio of the last 60 years, and indigenous music of south america, mixed with a gigantic personality, an infectious laugh, charm, sass, and a wonderful voice.

Most of the time, she just plays guitar, or charengo, and sings. Sometimes, she whistles, and she can whistle marveously. There was a time, in the 40s, when whistleing was considered a legitimate musical genre, but a great whistler is hard to find these days. She writes almost everything she plays. Its not retro, or nostalgic- the mix of influences in her music blend perfectly, because they are all part of who she is, onstage or off.
We have seen her many times over the last ten years or so, and she is always funny, self deprecating, and engaging.

The crowd was small, spaced thru the theater- probably only 50 people. We were given one of the boxes, raised a couple of feet off the floor, with a low wall to lean on from our antique, velveteen upholstered chairs, with a great view.

Sofia sweeps everyone off their feet, projecting enough personal charisma to fill any space she is in.
She sang her tango about menstruation, she danced into the audience and out again, she was preceded and interupted by a comedic MC dressed in yachting attire, and she brought out guests for some of the songs, ranging from a famous Spanish pop star to folksingers to canteuses, shifting the musical direction constantly.
For the second show, the next night, there were a dozen or more guests- our show was more intimate, but reminded us of a variety show from long ago, but with the cohesive power of Sofia herself connecting everything.

No drummers, no electric guitars, but it had a good beat, and you could dance to it.

There isnt a big place for performers like her in today's world of Adele and Tiktok, but she demands, and creates a space where she does her unique art anyway.

The next week, she was playing a festival in Dubai.

this song is exactly what she is like, every minute of the day.

 

[Ries]

She did a few solo pandemic shows, without an audience. She definitely gets energy from having an audience, but even all alone in a big empty hall, she PROJECTS.

https://youtu.be/TsGrNl7GSAk

 

[Ries]

If you have not gone to see music in the Ballena Azul, the main concert hall of the CCK, I really recommend that you do.

The acoustics are probably the best in South America, truly world class.
And all events are free, you just have to reserve online.
The corona virus discipline is good, masks are required.
Everything sounds better there.
They host all kinds of music, from classical to folk to tango to contemporary.

We went to see La Grande, there, on a recent Monday night.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge La Grande fan- I have seen this band many many times in the last 8 years, and its always great.

The basic concept of how a jazz band works was invented by Afro-Americans well over a century ago- talented creative musicians play the basic framework of a song, and improvise at various parts therein.
Many of the best bands like this were “conducted” in various degrees of control, by the leaders- bands like Duke Ellington's, or Louis Armstrong, and, later, Miles Davis, delicately balanced overall discipline with unleashing the creative genius of the individual players.

La Grande works that way, but with the addition of leader Santiago Vazquez' invention of a language of hand signals that allows a conductor to communicate with a band much more delicately than just waving a baton and making faces.

A performance with La Grande, with its 9 piece core membership ( 2 full drum kits, percussionist, cello, electric guitar, bass, keyboards, and 2 horn players) is hung on the framework of themes- not exactly songs, but portions of songs that are then constantly manipulated, reimagined, and shuffled.

They have been playing together for years- the most recent addition is stil probably 4 years ago, and some of the musical relationships go back decades. So they are intimately familiar with each other, and trust each other to sense where to enter and leave. In an average year, they may play 20 to 40 gigs a year, with a weekly Tuesday night show going back to 2012 or so, including big breaks for a few months twice a year.
Each has played on many albums, as sidemen and leaders, and most have degrees in music.

They usually play a warmup set, and then introduce guests- at CCK, the guests included Perota Chingo, a duo of singer songwriter who harmonize and contrapose with each other vocally, Celeste Carballo, 80s hard rock guitarist and singer, and human beatbox Milo Moya and rapper Rayo.
This is a very wide range of musical styles, and the band as usual, rose to the occasion, switching genres rapidly and seamlessly.
One of the things that makes them different from a normal big band is that almost every time they have played, for years and years, they have collaborated with an incredible range of guests- everything from pop to rock to classical to cumbia to folk to jazz to rap. They have the ability to support any kind of musician or vocalist, to make them feel comfortable, but, at the same time to demand a true meeting in the middle- they always force the guest to compromise and great something greater than either of them. They are decidedly NOT a backup band.

They went full on arena rock boogie when playing with Carballo, while playing music that could be jazz, or cumbia, or hip hop, or tango, or rock, for the other guests.

The boys were very happy to be playing the CCK- besides the amazing acoustics, everything about this venue is first class- the microphones and sound system, the adjustable stage which has many sections that can be raised and lowered to arrange the band and its sightlines, the lighting, and the comfort and sightlines of the audience. Big grins were evident on all the musicans, as they could hear each other, and knew that the audience could hear everything as well.
I have never heard the band sound so good.

There were wild sections of interplay between the three drummers and the horns, funk guitar solos, full blast rock and roll, quiet sections where the bowed cello dominated, and wild combinations.
Milo, the “beatbox” is really a vocalist, who can sound like Doug E Fresh, but also like a synthesizer or a deeper voiced Meredith Monk. When the band plays with him it can go from ambient to reggaeton in thirty seconds, and back again.
There is really nothing like seeing the trombones vs telecaster interplay, over the beat of Milo.

The range of guests was wide enough to make everybody in the audience really excited at one point or another.
And- very unusual for Argentina- the show started on time, ran smoothly without a pause, and ended early, leaving the audience dazed and hoping for more.

Unfortunately, due to Covid, the last regular Tuesday night La Grande show at Sala Siranush has been cancelled, and we dont know when they will play again after the holidays. Hopefully by March they will return.

La Grande is a band that must be experienced live. They dont have recorded music, they are not on Spotify. Any videos of them are only tiny glimpses of the possibilities.
This is one such glimpse-

 

[Ries]

A recent song by Perota Chingo

and some of Celeste Carballo, rocking it-

Milo and Rayo

Now- imagine a band that can incorporate all three of these into one evening, and make it seem natural, flowing and generous.

 

[Ries]

I was happy to find out I was wrong- La Grande did put out an album during the pandemia. Its live music, soundboard recordings, and the quality is really pretty good. A wide variety of guests. Available on Amazon, to purchase. And on spotify.

 

[Ries]

We have been laying pretty low- I dont want to get Covid. I am no spring chicken, and I have a pretty decent list these days of people I knew who have died from it. So we have been attending far fewer concerts than normal.
CCR ( Cultural Centro Recoleta) has been hosting a very chill and safe series of outdoor music on Sunday evenings, early- thru the end of Feb. They start a 7pm, and are usually over by about 9. There is a limited number of free advance tickets, to avoid overcrowding, beach chairs and cushions are provided, and there is a small bar and snacks available. Next Sunday is Villa Diamante and Ale Frenov, both quite good. A wide range of ages, including kids, on the big terrace. We went to a couple so far, and its a very nice way to end the week, and watch the evening sky emerge.

Tardes de diamante

Llega una nueva edición del ciclo que reúne a distintos músicos como Rolando Bruno, Ivo Ferrer, Barrio Lindo, Nimsay y Acuaros junto a Villa Diamante, que anfitrionará estos ...

centroculturalrecoleta.org

 

[Ries]

I ended up seeing Juana Molina twice in the last month or so.
Both times, essentially the same set, but the location changed the performance.
The first time, in late December, was at ND Ateneo, a very nice small theater in Retiro, with good acoustics and comfortable seating. The crowd trended older, with everyone pretty diligent about mask wearing.
Juana was performing a more intimate set than her pre-pandemia big shows, with just one musician, her regular drummer Diego Lopez de Arcuate.
She was comfortable and chatty, happy to be on stage again.
The music was complex and layered- She might lay down a guitar riff, loop it, then add a bass figure on keyboard, also looped, then begin playing live guitar, sing a backing vocal, and then sing live over the top. Meanwhile, Diego might be playing on beat on the high hat, another with the bass drum, and a third on electronic drum pad, meaning there might be six things happening at once.
Then, in mid January, we saw her at the Ballena Azul.
No matter what kind of music you like, you should try to see something there- its free, and always sounds so good.
The acoustics are wonderful, the hall is intimate and friendly, and the seating is first come first served, which means if you show up early, you can get the best seats, where the sound is focused and precise.
It seats about 3 times what Ateneo does, and it was full to the brim.
We ended up in nosebleed seats in the 3rd balcony, and while not as perfect as 3rd row center, the sound was still quite good.
The free audience tended much younger- I would say 80% under 30. And they were singing along, and dancing in the aisles.
Juana herself is almost 60. Its unusual for someone her age to appeal to such a young audience, mostly female, but they love her.
The CCK is so well managed, with things starting on time, great equipment and lighting and management.
Its tax money well spent, in my opinion. People really enjoy going there.

She will be touring the USA in April, solo, playing a dozen or so cities.
It seems the quanentina has made her decide to simplify and travel light.

She played this, for example.

 

[Ries]

When I first came to Argentina, in 2007, there were a lot of so called "electronic tango" bands. Most were really tango bands, with a tiny bit of electronics. But the traditionalists were shocked anyway, even if it just meant an electric bass and electric keyboards.
A few had more loops and samples, of the whole bunch, Gotan Project was the most radical, with all kinds of musicians from other genres. But there were several that were only very slight updates on traditional tango, and, now, 15 years later, they dont seem quite so shocking. Kind of like how these days, in the USA, they play the Ramones over the speakers in supermarkets.
All that was so offensive when it was new eventually becomes part of the landscape.
This past weekend, there was an Electro Tango festival in Boedo, for 3 nights, featuring rare shows by 3 of the early electronic tango bands-
Tanghetto
Narcotango
and
Otra Aires

We caught the first two nights- staying up later than we have for a while, as the headliners didnt go on until about 2 am. Amazing how many taxis are still about at 4 am these days- 2 minutes to flag one down on San Juan to get home.

The festival featured tango dancing, classes, demonstrations, and multiple bands, from about noon to 4 in the morning friday saturday and sunday. Lots of non-traditional couples dancing dancing dancing. No rules, no formal milonga sneers. Cargo pants, gowns, and transvestites. And the dancing filled the mosh pit for all the live bands, too. Sometimes the floor would clear, and a particular couple would be featured.

Tanghetto played a much more traditional set than their first album, which had samples and electronic drums- front and center was bandeon and violin and a grand piano.
They didnt seem so punk as we thought way back then.
This is from Friday-

Here they are in 2003-

 

[Ries]

Saturday night we went to the ElectroTango festival again, so see Carlos Libedinsky and his current version of Narcotango.
The orginal band was 4 guys, who played a wide variety of instruments.
But post pandemia, he is playing in a variety of groupings, depending on when and where- as evidenced by everyone reading sheet music. A stellar, not very electronic lineup- there was a prerecorded drum/bass backing track for many, but not all, of the songs, but the band itself was Libedinsky on bandeon, accompanied by cello, violin, double bass, and grand piano.
Again, far from a radical electronic destruction of tango.
It was beautiful and dreamy. With, of course, the omnipresent traditional Buenos Aires fixture of a fog machine.
One of the things that always amazes me about Buenos Aires is how there are literally hundreds of small performance spaces, and, even during this time of Covid, there are great things going on all the time. This space, Galpon B, is small and local, but has a decent sound system, lighting, a bar, a courtyard for conversation and smoking, and was full of enthusiastic people. Cheap, fun, and without pretension. And places like this are everywhere, with all kinds of music, dance, performance, and theater, happening weekly. I love Buenos Aires.

Here is a link from facebook- I hope it works. https://fb.watch/b3rfuTEDE7/