Argentina is known throughout Latin America as having an excellent rock n roll scene, and such popular artists as Soda Stereo and Charly Garcia have seen international fame take them across the world. These are just two of the most popular examples, but lately I’ve been discovering more and more of this musical scene which otherwise would go unknown to me, and I assume to many other foreigners as well. Previously people had told me to listen to Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, a band which got a bad rap in Argentina because of violent concerts which built up to the death of a young fan (reportedly by police).
While Soda Stereo is more on the pop side and Charly Garcia is more of a showman, Patricio Rey (the band, not a man) was more of a rock n roll band, and even though their songs sounded harsh, the themes weren’t necessarily about raging and murder. Still, their negative reputation made it difficult for them to continue performing and they carry a stigma to this day. On the other hand, there are other bands which I’ve just recently learned about. Take for example Divididos, which spawned off of the band Sumo. Sumo was led by drugged-out Luca Prodan, who died at the age of 34 from cirrhosis (he lived a rocker’s life). Shortly before his death he was asked in an interview if Sumo would break up, in which he said, “Divididos, las pelotas!” meaning “Divided (break up), nuts!” After his death the band broke up into two bands, “Divididos” and “Las Pelotas.”
You should give all of these musicians and bands a listen if you’re into rock and want to listen to something different. Even with my level of Spanish, I find it difficult to understand most of the lyrics, but the music is what’s important, and good sound always gets translated clearly,
Jon
Travel Guy 