Buenos Bands

I have one week left and I haven't been out of Buenos Aires except on short local trips. The thing I've done most here is see live music. It's a great town for tango, rock, and cumbia. A week ago I saw the band to rival Gogol Bordello on musical, spectacle, and political levels. Las Manos de Filippi played in an old tango theater in Avellaneda, an area that has seen some political turmoil in the last few years. It's a working class neighborhood and was home to a big anti-government protest a few years back that turned into a riot where two people sufferred death by cop. The band chose the spot because they're anarchists who sing about social issues and have a pic of a record industry exec on the cross as a cd insert pull out. They were intense and great. www.lasmanos.com.ar



I've seen a lot of rock and electronic hybrids - in clubs, theaters, hotel ballrooms, old factories, old government parlors, former department stores, and on the street. The most popular street music is tango. Bands set up with accordion, strings, and box drum and you could easily be in Buenos Aires between the wars. Except that the violinist has dreadlocks.

La Chicana is a world music kind of retro tango band. Strings, accordion, bass, drums, acoustic guitar, argentine indigenous drums, and a male/female duo up front create an ambiance where Edith Piaf meets the Gypsy Kings. They played in a big, gorgeous theater. The songs are broad and distinct and lovely. www.lachicanatango.com

Rosario Blefari is an edgy, bouncy rock chic with a global electronica sensibility. Like a happy PJ Harvey mixed with a friendlier Karen O and melodic songs, she stands strong on her own but is backed by a band with good chemistry and she's fun to watch. www.myspace.com/rosarioblefari

Error Positivo is my boyfriend's band. I'm biased, obviously. They're moody with strong guitar and emotive melodies that haunt. Plus they had this singer from NYC guesting at their last show and she is me. Rock influenced by the Rolling Stones and Argentine rock nacional. Good guitar rock.



Juana Molina has a record that's selling in the US. She produces her own electronic landscapes and plays live with a laptop, guitar and loop pedal. Soft spoken and a bit boring but a couple solid songs I'm loving and a record that's easy to listen to over and over. She's Argentina's current big export as a singer/actress.


Doris is a band I think I will love when I get to see them live. Or they might be putos - not sure. I like their record a lot.
www.myspace.com/doris


Los Peyotes were amazing live - see my former entry from March. www.myspace.com/lospeyotes

Los Alamos are a big indie rock band. They do a country melodic bilingual sound with a lot of space and multiple guitars. Clean and moody, they are easy to like in the indie rock sort of way. Though that's not my thing so can't say I'm a fan - I doubt I'll be missed - they have a big pile of hipster fans here in Buenos Aires.
http://images.google.com.ar/imgres?imgurl=http://lambrtz.blogsome.com/images/white.jpg&imgrefurl=http://poneplay.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html&h=487&w=600&sz=60&hl=es&start=28&um=1&tbnid=69U8M5n-YpYvjM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmataplantas%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26sa%3DN


Zurita is a DJ who mashes up classic hip hop with cumbia. His tracks are good times - Jungle Brothers/ Jungle Hermanos south of the border style. www.myspace.com/zuritaa


PolleraPantalon and Manana Me Chanto are two bands I saw playing live downtown in the plaza. www.pollerapantalon.com
They are both ska-influenced and are what people here refer to as "hippy." Hippies as I know them are called "bohemianos." Hippies in BsAs are folks who are street and semi-transient - rastas, punks, and hardcore heads all fall under the category. Manana Me Chanto has a song in English about Dubbya that is particularly funny. www.mananamechanto.com

Pollerapantalon were pure instrumental and invited members of the street audience to freestyle. An Italian looking grandfather got up and ripped it in the downtown plaza with them. And they had to escort him off the mic he bogarted so bad.


Mataplantas played at Ciudad Konex a couple weeks ago in 40 degree weather to a crowd of teens and twenty-somethings in mod gear. (Urban Outfitters would be a big hit in BsAs.) Mataplantas are a band of skinny-jean wearing indie-rock boys who play loud, retro rock with a psychadelic spin. Or maybe it was all the projections of mushrooms behind their heads. They were the best band of the night. www.mataplantas.com.ar

Bicicletas played thick rock with a new wave bounce. They performed at Ciudad Konex and were the opener when Roger Waters from Pink Floyd was here in March. Which, by the way, made the front page of the newspaper and was all anyone talked about. Argentina was closed to any outside media up until the early '80's. When Aerosmith comes to town it's somehow a symbol of this generation's national freedom.


La Pequena Orchesta Reincidentes is my newest love in raucous, tango inspired, horn bands. They could easily share a bill with a Balkan band - instant dance party.
http://www.reincidentes.com.ar/


I hope to see some more before I go. I'm still energized from the Las Manos show and picture myself going to every live latin music show in NYC this summer. I miss you NYC.