Wednesday, August 6, 2014

My visit to the most emblematic site for the alternative music in US

What was CBGB? What is your importance?
To only 5 blocks to the south of St. John’s University in the Bowery Neighborhood, There is a place that used to be the CBGB a bar that was opened at early 70s. This site came to become the reference point of the alternative music in US. Many, nowadays, mythical bands of the rock music played in this place. The importance is not limited to the playing itself but to the place as a space of music expression of people (mostly young) that didn´t feel represented or in compliance with the cultural values of the mainstream media. Many specific music styles had expression in this place such as; punk, hardcore, hip-hop, jazz, etc. but always all of them sharing the common feature of expression most often unrepresented in the media. It is considered that was only up to early 90s, with the grunge movement (called also as the Sound Seattle) as the flag of the generation X, that the alternative music reached the status of mainstream in US.  
In a kind of a Gentrification process the CBGB was forced to close due to the high rent payments. Nowadays in the place there is a cloth store, I have my doubts if this modest store has the same high rental load as was CBGB. However, it is reasonable to think that one place as CBGB may have bothered many people in the glamorous Manhattan. 

What is the meaning in terms of cultural influence in countries like México?
The rock, or alternative music born in US-UK (this topic is not the central point of this notice) in more general terms has have many influence in the youth of the people all over the world. In Latin America a kind of genre emerge in the 80s named “Rock en español” (Rock in Spanish). Evidently as a Latin American Youth we are proud of our traditional music mainly those that have endure thought our history. But nowadays in a global world many mixtures of music have been done and the rock music with other Latin sound is not the exception. The attitude of the rock music of free expression is something that also has permeated. Our mainstream is not as in US the pop genre, but is also annoying, for example in México many young people is influenced by bizarre kind of music that tend to praise the life style of the gangs. In contrast, the Rock music (in a very wide perspective) is part of the existing cultural identity of certain group of youth that is in disagreement with many views of the mainstream media, in fact nowadays México is a central point of meeting of many bands from Latin America.
There is a lot to say but I hope that this short note can convey the perspective of the importance about the visit to the place that used to be the CBGB.





The original decoration of the walls have been respected in contrast with the shelves where the new clothes are exhibited. Actual view of the place from the street (down)


The link were you can find more about the history and the plans for a possible future reopening. http://www.cbgb.com/

Only to give an example of the existing mix of music styles, sometimes authentic magic is created: Band Nortec Collective, song Tijuana Sound Machine. Mix of electronic sounds with traditional sounds of wind instruments.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpa-AEO-Q-Y
 Band Kynky, song Soun tha mi primer amor    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLTKVxFrSOU

4 comments:

  1. Very good! I definitely want to go there. Thanks for sharing the information! (Late-generation-X-Lady speaking).

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  2. It is the site of many iconic bands and musical breakthroughs. I'm glad that you found your way there!

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  3. A really informative post. I never went to CBGB but I had friends who went there all the time to hear Patti Smith and also Gaetano Veloso, the Brazilian singer-songwriter. The rents are WAY up from the levels in the 1970s. Speaking of Mexican rock, I, your elderly teacher, was actually present at the Mexican equivalent of Woodstock, the Avandaro festival, in what is now called Valle del Bravo. It rained the entire time.

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  4. Marcia: wooowww!!! that´s really amazing, Avandaro festival is always mentioned in every notice about the history of the Mexican Rock, in those years when that kind of music was oppressed by the government, who considered as a bad american influence to the Mexican youth.

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