Almendra (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Almendra has come to be known as one of the most prolific Argentine rock bands of all time, a band that revolutionised the way people saw rock in the late-1960s, and a mode of cultural expression for music-hungry youth. Trading in the typical, mainstream English lyrics for Spanish lyrics, four teenage high school friends became not only a rock band, but a leader in Argentina’s national rock movement.

It was 1967 in Argentina and the music world was reeling. The summer of love and hippie movement had young listeners across the world hooked to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. Meanwhile, The Beatles were testing out the psychedelic waters with their ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ album, continuing the Fab Four’s reputation for hooking fans via a blend of expression and music.

Likewise, 1967 saw the assassination of ‘Che’ Guevara in Bolivia, and there was a prominent surge in an outspoken youth sector in Argentina. During the cultural transformations sweeping through Argentina, Almendra stood out among other up-and-coming bands. National rock in Argentina was gaining steam, and though many listeners were raised on English lyrics, Almendra wrote and produced songs in Spanish. They proved to doubters that the same poetic expression and social commentary present in famous English rock songs of the day could be emitted via Spanish lyrics, too. Almendra changed the way local rock music was perceived by listeners and critics.

The band had its start with two high school music groups: Los Larkins and Los Sbirros. Drummer Rodolfo Garcia led Los Larkins, while future Almendra electric guitarist Edelmiro Molinari and bassist Emilio del Güercio, played in Los Sbirros. Luis Alberto Spinetta, who would become guitarist and lyricist for Almendra, began playing with Los Sbirros but eventually played for both bands. The Larkins had several name changes, becoming the Masters and then the Mods. It was then, as the Mods, that the two groups fused together to form what would be the base of Almendra.

The group faced a brief road bump when Garcia was called into military service. While the band hit the backburner, national rock was skyrocketing in popularity thanks to bands like Los Gatos, another notable leader in Argentina rock.

When Garcia returned in the spring of 1968, the guys, in their late-teens, began practicing at Spinetta’s home in the Belgrano neighborhood. After going through several names, the group eventually parted with the typical “Los” name, and settled on Almendra.

In 1968, they met producer Ricardo Kleiman, host of local radio show Modart en la Noche, which aired popular beat and rock music of the time. With Kleiman’s help, by the end of the year, Almendra had produced and released their first single, “Tema de Pototo,” a song about a friend who was rumored to have died.

The group’s first official live performance was in Mar de Plata, a resort city in the province of Buenos Aires, at the beginning of 1969. Afterwards, the group played several performances at a music festival in Peru. On 24th March, they finally made their debut in Buenos Aires at the Di Tella Institute, and performed again several weeks later at the Buenos Aires Globe Theater. Another significant performance followed at the Pinap Festival, the first major music event for Argentine rock.

In 1969, the band released their first self-titled album, followed by double-album “Almendra II” in 1970, which features songs like “Toma el tren hacia el sur” and “Camino dificil.”

Almendra quickly established a styling that many compared to the Beatles. With a light-hearted bop sound, the catchy tunes are both uniquely quirky yet strewn with meaningful poetics. Not only did the band’s sound resemble the Beatles, but the two bands shared a similar influence on music and culture. Like the Beatles, Almendra gave young people something to relate to, an escape from a tumultuous societal and political scene; an identity.

Though Almendra had a short-run, breaking up due to artistic and cultural differences, various members of the band went on to successful solo careers. Güercio and Garcia formed Aquelarre and Spinetta, called “El Flaco” due to his lanky body size, formed Pescado Rabioso, another key member of the national rock scene in Argentina.

As band member Molinari said, Almendra didn’t divide, it multiplied.

Genre: Rock

Dates: 1967-1970

In their own words: “Today those songs are classics, but at that time were considered cutting edge. With time I realized that most of them are threaded by song writing tradition of our country. They are Argentine songs. The real vanguard revolutionizes what it inherits. Almendra was heir to the best of Argentine music and combined its elements without any prejudice.”   -Emilio del Güercio

Most Well-Known Song: Tema de Pototo

Best lyric: “If your dreams are lights around you, you will realise that he never has died, never has died.”

Best to listen to: when at a party with a cuba libre in hand and your best dancing shoes (whether that would be bare feet or not) on.

The brainchild of iconic singer Miguel Paralta, the Argentine group Los Abuelos de la Nada (The grandfathers of nothing’) have become synonymous with the reinvention of Argentine rock.

Formed in 1968, and spanning a 20-year period of band reformations, they might equally hold claim to being the most protean of Argentina’s musical acts.

Los abuelos de la nada

Peralta might have emerged from humble beginnings, but his eccentric persona and creative vision would secure him a loyal following. Frequenting the bohemian haunts of Barrio Norte in the late 60s, he caught wind of newly launched music label Mandioca. Having won over its director, Ben Molar, he sealed a record deal for the Abuelos before they had even been founded, and set out to recruit his band members from the cult hippy hang-out of Plaza Francia.

Peralta, along with guitarrist Claudio Gabis, bassist Alberto Lara, drummer Héctor Lorenzo, and pianist Eduardo Fanacoa comprised the first quintet to go by the name ‘Los Abuelos de la nada’.

With their distinctive medley of Argentine folk-rock and psychedelia – the Abuelos carved out a new aesthetic for Argentine music. Committed to social protest and freedom of expression, their experimental music made them a key player in the regnant countercultural imagination.

But the Abuelos were much more than mere dissenters. Peralta was a fervent reader of  poetry, most notably the writing of Arthur Rimbaud, Friedrich Hölderin and Leopoldo Marechal, and his finely-tuned poetic ear is manifest in the band’s sophisticated, irreverent and erotic lyrics.

The Abuelos made significant inroads in the Argentine music scene when they released their first single, ‘Diana Davaga’, in 1968. The simple, sonorous lyrics and folkloric resonances of ‘Oye niño’ and ‘Mariposas de madera’ are characteristic of the early period.

As a new decade beckoned, the Abuelos adopted a bluesy outfit with the single ‘En la estación’. It was the first song to feature Norberto “Pappo” Napolitano as lead singer, and the percussion instrumentals and ballad-like lyrics gave it a sultry flavour. Napolitano left the group shortly thereafter to form his own number, ‘Pappo’s Blues’.

Unimpressed by the turn the band had taken, Peralta abdicated his lead role and moved to Europe, a climate more conducive to his eccentric lifestyle. In his absence, Los Abuelos de la Nada was put on hold for the most part of a decade.

Summoned by guitarist Geraldo Lopéz, he returned to Argentina in 1980 and, far from capitalising on earlier successes, the band underwent a dramatic reinvention, heralding a golden era for Argentine rock.

New members assembled with Andrés Calamaro on keyboard, saxophonist Daniel Melingo, drummer Polo Corbella and guitarist Gustavo Bazterrica.

Los Abuelos de la Nada swiftly reclaimed their fan base and became the golden child of independent producers. Fusing rock with funk, salsa and reggae, their musical hybrid was emblematic of the cultural renovation of the time.

The singles released in 1982, including ‘Guindilla ardiente’, are testimony to their lead singer’s poetic inventiveness. The album ‘Vasos y besos’ was released the following year. Featuring their iconic protest song, ‘Mil horas’, it marked the apogee of the Abuelos success, and secured a following that packed out Luna Park stadium on three occasions.

But it was not all smooth sailing. As the group expanded, internal disputes became commonplace, especially between Peralta and the band’s producer Charly García. Biographer Juanjo Carmona cited “too much glamour and success” as the cause of the problems.

Courted by the music scene, the group slowly dispersed to pursue their own individual projects. Calamaro set out to produce a solo album and Melingo put his energies into a new group named Los Twist.

Whilst the Abuelos following might have diminished, it opened up a door for Peralta to pursue a solo career once again. His 1984 album, ‘Buen día, día’, was the fruit of a decade of musical experimentation. A hymn to the bountiful nature of experience it cast him as a kind of South American Walt Whitman.

The band, later renamed ‘Miguel Abuelo en Banda’, finally separated in 1988 following Peralta’s early death from AIDS. “Miguel was the poet, in capital letters,” Calamaro later quipped, “popular, sophisticated, streetwise, irreverent, and intimate.”

It is testimony to the enduring power of his lyrics that the legendary folk singer Mercedes Sosa performed his song, ‘Himno de mi Corazón’, at the presidential inauguration of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in 2007.

Genre: New Wave Rock

Dates Active: 1967-1988

Famous for: Reviving the Argentine rock scene, and inflecting it with psychedelic, folkloric and reggae beats.

Most Famous Song: Costumbres Argentinas

Best Lyrics: “Te anden en tropel por todo el cuerpo / y se junten en tu corazón” (They walk in droves over you’re body / and come together in your heart)

In their own words: “Make no mistake, when you knew Miguel well, you’ll realise that he was life itself.” (Calamaro)

Best to listen to: When you’re on a road trip out to the pampas.

It’s Friday again!

And yes, this week’s column is mostly gonna be about the Malvinas/Falklands clusterfuck once more.

Have you rolled your eyes at me yet?

Good. Because I don’t care.

This is what you need to know:

You might run into this while walking around Olívos. How dangerously exotic! (Photo/Wikipedia)

• Previously on Weekly News Roundup: it was the UK’s turn to spice things up a bit in this Malvinas/Falkland never ending stupidity, so they sent the HMS Dauntless, a nuclear submarine and Prince William to the islands just in case Argentina decided to call them “silly.” That’s it.

• Everyone was caught off guard this week when the National Government announced that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was going to be making a statement on national television in relation to the ongoing diplomatic conflict. While many feared she was going to make a formal declaration of war, others were more optimistic and suggested that she was going to offer the islanders a deal to create a weekly flight from Buenos Aires to the islands, which would have been really cool because I totally want to visit them. But alas, the cameras went on and the circus began. The Government had invited members of the opposition and war veterans to witness her speech, but they also let in a bunch of chanting idiots who started waving their flags and singing insults towards the British (because I’m sure the islanders are just gonna love that). And then, as the world anxiously awaited her “important announcement,” she finally said that since the UK has not complied with Argentina’s demands, she has no choice but to keep making them. Well, not really but kind of. She accused the UK of “militarizing” the South Atlantic, which is kind of hyperbolic but whatever, and warned she was going to file a formal complaint before the United Nations and the Security Council. Something she could have announced without the need to appeal to shallow nationalism.

• And while everyone was still oozing peace and love from their pores and singing about giving peace a chance as they were leaving the Government House, some Malvinas War veterans showed up and beat up Kirchnerite lawmaker José María Díaz Bancalari just because. I guess that is how they roll.

• The British press had a lot of nasty things to say about Cristina after the announcement. She’s “authoritarian” and “a quintessential bully,” they said. But the fuck up of the week goes to the Malvinas/Falklands-based online newspaper Penguin News, after the Argentine press learned that the photo of Cristina they used for their main piece on the website last Tuesday was uploaded under the name “bitch.jpg”. Whoops!

• Also, the Telegraph ran an article saying that Argentina has no more claim to the islands than Canada does to Alaska. Well, I’m sure that if being a part of Canada meant getting rid of Sarah Palin, Alaskans would sign up for Canadian citizenship like that. Just saying.

• And since the Barack Obama (really, you clicked on that? Wow) administration seems to support Argentina’s claim on this matter (their position is that the only way to solve this is through diplomatic dialogue), Cristina is super happy and wants to be BFFs with the United States. Yay! Argentine ambassador to the US Jorge Argüello said his goal is now to take the bilateral relationship to the best place possible. Nice! Maybe they can go back to being fuck buddies, like they were called in the 90s. You don’t believe me? It’s true! Back in the 90s, the US and Argentina were so close that the local Government and press began saying that they were having “relaciones carnales” which in Spanish means – you guessed it – fucking. Of course the true story is that Argentina was in fact getting fucked by the neoliberal policies of the Washington Consensus but whatever. Yay, friends!

• Really sad news: a French 52-year old man who was visiting Argentina was brutally murdered in broad daylight by a man who tried to steal his camera while he was taking photos at the Malvinas War Memorial in Plaza San Martín. The man, identified as Laurent Schwebel, was stabbed twice in the chest and tried to walk for a few meters, asking for help. He eventually collapsed as horrified bystanders tried to assist him. The police have arrested a suspect who they believe was responsible for the murder. This proves that even though Buenos Aires is a relatively safe city you must always be aware of your surroundings and stay alert. Be safe, OK?

• Also, this tragic death aside, this is the third French tourist to be murdered in Argentina in less than a year. Half a year ago two women were raped and murdered in Salta, and even though the men who did it were quickly arrested, this is still terrible PR for Argentina. I would understand it if the French decided to stop visiting out of fear. Let’s hope they don’t.

•  Oh and also, a few meters away from where the French man was brutally murdered, a cable got caught in a freight truck that was passing by, causing a traffic light to fall on top of a Brazilian tourist who was just standing there. So… yeah, you know where I’m going with this.

• Avoid Plaza San Martín altogether, is what I’m trying to say.

• And while we’re at it, you might want to avoid Vicente López as well since a blood-thirsty puma is apparently terrorizing the neighborhood. Yeah, that’s right. A puma (as in: a motherfucking puma). Oh, please! Spare me the “this shit doesn’t happen where I come from” face.  It does and it does. Shut the fuck up already.

• Have you ever tried walking across the Pan-american Highway (click here to see what it looks like outside of Buenos Aires)? Well, you may be a coward but as you can see in this video grandma isn’t, so she did. And she didn’t care who could have died in the process.

• And here’s my good deed of the day: next time you land at the Ezeiza International Airport or the Aeroparque Airport and you’re walking like a zombie, dragging your suitcase while trying to cope with your jet lag, please remember NOT TO head over to Global Exchange to trade your dollars/euros for some pesos. Because as it turns out, these mischievous guys will take your money for a 20% less value than any other money exchange place.  For every dollar they will give you 3.47 pesos (when they should be giving you close to 4.35). See? And some people say this column has no value to society.

• Since this week private vehicles are no longer allowed into the Downtown BA area on weekdays from 11 am to 4 pm, in an effort to cut down traffic jams. Not that you care because you don’t own a car.

• Great news people! The National Government just announced that if you don’t have your SUBE card yet there’s no reason to worry! Because they’ve decided to push the deadline to March 2nd. since apparently there’s a couple of losers who didn’t get the memo saying that if they don’t have their SUBE cards soon, they will lose their public transportation subsidy benefits. Which means you stood in line for three hours under the searing siesta sun for nothing.

Rest in peace, Spinetta. The Wachiturros will never even come close to your music. (Photo/Wikipedia)

• Rock legend and Argentine icon Luis Alberto Spinetta died on Wednesday after battling with lung cancer for more than six months. The entire country and even Latin America will continue to mourn this musical genius for days, since he is considered to be one of the forefathers of what is locally known as “rock nacional.” He will be remembered by many songs, but his most popular hit will always be “Muchacha ojos de papel,” a sweet ballad he wrote after being inspired by his muse back in 1969 that still fills 50 and 60 somethings with nostalgia. Listen to it, it’s pretty nice.

• Remember a few months ago when local football megastar Martín Palermo announced he was retiring, and they threw this huge farewell party at the Boca Juniors stadium, and everyone paid a lot of money to go there and everyone was crying because it was an emotional moment and they even gave give an actual goal as a gift and stuff? Well, as it turns out that wasn’t the real farewell party, for some reason! And if you thought so then you must have misunderstood. You see, the real farewell party was last Sunday and if you wanted to attend you had to pay again of course.  Isn’t football great? Yeah. Great way to make money! Like some bright mind tweeted recently: “I loved Martin Palermo’s farewell party last Sunday. I really hope the next one in six months is even better.” Clap, clap, clap.

• Oh, and before I forget: please don’t write to me explaining how one was a farewell ceremony and the other was a farewell game. I really, really, really don’t give a shit.

Have a great weekend everyone!