The Travel Chica

Live Simple. Consume Less. Experience More.

For the Music Lovers

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This post is for all of my fellow music-lovers.  Usually my friends are the ones to introduce me to new bands.  Now I get to return the favor.

What do you do when it’s a dreary, rainy day in Quito? 

You go stand outside at an all-day concert of course.

QuitoFest

[singlepic id=41 h=180 w=240 mode=web20 float=left]Sunday I went to QuitoFest. Muchas gracias to Paulo for the invitation; I would not have known about this great event (no, I do not read the paper here because I am lazy).  QuitoFest is a free annual international, independent music festival. It was started in 2003 by musicians and people involved with independent art, and it has continued to grow. Quitofest is a nonprofit event and its sole purpose is cultural development.

The festival was supposed to be scheduled several weeks ago, but the date was moved back due to the “political problems” in Quito. Lucky me! To learn more about the festival, go to the website. You can use Google Language Tools to translate the webpage from Spanish to English.

[singlepic id=34 h=240 w=180 mode=web20 float=right]The festival is held at Itchimbía Park, which is set up on a hill east of the Centro Histórico with fantastic views of the city. We arrived around 1:30, and the sky had been threatening rain all day. It’s amazing how different the city looks when the , as if smothering them. It’s somewhat foreboding but still beautiful.

After listening to a couple of bands, it started to pour the rain. Everyone (or at least everyone without an umbrella or good rain gear) headed for cover in the Cultural Center, a stunning glass and iron building in the park that hosts regular art exhibits and cultural events. For the festival, they had various booths and art demonstrations set up.  Two of my favorites were the origami booth and the guy painting with makeup on top of a portrait of a woman. The origami was the most intricate and interesting I’d ever seen, and I loved that it was interactive. Something fun to check out between bands.

After a couple hours inside, the rain died down, and we went back out to enjoy the music.

The Bands

Three bands really impressed me: Luis Rueda y El Feroz Tren Expreso, Alma Rasta, and Biorn Borg.

Luis Rueda seemed to be very popular with the crowd. A great rock band with an edge. Check out his website to listen to some music. When you get to the site, click on the Multimedia link at the topic, and then you can flip through the songs by clicking on the little cassette tape at the bottom of the page. I believe the song “Mala Reputacion” is their most popular.

Alma Rasta is a reggae band from Quito. They have a positive message and really fun music. I haven’t been able to find any of their music online.

Biorn Borg is an alternative rock band with a bit of a punk edge; they may just be my new favorite band. They have a really cool website, and I highly recommend checking out the whole site. You can listen to their music by clicking on the “Musyk” link.

If you check out these bands, let me know what you think.

The Vibe

Two things struck me at the concert: the anti-violence message and the diversity of the people.

After talking with my Spanish teacher today, I learned that over the last two years, the government of Ecuador has been increasing its anti-violence and anti-machismo propaganda. They did a really nice job putting together banners to hang around the venue and videos to play between bands.

The government has also been promoting cleaning up the cities, protecting the environment, and less alcohol consumption. In fact, there was no alcohol at the festival.

The diversity of the people at the music festival was just like going to a music festival in the States. You see all ages and all types of people, from the hippies to the alternative punk kids. You see every possible fashion style. Everyone is there to have a good time and enjoy some great music.

Of course, there are a few differences.

For example, the 6-year-old girl selling cigarettes in the crowd is a little unsettling. And you see people smoking pot a little more openly (it is illegal here, however, they cannot control it), but you can see that at any concert in Columbus.

And apparently ink pens are considered deadly weapons and will be confiscated at the door (yep, had to spend 30 cents on a new pen today). But overall, it’s the same type of experience, just a little better because you’re in a new place discovering new music.

Click here to view all pictures from QuitoFest 2010.

Comments

  1. so you didn’t like the little kids selling cigarettes? the ones in Mexico always made me feel bad, too, but they were also annoying sometimes! they would pull on your clothes and say, “por favor senorita” and whine. do the ecuadorian kids do that too?

    • Yes, the girls do that here too. They also come up to your table at a cafe or restaurant and beg for money. There is a lot of poverty here. I read on someone else’s blog that something like 40% of the small children here have to “work” (aka beg or sell stuff on the streets) to support their family.

  3. I checked out Bjorn Borg. Cool name and website. I kinda dig their tunes, but not a huge fan of the singer’s voice. Maybe a little TOO punk for my delicate ears. Still, cool that you are getting to see (and report back on) live music! I’ll let you know when my as-yet-untitled project finally gets a name.

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