For the past few years, the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez’s Arte en la Placita has been a space for the community’s artists and small businesses to show off their talents and make contact with everyone around them. This past Thursday September 13th, 2018, the student organization came together once again so artisans, creators and everyone around could connect through art. (promo for the event as found on social media) As UPRM’s Universal Hour (10:30AM to 12:30PM) came around, artists like Sarah Paulette Arana from Raitru, Heidy Colon from HB Art, Val Ortiz from Morivivi and others like Bandolera Clothing, Hennatural, Papeleria Natura, GAQUINO and Earth n Ink Studios started setting up their stations. Meanwhile, young musician Xavier Osvaldo Aymat, known for his work with Grumpa as well as his literary work as published in the Vox Populi Anthology, served as the event’s music curator providing a blend of jazz, instrumental rock, funk, hip hop and dream pop selections. As time passed by and the space was blessed with some nice music, people from the college community came along looking to buy and support the artists and local business that were present at the event. (all of the pictures above were taken by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) Thanks to activities like Arte en la Placita, students and everyone inside the UPRM’s college community can come together, connect and communicate through the medium of art while getting to know new artists and local businesses. Yesterday was an example of how this type of event is highly necessary for those looking to release some stress while having fun. Hopefully, Arte en la Placita will continue to strive and give people a space to interact and express themselves.
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Now that the semester is slowly kicking in, starting a few “hell weeks” in the process, college students all over the west side of Puerto Rico are looking for ways to release stress and express themselves. Last night, September 12th, 2018, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaüez’s TEATRUM and local coffee shop El Loveshack came together to provide an open mic where the community at large could come and share their art, thoughts and ideas. (promo for the event as found on social media) In the midst of coffee and food, an audience close to thirty people came together last night to witness and participate in a space that would provide poetry, music, jokes and passionate life stories and when the clock hit 7:00pm that is exactly what happened. The event started with members of TEATRUM breaking the ice by sharing some of their music and literature, though others like poets Ketsia Ramos and Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez read some of their work too. However, after a while the public, which had many newcomers to this type of event, eventually took a step forward and started participating by reciting some of their poetry, anecdotes, singing and even performing some of their music. (all of the pictures above were taken by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) In short, last night’s TEATRUM-hosted open mic night in El Loveshack, “Una Tacita de Arte,” served as a great and very necessary space for the college community and those at large to express themselves and leave their built up stress out there while having a little bit of fun with a side dish of good food and coffee.
Dan Siego and Capitán Simón Celebrate "Bloodpuncher's Greatest Hits" at Mayagüez’s Off the Wall8/18/2018 With the release of Dan Siego’s debut full-length project, Bloodpuncher’s Greatest Hits, it was inevitable for them as one of the most active bands of the Puerto Rican indie scene to have two nights celebrating their production. Thus, last night at Mayagüez’s Off the Wall served as the first party for Dan Siego’s weekend-long party, which they did alongside the San Juan-based indie rock band Capitán Simón. (promo for the show by Derick Joel) Kicking off the night was Capitán Simón, a young psychedelic and space rock influenced indie band, which had audiences dancing and swinging from side to side with some of their danceable songs and other more melodic tunes. In short, the group’s space and ethereal sounds served as a good starter for the chaos that was to come with Dan Siego’s performance. After Capitán Simón’s presentation, Dan Siego came in with a full display of power. Starting with two new songs that showed more noise and hardcore influences, the duo perfectly transmitted just enough energy for the rest of the adrenaline fueled, danceable and mosh pit driven night. In order to properly celebrate their debut project, Dan Siego performed each and every single track in the album along with their trademark jams and particular choice in samples that interconnect each song during their live performances. As usual, the group’s last few minutes had the band interacting with the crowd by having them play some of their instruments creating a fantastic environment between the musicians and the crowd. In short, the celebration of Dan Siego’s Bloodpuncher’s Greatest Hits alongside Capitán Simón at Mayagüez’s Off the Wall last night was one to release every form of stress possible for the audience in attendance. It was a night full of melodies, danceable vibes and power driven tracks that had people moving their bodies in every way possible. In addition, the night was another example of what Dan Siego means to the community in the west of Puerto Rico and how they continue to encourage bands from the west to connect with those of the metro area. Moreover, the duo demonstrated that if one is really passionate about their work, one should continue to pursue and celebrate it when it is complete.
Find Dan Siego’s Bloodpuncher’s Greatest Hits on Spotify Find Capitán Simón on Bandcamp All of the pictures in this article were taken by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez As the fall semester slowly approaches, Mayagüez’s Off The Wall continues to be the center for many local independent bands and last Friday August 10th was no different as the west-coast based band Los Petardos!, accompanied by the Mexico-based group Secret Agent, took the place on a groovy ride filled with surf rock as its soundtrack. (promo for the event by Derick Joel) Kicking off the show was the trio visiting from Mexico, Secret Agent. Fueled by a passion for classic television and cinema, especially the genres of spy films and westerns, the trio performed their surf rock and rock n roll renditions of classic themes such as John Barry’s “James Bond Theme”, Lalo Schifrin’s “Theme from Mission: Impossible” and Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn” while also doing a cover of Dick Dale’s version of “Misirlou” starting off what would be a very fun and danceable night. To finish the night, Los Petardos! came with their punk rock and Caribbean sound influenced surf rock. By performing a variety of their well known songs like “Acabame”, “Canción de la Calle”, “Vamo A Llegar”, “Lo Ineludible (Ok)” and “Los Locos, Los Mejores”, and mixing them up with new ones like “La Bajura” and “El espejo”, the group managed to balance a set filled with danceable tracks and others worthy of creating mosh pits, some of which included the involvement of the band’s lead singer. In the end, Secret Agent and Los Petardos! provided a performance that helped many release the stress of a week of work, be it a regular job or preparation for the upcoming semester. With events like the collaboration between Secret Agent and Los Petardos!, the independent art scene in Puerto Rico is slowly continuing to grow as local bands connect with groups from other countries. The night also showed that Off The Wall continues to be a location that supports independent musicians while demonstrating that it is a go-to-spot for people looking to have fun while listening to live music.
Listen to Secret Agent and Los Petardos! on Spotify All of the pictures in this article were taken by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez While the independent arts movement in Puerto Rico continues to grow, especially in the fields of literature, visuals and music, other art forms like performance and theater are also coming out to provide entertainment and social commentary on the island’s current political and socioeconomic status. Among the many presentations to balance these elements is CiRcO dE La pLaZa, which has been celebrated mainly in Mayagüez for the past four years. Mainly organized by members of the Vueltabajo Sitio collective, CiRcO dE La pLaZa has been known to be a series of events that bring together the community while providing entertainment, education and political commentary, and this year’s closure was no stranger to that. Starting the event by walking from Taller Libertá towards the public plaza in Mayagüez, this year’s closure consisted of all sorts of puppets, dancers, musicians and performers. Among the many activities presented in the event were songs that inspired audience members to participate, storytelling for both pure entertainment and political commentary, music, spoken word poetry, acrobatics and theater performances which encouraged all sorts of participation and thinking. Like in the previous seasons, CiRcO dE La pLaZa’s commitment to their community continues to stay alive and well. The group of performers still manage to entertain and inform their audiences with a variety of presentations that feature a wide variety of art forms from literature and visuals to performance and music making it a great place for people to gather around and connect while being entertained, informed and, probably, inspired
All of the pictures in this article were taken by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez Every day Puerto Rico’s independent art scene continues to grow. However, one of the areas that is barely mentioned from the movement is its literature community. But last Saturday July 21st two up-and-coming writers, Sabana Grande’s Patrick Oneill and Moca’s Anthony Acevedo, got together in Aguadilla’s La Casita Books & Gifts to present their latest short story collections, Rio Muerto and Cortoga respectively, which use the genre of horror to reflect on society’s dark side. (promo for the event) Once the audience sat down and got comfortable, the book presentation started with a brief Q&A held by fellow writer Omar Palermo who served as the moderator for the event. Among the many questions asked were some involving how Oneill and Acevedo started writing, their influences, the inspiration behind their new texts, their thoughts on the current status of horror literature in Puerto Rico and how their lives were reflected in any of the short stories. (picture by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) After the brief Q&A, the writers were given the space to read some fragments of their books. Oneill kicked things off by reading the introduction of his short story “Necromater” and then Acevedo provided listeners a glimpse into his “La Balada del Carnicero”. However, the texts weren’t read in full as both authors felt that the rest would be too gruesome to be read out loud and the audience seemed to think so too as some felt a bit grossed out by the images provided in the stories. (picture by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) The event finished after the young authors answered questions that ranged from how these texts might affect young readers, the mission of these books and if the writers would be willing to work in the field of comic books. In the end, Oneill and Acevedo managed to create dialogue with the audience regarding a variety of topics, some of which included the current status of Puerto Rico and how these stories reflect that. Thus, what seemed to be a simple presentation of horror fiction became a deeper conversation about reflecting on one’s country and what we can do to rehabilitate it, which goes to show that if horror is written properly it can make one reflect on the more important aspects of life.
Find Rio Muerto and Cortoga As the Puerto Rican independent music scene continues to grow, more musicians from the diaspora are coming back to the island to perform. Some of the bands to keep their presence in the diaspora and Puerto Rico are the electronic groups Buscabulla and Los Walters, while others like Campo-Formio, Orquesta El Macabeo, Los Petardos! and Dan Siego find ways to spread their music while continuing to perform regularly across the homeland. However, one ensemble that hadn’t been able to present their work in Puerto Rico was The Mona Passage, a prog-rock band from the diaspora led by Nuyorican poet Bonafide Rojas. But that all changed this past weekend when the group shared the stage with Cologne in Mayagüez’s La Tertulia en mi Tierra. (promo for the event by Anthony Acevedo) Kicking off the Thursday July 19th night was the west coast indie rock influenced band Cologne who shared their blend of hard, garage and prog-rock making audiences dance, head bang, sing and air guitar to melodies filled with danceable beats and wailing guitars successfully starting what would be a really fun event. (pictures by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) After Cologne came the guests from the diaspora, the prog-rock group The Mona Passage. Led by poet and guitarist Bonafide Rojas and vocalist Yabey, the experimental band shared their fantastic mixture of spoken word poetry and psychedelic space rock displaying a wide range of influences while creating their own original sound. Furthermore, the ensemble was able to show their love for the Puerto Rico and have some form of open dialogue between island Puerto Ricans and those from the diaspora. (pictures by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) Last Thursday July 19th was a night about connecting with our brothers from the diaspora through the sweet sounds of rock n’ roll. By having Cologne and The Mona Passage perform together, the audience was treated to the type of dialogue Boricuas from every corner of the world need to have in order to connect as a community.
Listen to The Mona Passage on Spotify and Cologne on Soundcloud As part of their efforts to support the artistic community at large, Mayaguez’s Off The Wall these past few months has been providing a space for painters and other visual artists each Tuesday. In the weekly event adequately named “mARTES,” artists are given the opportunity to display their skills while making an original design that takes into consideration the location and the classic Volkswagen bus. Among the many who have stepped into the spot to put their work out there have been Marisely “Sely” Lugo, Jose Julian Rivera, Eva Ortiz and Paula Zoe Acosta. Recently, young artist and designer Karla Heloise took the stage to bring her own vision into the project. (promo for the event by Derick Joel) It was a regular Tuesday night and members of the young community in Mayaguez had recently finished the first summer session offered by the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez allowing them to enjoy the remaining days of the season. As Off The Wall’s doors maintained open for the people, Karla Heloise had some of her work in display as she started to paint live. Later, as the night progressed fueled by a very varied playlist of music, friends and audience quickly arrived to her side to admire and question her work. At one point, it seemed like it would become too hard for her to focus. However, it was good to see so much support for a young up-and-coming artist. (works by Heloise and the artist at work, pictures by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) (Heloise's contribution, picture provided by the artist) Though a spot like Off The Wall might be a little difficult for artists to completely focus on their work due to the amount of people that might interfere them, it is still a great location for young up-and-comers to present their work. Last Tuesday July 10th, 2018 was another night for a young artist, in this case Karla Heloise, to put her work in display while also showing part of her creative process. Hopefully, places like Off The Wall in Mayaguez continue to provide a space for artists to work on new creations and forms of expression while interacting with the audience at large.
As the summer moves on, more Puerto Rican indie musicians continue to emerge and release projects. Last Wednesday June 27th, alternative rock trio Alma Nebula continued to promote and celebrate the release of their first EP, “Laberintos & Dimensiones,” in Aguadilla’s 100 A Uno with their hometown crowd alongside fellow rock groups Cologne and Novaluna. (promo for the show as found Alma Nebula’s Facebook) As the crowd slowly arrived, the members of Cologne would get ready to set the mood for the night and as soon as the clock hit around 10:30 pm they did. Like in previous performances, Cologne managed to display their wide variety of influences such as indie rock, prog-rock and even a bit of punk rock proving that they are definitely one of the emerging bands to keep an eye out for in the near future when they release future singles, possible projects and continue performing around the island. (Cologne performing, all pictures by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) After Cologne came Novaluna, an instrumental rock band heavily influenced by jam rock and math rock, composed of members from Alma Nebula. The short set of the masked musicians presented their ability to experiment with a variety of sounds while having fun. If you are listener who enjoys a good round of instrumental rock playing in the background, this group may just be one to look out for as they display promise in what seems to be one of their earlier performances. (Novaluna performing, picture by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) Closing the night was Alma Nebula who, other than performing songs from the EP “Laberintos & Dimensiones,” also played a few tracks that may appear on a future full-length project. Like many times before, the group managed to show their variety in a show where they showed their influences from music such as alternative rock, pop punk and a bit of swing music. (Alma Nebula performing, all pictures by Fernando E. E. Correa Gonzalez) (cover for “Laberintos & Dimensiones” as found on Alma Nebula’s Facebook) Last June 27th in 100 A Uno was another celebration for the indie rock scene in Puerto Rico as yet another group from the scene managed to put out a project despite the difficult circumstances the island has been going through in times pre and post-Maria. Furthermore, the performances by Cologne, Novaluna and Alma Nebula provided another escape for a community still in recovery and for the young at heart looking to have fun on a hot summer night.
Listen to “Laberintos & Dimensiones” on Spotify Listen to Cologne on SoundCloud To say that Puerto Rico’s school year was hectic would be an understatement. After being attacked by the category five phenomenon that was Hurricane María, institutions continued their labors at different moments according to their location and the effects left by the natural disaster. Take for example the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla which recently finished its semester, while the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras is now in its process of final exams. Thus, due to surviving this weird school year, celebrations are due in big fashion and that is exactly what west-based bands Sombras Inocentes, Cologne and Redneck Buddha decided to do last Wednesday June 6th, 2018 in Aguadilla’s 100 A Uno by providing a fun show for the college community. (promo for the flyer) Kicking off the night was the pop-punk and melodic hardcore influenced trio Sombras Inocentes who, with their attitude fueled melodies, managed to get the crowd pumped just enough for the following band, Cologne. (Sombras Inocentes perform) After Sombras Inocentes came Cologne, an indie-rock influenced quartet who was making their live debut after releasing their first single, “El Último Baile”, last May. After vocalist Anthony Acevedo poured some perfume on himself, the band went on to demonstrate their prog-rock, hard-rock and stoner-rock inspirations in a performance that featured lots of crowd interaction, Iggy Pop-style dance moves as well as dancing in the form of head banging by the large audience that packed the bar. (part of Cologne's performance) Finishing the night was the well-known garage rock power trio Redneck Buddha who, despite having a smaller crowd due to the heat created in 100 A Uno when large amounts of people are inside, managed to bring down the house. With their brand of horror-punk infused jams, hard-rock influenced tunes and melodic ballads, the band managed to get people head banging, dancing and even creating a small mosh pit. (Redneck Buddha close the show) “Show de Cierre de Semestre” was another highly needed unity between independent bands that helped a young college community release all the stress accumulated after a very chaotic school year due to the effects of Hurricane María. With the variety of rock n’ roll provided by Sombras Inocentes, Cologne and Redneck Buddha, students managed to dance, head bang and moshpit their way out of a hectic year and into a, hopefully, peaceful and productive summer.
Listen to Sombras Inocentes and Cologne on Soundcloud and Redneck Buddha on Spotify All of the pictures in this article were taken by Fernando E. E. Correa González Sometimes Puerto Rican independent musicians find success and support from big record labels willing to take a chance. However, there are acts who don’t really manage to reach mainstream status and continue to celebrate their work and support the scene in their own way. One of those bands to do so is the ska-punk group Altanez who celebrated their 25th anniversary last Friday June 1st, 2018 in La Tertulia En Mi Tierra in Mayaguez. (promo for the show) Most celebrations are done in big fashion and last Friday was no different. The Aguadilla-based Altanez celebrated their 25th anniversary alongside young bands Jauria and Redneck Buddha and, the “legends of trash metal”, Deathless. Kicking off the event was the recently formed hardcore punk band Jauria. By providing their no-holds barred attitude, Jauria managed to set the mood for a night that would be characterized by heavy underground music. (Jauria performing) Following Jauria was the power trio Redneck Buddha who, for the most part, performed their garage rock, punk rock and hard rock influenced songs such as “Sewer Rat” and “Crimson Countertop” in order to keep with the energy set by Jauria. However, in order to close their presentation, the band performed one of their ballads which they dedicated to a close friend. (Redneck Buddha performing) After Redneck Buddha came Deathless, a trash metal band made up of members of Puerto Rico’s underground metal community whose performance was distinguished by long and evolving songs that displayed Metallica, Iron Maiden and Tierra Santa influences. (Deathless performing) Following up the trash metal veterans were the musicians in celebration, Altanez. By performing songs that displayed their third wave ska and punk influences, the Aguadilla-based group managed to demonstrate that despite their age, they still manage to keep their youthful attitudes towards life in a variety of ways such as enjoying parties and sex. Though the location was not completely full, Altanez managed to put in full display their celebratory lifestyle through their highly danceable showcase. (Altanez's frontman performing) Overall, last June 1st was a celebration of independent music. While the show’s promo displayed five bands, only four were able to perform, sadly leaving out Grim Addiction, displaying a lack of communication. However, this doesn’t diminish the fun and varied energy put out there through the combination of Jauria, Redneck Buddha, Deathless and Altanez. It truly was a great blend of generations. All of the pictures in this article were taken by Fernando E. E. Correa González
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AuthorFernando E. E. Correa González is the author behind over 30 self-published poetry books. He has been published by literary magazines & journals [Id]entidad, El Vicio del Tintero, Sábanas Magazine, Smaeralit, The Occulum, Tonguas and Hound Magazine. Other than writing, Correa is also the host of FENCast, a podcast dedicated to documenting the Puerto Rican independent art scene. Aside from this, he experiments with filmmaking, photography, drawing, painting, multimedia and transmedia. He currently lives in his native Puerto Rico. Archives
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