Rock and roll music
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
was introduced in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
in the late 1950s, with many Cuban artists of the time covering American songs translated into Spanish, as was occurring in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
at the same time. "The Batista police never looked kindly on Rock and Roll, and much less after the screening of films like ''
Rebel Without a Cause
''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Filmed in the then recently introduced CinemaScope format and directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social co ...
'' and ''
The Bad Seed
''The Bad Seed'' is a 1954 novel by American writer William March, the last of his major works published before his death.
Nominated for the 1955 National Book Award for Fiction, ''The Bad Seed'' tells the story of a mother's realization that h ...
'', among others. After 1959, Rock and Roll followed the same path, although artists like Argentinean Luis Aguile emerged."
When Cuba and the United States broke relations, some people considered rock "the music of the enemy, the language of the enemy". Then, there was the time of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, the
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs ( es, Bahía de los Cochinos) is an inlet of the Gulf of Cazones located on the southern coast of Cuba. By 1910, it was included in Santa Clara Province, and then instead to Las Villas Province by 1961, but in 1976, it was reas ...
, the
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
and the
uprising of armed bands throughout the country. Nevertheless, rock continued to be played. And though it didn't have a good reputation, it was tolerated. And though somehow its performers were considered to have a deviant ideology, many groups continued playing the genre. Among these were included Los Vampiros and Los Satélites. These bands were composed of black people and had a style similar to that of Limbo Rock in the United States. This was the origin of street rock. And the situation continued like that until 1965.
[
Salvador Terry's Los Vampiros and Los Satélites helped keep Cuban rock alive and showed that black and mixed race people also loved it. From 1961 to 1964, they made people put aside the old quarrels and misunderstandings that rock was the music of high life of the white majority.][
Today, all the manifestations and subgenres of rock are performed in the underground environment are interpreted, no matter how atypical they are.][
]
History of rock in Cuba
The 1950s
The strong influence of American music on the younger Cuban generations paved the way for the introduction of rock & roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
in the island during the 1950s. Many Cuban artists sung versions of American songs translated to Spanish, as it was also happening in Mexico.[
One of the first Cuban rock groups, Los Llopis pioneered the use of the electric guitar in Cuba,][Los Sonidos de la Música cubana – Armando Rodríguez Ruidíaz – Academia.edu -https://www.academia.edu/18302881/Los_sonidos_de_la_m%C3%BAsica_cubana._Evoluci%C3%B3n_de_los_formatos_instrumentales_en_Cuba] although electrically-amplified tres
Tres may refer to:
* Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument
* Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy
* "Tres" (song) by Juanes
* "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra''
* TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey''
* Templi R ...
es were already being played by musicians such as Senén Suárez. The repertoire of Los Llopis consisted of a combination of American and rock pieces, such as "See You Later, Alligator
"See You Later, Alligator" is a 1950s rock and roll song written and first recorded by American singer-songwriter Bobby Charles. The song was a Top Ten hit for Bill Haley and His Comets in 1956 in the United States, reaching no. 6 on ''Billboard ...
" and "Rock Around the Clock
"Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was record ...
" by the Bill Haley
William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...
group, with other Cuban and Hispanic pieces like "Goza mi Guaracha", "Maquinolandera" and "La pollera colorá". Los Llopis also succeeded in Spain, where they established their residence for some years and introduced pachanga
Pachanga is a genre of music which is described as a mixture of son montuno and merengue and has an accompanying signature style of dance. This type of music has a festive, lively style and is marked by jocular, mischievous lyrics. Pachanga o ...
, a new Cuban rhythm with an influence from the Dominican merengue.
In 1959 Luisito Bravo bursted into the Cuban musical scene with songs such as Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...
's "Oh Carol" and the Italian song " Tiernamente (Torna a Surriento)" (covered by Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
as "Surrender
Surrender may refer to:
* Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy
* Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power
Film and television
* ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...
", reaching 500,000 record sales by 1961. Other solo artists followed Luisito Bravo, such as Rogelio Sanzarini and Jorge Bauer, as well as groups such as the Satélites of Antonio María Romeu and the Tony Taño band.
The 1960s
The development of Cuban rock was interrupted by the Cuban Revolution. Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
banned rock music in 1961, for being a corrupt North American influence that didn't belong in the new communist Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
; a position that ironically was in contradiction with the own liberal vision of Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
with respect to the arts and culture; not to mention that the international rock groups had embraced in general a leftist ideology by then.
Despite this, several rock artists emerged that year. Dany Puga, called the King of Twist, and bands such as Los Diablos Melódicos and Los Enfermos del Rock, as well as Los Halcones of IvanFariñas and Los Huracanes from Marianao. The vocal quartet Los Zafiros
Los Zafiros (''The Sapphires'') were a Cuban close-harmony vocal group working from 1962 until 1976. The group was part of the filín (feeling) movement, inspired by American doo-wop groups such as The Platters. Their music was a fusion of Cuban ...
was another successful group from the beginning of the sixties. Founded in 1961, it was influenced by the doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...
style of The Platters, The Diamonds and other American groups, and counted on a repertoire consisting of ballads, calypsos and bossanovas, as well as songs with slow rock and bolero rhythms. One of the most salient traits of the group was the treble voice of the counter-tenor Ignacio Elejalde, supported by Miguel Cancio, Leoncio Morúa and Eduardo Elio Hernández (El chino), as well as by the guitarist Manuel Galbán. The guitarist Franco Laganá, an Italian musician that had participated in the renowned group of Renato Carosone, was an early representative of the music with an American influence in Cuba, during the beginning of the sixties decade.
At that time, the popular group Los Astros (not to be confused with René Álvarez' band), led by the singer and guitarist Raúl Gómez, was threatened by pressures exerted by the Fidel Castro regime over the rock groups, which were considered as a form of "ideological diversionism" and actively opposed in all its manifestations. Its style, strongly influenced by British Invasion
The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...
groups like the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
, was labelled as "deviant" and consequently repressed without any hesitation. Since then, the Revolutionary government of Cuba began to implement an absolute control over all aspects of the Cuban society, including, of course, all cultural expressions. In 1963, Fidel himself delivered a speech at the steps in front of the Havana University, which clearly expressed his contempt and dissatisfaction toward certain manifestations influenced by foreign trends, such as the Elvis Presley ("elvispresliana") music, the tight blue jeans (pitusas), and also homosexuality; thus establishing the official parameters from the regime on that subject:
"... Many of those lazy tramps (pepillos), sons of the bourgeoisie, that roam around with pants that are too tight (laughter); some of them with a guitar in "elvispreslianas" (from Elvis Presley) attitudes, that have gone too far on its venture as to go to public places with the intention of freely organizing their feminine shows.
Do not mistake the serenity of the Revolution and the equanimity of the Revolution for weaknesses of the Revolution. Because our society cannot allow these degenerations (applause). The socialist society cannot allow these degenerations.
Youngsters seeking that? No! "crooked grown trees...", the remedy is not that easy. I am not going to say that we are going to apply radical measures against those crooked trees, but aspiring youngsters, no!
There are some theories, I am not a scientist, I am not an expert on this subject (laughter), but I have always observed something: that the countryside didn't give such a subproduct. I have always observed that, and I always keep it in mind.
I am sure that independently from any theory and any investigations in the field of medicine, I understand that there is much related to the environment, much related to the environment and some softening, in this problem. But all of them are related, the hooligan, the tramp, the "elvispresliano", the "pitusa" (tight blue jean) (laughter)."
Los Astros followed the classical format coined by the British groups: Raúl Gómez, leading voice and rhythm guitar, his cousin Luis Gómez, second voice and lead guitar, Marcelo, accompanying voice and sax, and Gerardo López, drums. Its repertoire consisted of American hits from the sixties. During its short existence, the group had to confront numerous adversities and a hostile environment. Eres como el Fuego (You are like fire), their first song broadcast by a radio station in the capital city, was recorded with great difficulties, and therefore the result was of very little audio quality. Los Astros used to play in the radio program Buenas Tardes Juventud, from Radio Marianao. According to Jorge Luis González Suárez: "Those shows also suffered the regime's ban for being considered a form of 'ideological diversion'."
In spite of the political discrepancy between the US and Cuba since 1960; after the closing of the US embassy, and after the country being "invaded from the neighbor at the North" by Cubans opposed to the socialist regime, rock music never stopped to be performed, despite being considered as subversive. After the disintegration of some rock bands, their members formed new ones, as in the case of Los Halcones in the Quinteto Negro, and the Príncipes del Rock in Los Buitres, consisting of Rey Montesinos, Dino Fregio, vocals and guitar and Jorge Calvet Vidales (Coqui), guitarist and leader of the "Orquesta 440".
Already in 1964, other bands imitating the Beatles emerged, such as Los Kent, Los Pacíficos from the Pre-Universitario del Vedado; and then many amateur bands, creating what was called (street rock) "rock de la calle". That way Los Violentos of Reynaldo Montesinos was created. That group was part of the psychedelic show of Maricusa Cabrera and Arístides Pumariega (a famous cartoonist from the Cuban TV and press). In 1969, Los Violentos brought to the group Miguelito and Aimé Cabrera, two singer-dancers of very high artistic quality, thus providing a different image to the audience of the Maricusa Cabrera shows.
Although its members were considered as ideological deviants, many groups continued cultivating this genre. We can include among them Los Vampiros and Los Satélites. Those groups led by Salvador Terry contributed to keep Cuban rock alive and demonstrated that it was appreciated by people from different races. Between 1961 and 1964, they were able to make people leave behind their old misunderstandings, created by those who thought that rock was the music of the high classes and the white majority. These bands were composed of black people and possessed a style similar to the Limbo Rock from the US. That was the origin of "street rock" and it continued until 1965.[
Around 1965, the Cuban government implemented a strategy to substitute the foreign products that the young people preferred, with others that better matched their official guidelines; and as a result of this strategy, a new radio program called ''Nocturno'' was broadcast in 1966, which initial musical theme was "La chica de la valija" (Girl with a suitcase) from the Italian sax player ]Fausto Papetti
Fausto Papetti (Viggiù, 28 January 1923 – San Remo, 15 June 1999) was an Italian alto saxophone player. A jazz musician by formation, Papetti became widely known for producing instrumental covers of some of the most famous pop and jazz songs.
...
. The program presented modern songs, giving priority to the European repertoire in Spanish language of soloists and groups such as Los Mustang, Los Bravos, Los Brincos, Juan y Junior, Rita Pavone, Massiel, Nino Bravo, Leonardo Fabio, Salvatore Adamo and Raphael, and some Cuban groups as Los Zafiros and Los Dan. The ban against rock music was lifted in 1966, but rock fans continued to be marginalized by the communist establishment, and watched over with suspicion as "counter-revolutionaries".
When the ban was lifted, Los Pacíficos planned to offer a rock concert. They borrowed their instruments and played without a previous rehearsal. The two full hours long concert was recorded. Los Pacíficos paid a high price for their performance, because one of its members, Carlos Avila, was killed in the Angolan war during the sixties. The recording was smuggled out of Cuba during the nineties and published as a remastered album. The Pacíficos won an entry in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in New York.
The Castro government's attitude towards rock, until recently, was quite negative, although it has varied greatly in severity throughout the regime's existence. During the 1960s and 1970s rock was prohibited, although nueva cancion
Nueva is the Spanish feminine form of the word for "new" and may refer to:
* Isla Nueva, an uninhabited island in Chile
* The Nueva School, a school in Hillsborough, California, USA.
* Nueva (Llanes)
Nueva is one of 28 parishes (administr ...
/nueva trova
Nueva Trova (, "new trova") is a movement in Cuban music that emerged around 1967/68 after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the consequent political and social changes.
Nueva Trova has its roots in the traditional trova, but differs from it beca ...
artists like Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born 29 November 1946) is a Cuban musician, and leader of the Nueva Trova movement.
He is widely considered Cuba's best folk singer and arguably one of Latin America's greatest singer-songwriters. Known for his int ...
and Carlos Varela would sometimes perform rock material. In more recent years, with the re-transition to a tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
-based economy, attitudes of the Castro regime towards rock have softened somewhat, not only towards domestic and Latin American artists but also towards foreign Anglophone artists. Independent the very trouble Quinteto Negro of Ivan Fariñas and Carlos Cory improvised concerts together with The Zafiros and quartet of Meme Solis in Carpas Teatros, other bands as Los Buitres with plays version about music of The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten sin ...
also played in Carpas. In 1968 other cover bands started such as Dimension Vertical with Oscar Quesada, last drummer of Quinteto Negro and many others; for example Los Kent and Jets in the Vedado Zone.
The 1970s
Rock music began to be heard in Havana during the seventies, in a radio program from Radio Marianao called Buenas Tardes Juventud. That program presented groups such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Dave Clark Five, The Animals, Grand Funk, Rare Earth, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Neil Sedaka and Paul Anka. At the beginning of the eighties, that radio station joined Radio Ciudad de La Habana.
Near to the end of the 1970s, guitarist and singer Jorge Martínez created RED, a heavy metal band, in Municipio Playa, and presented his own music mixed with covers. This band put some hits on the radio like Murcielagos, Mako, La nueva historia and Burocracia. Also on TV, the band was co-founder of the legendary "Patio de María" in the late 1980s, and it was active until 1990.
In 1979, a three-day music festival called Havana Jam '79 took place at the Karl Marx Theater
The Karl Marx Theatre ( es, Teatro Karl Marx) is a theatre in Havana, Cuba. It was originally known as the ''Teatro Blanquita'', owned and built by Alfredo Hornedo, renamed to the ''Teatro Charles Chaplin'' following the Cuban Revolution of 1959 ...
, in Havana, Cuba
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , where a group of rock artists that included Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
and Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...
performed.
The 1980s and 90s
In the 1980s, a heavy metal band called Venus was formed by Roberto Armada in Playa, Havana
Playa is a Cuban municipality, located in the Havana province. It covers an area of 36.8 square kilometers, which makes up 8.95% of the provincial extension.
Geography
Playa is the most northwestern of the ''municipios''. It stretches from the Alm ...
. They achieved much success and created a headbanger
Headbanging is the action of violently shaking one's head in rhythm with music. It is common in the contemporary rock, punk and heavy metal music genres, where headbanging is often used by musicians on stage. Headbanging is also common in tradit ...
following among the Cuban youth. Punk rock was introduced in Cuba in the late 1980s and gained a cult-type following among a minority of the youth. In 1982 Nilo Núñez formed the rock band called Rhodas in Camagüey. The band had a huge following as well as a number one hit with "Es Amor". Rhodas were active in Cuba until 1996 when they left Cuba for Spain. See ''A través de los obstáculos'' by Nilo Núñez and ''Parche: Enciclopedia del Rock en Cuba'' by Humberto Manduley.
During the nineties, rock and roll in Cuba was still an underground phenomenon. In Havana, the Ciudad de La Habana radio station presented several programs showing the most recent tendencies on that type of music around the world. Juan Camacho, an old musician and radio host had a morning program called ''Disco Ciudad''. ''El programa de Ramón'' was also a successful radio show. Some bands from that period were: Gens, Zeus and Los Tarsons. Despite being perceived as a small underground scene due to official disapproval by the state, Cuban rock since the late 1990s has become a larger phenomenon, with groups such as Burbles, Moneda Dura and Los Kent with Jorge Martínez gaining a new dimension with their guitar performance, more polished sound and musical lead, which broadened their audience. These bands performed rock music on Cuban TV, as well as in concerts and festivals; and since then, the profile of rock music has risen in the island.
The 21st century
In 2001, the Welsh group Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...
was invited to perform in Cuba, and Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
attended its concert along with other government authorities. In 2004, Castro gave a speech honoring the Birthday of John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, whose music, as a member of the Beatles and as a soloist was banned in Cuba for a very long time. In 2000, a bronze statue of Lennon was placed in a well known Havana park, which is now known as John Lennon Park
John Lennon Park or Parque John Lennon (formerly known as Parque Menocal) is a public park, located in the Vedado district in Havana, Cuba.
Overview
On one of the benches of the park, nearer the corner of streets 17th and 6th, there is a sculptu ...
.
At the same time that the government was showing a more indulgent attitude toward the foreign rock groups, as part of an international campaign which purpose was to achieve an opening in the commercial transactions and investments of the US and Europe in Cuba, it continued to implement an inflexible repression against any form of internal dissidence. This was the case of the rocker Gorki Águila and his group Porno para Ricardo. In August 2008, Águila was arrested under charges of dangerousness
In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environme ...
, a law that allows the authorities to detain people whom they think are likely to commit crimes; even when they have not yet committed them.
More recently, Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s.
Born and raised ...
, Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...
and Audioslave
Audioslave was an American Rock music, rock supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine membe ...
performed in Havana, and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
offered a historic concert that has become the most outstanding rock event since the beginning of the Revolutionary period in 1959. Their concert was commemorated in the film ''Havana Moon
''Havana Moon'' is a 1983 album by Carlos Santana released as a solo project.
It features covers of Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry songs and performances by Booker T & the MGs, Willie Nelson and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and also Carlos' father J ...
''.
A new phenomenon occurred in 2013 when several Cuban underground metal bands begin to emigrate to the United States, creating a parallel scene with the bands Agonizer, Escape, Ancestor, Hipnosis, Suffering Tool and Chlover.["¡Libertad!": Cuban Metal Bands Get Their First Taste Of Freedom". Buzzfeed.com. Retrieved 18 January 2018]
Rock festivals in Cuba
Several rock festivals have taken place throughout Cuba.
* Festival Ciudad-Metal ( Santa Clara)
* Festival Caiman Rock de Ciudad de La Habana (Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. )
* Festival Ciudad Junto al Mar (Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...
)
* Festival Rockasol (Cienfuegos)
* Festival Metal HG (Holguín
Holguín () is a municipality and city in Cuba, and the capital of Province of Holguín. After Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Camagüey, it is the fourth largest city in Cuba.
History
Before Columbus, the Taino people settled in huts made fro ...
)
* Festival Rock de la Loma (Bayamo
Bayamo is the capital city of the Granma Province of Cuba and one of the largest cities in the Oriente region.
Overview
The community of Bayamo lies on a plain by the Bayamo River. It is affected by the violent Bayamo wind.
One of the most ...
)
* Festival Pinar-Fest (Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños'' ...
)
* Festival Rey Metal (Pinar del Río)
* Festival Atenas Rock (Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
)
* Festín de Zeus (Havana)
* Festival Rock del Río (San Antonio de los Baños
San Antonio de los Baños is a municipality and town in the Artemisa Province of Cuba. It is located 26 km from the city of Havana, and the Ariguanabo River runs through it. It was founded in 1802.
History
There are 39 schools in the town, ...
, Havana)
* 6.6.6 FEST (Havana)
* Brutal Fest (Havana)
See also
* Music of Cuba
The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance, and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European (especially Spanish) music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban mu ...
References
External links
*
Quantum: Cuba's Sound Warriors
by Irina Echarry, ''Havana Times'', 20 July 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuban Rock
Cuban styles of music
Music scenes
Rock music by country