SXSWorld
Issue link: https://sxsw.uberflip.com/i/81862
Th e Road to Santiago: Inside Chile's Musical Nerve Center by Claudia Alarcon feature Chico Trujillo and Francisca Valenzuela, both of whom are scheduled at the upcoming Lollapalooza Chile. As a pioneer of New Chilean Cumbia, Chico Trujilo is no stranger to international stages. Th e widely popular outfi t has traveled across Latin American and Europe spreading its infectious blend of cumbia, ska, bolero, salsa and rock, considered by many to be the soundtrack to every hip party in Santiago (the country's capital and largest city). Th e group has performed onstage with the likes of Manu Chao, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Grupo Fantasma, A Gepe. Th e singer-songwriter's music is a refl ection of infl uences from a wide range of artists, from Chilean nueva canción legend Victor Jara to electronic pop like the Pet Shop Boys. His cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," sung entirely in Spanish, is a thing of beauty and was fea- tured in the fi lm Sugar. "I believe this is an exciting time in Chile's rock scene, with very respectable and interesting proposals that are very dif- ferent from each other and have great quality," he states. "To me, one of the most interesting is Perrosky, a band that plays something that could be called Mapocho blues (Mapocho is a river, an analogy to Delta blues). I think Javiera Mena, Odyssey and Fakuta are also interesting projects that mix pop structures with experimental sounds, focusing on a song format with a sound far diff erent from rock." He attributes a great part of this musical diversity to the audience. "I few. Currently on the road, Chico Trujillo performed across Chile before coming to Austin for its two SXSW dates. From Austin, the band will make its way to New York City, France and Mexico. Another act with a huge buzz is Daniel Riveros, better known as to name a Inverness lthough Chilean bands have performed during SXSW in pre- vious years, 2011 is a watershed year for acts from the South American country, including an all-Chilean showcase that will the development of an alternative music scene. From our trenches, we see many bands doing great music, producing albums of excellent quality, but they lack the basic means of promotion and dissemination of their work. Much remains to be done to speak of a modern Chilean music industry that has adapted to the changes that have taken place for years." Inverness' sound combines the serenity of Brian Eno's instrumental ambiance suites with Radiohead's melodic, edgy mournfulness incor- Francisca Valenzuela by TV, but hardly an alternative rock band can aspire to enter this industry," he adds. "In Chile, there are many rock bands that are trying to create something akin to a scene. In most cases it is extremely diffi - cult to work as an independent and build connections that strengthen 38 SXSW ORLD / M ARCH M USIC 201 1 believe that the Chilean public is not afraid to pay to see little known artists. It is usually an audience very open to new proposals." Yet some of Chile's independent musicians don't believe that a viable music industry exists in their country. "I very much doubt the word 'industry'," says Rodrigo Jarque, singer for the alternative band Inverness. "Th ere is no industry as such in Chile, as it exists in Mexico, Brazil or Argentina. Th ings here are done at the grassroots level," says the singer and leader of the acclaimed band. "Th ere is an 'industry' that focuses on musical products fabricated porating guitar riff s reminiscent of late '80s Th e Cure. Jarque sings introspective lyrics in Spanish and English, peppered with phrases he fi nds in ancient Gothic or Anglo-Saxon grammar books. "I've been forced to use other languages besides my native language since child- hood. I lived in Germany and learned to read and write in German. As a child I read everything by Andrew Lang, and studied English lit- erature and linguistics at the university. English lyrics come naturally, sometimes as a small phrase that I know I cannot express correctly in Spanish. It's like the choice of a particular instrument for a certain song. Language is an instrument like any other. Sometimes Spanish is much better to say other things." Most of these bands enjoy a loyal following in Chile and in countries like Argentina, Mexico and Spain, and both Gepe and Chico Trujillo have toured in Europe, Latin America and the U.S. Still, "playing SXSW is a dream come true," says Gepe. For Inverness, which seldom ventures outside its own country to perform, "the invitation came unexpectedly," says Jarque. "SXSW is a festival which we identify closely, for and about independent music. We are interested in promoting our work to the U.S. and European music industry, but also feel a responsibility to pave the way for other Chilean bands that could visit the festival in the future. We feel that we must represent Chilean alternative rock. We are deeply honored and feel a strange sense of humility and accountability toward our showcase. It is an unparalleled window of opportunity." ■ Plutopia Productions presents the Chilean Music Showcase 2011 on Saturday night, March 19 at Maggie Mae's (325 E. 6th St. ). Check sxsw.com/music for updates or get SXSW GO, the SXSW2011 mobile app, at sxsw.com/mobile.