The Discursive Power of Rock en español and the Desire for Democracy

A Conversation with Roco Pachukote of Maldita Vecindad (Fall 2024)

Barrios del México de Afuera ¡Ya llegó su pachucote! A few months ago, I had the true honor and pleasure to talk de conversar con Roco Pachukote, co-founder of Maldita Vecindad [user_name:rocopachukote] about his very first encounters with Chicano culture growing up in Mexico City. Roco talked about the perennial and continuous relation, exchange, and even complicities between @malditavecindad [user_name:malditavecindad], chicanismo, Chicano artists, and the barrios in Greater Mexico: Los Ángeles, San Francisco, Chicago y más. Plus, we discussed how Roco and Maldita have also contributed to the new Pachuco aesthetics aquí y allá. . Check it out! By the way, the following audio versión is all in Spanish, but you can view the English subtitles on video on YouTube. 🧑🏽‍💻: Gracias infinitas to the amazing Lili Montero (aka and always and forever Lili in the Pit) @intentionallycurious [user_name:intentionallycurious] for editing and really, post-producing these videos. 📽️: Muchas gracias a @visionaryrebel2 [user_name:visionaryrebel2] por la excelente grabación y coordinación de la entrevista. 🏛️: Much gratitude to @laplazala [user_name:laplazala] for letting us film in the marvelous galleries.

Episode Especial—Los Abandoned Reunion Conversation Fall 2023

This episode features a very special and timely conversation with Los Abandoned who are back for a one-off reunion this Fall 2023! Los Abandoned were the buque de insignia, the flag-bearer band that encompassed not just rock Angelino, but the multi-ethnic Los Ángeles of the first decade of the 21st century. So we had to get Lady P. Don Verder, and Vira Lata "on the studio" to record this especial conversation about the history and present of Los Abandoned and their place in LÁ History! Plus, Los Abandoned also they share tons of their crazy rock and roll adventures. Check it out!

Episode Eight—The Evolving Meaning(s) of Rock en Español

What are the evolving meanings of Rock en Español anthems? In this episode, incoming UC Santa Barbara Ph.D. student Gabriela Lúa joins us to discuss her own coming of age with Rock en Español albums. Gabriela —who’s 22 years young! — shares how the songs by Café Tacvba and Los Prisioneros have influenced the formation of her Chicane identity, while teaching her about Latin American history. Also, we will discuss a bit of the historical context of Café Tacvba’s “RE” and Los Prisioneros “Corazones” as both albums were recorded in Los Angeles! We will talk about how songs such as “Tren al sur” have different meanings once embraved by newer generations. And Yes, we will include several versions of “Tren al Sur” by Los Prisioneros and Southern California’s own “The Linda Lindas.” Gabriela will share her recommendations on current artists with a “Rock en Español” vibe. Plus, this episode includes a complete recording of “Las Flores” performed by the students of the Miramonte Music program in South L.A. This episode ends our Summer 2023 Season of the Discursive Power of Rock en español and the Desire for Democracy” o El Rock en Español y el deseo democrático. So, what’s next? We will get back to creating new episodes once the Fall academic term starts. Perhaps once a month or as our academic duties allow us. Song Listing: In this episode, we included Café Tacuba’s Las Batallas from their first album and Mediodía from their more recent Segundo Unplugged. Plus, we also heard Calle 13 with Latinoamerica. Gabriela’s recommendations included in this episode FrioLento with the cover of La Gata Bajo La Lluvia and Vivir Quintana a dueto Mon La Ferte with “Canción Sin Miedo” And yes, we listened to several Tren al Sur versions. We included a live version from Los Prisioneros at Viña del Mar in 1991 at the apex of the career. Además, The Linda Lindas version [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB_9AZANxsc] performed at Corona Capital in Mexico City in November 2022. Original songs played in our episodes are included in our Podcast Playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ku1WDa1Lu6BQTlwKqhVHl?si=b18ec87270b14436]. Make sure to check it out as new songs are included weekly during the summer 23. We are thankful for the support of the University of California, Humanities Research Institute UCHRI [https://uchri.org] for this podcast series. This project is supported in part by the University of California Office of the President MRPI funding M21PR3286. Most importantly, we want to THANK all the collaborators and YOU for listening, and sending us your comments and feedback. If you got this far, please keep sending us your messages. We would like to hear from you whenever you hear this podcast, either in 2023 or in the future.

Episode Seven—The Rock en Español Legacies in SoCal

So, what are the legacies of Rock en Español in Southern California? In this episode, we are joined by Vivian Vega, a recent UCR graduate to discuss how “Rock en Español” has long been a part of her life during different eras. Vivian tells us how her tías taught her los pasos prohibidos, or rather las canciones prohibidas de Molotov. Plus, Vivian —who is in her 20s— shares with us how she finds meaning and inspiration in the songs of bands like Panteón Rococó and Caifanes. Vivian will also discuss her experience working on archiving and digitizing the letter collection of LA's Club Rock en Español [https://www.instagram.com/clubrockenespanol/]. Plus, we will discuss Caifanes/Jaguares long commitment to advocating for greater democracy in Mexico and demanding justice for the victims of femicides in Mexico. Speaking of Caifanes, the episode features a true sonic treat: the complete version of “Viento” by the students of Miramonte Music program in South L.A. Song Listing: In this episode we heard a version “Viento” by Caifanes. The version here is performed by the students of Mira Monte Music Program in South Los Angeles. We also listened to Parasito by Molotov, Indocumentado from El Tri, Panteón Rococo’s own La Carencia. Plus a snippet of Mon La Ferte and Bunbury “Mi Buen Amor” and also from Chile Depresión Post-Mortem's own post-punk version of Zion and Lennox’s reggaetón classic “Yo Voy”. Original songs played in our episodes are included in our Podcast Playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ku1WDa1Lu6BQTlwKqhVHl?si=b18ec87270b14436]. Make sure to check it out as new songs are included weekly during the summer 23. Episode Seven Bibliography. Books and Articles for further reading and research: —Alcazar, Merarit Viera. "Feminism, youth, and women who rock: Rocking is also a way to fight." Youth, inequality and social change in the Global South (2019): 99-111. —Alexander, Anna Rose. "One Fire, Two Songs: Óscar Chávez and El Tri Sing about San Juanico, 1984." The Latin Americanist 64, no. 4 (2020): 377-392. —De la Peza, María del Carmen. El rock mexicano: un espacio en disputa. Tintable, 2014. —De la Peza, María del Carmen. "El ska en México. Panteón Rococó y la cultura política juvenil." Revista Argentina de Estudios de Juventud 4 (2011). —De la Peza, Carmen. "Panteón Rococó: Mexican Ska and Collective Memory." Intercultural Communication Studies 19, no. 3 (2010): 112-23. —Chew, Selfa A. "Representations of Black Womanhood in Mexico." Studies in Latin American Popular Culture 36, no. 1 (2018): 108-127. —Corona, Ignacio. "The Politics of Language, Class, and Nation in Mexico’s Rock en espafiol." Song and Social Change in Latin America (2013): 91. —Cruz, José Hernández Riwes. "Si no das el trancazo tú. Del paradigma anglofílico al “multicultural” en el rock hecho en México." Revista Tema y Variaciones de Literatura 59 (2022): 45-60. —Green, Andrew James. "Activist musicianship, sound, the ‘Other Campaign’and the limits of public space in Mexico City." In Ethnomusicology Forum, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 345-366. Routledge, 2016. —Hernández, Deborah Pacini. "Amalgamating musics: Popular music and cultural hybridity in the Americas." In Musical Migrations: Transnationalism and Cultural Hybridity in Latin/o America, Volume I, pp. 13-32. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 2003. —Martínez, Laura. "Música y resistencia cultural: Rock mexicano contemporáneo." Revista Iberoamericana 72, no. 217 (2006): 957-971. —Velasco, Xavier. Una banda nombrada Caifanes. Dragón, 1990.

Episode Six—Questions (and Some Answers!) about Rock en Español

In this episode, Professor Leal and Professor Citlali Sosa-Riddell discuss the historical themes examined in the first five episodes. Plus, they answer listeners' questions! Dr. Sosa-Riddell (CSU San Marcos), who did the Latin American history episodes and is the series's co-creator, discusses her first encounters with Rock en Español as a third-generation Mexican American and how nostalgia can be useful when studying history. In addition, Dr. Leal (UC Riverside) reveals the first ever Rock en Español songs that he furtively listened to during his long-ago adolescence in Guadalajara, Mexico, and how music pushes against many of society's most conservative norms. From the listeners’ questions, we try to tackle questions such as “What are the Rock en Español legacy in Los Angeles?” and more. Check it out and keep sending your questions in the comments or DMs to us! Original songs mentioned in this episode are included in our Podcast Playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ku1WDa1Lu6BQTlwKqhVHl?si=b18ec87270b14436]. Make sure to check it out, as new songs are included weekly during the summer 23.