EDNITA NAZARIO

 

With titles like "Ese Muchacho," "La Prohibida" and "Machismo" and a cover that brings that Tanya Tucker photo to the forefront of my aged mind, I was sold before I even heard the smooth serenade of The Ponceña Diva sweep over me. Nazario envelops you like an evening novela, the soundtrack to the Puerto Rican adaptation of Dynasty that never actually existed. Keep digging, punks.

AL ROJO VIVO

 

PUERTO RICO

Another killer from Pat's seemingly endless collection of recordings. This one has Puerto Rico scrawled across the shell and features just over ninety minutes of music, almost all of which was new to me. There's some Tito Puente, John el Bravo, Mon Rivera, at least one José Mangual track....but basically you just put it on and let the shit spin, you know? Pat's affinity for Odilio González is well documented in these pages, so consider this mix an extension of that love. He liked it real, and that sums up Puerto Rico (the tape and the territory) in one word. 

PUERTO RICO

IGNORANTES COMEDIANTES

 

You know the times you can't explain why you do...... you just acknowledge that you do? This is one of those times. I didn't see IGNORADOS COMEDIANTES when they were in Oakland a few years back, and their style definitely falls into the "not typically my thing" category....but as I listen on a Friday afternoon before rolling to Fresno for the weekend? It hits kinda perfect. Fast, unapologetic melodic hardcore with just enough teeth ("Destruyendo el Planeta" as an example) to keep them from slipping between the cracks. So I'm just here to acknowledge that I do. 

PARALIZADOS

ODILIO GONZALEZ

 

This fucker. GodDAMN this fucker makes me cry. The tapes came from Pat so I shouldn't be surprised when Odilio hits in that way because Pat didn't fuck around, but Odilio is the sound of love - unrequited, lost, passionate....love. And that voice lands like Wayne belting out "Oh, Heart" in an otherwise lonely hotel room and if you know what that means then you fucking know what I mean. There's a KALX segment where Pat opines about Odilio and another DJ tries to sell him on other Puerto Rican and/or Latin singers and Pat stiffens because Odilio is so honest and raw. It's unique...it's special. Love is special, my motherfuckers - the love of person and the love of sound. It is to be sought after, fought for and celebrated. 

15 EXITOS ORIGINALES 

EL FUTURO ES NUESTRO

 

A beautiful time capsule from the turn of the century featuring twenty five DIY hardcore and punk bands from Latin America (and the Latin American diaspora in the United States). For those who were in the mix in real time, you'll recognize ACCION DIRETA, AUTONOMIA, FUERZA X, KONTRAATTAQUE, ABUSO SONORO and perhaps a few more. Lurking just out of the range of most North American ears were bands like PERSONAL CHOICE, LUCHAR POR VIVIR, POLIKARPA Y SUS VICIOSAS, ANFO, PIREXIA, and LLOKALLA FEO. Then there ar the bands that were new discoveries altogether: 7'31, LA SANTA INQUISICIÓN, PUTREFACCIÓN, NUESTRAS SEÑORA VIOLENCIA. The 'first world" punk blinders do such a terrible disservice to punks, so start digging.

EL FUTURO ES NUESTRO: 25 BANDAS LATINAS

ACTITUD SUBVERSIVA

 

Puerto Rico's ACTITUD SUBVERSIVA hit (me) like melodic 1990s European hardcore (think SIN DIOS by way of FUNERAL ORATION....which makes no sense at all). They left a couple of full length tapes in their wake, and a killer split with TROPIEZO that's still pretty easy to come by. I got back from tour yesterday and this one feels just right this morning - pay special attention to "Mentiras del Poder."

NI TU , NO DIOS, NI EL MUNDO

ODILIO GONZALEZ

 

Odilio stopped by these pages last year with a greatest hits collection. As good as that collection is (I mean - by definition, it's full of the greatest hits, right?), this full length from 1979 is darn near perfect. The raw, honest lilt in Gonzalez's voice, the backing choruses, the varied pace as the songs pass by. You want to know what a backyard family party sounds like....? It sounds like this.

ODILIO GONZALEZ CON NIEVES QUINTERO Y SU GRUPO

SOLIDARIDAD CON VOZ Y RUIDO

 

I want more compilations. Region specific. Ideologically focused. Benefits comps. Killer bands on the same comp just because they are killer bands. Compilations curated by someone who wants other people to hear the bands that the curator likes. Compilations designed to give a voice to bands and/or issues that get overlooked. All of them. Solidaridad Con Voz y Ruido is some of many of the above - released in Puerto Rico around the turn of the century and reissued on cassette in Mexico shortly after, there are twenty three doses of femme focused hardcore punk from all over Europe and Central/South America. Melodic hardcore/punk, abrasive hardcore, raw punk, clenched fist protest punk, throw your arm around your comrade's shoulder and sing every word out loud punk...and it all means something. I want more compilations. 

SOLIDARIDAD CON VOZ Y RUIDO

ODILIO GONZÁLEZ

 

Going through the treasure trove of recordings from Pat's archive, we came across a radio set from 1991 that featured a saucy, gritty, soul-filled Spanish language number that grabbed both of us. Something about it just felt real, nothing like the oceans of irrelevant schmaltz from the 60s/70s...even though it might appeal to fans of the same. In the DJ break, Pat mentioned the artist's name, Odilio González, and made an appeal to listeners to help find more material from the Puerto Rican singer. Pat's counterpart in the studio seemed to casually dismiss the plea, "We have tons of Puerto Rican music here in the studio." Pat blew past that short sighted comment immediately and efficiently: "Not like him...not like this. This is raw." And that was it; that was what had sucked both of us in when we first heard the warbling croon from González, who started recording in New York in the 1950s. It would seem that Pat was successful in his quest, as at least a half dozen different Odilio González tapes and a stack of CDs found their way into his collection. I haven't come close to working my way through them, or contextualizing the singer's career, but listen to him hold it down while the big studio pop production creeps into "Los Hombres No Deben Llorar" and you'll hear what we heard and what Pat already knew....motherfucker is raw. More to come. 

15 EXITOS ORIGINALES

LA MILAGROSA

 

This one came and went pretty quickly in my early pandemic listening, but there's always a place in my heart for energetic stompers. NYC punks with Puerto Rican roots, seven songs in a little over ten minutes...earnest and intense. There are (at least) two versions with different mastering passes, if you feel the need to compare/contrast instead of pogo dancing. 

LA MILAGROSA

PODEMOS SER TUS HROES

Raw and ripping fastcore from Puerto Rico, P.S.T.H. cranked out a shitpile of demos during their brief run in the late '90s/early '00s. Some of the tracks are pretty basic punk delivered with a fervor that pulls you in....and then they level you with full speed skate thrashers. Make no mistake, this one is raw and nasty sounding - which means it sounds fukkn perfect. 

ANTI-COMERCIAL, RAPIO Y AL GRANO

TU SILENCIO AHOGA MIS GRITOS

Ten band compilation featuring Spanish language punk from all over Latin America with a token European submission from SIN DIOS, not at all surprising considering the time (released in 2000) and the political focus (anarchism). FUN PEOPLE (Argentina), RECICLAJE, @PATIA NO, LOS RESIDUOS (Venezuela), DESARME and NIQUITOWN (Colombia), ACTITUD SUBVERSIVA (Puerto Rico), VANTROI (Mexico)...and oh yeah BANDA JACHIS is from Spain too. Earnest melodic punk, a few hardcore burners and a handful of tracks that came as complete surprises (NIQUITOWN's "El Cambio Es Ahora" is by far my favorite jam on the tape). The whole thing was released by Noeske Records to benefit El Libertario, a Venezuelan anarchist periodical.

TU SILENCIO AHOGA MIS GRITOS:

El Anarquismo En America Latina

LA VIRGEN DEL POZO

When you think of ripping raw old school thrash do you think of Puerto Rico? Perhaps you should. A side project started in '08 with members of TROPIEZO, JUVENTUD CRASA, LA HOSTIA and others, LA VIRGEN DEL POZO crank out jams well worthy of a serious frenzy whipping with plenty of skull stomping mosh. But the majority of these five tracks are descendant from '80s Bay Area mania, but clearly weaned on DIY thrash core - buzzsaw guitars, gratuitous double bass and a searing vocal attack that falls somewhere between Baloff and DROPDEAD. The demo is pretty lo-fi, but the tunes are well worth it.

LA VIRGEN DEL POZO