With the exception of a few genres of music such as “Bachata” and “Reggeaton” I enjoy listening to different genres of music. I grew up listening to Salsa most of the time since that was my Dad’s favorite. I had the opportunity to listen to other types of music when I visited my uncle and grandmother every summer in Puerto Rico.

My liking of diverse types of music reflects the many environments that I grew up around. In the late 80’s I lived in Bridgeport, CT and you would hear mostly rap and hip-hop blasting around me.

Growing up around a PuertoRican Subculture until I was 12, made me believe that for you to be Puerto Rican you have to dance and listen to Salsa.

Sadly I don’t have polished salsa-dancing skills but I am known to appreciate good dance choreography.

Music Diversity in The Motherland (Puerto Rico)

In the early 90’s we moved to Puerto Rico when I was going to enter seventh grade and I remember during our Christmas gift exchange I heard a male classmate asking for a Meatloaf CD. From there on I started on my journey to listen a variety of music such as  Hector Lavoe, M.C. Hammer, House of Pain, Fresh Prince, and experimenting with other types of music.

During my college years thanks to Napster (and the other sharing services that followed) I was able to have access to a broader diversity of music. I remember the reactions of people grabbing a ride in my car and being awed by finding that I was listening to Frank Sinatra and some Earth, Wind, and Fire eventhough I was in my 20’s .

Independent Everything is What I like

Music is so independent that it becomes its own language. On some days I listen to Bhangra, Hindi, Bossa Nova, Calle 13, and even some Country music (mostly Blake Shelton). In most Bhangra songs I understand very little of what the lyrics say but the vibes created by my Hindu brothers bring my spirits up and help me focus on what I am doing.

A few weeks ago I was invited by my friends of Puerto Rico Indie to “El Independiente Vol. 1” an event where they brought Las Robertas a Band from Costa Rica and local bands like Ardillas, Los Niños Estelares, Similar, Youvultures.

In the crowd I could see a diverse set of folks that came from different backgrounds enjoying the music played on stage. I made the effort to talk with the faces I recognized.

Many of us were there for one purpose; to appreciate and listen to the work of those who where playing on stage. I got to see a few of the artists and bands I had heard before thanks to the great job my friends at Puerto RIco Indie and Frecuencias Alternas have done in amplifying the reach of these independent bands.

The same way I write blog posts to connect with people on the same common interests, these bands create music to unite.

I had an awesome time at El Independiente by spending time with people that have the common interest of enjoying music.

Going to “El Independiente” made me realize that I have to find more ways to connect with people offline and see the many accomplishments our awesome local talents like Pepe Pesante (@joeprog), Ezequiel (@eldifusor), and Alfredo Richner (@puertoricoindie).

Independent Universal Language = Music

I will be waiting for El Independiente Vol 2 with the purpose of having more people like you to attend. Overall it was an event where if you went with an open mind and stayed for a good amount of time you could listen to a fusion of sounds.

As part of my goals for the near future I want to support these events as much as I can. I want to help Puerto Rico Indie’s Alfredo Richner and my friends at Frecuencias Alternas to connect people from diverse backgrounds and see what they are doing for our local artists.

Would you be interested in hearing about these events?

How would you approach spreading the word of events that unite?

I look forward to hearing from you.

External Posts on the Subject

• Reseña: El Independiente vol. 1
• Video of Las Robertas from the folks at Diálogo Digital.