We grew up in a part of the world where there are two things that keep you from sleeping until late in the mornings: the roosters and the omnipresent melodies usually coming from all directions, even in the early morning hours. It's this music that provides some relief from the tough and unpleasant routine of poverty. Music provides respite: at least everyone has the power to choose the radio station they hear during lunch, even when for some people their plate of food looks the same
every day.
Music makes up a fundamental part of daily life in Venezuela, and, in our experience, throughout Latin America. When we say "music", we don't mean just salsa, merengue and local folk music. we mean all the music that the process of globalization and the strong influence of the so-called "first world" have brought to us: rock, pop, jazz, etc.
There is a consequence of globalization and cultural colonization that to us feels somewhat like a sweet revenge. In the same way that huge, transnational companies have taken our local riches and transformed them for their own interests, we took their music, transformed it to also make it our own. This serves as the basis for new, exciting musical experimentation.
Glossary / Glosario
Cresta del Gallo: asentamiento indigenas en las montañas de Niquitao.
Rooster comb: indigenous settlement in Niquitao
mountains.
Niquitao: pueblo de los andes venezolanos, estado trujillo.
Niquitao: small Venezuelan Andes town in Trujillo state.
Axaguas: indios que poblaro parte del estado Lara (Venezuela) .
Axaguas: indigenous tribe that lived in parts of the Lara state (Venezuela).
Esticho: caserío donde vivió el tejedor Cecilio Santiago
Esticho: small village that was home to the weaver. Cecilio Santiago
Paramo: region alta de los Andes.
Paramo: high-alttude region of the Andes.
Frailejón: planta herbacea que crece en el
paramo Venezolano.
Frailejon: plant that grows in the Venezuelan Andes.
Sanjonero : bebida alcohólica clandestina que debe su nombre al ser escondida entre las zanjas de los
ríos.
Sanjonero: clandestine alcoholic beverage that use to be hidden in small creeks.
Chimo: tabaco indigena en pasta para masticar y escupir.
Chimo: indigenous strong chewing tobacco.
Vara o caña del paramo: un tipo de caña que se usa para realizar flautas.
Paramo's cane: a stick used to make flutes.
Miche : bebida alcoholica hecha a base hierbas y caña de azucar de aproximadamente 45 grados de alcohol.
Miche: alcoholic beverage made with herbs and sugar cane that has approximately 45% alcohol content.
Cuatro: instrumento musical tipico Venezolano de cuatro cuerdas.
Cuatro: typical Venezuelan musical instrument that has 4 strings
credits
released 11 January 2010
“Drawing on influences as diverse as the Clash, Bob Marley, Inti Illimani, Manu Chao and the folk music of Venezuela, La Otra Banda (Spanish for "the other band") is a conflux of globalism, tradition and Third World colonization. Three- fourths of the band live in Madison, while the lead singer resides in Spain.” -Wisconsin State Journal
“A trio of musicians originally from Venezuela, now slowly transplanting to Madison, bring us a teaser of their world beat amalgamation of South American melodies purposely infected with global influences.” -Maximum Ink-Madison, WI
Honorable mention in the 12th Annual Unisong
International Song Contest
Winner of the West coast International songwriting
competition in the world music category
with the song: "Salida".
La Otra Banda just won the grand prize and the Lennon award in the well-known John Lennon songwriting competition
in the world music category with the song "INDIGENAS".
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