Rock Asparagus, the journey of an agricultural city that inaugurated the period of music festivals in Spain | Culture | EUROtoday

The historical past of Rock asparagus begins in 1989 with a Councilor for Culture and a city technician bored with couplet and melodic track. That story ends in 2003, already in a metropolis, for political disputes and financial issues. In between, 15 editions of a profitable Punki-Rocker competition, and in addition claims in its final years, regardless of the departure premise. What occurred in these years can now be relived in Rock asparagus. Against the grainan exhibition on the Royal Hospital of the University of Granada that remembers the start, growth and fall of that musical phenomenon with a vegetable title in honor of the those that noticed it born and drew the way in which to comply with for the festivals that might come.

Antonio Rodríguez and Francis Cuberos, the councilor and the municipal technician, and Huétor Tájar, a Granada city of seven,900 inhabitants then (immediately 10,600) whose major crop was and is the inexperienced asparagus, are the principle characters of this journey. Cuberos, who died virtually two years in the past, invented the title and designed a rocker live performance, a dangerous concept for an Andalusian interior agricultural. He advised his concept who knew that he was going to hearken to her, Rodríguez, a pharmacist, from the United Left, rock lover and councilor for tradition.

In 1988 the primary inexperienced asparagus honest of the city was going to be held they usually thought it was the perfect framework to develop a parallel cultural exercise that might assist promote the folks and asparagus. The identical was not an concept of ​​consensus, however they persevered. That yr they didn’t arrive on time. Rodríguez, now retired, remembers why concert events “punkies and rockers” and never typical then. “I liked rock, I was a councilor, I curreped it and gave me many headaches. I did what I liked.” And on March 11, 1989, the municipal lined pavilion – which may be referred to as ship to dry – and earlier than 2,000 folks opened its doorways with the illegals and the insane, a gaggle of neighboring Loja.

Jorge Martínez, of the illegals, remembers that live performance. “The Rock asparagus began with great vitality despite its small size. There was a great climate of excitement, desire to have fun, something new, something alive.” Martínez remembers his openings: “A small band in the area, in almost childish age, who played with great wins.” It refers back to the insane, a gaggle of “punkabilly”, as Kiki Vargas, its singer, calls it. The band had been two boys of simply 18 years, and one other three of 13 or 14, remembers Vargas. From there, the asparagus grew profitable in its hometown 4 editions. People arrived by hundreds – 4 or 5 thousand in a seven thousand city – razing beer and snacks, went to the live performance and till the subsequent yr. Rodríguez remembers that practice that “passed at seven in the morning to Granada and was filled with rockers back with the eyes in that way.”

Success turned problematic for the folks and the City Council ended historical past. The exhibition reveals very properly the evolution of this challenge, due to the plentiful documentation exhibited, which incorporates letters, correspondence, posters, images and movies. In a doc reads: “Last asparagus rock in Huétor Tájar, first cases of hosts by security personnel to the people who tried to sneak into.” Maybe that defines the age of a competition. For Huétor Tájar, along with unlawful, barricada, complete sinister, rosendo, extremoduro, repeat offender and lizard Nick, amongst others, went via. Other areas additionally turned to the competition, as is the case of Carlos Azagra, the cartoonist, who made the opening poster and plenty of extra contributions in later years, and who has additionally contributed to the exhibition.

At that point the phenomenon of music festivals had not began in Spain. A rock historical past was the Canet Rock Festival (1975-1978) years earlier than. The asparagus, if he wished to outlive, needed to evolve. In the summer time of 1992, the ex -counter Rodríguez made a revealing journey to the Reading Festival, in England, which then had greater than 30 years of expertise. He repeated three editions and will see Public Enemy, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers or Rage Against The Machine. “Three days of festival, simultaneous scenarios, electronic music, beach bars,” he remembers. That influenced the switch of asparagus to Granada Capital, the place it was held from 1993 to 1998. He arrived as a live performance and got here out as a competition. In 1993 he offered his first worldwide group, Toy Dolls, together with nationwide bands such because the Picks Records, the communist tenant or the planets. The first advance was to finish the mere evening live performance and program from midday to the subsequent morning. That first capital version had one other novelty: it was celebrated below the slogan “No one is left over” by the poem The Nadies by Eduardo Galeano.

The progress of asparagus ran over parallel to the event of mass festivals in Spain within the Nineties, equivalent to FIB, Doctor Music, Sónar, Viña Rock, or Sonorama. But turning into a competition that served for example to others went via, along with sustaining their musical high quality and treating the teams properly, remembers Rodríguez, giving house to social teams and NGOs. Also, paradoxically, for understanding that flamenco and rock might stay in the identical day and enclosure. He began within the sixth version programming martyrdom, in a yr during which The Pogues had been additionally, a rock melting group, punk and conventional Irish music, or Corcobado. Two years later he established a flamenco state of affairs, which already endured every version. Sonic Youth, Negra Pata, Australian Blonde, Albert Pla, martyrs of the compass, Def with two, lady Pastori, The Killer Barbies, Carmen Linares, Neneh Cherry, Iggy Pop or Miguel Poveda contributed to eclecticism and success of the next editions. In 1996, a poster of 30 teams and artists in in the future and 4 eventualities for 12 hours summoned 20,000 folks. The 1997 program now not slot in in the future and expanded to 2.

But success at all times comes with detractors and issues. The hundreds of attendees required a broad safety crew and, with it, as seen in some paperwork within the exhibition, “problems with security personnel are mentioned, where more than one came out with the face made myself [sic]with the lipstick… ”. The purists additionally appeared. An antimilitarist collective wrote a letter during which he described the Rolls-Royce asparagus competition, as a result of it was one thing“ that requires strong investments and great benefits are expected… millionaire rewards at any price ”.

Jerez was the subsequent cease, when Granada now not gave. “Mayor Pedro Pacheco and his people had been behind years and the time came,” says Rodríguez. But the 2000 version needed to cancel the rain, with all the pieces about to begin and the funding made. Some huge cash was misplaced. That and “La Gillera” during which the City Council of Jerez was turning into, remembers the founder, made that on the finish of the contract with the town, in 2003, the asparagus closed its doorways. Illegal had been additionally within the demise. “Things evolve and are born, reproduce, reproduce and sadly die. Rock asparagus has died. Long live asparagus,” says Jorge Martínez, of the illegals.

However, we should not give it to all. First, as a result of the exhibition Rock asparagus. Against the grain He broadcasts his effluviums rockers and punkies on the Royal Hospital of the University of Granada, till May 9. Also as a result of on March 29, the competition is resurrected in its hometown at a homage live performance with repeat offenders, Eskorzo, Amparanoia and Tatamka, amongst others. And lastly, as a result of Rodriguez has heard rumors that the present proprietor of the model has intentions to “do something.” It solely stays to attend.