Salute - Gustavo from Buitres!
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY:Last week of the trip.
No camera, No Computer.. what to do? No choice but to calmly carry on and make the best of a changing situation. That changing situation got much easier thanks to a few folks in Montevideo’s punk scene, namely Camila from Rameras Punk, Cabeza from El Ultimo de los Ramones and the guys from Rudos Wild.
With Camila From All Girl Punk Band "Rameras Punk"
Early in the day, I head over to Clash City Rockers club to do the interview with Rudos Wild. Once again, Leonardo from Rudos agreed to let me use his camcorder.
Clash City Rockers Bar in Montevideo, Uruguay
Clash City Rockers is a great punk club, complete with punk memorabilia all over the walls including a signed Misfits poster from when the band visited Montevideo a few years back. This was the middle of the day, but I could tell from speaking with the owner Marcos and just by looking around this place was probably packed with punks on the weekend nights.
Marcos from Clash City Rockers
I went later that night and can testify, if you find yourself in Montevideo, finding a better place to let loose and hear some good punk or rockabilly music in Montevideo can’t be had.
The interview with Rudos Wild was raucous and fun, just as expected and I had a little time left on the camera so I went ahead and interviewed Marcos on the punk scene in Montevideo as well. I find punk bar owners are great interviewees to get a handle on the local punk scenes. They tend to see the scene as a whole and offer a broad historical perspective.
With Rudos Wild Post Interview
After Rudos Wild, I headed back to my apartment in Pocitos neighborhood where Camila and Cabeza met me. Cabeza had a Canon XL Camera that I had never used but we finally figured it out and we were able to knock out 3 big interviews in a row including the guys from Trotsky Vengaran (Trotsky’s Revenge), Buitres and finally Camila and Cabeza themselves.
Hearing bands like Trotsky Vengaran talk about the sacrifice and difficulty of playing in a small country like Uruguay made me appreciate the punk scene there even more.
With Trotsky Vengaran
Thanks to the DIY ethic of punk music and some really cool people, we were able to salvage the trip and I was able to document the punk scene in Montevideo despite losing the equipment to robbery just a few days earlier. In some ways, the challenge of the trip made it more rewarding and more fulfilling. Somehow, shooting with someone else’s borrowed camera under less than ideal conditions made me rethink the project and appreciate it more. I mean if people were willing to go to this much trouble to help out, the project must be worthwhile right?
Cabeza let us use his camera for interviews
Thanks again to everyone who helped out in Montevideo. Can’t wait to get back there soon. Next stop, Rudos Wild live in concert! Stay Tuned!
DIY???? They are all supported by enterprises, this is not DIY, this is FUCKIN COMMERCE
FROM EDITOR:
What other way should they be supported? Begging? I’m not sure I understand how working to make your art while trying to survive does not support being punk? And the guys from Rudos Wild who work everyday at their other JOBS so they can pursue their art (which ends up costing them money) would probably disagree they are supported by enterprise. I’m sorry, I don’t understand your comment.