In The Deathcar (First Context)
Polka Madre is a gypsy punk band, formed by three Mexican musicians, a Finn and an American, that is, in that order, Marina de Ita (accordion and keyboards), Enrique Pérez (clarinet), Raymundo Vera (drums) Eric Bergman (guitar and vocals) and Andrew Cameron (bass and vocals).
Formed in 2004 (not so officially), used to gather in the south of the city, around Taxqueña, in what was known as the "Thursday Kramer" and play music with friends in Eastern Europe, Gypsy, Jewish, Polish and Scandinavia.
In 2005 they started playing more on how various parts of the city and inside the country and soon participated in festivals and cities in Europe and the United States, where today they are in high demand by communities punk.
Fuck Love (More background)
I met them two or three years ago in a bar in the center that I brought a friend by chance. Since I am a follower of Emir Kusturica, the plug was immediate. After hearing "Touch My Body", "Circus of the Century" and covers Goran Bregovic and Iggy Pop ("In The Deatchcar"), Tom Waits ("Tango") and Tonino Carotone ("Fuck Love") I became a fan.
Until then I did not know of anyone who also heard Balkan gypsy music, he had not heard live soundtracks for films by Kusturica and Jim Jarmusch ("Arizona Dream" and "Permanent Vacation" in this case). Ever, in the cafeteria of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, a end of the semester, someone gave me a flyer for a party where they would play Balkan music and do not know why I suspect that if I had known I would have gone there, but I was not (look for the piece of paper which I am sure, kept as a curiosity.)
Anyway, Polka music and I like the original Mother, it is punk, but different, it is Roma, but as reinvented from here, from America, Mexico, DF, Taxqueña, Kramer, of any city streets at four in the morning.
know That first day I got a copy of "Polka Madre and Itching Live," a disquito involved in two cardboard covers (Cardboard and cardboard), with the themes of songs written by hand and painted by hand also. I looked for them on myspace and soon went to every place where it occurs, because it felt like the same mine.
Later came "sad news", an album more in shape, with the best recorded songs (the other was alive and could not hear very well) and I got to Marina. Now I have "Where House" (the name, "Where House", has its story), is also exemplary and collection, because in truth the hard-drive was not ready for formal submission and in return released a few dozen copies without screen.
Wet Gypsy (Ora Yes The Touched)
Los Machetes The winery is about three or four blocks from the Metro Guerrero, indeed a great distance to go alone at night and not be sure of exact location in the neighborhood brave in its entirety, but I arrive safely, shortly before 9 pm.
Marina at the entrance was and let me in without paying, which I accepted because after a long desire makes me feel part of the friends of the band, hopefully in the future can accompany any road trip to Mexico City or Mexico and we walk fantasizing, just to be closer.
The winery is quite large, should fit about 300 people with ease, but when I got there were less. In fact, the owners were celebrating a birthday and some of the attendees were friends of the party, which for better or worse helped to fill the place, although there is signs that their party was different, not just the disc of the Polka Madre .
As more people arrived I could be curious for the place, talking to some people and take some pictures. I also got included at the end to leave the tokin in the van (called the "Moby Dick" for his fair share of great white whale).
starters were among the groups "Nabuzenko" the closest thing to the Polka Madre, because they also play covers of Gypsy music, Bregovic, Taraf de Haïdouks, Fanfare Ciocarlia, among others. Although
before them a guest of the Polka, Emerson, I think Andrew's friend, the DJ made in Nabuzenko reality began to set the atmosphere well. With them, Marina and Henry threw a jam session and a few of us up front, we started to dance to gypsy. I recognized a girl who a week before he went to Spain Cultural Center, where he also played the Polka Madre and I think there knew them.
Nabuzenko After playing "Joe Volume & The Vincent Balck Shadows ", close friends from Volume Polka-Joe always says that the only original group of Mexico are the Polka Madre, and says so convinced. The VBS danced to all, including those of the other birthday party that, incidentally, looked like it would more than violence, because after some elbowing and shoving began half purposely blows, half ball, against those without the fluorescent bracelet "friends of the homeowner."
But it was not more and when it was the turn of the Polka Madre, late at midnight on Sunday, all focused on listening and see the band convener. Listen and watch, because the concert was accompanied by video footage of "Isorattya", the Finnish friends, and visual artists, who for quite some time with the group and present installations and performances in the shows, emphasizing the charismatic and unique touch that is known to Polka Madre where they occur.
I took some videos, of course, but it is difficult to see the band live and stay still, so I stopped the video and went to dance with "Mermaids in Space" and "Gypsy Wet", until and after 2 morning that ended in a concert this time did not have many covers and not needed.
Touch My Body (At Night)
I knew that after the party was played. This time I wanted to be part of the caravan at night and got it. Although the van was filled with instruments and other companions of the band finally had a place that allowed me to get out safely (I was worried how I would rather leave) and be in the continuation of the evening.
We left the winery and a block later nobody knew where we were going. Somebody said to Santa Maria La Ribera, where some friends had a bar and gave a few turns trying to locate the address. I had never been to that mall at night, and it seems the City, so clean, so quiet well lit.
Anyway, we arrived around 4 am and the bar was open. A small small bar where they were all fans of the Polka Madre and where we were greeted as if we came to visit from another city and that it came from a pair of neighboring colonies any more.
as missing a few hours before dawn, I passed the time chatting and colándome in other conversations. Volume Joe said he was surprised because, when his band played, the public will put them to beat each other, "but when people play the Polka dance, but do not know them, begin to dance and that's annoying."
also talked Joelle and Flora, of French punk Daily OD, who saw in the month before and Alicia who stayed Kramer few weeks before returning to his native Grenoble. Pekka Simojoki of Isorattya, saying how much he loved Mexico, because it's not like Finland, "a poko aburrrido."
Although we were all tired, we had a pretty good on the bar (we were like 15's moved from the cellar, all the aforementioned, Carlitos, who included me in the party, another friend of Querétaro is the raffled with all so far and some more types and gals). I at 8 am I left, but still others stayed and I understand that later, in Kramer, could sleep.
Stay away from the pack
C'est tout, was to talk about the album, among its curiosities included a theme ("The Blind") played by Laura de Ita, sister of the Navy and so forth, but I stretched. Best buy the album: "Where House" Polka Madre, distributed by "Discos Intolerance" and visit his myspace