Latino Punk Music :: Politics Political Spanish Rock Essays

Latino Punk Music Abrasive rock music has rarely been considered a potent political force in the United States. Punk is no exception to this rule. As a subculture, punk has received much more atention for its hairstyles and caustic sounds than its politics. As Daniel Rosenblat points out, punk rock â€Å"Confound[s] our conventional (western) notions of politics by [its] emphasis on maters which we consign to different domains entirely† (1). What he means i s that because punk does not express its political discourse in traditional venues or traditional terms, it is discounted as apolitical or politicaly impotent. To wit, Hebdige argues that subcultures can do litle more than provide a ‘signal of Refusal,’ and should be considered â€Å"just the darker side of sets of regulations† (3). Latino punks have countered these claims since the 1970s, with lyrical assertions that their political speech is an essential precursor to political change. In this paper I explore the wa ys in which contemporary Latino punk self -defines as political, in contrast to early punk bands who refused to be affiliated with politics. By explicitly aligning with political causes, Latino punk establishes a tension between punk’s historical tendencies towards ‘forgetfulness’ and ‘self -fulfilment,’ and new political agendas that push awareness and change. I conclude by asserting that the punk movement is preoccupied with individual fulfilment at the expense of political activism, a tendenc y that ultimately undermines its political import. Jose Palafox, of Wiretap Magazine, portrays Latino punk as a departure from the larger subcultural category of punk, which he dismisses as â€Å"fast, in -your-face music played by weird -looking white youth.† M any Latino punks assert that as members of a marginalized group within the United States, politics are a necessary element of their musical expressions. Incensed lyrics demand change on behalf of Latin Americans denied political voice. Los Crudos was one such purveyor of this politicaly inclined ‘in - your-face music’ and as a particularly popular and active group within the hardcore -punk community, Los Crudos is in many ways representative of Latino punk in the 1990s. The band began its musical efforts i n Pilsen, the Chicago barrio where lead singer Martin Sorrondeguy spent his childhood. The band’s messages focus on the problems effecting Latin Americans both in the United States and abroad. Sorrondeguy explains: â€Å"We wanted to communicate with other ki ds and with people in our neighborhood about things that were effecting us† (qtd.