The 20th Annual Latin American Festival/ Festival Latinoamericano took place on October 10 at Symphony Park in Charlotte. Once again, I was involved as part of the organizing group at the Latin American Coalition and I spent most of the day backstage at the Main Stage which featured live music. Unlike last year, when I mostly got in the way and mucked things up, this go-round I actually felt useful; tapping into my experience working several other live music events, I queued up artists, helped arrange the backline during band changeovers, and gave the MCs cues when the bands were and were not ready to start.
The stage show went off without any major hitches, and the crowd grew from nobody to a large and enthusiastic gathering as each musical act finished their set with sweat on their brows and smiles on their faces. Beautiful weather and good publicity meant that the festival brought out more people than last year (they even sold out of beer!).
But numbers aren't everything, this festival also marked the (more or less) official closing date of my field study. Sure, I'll come back to visit and follow up with people, but I am no longer working at the Latin American Coalition and by next week I'll be back in New York writing my dissertation.
So, here are some observations from the festival and beyond:
1. Although as an anthropologist the first theoretical framework that might come to mind for a festival is Clifford Geertz's study of the Balinese cockfight, I can attest to the inadequacy of this idea. Behind the facade of a self-contained event that embodies a culture is total chaos that festival organizers must try to manage with a smirk and a calm demeanor. As the festival approaches, it becomes a runaway train with no brakes, you hurl labor and equipment at it, hoping something will land on a boxcar and not underneath the wheels, while months and months of planning go into making the tracks straight so the beast won't derail midday. At the end, you are left with a silence of empty fairgrounds and a distant hum in your ears from standing too close to reverbrating speakers; sort of like a Doppler effect tailing from a just-passed freight train.
While sometimes the repartee between artist, MC, or audience might seem well-grooved and rehearsed, as someone asks, "Donde estan las mujeres?" and the ladies cheer and men grin, it is impossible to choreograph that moment in a concert when you get chills realizing 15 thousand people are shouting the same synchopated gutteral syllable in response to a plea from a singer on stage. You can't force these moments, only observe the common parameters for when they happen and try to create fertile soil for their blossoming.
2. Ethics are important, and so are aesthetics. During my year in Charlotte, I had a chance to see many shows, concerts and festivals, some of which were organized ethically, others not. What I mean by this is that the organizers paid musicians fairly, provided quality sound and stage equipment, and offered a fair exchange to the audience attending the show (the concert started on time, had the advertised bands performing, no unneccesary delays between acts, etc.). In almost ever case, the shows where the organizers acted ethically turned out to be better shows, aesthetically than those where organizers acted unethically. I base this assertion on my own observations and subjective taste, but also on the opinions of musicians and friends in attendance at these shows. All organizers make compromises in the process of putting on a show, especially in tough economic times, but there is a difference between cutting costs and cutting corners. I had the privledge to work with musicians and event planners who have scruples, and it shows in the quality of their music.
3. Throughout my study, I have attempted to gather information on the 'political economy" of the Latin music scene in Charlotte. This doesn't just mean an accounting of the living expenses and pay of musicians, although that is part of it. Nor does it mean looking at whether musicians are political activists or write political songs. Rather, a political economy of musicians means looking at the power relations among musicians, audience members, club and restaurant owners, concert organizers and their ilk. It refers to their daily lives, the practice and preparation for brief moments on stage, the day jobs that musicians work to support their dream or hobby- to be in a band. It requires looking at the institutions that support musicians and channel their talents, often profiting more than the musicians themselves: clubs, restaurants, festivals, non-profits, etc. And it means placing the entire Latin music scene in larger context...Charlotte's music scene, Charlotte as a city proper, the South, the United States, Latin America, the World... while realizing that only by being local is this scene special and distinct from anywhere else. Festivals are usually just showcases of what is going on already in clubs and other venues; they are necessary but cannot support a scene by themselves. Understanding a local scene requires tracing the veins of music that lead to this showcase and understanding that many artists do not make it to the big stage.
Onwards to some photos from the festival:
The emcees for the main stage showing their Puerto Rican pride...
The opening band was a local Latin jazz group, Rhythm +
Local group Bakalao Stars played next, rocking out with afro wigs and matching t-shirts in the hot sun...
From Durham, NC, Orquesta GarDel played some old school salsa classics...
Elastic Bond, a band from Miami, played some funk and electronic music with Latin-inspired beats...
Charlotte's Soul Brazil worked the crowd with samba, while Iya from Movimentos de Samba danced in front...
Locos Por Juana, also from Miami, rocked the stage with some stirring cumbia...
Direct from la isla del encanto, Puerto Rican group Plena Libre tore through a set of bomba y plena, as the crowd gravitated to the singers shaking hips and call and response vocals. Africa is alive and well in the Caribbean...
