La Armada, Foto: cortesía.
When one thinks of a punk band, one doesn’t think of a band whose roots are in the Dominican Republic. La Armada blends punk, metal and hardcore with those exquisite Afro-Caribbean rhythms that run in their blood. They started playing in 2000 in Santo Domingo and 10 years ago moved to Florida. After they played the Latino Fest in Chicago, absorbing the vibrant Latino punk scene, they felt they had to be here, so they moved to the Windy City. The reason they named the group La Armada is from an old communist propaganda pamphlet, “La Armada Roja,” which depicts “La Lucha Armada” as a means of liberation from tyrannical governments. Their music is furious, it’s fast and angry, and at its core, it’s hardcore punk. Paul says that he doesn’t remember who or when, but at some point someone said they play “Latino Hardcore Fury” and, he said, “in our minds it made complete sense.”
The members grew up in the ‘90s, during the final term of Balaguer’s 22-year “democratic” regime, and they wanted to play heavy, angry music because they “felt the need to talk about relevant issues directly affecting the Dominican society at the time.” They say that there has been a punk scene in Santo Domingo since the ‘90s with bands such as Santuario, 1J4 and La Reforma. But when the island gained access to the internet in the early 2000s, things took a turn and they got involved with the international DIY punk scene.
One thing that is certain is that they used hardcore music as a medium to deliver their anger, aggression, angst and rage, as well as to confront the inequalities in their country. They say that the Dominican Republic is small and has a closed-minded society. That the “catholic church controls the government and the government is only focused on creating more wealth for itself.” They’ve seen first hand how the role of dictators, military interventions, faux free trade agreements, slave wages and the destruction of the environment impacts a country and its people. They think their music reflects these atrocities. Other topics they seek to communicate are their dissatisfaction toward the “establishment” and the status quo. Other subjects addressed in their songs are immigration reform, neo-colonialism, police brutality and the general struggles of everyday workers. One thing that is clear about La Armada is their social and political awareness, which explains the issues they tackle in their songs. Nowadays they’ve come to identify with the realities and struggles of other Latin American countries. Some of their songs are sung in English, but most are in Spanish because the group wants to stay true to their identity and be able to communicate and be accessible to the Latino public.
They state that before they heard of punk rock they listened to Wilfrido Vargas, Fania All-Stars, Bob Marley, Johnny Ventura and Celia Cruz. That Afro-Caribbean music is a huge influence on their music, particularly the percussive elements. Then came the rock influence on their tunes with bands such as Minor Threat, Agnostic Front, Bad Brains, No Demuestra Interés, Tropiezo and La Polla Records.
An advice they give to anyone that wants to start a band is to “fucking do it!” That if you want to start playing you should do it if you feel passionate and approach it as an art form “because the hills to climb are steep and the only thing that will keep you on your path is motivation, determination and passion.” Whatever it is La Armada has accomplished has been because they love what they do. In their opinion, for Latinos it can be even harder because “people are generally wired to ignore or reject something that is in another language, or that strays off the well known path.” But despite this, they try to be the best band they can, since they want people to see them play and “hold us up to par with any of their favorite bands.” Their advice to musicians who want to get their music out there is to be ready for a fight. “Be ready to go against social norms, be ready to not get a steady job. Be prepared to give up a “normal” life and embrace the adventures that music brings.” Plus, “be willing to put in the work. Touring and writing is fun but the scars are plenty.”
As a band made up of immigrants the challenges are double, but they’re here, and they love to play shows and write music. They say that it’s been a challenge to position the band in a place where they can tour, but that struggle is common among bands. And that, “you have to sacrifice a lot to do this.”
When speaking of the future, they have a performance in Mexico where they will play the “Off Limits Fest” in Mexico City. Then they’re going on a very short east coast run in October and then they’ll play the Dominican Republic in December. Their biggest project this year is to write a new album, which they are currently heavily invested in. They’ve been touring for five straight years and this year they decided to travel less and write more. Adding that “we’re working hard in crafting the sound we envision for this band. We will hopefully be in the studio by early 2017 and then on the road to play it.” For now, one can see La Armada at Pilsen Fest where they will bring their radical and furious Latino punk sounds, certainly something to look forward to.
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Leticia Cortez is a teacher, writer, activist who loves film. She was born in Mexico and grew up in Chicago. She travels the art world, both in her imagination and in her book, art and film reviews. She writes political essays, short stories and poetry. Presently she teaches Latin American Literature in English and Spanish at St. Augustine College.