took them away or broke them in the middle of the street. The police used to burst into private parties and to scratch the acetate records without remorse. In the black market, a long play could cost up to 60 pesos by that time. The cultural ties between Cuba and the United States were forged for decades. Since we were little children, we watched comics and movies by the big Hollywood stars; baseball was the national sport in both countries and it could not be less in the music world. The first influences came from the jazzband and then rock n roll was inoculated in the veins of millions. Rock bands such as Los Llopis, The Peaceful People, Vertiginous Souls, Kent, New Generation, and Ocult Session appeared in the musical scene. They played in clubs and their performances were frequently sabotaged by the police. The equipment was seized or simply kicked out. Some bands prematurely disappeared, but others enjoyed privileged status, like The Dada and The Magnetics, which performanced on TV with light repertoires and more pop. Thus, they could get their foot in the door under the protection of government officials. During the Mariel Exodus( 1980), the escape of hippies and rockers practically triggered the resurgence of police repression. The climax came in 1981 at the Social Club Fatherland or Death( Santa Fe, east of Havana). Almost all those attending the concert by Vertiginous Souls, and even the musicians, went to jail. In 1986, the only Spanish-language rock band, Venus, could emerge from the dark with concerts at the Havana Amphitheater on Harbor Avenue. The public was growing as Venus’ amazing success grew. Nevertheless, after enjoying a certain fame, the band dissolved due to the usual cause: it has become a thorn in the side of some government officials. Another remarkable event was the First
Annual Meeting of Rock Arroyo( 1987). The lyrics were reviewed by officials from the Young Communists Union( UJC) before the musicians could interpret them. Despite all the cautions, a police raid swept away the audience and everyone was brought to the 14 th Police Station, including the journalists from Granma and El Caimán Barbudo who were covering the festival. Thus, this event went down in popular history as the Festival of the Fourteenth. The golden age of rock finally came in the 90s, with the recession called Special Period, which forced to provide smart official coverage for diverting attention away from the economic and energy problems. The Minister of Culture himself, Abel Prieto, and Robertico Robaina, then UJC Secretary General, joined efforts with some supporting institutions to lend a hand to the musicians. Thusly, Patio de María came to life as an emblematic site where you could listen to the bands from Havana and even from the inland. The functions are still remembered with romanticism by the around-30-to-40 year generations. The rockers not only had a place to listen to the music, to dance and to shake their hair. Also, other possibilities opened up, like recordings in TV programs and videos. The Cuban rock laid its foundations in the international arena. The alternative rock emerged with interesting proposals, but in the long run they became unsustainable due to the lack of equipment and production. One of the surviving bands is Porno for Ricardo, who cultivates alternative punk rock. Its leader, Gorki Águila, has been imprisoned on several occasions because of his statements against the political system and his lyrics, which narrate, in a transgressive manner, both the social nonconformity and anti-government events as the Maleconazo. In 2003, Patio de María was closed. Although the reason was not explained, some rumors pointed to
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