Solidarity Rock

Photos by Sam

Kids on Fire Tour was my first collaboration with SR as a photographer….

Follow the link to flickr for more images

Photos by Sam

Some images we share during Hang Loose Cuban Tour.

Follow the link to flickr for more images

HERE’S THE FACEBOOK EVENT FOR SOLIDARITY MONTH

Hey everyone. One of the biggest things we’re trying to do with Solidarity Rock is bring people together. So, we are!

The idea of Solidarity Month is that we’re throwing shows, putting up photography expos and trying to get the word out that we’re working together to create more music and more art for everyone. As anything, when dealing with large groups of people, details aren’t always super 100% until they “have” to be. So, here’s what we can tell you for now.

SOLIDARITY ROCK IS CALLING ON ALL ALLIES TO STAND TOGETHER WITH CUBAN ROCKERS!

WE’RE HOLDING THESE SHOWS IN SUPPORT OF OUR SUMMER PROJECTS:
April 21 - Edmonton, AB - The Mandates - Dead Voices - Allotropes @ The Wunderbar (http://on.fb.me/HPMPto)
April 21 - Jatibonico, Cuba - Arrabio, Cancerbero
April 27 - Milwaukee, WI **
May 3 - Trinidad, Cuba - Arrabio, Adictox, Akupunktura @ AHS
May 4 - Vancouver, BC - Safety Show, Philoceraptor, Previous Tenants @ Lana Lou’s (http://on.fb.me/HEnpQv)
May 10 - Sancti Spiritus, Cuba - Arrabio and guests @ Galleria El Paso - Photography exposition opening
May 25 - Winnipeg, MB - Guerillas of Soul, Noble Thiefs @ Times Change(d)
June 8 - Edmonton, AB - Sock Hop! TBA

DON’T SEE YOUR CITY? STAND WITH US BY HOSTING A SOLIDARITY ROCK PARTY/SHOW/BBQ/GET TOGETHER. Email info(a)solidarityrock.com to let us know! We’ll include your show in our listings and post your photos to our site!

All of these shows are going to be great, and if you can make it to one of them, you should. All the funds raised by the individual shows will go towards our summer plans.

During the month, we’re going to be announcing some awesome stuff, like the launch of our digital distro! You’re going to be able to check out some great music from our Cuban cohorts, and the awesome bands that support them. I think most people familiar with Solidarity Rock realize that this project is as DIY as they come. Our distro will be a way for people to support us with a small donation for music downloads and for our Cuban friends to get the recognition they deserve by being heard.

WE’VE GOT BIG PLANS FOR THE NEXT MONTH

We’re heading back to Cuba! In just over 2 weeks, members of the Solidarity Rock crew are heading south. Our friend and Solidarity Rock dude in Winnipeg, Darryl Reilly is getting married to his lovely lady Leanne in Trinidad! He was with us on the Kids on Fire tour last March, and has always had an affinity for Cuba. He’s getting married on May 2 in Trinidad surrounded by friends from across Canada and Cuba and even a lone American. On May 3rd, Arrabio, Adictox and Akupuntura are all going to make their way to Trinidad to play a show in celebration of our friends and their life together.

Then, on May 10, we’re going to take the next step with our photography show by opening a 50 image exposition in Sancti Spiritus.  This is the same show that the Edmonton Arts Council funded through their micro grant program and that we’ve had the good fortune to show in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. Thanks to the EAC, we get the chance to share our work with people across Cuba. The show is currently booked at the Galleria El Passo in Sancti Spiritus as well as the gallery in Jatibonico, and we’re donating the whole show to the AHS in Sancti Spiritus to be toured around the country. Clearly, we’re using art for the highest and most badass reasons.

This July, our good friend Jesse Gander, one of the recording gurus usually holed up in Vancouver’s Hive Creative Labs, will be heading to the beautiful Island to do what he does best - make records. We’ll be setting up our buddies in long running Cuban punk bands Arrabio (Trinidad), Akupunktura (Cienfuegos) and Adictox (Santa Clara) with a day and a half each of solid recording time and producing an album each when it’s all done.

Our plans for the summer are shaping up, and we’re looking to raise about $2500 for the recording project. I am 100% certain that we can do this together.

Our benefit shows across Canada and into the US will help us to accomplish our goals of:

1. Making some punk rock records in Cuba
2. Supporting our summer tour (which will be announced on May 15, as soon as we’re back from the next trip)
3. Bringing ARRABIO to Canada. This is something we’re working on in the initial stages. We’ll let you know what it’s going to take in a couple weeks. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME A CUBAN ROCK BAND HAS LEFT CUBA TO TOUR IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY!

As you can see, these are all awesome plans. Help us reach our goal by standing together for the things we all love: rock’n’roll, community and friendship.

HERE’S THE FACEBOOK EVENT FOR SOLIDARITY MONTH

Hey everyone. Here are some photos from the Wunderbar last weekend. As I mentioned, we raised enough to send a sizeable shipment of gear to our friends in Cuba. Thanks for playing, hosting and attending. You’re all beautiful. Here are some B&W’s.

SCRAPBOOKER

KRANG

CATGUT

Solidarity Rock was born in Edmonton. We started with one show at the artery to raise a couple bucks to send a care package full of rocknroll implements to William and the crew in Sancti Spiritus, and has grown into a full on movement. Musicians, artists and other creative people across our city have contributed their time and their abilities in support of people across the world doing the same thing.

So, we did it again last weekend at the Wunderbar. We threw a show and got a crowd. If you were there and don’t know exactly what Solidarity Rock is, I’ll fill you in. For the past four years, Solidarity Rock has been bringing stuff, people and a DIY ethic to Cuba in support of independent music and art. We work in the centre of the country, mostly in the cities of Sancti Spiritus, Trinidad, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos. Our steady crew of Cuban punk rock bands includes Arrabio, Adictox, Akupunktura, Limalla, Gatillo and others. We started independent rock tours through a communist country which is constantly on guard and prepared for war. We’ve helped bands and individuals accomplish seemingly impossible tasks, united like minded individuals in a non-political action to make people happy through the power of music and the raw expressive quality the rock music brings people. We did it the other night at the Wunderbar, and we’ll do it again very soon in Cuba.

We spent the evening in Edmonton with Scarpbooker, Krang and Catgut. The three bands represent different musical paths, but a common community and stage. The show was a great success and the bar was full all night. We raised about $1000 combined with the Calgary show the week before, and we’re about to get our instrument collection ready for shipping.

If you have any old guitar cases or gig bags, please let us know. We need a bit of protection for our soon to be treasured cargo. I’m pretty excited about this. I’ll let you know more in the coming days.

Check out the videos below. I’ll post some photos this evening!