(easier to read version of the post on medium.com)
During the six months, I was blocked in Uruguay, I did neglect the blog. My creative writing juice went towards a book project, covering the entire Black Sea Storm adventure since 2002.
Getting Out of Uruguay
On September 25th, 2020, I was able to leave Uruguay and enter Mexico without any problem. No questions asked, no tests, no quarantine. After staying three days with my friends at the Tadeco Theatre in Mexico City, I took a bus to Querétaro.
My arrival in Mexico coincided with lifting “sanitary” measures, which gave me the sensation of taking part in a renaissance of a sort. After staying all through the winter in the southern hemisphere, it felt terrific to return to Mexico.
Playing Shows in Querétaro Again
I was able to play two shows at the Centro Cultural El Árbol in Querétaro. Positive changes had occurred at the Centro Cultural. There were new owners for the cultural center’s coffee shop section who happened to be music enthusiasts. Now the place had an in-house sound engineer and a proper sound system. During my previous shows in Querétaro, I would use a mono PA they have at car dealerships and pharmacies to draw people’s attention to the business.
I played two shows at El Árbol. The first one, I was headlining without an opening act, and for the second show, I was the opening act for a band called Hellhunters. Adolfo and Arturo of Hellhunters used to work at the actual coffee shop in the past, and we knew about each other’s rock n’ roll endeavors. Adolfo came to the first show I was headlining and asked me if I wanted to open for them at the same venue six days later.
Low Attendance
It was challenging to draw people to the shows. I did everything I could. I messaged all the people I knew in town. I went to see other artists perform to make connections and invite them to my live performances. I put some online ads on Instagram and Facebook. Although there was a small crowd on both nights to listen to my music and show me some support, I realized that I couldn’t draw one single person with my own efforts. It was my fourth time in Querétaro; I played a total of five shows in the city. I actually have many friends living nearby, and I know that a good number of people listen to Black Sea Storm in Querétaro via the platforms. I don’t want to blame it all on the “new normal” situation, but things feel definitely different than in 2019.
I was a bit disappointed, but at least I felt good about doing all I could to draw people. The goal for me with the first “post-pandemic” shows is to get back to my touring routine. And do everything that entails without expecting too much in return for my efforts. The entire industry is going through a massive trauma, and it will take time to fully get back on its feet. Since I can afford to keep it going, I just need to do my portion of the work and hope that real normality will resurface at one point.
Physical Routine
Besides my rock n roll activities, I signed up to the gym I used to go to during my previous visits to Querétaro. Since my last visit, the gym had changed ownership. This was for the best since everything was cleaner, and people who took over the place were eager to work. It reinforced my perception of living a renaissance of a sort in Mexico. With the monthly membership on top of having full access to the facilities, I could also take as many classes as I wanted. I started to attend some Fit-boxing classes. Going to the gym six times a week and attending between two to three classes a week of boxing lessons put me back in shape in no time. The Fit-boxing teacher was terrific. There is definitely a boxing culture in Mexico. This is something I want to peruse whenever the opportunity presents itself on the road.
Discovering New Places
After spending a beautiful month in Querétaro, I decided to visit a place I had never been to before in Mexico. After changing my mind on my next destination four times, I decided to stick with my first idea and decided to go to Guadalajara. On my first day in town, I was able to book a show for Black Sea Storm. I was walking in the Colonia Americana, and I saw a place that looked like a perfect fit for Black Sea Storm. My intuition guided me in the right direction. I’ve met the people running a cultural center named Lado Nacional. After checking out my music online, they got back to me and said that I could play for the event they were putting together. The bad news was that two days after I arrived in Guadalajara, the state government took some “sanitary” measures for two weeks. Everything would be closed after 7 PM on weekdays, and during the weekend, the entire city would be shut down.
We celebrated the day of the death with a two-week delay.
After the measures were lifted, I was able to play a show as a part of a more significant event to celebrate the day of the death at Lado Nacional. There weren’t many people present when I played since I went around 2:30 PM on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon, but the event as a whole was a success. Even with the limited crowd, I generated some interest among the public for my music. I’ve met some talented artisans who supported me while and after playing. Punticos Embroidery / Yas / Pay de Datil and many more.
The night’s headlining band, Cactus Gang, let me borrow a Fender amp, a PA, and a mic stand. Their show was a great success; they were able to draw their home crowd. Being among the public to enjoy their performance was almost more refreshing to me than me playing. I’ve been playing more than I’ve been able to see live shows lately. To know that it is still happening in some parts of the globe gives me hope for the future.
Guadalajara loves rock n roll.
Overall, Guadalajara is probably one of Mexico’s best places to pursue the Black Sea Storm project. When I was out in cafés, I heard artists like the Pixies, Mulatu Astatke, Sonic Youth, Babasonicos, The Velvet Underground play on the stereo system. There is definitely an interest in select high-quality nitch rock music in Guadalajara. I could only play one show in three weeks due to the measures. Still, Guadalajara is definitely a place I’d like to visit again soon.
Besides it being the right place for rock music, people are incredibly open and friendly. It amazes me because Guadalajara is a relatively big city, yet it has this relaxed, small-town mentality. The weather has been fantastic the entire time. The sun shined every day during my stay, with temperatures peaking between 28 to 30 degrees Celsius. Before traveling to Guadalajara, my friend Enrique the owner of Blue Fish in Querétaro told me that women were tall and beautiful in Guadalajara. I did not think much of it when he said to me that. Once in Guadalajara, I realized that he was absolutely right. He forgot to mention that people were very open and friendly as well, which makes it even more exciting.
Puerto Vallarta
I am now in Puerto Vallarta. I am going to try to reconcile Black Sea Storm with tourist beach destinations. My experience in the Riviera Maya was pretty horrible in 2019 as to getting shows. We’ll see how things go this time around, now that I have 23 shows under my belt in Latin America with Black Sea Storm.
Although it’s been getting pretty challenging to pursue this adventure since March, I am incredibly grateful to still be a free human being and play real shows. It is my way of resisting the staged, global madness going across the globe. While huge bands have been playing virtual live-streamed shows, I can still play real ones. I still have hope that the dormant majority of the people will wake up soon, and we will go back to playing shows in crowded rooms and watch soccer games in packed stadiums.
With the current situation, many musicians will ditch rock n roll because they think it might not have any future anymore. This will be a massive loss of talent. On the brighter side of things, it will purge the opportunists from the scene and perhaps leave more room for other musicians who want to do this without expecting anything material in return. I want to keep rocking my own little world as long as I can. If you’re going to die, die with your boots on is the mentality I embrace.
The most exciting part of willing to rock during the “new normal” has been that I am not alone. As I move forward with the project, I am meeting many people who still want to make it happen. What I am perceiving is that there are many newcomers to the scene. People who maybe before did not have a shot. As with the Café o Mio located at El Arbol, Lado Nacional, even the Evolution Gym in Querétaro are all people who are starting out. In addition to all the artists and businesses who survived the tsunami, we need to keep going. At one point, people will be fed up to get brainwashed from watching stupid series on TV and scrolling down on their social media newsfeed. They will surely come back to the real and direct human interaction.
About Black Sea Storm
Black Sea Storm started as a recording side project in 2002. During that period, I was still actively playing bass in rock bands in San Diego, California. In 2011 Black Sea Storm became my sole musical outlet. In 2017 I moved to Latin America from Europe, and in 2018 I decided to live my life as a nomad and integrate touring as a significant component to my lifestyle.
With this blog, I am trying to capture some of the adventures of being an independent full-time traveling rocker. I am hoping that my writing will bring people to listen to my music. There is so much music available online that it becomes challenging at times to take the time and discover a new artist.
Through my stories, perhaps some people will have an opportunity to connect with my music. I have no pretensions of becoming a writer. I see writing as one of the rock n roll weapons in an independent DIY artist’s arsenal.
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