Solidarity Rock is a non-profit, artist run organization that aims to help Cuban musicians access the equipment and resources needed to create music, partnering Canadian and Cuban bands together in order to bring Canadian rock music to Cuba and vise versa.
In December, 2007, Drew McIntosh travelled with Edmonton band 7 And 7 Is to embark on a Cuban tour for what would become Solidarity Rock’s first ever visit to the Caribbean Island country. During this trip, McIntosh noticed that many of the musicians he met along the way did not have access to proper musical instruments.
“On that tour I [ . . . ] became really good friends with the musicians and saw that they didn’t have the basic things that people here [take] for granted,” said McIntosh. “We decided to make some connections with the two groups of people to bring basic things like strings and picks and stuff that people didn’t have to try to help them build a punk scene or an independent music community.”
McIntosh met William Garcia, guitarist for Cuban hardcore band Arrabio and community activist, during this initial visit to Cuba and they quickly became good friends. The two began discussing plans to join forces to create a network that could aid and empower people of all ages to create punk rock music in Cuba.
Established in 2008 shortly after that first tour, Solidarity Rock was born and became a body to support do-it-yourself community music and art within Cuba. As McIntosh puts it, by putting on shows, planning tours, and providing musical instruments, Solidarity Rock promotes the idea of cross-cultural participation in music.
Solidarity Rock has enabled Canadian bands such as Kids on Fire (Winnipeg), Slates, Vicious Cycles, and many more to tour Cuba, each time bringing loads of musical instruments and supplies with them to pass along to Cuban musicians. No small feat considering Solidarity Rock functions almost entirely on fundraising and in-kind donations of cash, gear, and sweat equity.
Solidarity Rock’s most recent success has been bringing Arrabio to Canada to tour and share their music throughout the country.
“This is the most amazing experience [ . . . ] we have ever had,” stated Garcia. “We are right now bringing different experiences back to Cuba and we hope that this is not the only time a Cuban band can come and play outside of Cuba. Bands do not tour in Cuba, which is pretty strange… it’s weird but that’s the way it goes.”
Garcia explained that touring for Cuban musicians is sometimes out of the question for a variety of reasons. Lack of money and transportation are two difficulties, but mainly the United States embargo against Cuba has made obtaining musical instruments in Cuba such as amplifiers and guitars, among other goods, next to impossible. This means that many supplies brought back to Cuba through travel are sold at a premium.
Garcia went on to say that while a pack of electric guitar strings would sell for approximately five dollars here in Canada, musicians in Cuba may pay upwards of $125 for that same pack of strings. A monthly salary of approximately $350 CAD means that musicians, such as Garcia, may have to sometimes forego other necessities, such as food, in order to continue to make music.
Despite these obstacles, Arrabio have made a name for themselves in the Cuban punk scene and are now spreading their music around Western Canada, playing dates in BC, Alberta, and Manitoba, including three dates opening for the punk band Agnostic Front.
“I remember when I was like 15 and I was getting into rock music, we were pretty much into punk rock, which we are still,” said Garcia. “We [have been] listening to [Agnostic Front] since then. To meet them personally, you know, like to have the opportunity to tour [with] them [ . . . ] it’s been an amazing experience.”
Arrabio’s first performance in Winnipeg on Oct. 24 at Negative Space drew a large, hot, sweaty crowd that packed the art space and cheered on the band. As Arrabio ripped through a vast catalogue of originals and covers, it was quite easy to see the passion and aggression that these four musicians embody, which truly represents the essence of the Cuban punk scene.
Oct. 25 marked the last date on the quartet’s Canadian tour, opening for Agnostic Front at The Zoo in Winnipeg. This performance was the cherry on top of what has truly been a historical event and triumph for both Arrabio and Solidarity Rock.
“These guys are some of my best friends, you know? And just to be able to be with them on this trip here [ . . . ] this event that I know is going to be a big part of their lives forever [ . . . ] it means a lot to me,” said McIntosh with tears in his eyes.
“Each of them I know have taken a lot from it, so for me it’s kind of emotional because it’s been so long coming [ . . . ] and everyone’s had to do so much to get this to happen. Then to watch it just go off, it’s just… it’s fucking perfect. It’s perfect.”
So what’s next for Solidarity Rock?
“I think that the thing that we’ve done in Cuba kind of shows us that if you can create a place for people to be able to express themselves they will do that [ . . . ] and that it will provide good benefits to people,” said McIntosh. “No matter where we would go and do that, I think it would be beneficial, so right now we’re just sort of exploring the idea [of] what we can do by making cross-cultural art experiences happen.”
“People said that we couldn’t do things like [this] in Cuba and we did them and I think that if we’re genuine we can find a way to do it no matter where we go.”
For more information on Solidarity Rock, or to purchase a copy of Arrabio’s new album visit www.solidarityrock.com.
