La Ciudad de Música, The City of Music

Soledad Tejada
May 29, 2019

Despite being a smallish-sized city, Granada is constantly abuzz with music. Any given night of the week you’re bound to find at least one concert if not a handful—many of them free. Flamenco—as a huge part of the local Andalucían culture—is everywhere, but so are jazz, reggae, rap, and a large amount of alternative rock which is commonly referred to as música indie. Because of its small size, Granada has a thriving tight-knit community of musicians—the flamenco guitarist and singer who play on the large Alhambra Distrito Sonoro stage (3:44) are the same talented musicians who accompany the man dancing in Plaza Nueva in the next clip. The small record store in which Carmen Boza plays (3:44) hosts local up-and-coming bands like Papaya Club (00:16). In Sala PlantaBaja (00:16, 4:43), well-known musicians from Granada like Los Planetas come to see, support, and chat with the next generation of melodically gifted granadinos. From concert halls, to festivals, to everyday walks down the street, Granada never fails to provide a soundtrack. As someone who loves music, listening to local bands provided me with a way to practice my Spanish, as well as a method to get to know a new city from an angle I was already familiar with. At home, standing in the audience of a small concert is one of my favorite places to be. Soon I discovered, sitting alongside Paseo de los Tristes listening to street performers on a sunny afternoon is similarly something akin to bliss.

Musical Suggestions (from Granada and/or Granada-related):

-Novedades Carminha [shown at 00:14]
-Papaya Club (https://papayaclub.bandcamp.com) [00:16]
-Lagartija Nick [00:23]
-Carmen Boza [00:36]
-Radio Palmer (https://radiopalmer.bandcamp.com) [00:59]
-Klásico  [2:02]
-Pacientes Sin Clínica [2:26]
-Apartamentos Acapulco (https://apartamentosacapulco.bandcamp.com/) [4:43]
-Colectivo da Silva (https://colectivo-dasilva.bandcamp.com/)
-Dellafuente
-Lori Meyers
-Super Submarina
-Los Planetas

Some Local Concert Venues:

-PlantaBaja 
-Booga Club
-Ruido Rosa
-Lemon Rock

Concert Series/Events to Look Out For:

-Noche en Blanco (city-wide outdoor festival that happens annually in April)
-Granajoven Granada Emergentes (local youth battle of the bands)
-IES Open Mics!
-Record Store Day
-Distrito Sonora Granada (series of outdoor concerts in spring)

Record Stores:

-Discos Marcapasos [00:48]
-Discos Bora Bora (you can also often buy concert tickets here) [00:36]

Places to Look for Concerts:

-Venue websites and band facebook pages!
-https://www.conciertosengranada.es/
-IES weekly agenda (sent out weekly and full of tons of events happening every day)

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Soledad Tejada

Hi! I'm Soledad, a junior studying American Studies with a concentration on the culture and design of public space. I'm originally from Brooklyn, New York. In my free time I love singing, playing music with other people, cooking (and eating) new foods, and dancing.
Home University:
Yale University
Hometown:
Brooklyn, NY
Major:
American Studies
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