The Week That Was – Bolivian Blogs · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

This article was written by Rolando Lopez from Rocko Weblog.  This article originally appeared in the Bolivian blog community site Blogs de Bolivia.  The original Spanish version can be found here.
Bolivia, Blogs and Music
Whether it is watching the birth of a new album, providing insight into what it is like to be in a band, reflecting on the sensation that attending a concert leaves us, sharing the sounds of a person who lives off of music, reading the lyrics of a musician whose passion with the guitar provides us with so much, remembering bands from all across the globe from long ago or simply writing about music, it all is done so with passion.  The musical universe has opened up a space for blogs and in Bolivia particularly, blogs are a way to bring all of this together.  We’ll try to recap the different pages devoted to music.
Almaqueloide
To talk about contemporary Bolivian rock, one must mention the name Rodrigo Villegas, who also was part of the band Loukass, one of the most important Bolivian rock bands in the 1990s.  “El Grillo” has released seven solo albums and is one of the most important reference points in the Bolivian rock world.  Villegas (Grillo) writes the blog Almaquelodide about his diverse experience as a musician.  There he shares anecdotes about his life and especially about his outlook on the international music world.  Sometimes he writes about football (passionate fan of the club Bolivar), and less often he writes about politics without letting go of the thread that unites the reality of the country.  A few weeks ago, Grillo started his second blog: Detailed chronicles of an album, where he writes about the creation of his most recent production which will be released in May.  He promises a new sound, different to what many are used to and between the stories of barbeques, guitars, and photos of the recording sessions, he allows us to accompany him during the creation of an album.
Magister Gorditus Blog
The band Scoria was formed on June 4, 1992 during a time where it was necessary to create a group with unique characteristics.  This is important in the “national movement” because it introduces original compositions with a high degree of social content and commitment for the society in which we live.  The first lines that can be read in the blog, which is written by Sergio “Pelu” Larrazabal, are the day to day activities of Scoria.  These anecdotes include late night partying, trips, and concerts.  There are also reflections on the social commitment that the band’s lyrics are centered around.
Espina Dorsal
One of the most well-known musicians involved with electronica es Álvaro “Conejo” Arce, who in a certain way swims against the musical current in Bolivia. The producer, composer and leader of “Ra Beat”, he writes about his start within electronic music.  He also writes about the creation of the project called “Ra Beat” and his music influences.  “Conejo” Arce is synonymous with electronic music in Bolivia.
Bandas en vivo
This blog is written by Sergio Candia, a former guitar student in the Music Conservatory in La Paz.  In his free time, he dabbled in various amateur bands whose names slip my mind. His blog contains reviews and essays about the music in La Paz.  He critiques the live performances in the various clubs in the city.  His page is located at La Paz-Rock, maintained by Carlos Rocabado y Knk. Sergio also is responsible for another blog “Think M Music” where he opens new frontiers by reviewing and providing an overview of new albums, which is his strength.
Musicantos
“I try, although at times in a chaotic way, to express how I live my life and alongside music which helps nourish my daily thoughts.  The music that I share here is done so without any aim to profit and that’s how it should be.”  This blog accomplishes that by gathering songs, which have become important in the world of troubadour music and songs of protest.  Edgar maintains the blog by gathering songs and writing introductions from the heart. The songs he assembles have impacted his life and of others.  He provides lyrics and an audio file of each song, which adds much to each entry. Within his musical repertoire is Leon Gieco, Amaury Perez, Manuel Monrroy Chazarreta and Victor Jara, among others.  There is also a testimony of the events of October, which recalls events that should never happen anywhere in the world.
Página Trovadicta
For fans of troubadour, this page contains news, activities, music, lyrics and everything related to Bolivian and Peruvian troubadour music, without overlooking important milestones.  At one time, I thought that this type of music was rather boring, but I woke up to the reality to what troubador really means and thanks to the blog I got to know people who really love this type of music.
ERGOTH
Ergoth’s blog is not necessarily only about music, but a few months back, Ergoth released her first album of Catholic music, under the name “Exultet” (praise with jubilation), and the album name is “Together with you , Father”.  The creation of the album, which took three years to be released, is highlighted in a couple of posts.  There are also posts about her experience as a singer, the first experience with hearing her recorded voice and the hopes that she has with her band.
En el idioma de Cervantes
Did Cervantes create a language more flexible to express emotions?  There are bands that mark lives and times and others that have transcended time and continue to sound like before.  Remembering Led Zepplin, Def Leppard, the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, U2, Uriah Heep, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, among others, takes us back to another time.  There is also a new breed of musicians such as Linkin Park, Seether, Foo Fighters, Evanescense, Coldplay and there is a little game of wanting to know what these lyrics say by attempting to translate from English to Spanish. That’s the game and the attempt of “in the language of Cervantes”  recalls those groups that have become figures in the world of music and look for bands that could possibly become reference points in the near future.
Even though there are very few individuals that write about music, many of those write with quality and others have a wealth of experience, but without a doubt all are united by a love of music.  At the end of the day, who doesn’t love music?