Halfway through the 50s Rock and Roll was a catalyst for youthful attitudes. It amused them, involved them, brought them together, and expressed what they felt. Young people wanted a music of their own, and that was Rock and Roll.
Later on, such is its popularity, that it turned into the means of expression of the young culture. Rock and Roll went from being one more trend, to becoming a lifestyle, that of young people, understanding youth not only as a mere phase in the life of a person, but as a mental state, open and healthy, which proclaims the love for life.
In our case, it was that feeling that caused Pop La Cara to be born in 1984. We were a group of lovers of popular music interested in the avant-garde and in new movements, strongly influenced by La Movida.
In the beginning, we only functioned as a fanzine on paper, being handed out by its creators themselves. It even came to be included in the media of that time such as Radio3 and Radio Cadena from RNE, Canal Sur TV and the magazines Rock de Lux (Madrid) and Rock In (Barcelona), among others.
Afterwards, as it couldn’t be otherwise, it became the Asociación de Cultura Vanguardista Pop La Cara. It was no longer just a fanzine, an endless number of activities emerged around it, which made us grow and learn. Among all of them, the organization of the conferences Escápate por un día, in 1989, was specially moving. They were broadcasted live from Montilla (Córdoba), for the whole of Spain, as part of the programming of the station Radio 3 from Radio Nacional de España, including the show El Ciempiés by Jaime Romo and the concerts of the bands La Granja and 091, as part of the schedule of Los conciertos de Radio 3 by Tomás Fernando Flores.
But time went by and lifestyles and tools changed. Suddenly, we were in the XXI century and in the middle of the digital age. Keeping that same innovative spirit and interest in music, art and culture as an alternative to mercantilism, more and more widespread every day, we reinvented Poplacara and adapted it to the new formats and technology. In order to continue to fulfill its function as a means of communication which gives special emphasis to supporting artists with a great level of creativity, we gathered a new team and created www.poplacara.es and www.poplacara.com, which have always leaned on the intense activity of our social networks and on the good number of concerts and presentations we have organized.
Once the first two years of Poplacara’s digital period passed, we felt the need to keep growing to give room to new projects, new team members, new friends who come to us from all over the world to have a look and see what’s cooking in the stoves of culture or to show us their creations and initiatives.
This is why we are introducing this new version, closer and more up-to-date, of the platform for the webzine Poplacara.
Time plotted with us and the presentation of this new webzine coincides with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the first Pop La Cara issues. For the occasion we have prepared a large schedule of activities with more concerts, exhibitions and ceremonies which, little by little, we will reveal.
The adventure The Beatles lived on their day with Apple Corps has always fascinated me, and it has even served as a motivation in the toughest times of the truly independent and non-profit initiative that is Poplacara. It has been a long hard road (The long a winding road) but none of this would have been possible without the help of the people who has supported me, in the past and now. The members of our team, our contributors, the artists, and very specially, our readers, they are all part of this great Poplacara family.
Translation by Irene Soto.
Videos Jornadas Poplacara y Radio 3 en Montilla, 1989
