Back in the street


Thursday the 15th, March. Whilst I was doing some everyday shopping, walking across the city centre at Santiago de Compostela, I ended up in front of the Dado Dadá's entrance checking out the concerts they had for that night; it came to me as a surprise when I saw that the singer Loli Nogueira, and the guitarist Paco Cerdeira would be performing in a couple of hours. Despite it was a little bit precipitated I decided to be there at 22.30 pm, photo and video cams on hands, to see what happen. And by the end, it turned out to be a tremendous and special night (which could have occurred to any of you, in case you decide to move your ass from the sofa, or stop hanging out at reggaeton's pubs).



In Spain some might have heard about Loli Nogueira (Cacheiras, 1979) after she went to the Spanish talent show called "Tú sí que vales". Others might have seen her at the talkshow "Sálvame" or even, and later, you might have know her because of the Galician program called "Luar". But I saw her for the first time the summer of 2011, singing in the Arco de Xelmírez [The Xelmírez's Arc], next to the Obradoiro's Square [where the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is] and her cover of one the Dinah's Washington songs made me sat there on the cold stone stairs for a long while. I forgot about her until she appeared on the telly. Her gig at the Compostelanian Jazz Club, Dado Dadá, looked like karma's work, and there I went, without thinking twice, ready to film her, and maybe to talk to her a little while. That little while turned out into three or four beers, a couple of bourbon shots (mine) and a couple of teas (hers), which accompanied us well into the night.

Ten years ago, she came from Cacheiras to Compostela to study a degree on English Language. Music was already all what she could thought about, but still, and to please her family, she applied for the faculty; at least learning English would help her improve her American-style accent. Besides having different jobs non-related to music, she got her musical formation at the Escola Estudio with Leo Giannetto, was part of the Galician folk group called Nubeira and put her voice in eight of the nine tracks in the album Boleros & Jazz, composed by the Jose Nine Cuarteto, amongst other musical experiences. After having devoted half of her life to music, she went to this talent show called Tú sí que vales, and one of the 'juries' told her that if she wanted to sing professionally she should lose some weight. She didn't take it very well, because, beside other things, she's being singing as a professional for almost a decade, which tells us little in favour of this man's musical competence, and also as Loli said, her physical constitution helps her to sing better.


Imagine a dark shadow that still breaths
The concert began with a cover of Imagine and ended with the Galician song Negra Sombra [Dark Shadow]. You can enjoy the songs they played on the videos I uploaded, I kept some of them because some rude individuals were talking out loud during the performance, spoiling the melody. In those unedited tracks is one of the songs belonging to an album Loli and Paco are producing: Sleeping in the corridor. The background noise, plus the low quality of my rudimentary recording system, did not do justice to Loli's voice and Paco's guitar, so I didn't include the video of the track called Still Breathing. If they get enough money they might be able to publish their work. Anyone can participate of it. They are using the crowd funding through a website who gathers money in order to help musicians and artists as Loli and Paco.

Paco Cerdeira (Santiago de Compostela, 1976) migrated to Mexico with his family by the age of eight. There, he studied Civil Engineering at the UPAEPNow, he has been around, back in Galicia, for almost a decade, and his Spanish barely sounds Mexican. He plays the acoustic and the electric guitar in various groups: in the Mamá Cabra [Mum Goat] which does music for children in Galician, he has been part of a well-known rock group called Zenzar, he has participated and still participates in different musical projects, and he is responsible for the digitalization and edition at the Archive of the Oral Heritage’s Identity [APOI in Galician] at the Galician’s People Museum [Museo do Pobo Galego]. “And I also repair unmanned-flight aircrafts” , he adds by the end of the conversation.


Panorama, respect, and hypocrisy
Talking about the pertinency, simulated or not necessity, and increasingly growing presence of orchestras such as Panorama, Paco considered that they are an “audio-very-visual” spectacle, and that everyday becomes harder and harder to find pubs and clubs willing to pay for a group with a lot of musicians in it, because it’s not affordable for them.
And in those places and bars that decide to go for good and in live music, sometimes, one has to turn his face, cough or frown at people who lack respect and talk out loud during the concerts. This kind of situations doesn’t really bother Loli who is used to sing in the street, but she admits that they are different scenarios, so you expect people to pay more and less attention, according to the venue. Anecdotally she tells how once, whilst they were doing an educational concert for children, she felt “disgusted” when she saw a man reading during the whole performance.

About her debut in television, she noticed people treated her differently (in the bad way) after she argued with the jury; she affirms, she did it expect to earn enough money to publish her album; that there are good and bad people, but also tones of hypocrisy; fiction bubbles where normal people is rare to be seen; and that Susan Boyle might have her life settled, but she (Loli) doesn’t. At least her career got a little boost. People recognize her in the street. When we were exiting the Dado Dadá two drunk guys came by and kneed in front of her, begging for a song. Three in the morning, Loli, guitar at her back, singing Adele’s Someone Like You, with two brats at her feet, depicted a perfect picture of an unexpected and enricher night.


Corollary
So many time entertaining visitants, tourists and neighbours’ strolls, singing next to the Obradoiro’s square in Santiago de Compostela, and she has to go to Madrid in order to be called by the Galician Television. Now, after the show, a little bit more famous that she was before, she will be back in the street, singing during the Eastern Break, at that old Xelmirez’s Arc.

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