Posts filed under ‘indie’
galeria crawl: galeria larreta
Florida (the street, not the state) is a nightmare. Traffic trickles along, pickpockets take advantage of dazed tourists, and prices are almost always double what they should be.
But there’s a safe place among the mayhem in Galería Larreta (Florida 971). Right off of Marcelo T. Alvear, Galería Larreta is like the rebel sister who shaves her head and listens to the Delta 5. She refused to conform and look like the other stores on the strip; instead she’s going to open up a bunch of indie design-oriented stores, the rest of calle Florida be damned.
Joyería Contemporánea (Local 4b), with its mix of avant-garde designs (everything from silver and stones to leather and felt are used), is one of the first stores you’ll see, and perhaps the stateliest. Artistas Jóvenes Argentinas (Local 26), by the San Martín entrance, exhibits works that range from traditional to modern. The common denominator here is that all pieces have been made by young local artists.
Head upstairs and you’ll find the true gems of Galería Larreta, Patio Sur (Local 39) and Tiendas Kubera. At the former, there are beautifully feminine pieces, like a delicate ivory trench coat with black detailing for $240 pesos, or precious Irregular Choice-style flats for $180 pesos. Across from Patio Sur is Tiendas Kubera, a space for independent designers. Everything, from the screen printed t-shirts to the leather purses, is made by hand by young local designers. Don’t miss the flower pins; not only are they perfect for spring, but similar ones have been spotted on the runway of it-designer Philip Lim.
If you’re hungry, Galería Larreta is a far superior pick to the overpriced cafes in the area. Carrousel (Local 7) is a cute, albeit kitschy, café with sandwiches for $6 pesos and a lunch special of several courses for $25. If you’ve about had it with meat (and honestly, who hasn’t craved a plate of nice fresh greens while in Argentina?), Ensaladas Argentinas (Local 45) will hit the spot. $6 pesos gets you a medium salad with a choice of four ingredients, and $7 pesos gets you a large salad with a choice of six. For a mid-afternoon snack, don’t miss Murasaki’s happy hour. From 16:30 until 19:30 (Monday through Friday), sushi is 20% off.
There are a couple odd-balls in the place, like the store for musical theater geeks and an antique military paraphernalia store. But if anything, they just give Galería Larreta more personality. Which is what makes it so great: it’s a breath of fresh air from store after store of the same old thing (i.e. leather jackets and “cashmere” sweaters). Step inside, take a few deep breaths, and remind yourself that it’s going to be okay, that Florida will not make you die a little bit inside.
Galería Larreta, Florida 971/San Martín 954.
mi querido diversión
Just because the weather forecast for the weekend is all wind, rain, and almost-freezing temperatures doesn’t mean that you can’t go out. soy so lindo’s got our top picks for the weekend, all taking place in the warm indoors.
Saturday, August 4: Mel Mann + Kirlian + the Baseball Furies
Nevermind the recent buzz Mel Mann has been getting in the indie rock scene, if there’s a reason to go to this show, it’s because it’s at the Hotel Bauen, our favorite venue in the entire city. Think spiral staircase with black and white piano keys adorning the wall, leather banquettes, and disco lighting.
Auditorio Hotel Bauen, Av. Callao 360, 21 hs, $8
Sunday, August 5: Maratón Alejandro Jodorowsky:
An entire day of Jodorowsky films equals a whole lot of trippiness. All Movie Guide describes his films as, what might have resulted if Luis Bunuel, Michelangelo Antonioni, and George Romero had all dropped acid and made a movie together.” Sounds about right. Films start at 2:30, 5, 7:30, and 10 p.m.
Sala Lugones, Teatro San Martin, Corrientes 1530
For more events, check out soy so lindo’s calendar.
reduce, reuse, recycle
Like most good trends, Mono notebooks are inspired by what’s happening on the streets. In this case, it’s quite literal; Argentina is, after all, a country where cartoneros rummage through piles of trash looking for hidden treasures and flea markets fill up leafy plazas on the weekend.
The notebooks (called “blocks” in Spanish) recycle vintage wallpaper, using the cute and kitschy patterns as covers. Because of the limited supply and seasonal design changes, each notebook is basically a one-of-a-kind. And although they may have once coated the walls of some ancient Argentine’s kitchen, the wallpaper isn’t straight out of Aunt Edna’s living room. Instead, the designs are simple chic, with flowers and basic patterns in a palate of neutrals.
The upcoming spring collection is slated to include bags, mobiles, and toys, in addition to the three different sized notebooks (shown belowa). And at $25-35 pesos, the notebooks are perfect gifts for that hard-to-buy-for friend. You can find Mono blocks at several hip Palermo boutiques, like soy so lindo favorites Felix and Kukla, as well as Net, Mundo, La Prometida, Pesqueria, and Objetos Encontradas, to name a few.
If you’re still not sold, just think of Mono block ownership as an act of environmental activism akin to driving a Prius or using a canvas bag; it hits the coveted trifecta of being hip, stylish, and eco-conscious.–REBECCA
unicenter blues
The hour-long trek to Villa Adelina didn’t stop soy so lindo (or Buenos Aires hipsters) from making it to the Los Alamos/Boreales show on Saturday night. And thank heavens, because we would have missed seeing Club GBA, a community center-like music club nestled among quiet streets and one-family houses. And missed washing veggie burgers down with Fernet. And missed hearing Boreales celebrate the release of their new album, and Los Alamos playing songs off of their upcoming album (they just finished recording last week).
The biggest surprise of the night? The new Los Alamos songs. It had been over a year since I last saw them play live, and the older songs sounded less lush (due in part to losing a guitarist to the bass). But sophomore slump this ain’t; the new songs managed to achieve that difficult balance between maintaining the band’s original sound while simultaneously moving into new territory. Bluesy, yes, but it worked. Consider this sophomore album the most anticipated release of the year.
For more photos, check out soy so lindo’s flickr page.–REBECCA
toing, toing, gone
MySpace may have the American music scene in a choke-hold, but My Toing is attempting to give it a run for its money here in Argentina.
Through My Toing, bands can create their own pages with songs, videos, photos, blurbs, and tour info. Language options currently include Spanish and Portuguese.
Despite copying half of MySpace’s name, My Toing doesn’t seem poised to mimic the site’s success. There are currently only a handful of bands registered, and of those, only three seemed worth checking out. And none of those three bands impressed me with their music. In fact, I did a quick search, plugging in the names of some indie bands we’ve recently covered here at soy so lindo, and not a single one of them showed up. Not to be a total snot, but would you really want to buy an album from one of these bands?
Which could of course be because the site was only recently launched. MySpace was around for years before it actually became the cultural phenomenon that it is today. At this point, it’s a matter of My Toing getting enough buzz to draw in more (interesting) bands. What will it take? A smart ad campaign? An aggressive marketing? Being bought out by a conservative Australian?–REBECCA
mi querido diversión
Still hungover from last night’s Dia del Amigo festivities? soy so lindo’s got the cure: more parties!
Saturday, July 21: Lugar Sonado
Our favorite indie gallery, Belleza y Felicidad, is throwing a party this evening. Think pretty art on the walls, sweet sounds courtesy of DJs Pareja, Aldo Benitez, and Ismael Pinkler, and (unlimited?) drinks to help wash it all down. Belleza y Felicidad, Acuna de Figueroa y Guardia Vieja, 19hs puntual, $5.
Sunday, July 22: Sombras Chinas
No more lazy Sundays, now that Villa Diamante’s throwing a new Sunday evening party. Straight from the horse’s mouth: “Conversar, bailotear, con una copa en la mano. Tomar un impulso, antes de empezar la semana.” Right on. El Nacional, EEUU308, San Telmo, 19-23 hs, entrada libre.
uruguayan invasion
Like the Brits crossing the Atlantic, Montevideo’s Astroboy came over to Buenos Aires to play at Unione e Benevolenza’s ciclo Music is My Girlfriend. The band has developed since their previous album “Automatica,” going from Brit-mod to Brit-pop. Which is fine by us, because who doesn’t live a Pulp or a Suede inspired band? For more photos, check out soy so lindo’s flickr page.
this is a show
British invasion indeed.
The Magic Numbers, yet another band from the mother country, will be playing a free show in Buenos Aires on July 27 at The Roxy. The rub? Bacardi is throwing these indie folk-pop darlings the party, and not everyone is invited.
Tickets are ostensibly available from Bacardi’s website once you give away all of your personal information and answer a couple of inane questions (like “De que material son los barriles donde reposa y gana su inconfundible sabor el ron Bacardi?”). But for three days I’ve been trying to get tickets, all for naught.
Anyone who actually wins tickets will get an extra set to bring a friend so…dear soy so lindo readers: invite me if you get tickets, okay?–REBECCA
soy so lindo 