The 80's were going
by and the moral aspects in society no refer to only religion but generally the
wright and wrong things, started to change radically. Colombian closed mind,
conservative and catholic classicist society opened up to allow the new rich
people known as Drug Lords to dig into. They bought the expensive places and
huge farms the high class people offered and they melt into a new class of
people. Violence, Impunity and drug money became a part of Colombian life and was
accepted somehow.
I was a 15- 16 years
old middle class teen age who used to hang out in the streets with my friends.
All these changes affected the way we all believe was the way to grew up.
Watching drug lords and their Sicarios, 16 years old hit men, buying expensive
cars, apartments, dating hot ladies and even breaking the law or killing people
and getting away with it without any punishment from the law or justice hit my
generation's point of view.
Our hardworking
fathers and relatives became nobody for they couldn't afford or made any of
what the new rich people did. Violence becomes a way of life and tones of the
teenagers groups evolved as gangsters in middle class neighborhoods. Things got
lot uglier in the low-income people hoods or ghettos or better known as "comunas".
My bodies started to
carry guns and they sold out to become by all means one of the new rich people
that society was looking up as models. They all got killed. Meanwhile I walked
down the streets trying to find a way to release all the anger that was raising
in me. I met other people from all around the city with similar feelings. I survived the narcoterrorist war
walking down the streets, writing songs of what I saw and lived and making and
underground Hardcore Punk scene in Medellin. 30 of my closed friends were
killed between 89-93.
I founded and wrote
lots of the famous songs in Colombian Punk band IRA. I played and still do play
the guitar and co write songs with my long time friend Carlos R. -Volketo- for
legendary Medellin Hardcore gem DEXKONCIERTO.
Fall of 96 I moved to
Miami. I played the guitar and wrote some of its songs when playing for Miami's
Drunk Punks bastards UFC for 8 years.
I founded and write
the songs with my bodies Glen roach Larsen and Bruno S. for the greatest one of
a kind Hardcore band, Los HUMANIAX. Valentina's sweet powerful voice and great
support joint us later.
Also, I made an
Anthropologist documentary about Hardcore Punks in Medellin s narcoterrorist
war years. Mas alla del No Futuro. Experiences and points of view collection of
some survivors of the scary times between 85-93.
When my two Americans
bands disbanded for many reasons everything started to go to hell. Then the
Bush economic and administrative malicious disaster hit me hard and left me
down the hill. My wife and I own interior design company broke and we lost our
apartment as well as our car and the warehouse and shit. I decided to go to
live in the Forrest in a small town close by Medellin in Colombia but my wife
stayed in the states. We got into a painful divorced later on.
I started to do what
I used to do before I left to the States. I mean going to shows, I went to
every show I could be at, at every corner in the city, hang out with my old
friends at any of the small Parks or any Bar or any Ezquina de Barrio around
it. Figth Nazi punks, taking a
look over the situation with Paramilitares now called Bacrim or the new lords
on the streets, making friends and having fun. Working with my Family business
was first but I had time for walking down the streets watching the now huge and
different Punks scenes in Medellin.
I started writing new
songs and finishing some songs I had started in Miami. 3 some years later I
finally finished writing all the lyrics and music and made this new projekt,
DESTINO, a D beat Hardcore beautiful noise with intelligent lyrics as I like to
believe.
During that time I
met this guy, the bartender of a small little bar located in one of the small
parks in downtown I used to hangout at nights back in the days. I now call this
park El Infierno, because it’s agitated and convulsed atmosphere. The drug
lords literally own the place and only the people who buy from them are allowed
to stay there without any threat. The rest of the people from the different
urban tribes, the ones who had conquered the park in the 90s are now at their
own risk. Several have been killed in total impunity, no prosecution from the
cops whatsoever.
The bartender used to
play 80s thrash metal and Grind core at the bar and Punks and metal heads used
to have a couple of beers. I found out that Alex the bartender was a great
musician and invited him to play. 6 month later after trying some drummers
without any luck, they were to busy or some shit else, we went different paths.
I had a baby with my new wife and Alex had to stop working at the bar and he
just disappears.
Esteban Mesa,
DEXKONCIERTO and Los Desempleados drummer, Joint me playing the drums as I
played all the Strings and Shouted the fuck out of me to record this job with
the super Help from my Friend Andres Navarro (Fechoria) doing all the engineering and mastering at Navash
records.
Some time after
recording I met with Alex again in Rionegro a small city one-hour driving next
to Medellin. We called Cristian the drummer of Kolapso Social and we started to
practice to be a real band.
Today DESTINO is:
Alex Lopez -
Bass-Chorus
Cristian Murillo -
Drums- Chorus
Jose Juan Posada -
Guitar and Voice.