For a while now, Korea Central, Alma Nebula, and Redneck Buddha have been the three rock trios that have been popping up on the indie scene of Puerto Rico’s west-coast. A mixture of stoner-rock, pop-rock, and garage punk-rock. The Redneck Nebula Tour on January 26, was a fun night filled with lots of headbanging, dancing, and moshing, as well as a great way to close out the final week of January and get Colegio students ready for their finals week.
(poster for the show as found on the Facebook event)
The first band to take the stage at La Tertulia en mi Tierra on Friday, January 26th was Korea Central who engulfed the room with their stoner and psychedelic rock influenced sound. The band, who was promoting their three-song EP “Tringle”, had a set list which featured songs like “Sube el Telón”, “Máquina Absurda”, and “Para Bailar.” A band known for switching things up a bit, Korea Central had their members in different positions from time to time, where sometimes the singer/guitarist would switch with the drummer. From song to song, Korea Central would change their sound, showing their multiple influences from classic hard-rock to punk while also playing a ballad, even including an instrumental song. Korea Central showed their potential to be one of the greatest bands of the west, while having the crowd headbanging and slowly building up energy to what would come for the rest of the night.
(picture of Korea Central)
A mixture of pop-punk and alternative rock, Alma Nebula proved to be the most radio-friendly out of the three trios. By providing a mixture of pop influenced rock n’ roll, Alma Nebula managed to capture the attention of those in the crowd who weren’t very open to other forms of rock which may seem more experimental. However, that didn’t stop them from getting out of their comfort zone. While most of their repertoire consisted of music reminiscent of early 2000s Latin rock and pop-punk, Alma Nebula managed to experiment a bit with a swing-influenced song which had members of the crowd dancing like it was the early and mid 1940s. If Korea Central started to get people pumped, Alma Nebula managed to get them flowing and even more prepared for the mayhem that would come.
(picture of Alma Nebula)
The crowd was already prepared to create chaos as the members of Redneck Buddha were getting ready to perform their set. Starting off with mosh pit songs like “Crimson Countertop” and “Whiz-Bang”, the band already had the audience’s adrenaline going. This in effect gave them the power to go into slower tunes like their 1950s influenced ballad, “Eulogy for Two Hearts” which had members of the audience dancing like it was prom night. After two slow and laid back tracks, Redneck Buddha went back to their garage-punk roots. This eventually led to their drummer, Eri Quiñones, to transform into his wild alter-ego, the luchador mask-wearing Corazón de Leon, when they started their last three songs with the fast-paced “Sewer Rat.” Eventually, Redneck Buddha closed the night with some great garage rock, which gave the audience the energy they needed to continue to the next day.
(picture of Redneck Buddha)
Last Friday night was one filled with different sounds and vibes. The music of the “3 Trios del Oeste” gave the young crowd a space for them to express the bottled-up stress of a chaotic semester while giving them energy to continue with the days ahead. The mixture of stoner-rock, pop-rock, and garage-rock provided by Korea Central, Alma Nebula, and Redneck Buddha were a showing of the various flavors the indie music scene of Puerto Rico’s west-coast can offer. Hopefully, as the years move along, we can have more shows that display the variety of the scene while also providing spaces for people to leave their busy lives and let loose at least for a while.
Listen to Korea Central on Soundcloud here
Listen to Alma Nebula on Soundcloud here
Listen to Redneck Buddha on Spotify here