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The Chilean Music Struggle
An Introductory Lesson by Rock Engine Angelo Pierattini

Revolver – Santiago Magazine: August 13, 2008

With strained, intense eyes, shaking knees and fidgeting feet, 31-year-old Angelo Pierattini is perched in front of the computer screen. Skeletons dance on his walls and crosses melt in wooden frames as the maestro grinds through songs for his new album. He broods, like a musical chimera, over each tweak of every track, with Kerouac, Burroughs and Nietzsche huddling on the shelves next to The White Stripes, Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

“People ask me: ‘What do you do?’
‘I’m a musician.’
‘Yeah, but what’s your job?’
‘The fucking music is a job man.’”
Class is in session.

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The True Celebration of Día del Joven Combatiente (Day of the Young Combatant)

The Santiago Times: May 4, 2009

Burning vehicles. Bleeding bystanders. Barricaded streets filled with glass and tear gas. Hooded and masked figures launching rocks and Molotov cocktails. Carabineros in tanks and body armor. These are the images most commonly associated with Chile’s Día del Joven Combatiente (Day of the Young Combatant).

The much anticipated, warned-against and dreaded date that commemorates the deaths of Eduardo and Rafael Vergara Toledo – two brothers who were killed in the Villa Francia barrio of Santiago on March 29, 1985 – has developed into an outlet of aggression and demonstration for everyone fighting (in one way or another) against the establishment, the rich and the powerful.

While the chaos and destruction takes place in various cities throughout the country at night, the daytime festivities held in Villa Francia to pay homage to the surviving friends and families is another rarely told story.

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Brazil Dominates Chile in World Cup Qualifier

The Santiago Times: September 9, 2008

Brazil’s three-headed offensive monster ran all over Chile’s overmatched defenders Sunday night, beating “La Roja” 3-0 before a packed house of 65,000 in Santiago’s National Stadium. The win propels Brazil to a second-place tie in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Tournament and drops Chile to sixth in the rankings.

The fast and aggressive combination of Luis Fabiano, Ronaldinho Gaucho and Robinho Souza wreaked havoc on an exasperated Chilean defense with constant pressure, strong and solid attacks and a flurry of shots on goal that sucked the life out of the Chilean team and its fans.

“All we can do is apologize to the people that came to the stadium and to the people watching in their houses,” Chilean midfielder Jorge Valdivia said. “We are all very sad. I am very upset because I waited so long to return to the (World Cup) selection.”

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La Cueca: A Glimpse into the Soul of Chile

The Santiago Times: September 14, 2009

A room full of cueca dancing is one of the liveliest scenes in Chile. Pañuelos (handkerchiefs) spin wildly in the air and the music, like a puppet master, controls a dance floor of enamored marionettes. The distinct progression of turns, steps, slides and stomps leaves most newbies staring from the sidelines, trying to make sense of the puppet show.

With Andalucian Spanish, Arabian and African roots, the cueca is based on the mating dance between a rooster and a hen. Yes, that’s right. The male follows the female, courting her around an imaginary ring. He invites the lady to dance, positions her on the dance floor, follows her from side to side and adorns her. Then the “rooster” loudly stomps his feet to show what kind of man he is and ends the dance with her on his arm. The female, on her part, plays hard to get: she elusively leads the male through the steps, with just enough flirtatious eye contact and body language to keep the male in tow.

The timeless art of seduction is definitely alive and well.

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Chile’s Region III Surpasses Region II in Mining Exploration

The Santiago Times: August 8, 2008

The Atacama zone of Chile’s Region III registered 8,518 mining exploration grants in 2007, an increase of 11.6 percent, surpassing the 7,044 grants in Antofagasta (Region II) for the first time ever. According to the latest Yearly Report on Chilean Mining, published by the National Service of Mining and Geology (SERNAGEOMIN), Atacama accounted for 22.7 percent of the Chilean mining exploration area, edging out Antofagasta’s 22.4 percent share.

The vast area and abundance of exploration opportunities in Atacama have made the zone the most active mining site in Chile. Atacama boasted 2,326,700 hectares (1 hectare equals 10,000 square meters) of mining sites in 2007, compared to Antofagasta’s 2,298,400 hectares, which dropped by 23 percent from 2006.

“Atacama’s large diversity and great potential from the geological standpoint is attracting exploration from all types of companies,” said Juan Carlos Guajardo, executive director of the Center for Copper and Mining Studies (CESCO). “Region III has large deposits of copper and gold as well as titanium and nonmetallic minerals. Because of this, Atacama is generating a lot of interest from a variety of miners.”

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Chile Seeks Solutions to Horse mackerel Fishing Crisis

The Santiago Times: September 29, 2008

With Chile’s horse mackerel industry expecting to net only 60 percent of its annual 1.5 million ton quota this year, Chile has begun looking to change regulations of the high seas. The country’s public and private sectors will team up for the first time at the sixth International Meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) in Australia next week to explore possibilities of combating the crisis.

“I wanted to be much more proactive, because we have an obligation to satisfy the interests of the country,” Jorge Choco, Chile Undersecretary of Fishing, said. “By taking this position, we have achieved greater cohesion, which is most likely what was missing before.”

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“The Basketball Barrio: Home of All Things Dimayor”
Game of the Week: Liceo Mixto Holds Off Puente Alto, Wins Zone Phase Playoffs

The Santiago Times: September 2, 2008

Liceo Mixto’s combination of slashing drives to the basket and unrelenting perimeter shooting was more than Puente Alto could handle, as the reigning champs beat their inter-zone rivals 86-79 in San Felipe Sunday night.

Liceo Mixto’s balanced attack of Brandon Mason’s aggressive penetration, Patrick Saez’s sharp shooting and Kevin Frey’s post presence kept the team from Los Andes in control the entire game and made a usually solid and intense Puente Alto team look lethargic and befuddled.

“This was muy importante,” Brandon Mason, Liceo Mixto’s star guard said after the game. “If we can improve upon defense and rebounding and being patient we should never lose again.”

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Día de la Música: A Bright, Burning Celebration of Chilean Music

The Santiago Times: November 24, 2008

The sun was blazing, the sky was clear and the people were loud, hot and ready to party. Men, women and children packed Santiago’s Quinta Normal Park on Saturday, November 22 to celebrate Chile’s Día de la Música (Day of Music), marking the climactic end to a four-day citywide celebration of Chilean music.

Though the day started at 11 a.m., attendees piled into the park well before the first act to get in position for the 22-band extravaganza. From the stage on the soccer field, amplifiers blasted songs across grass lawns, over lakes, down dirt paths and into every corner of the sprawling park. A boisterous, quickly growing crowd of Chileans (and a few gringos) grooved to the first half of performances by musicians Mito y Fusión Rapa Nui, Manuel Sánchez, Los Trukeros, Jiminelson, Matahari, Perrosky, Daniel Drexler, Joe Vasconcellos, Manuel Garcia, Mauricio Redoles and Quique Neira.

The crowds danced, drank, smoked and sang to the diverse songs of Chile’s musical reawakening as Salvador Allende flags waved and chants if “Victor Jara presente” erupted throughout the park.

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