treble clef

He studied Sociology at the School of Political Science and

Social Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Among its publications is the songbook La Cueva.
from the rusted whispers and the investigation Mermaids on the attack,
History of Mexican female rockers 1956-2000. Together
with Julia Palacios wrote "Against the Current: The History"
of Women Rockers in Mexico" that appears in the anthology
Rockin' Las Americas: The Global Politics of Rock in Latin America
edited by the Pittsburgh University Press. He/she has written
about culture and rock for the newspapers Reforma, El Nacional

KARLAM. DONATHPÉTRIZ The Financial in the Triple Day supplement and in the reviews
Rock and Pop, House of Time, Journal of the Center of

G
Studies on Youth, Generation, and Lunatic. It also carries
thanks to the research I did on the roc- voice workshops and continues to give them a voice to the
Mexican quilts and women's liberation, I had the without voice.

opportunity to treat Tere Estrada, minstrel of the My first meeting with this great woman was in November.
galaxies who with their music and research, have served as bre of 2009 in the Hidalgo Garden of Mexico City,
44
inspiration for many women in their desires for development where he held a conference about the reissue of his book
to call oneself artistically. Mermaids to the Attack. That's when I realized I was going alone with a.
Born in Mexico City in the late 1990s. black and heavy backpack. In an interview for El Búho, this is
sixty, Teresa Estrada is a sociologist, writer, composer, Hello Estrada.
interpreter, mother, wife, and rocker. When her passion for How do you organize your events? Do you have a manager?
gymnastics, which led her to become champion of the Federal District I am my own manager.
in the 80s and runner-up at UNAM, was ended by a Why?
ankle injury, she channeled her passion into music, which Well, because it's not that easy to find a manager. Life
he learned self-taught and at the age of 17 he writes his first it led me to look for a way to always organize my schedule.
my song, but as she herself says, it was a "composition- Although I have tried to work with people, I have had assistants,
"closet rod", until at the end of the 1980s she meets the band now I have a promoter, her name is Flor Romero, also
Trolleybus, becomes the girlfriend of one of them, goes on tour and starts I put her in the book, and she gets me things from time to time.
officially her career at the age of 21. At one of the concerts- But she is a promoter, she is not my manager, and it's better to bring...

the Trolleybus meets the videomaker, Sergio García Michel and the drop it like that because you don't have an exclusivity contract with
invites to play at the Tlalpan Cultural Forum, during the intermission of no one, so you decide now, the least is to share the
the movies A long experience and A touch of rock, last- there are those who ask you for 30 percent, 20 percent
you 6 months. 10 percent, for example Westwood which is a company
After studying at the Musicians' Union and at the Society very large asks you for 50 percent that is already an abuse Fran-
of Authors and Composers, Tere participated in several bands of clearly, then it's like I've never found the perso-
rock like Foliage, Bajan Corner, Subterranean Eden and others, and not suitable; when I have had assistants, suddenly
she realized that she didn't want to be anyone's backup singer or sell her they don't rise to the occasion, ultimately because they are not prepared.

creativity, which is why he formed his solo project that includes Most of the time I'm busy dealing with the hassles of the...
to date six music productions: Blue transiting tion as a cultural promoter, and it is what it is, because in the end-
in violet (1990), Desert tunnels (1992), Journey to the center of your I live from playing, I don't live from selling books, the
being(1994) and Close Encounters with Me(1997), Lottery of strong wool sweaters are from the concerts and above all
pasiones(2003) y En vivo(2006). En 1998 forma parte del pro- from concerts at festivals, cultural centers and universities
Women's in Flight project, which continues until 2004. data, where they pay you more than being training; not for me
I like it, right now with my little boy, I can't be training. it was a high-risk pregnancy, I only did one.
Yes, I could, but it is very difficult because you finish at 3. turn to Tabasco, so it did serve as a cushion and everything, but
tomorrow and I have to go for my son the next morning, it's not my hit, as they say, I prefer to play my own, present the
So, it's heavier for me. And, in a club, you don't... book, present the documentary about my journey, which is coming
and what you earn on a festival date, which is 5 or 6 times on my disc, I prefer to do that and play with my band than to be
More than what you get out of a club, it is also very heavy. playing in a bar, which is less heavy but not too dis-
For a time we were working in a restaurant that I'm just saying because at some point it might be a little thing.

call Melé but with a project named Jackzz, which are Sociologist, writer, composer, and performer, obviously.
recycled jazz classics, they are jazz standards, you enjoy all the facets you possess, but if you had to choose
blues and rock. But there, feel the vibe of working as a musician If you could only have one, which would you choose and why?

in a bar where you feel the decor, no one pays attention to you and no one Sing, because singing heals the soul. Even if they take me away.
applauds you, but you're also just belittling yourself a bit in the the instrument if I were confined to a cell nobody would me
Read or just a little badass in the voice and no one to smoke you. For me can remove the taste for singing. And this activity has saved me
it was very exhausting, I tell my husband, who also plays. to get to a psychiatric hospital. For me, it's a matter of life or
with me, I prefer the concerts where people come to see you death. Before entering the operating room to give birth to my son
to you, where you are the main event. I sang to him until they put me under anesthesia. When I sang-
You already know they are coming because they want to see you... you tease, improvise, play with music. My voice is my companion- 45
You feel part of the furniture. There were good people. in the good times and the bad.
that was approaching and I was grateful for it, because it was in a time When you left with a backpack and guitar in hand to Europe,
I was waiting for my son and I couldn't go on tours because of that. without knowing anyone and without the advances of the Internet, only with

Hello Estrada
 a contact phone book, how did you see the different- in a bookstore, under the car, what is the main place and that
musical ties between Europe and Mexico, and especially in the aspect it inspires me to think about what kind of music, for example, The Queen
Regarding rock women and discrimination, is there more here than there or is it the same? from the stripper a very old song, I had made it when
The macho attitude still exists, I remember the comment- I was with foliage in '89, but then I resumed the text, already
river in Norway from a low teacher: 'it's that my students I gave it another polish and when I finished I said - no, this one is ...
they are afraid to dedicate themselves to the bass because they fear not to seem like it from the outskirts, for it must be like a dixie danzón; to-
sufficiently feminine with their boyfriends" Come on! But it's the first song I composed with the mandolin.
as if taking away from them what? "I'm not going to play the bass because that's I still haven't written any songs with the banjo, but
it's going to take points away with my boyfriend,” very strange things, they were I'm just getting the hang of the instrument. I...
general comments. What is true is that in Europe, I love poetry, but I don't want songs that are too rhetorical.
aunque si hay una cultura mucho mas desarrollada sobre todo rich or thick, full of metaphors that you cannot understand
In England, the showbiz thing is one thing, here, the nothing, I'm not into that idea; poetry is very beautiful, but I think that
cultural festivals, the big ones are like the medium ones over there, the words weigh so much that if you add music to them you are already lost

even, socially the value you hold as a musician there yes I also like to be direct and concise. The difficult part of the job.
is much more respected than here, here if you are a musician people It's how in such few words you say so much. I also don't inte-
you ask what else do you do?, I mean it's your hobby. And not everything they are catchy worship songs, yes you can have them, but
46 the world lives in Europe by touch, as one would think. And then? What comes next? My songs are like little his-
What inspires you to write, are they your experiences? stories, short tales, because a story must have its
Do you think about what you want to say to people or do you just write it and that's it? development, a story has its own process and a song does not, in
To write, there are almost always stories that suit me. a song with very little you have to say a lot, that's the challenge
I have friends and personal stories, and I have a little notebook. of the songs. After whether it rhymes, if it doesn't rhyme, if not them
where I am noting down what I would like to write. Right now for Do you want to do it with rhyme, with free verse, or do you want it to rhyme? Now.

for example, I know I want to write a song about bulimia, I recently discovered the rhyming dictionary and said: why
I haven't developed the topic, but there it is, and sometimes how Nobody told me there was a rhyming dictionary? I would have
I am asleep, that moment between being asleep saved so many troubles. And, listening to the work of other people
and wakes up, let's say at dawn, suddenly it comes to me like this the You also inspire me; Marcelo Alejandro inspires me a lot.
songs and it's like suddenly I am very clear about what I want Jaime López, Rafa Mendoza, evenArturo Meza, Rosa Catanes,
composers who are a generation above mine, like Pepe
write. With my novel, it happened to me, the novel is going to come accompanied-
Music score, it will be like the soundtrack of the novel; good Cruz. Listening to them makes you wonder how you achieved this? How

funny, so far I haven’t composed anything musically Did you manage to get these images? How did you manage to touch the heart of the...

talking. For the novel, everything has been writing, and suddenly- people? In my particular case, if I manage to get people to take ownership of

You know, a week or so ago, I had the clarity of which song is going to my songs I've already fulfilled, for whatever you feel like, for
go to the end. I am like an urban chronicler, so I am going make love, to sleep, to lull your children, to wash
collecting stories from anywhere, I am like a minstrel of the the dishes, but that people appropriate them, because that is their
galaxies, which continues to share stories of those that committed, going to whores as Jaime López says .
find, but not just in Mexico, everywhere to the Traveling throughDesert Tunnels, transitioning from blue to
What are you doing? It's like an exercise, just a matter of jotting down. violet for aLottery of Passionsuntil reaching the center of
the original idea and then let it develop; and of You are: from your 6 albums I couldn't choose a song co-
repente, cuando menos te das cuenta, ya terminaste la can- my favorite,The trout rapit is the desperate cry
Almost always I write the text, and since I have the lyrics... to eliminate the violence suffered by women in the home,
So what should I add, how can I embellish it, if I want a blues, Close encounters with meshow the true Tere
I want to make a soul, I want to make a jazz, what inspires me through beautiful rhetorical figures andEnchantress Sirenes
Lyrics to put as a merengue, let's say, what color, if it is to the your journey through stormy but delightful seas, what are they?
interior, where the scene takes place, so to speak, in a bathroom, your favorite songs?
 Hey guys, my anthem and those who have followed my journey. To get to the Mexican Institute of Youth was all
years ago know why. Talks about that girl who an odyssey. First, I went to some publishers where they told me
wants to be authentic, is afraid but takes the risk even though Is there any female rocker who has died from an overdose, like...?
he has to tear the lines of his body. Quicksand Janis Joplin? Or did they really want to talk about Alejandra Guzmán?
because it fills me with spirit in dark times. Siren and from Gloria Trevi. I rebelled. I didn't want to make a book about that
sorceress because she speaks of the voice to seduce and the voice to
type. We all have dark stories, but that was not the case. Ha-
set limits. Springs of bonanza the singing at wakes or I was going to talk about their contributions, about their achievements, but too-
births, it is more mystical, I recorded that a cappella with
well of those who deserted. I remained faithful to the project. I waited... I continued
Women on the run and other singers like Verónica Ituarte, Paty
gathering material. Then I don't know how I got to the address of
Carrión, Betsy Pecanins and Nina Galindo. Moving to the suns a
publications from CONACULTA where they in turn referred me to
I throw everything that is no longer useful into the trash including
Mexican Institute of Youth and there I was able to publish my work
the inherited guilt of the grandmothers.
thanks to the support of José Antonio Pérez Islas. In 2002 the peri-
Why writeSirens on the attackHow does it begin?
Paty Berumen told me that the book was really great and that it was worth it.
that long journey of searching in the nonexistent history of the
the pain of publishing it with a bigger publisher. They recommend-
women in the rock of our country?, I guess you had to break down
to bar various walls... I give with Rafael Muñoz, a friend of his who worked at Océa-

When I started in rock in the late eighties, I No. The book waited for a ruling and when I was on tour for
47
I realized that we were very few. In 1991, I organized a festival. Europe called me to sign a contract. I don't even remember it anymore.

which was called YoRockera at the University Museum of Chopo. But it was under review. I waited six years to see it published.
We participated in 12 projects. When I graduated as a sociologist in I fell out with this publisher. I made three versions and decided to close it.

At that same time, I told my committee members that my next obstacle- in 2006 for it to be 50 years of rock history in
the research was going to be about rock women. Never ima- Mexico. It seems easy, but patience was something I had to
I thought it would take me ten years. I became like a detective, cultivar.
following the trail of ghosts. An active musician from a certain How does Tere Estrada define herself as a woman?
period, she gave me names, sometimes phone numbers. Interviewing them was Passionate, persevering, supportive, warm.
the most striking. If I have not deserted in my musical career Do you think the man-woman issue has been paired up in
it is because knowing the stories of the other mermaids has given me the Mexican music scene?
strength. If they could in worse circumstances, why not There are good interpreters on bass or guitar, whichever you are.
Should I be able to? This research work is a tribute to A good interpreter has nothing to do with whether you have a penis or
life to all those who dared to swim against the current
you have ovaries.
you in the turbulent waters of rock.
Or with the voice, as you say in your book, there are women who have-
For you, what do you think is the main contribution of the book?
in the very deep voice and it is not known if it is really a man or
You can do several readings. Do you want to know about histo-
woman until they are seen...
What about rock in Mexico? Do you want to know about women winning?
about spaces of power?, are you interested in knowing about the discourse of
Yes, they have long hair and painted lips, but

the rockers? There is something for everyone’s tastes, aromas, and postures. It is
There are also guys who paint their lips and leave their heads

inclusive: it brings discography by decades and appendices of you can tell by the breasts and the hips that

rockers and managers who were left out. those girls. Playing an instrument well has nothing to do with

How easy is it to edit a book in Mexico? In your case, being a man or a woman, having ovaries or having testicles, no
Mermaids Attackfirst emerged from the Mexican Institute of has nothing to do with it.

youth, and then you make a big jump to Editorial Océa- But do you think people really no longer take it into account?
No, a very large and recognized publishing house, several authors with So, are you no longer interested in which gender they belong to?

a long career is not published so easily and less Many people think that if you are a woman you do not have the ability

For publishers of such magnitude, how do you achieve it? city to play, they think you are a good singer but
 up to there and they think you are mediocre as a musician. report, you become an observer and that helps you for the
There is always a prejudice about how good an interpreter you can be. songs.
that remains. In our meeting for my research project, I
And do you think it will change? you mentioned that you are working on a novel that will include a
We have lived with machismo for so many years that it has- soundtrack, that is to say an album with songs that will serve as
Programming it is not going to happen in 50 years, it's not that easy, maybe. support for the story, how did this idea come about?

We will gain ground as we become more. The first edition of my book Sirens to the Attack is coming
the more girls there are in the rock scene, the less you stop being accompanied by a CD that I took on the task of compiling.
strange bug. second edition with Océano comes without a disc, but it is possible
In your opinion, has the number increased? get it at Ediciones Pentagrama. That's why I was inspired to the
The guys and the girls are more prepared. idea of showcasing these two creative facets in a project of
improved the musical level of young groups. There is no other. novel with soundtrack.
More than the hours sitting down, there is this myth that I hang one. I understand that this book you are writing is
guitar, I let my hair down, I put on some piercings and I'm already inspired by the life of the singer Sola, am I correct?
a really cool rocker, but it doesn't matter, what they don't drink This book is inspired by the rockers of the sixties.
It considers the kids who watch MTV and Telehit the false idea of seventy who opened a gap between them: Sola, Gilda Méndez and
48 the rockstars, that they are millionaires and do not see the true ofi- She Laboriel.
the musician's butt and the hours you have to dedicate to it Does your novel have a title yet? If not, have you thought about it?

this. Female instrumentalists do not have to play well, some possible?

they have to play really well for people to respect them, For now, I can't give you the name because it is being
shoe last with which you measure men is more fle- decreed for publication. But as soon as it comes to light
flexible than the one you measure women with. We will make a promotional campaign to make it known.
Do you consider yourself a feminist? You can check my website: where all will appear
I am a feminist in the sense that I fight for better spaces. details.
cios for women. When will we be able to delight in your music and writing?
Who are your favorite female rockers? with this new project?
Etta James, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin is wow!, Tori For being preparing a new project called Las
Amos, Tracy Chapman, Susan Vega, Joni Mitchell, what do you think? centennial composers, I paused the soundtrack of
many composers, I like singers like Joan Jett. my novel. I am very glad that my friend Rosina Conde,
like jazz ones such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sara Voga, can you give me writer and singer, standing strong against cancer and
but I love to be fascinated and by groups I like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, I can read what helped me to get started. I believe that even the
The Rolling, Queen, punchy sounds haha, and of a woman- 2011 will be in circulation.
Mexican networks, Betsy (Pecanins), I love her very much, Cecilia ¿Cuáles son tus libros favoritos?, ¿qué géneros prefieres
Toussaint, Nina Galindo, Hebe Rossell, Baby (Bátiz), Eugenia read and why?
León, who is more inclined towards popular music, Mayita I think you change your tastes over the course of
Campos, I like the color of your voice, your interpretation and Sola, your life. My first book was The Diary of Anne Frank. As a child, I
the singer who has already died but had a privileged voice. I loved everything about Greek mythology. Then I discovered ...
What other passions do you have besides music? Agatha Christie, Ibargüengoitia, Cortazar,García Márquez,
I love to cook, write, read, and I like to go to the movies still. Pacheco, Rushdi, Fernando del Paso. The novels are fascinating.
that with my son I can hardly travel, meet people, go to places nantes because you explore other universes. Regarding essays
I have never been, chatting with people after the con- going after everything that has to do with folk music
certain, arriving at a place and connecting with the local people, I am and especially rock.
a good busybody, as a good daughter of journalists, the who, how- How do you define yourself, Tere Estrada is a workaholic and you are

and where you bring it to the marrow, then I love it multifaceted, independent, and entrepreneurial. Alongside your
novel with soundtrack, are you working on any album? potential clients for my concerts that I am composing,
new? What projects do you have in the pipeline? seeing or singing. I am my own manager, I live off my
The project The composers of the centennial, a journey through concerts, my singing classes and the sale of my records and
la música y la lírica de las compositoras mexicanas en 100 books. Since my son was born, I do my creative work
years since the Revolution to the present day. I asked for support stealing time from the night, until the body can take it.
I went to Fonca and they didn't give it to me, so I'm looking for support. There are those who think that contracts and projects arise
I for other sides to finalize a book, a disk and to do by osmosis or by magic. You have to have a tole-
a tour around the Mexican Republic. We had a cancellation huge rage at frustration. Do you know how many rejections...
In Ciudad Lerdo, it was ugly, because I had never been canceled. but daily? There can be dozens. But that doesn't stop me.
side a date due to drug trafficking problems. Not long ago I can feel bad when a singing class gets canceled or
some boys died in the area and there is an atmosphere of violence a show because they decided to hire someone for free (never
a unpleasant situation for everyone. The mayor decided to cancel us the scabs are missing). But you learn to have a plan b and plan c,
me and others. Anyway... the hardships of the trade. This 2010 all my Well, up to plan D. I can't stay crying and feeling
energy is in this project. pity for myself. I close my eyes, breathe, and ask for serenity
Thanks to your music and the book ofMermaids to the Attackhas to find other paths. We are so important the
served as inspiration to many women, showing them the artists in society even though sometimes we have to deal with
winding path to travel within the arts, but I buy cultural promoters who have barely read soap operas. 49
telling them through your success that it can be achieved, how does it make you feel? How do you convince someone that your work is worth it, that
feel this? You deserve respect, to be heard, to be read, to be promoted? I will fight for it.

People don't see what is behind: the hard work. I spend a lot of like a lioness through my works, having the absolute conviction
more hours in the day sending emails and talking on the phone with that deserve dissemination.

Lourdes Domínguez
 KARLATORRESCARRANZA and works by Richard Wagner, Ludwig van Beethoven
Come and from Sergio Berlioz. The participation was counted on

E
On November 28, 2009, the city performance of the soloist Enrique Castillo on the piano.
from Puebla was witness to the world premiere
50 This concert took place in San Pedro Mu-
dial of the 3rd Symphony of the great composer
art SEO, which since 2002 has the purpose of
bull and director Sergio Berilos, who also served
host temporary exhibitions of various themes
as guest conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of
issues and times in addition to having an exhibition
Puebla. The program was divided into two parts, includ-
permanent that presents a sample of the different
tas etapas históricas tanto del edificio como de los
services provided to the city.
The event started with the opening of the opera
Singers' Masters of Nuremberg by Richard Wag-
The script is inspired by the ancient tradition.
of a brotherhood of singers and poets, who
they participated in complex competitions related to
the singing and poetry in this German city-
The argument tells the story of Walther, a jo-
Come, gentleman, seeking the love of Eva, daughter of
a jeweler, participates in these contests in which
they consider Beckmesser their main rival, a fun-
a lesser dictionary that also aims for Eva.
The second work performed was Concerto for
Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in B-flat major Op.
often known as Emperor Ludwig van Bee-
thoven. This piece was composed during the occup-
Napoleonic Passion in Vienna in 1809. The origin of

Photograph taken by Alejandro Zumaya

The nickname of the Emperor is not clear, what is certain is remains of the shipwreck, which the composer explains co-

that Beethoven did not give him that nickname. In this goose- I hear a funeral march in a pulse of three beats.

The pianist Enrique Castillo Reyes of origin pos, representing the difficult years he lived through
poblano, who brought the piano to life with an interpretation- 2005-2007. FinallyDance for life, which is
Impeccable station. a celebration of and for life, with everything that
At the end of the intermission, two works followed. this offers. This piece was dedicated to the artist.
composed and directed by Sergio Berlioz. This per- Tico Leonardo Neirman, who was present.
Sonaje is not only the composer of almost half a hundred. Sergio Berlioz explains that both the works and
works, executed and awarded, national and Leonardo himself has been a stimulus for his
internationally, but also a winner of the Pre- music.
my National Journalism 1989. Besides being At the end of such a function, there was a toast in
recipient of decorations in the Czech Republic small committee, where prominent figures were present
ca, Hungary and Israel, is the founder of the Con- Ensemble personalities. Teacher Sergio Berlioz proposed a

independent temporary. Has given more than 3000 a toast of gratitude to those present and made in- 51
conferences apart from jobs for the radio and the delivery of the score of the symphony The skins of the

television. It has 28 years of experience here- memorial plastic artist Leonardo Nierman, which
It was a very emotional moment.
academic.
The Zarabanda for strings, Op. 43, was the piece
that opened the second part of this concert. According to

words of the composer himself, the zarabanda is

an ancient Spanish dance of oriental origin, the
which reaches its definitive form in the centuryXVI. In
in this work, the author explains that it is divided into three

parts, A/B/AB, which correspond to HIM and HER,

a masculine theme and a feminine one, which at
final conclude in a communion of souls, in a
declared song of and for love.
To finish and close with a flourish, we
premiered Symphony No. 3, Op. 38, The Skins of the Me-
moria, made up of three movements: The boat
at sea, the wreckage and dance for
life. Quoting the author, this symphony in its three
movements encompasses three essential moments of
his life. In the first, The boat in the open sea, he makes

reference to the birth of her daughter, alluding to the

importance given to life and its destiny. The
Photograph taken by Alejandro Zumaya