Where are they now? The guerilla band "Torogozes de Morazan' still out there (lo-fi mono)

6Mb 64kbps. mono 32 kbps  25 minutes

Mayday 2009 in San Salvador - still buzzing enough to catch a 6:am bus to Morazan where I had an interview with another living legend -  Felipe 'Torogoz', the founder and songwriter for the guerilla band 'Los Torogozes de Morazan'  - Morazan being the 'liberated zone' during the Salvadoran civial war and  'Los Torogozes' being the 'official' guerilla band for  the FMLN and radio Venceremos. Felipe claims that he was 'just another guerilla' (and before the formation of the FMLN, an activist), but was coopted into forming a guerilla musical group when a Spanish journalist overheard him making up a song during a moment of relaxation by a riverside. The journalist persuaded the guerilla commandante to get Felipe to recruit a guerilla band, and the rest is history.

Felipe was a bit burnt out after doing two gigs back to back in villages over a hundred kilometres apart, to celebrate the inauguration of FMLN mayors, but we held the interview to the next day, and Felipe privileged community radio with an impromptu performance of the first song he ever wrote.

Oh ... and quite by chance, wandering around the village before my interview with Felipe, I came across a 'garage band' who turned out to be the sons and daughters of ex-combatants   - in fact, the lead singer turned out to be Felipe's son!