There are people who have something special that distinguishes them from the rest. Many times, it is that jenesequoi that distinguishes people with similar abilities to stand out uniquely from the rest. It can be vision, it can be charisma, it can be determination. In the case of Ángel Martínez “Lito”, the businessman who changed the veteran concept of the festival in Galicia, not only adapting it to the times that were running, some that began to run a lot and that were going to leave a Spain totally unrecognizable from which It was barely two decades before, but rather becoming the spearhead of a change in the entertainment and music business that is still in force today, both in Galician festivals and in general.
The Galician verbena is a relatively unknown cultural phenomenon. Personally, I had no idea of the roots, deployment and depth of these summer festivals that are the protagonists of the Galician summer for those who do not spend only a few days in Sanxenxo for the summer. Neither of its influence on a musical, cultural and artistic level. Knowing this, projects like Ortiga’s or Baiuca’s are better understood, the connection between both sides of the Atlantic and their roots in Galicia owe a lot to orchestras whose repertoire was not lacking in tropical rhythms.
The story of “Lito” is one of those that perfectly represents Spain at the turn of the century. A subgenre of its own that, in Sonora, acquires a canonical vocation, the drawing of that time, the documentary and narrative effort that is being made from the ATRESMEDIA podcast platform to capture a defining momentum in the country in which we live today it will not be in vain. The documentary memory for the following generations, when you want to understand what we were on the brink of the second millennium, you can listen to it. “Verbena” thus adds to “Western” oa “F**** Perez” to look straight at the builders and destroyers of a way of understanding existence, business, and life.
The Panorama Orchestra or the Paris de Noia are fascinating phenomena from the point of view of music and entertainment. Lito is a fascinating phenomenon from a showbusiness point of view. As with many relevant and disruptive figures, questions arise, and above all, contradictory answers, which paint his portrait from admiration or contempt. “Verbena” collects both: it shows us Lito’s work as a renovator and reformer of the universe of the Galician verbena, developing incredible orchestras, which came to tour throughout the summer giving more than a hundred performances in just a few months, filling the squares and the halls. sports centers of color, music and hedonism. A businessman who professionalized the folkloric and who had an idea and knew how to carry it out. However, it also tells us about a man who did not bother to legalize his income, who developed client networks for his own benefit and his orchestras where income multiplied. Lito had so much money that he built a business empire around a popular phenomenon. Without paying the corresponding taxes, as usual.
“Verbena” is an enjoyable and enjoyable podcast that immerses us with style and grace in a fascinating universe narrating the story of the greatest of its priests. As we said, the charisma of the character Lito is essential for this, but even more so is the presence of a Carlangas (Novedades Carminha) who develops and narrates a podcast that would not be the same, not even remotely, without him. There are people who have something special, we said, and the Galician artist is one of them. It makes itself felt from the first bars, thanks to a professional and entertaining narration and locution, which dares to look at reality as it is, to take their own path from there. Everything that surrounds “Verbena”at the risk of sounding redundant, is special, and for that reason it has become one of the best podcasts of the year.