The musician reflected on his career and the influence of his neighborhood on his music. He spoke from his space “El Peñón de Toby” until his arrival at the Kirchner Cultural Center and celebrated the award ceremony for the film “El Último Tango”, where he participated.
Toby Villa He is a talented musician and bandoneon player originally from the La Cumbre neighborhood, with a career that spans many years in the world of music. Throughout his musical life, he has generated and reinvented spaces for collective music, promoting collaboration between artists and the exchange of ideas. In the air of Cacodelphiathe musician left some phrases that define him: “Walking, we make the paths”, “We continue doing what we can”, “Trying to define myself is caging myself a little” and “The good thing is that a lot of people are being disconcerted”.
The musician presents on Thursday the 10th at Estación Provincial “Toby’s Rock”a space created to share and enjoy. ““The rock is a refuge that we invented to celebrate and confirm that we are here and we can meet to gather strength,” counted Villa. Furthermore, he announced that in this framework he will present the same repertoire that he will perform in the Kirchner Cultural Center.
At the Provincial Station they will be presented Ezequiel Torena, El Pedregullo and La Siempre Alegre. In addition, Clavelina Gómez, Héctor Pérez, Morro Corbalán and Sol Salto will dance. “The Provincial Station is beautiful, it is a space from which one has many memories, since they are one of those places in the city that knew how to burn in the early hours of La Plata”said.
At the CCK
Recently, Toby Villa He achieved a significant achievement in his musical life: his arrival at the Kirchner Cultural Center (CCK), a recognized space of great importance in the Argentine cultural panorama. This achievement is a testament to their perseverance, effort and dedication over the years. The musician will perform there next Wednesday, October 16, within the framework of the Peña Federal, which is organized together with the Network of Cultural Houses. In this Peña, four outstanding artists from various parts of the country are presented.
“It is a call for four bands from the four cardinal points and I entered through Patagonia, because I live in those parts (…) They chose me from more than 100 registered people from all over the country and that is a great joy. The site workers were able to put this space together and we are happy to be there; “They are spaces that must be occupied,” he added.
“I feel great joy being there. I better not be playing at La Ballena Azul, but we already put our foot in it and that’s something I knew was going to happen at some point. That’s why I feel happy, and the people who accompany me also feel that joy, because we are all street artists who come to one of the most important cultural centers in Latin America. And that’s no small feat, so I’m very happy. In some way, this shows that we can occupy those places”he expressed.
The Intergalactics
This Friday the 11th, in Ensenada, the musician hangs up his electric guitar and goes on stage with “Los intergalacticos”, a group with which he is recovering some of the material that was part of his first musical period. “Now we returned to rock and continued with the bandoneon, something I wanted to do for a long time. “Things that happen without expecting them, by chance”said.
“A friend from the neighborhood, old Moreno, told me one day: ‘Become a soloist because with that you’ll go to the grave.’ And he was somewhat right. Groups are beautiful, but sometimes it is difficult to sustain them. Therefore, I seek to manage this project with the same logic as ‘La tipica del cosmos’, that is, that it contains that movement of members depending on where they are, and that we can go up and play whoever is there. “That’s what keeps us on the pulse,” said the musician.
“I’m recording songs that we did 25 years ago and that I want to show because they were never recorded; Solar Preacher songs that were not recorded and some that were not even played. We are with old friends with whom we began to walk: Manu and Fabricio Córdoba, with whom 30 years ago we played together; There is also Pablo ‘El Diente’ Arguello, who was 15 years old when we played and who today is part of Straños del Universo. That is, it is a performance from the La Cumbre neighborhood. Because the neighborhood is always present”he said.
the last tango
Recently, “The Last Tango”the film by Santiago Pacheco, won the award for Best Dance Film 2024 at the Austrian Film Festival. The musical direction of the film was carried out by Toby Villa, who contributed his style to enhance the visual narrative through music.
“In the film I put some compositions and also some arrangements. So, the award is another great joy, because I understand that they are voting for tango, which is one of our music. It is the genre that represents us in the world, along with folklore and bandoneon,” said the musician. He also highlighted his teacher, Pucho Corali, who has played in the Miguel Caló Typical Orchestra. “Together with Jorge Pinchevsky they were two teachers that I have crossed paths with”said.
The essence of the neighborhood
When asked about how La Cumbre, his neighborhood, has influenced his music and style, the musician assured that he found his roots there. “30 years ago we played at the neighborhood club on July 9: That’s where the wheel began to turn,” he assured.
“20 years ago, I was 24 years old and, with Yamil Salvador, we were producing the album for Pinchevsky, who had recorded in the Pink Floyd studios, had toured the world and was the founder of national rock. Today I realize that the wheel continued to turn and that is why things arrive that have to arrive at the right time. That’s why I say that I walk without expectations; I know I have to walk because music alone is not going to be heard“, said. And he added: “We are very happy because we are seeing how the seeds we have sown are bearing fruit. That’s why we don’t have to lower our arms.”
“Old Moreno, who is an old rascal, told me that if I wanted to walk, I had to be 50 percent a musician and 50 percent a manager, because no one was going to come knocking on the door. “That phrase resonated with those youth who began their musical life in that neighborhood where those stories told in popular music are spoken.” said Villa. “That’s why, when they once asked me what music I identify with, I realized that the music that identifies me is what I make, what I come up with, and what I lived in that neighborhood.”.
