Rock With a Cause

From its inception, the musical genre known as rock en espanol has used its politically charged songs to challenge the establishment while championing a variety of worthwhile causes.

Fittingly, a handful of Latin rock bands will get together for a fund-raising concert benefiting the victims of the recent earthquakes in El Salvador. The show, Thursday at North Hollywood’s Salon Corona, is part of the weekly rock en espanol evenings put together by Al Borde, a Valley-based tabloid specializing in the burgeoning genre of Latin rock.

“The idea for this concert came from a couple of friends at Cal State Northridge’s Assn. of Central American Students,” explained 35-year-old Alicia Monsalve, who publishes Al Borde with her husband, Edgardo Ochoa. “We were happy to help them organize the event.’

The show will feature performances by groups Viernes 13, Blues Experiment, Los Villains and Rascuache.

“You could say this is a ska punk evening, since all of these bands are influenced by that specific genre,” she said.

Monsalve said it is natural for these young groups to volunteer their talent to help their Latino brothers.

“The rock en espanol movement has always been linked to sociopolitical issues,” she said.

That these groups make little money has not stopped them from wanting to help. More popular artists usually refrain from offering their talent for free.

“Independence gives you that possibility,” Monsalve said with a smile. “You are not a dependent part of the music industry and its machinery. Maybe the big stars would like to do something like this, but they’re surrounded by managers and record label people who would never allow them to do it.”

Fierce independence is something Monsalve considers to be a key element of her magazine’s editorial line.

“We chose to print it like a newspaper, so that it would be cheaper to produce and we could give it away for free,” she said. “We focus on giving our readers information about the movement without any attached interest whatsoever.”

“To provide this information, the magazine has enlisted an enviable list of collaborators, including specialized columnists in Argentina, Peru, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

‘The nice thing about [Al Borde] is that it has nothing to do with our personal motives,’ Monsalve said. “Once it captured the attention of the fans, it took on a life of its own.”

BE THERE

Viernes 13, Blues Experiment, Los Villains and Rascuache perform Thursday at 8 p.m. at Salon Corona, 11700 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood. Tickets: $10. Call (818) 830-7722.