100 concerts in... the Hostalets of Balenyà

Barcelona"It was amazing to have musicians like John Cale and Jackson Browne playing in a village in Osona with about three thousand inhabitants," recalls Miquel Solà. The village is Hostalets de Balenyà, and Solà is one of the people behind KOK, the Koncerts Organizing Committee, a non-profit association that has been doing exactly that since 1994: putting on musical performances. This Sunday, December 14th, they reach their 100th concert, and to celebrate the occasion, they have the band Dharma Electric Company, who will perform two sets, at 5 pm and 7 pm, at Rockòdrom, the multipurpose hall of a building designed by architects Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós. The choice of this group makes perfect sense, because Dharma was one of the bands that participated in the first concert organized by KOK, on August 19, 1994, sharing the bill with Els Pets. "A group of young people from the town took advantage of a town council meeting to demand rock concerts," recalls Solà. And with the support of the Councilor for Culture (Toni Mas), the initiative began to take shape, initially linked to the summer and winter festivals.

As was happening in other towns across the country, the sound of the music venues was changing, and rock, especially Catalan rock, carved out a niche in the municipal programs. In Els Hostalets, this group of young people, "about thirty of them," quickly projected their passions and preferences onto the selection of bands. Lax'n'Busto, Umpah-pah, Sopa de Cabra, Ja T'ho Diré, and Gossos headlined some of the concerts in the early years. "But we also brought Loquillo in 1996, which was quite a resounding failure, with a smaller audience than expected," says Solà. Looking back, those early years of KOK are representative of what was happening in other towns across the country, but the turning point that distinguishes Els Hostalets came on January 24, 1999, with the concert by American musician Elliott Murphy, the first of many. Taking advantage of his tour of Spain every January, and after a very positive first experience, Murphy became a regular.

"Other musicians have also told us that performing in Barcelona or Madrid is much more high-profile than in Hostalets, but that the way we treat them makes them feel at home," says Solà. This is how they built a loyal following of artists like Willie Nile. "We had tried to book him several times, and he finally came when we least expected it: in September 2001, shortly after the attacks on the Twin Towers. He's a very endearing character," he says. Nile has performed seven times in the Osona town. Among the international artists who have also performed in Hostalets de Balenyà are Steve Wynn ("What an extraordinary concert he gave!"), Mark Olson, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Joe Gruszeski, Walter Salas-Humara, and the group Marah. Undoubtedly, one of the highlights was hosting a concert on January 12, 2007, as part of Leonard Cohen's Acords tour, a show organized by Alberto Manzano featuring musicians such as John Cale, Jackson Browne, Toti Soler, Santiago Auserón, Jabier Muguruza, Christina Rosenvinge, and Gerard Quinta.

Over the years, KOK has kept a close eye on emerging Catalan bands, such as Manel, who performed in 2009, having just released their first album, or Els Catarres, who before becoming Els Catarres were Wolfish, the name under which they gave a concert in Hostalets on the 2nd. They have also cultivated a loyal following for Joana Serrat, the grande dame of Americana from Osona, and have supported other artists from Osona, such as Roger Usart, "one of the best male voices in the region," according to Solà. "We organize things as fans, as people who love music, and we do it selflessly, for the love of art, and always respecting the musicians," says Solà.