Antares (28)

Antares was a Bolivian psychedelic rock group that recorded an EP for the Bolivian label Lyra in 1972. The group was made up of Félix Chávez on guitar and vocals, Roy Vélez on bass and Boris Rodríguez on drums. About the band: After the dissolution of Loving Dark's at the end of 1969, drummer Boris Rodríguez and guitarist Félix Chávez decided to travel to Argentina after a long-awaited vacation; the group had been playing full time before their farewell, and the couple of friends thought they needed a break in the Mecca of South American rock. They wanted to know how the rock movement in Buenos Aires had been generated, and in that search they went to the bowling alley of a well-known blues musician, Billy Bond, where he used to improvise with the musicians present there. Bolivians improvised music with their Argentine peers, and given the excellent performance of the former, they were invited to join a group called Escala Real. Felix gave up, because he had to return urgently to Bolivia. On the other hand, Boris accepted, and at the beginning of the year '70 he already began to act in some Buenos Aires bowls next to that group of melodic repertoire with Italian language. By 1971, the drummer was observed by some somewhat extravagant musicians named Tokatlián, Santaolalla and Bordarampé, the future spiritual guides of Rainbow. He received an invitation to play with them at the Mar del Plata Festival of the same year, and the drummer simply couldn't believe it. From Bolivia he received news from his friend Felix, who advised him to stay in Buenos Aires, because in the local environment there had been no great news. In the middle of 1971, the Climax visited Boris to see him perform at the Orion Theater, and Félix Chávez, who had "sneaked in" on the trip, reminded his old friend of a project they had dug in those days when they both walked through the streets of the Argentine capital. Boris knew that he could not remain forever in Argentina. After finishing his studies in electronics, Boris returned to Bolivia in 1973. As soon as he stepped on La Paz, he contacted Felix to propose to execute his old plan. He accepted the proposal, and called an old low friend, Roy Velez, to join the duo. From the beginning, the musicians had agreed to go into experimentation with rock and native rhythms. They rescued the cadence of Yungueño tundiqui, and composed Tundiqui rock, an innovative song for the medium inspired by the music of Mexican Carlos Santana. They had discreet acceptance because it was a novelty, but as their presentations added up, the group gained recognition. One of its usual scenarios due to the Planet 2000 nightclub located next to the UMSA, where young foreign and local hippies crowded to witness the trio. But after recording their first and only album, the group dissolves as their drummer decides for a full time job at the university and the guitarist gets involved in another musical project. Antares ceased to exist in early 1974.