f From the ‘Patio’ to the ‘Agency’: The emergence and structuring of metal music in revolutionary Cuba

Rock and metal music have a long and problematic history in Cuba. Considered counter-revolutionary during the 1960s, rock would raise eyebrows in Cuba. Later during the 1980s, metal music would be even more concerning for the local government. Both would be considered an affront to the revolutionary ‘New Man’. Still, the Island has the strongest metal scene in the Caribbean. How could this happen? This article aims to familiarize readers with how Cuba’s metal went from being an organic community-based endeavour to a State-sponsored entity and to discuss some of its potential tensions. In order to achieve this aim, we report data from our ethnographic observation and ten in-depth qualitative interviews with fans, musicians, scholars and culture-related government officials. We discuss the emergence of ‘María’s Patio’ as an organic metal community and highlight its role in Cuba. Furthermore, we discuss how this process led to the emergence of the State-sponsored Cuban Rock Agency and its potential tensions moving forward.