Casa La Familia closed down

For four years 'Casa La Familia' had been La Gomera's best and most popular music venue, meeting point and social club for residents and visitors alike. Their regular live music events, flea markets, and parties were always well attended and many visiting musicians and artists found a great welcome and an open stage. Casa La Familia also had a very important role to play when it came to feeding the poor as well as giving shelter and showers to homeless people, and serving to break down barriers by just providing a peaceful and relaxed space where all were welcome.

Some people in La Gomera were critical, some were jealous that live music and drinks could be enjoyed without a licence, and some just wanted the place shut down as it was just too much of 'the free spirit' for them. Most of the population here just 'lived and let live' and many enjoyed the facilities and events under the peace banner themselves and it even became a new tourist attraction for Valle Gran Rey.

In the end Vera, the lady who initiated the idea and rented the former car hire facilities, could not get the lease renewed after same had expired earlier this year. However, the local owners, who always had been supportive of her ideas, let her continue until this month without charge to finish the season. Now Vera wants to move on and a few days ago all the decorations and facilities were taken down by her and an army of volunteers, all to be scrapped. Even the kitchen and the stage were dismantled and the place is back to how she found it. Bye bye Casa La Familia !

Rumour has it that the owners now want to remodel the property into a proper bar and music venue which is supposedly to be opened there later this year.

A big thank you to valiant Vera for four years of great events, and for her caring, unpaid social services. Vera has made Valle Gran Rey a better place.

Full house at a singer/songwriter night        (Images: Casa La Familia)

Live music returning to Valle Gran Rey

Guitars are for playing - not shelving !
...nice idea, though, spotted in a bar in V.G.R.

There's been a notable and most welcome increase in small live music gigs all around Valle Gran Rrey on La Gomera lately. Some bars such as 'Ramiro's' at the bus station in La Calera, the Cacatua in Vueltas, Manolo's bar 'Teguerguenche' in La Puntilla and the Gomera Lounge in La Playa (they even invested in sound proofing) are hosting live music fairly regularly again and other bars and restaurants have followed suit. La Gomera's best and most eclectic live venue is once again the social club 'Casa La Familia' where they now hold concerts and spontaneous sessions as private parties, but all are welcome to attend and become members for the night. This cosmopolitan place is just off the main track towards the statue along the beach in La Playa, up a bit beside a rough looking builder's yard. Their facebook page usually lists the main events and highlights the bohemian atmosphere with a distinct 70's hippy touch. You never know what may happen there musically, and a few years ago I met a well known jazz musician from the US who joined an impromptu session in dusty Casa La Familia in his expensive suit and was very happy to have found live music in those days when it had almost died here due to the repressive interpretation of some regulations which made it almost impossible to play music.

Local musicians still find it hard though to get paying gigs and legendary music bar and meeting place Bar Maria is still closed and for sale. Also some bars and venues remain fearful of a sometimes over-enforced law and/or punctilious and jealous  neighbours.

The once very promising Valle Luna Festival is still not happening officially again this year, but many musicians and groups such as the 'Gomera Street Band' will descend into Valle Gran Rey in February again this year and will surely find spots and venues to treat us to their performances. 

Overall it appears that the situation has greatly improved but it still is not back to the times when the slogan for the island was 'La Gomera es Musica !'. It is time to take the dust off the 'Musicians Welcome' signs - after all it simply is good business and most tourists and visitors are forever asking for live music.

We're keeping our fingers crossed while enjoying a bit of music again...

I've newly included an Events tab in my menu bar above. This will direct you to a website listing some events on La Gomera. It is not a complete list of events here and i found it to contain some errors (e.g. location of bars, etc), but hopefully they will correct that and improve this welcome service. 

Three kings - three concerts

Casa La Familia is just a couple of hundred yards down the coast road (and then up a bit on left) from La Playa towards the statue in Valle Gran Rey . The last band on poster comes from Sweden.

Some tips for New Year's Eve

Spanish guitarist Ulises, one of the
musicians who will be playing at
the Cacatua bar  on New Year's Eve

There's plenty of entertainment to welcome the new year on La Gomera during 'Noche Vieja' (literally 'old night', i.e. New Year's Eve). The main fiestas will be in the larger towns' squares and in Valle Gran Rey it is the turn of the Plaza San Pedro in La Playa with two bands playing until 6am. In the capital the town's main square will fill up for the music around midnight.

Usually people ring in the new year with 12 grapes, one for every month of the coming year and a glass of cava (Spanish champagne) at midnight, often after a meal in a restaurant. Most restaurants will have special set menus which should include the grapes and a glass of bubbly. But do book early as they will fill to capacity.

There will be many open private and public parties and live music gigs in Valle Gran Rey, e.g. in the Cacatua the beer garden there''ll be live music and in its upper bar a DJ. It's situated in the harbour village of Vueltas, generally the most lively area at night. There's always a surprise in store at the now famous and best music venue of VGR, the Casa La Familia, a social club complete with camp fire and an alternative bohemian flair, which you'll find a bit hidden just off the main  road along the beach in La Playa. There's many more options all over Valle Gran Rey and I'm sure you'll be able to find them as you will hear them.
Some parties only get really going after midnight and continue until the early hours of the 1st of January, so make sure you have a good siesta-nap during the day before you go out...