Gina Vergel
Photo credit: Tom Stoelker
Tell us about you and your work
My name is Gina Vergel and I’m a Communications and Public Relations professional by day, and a music writer for the London-based Sounds and Colours, a field guide for culture, creativity and social issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, by night/whenever I have time!
I’m a former newspaper reporter turned communications pro for Fordham University in New York City. In my spare time, I like to tell others about cool Latin American and world music I love.
I delved into music writing and publicity in the last decade, believe it or not. I was going to los Carnavales de Barranquilla and had a chance to interview los musicos of La Verdad, the band that backed the late, great Colombian singer, Joe Arroyo. In looking for outlets to pitch, I was surprised there weren’t many covering South American music at all! But then I found Russ Slater at Sounds and Colours and began contributing to his wonderful online magazine. (Some of my earliest posts for S&C here.) As for working with different artists on publicity, Natalia Linares, aka Conrazón, tapped me to help her pitch a band she used to manage as they were going on tour. I’m forever grateful to her for connecting me to so many buena gente that I can writing about or help connect to others. The rest is recent history!
What inspires you?
My father’s love of music and zest for life and my mother’s hard-working ways (she’s 76 and still at it part-time) yet complete devotion to doting on her loved ones have always been an inspiration for me. I absolutely marveled at the way they came to this country in the 1970s to work 1 or 2 menial jobs a piece, all so we’d have a chance to have a better life. Despite putting in a hard eight to 16 hours at their jobs, they’d be home with a smile, each playing their favorite music or tv shows while cooking or doing things FOR US. For my dad, it was son, salsa and cumbia. For my mom, boleros.
Growth inspires me. Seeing others grow inspires me. I never thought I’d be at the age where it’s so important that those that come after me have MORE opportunities than I ever did. And I don’t have children! I’m talking about the artists and bands I’ve worked with, Making Movies from Kansas City, just to name one, and also, young family members, friends and strangers! I’m always thinking ‘What can I do to open doors for others, even if it’s an email introduction?’
Finally, movement inspires me. Whether it’s watching a bird fly across the sky, a dog chasing a squirrel, a yogi getting into a beautiful pose, or a musician absolutely smashing the keyboard he or she is playing, it inspires me to keep moving.
What does community mean to you?
Community these days… that’s a tough one. Not just because of the pandemic, which can make community seem small, but because of the internet, and the way it makes community seem big. For instance, I consider AFROTAINO to be part of “my community” of music lovers. Community is the amazing [mostly women] folks I’ve met through my interest in yoga and mindfulness. Community is my immediate neighbors in Brooklyn, whom I probably wouldn’t have talked to much had it not been for the pandemic and working from home.
Here in New York pre-COVID, the city was very “go, go, go!” and “Don’t stop until you get there!” and everything seemed rushed. Community isn’t just your pod of friends from industry, your family, your social group from your favorite hobby, but the stranger in the street you nodded your head to as you pass them in full face covering during a very tough time 2020 and 2021!
Favorite film
It’s always been very hard for me to narrow down one film or song that I call a favorite. I tend to have favorites in each style or genre. But, in order to pick one for the purpose of this feature, I’ll go with a spaghetti western from the 1960s my dad always had us watch: “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”
Favorite song
Again, tough to narrow it down, but a song I absolutely will never tire of is “En Barranquilla Me Quedo” by Joe Arroyo.
Favorite place
My favorite place is … outside. I have such an appreciation for being OUTSIDE pounding the pavement and appreciating my surroundings, whether that’s in New York City, Santa Marta, Colombia, Havana, Cuba, San Juan, Argentina, and the list of so many wonderful places I’ve gotten to live in or just travel to. Life is so short and I rather spend most of it getting fresh air outside, preferably with some great music playing as I’m out there.