La Casa de la Bombilla Verde: A bar committed to Cuban trova music

There is no sign outside. A green lightbulb glows at the entrance to an apartment-turned-bar in Havana’s El Vedado neighborhood, and nothing more is required for it to fill up from Tuesday to Sunday. It owes its name to a song by Silvio Rodríguez and has hosted the majority of today’s Cuban trova musicians. The venue is not only famous for its bohemian atmosphere offering a good night out, but for providing a space for innovative Cuban contemporary music projects.

The owner is Guillen García and, although Basque, he has a deep love for Cuban culture and trova music. “I grew up in Spain listening to Silvio, Pablo, and as a youngster I became a fan of the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC (ICAIC Experimental Sound Collective). I always thought that Cuba, an island I visited for long periods since my youth, needed a venue that would provide a space for young trova musicians. I ended up falling in love and getting married in Havana a few years ago, and decided to create that space.”

With a small budget, Guillen bought an apartment on 11th Street, between 6th and 8th streets, in Vedado, and gradually transformed it into what it is today: a simple, welcoming space, where the commitment to good Cuban culture is the main dish.

“Our leitmotiv: the cultural project. The business allows everything to run better; but for me the main challenge has been to maintain our commitment to Cuban music, and I think we’ve managed it. This is a completely promotional venue. Artists shouldn’t have to pay to perform, nor do we offer them economic payment.”

Although the space was conceived to promote the latest trova musicians, it has managed to attract several established musicians. Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., La Casa de la Bombilla Verde has several fixed spots, including the weekly gigs on Tuesdays and frequent performances by trova musicians Roly Berrío and Oscar Sánchez. “We have a regular audience that usually turns up regardless of who is going to perform, and that helps on the days when we host less well-known artists,” Guillen notes.

“What I like about this venue is that magical things occur: we have seen musicians like Yusa singing, while Kelvis Ochoa joined the chorus, and Oliver Valdés played the cajón. We hosted a tribute to Santiago Feliú in which almost all of the members of Interactivo were on stage singing with Frank Delgado. I don’t believe this has happened by coincidence, but because an atmosphere has been created here that is really great for trova, where there is an audience that has come to listen, that is respectful and knows how to appreciate what they are seeing,” he assures.

The venue has also offered spaces for poetry, book launches, theater, video clips, film screenings, and has hosted activities organized by a range of Cuban cultural institutions. The walls of La Casa de la Bombilla Verde have also become a space for quality Cuban art, as Guillen reveals that he offers them to artists to display their works.

With green lightbulbs everywhere, and located on none other than 11th and 6th streets, like the song by Fito Páez, this venue will continue to offer opportunities for the best trova music produced in Cuba. To paraphrase Silvio Rodríguez, as you now know: Guillen and his team live “in the old house with the green lightbulb, if you pass by there, remember.”

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