This month on the Metropolitan Culture Corner, we interview blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Santos Puertas. Originally from the Catalan town of Sant Just Desvern, he spent time in Texas, North Carolina and other parts of the US, absorbing the language of blues, country and folk music. He has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of American roots music, and has gained the respect and admiration of top musicians in the genre.
While he has collaborated with a number of well-known names, his main projects include his trio, Triple Santos, and The Suitcase Brothers: a duo with his brother Victor Puertas, also a singer and a virtuoso harmonica player. The two have attracted international attention for their live performances as well as their songwriting; they composed the soundtrack for multiple Goya Award-winning documentary film El Bola by director Achero Mañas. They just released their fifth album, Love, Truth and Confidence, a tribute to the Piedmont Blues duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, to whom the brothers have often been compared.
Last month we went behind the scenes with model, actress and stuntwoman, Helena Mankowska. Originally from Poland, she has made her home in Barcelona for the past several years. Since then, Helena has appeared in commercials and ad campaigns, as well as various short films and music videos. She was the stunt double for actress Mila Jovovich of The 5th Element and Resident Evil fame in Jovovich’s latest movie, Paradise Hills, but it was Helena’s latest role as a face model for the character of Lady Dimitrescu in the Resident Evil Village video game by Capcom that brought her international recognition.
Stay tuned to Metropolitan’s YouTube channel and social media to make sure you don’t miss a single episode of our monthly interview series! You can also watch the full archive of previous interviews on our official YouTube channel, or listen to all the MCC interviews as free podcasts on Soundcloud. Be sure to follow Metropolitan on Facebook: @BCNMetropolitan, Twitter: @bcnmetropolitan and Instagram: @barcelonametropolitan.