A six-member heavy-metal band from Cuba is seeking asylum in the United States. The story broke this week on Cafe Fuerte -- a blog with a special focus on Cuba and Miami. This is the most recent incident involving the foreign relations of rock.According to both Cafe Fuerte and the AFP, Hipnosis landed at the Miami international Airport on Monday. The group says their original intention was to perform in California, but during the layover in Miami they decided to defect. A number of reasons have been reported: economics, family in Miami, the fact that a Cuban government official came along for the trip.
This is the second time in just four months that Cuban-American relations have played out on the heavy-metal stage. In March, the South By Southwest music festival in Texas tried to host the band Escape for what was believed to be the first Cuban heavy-metal performance in the United States. But until the moment the band touched down in Miami the show was up in air. It ultimately took a U.S. Congressman and a grassroots group called UnBlock The Rock to help Escape arrive.