Archive for February, 2010
3/23: “SPANISH ROCK AND ROLL ARMY” with performances by Maika Markovski, The Right Ons, & Amaral
The Right Ons – Look Inside, Now!
The most American sounding Rock n’ Roll band that isn’t from America — THE RIGHT ONS, are in fact from Madrid, Spain – and sing entirely in English. Drawing heavily on the Detroit Garage Sound, as well as funk and soul from the 60′s and 70′s, the band’s energetic live show has become legendary on the festival circuit in Spain.
“The quintet from Madrid, Spain is like a party in a box. They’re well-studied students of the classic Detroit garage rock sound, with bits of Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone thrown in as well. – TWANGVILLE
The band got together in 2006 and made their recording debut a year later with the record 80.81, named after the years that they were born. The Right Ons are: Alvaro Guzman (vocals, guitars), Rams Nieto (vocals, drums), Rafa Fernandez (guitars, vocals), Utah (bass, vocals), Martin Muniz (keyboards, percussion, vocals). The band has played nearly every festival in Spain, including Rock In Rio and Primavera Sound, and has toured with Reigning Sound, Ken Stringfellow, and The Bellrays, as well as an 8-week European tour supporting Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves.
“Live shows are our most effective weapon. We have played many gigs in all kind of conditions, and no matter if it’s in a 4 person capacity dive bar, or a packed stadium, we play the same way every night… exploding when we go on stage, trying to blow people’s minds.” says frontman Guzman.
After the band toured the US in the fall of 2008, they went to Q Division Studios in Boston to make a record with producer Ed Valauskas (Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves). They tracked the entire record live in just two weeks and the result is Look Inside, Now!, available for the first time in the US. The record features guest appearences by members of The Figgs and the Click 5.
“This is something that was meant to happen. We came in 2008 to Q Division to record Look Inside, Now! and it felt like home. Actually, better than home in some aspects. Good professional, kind people, great equipment, 110 ac volts…and nobody there asked us, ‘why don’t you sing in Spanish?’ which was refreshing.” says Rams.
In March, The Right Ons come back to the US and Canada to promote the North American release of Look Inside, Now! (out on Q Division Records March 23) They will be playing at Canadian Music Week as well as making their 3rd consecutive appearance at SXSW.
“The Rights Ons turned up the dial. I heard traces of Led Zeppelin and the Stooges in their sound, though they were totally modern. Sort of like Jet if they were out of Madrid, their youthful energy set the tone.” – BILLBOARD
“From track one to the end our feet couldn’t stop.” – ROLLING STONE
“Enormous riffs and groove with a style.” – ESQUIRE
AMARAL
Eva AMARAL, from Zaragoza, has composed her own songs since she was little and at a tender age began to play various instruments (guitar, drums and harmonica.) Juan Aguirre was born in San Sebastian although he lived in Zaragoza. He began playing with “Dias de Vino y Rosas,” a pop band with hints of psychedelia, with whom he recorded an album and received considerable critical acclaim (for example, labelled “Revelation of the Year” by Radio 3.)
At the beginning of the 1990´s, while both were dividing their time between their studies and their music (Eva studied sculpture and Juan, philosophy) they met in a small recording studio in Zaragoza. The two combined their talents and Eva provided the group´s name. Amaral was born.
They quickly established a loyal fanbase in Zaragoza, playing small venues and supporting artists like Willy Deville. But they wanted to go further and in 1997 they moved to Madrid, where they currently live.
In the capital they signed to Virgin and recorded their first album Amaral, which included collaborations with renowned artists like Alvaro Urquijo and Los Secretos, and which thrilled audiences with songs like “Rosita” and “No Sé Qué Hacer Con Mi Vida” (“I Don´t Know What To Do With My Life.”)
The big push came with their second album, Una Pequeña Parte Del Mundo (“A Small Part of the World”) which was produced by Cameron Jenkins (Rolling Stones, George Michael). This record, composed of thirteen beautiful songs including “Cómo Hablar” and “Subamos al Cielo”, completely opened up the Spanish market to them. Word of mouth brought them more and more success, together with their concerts, which excited public and critics alike.
Their fourth effort, Pájaros En La Cabeza (“Birds in the Head”) sold more than 700,000 copies, becoming one of the highest selling Spanish albums of 2005. It remained in the list of best-sellers for two years, unprecedented in Spain´s history.
On this album the group collaborated with the songwriter Enrique Morente. The songs boast exquisite string and guitar arrangements that left no listener indifferent.
The last two albums were released in Chile, Mexico, Argentina and the USA, marking the beginning of their burgeoning international career. Soon after Amaral became one of the most successful and critically acclaimed bands in Spain. They received countless awards, Best Spanish Group from MTV Europe.
Amaral supported Bob Dylan in his four concerts in Spain in 2004, as they did Lenny Kravtiz in 2002. The two members are committed to human rights, and on top of being representatives for Oxfam International, they actively support the Sahara cause. Their song “Rosa De La Paz” (Rose of Peace) was inspired by the Prestige oil-spill which devastated the Galician coast of Spain in 2002. In 2003, Eva made her cinema debut in the short film “Flores Para Maika” (Flowers for Maika), a denunciation of the mistreatment of women.
In 2008, the double album Gato Negro Dragón Rojo appeared, Amaral´s fifth album. It represented a turning point in the band´s career – the music encompassing more of a rock sound and simultaneously heightening its pop appeal. Gato Negro Dragón Rojo was the impulse for some of the most successful tours of the year. Produced by Cameron Jenkins, it has sold 300,000 copies and gone platinum, achieving Number 1 on the Album Charts in its first week of release.
In September of 2009 Amaral released their first live (double) CD and double DVD entitled La Barrera del Sonido (“The Sound Barrier”) in which can be found their spectacular performance in the Palacio de Deportes, Madrid, with an audience of 18,000 people. The album went gold in its first 15 days of release. Recently it was awarded Best Musical Video Production of 2009 in the Premios de l a Música.