Uruguayan rock

Uruguayan rock first emerged in the Uruguay in the 1950s. The real breakthrough for rock in Uruguay, however, as in much of the world, was the arrival of The Beatles in the early 1960s.

History

The Beatles were wildly popular across the world, and many Uruguayan youths began to form their own rock bands. In the mid-1960s, as the British Invasion was peaking in the United States, Canada, Australia and elsewhere, a group of Uruguayan bands like Los Shakers, Los Mockers and [http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Kinto Los Malditos] broke into the mainstream in Uruguay's larger neighbor, Argentina. This was called the Uruguayan Invasion, and it continued for several years, as record labels began signing Uruguayan bands to promote in Argentina.Buitres was founded in Uruguay>

With the Uruguayan Invasion of Argentina dying down, a new wave of rock musicians arose, including [http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Kinto El Kinto] , Psiglo, Génesis, Opus Alfa and Días de Blues, promoted by radio and television shows like "Constelacion" and "Discodromo Show". In 1973, however, a military dictatorship came to rule Uruguay, and the rock boom ended. In 1975, popular music was canto popular, a genre that prohibited electric instrumentations and foreign rhythm and styles.After 1985, with the restoration of democracy, Uruguayan rock was reborn with bands like Los Estómagos, Traidores, Neoh-23, Zero, and La Chancha Francisca. The scene was alive and well, with shows at underground venues or the series of big concerts known as Montevideo Rock, that also included foreign bands. The gloomy sound of these era (post-punk guitars, grim lyrics) found little support in mainstream media. This eighties rock movement slowly weakened and practically vanished.

The mid-nineties, with the popularization of compact discs, cable TV and the beginning of the internet saw another generation of Uruguayan bands coming to the surface. El Cuarteto de Nos broke records with their album Otra Navidad en las Trincheras, while Buitres despues de la una (with former Estomagos members) reached a creative peak with Maraviya. Since 1992 several new indie bands also appeared in the alternative circuit, like Cinema Sacre, the first Uruguayan rock band notoriously influenced by the Seattle's grunge scene.

In 1995, a band called El Peyote Asesino revitalized the whole scene with their self-titled album and their powerful underground shows. Their music was a mix of hip-hop and hard rock, with influences from Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Beastie Boys. Bands like Platano Macho, La Teja Pride, La abuela Coca (a band inspired by Manu Chao's Mano Negra) and the then beginners La Vela Puerca gave the scene a variety that was unheard of. Deals with big record labels also helped the bands get better sound in their albums, which was a long-time debt of the local scene. In the pure rock side, La Trampa is one of the most important bands, provided by a really truthful way of make music.

El Peyote Asesino split after their second album, Terraja, while La Vela Puerca's popularity grew as they matured musically from a ska-punk sound to their own identity, blending local sounds as well. In 2003 a band named Astroboy, inspired from Oasis, came out. Since 2005, La Vela Puerca and No Te Va Gustar (NTVG) are the most popular bands in Uruguay, both with a big following in Buenos Aires (Argentina) as well.

Bands and solo performers

Abuela Coca,
Amables Donantes,Astroboy,
Bufón,
Buitres Despues de la Una,
Claudio Taddei,
Cuchilla Grande
Cursi,
Doberman,
El Cuarteto de Nos,
El Peyote Asesino, [http://www.rockandfashion.com Hereford] ,
La Chanca Francisca,
La Saga,
La Teja Pride,
La Trampa,
La Vela Puerca,
Los Estomagos,
Los Traidores,
Niquel, [http://www.notevagustar.com No Te Va Gustar] ,
Platano Macho,
Psyglo,
Rey Toro, [http://www.viniloweb.com.uy Vinilo] ,Zero.