Extremoduro

Extremoduro is a Spanish rock band from Plasencia, Extremadura. The band is led by Roberto Iniesta, also known as "Robe", who is often referred as "El rey de Extremadura" (The king of Extremadura).

The band was created in 1987 and is regarded as one of the most influential bands of the Spanish hard rock scene, besides being a complete symbol for their region. Iniesta's lyrics are often described as rude street poetry, with frequent allusions to drugs, love and self-destruction.

The band's name is a pun. Literally, Extremoduro means "hard extreme", and is also a straightforward deformation of "Extremadura", the region where the band comes from.

Well-known songs by Extremoduro include "So payaso", "Golfa", "Salir", "Extremaydura", "Puta" and "Jesucristo García". The highest moment in the band's career was probably reached with the release of their album Agíla, which was awarded a prize for best video in the first edition of the Spanish Music Awards in 1996.

History

The beginnings (1987 to 1992)

Roberto Iniesta (also known as "Robe") establishes the band in the summer of 1987 in Plasencia, the second most important city of Cáceres, a province of the south of Spain. Previously, in 1983, he had formed the band ‘Dosis Letal’ with Zósimo "Zosi" Pascual, with whom he composed the song "La Carrera", that would later come to be the penultimate track of Extremoduro’s 1996 disc Agíla.

Extremoduro were initially formed by Robe, as vocalist and guitarist, "Chico" on the bass and "Miguelin" on the drums. This initial set-up lasted just a few months, after which Robe decided to reconfigure the group and found Salo and Louis "von Fanta" to replace Kaito and William respectively. With this new dynamic in place, and with the difficulty they faced recording an album, they decided to sell vouchers to their acquaintances (at a thousand pesetas each) that would entitle each of them to a copy of the demo tape after it had been produced. They sold 250 of these "coupons" (whose buyers are credited in the finished production). After this, they produced 1000 copies of this first "demo" which already contained some of the quintessential anthems of the group, such as "Extremaydura" or "Jesucristo Garcia"; the collection is Rock Transgresivo.

The distribution of this transgressive musical offering of rock began to attract attention inside and outside their home region of Plasencia; it was so well received that the Catalan television program Plastic invited them for a live performance. They were then selected for the national final of the Yamaha trophy in which they finished third.

It was in this final that Avispa Music noticed them and began negotiations for the release of their debut professionally recorded album, Tú en tu casa, nosotros en la hoguera. The album was recorded that summer, containing the same songs as Rock Transgresivo (in addition to "Love Castúo"). The group often expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome and, in fact, in 1994 it was remixed and partially re-recorded to be reissued under another name.

At the end of this deal-making 1989, Robe restructured the band again: he switched to the role of supporting guitarist, to focus on the delivery of the vocals. In this way, Salo became lead guitarist and Carlos "Dirty" took up the vacancy for a bassist. In 1991, a deal was struck with Wasp to record the second album, but due to the poor expectations that the label offered, they decided to break this contract and sign with Pasión-Área Creativa, like Avispa Music, a independent company, but this time with better conditions. They record a second album with them in Madrid Somos unos animales, published in July 1991.

With the collaboration of vocalist and guitarist Madrid Rosendo Mercado (ex-Leno) on the songs " La canción de los oficios " (voice) and " Perro Callejero " (guitar), they themselves define it as the beginning of the true sound of Extremoduro that the band calls "transgressive Rock."

In this first period, drugs – especially heroin – were the inseparable ‘other member’ of the group. As such, the group's live performances (usually considered their greatest asset) were unpredictable to say the least. Though they now had presence in the Spanish rock scene, it was said that Extremoduro's live gigs were either "unforgettable or a disaster." The group began to sell a lot and Pasión-Área Creativa proved too small for their ambitions, which together with other disputes (royalties not being paid for this LP), lead to them signing with DRO in 1991, giving them better distribution and promotion, and the means to the success that later years brought.

Artists

• Roberto Iniesta, "Robe": voice and guitar
• Iñaki "Uoho" Antón: guitar, keyboard and other instruments
• Miguel Colino: bass
• José Ignacio Cantera: drums

Discography

For a detailed listing of albums by Extremoduro, see Extremoduro discography.

• Rock transgresivo (recorded in 1989 and released in 1994)
• Somos unos animales (1991)
• Deltoya (1992)
• ¿Dónde están mis amigos? (1993)
• Pedrá (1995)
• Agíla (1991)
• Iros todos a tomar por culo (1997)
• Canciones prohibidas (1998)
• Yo, minoría absoluta (2002)
• Grandes éxitos y fracasos (Episodio I) (2004)
• Grandes éxitos y fracasos (Episodio II) (2004)
• La ley innata (2008)
• Material Defectuoso (2011)

See also

• Fito & Fitipaldis
• Platero y Tú

External links

• Official website (Spanish)
• Maneras de Vivir website (Spanish)