Cuervo

The origins of Spanish-rock outfit Cuervo can be traced back to several years ago, when its members met at Sharpstown High School. But the band has really revved up in the past two years. The quartet plays steadily in and around Houston and has been featured on television shows locally and in Monterrey, Mexico. Influences range from Mars Volta, Soda Stereo and the Black Crowes to the Doors, the Cure and New Order. Cuervo's own sound? Not too heavy, not too poppy, anchored by edgy vocals and guitar work. Vocalist Elton Salazar says, "We all have an equal role. Everybody is comfortable with each other, and we trust each other's artistic point of view." - The Houston Chronicle

Kirsten Luce/La Frontera Cuervo pronto arrancará con su primer disco homónimo y una larga gira que
cubre parte de Estados Unidos y México.
McALLEN — Cuervo es un grupo de rock, fresco, innovador y con espíritu de lucha por alcanzar los
más altos cielos del éxito.
Sus integrantes son cuatro jóvenes talentosos, quienes tienen bien definido su concepto de hacer
música. Sus nombres son; Elton Salazar - vocalista, toca la guitarra y es de Monterrey-, Víctor
Montemayor -batería y es de Houston-, Adam Katib - en el bajo-, y Diego Fernández -guitarra y es de
Venezuela.
Cuervo se forma hace dos años en Houston Texas, su género es simplemente rock & roll, sin ser
pesado, sin ser fusionado con otro ritmo, asevera su fundador -Elton- , al mismo tiempo que nos dice el
por qué del nombre… “la música es un poco oscura, algo misteriosa y nos latió relacionar el nombre de
la banda con esta ave negra como lo es el cuervo.
Todos sus integrantes se han preparado desde pequeños dentro de la música, y por una u otra razón
siempre han estado en contacto con los instrumentos musicales.
“A mi mi papá me compró una batería cuando era un niño y vivía en Monterrery”, narra Víctor, quien
después se marchó a vivir a la ciudad de Houston donde realizó sus estudios académicos.
Para este guapo baterista, uno de sus ideales sería llegar a sobresalir en lo que hace y que la gente
conozca a Cuervo por todos los rincones del planeta.
El venezolano y muy bien parecido guitarrista de Cuervo -Diego-, nos dice que es ingeniero de sonido,
y al momento de conocer a Elton quien ya tenía su banda, empezó a apoyarlos hasta que formó parte
del grupo.
“Me siento muy bien con esta banda de rock, ya grabamos un disco y lo estamos masterizando, se
termina el arte para luego mandarlo a imprimir”, expresa Diego.
En el disco homónimo de Cuervo, entre sus 'rolas' se encuentra; “Talismán”, “Celestial”, “Piernas
Largas”, “Santa Ana”, y otras más.
'El disco tiene 14 temas y vamos a lanzar el tema de “Talismán como primer sencillo” reafirma el
venezolano, quien asegura que el tema es bastante alegre y pegajoso.
Y de Jerusalén tenemos al joven Adam, quien conoce a los demás integrantes cuando incursionaba en
la preparatoria en Houston, y fue quien enseño a Elton a tocar la guitarra.
El tipo de música es en español aunque en el disco incluirán una en inglés, y de los 14 temas, ocho son
compuestos por Elton, y en las demás interviene el resto de la banda.
Como podemos ver, Cuervo es un grupo muy diversificado, geográficamente hablando, pero con una
sóla idea en mente: Impulsar a Cuervo hasta sus últimas consecuencias, ya que los chicos de esta banda
le dedican el 100% de ellos, pues aman lo que hacen y la música es su pasión. - La Frontera

By JOEY GUERRA
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Cuervo

Cuervo's debut full-length disc plays like a slick blueprint of the band's evolution and influences.
Every song on the Spanish-rock quartet's self-titled effort showcases a slight shift in sound, a different musical personality. That probably sounds schizophrenic — and would be for many Houston bands — but Cuervo makes it work.
It's a sound Cuervo has been honing for almost a decade. Vocalist Elton Salazar and bassist Adam Khatib met while attending Sharpstown High School. Guitarist Diego Fernandez joined the group in 2004.
Founding drummer Moises Lopez has since been replaced by Victor Montemayor, but the group hasn't missed a beat.
Cuervo pulls everything together under an accessible rock framework. It helps, too, that the band boasts a stylish, TV-ready look.
Album kickoff track Tu has the sexy guitar swagger of a Lenny Kravitz hit, and Maria has twinges of metal in its arrangement. The bouncy Talisman calls to mind alt-rock icons from Cafe Tacvba to Juanes and wouldn't sound out of place on national playlists.
Jardin, first heard on the group's 2005 EP, pairs Salazar's pleading, scratchy vocals with mystical imagery. He's a lost cat, "hungry and thirsty" in the dark streets of Madrid.
Disc standout Piernas Largas bops confidently along an '80s-inspired arrangement that pays homage to the Violent Femmes. Salazar delivers the lyrics ("Those long legs that look like they never end/Make me sin/Make me scream") with an appropriate balance of restraint and suggestiveness.
Quiero Que Sepas is equally good — and at the other end of the thematic spectrum. It's an angry kiss-off that matches punk-fueled instrumentation with bitter vocals. "I always hated you," Salazar screams.
A few of the slower tunes could have been excised to make the disc leaner and snappier. Amor y Paz, an ode to burning lighters and incense in the name of love, is sweet and probably a live favorite. But it doesn't gel with the rest of the disc.
Dead Red Roses, the only English-language tune, also feels like extra padding. It's not bad, but it's an unnecessary dip amid so many stylistic peaks en español.
joey.guerra@chron.com - The Houston Chronicle

By Shea Serrano
Published: November 15, 2007

Remember when you were little and one week you'd decide you wanted to be a skateboarder, so you'd start saying things like "rad" or "thrash" and pretend like you knew what bearings were? Then, just as quickly, the next week you'd rock some Adidas and say you were a break-dancer? Houston quartet Cuervo's self-titled debut LP is like that, and at times it's a damn good skateboarding break-dancer. Each song sees Cuervo morph into a completely different band, ranging from "El Sueño," a pained, complicated ballad that successfully combines the self-pity of mid-'90s rock with modern-day hubris, to "Talisman," a feel-good country-pop song that conjures images of backyard get-togethers and poorly played games of horseshoes. Elton Salazar, Cuervo's raspy-voiced vocal pugilist, is just gifted enough to pull most of the band's variety together. So while Cuervo's versatility may intermittently sound forced or overextended, as on "Dead Red Roses," it also provides them with the innovative, transcendent "Jardín," a unique mainstream staple that magnificently preserves its cultural roots. That song alone should place Cuervo not only at the forefront of the rock en español movement, but on the cusp of national rock recognition as well. - Houston Press