Vetusta Morla
Madrid, Madrid, Spain | SELF
Music
Press
Vetusta Morla's history is already known by everybody, a group from Tres Cantos that spent half their lives (nine years) playing the Madrid club scene and had their debut album turned down by all the major record labels but nonetheless achieved fame. 'Un día en el mundo', (2008) was a gold album that sold 35,000 copies and turned the band into a reference by releasing it themselves, the do-it-yourself kings.
Things didn't end there, in May of this year they released their second album called 'Mapas', that has certified their commercial success. The proof? This month they sold out five consecutive concerts in 'La Riviera' which seats 2,500 people!
- EL MUNDO national newspaper, Spain - November 6, 2011
The group that exploded onto the Spanish music scene by releasing their own records that became chart toppers return.
'Mapas', is a record that continues along the same path, exquisite rock, smoothed over with catchy melodies and an elaborate sound crossed with abstract lyrics. Following on from 'OK computer', by Radiohead and a more intense Coldplay, Vetusta Morla stand to lead the live rock concert scene in Spain.
- PUBLICO - national newspaper, Spain - May 04, 2011
They released their first CD in 2008 and have shown that another type of independence is possible when, without the help of the big record companies, they reached album sales similar to established artists and started a rumour between their fellow musicians, “Why sign for a multinational record company, look at Vetusta Morla!”
“.. since then we created an enormous interest because on the first day we received 50,000 visits and within 24 hours there were reviews in newspapers and websites in the whole country.”, said guitarist Guillermo Galván proudly.
- ABC - national newspaper, Spain - October 5, 2011
The band from Tres Cantos received the most important awards, Group of the Year and Record of the Year.
A great year for Vetusta Morla. The group led by Pucho have been established as one of the strongest in the year in the ROLLING STONE AWARDS 2011. They have obtained the two biggest awards of the evening, after receiving the votes of readers of ROLLINGSTONE.ES: Group of the Year and Record of the Year for their brilliant album 'Mapas'
- Rolling Stone Spain - 28 November 2011
The Madrid band Vetusta Morla have taken the limelight at the first Independent Music Awards, where they received four awards: Best Artist; Best Album (for their first album'Un día en el mundo'), Best Rock Album and Best Song (Valiente). The awards ceremony takes place this evening in the Fígaro Theatre in Madrid.
In only one year the group has gone from being hardly known to winning the praises of the critics and receiving three Music Academy Awards that were given in February. After nine years touring, their album which was self produced under the label Pequeño Salto Mortal, has resulted in wide public recognition. For the first presentation of these awards, more than 70,000 people voted on Myspace, the platform that was chosen by the organizers. The five candidates of the 26 categories had passed a selection process with a jury of professionals from the sector that had 400 entries to chose from.
- El País (spanish newspaper) - April 4 2009
Discography
2005, "Mira", EP
2008, "Un día en el mundo", LP
2011, "Mapas", LP
Photos
Bio
Vetusta Morla is a Spanish rock band formed in the late 90s, with the aim of going beyond the stereotypes of that genre. They work adding sounds and rhythms that come from outside the rock tradition, but keeping the core, not falling into world music. Their live shows are forceful and intense. Their lyrics prefer image suggestion to unequivocal messages and invite the listener to paryicipate actively. These are the artistic cornerstones of their music. Both contribute to a feeling of belonging that grows in their listeners: that he or she is also part of that creation and is directly involved in the musical experience (which, of course, actually happens).
Vetusta Morla are also unconventional about the way they present themselves and manage their work. Their two albums to date, "Un Dia en el Mundo" (2008) and "Mapas" (2011) have been both released by Pequeño Salto Mortal. It's a label they created to offer themselves a secondary road to bypass the usual channels of the recording industry. That's how they managed to avoid an apparent paralysis of the Spanish showbiz industry, that rejected their demos several times. Their journey from absolute anonymity to be one of the most recognizable bands in the independent scene in Spain, without help from any record company, has become an inspiring system failure in the music business.
They are both musicians and label owners, but always have in mind music as a goal in itself and not as a tool to achieve something else. This perspective in which art always comes first plus honesty and teamwork are the key ideas of Vetusta Morla's idiosyncrasy. The project is an emotional adventure, rather than a form of business. This perspective, paradoxically (but perhaps not so oddly), has led them to the top of the charts, to win several of the most prestigious awards in Spain and to a "sold-out" tour in their country and others like Mexico and Argentina.
Vetusta Morla try to put Internet on their side, making a direct use of social networks and carrying out actions designed to use to their advantage the so called pros and cons of technology. Projects such as an application for Facebook called Explorador de Mapas (Maps Explorer) or a website with free and full-length streaming of their albums, which received thousands of visits the first day of release.
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