qvMagazine Featured
Artist:
Moenia!
Lead singer Alfonso Pichardo
talks about his group's music and about qvMagazine.
-Photos and Interview by Luther
Orrick-Guzman
In 1985, a nice brew started to blend in
Mexico City that would eventually bring us Moenia, perhaps one
of the most sensational Spanish Modern Rock Electronica bands
of our times.
The band first started as a group of secondary
school friends who called themselves "5Mentarios."
These young men found influences from other popular Spanish and
English groups of the time like Nacha Pop, The Cure, Duncan Dhu,
Hombres G, The Smiths, Radio Futura, U2, Soda Stereo, and even
Timbiriche 7. But the most evident influence on the band was
Depeche Mode, their personal favorite.
After a few years, the band underwent a
metamorphosis. By December of 1996, the group had changed its
name to Moenia and released a self-titled album. This disc produced
several international hits, including the songs, "No Puedo
Estar Sin Tí" and "Déjame Entrar."
At the end of 1998, lead singer Juan Carlos
Lozano decided to leave Moenia to pursue other projects. It was
then that band member Alfonso Pichardo was asked to fill Juan
Carlos' shoes and be the lead vocalist. The very next year, the
boys released their current album,"Adición,"
and that disc has become their biggest album to date, spawning
the megahit, "Manto Estelar."
During one of their special performances
in the US, qvMagazine took some exclusive photos of the band
and talked to Alfonso. To our surprise, when we asked the lead
vocalist if he'd ever seen qvMagazine, he responded, "Yes!"
with an affirmative nod. He then said, "I think it's a very
stylish and important magazine."
So what does Moenia mean to the lead singer?
Alfonso stated,"Moenia means many things to me. We offer
a different and diverse alternative to all the rock en español
music that is out there...Our intentions are to make music that
is honest and of high calibre quality."
He then went on to explain that in order
for someone to understand what Moenia is all about, he or she
must listen to all of their albums to fully get the whole picture.
He then used qvMagazine as a comparison: "I think that the
majority of the people who read qvMagazine and have read it consecutively-issue
to issue, back to back, will realize that the contents are diverse.
I see Moenia the same way. You can't judge Moenia just by the
single you hear on the radio. In order to find out how far we
can go musically, you have to listen to and explore our albums.
Just like you can't judge qvMagazine based on a cover or a single
issue, either."
Currently, Alfonso and the boys just finished
their tour, and are ready to take some time off from the business-but
just a little time off: "With the completion of our tour,"
Alfonso pauses and smiles, "we plan to take a little break
and then get back into the recording studio."
For more information about
Moenia, please visit www.moenia.org
|
