Molotov (band)

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Molotov
Molotov in 2008
Molotov in 2008
Background information
OriginMexico City, Mexico
Genres
Years active1995–present
LabelsUniversal Music Latin Entertainment
MembersIsmael Fuentes de Garay
Micky Huidobro
Paco Ayala
Randy Ebright
Past membersJay de la Cueva
Iván Jared Moreno[3]
Websitewww.molotovoficial.mx

Molotov is a Mexican rock band formed in Mexico City in 1995. Their lyrics, which are rapped and sung by all members of the group, feature a mixture of Spanish and English. The band members also switch instruments and roles depending on what song they are performing.

History[edit]

Molotov in November 2006

The band began in 1995 when two friends, Tito Fuentes (guitar) and Micky "Chicho" Huidobro (bass), started playing together. Javier de la "J" Cueva and Iván Jared "La Quesadillera" Moreno joined them in September of that year, becoming the first line up for the band. Moreno would eventually leave and be replaced by Randy Ebright, the only American member of the band, in October 1995.[4] In February 1996, de la Cueva would also leave. He was replaced by Paco Ayala, establishing the four-member lineup that has remained consistent over the years.

Throughout 1996, the band played in many underground locations in Mexico City and began to gain a small group of fans. More success came when they opened for Héroes del Silencio in Monterrey and later for La Lupita in Puebla. During a concert at which they opened for Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas, talent scouts from Universal Music Latin Entertainment offered them a record deal. It was a difficult period, with the band having to sell cassettes during their concerts while they prepared their debut album.

In July 1997, they released their debut album ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas? The album took its name partly from Maná's album ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? This generated controversy, with stores refusing to sell it because of its lyrics and cover. Molotov went out to the street to sell their discs as a form of protest. In 1998, they participated with the song "Payaso" in the album Volcán: Tributo a José José a tribute to legendary singer José José.

In 1998, Molotov released Molomix, an album with remixes of Donde Jugarán, including a version of the classic Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody" titled "Rap, Soda y Bohemia", and a new song, "El Carnal de las estrellas", which attacks the Mexican television network Televisa as a response to its refusal to air the band's videos. In September 1999, Apocalypshit was released and the band toured Europe, including Russia, and were also a part of the 1999 Vans Warped Tour.[5] In 2001, after a couple of years of touring, they took a rest and contributed to the soundtrack of the film Y tu mamá también. The soundtrack was nominated for a Latin Grammy.[6]) They also worked on the soundtrack of the film Atlético San Pancho.

Molotov were part of the 2000 Watcha Tour,[7] which included 17 shows with Los Enanitos Verdes, Aterciopelados, Café Tacuba, and A.N.I.M.A.L. In 2003, the band's new album, Dance and Dense Denso, was released and featured the Grammy-winning single "Frijolero", which became the band's biggest hit to date. In 2004, the band released Con Todo Respeto, which consisted of covers of groups such as The Misfits, Beastie Boys, ZZ Top, and Los Toreros Muertos.

On January 18, 2007, Molotov's official website addressed a separation rumor, saying that it could neither be confirmed or denied but that more information would be coming soon.[8] A few weeks later, the band confirmed on its website that it would indeed be touring and posted dates starting on April 3 in Ventura, California, and ending on April 15 in Dallas, Texas. Despite no official break-up update, many radio stations announced the tour as Molotov's last. Later that year, the band released the album Eternamiente (a portmanteau of eternamente [eternally] and miente [he lies]) with the hit song "Yofo". The album saw first-week sales of nearly 1,000 copies.[9]

Molotov performed at the 2009 Coachella Music Festival.[10] In an interview, the band talked about the possibility of releasing a live DVD. In a later interview, Ebright said the DVD would possibly be directed by Y tu mamá también director Alfonso Cuarón. The band's manager, Jorge Mondragón, has said that a book would be published recounting their 15 years as a band.

Band lead guitar Tito Fuentes said that their next album would be released independently during 2010. On May 14, 2010, it was announced that the band would perform at Mexico City's Zócalo for the first time in the band's history, having been denied the chance to play the venue in their hometown five times before. The band performed a concert along with other bands such as Jaguares and Maldita Vecindad to protest against Arizona's SB 1070 law.[11] The band recorded their performance at the Creation of Peace Festival in Kazan in Russia. In May 2012, this was released as the live album Desde Rusia con amor, with an accompanying DVD. The band worked with Mexican film director Olallo Rubio, providing music for a documentary called Gimme the Power in which Rubio analyzes Mexico under the power of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. The documentary was released on June 1, 2012.[12][13]

Music and lyrics[edit]

Molotov's lyrics include a mixture of politics, sex, and expletives with dark humor and social commentary[14] which made it hard for Molotov to enter mainstream media. LGBT organization GLAAD criticized the band for their song "Puto", which GLAAD categorized as being homophobic. Molotov's lead vocalist and guitarist Tito Fuentes responded to the controversy over the song by stating, "It’s about cowards not homosexuals," further elaborating in regard to their lyricism, "We don’t [care] about being politically correct. We respect the art of it. The expression."[15]

Publications such as Vibe said that their music "is incendiary by nature [...] with poisoned darts aimed directly at the heart of the oppressive paternalism of the government".[16] For example, the song "Gimme Tha Power" contained a line that literally translated to, "We have to rip out the problem by the roots and change the government of our country." These lyrics reflected aspects of the tumultuous political climate of the late 1990s. In 2000, the voting public in Mexico elected a president from a different political party than that which had held uninterrupted power since 1940.

Molotov's music incorporates elements of hip hop,[17] funk,[18] pop, disco, dance-pop[19] and punk rock into their musical style,[2] which has been classified as rock en español,[2][16][19][20][21] rap metal,[1][17][22] alternative rock, hard rock,[15] post-grunge,[14] rap rock,[23] and Latin rock.[2]

In popular culture[edit]

  • In 2001, the song Polkas Palabras was featured in the soundtrack of the film The Fast and the Furious.
  • In 2005, the songs Karmara and Cerdo were featured in the soundtrack of the game Total Overdose.
  • In 2007, 10 songs by the band were featured in the video game Crackdown, and occasionally gang members can be seen wearing Molotov shirts.
  • In 2008, the song Apocalypshit was used in the opening scene of the first episode of the crime drama series Breaking Bad.[24]
  • In 2018, the song Gimme Tha Power was featured in the episode "Cucaracha/K’uruch", the seventh episode of the second season of the crime drama television series Mayans M.C..[25]
  • In 2021, the song Here We Kum was featured in the radio soundtrack of Far Cry 6.[26]

Members[edit]

Note: The members alternate instruments depending on what song they are performing; the below list shows their main roles in the band.

  • Ismael Fuentes de Garay – guitar, bass, vocals
  • Miguel Ángel Huidobro Preciado – bass, guitar, drums, vocals
  • Juan Francisco Ayala Gonzalez – bass, guitar, drums, vocals
  • Randall Ebright – drums, guitar, vocals

Timeline[edit]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums
Remix albums
Compilation albums
Live albums
  • Desde Rusia con Amor (2012)
  • MTV Unplugged (2018)
  • ¿Dónde Jugarán lxs Niñxs? (2019)

Awards[edit]

Band awards:

Dance and Dense Denso:

Con Todo Respeto:

  • Latin Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Album, Duo or Group

Eternamiente:

  • Latin Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Album, Duo or Group

Desde Rusia Con Amor:

  • Latin Grammy for Best Rock Album 2012[28]

"Agua Maldita"

  • Latin Grammy 2014 Best Rock Vocal Album, Duo or Group[29]

“Sólo D’ Lira”

  • Latin Grammy 2023 Best Rock Album[30]



References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "Molotov". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Bush, John. "Dance and Dense Denso". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  3. ^ "20 AÑOS ROMPIENDO LAS REGLAS". Reporte Indigo. August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  4. ^ Smyers, Daryl (August 5, 2013). "Molotov: 20 Years of Swear Words and Latin Grammys". Dallas Observer. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  5. ^ "Warped Tour Lineup to Include Cypress Hill, Blink 182, Sevendust, Others". CMJ News Music Report. April 5, 1999. p. 4. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  6. ^ "Grammy". Grammy. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  7. ^ "Molotov, Ozomatli Set For Watcha 2000 Tour". Mtv. August 2, 2000. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "<molotov>". Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
  9. ^ Yehuda, Aya Ben (November 10, 2007). "Rock Three Times". Billboard. p. 16. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  10. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (January 20, 2009). "McCartney, Killers, Cure Anchor Coachella Lineup". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  11. ^ "The Arizona Prairie Fire Spreads". FNS. May 16, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  12. ^ "Gimme the Power". IMDb.
  13. ^ "Gimme the Power | Hola México Film Festival". Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  14. ^ a b Bush, John. "Apocalypshit". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Garcia, Victor (August 13, 2013). "Controversial Mexican Rock Band Molotov Rocks, Draw Ire In U.S." Fox News. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Weingarten, Marc (September 1998). "Molotov and Plastilina Mosh - The revolutionaries". Vibe. pp. 120–121. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  17. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dónde Jugarán Las Niñas". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  18. ^ Staff (February 11, 2009). "Rock Me Molotov". Remezcla. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "Con Todo Respeto". AllMusic.
  20. ^ Zonkel, Phillip (November 2005). "Mexican Band Wants English Speakers to Listen, Too". Banderas News. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  21. ^ Contreras, Felix (March 19, 2013). "Molotov, Live In Concert: SXSW 2013". NPR. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  22. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Eternamiente". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  23. ^ Conde, Chris (July 3, 2019). "Legendary Rap/Rock Act Molotov Returns to San Antonio". San Antonio Current. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  24. ^ "Music From Breaking Bad Season 1". AMC. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  25. ^ "BBC 2". BBC. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  26. ^ "Far Cry 6 soundtrack: Full list of radio songs". October 11, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  27. ^ Jason Archer
  28. ^ "Latin Grammy 2012 winners". CBS News. December 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  29. ^ "Las Nominaciones de la 15a. Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY reflejan una mezcla diversa de talentosos artistas y creadores de música a lo largo del mundo de la Música Latina". Latin Grammy. September 24, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  30. ^ "La Academia Latina de la Grabación | LatinGRAMMY.com". latingrammy.com (in Spanish). Retrieved January 17, 2024.

External links[edit]

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