Trotsky Vengarán for “Noche de Rock”.
Pretty cool, wouldn’t you say? The winners were the ones who focused on telling a story with humor and enthusiasm, not on creating a technically-complex video.
My congratulations to Trotsky Vengarán, and also to all the other nominees – the quality of the videos that were nominated this time was uniformly high.
In case you are yet to see it, this is the video for “Noche de Rock”.
The fifth (and final) nominees for a Graffiti Award are Uruguayan punk rockers Trotsky Vengarán (MySpace profile), with their “Noche de Rock” [Night of Rock]. The song’s taken from the album “Todo Para Ser Feliz” [Everything To Be Happy], and the music video features cameos from celebrated musicians like Dani Umpi and Rubén Rada.
A to-the-point music video that tells the aftermath of a night of debacle with wry humor, “Noche de Rock” is a good alternative to all the other nominees – they all more or less rely on special effects and fancy editing to get their stories told.
We’ll see what happens this Friday, when the Graffiti Awards ceremony is held.
Just to do a quick recap, the other four nominated music videos are:
“A Donde Van Los Pájaros” by Luciano Supervielle
“Antes del Fin” by Walter Bordoni
“Cadáver” by ReyToro
“Invierno” by Socio
Socio (Spanish for “partner”) is the latest project by Fede Lima, a Uruguayan musician who’s best-known for having fronted the bands Loop Lascano and Miss Wichita. Both bands were characterized for a constant sonic search, and that’s also the spirit that keeps Socio alive. On this new band, he’s backed by former members of No Te Va Gustar (a ska/rock outfit that has enjoyed a great deal of popularity, both in Uruguay and elsewhere) and Monoroots (a reggae band that released a tasteful tribute to Bob Marley in 2008).
The video you can watch below is from Socio’s debut album, “Aurora” [Dawn]. The song is named “Invierno” [Winter], and it’s the band’s entry into the 2011 Graffiti Awards
And just to cover all bases, I’ll mention that Fede also sang a duet with Laura Chinelli on her “Historias de Invierno”.
You can learn more about Socio’s music on the band’s MySpace profile.
“Cadáver” [Corpse] is ReyToro’s entry into this year’s Graffiti Awards. The song is featured on the band’s latest album (“ReyToro II”, issued in 2008 by Bizarro Records). The video has been directed by Juan Tambolini, and it pays a good homage to the survival fiction that’s all the rage nowadays. The band is well-known for the high level of energy between its players and lyrics which are both ruminative and urgent, and all these elements can be easily appreciated on “Cadáver”.
ReyToro was formed in 1998 in Uruguay, and it is one of most popular metal bands in the country. Its current lineup comprises Norberto Arriola, Fabián Furtado, Enzo Broglia and Fernando Alfaro.
ReyToro opening for Guns ‘n’ Roses in 2010
They opened for Guns ‘n’ Roses in 2010, when Axl brought the Chinese Democracy World Tour to South America, and played many countries that the band had bypassed at the height of its popularity in the early 90s.
You can listen to ReyToro’s music both on the band’s website (in Spanish only), and on their MySpace profile.
This is other of the music videos that are up for a Graffiti Award next week. “Antes Del Fin” [Before The End] is a song by Walter Bordoni, a Uruguayan musician that was born in 1962. His first album was published in 1990. It was titled “El Gol De La Valija y Otros Cuentos”) [The Suitcase’s Goal and Other Stories], after a much-discussed soccer incident that took place in 1933, and that’s an indelible part of Uruguayan folklore.
Walter Bordoni, as depicted on the cover of his second album, "Flor Nueva de Películas Viejas" (1994).
An accomplished piano and guitar player, Bordoni was involved in several artistic groups and collectives. He co-founded an artistic project in 1994 known as “Aguafuertes Montevideana” with Gastón Rodríguez, and the resulting album (published in 1997) still stands as a commercial and artistic highlight.
He is currently a member of the Kafkarudos, a band made up of the collective talents of Gastón Ciarlo “Dino”, Alejando Ferradás, Tabaré Rivero and the late Eduardo Darnauchans.
“Antes Del Fin” is a song is extracted from his newest album, “La Cifra Infinita” [The Infinite Number]. Its music video takes the form of an animated short that corroborates the leaping cadence of the lyrics word by word.
“La Cifra Infinita” has been issued by Bizarro Records, and it has also received two other nominations: one for “Best Production” (Alejandro Ferradas), and another for “Best Popular Music and Urban Song Album”.
This is Walter Bordoni’s MySpace profile. And this is his blog (in Spanish only).
The winners of the Grafitti Awards were announced last Friday. The
Grafitti Awards are the exact equivalent to the American Grammy
Awards, as the work of musicians across different genres and styles
is distinguished and honored.
What I want to share with you now is the clip that romped home with the
“Best Video Award” accolade. The song is named “Gigantes” [Giants],
and it is by the Uruguayan band Orgánica. The clip was directed by Pablo Riera, and arranged by Paristexeas.