Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota


Patricio Rey y Sus Redonditos de Ricota were a rock band formed in La Plata, Argentina. The group was active from the mid 70s up to the early 2000s. They keep an enormous fan-base in their home country and they are considered by many critics, as one of the most important bands of their generation.

History

The beginning: 1976–1984

Patricio Rey is the name of a fictional character or group consciousness, and not a real person or member of the group. "El Indio" Solari, lead singer, embodies the one-man-show mystique followed by his powerful guitar player Skay Beilinson. The band began playing at various bars and clubs in La Plata, where Solari and Beilinson were natives. Skay had played for other bands as La Cofradía de la Flor Solar, where he met with the artist and illustrator Ricardo "Rocambole" Cohen. By the late 1970s, the band supported their first tour through Argentina, mainly in the country's northwest.
In 1982, Solari and the Beilinson brothers moved to Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, recorded a demo and signed with a major label. The rest of the musicians were the young bassist Semilla Bucciarelli, Rodolfo Gorosito on rhythm guitar and the drummer Alejandro Pensa. Also, Skay had a stint as guitarist of the Edelmiro Molinari's band La Galletita.
The first deal was for RCA, and immediately realized the need for a professional session to recording a demo tape, which included "Super Lógico", "Mariposa Pontiac", "Pura Suerte", etc. After this, RCA refuses to hire Patricio Rey, because they were not convinced enough of the set-list.
Later played by a few Buenos Aires' radio stations, and getting a positive response by part from the radio presenter and journalist Lalo Mir. Patricio Rey gained popularity in the underground scene. An important aspect of this rise in popularity was the group's recognition of what his audience, with success performances in places as Teatro Bambalinas, Stud Free Pub, Go! Disco and La Esquina del Sol.
By 1984, Alejandro Pensa and Rodolfo Gorosito left the band, and were replaced by Piojo Ávalos and Tito "Fargo" D'Aviero respectively. That same year Patricio Rey y Sus Redonditos de Ricota had the opportunity to get a new record deal by the Wormo label.

Breakthrough success: 1985–1990

In August 1985, the group released their first studio LP Gulp, and tracks such as "La Bestia Pop", "Superlógico", and "El Infierno Está Encantador esta Noche" were frequently played on the radio. The tour had kicked off in March, but the album was presented officially at Cemento, after the cancelled gigs at the Teatro Astros, by the Valeria Lynch shows. The next year, the Gulp Tour had finished in September, when the band was working on their second LP, Oktubre, with Daniel Melero and Claudio Cornelio as guests, and the last with Tito D'Aviero, Willy Crook and Piojo Ávalos. Also, the small tour marked more mainstream radio hooks, but retained the familiar classic feel of the group.
After the departure of D'Aviero, Crook and Ávalos, which put Solari and Beilinson at its artistic centre, in 1987, drummer Walter Sidotti and saxophonist Sergio Dawi were added to the line-up, remaining with the band as continuous members.
During the late 1980s, the band recorded with the two new members their albums Un Baión para el Ojo Idiota in 1987, the last made to Wormo label and ¡Bang! ¡Bang! Estás Liquidado in January 1989, which was the first published by Del Cielito Records, as well the shows made on Argentina and by first time in Uruguay. Both of those LP were the first nods to a more commercial sound, with simpler songs that brought back some classic rock influences, and the band's strength lies in the semantic power of its lyrics, which discuss a wide variety of topics such as politics, drugs and women, but always focused from a philosophical and existentialist point of view. The obscurity and complexity of Solari's writing often was compared with Baroque writers, particularly Francisco de Quevedo, but with a corrosive approach to the present day, being Neoliberalism in Argentina, the Gulf War, political corruption, the media, drug culture and the dark aspects of love.

The Estadio Obras Incident: 1991

The first negative media event that hurt to Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota was during the early 90s, when the band were presented at the Estadio Obras Sanitarias in 1991, there were incidents with the police and the fans before entering the concert, where a young called Walter Bulaccio was stopped and arrested for incidents, which ended with his death from severe injuries by the police repression.
After the incidents in Obras, imposing an order by the City Government of Buenos Aires to disallow the band play live. In 1991, the band released their fifth studio album La Mosca y la Sopa, one of the band's most successful album to date.

Back to stages, ''Lobo Suelto, Cordero Atado'' and ''Luzbelito'': 1992–1997

Then, Los Redondos gets the municipality of Tandil, Buenos Aires, allowed the group play without legal problems, at the time are edited their only live album En Directo in 1992, although it was not officially endorsed by the Del Cielito label at the time. By 1993, Los Redondos released Lobo Suelto, Cordero atado, in two volumes. The first album includes the hit single "Un Ángel Para tu Soledad", which became the band's new signature song and a perennial radio favorite.
The return of Patricio Rey to the big stages occurred in 1994, at the Estadio Huracán, in front of 80,000 fans. In San Carlos, Santa Fe province, in August 1995, where performed two shows in a nightclub with a capacity for 3000 people was completely filled.
In 1996, released the eighth studio album Luzbelito, another one of the band's biggest albums, recorded between Brazil, United States and Buenos Aires.
Patricio Rey close the year with two dates in October 26 and 27 at the Estadio Polideportivo in Mar del Plata and at the Estadio 15 de Abril, Unión de Santa Fe on the anniversary of the band, on December 28.

New sounds, struggles and break-up: 1998–2001

In late December 1998, performed at the Estadio Racing Club with Hernán Aramberri as keyboardist and "Conejo" Jolivet as special guest, to present Último Bondi a Finisterre, their ninth studio album. The two shows with more than 45,000 fans, were guarded by the police and a crew of firefighters at the stadium, where an audience member threw a flare to the stage causing minor damages and the anger of Solari.
One of the band's most important achievements was to reunite more than 140,000 fans at River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires, in April 2000, proving the band's popularity, and like the Racing Stadium concerts, was heavily guarded by the police and stadium authorities. At the April 15 show, Jorge Ríos, a thief who was in the audience began to attack several people with a knife, and then he was lynched by the people. That same year, Momo Sampler was released.
In 2001, Patricio Rey played at the Centenario Stadium, in Uruguay with two dates in April 22 and 23. Finally, Momo Sampler Tour's last show was at the Chateau Carreras, Córdoba in August 4. By November of that same year, it was announced via website that Patricio Rey are disbanded, mainly due to internal tensions within Indio Solari and the rest of the band.

After the split and solo projects: 2002–present

After the break-up, several former members are still active and pursuing solo careers and new projects. Skay published his first album: A través del Mar de los Sargazos in 2002.
Indio Solari in the late 2004 formed a new band: Los Fundamentalistas del Aire Acondicionado, with Marcelo Torres on bass guitar, Pablo Sbaraglia on keyboards, Julio Amin and Baltazar Comotto on guitars, and Hernán Aramberri and Martín Carrizo on drums, with Sergio Colombo and Miguel Ángel Tallarita as horn section. The band had released 4 albums.
Walter Sidotti return with his band La Favorita between 1997 and 2004, to travel to Spain. Today, Sidotti plays regularly both with his own band and with Sergio Dawi in some Patricio Rey tribute shows.
Semilla Bucciarelli work as painter and illustrator, producing some works for La Renga's Detonador de Sueños in 2003, La Favorita and the Le Mie Parole cover in 2013, for Jesús Granero. Sergio Dawi formed Dossaxos2 with Damián Nisenson, then recorded in 2004, Estrellados his first solo album. In 2007, created the interactive-visual group "VideoSaxMachine". In 2008, released his second solo album Quijotes al ajillo, together with Juan Benítez on guitar, Mariano Pirato on piano, guitar and backing vocals, Martín Tabuyo on bass, Pablo Belmes on drums and Rodrigo Collado as DJ. The album features "Gato Negro", a duet with his former bandmate Indio.
In 2005, the band received the Konex Award as best Rock Group of the 1995-2005 decade, distinction shared with Divididos.
In 2016, Indio Solari challenged Mick Jagger. In the middle of massive show, he said !Mick Jagger, get down!
In 2017, there were around 300.000 people in the Indio's show in Olavarria, Buenos Aires.

Band members

;Core Members
;Other Members
;Collaborators