La Vela Puerca is a Uruguayan rock/ska band formed in Montevideo, Uruguay in December 1995. Its founders and current members are Sebastián Teysera (lead vocals, frontman and main songwriter), Nicolás Lieutier (bass guitar) and Santiago Butler (guitar). The band's first appearance under the name La Vela Puerca was at a street party in Montevideo on December 24, 1995. By then, several new members had joined.
Beginnings
In 1996, frontman Sebastián Teysera entered a demo tape in a band contest. The rest of the band did not become aware of this until they found out they were listed among the twenty finalists. It was only a month later that they received a phone call informing them of their success. As a result they were awarded 80 hours of free recording sessions. These sessions would turn out to be vital for the making of their debut album. Recent history
To date, the band has released four albums plus a re-release of the first: Deskarado (1997), La Vela Puerca (1999, Deskarado re-release), De Bichos y Flores (2001), A Contraluz (2004), and "El Impulso" (2007). "De Bichos y Flores" and "A Contraluz" were produced by Gustavo Santaolalla
Their fourth studio album was released under the title El Impulso in April 2007. The new album contains 13 tracks and was produced by Juan Campodónico.[1]
They have achieved a high level of success in Uruguay and Argentina, and some success in Europe, particularly in Germany.
In December 2008, La Vela Puerca turned 13 years old. The band gave a special concert on Nov. 26, 2005, at the Velodromo in Montevideo, Uruguay, to celebrate their 10th anniversary, showing footage on a big screen from their tour of Europe and other previous concerts.
Discography "Deskarado" (1997) "La Vela Puerca" (1999) ("Deskarado" re-release) "De Bichos y Flores" (2001) "A Contraluz" (2004) "El Impulso" (2007)
Band members Sebastián Teysera: Vocals and acoustic guitar Sebastián Cebreiro: Backup vocals Santiago Butler: Guitar Rafael Di Bello: Guitar Alejandro Picone: Trumpet Carlos Quijano: Alto sax José Canedo: Drums Nicolás Lieutier: Bass guitar
Trivia
The band's logo is a drawing of the snout of a pig who is smoking a marijuana cigarette. Every year, on December 24, the band honors their first appearance as La Vela Puerca with a free show.
