Molotov (band)
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Molotov is a Mexican
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
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.


Biography

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. 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 Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
and began to gain a small group of fans. More success came when they opened for
Héroes del Silencio Héroes del Silencio (Spanish: ''Heroes of Silence'') (well known as Héroes or HDS) was a Spanish rock band from Zaragoza, formed by guitarist Juan Valdivia and singer Enrique Bunbury. The lineup was completed by bassist Joaquín Cardiel and ...
in
Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
and later for
La Lupita La Lupita is a Mexican band that combines rock and Latin music. Their lyrics are humorous and sometimes sarcastic. They released their first album, ''Pa' Servir a Ud'', in 1992, combining heavy metal, norteñas, disco music, funk, mambo M ...
in
Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
. During a concert at which they opened for Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas, talent scouts from
Universal Music Latin Entertainment Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group, is a record company specialized in producing and distributing Latin music in Mexico, the United States, and Puerto Rico. UMLE includes famous Latin music labels such as Uni ...
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 Maná () is a Mexican pop rock band. The band is considered one of the best-selling Latin music artists and the most successful Latin American band of all time with over 40 million records sold worldwide. The group's current lineup consists o ...
'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 José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz (17 February 1948 – 28 September 2019), known professionally as José José, was a Mexican singer and actor. Born into a family of musicians, José began his musical career in his early teens playing guitar and sin ...
. In 1998, Molotov released ''
Molomix ''Molomix'' is the second album by the Mexican band Molotov. It's a remix album from their previous production ¿Dónde Jugarán Las Niñas?. It also includes two new songs "''El Carnal de las Estrellas''", which is an attack to the Mexican broa ...
'', an album with remixes of ''Donde Jugarán'', including a version of the classic Queen song "
Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack ...
" titled "Rap, Soda y Bohemia", and a new song, "El Carnal de las estrellas", which attacks the Mexican television network
Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
as a response to its refusal to air the band's videos. In September 1999, ''
Apocalypshit ''Apocalypshit'' is the second studio album by the Mexican band Molotov produced by Mario Caldato, Jr. The album was released in September 1999 on Surco Records. ''Apocalypshit'' was the first Molotov album to be released in the US. Track list ...
'' was released and the band toured Europe, including Russia, and were also a part of the 1999
Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
. 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 Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...
''. The soundtrack was nominated for a
Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
.) They also worked on the soundtrack of the film ''Atlético San Pancho''. Molotov were part of the 2000 Watcha Tour, which included 17 shows with
Los Enanitos Verdes Enanitos Verdes (literal translation: "Little green dwarves", roughly equivalent to the English phrase "Little green men") is a rock trio from Argentina, formed in 1979 in the city of Mendoza. History The band started in 1979, with Marciano ...
, Aterciopelados,
Café Tacuba Café Tacvba (Pronounced ''kaˈfe taˈkuβa'') is a band from Ciudad Satélite, Mexico. The group gained popularity in the early 1990s. They were founded in 1989, before they had the current lineup of Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega (lead vocals, ...
, and
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In 2003, the band's new album, ''
Dance and Dense Denso Dance and Dense Denso is a third studio album by Mexican band Molotov, released on February 25, 2003, through Universal Music Latino. It was produced by Argentine musician Gustavo Santaolalla. The title of the album is in Spanglish (part Englis ...
'', 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 ''Con Todo Respeto'' is a 2004 covers album by the Mexican band Molotov. The album was released in October 2004 by the label Universal Latino. The songs covered are from a variety of genres, including new wave, hip hop music, punk, and tradi ...
,'' which consisted of covers of groups such as The Misfits,
Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
,
ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...
, and
Los Toreros Muertos Los Toreros Muertos is a musical group of the new wave/power pop/punk movement on the Spanish-speaking music scene known as La Movida Madrileña. The Spanish singer and humorist Pablo Carbonell with Many Moure and Guillermo Piccolini formed this ...
. 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. 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 Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...
, and ending on April 15 in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
. 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 A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsternallyand ''miente''
e lies E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plur ...
with the hit song "Yofo". The album saw first-week sales of nearly 1,000 copies. Molotov performed at the 2009 Coachella Music Festival. 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 Cuaron Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
. 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 The Zócalo () is the common name of the main square in central Mexico City. Prior to the colonial period, it was the main ceremonial center in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Sq ...
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 La Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio (, usually called only "La Maldita") is a band formed in Mexico City in 1985. They are pioneers of rock en español and one of the most influential rock bands in Mexico. They first made an impac ...
to protest against Arizona's
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law. The band recorded their performance at the Creation of Peace Festival in
Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...
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 Olallo Rubio is a Mexican filmmaker and broadcaster. He is known for his documentaries '' So, What's Your Price?'', '' Gimme the Power'' and '' Ilusión Nacional'', and the feature film '' This Is Not a Movie'' Career Rubio's career began in ...
, providing music for a documentary called ''Gimme the Power'' in which Rubio analyzes Mexico under the power of the
Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the Nati ...
. The documentary was released on June 1, 2012. The band were a no show for their appearance at Bésame Mucho Festival in Los Angeles, California at Dodger Stadium due to visa issues.,


Music and lyrics

Molotov's lyrics include a mixture of politics, sex, and expletives with dark humor and social commentary which made it hard for Molotov to enter mainstream media. LGBT organization
GLAAD GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...
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 areabout being politically correct. We respect the art of it. The expression." Publications such as ''
Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...
'' said that their music "is incendiary by nature ..with poisoned darts aimed directly at the heart of the oppressive paternalism of the government". 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,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
, pop,
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
,
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
and punk rock into their musical style, which has been classified as
rock en español Rock en español () is a term used widely in the English-speaking world to refer to any kind of rock music featuring Spanish vocals. Compared to English-speaking bands, very few acts reached worldwide success or between Spanish-speaking countri ...
,
rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and earl ...
,
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
,
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
,
post-grunge Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox and Collective So ...
,
rap rock Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, resp ...
,
Latin rock Latin rock is a term to describe a subgenre blending traditional sounds and elements of Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean folk with rock music. However, it is widely used in the English-language media to refer any kind of rock music featurin ...
and
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
.


In popular culture

* In 2001, the song ''Polkas Palabras'' was featured in the soundtrack of the film ''
The Fast and the Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
''. * 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 Crackdown may refer to * ''Crackdown'' (web series) * ''Crackdown'' (video game series) ** ''Crackdown'' (video game) ** ''Crackdown 2 ''Crackdown 2'' is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Ruffian Games and published by ...
'', 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''. * 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. ''Mayans M.C.'' (also known simply as ''Mayans'') is an American crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, that premiered on September 4, 2018, on FX. The show takes place in the same fictional universe as '' Sons of ...
''. * In 2021, the song ''Here We Kum'' was featured in the radio soundtrack of ''
Far Cry 6 ''Far Cry 6'' is a 2021 first-person shooter game developed by Ubisoft Toronto and published by Ubisoft. It is the sixth main installment in the ''Far Cry'' series and the successor to 2018's ''Far Cry 5''. The game is set on the fictional Cari ...
''.


Members

''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

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:35 PlotArea = left:80 bottom:70 top:0 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1995 till:31/12/2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1 Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:lines value:black legend:Studio_album ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1995 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1996 LineData = at:11/03/1997 color:black layer:back at:14/09/1999 color:black layer:back at:05/02/2003 color:black layer:back at:26/10/2004 color:black layer:back at:16/10/2007 color:black layer:back at:10/06/2014 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Fuentes text:"Tito Fuentes" bar:Huidobro text:"Micky Huidobro" bar:Cueva text:"Jay de la Cueva" bar:Ayala text:"Paco Ayala" bar:Moreno text:"Iván Moreno" bar:Ebright text:"Randy Ebright" PlotData= width:16 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Fuentes from:01/01/1995 till:end color:guitar bar:Fuentes from:01/01/1995 till:end color:vocals width:4 bar:Fuentes from:01/10/1995 till:end color:bass width:10 bar:Huidobro from:01/01/1995 till:01/10/1995 color:guitar bar:Huidobro from:01/10/1995 till:end color:bass bar:Huidobro from:01/10/1995 till:end color:guitar width:12 bar:Huidobro from:01/10/1995 till:end color:drums width:8 bar:Huidobro from:01/01/1995 till:end color:vocals width:4 bar:Cueva from:01/01/1995 till:01/10/1995 color:bass bar:Cueva from:01/01/1995 till:01/10/1995 color:vocals width:4 bar:Ayala from:01/02/1997 till:end color:bass bar:Ayala from:01/02/1997 till:end color:guitar width:12 bar:Ayala from:01/02/1997 till:end color:drums width:8 bar:Ayala from:01/02/1997 till:end color:vocals width:4 bar:Moreno from:01/01/1995 till:01/10/1995 color:drums bar:Ebright from:01/02/1996 till:end color:drums bar:Ebright from:01/02/1996 till:end color:guitar width:10 bar:Ebright from:01/02/1996 till:end color:vocals width:4


Discography

;Studio albums *'' ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas?'' (1997) *''
Apocalypshit ''Apocalypshit'' is the second studio album by the Mexican band Molotov produced by Mario Caldato, Jr. The album was released in September 1999 on Surco Records. ''Apocalypshit'' was the first Molotov album to be released in the US. Track list ...
'' (1999) *''
Dance and Dense Denso Dance and Dense Denso is a third studio album by Mexican band Molotov, released on February 25, 2003, through Universal Music Latino. It was produced by Argentine musician Gustavo Santaolalla. The title of the album is in Spanglish (part Englis ...
'' (2003) *''
Eternamiente ''Eternamiente'' (Eternally) is Molotov's fifth album, which was released October 16, 2007. It's a compilation of four EPs, each one made by a member of the band individually, plus two new tracks. The EPs were released in the band's website and ...
'' (2007) *'' Agua Maldita'' (2014) ;Remix albums *''
Molomix ''Molomix'' is the second album by the Mexican band Molotov. It's a remix album from their previous production ¿Dónde Jugarán Las Niñas?. It also includes two new songs "''El Carnal de las Estrellas''", which is an attack to the Mexican broa ...
'' (1998) ;Compilation albums *''
Con Todo Respeto ''Con Todo Respeto'' is a 2004 covers album by the Mexican band Molotov. The album was released in October 2004 by the label Universal Latino. The songs covered are from a variety of genres, including new wave, hip hop music, punk, and tradi ...
'' (2004) *Exitos (2016) ;Live albums *''Desde Rusia con Amor'' (2012) *''MTV Unplugged'' (2018) *''¿Dónde Jugarán lxs Niñxs?'' (2019)


Awards

''Band awards'': *1998:
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
- International Viewer's Choice (Latin America, North and South): "Gimme Tha Power" *2003: MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2003 - Best Group or Duet, Best Alternative Artist, Best Artist from Mexico. *2004:
Viña del Mar International Song Festival , image = , caption =Overture to the closing night of LI Viña del Mar International Song Festival (2010) , location =Viña del Mar, Chile , years_active =1960-present , founders = , dates =3rd week of February , ...
- Antorcha de Plata, Antorcha de Oro, Gaviota de Plata. ''Dance and Dense Denso'': *
Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
for Best Music Video (''Frijolero''). * MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2003 for Video of the Year (''Frijolero'') ''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 "Agua Maldita" *Latin Grammy 2014 Best Rock Vocal Album, Duo or Group


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molotov Rock en Español music groups Rap metal musical groups Mexican rock music groups Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups from Mexico City Latin Grammy Award winners Universal Music Latin Entertainment artists