Porter is a Mexican
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
*Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
* Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
based in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, Mexico.
Despite their uncommon sound the band got decent radio airplay on important broadcasting stations, their videos: "Espiral", "Daphne" and "Host of a Ghost" had a good reception in music video channels. "Daphne" was placed in the
Telehit
TeleHit is a Mexican cable/satellite television network. Its main programming is music and music videos. It is a part of Televisa Networks, an affiliate of TelevisaUnivision, and is also available in various countries in Latin America and Unit ...
's Top Ten videos and, more recently, "Host of a Ghost". (October 2007). The band has overall acceptance among critics & the audience, which often labels their sound as weird, interesting and vanguardish.
History
Formation, ''Donde los ponys pastan'', and ''Atemahawke''
Porter was formed in May 2004. At the beginning they were an instrumental band, until
Juan Son
Juan Carlos Pereda (born January 24, 1984 in Guadalajara, Mexico) is a Mexican singer and composer of experimental music. He was the vocals of the alternative rock band Porter and collaborated with Simone Pace (Blonde Redhead) as the drummer f ...
joined the band that same year. They then recorded the EP ''
Donde los ponys pastan
''Donde los Ponys Pastan'' (''Where Ponies Graze'') is the debut EP of the Mexican indie band Porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy ma ...
'', with
3er piso records, a Mexican indie record label. This EP was produced by
Alejandro Pérez ''Orco'' (member of
Azul Violeta
Azul Violeta is a Mexican band that was formed in 1988 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, by Hugo Rodríguez and César "Vampiro" López. Mixing funk and soul, these Latin rockers were signed by EMI in 1994 with the following line up: Hugo Rodríguez, ...
) and includes seven songs, among which are: "No te encuentro" ("I can't find you"), "Girl", "Daphne", "Bipolar" and their most popular song "Espiral". There are also two instrumental songs in this EP called "Interlude" and "Interlude Complicado". Later that year, Porter made it to the semi-finals of an indie rock band contest called ''0-music'', with the song "I can't find you".
On September 3, 2006, they served as the opening act for
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio More ...
at the
Arena VFG in Guadalajara.
Porter performed on the 2007
Vive Latino
Vive Latino - Festival Iberoamericano de Cultura Musical is an annual music festival held in Mexico City. It is one of the most important music festivals in Mexico, featuring a great variety of groups of many genres.
The event takes place in Foro ...
festival, where the first copies of their debut album, ''
Atemahawke
''Atemahawke'' is the debut album of Mexican surrealist rock band Porter, released on May 15, 2007. To date, the only single released is "Host of a Ghost". The name consists of an English phonetic translation of Nahuatl for Guadalajara, '' Ātema ...
'' were available. The album went on sale on May 15, 2007.
Porter also performed for the first time outside of Mexico in Hollywood, California at Al Borde's Rock N' Bliss concert on October 12, 2007, and, in 2008, at the
Coachella Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. I ...
where
Natalia Lafourcade
María Natalia Lafourcade Silva (; born 26 February 1984) is a Mexican pop-rock and folk singer and songwriter who, since her debut in 2002, has been one of the most successful singers in Latin America. Lafourcade's voice has been categorized a ...
joined them on stage during the performance of "Host of a Ghost".
Their music has been classified as
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
,
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
, and
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
. However, lyrics often explore
surrealist
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
and
space rock
Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...
themes combining English and Spanish languages. As an example, the 2007 track "Xoloitzcuintle Chicloso" contains Spanish words from
Nahuatl
Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
(the title comes from ''xoloitzcuintli'', a kind of dog, and ''tzictli'', gum, gummy dog); the whole story relies on a cat-alike dressed kid (Vega) and a talking dog (Chicloso). On the other hand, "Host of a Ghost" and "Girl" were written completely in English.
Break-up
After a hiatus and various rumors of disbanding, they dissolved after playing the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
in
Indio, California
Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, Califo ...
in 2008.
Juan Son
Juan Carlos Pereda (born January 24, 1984 in Guadalajara, Mexico) is a Mexican singer and composer of experimental music. He was the vocals of the alternative rock band Porter and collaborated with Simone Pace (Blonde Redhead) as the drummer f ...
, former vocalist for Porter went on to focus on a solo project, releasing the critically praised ''
Mermaid Sashimi
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
'' in February 2009. Victor "Villor" Valverde (former Porter member) joined Juan Son's band for a time before working on his architecture career. The first new single from ''Mermaid Sashimi'' is titled "Nada". A music video was recorded for the song. Juan Son and his newly formed band recently opened for
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band from Reykjavík, active since 1994. The band comprises singer and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, fron ...
in Mexico City and took part in the Rock N' Exa concert in 2009. The song "Goldfish" was released as the second single from ''Mermaid Sashimi'', as with some of Porter's previous music it is entirely in English.
Juan Son
Juan Carlos Pereda (born January 24, 1984 in Guadalajara, Mexico) is a Mexican singer and composer of experimental music. He was the vocals of the alternative rock band Porter and collaborated with Simone Pace (Blonde Redhead) as the drummer f ...
has mentioned in interviews that the last few months as a member of Porter were no longer inspiring to him. He admitted to being very lazy and playing with little or no enthusiasm. He said he got along great with the guys and still does to this day but he saw himself doing something else. His solo album has less guitars and live drums and more samples and a mixture of different genres.
The other members of the band focused on finishing their education and their own solo project, most notably, Fernando de la Huerta in the band Vansen Tiger and Diego Bacter with his group Holger and solo work.
Reunion and ''Moctezuma''
On December 4, 2012, during the announcement of the Vive Latino 2013 music festival lineup, it was confirmed that Porter would meet to perform at the festival. In 2013, several days before their performance, they released their first new single since getting back together, "Kiosco". A few months later on June 8, Porter performed again at the first annual Loudblue festival presented by Ballantine's. Two days prior, the band announced on their Facebook page that Juan Son would not be joining them on stage, instead the musician David Velasco would be filling in. There were no specific reasons cited for Juan Son's absence.
July 17, the band announced: "We would like to inform you all that Juan Carlos
uan Sonwill not be participating with Porter for an indefinite period of time. We spent 5 years hoping to meet again, but now we are only four on the journey. We are writing new music which in September we will share. Soon we will announce new dates. We appreciate the unconditional support. Porter forever."
In 2015 they released a new album, ''
Moctezuma'', and toured to promote it during 2015 and 2016. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' considered this one of the top ten latin albums of 2015.
''Las Batallas''
On November 28, 2018, the band released the EP ''Las Batallas del Tiempo'', a teaser for the band's then upcoming third studio album. ''Las Batallas'', the band's third album, was released on May 24, 2019.
''La Historia Sin Fin''
On May 5, 2021, the band released a new song and music video, "Sonámbulo". The song is set to appear on the band's fourth studio album. The album's second single, "Sol@", was released on August 13.
The band's fourth album, ''La Historia Sin Fin'' (''The Endless Story'') was released on February 25, 2022.
Musical style
Their sound consists of a mixture of electronic and acoustic beats, rock guitars, sound loops and Juan Son's distinctive
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
voice and high pitch vocals. The band had cited artists such
Air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
,
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band from Reykjavík, active since 1994. The band comprises singer and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, fron ...
,
Caifanes
Caifanes is a rock band from Mexico City. Formed in 1987, the group achieved international fame during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The original line-up was Saúl Hernández (vocals and guitar), Sabo Romo (bass guitar), (drums) and Diego He ...
,
Zurdok
Zurdok was a Mexican rock band based in Monterrey. It was formed in 1993 under the name Zurdok Movimento, changing it several years later to simply Zurdok. It was one of the most important bands in the Mexican rock band scene at the end of the 19 ...
,
Röyksopp
Röyksopp (), a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø formed in 1998. The duo consists of Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland.
Berge and Brundtland were introduced to each other through a mutual friend in Tromsø, Norway. They enjoye ...
,
Café Tacvba
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
,
The Cure
The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
and
Mecano
Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. Mecano became one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all time. The band is still the best-selling Spanish band, with over 25 million records worldwide. They were consid ...
as influences. In fact, portions of songs from several of these influences and others have been included in live performances of their songs.
Discography
Albums
*''
Atemahawke
''Atemahawke'' is the debut album of Mexican surrealist rock band Porter, released on May 15, 2007. To date, the only single released is "Host of a Ghost". The name consists of an English phonetic translation of Nahuatl for Guadalajara, '' Ātema ...
'' (2007)
*''
Moctezuma'' (2014)
*''Las Batallas'' (2019)
*''La Historia Sin Fin'' (2022)
EPs
*''
Donde los ponys pastan
''Donde los Ponys Pastan'' (''Where Ponies Graze'') is the debut EP of the Mexican indie band Porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy ma ...
'' (2005)
*''Las Batallas del Tiempo'' (2018)
Music videos
Band members
Current
*Victor "Villor" Valverde – guitar, piano (2004–2008; 2013–present)
*Fernando "Fehr" de la Huerta – guitar (2004–2008; 2013–present)
*Diego "Bacter" Rangel –
bass, synthesizer,
programming (2004–2008; 2013–present)
*David Velasco – lead vocals (2013–present)
Former
*Juan Carlos Pereda "Juan Son" – lead vocals (2004–2008)
*Juan Pablo "Chata" Vázquez – drums (2004–2008; 2013–2019)
References
External links
Porter MySpace profile* https://www.facebook.com/oficialporter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter
Mexican rock music groups
Mexican indie rock groups
Mexican alternative rock groups
Musical groups from Guadalajara, Jalisco
Rock en Español music groups