Guajiro (band)
Güajiro (pronounced, ‘wah-HEE-roh’) are a Hialeah, Florida-based rock band, composed of members Jorge Gonzalez Graupera (bass, backing vocals), William Lopez (guitar, lead vocals), Douglas Mackinnon (drums, percussion) and David Santos (guitar). They are signed to I Scream Records. They were the US representatives of the RALLY MTV reality TV series which aired on MTV Tres as well as MTV Latin America and MTV Brazil.
History
The band was formed by Lopez and Mackinnon in early 2005 as a hobby after spending years away from the music scene (Mackinnon played in The Vandals and Slapshot. Lopez was the singer of Friction Wheel). Their shared love of bands such as Hüsker Dü, Black Flag and The Clash brought them together in an attempt to recapture the excitement and artistic integrity they felt was lacking in the music industry. By mid-2005 a self-titled EP was recorded and released by California label Long Beach Records. Soon after they recruited bass player/singer Jorge Gonzalez (Jorges, Volumen Cero, The Brand) and later, guitar player David Santos. In May 2006 they recorded Material Subversivo, their first full-length album with noted producer Darian Rundall (Pennywise, Yellowcard, Suicidal Tendencies) . Through touring, self-promotion and perseverance the band attracted local and national attention which led to highly coveted opening slots with Rancid and Flogging Molly. As a result, labels came calling and the band signed with I Scream Records in early 2007 which led to the release of “Material Subversivo” in May 2007. Shortly after that in June, the band was invited by MTVtres to participate in a reality TV show called Rally MTV which followed five bands racing across South America. Guajiro was the US representative. The band also played on the Warped Tour in July 2007.
Discography
Guajiro - (2005) Self titled - EP
- Produced by Jorge “Tereso” Correa
- Mixed by Darian Rundall
- Recorded at Espiral Recording, Miami, Florida
- Mastered by Don Tyler at Precision Mastering, Hollywood, CA
Material Subversivo – (2007) – LP
- Produced by Darian Rundall
- Mixed by Darian Rundall
- Recorded at Espiral Recording, Miami, Fl
- Mastered by Gene Grimaldi at Oasis Mastering, Burbank, CA
- Featured musicians: Julio “El Peregrino” Martinez – Tres on “Soy Guajiro Part I & II, Randy Bradbury (bass) on “Dos Principes”, Chris Bradford – Acoustic Guitars on “Dos Principes”, Aruan y Arelan Torres – Vocals on “ Soy Guajiro Part I” and “Santa Fe”, Percussion (Timbata) on “Soy Guajiro Part I”, “Santa Fe”, “Mulatona” and “En Bori”, Gil Joker – Vocals on “Soy Guajiro Part I & II” and “Bandera”, Harold Bosch– Vocals on “Delinquente”, Frank Lopez – Vocals on ”Delinquente”
Line-up
This is considered to be the essential line-up of Guajiro. It is with these members that the band has achieved artistic and commercial success:
- Jorge Gonzalez Graupera – bass, backing vocals
- William Lopez – guitar, lead vocals, rusty trombone
- Douglas Mackinnon – drums, percussion
- David Santos – Guitar
Other members
- Ariel Gonzalez – guitar
- Luis Castellanos – bass
- Joe Koontz - guitar