Chetes
Encyclopedia
Luis Gerardo Garza Cisneros (born September 19, 1979 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México), better known as his stage name Chetes, is a Mexican rock musician, well known for being the leader of the influential Avanzada Regia
rock bands Zurdok
, Vaquero
and eventually, his own solo career.
, but this project was quickly abandoned when neighbors complained about the noise. When MTV
arrived in the city, Chetes got even more excited about rock music so he learned about guitar distortion
. This is a method of playing guitar where the sound is distorted, but the actual guitar remains intact.
Chetes then joined the band Zurdok
in 1993, which was formed by Fletch Sáenz and David Izquierdo. The band received a recording contract to Discos Manicomio when he was only 16. With Zurdok, Garza recorded 3 albums: Antena
, Hombre Sintetizador
and Maquillaje
. In 2002, Zurdok disbanded due to artistic differences and Chetes took a break. In 2005, Zurdok bandmate Maurizio Terracina and Garza created a new project band together with Rodrigo Guardiola called Vaquero
, where their songs are completely in English. Chetes picked up a considerable amount of new fans, due to the predominance of English as a world language.
Vaquero is currently in hiatus and it remains unknown if they will record a sequel to their debut eponymous album
.
Chetes already had enough material of his own to cut a record. "Una Pieza" (One More Time or Figure Out) and "Poco a Poco" were written during the Vaquero era, but they did not fit into the band concept. So, by sending demos, Ken Coomer
, ex-drummer of Wilco
and Uncle Tupelo
got hooked on Chetes's sound and decided to be the producer of his first solo album. Garza flew to Nashville
on October 2005, recording and writing songs with Coomer and his engineer, Charlie Brocco. These songs were recorded in track and had no electronic instrumentation, being heavily influenced by The Beatles
and The Beach Boys
.
In May 2006, Blanco Fácil, the title of the album, was released. So far, it has sold nearly 50,000 copies, the benchmark for being certified gold in Mexico. The first single on "Blanco Fácil", "Completamente", led to a 2006 Latin Grammy nomination for best rock song, some heavy iTunes Latino
promotion, and a much-played video that features a bundled-up Garza singing his way down the streets of Beijing. The second single is "Poco a poco" and there is a scheduelded third single "Que me maten".
Chetes also collaborated with Amaral
in the cover of Miguel Bosé
's song "Si tu No Vuelves" for the soundtrack of the movie Efectos secundarios
and with Emmanuel del Real with the song "16 de Febrero" for the movie "Fuera del Cielo".
In April 2008, Chetes released his second album Efecto Dominó
.
Avanzada Regia
Avanzada Regia was a musical movement in the mid 1990's from Monterrey. The movement began professionally in 1995 but its pioneers began playing in bars in the city in 1994, receiving attention and popularity in their hometown.- Origins :...
rock bands Zurdok
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 1990s and the early 2000s.The band recorded 3 studio...
, Vaquero
Vaquero (band)
Vaquero is a Mexican Avanzada Regia rock band from Monterrey. It was created by Chetes and Mauricio Terracina, after their previous band Zurdok broke up.-External links:***...
and eventually, his own solo career.
Biography
Chetes grew up in the Bay Area. His father was a founding member of the rock band Los Rockets, which led to Chetes' interest in music. At age 7, he learned classic guitar, and started to like artists such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys. At the age of 12, he attempted to learn how to play drumsDrum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, but this project was quickly abandoned when neighbors complained about the noise. When MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
arrived in the city, Chetes got even more excited about rock music so he learned about guitar distortion
Distortion
A distortion is the alteration of the original shape of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted, and often many methods are employed to minimize it in practice...
. This is a method of playing guitar where the sound is distorted, but the actual guitar remains intact.
Chetes then joined the band Zurdok
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 1990s and the early 2000s.The band recorded 3 studio...
in 1993, which was formed by Fletch Sáenz and David Izquierdo. The band received a recording contract to Discos Manicomio when he was only 16. With Zurdok, Garza recorded 3 albums: Antena
Antena (album)
Antena is the first album of Mexican Avanzada Regia rock band Zurdok Movimiento.-Track listing:#Platique con mi pistola - 3:00#Tiempo D#Derrumbe del desfile - 2:39#Nadie te quiere ver - 3:12#Chambi - 2:25#Tropecé - 3:35#Dragón - 2:53...
, Hombre Sintetizador
Hombre Sintetizador
Hombre Sintetizador is the second album released by Mexican Avanzada Regia rock band Zurdok. They left behind the heavy sounds of Antena to a more experimental tunes, adding classical instruments and folk sounds. It is considered one of the best albums of rock en español of all-time and made Zurdok...
and Maquillaje
Maquillaje
Maquillaje is the third and final album for Mexican rock band Zurdok.-Track listing:# "Para siempre"# "Así es"# "De afuera hacia adentro"# "Estático"# "Interludio I"# "Ligero como el viento"# "Bien o mal"...
. In 2002, Zurdok disbanded due to artistic differences and Chetes took a break. In 2005, Zurdok bandmate Maurizio Terracina and Garza created a new project band together with Rodrigo Guardiola called Vaquero
Vaquero (band)
Vaquero is a Mexican Avanzada Regia rock band from Monterrey. It was created by Chetes and Mauricio Terracina, after their previous band Zurdok broke up.-External links:***...
, where their songs are completely in English. Chetes picked up a considerable amount of new fans, due to the predominance of English as a world language.
Vaquero is currently in hiatus and it remains unknown if they will record a sequel to their debut eponymous album
Vaquero (album)
The debut album from the Mexican Avanzada Regia Rock band Vaquero.-Track listing:#All Day Dreamer#Dying to Live#Space is Fake#From Nowhere#Yesterday's Song#Building an Army#Head Down#No Sense#Sunshine#The Lost and The Chosen#Money...
.
Chetes already had enough material of his own to cut a record. "Una Pieza" (One More Time or Figure Out) and "Poco a Poco" were written during the Vaquero era, but they did not fit into the band concept. So, by sending demos, Ken Coomer
Ken Coomer
Ken Coomer was the last drummer for the band Uncle Tupelo as well as the drummer for Chicago based-band Wilco until Yankee Hotel Foxtrot...
, ex-drummer of Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
and Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
got hooked on Chetes's sound and decided to be the producer of his first solo album. Garza flew to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
on October 2005, recording and writing songs with Coomer and his engineer, Charlie Brocco. These songs were recorded in track and had no electronic instrumentation, being heavily influenced by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
.
In May 2006, Blanco Fácil, the title of the album, was released. So far, it has sold nearly 50,000 copies, the benchmark for being certified gold in Mexico. The first single on "Blanco Fácil", "Completamente", led to a 2006 Latin Grammy nomination for best rock song, some heavy iTunes Latino
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
promotion, and a much-played video that features a bundled-up Garza singing his way down the streets of Beijing. The second single is "Poco a poco" and there is a scheduelded third single "Que me maten".
Chetes also collaborated with Amaral
Amaral (music group)
Amaral is an award-winning music group from Zaragoza, Spain who have sold more than four million albums worldwide. The band consists of Eva Amaral and Juan Aguirre , who write their songs together. Eva Amaral started out as a drummer in another group until she set out with Aguirre to perform her...
in the cover of Miguel Bosé
Miguel Bosé
Miguel Dominguín Bosé is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor.-Early life:Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosé and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen...
's song "Si tu No Vuelves" for the soundtrack of the movie Efectos secundarios
Efectos secundarios
Efectos Secundarios is a 2006 film directed by Issa López. The film stars Marina de Tavira, Alejandra Gollás, Arturo Barba and Pedro Izquierdo. It was originally released to theatres in the Mexico on September 1, 2006.-Plot summary:...
and with Emmanuel del Real with the song "16 de Febrero" for the movie "Fuera del Cielo".
In April 2008, Chetes released his second album Efecto Dominó
Efecto Dominó
Efecto Dominó is an album by Chetes, released on April 15, 2008. The album received a Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock Solo Vocal Album.-Track list:All songs written by Chetes except where noted:#Efecto Dominó #Fuera de Lugar #Querer...
.
With Zurdok
- AntenaAntena (album)Antena is the first album of Mexican Avanzada Regia rock band Zurdok Movimiento.-Track listing:#Platique con mi pistola - 3:00#Tiempo D#Derrumbe del desfile - 2:39#Nadie te quiere ver - 3:12#Chambi - 2:25#Tropecé - 3:35#Dragón - 2:53...
- 1997 - Hombre SintetizadorHombre SintetizadorHombre Sintetizador is the second album released by Mexican Avanzada Regia rock band Zurdok. They left behind the heavy sounds of Antena to a more experimental tunes, adding classical instruments and folk sounds. It is considered one of the best albums of rock en español of all-time and made Zurdok...
- August 1999 - MaquillajeMaquillajeMaquillaje is the third and final album for Mexican rock band Zurdok.-Track listing:# "Para siempre"# "Así es"# "De afuera hacia adentro"# "Estático"# "Interludio I"# "Ligero como el viento"# "Bien o mal"...
- June 2001 - lo mejor de Zurdok (Compilation album) - 2007
Solo
- Blanco Fácil - May 2006
- Blanco Fácil (US Edit) - January 2007
- Blanco Fácil Special Edit - February 2007
- Efecto DominóEfecto DominóEfecto Dominó is an album by Chetes, released on April 15, 2008. The album received a Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock Solo Vocal Album.-Track list:All songs written by Chetes except where noted:#Efecto Dominó #Fuera de Lugar #Querer...
- March 2008 - HipnosisHipnosis (album)Hipnosis is the third studio album recorded by Mexican singer-songwriter Chetes released on May 11, 2010.-Track listing:This information adapted from Allmusic....
- May 2010