Sol D'Menta
Encyclopedia
Sol D' Menta is a rock en español
band from Puerto Rico
. The band was formed in 1994 and became one of the most successful bands in the island. They became the first Puerto Rican
band to be signed by a multinational label (Polygram
) with whom they released their first eponymous album in 1996.
. After some time playing in the local scene, the band was signed by Polygram
becoming the first Puerto Rican
rock
band to be signed by a multinational label. Under Polygram, the band released their self-titled debut album
achieving great success with singles like "Inconformes" and "La Cachetera".
Although the lyrics of the album were mostly light and party-oriented, some of them had social messages about the situation in the island. One example is the song "Skalamientos", which chronicles the continuous rise in crime in Puerto Rico
. Other songs addressed subjects like materialism
, alcoholism
, and homelessness
.
In 1997 the band went to work in their follow-up album that was recorded at NRG Studios in Hollywood, California. The result was the album titled ¿El Concepto?
released on June 16, 1998. It included a version of the song "No voy en Tren" from Argentinean singer Charly García
. In 1998, during the promotion for the album, Ricky left the band after some differences with guitarist Tito Rodríguez. Also, the band was dropped from Polygram.
For their third album, Tocando Madera
, the group set up their own production company, recording an acoustic
album live at the Hard Rock Cafe
in San Juan
. The album featured three original songs plus hits from their prior two albums, and received two nominations at the Tu Música Awards for Best Rock Group and Album of the Year.
However, singer Ricky Díaz left the band. He was replaced by Omar Hernández. In 2001 the band released their third studio album titled Insomnio
featuring fusions with hip hop
, jazz
, and other rhythms. The album featured a cover of Héctor Lavoe
and Willie Colón
salsa
hit "Calle Luna, Calle Sol". The song became an instant hit.
On May 24, 2002, the band presented a concert at the Tito Puente Amphitheatre
. The concert was recorded and released as their second live album titled Vivos
. In 2006 they released their latest studio album titled Ciclos
.
The musical style of the band is a fusion of hard-rock and many other musical styles, such as salsa, funk, ska and hip-hop. The style is sometimes referred to as "Funkadelicpsycomenta"; this is a reference to the title of a hit song that appeared first on Tocando Madera.
Rock en Español
Rock en español is the Spanish-language rock music. While the term is used widely in English, it is used in Spanish mainly to distinguish such music from "Anglo rock." It is a style of rock music that developed in Latin American countries and Latino communities, along with other genres like...
band from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The band was formed in 1994 and became one of the most successful bands in the island. They became the first Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
band to be signed by a multinational label (Polygram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
) with whom they released their first eponymous album in 1996.
Biography
Sol D'Menta was formed in 1994 by Erick Seda (bass), Miguel Rodríguez (guitar), Ernesto Rodríguez (drums), and Ricky Díaz (vocals), all from the city of Mayagüez, Puerto RicoMayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
. After some time playing in the local scene, the band was signed by Polygram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
becoming the first Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band to be signed by a multinational label. Under Polygram, the band released their self-titled debut album
Sol D'Menta (album)
Sol D'Menta is the eponymous debut album of the band of the same name. The album was released by Polygram on June 18, 1996.The album produced two singles: "Cachetera" and "Inconformes" that received heavy airplay on local radio stations...
achieving great success with singles like "Inconformes" and "La Cachetera".
Although the lyrics of the album were mostly light and party-oriented, some of them had social messages about the situation in the island. One example is the song "Skalamientos", which chronicles the continuous rise in crime in Puerto Rico
Crime in Puerto Rico
Crime in Puerto Rico has been linked to the insurmountable amount of drugs that come in and out of the island. Located in the Caribbean, it has become a major transshipment point for drugs into mainland United States...
. Other songs addressed subjects like materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, and homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
.
In 1997 the band went to work in their follow-up album that was recorded at NRG Studios in Hollywood, California. The result was the album titled ¿El Concepto?
¿El Concepto?
¿El Concepto? is the second album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta. The album was released by Polygram on June 16, 1998.The song "Cerro Maravilla" is about the incidents that happened at the mountain of the same name in Puerto Rico .-Track listing:-Band Members:* Ricky Díaz – vocals*...
released on June 16, 1998. It included a version of the song "No voy en Tren" from Argentinean singer Charly García
Charly García
Charly García is a singer-songwriter, pianist and keyboardist from Argentina with a long career in rock music, forming successful groups such as Sui Generis and Serú Girán, cult status groups like La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, and as a solo musician.-Early years:Charly García was the eldest son in...
. In 1998, during the promotion for the album, Ricky left the band after some differences with guitarist Tito Rodríguez. Also, the band was dropped from Polygram.
For their third album, Tocando Madera
Tocando Madera
Tocando Madera is the third album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta. It is their first live album, and it was recorded September 2, 1999 during a presentation of the band at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Juan, Puerto Rico...
, the group set up their own production company, recording an acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
album live at the Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. The album featured three original songs plus hits from their prior two albums, and received two nominations at the Tu Música Awards for Best Rock Group and Album of the Year.
However, singer Ricky Díaz left the band. He was replaced by Omar Hernández. In 2001 the band released their third studio album titled Insomnio
Insomnio
Insomnio is also the Spanish translation of InsomniaInsomnio is the fourth album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta and their third studio album. It is also the first album to feature new singer Omar Hernández...
featuring fusions with hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and other rhythms. The album featured a cover of Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York...
and Willie Colón
Willie Colón
William Anthony Colón is a Nuyorican salsa musician. Primarily a trombonist, Colón also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in municipal politics in New York City.-Early years:...
salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
hit "Calle Luna, Calle Sol". The song became an instant hit.
On May 24, 2002, the band presented a concert at the Tito Puente Amphitheatre
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
. The concert was recorded and released as their second live album titled Vivos
Vivos (album)
Vivos is the fifth album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta and their second live album. It was recorded during the band's presentation at the Tito Puente Amphitheatre on May 24, 2002.- Track listing :# "El Principio"# "Locomotora"...
. In 2006 they released their latest studio album titled Ciclos
Ciclos (Sol D'Menta album)
Ciclos is the sixth album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta and their fourth studio album. It was released on August 29, 2006.The album includes a cover of Bob Marley's song "Could You Be Loved".- Track listing :# "Ciclos"...
.
The musical style of the band is a fusion of hard-rock and many other musical styles, such as salsa, funk, ska and hip-hop. The style is sometimes referred to as "Funkadelicpsycomenta"; this is a reference to the title of a hit song that appeared first on Tocando Madera.
Current members
- Erick "Jey" Seda Santana - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Omar Abnel Hernández González - lead vocals
- Miguel "Tito" Rodríguez - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Ernesto José "Che" Rodríguez Soto - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
Discography
- Sol D'MentaSol D'Menta (album)Sol D'Menta is the eponymous debut album of the band of the same name. The album was released by Polygram on June 18, 1996.The album produced two singles: "Cachetera" and "Inconformes" that received heavy airplay on local radio stations...
(1996) - ¿El Concepto?¿El Concepto?¿El Concepto? is the second album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta. The album was released by Polygram on June 16, 1998.The song "Cerro Maravilla" is about the incidents that happened at the mountain of the same name in Puerto Rico .-Track listing:-Band Members:* Ricky Díaz – vocals*...
(1998) - Tocando MaderaTocando MaderaTocando Madera is the third album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta. It is their first live album, and it was recorded September 2, 1999 during a presentation of the band at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Juan, Puerto Rico...
(2000) - InsomnioInsomnioInsomnio is also the Spanish translation of InsomniaInsomnio is the fourth album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta and their third studio album. It is also the first album to feature new singer Omar Hernández...
(2001) - VivosVivos (album)Vivos is the fifth album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta and their second live album. It was recorded during the band's presentation at the Tito Puente Amphitheatre on May 24, 2002.- Track listing :# "El Principio"# "Locomotora"...
(2002) - CiclosCiclos (Sol D'Menta album)Ciclos is the sixth album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta and their fourth studio album. It was released on August 29, 2006.The album includes a cover of Bob Marley's song "Could You Be Loved".- Track listing :# "Ciclos"...
(2006) - Ciclos Special EditionCiclos (Sol D'Menta album)Ciclos is the sixth album of the Puerto Rican rock band Sol D'Menta and their fourth studio album. It was released on August 29, 2006.The album includes a cover of Bob Marley's song "Could You Be Loved".- Track listing :# "Ciclos"...
(2007)