Callejeros

This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (November 2010)

Callejeros (streetwise, or stray dogs) was^[1] an Argentine rock band that gained notoriety when the nightclub where they were playing, República Cromagnon, was set on fire during one of its shows, killing 194 attendees, in 2004. ^[2]

History

The band was formed in mid-1995 by a group of young people of Villa Celina, Greater Buenos Aires. They were known initially as Río Verde ("Green River") and mostly played covers of Chuck Berry, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota. At the end of 1996 the band changed its lineup and recruited new members. Given the extensive change to the original group, in January 1997, they changed their name to Callejeros. A new guitarist and a saxophonist came into the band between late 1999 and early 2000, and it is with this lineup that Callejeros recorded the three albums it has released to date.

In 2001 they recorded their first album, Sed ("Thirst"), in which they followed the rock format they had kept for years, but with the participation of sax player Juan Carbone, former member of Viejas Locas. A single came out of this album, Vicioso, jugador y mujeriego, and a video was made for it, but did not see much TV airtime.

Their second album, Presión ("Pressure"), also self-released, came out in 2003. It was premiered with a show at the Atlanta football stadium in Buenos Aires and it included fourteen songs, ranging in style from tango, ballad, rhythms of candombe (black music from Uruguay) and Latin rock up to classic rock'n'roll. This record made their name known in almost all the country and, to some degree, in Latin America. Not long after the release of the album the first single, Una nueva noche fría ("A New Cold Night"), was aired on radio and music TV stations during several months.

After playing at the Obras Sanitarias Stadium, known in Buenos Aires as the "temple of rock", in 2004, it seemed as if the band would reach far, because of the growth in such a short time. In a 6 months' span they went from drawing 1,000 people or less to play in 5,000 capacity arenas.

In late 2004 they released their third album, Rocanroles sin destino ("Rock'n'rolls Without a Destiny"). It did not had the "power" of previous albums, but more attention went into describing themselves, their lives, their career as musicians and the conflicts that fame brings. The album was played live twice: first, in Córdoba, before 10,000 people, and then, in the Excursionistas football stadium with an audience of almost 15,000 people.

The República Cromañón fire

The night of December 30, 2004, the band was playing a concert at the club República Cromagnon, when a flare set the roof on fire. The club was crowded and the emergency exits had been (illegally) locked. The fire spread and eventually killed 194 people, mostly due to burning of the respiratory tract and inhalation of carbon monoxide. Among the dead spectators were relatives of several band members, as well as the band manager's wife and the lead singer's girlfriend.

The band was investigated by the authorities regarding their responsibility for the tragedy, since it was well-known that the audience frequently made use of pyrotechnic devices during their shows, though in this case Callejeros had asked them not to, to no avail.

In April 2011, the six band members were convicted of murder.^[3]

The return

After República Cromagnon, Callejeros did not play for a long time, first due to their own decision, and then because of the opposition from the victims of the fire.

In May 2006 the band released their fourth album, Señales ("Signs"), which sold 20,000 copies on its release day. The band signed a contract with Pelo Music and had both previous albums re-released (Sed and Presión) by this company.

On 6 July 2006, Callejeros appeared without prior announcement during a concert by the band Jóvenes Pordioseros in El Teatro, a club in Flores. The band had previously agreed not to go onstage, and the show was suspended by the management of the club. Later, some of the victims' relatives expressed mixed opinions; some claimed that the band "had the right to play" because there was no judicial order to keep them from doing so, while others called it "a mistake" or claimed that "they should be in prison". Until this day, the band has played 5 more times, always outside Buenos Aires city, since the tragedy. The last one, in Olavarria, Buenos Aires Province. ^{[4] [5]}

The second trial

In April 2011 an appeals court retried them, and found the members of the band guilty, sentencing them to 11 years in prison each.^[6]

Members

• Pato (Patricio Santos Fontanet): Vocals
• Dios (Christian Torrejón): Bass
• Elio (Elio Delgado): Guitars
• Maxi (Maximiliano Djerfy): Guitars
• Edu (Eduardo Vázquez): Drums
• Juancho (Juan Carbone): Sax

Discography

Solo x hoy (Demo), 1997

This is a demo made up of 11 songs in cassette format, recorded with a 4-track between the months of July 1997 and August 1997. Now few copies of the tape exist.

LADO A

1. Durmiendo en la seccional
2. Bufón
3. Lejos del cielo
4. Pichones
5. Zapatos muy grandes
6. Vivo en mi ilusión

LADO B

1. Botija
2. Teatro
3. Ancho de espadas
4. Milonga Rocanrol
5. Rito de Holoalocû

Callejeros (Demo), 1998

Independent production composed by 13 songs with greater variety of styles. It was recorded and mixed in WC Recording Studio in October 1998. This work stood out by to have sold more than 600 copies of same between cassettes and the CD.

1. Pichones
2. Puñales
3. No volvieron más
4. Brillan los fantasmas
5. Armar de nuevo
6. Milonga rocanrol
7. No somos nadie
8. Ancho de espadas
9. One after 909 (Lennon-McCartney)
10. Lejos del cielo (Folk tradicional)
11. Un monarca
12. La cuadra
13. Brillan los fantasmas (Versión lenta)

Adelantos (Demo), 2000

As the name says it well (Advances), this he is demo made up of 7 songs that came playing in shows. So that people knew them was made east registry, engraving in one portaestudio of 4 channels during the month of June 2000.

LADO A

1. Rompiendo espejos
2. A tinto regalado
3. Palo borracho
4. Teatro

LADO B

1. Pensar en nada (León Gieco)
2. Los invisibles
3. La buena vida

Sed, 2001

It is made up of 12 songs, of which 4 are from the Adelantos cassette and 1, Milonga rocanrol, is from Callejeros. In addition, it is the first registry of the band in which saxo is included. The disc was recorded, mixed and masterized in El Matadero records in October 2001. It is worth noting that this was a totally independent production.

1. Los invisibles
2. Rompiendo espejos
3. El nudo
4. Milonga del rocanrol
5. Jugando
6. Vicioso, jugador y mujeriego
7. Palo borracho
8. Sonando
9. Tiempo de estar
10. Teatro
11. Sed
12. Ojalá se los lleve

Presión, 2003

In March 2003 the band released their second album, Presión (Pressure), again in totally independent form, on the El Matadero records label. The single off this album, Una nueva noche fría (Another cold night) received wide airplay on radio and music TV, from its release in August 2004 until the beginning of January 2005, when it was essentially boycotted due to the Cromagnon nightclub fire.

1. Otro viento mejor
2. Presión
3. Tres
4. Una nueva noche fría
5. Fantasía y realidad
6. Morir
7. Cristal
8. Imposible
9. Callejero de Boedo
10. Si me cansé
11. Ahogados de razón
12. Tiempo perdido
13. El duende del árbol
14. Ilusión

Rocanroles sin destino, 2004

1. Distinto
2. Sé que no sé
3. Sería una pena
4. Algo peor, algo mejor
5. Rebelde, agitador y revolucionario
6. Un lugar perfecto
7. Todo eso
8. Prohibido
9. Tan perfecto que asusta
10. Tratando de olvidar
11. Rocanroles sin destino
12. La llave
13. Parte menor
14. Canciones y almas

Señales, 2006

1. Daños
2. Puede
3. Límites
4. Creo
5. Frente al río
6. Sin paciencia
7. Día a día
8. Sueño
9. Hoy
10. 9 de Julio
11. Señales
12. Desencuentro

Disco Escultura, 2008

1. Guiños
2. El Espejo
3. La Canción
4. Rehén
5. Esa Invisible Linea
6. Mas allá
7. Quedó
8. Siempre un poco más
9. El Ignorante
10. Lo que hay
11. Cancion de Cuna para Julieta
12. Si queres que sea yo
13. Pompeya

External links

• Official web site
• Callejeros en Rock.com.ar

References