Mostros
are originally from Argentina but thankfully they brought
their band to Europe over a period of time and what a
brilliant move that was. They are a kick ass Punk Rock N Roll
band fronted by the gorgeous Macky. I really rated their album
and it was certainly one of the best I´ve heard this year.
Here´s what Macky had to say on behalf of Mostros.
Punk
Globe: First off can you introduce the band to our readers?
Macky: We´re Mostros, three boys and a girl playing the game
we play best and like most: rocknroll! It’s Alejo on bass,
Juanmi on guitar, Larry on drums, and Macky singing.
Punk Globe: Some of you are originally from Argentina
so what made you want to move to Spain?
Macky: Alejo and Macky were travelling together back in 2000,
Larry started travelling a year before. All three of us came
to visit different friends, and stayed ever since. They must
be putting something in the water.
Punk Globe: Your album rocked so what was the
inspiration behind making it?
Macky: Actually, it’s our second album. The first one,
self-titled, was recorded back in 2002. After some changes in
the line up we had come up with this dream team after Larry
and Juanmi joined the band, and we were urged to record that
moment in the life of Mostros. This album, Feed the rockin
soul, has a different flavour. I think the songs are 100%
mostros. It’s our first recording in 3 years, and I guess it
shows we have worked in building up our own sound, but also
that we’re having fun every time we play together. The
inspiration could pretty well be this relaxed feeling we have
during rehearsals, where it’s just pure fun punk rock.
Punk Globe: How do you feel about the finished
product?
We wanted the record to capture our live energy as much as
possible. Our concerts are where we let go and that´s what we
wanted to show. We believe all our songs have to stand the
“live test”, i.e. play them live many times before recording
them - and we´re quite happy with the result. We´ve put a lot
of effort in recording this cd – it´s been self produced, DIY
is a big part of what we do. We recorded with the band playing
together, not by bits, as both our engineer, Javi Vegas
(singer from La Gran Orquesta Republicana) and us thought that
was the way to go if we wanted to reflect our true sound. The
first album was also records this way. Afterwards we just add
up a wee bit extra guitar, the vocals, our selected
professional screamers for the choruses, and all you have to
do is stir, chill, and play loud. The cd booklet is an
exclusive piece, as well. It displays original collage art by
Mostros, and our choice of non-glossy recycled paper, in an
effort to go down our own aesthetic path. As the cd factories
would refuse to print on matte paper, we just ordered the cds,
and printed the booklet separately on a private press. We then
folded, put together and stapled each book one by one, before
placing them in the cd box and wrapping the whole thing up. As
you can see, we´re damn proud of our creature, and we hope it
behaves while its journey lasts.
Punk Globe: What countries in Europe have Mostros
played in so far?
Macky: None! We´re planning a couple of mini tours in Germany
and the UK during 2006. Remember we live in a small island and
that can be a bit of a handicap regarding moving around.
Needless to say we´ve played every venue in the island, from
concert halls, bars and squats, to open air festivals and town
fairs.
Punk Globe: You´re influenced by a fair few bands but
out of all of them what 5 would you like to share a stage
with?
We´ve already opened for both Damned and Buzzcocks, and that
was unforgettable for us. Apart from that. all our influences
are dead, well most of them – either as bands or actually gone
to rocknroll heaven. Otherwise, it could be Misfits with
Glenn, Stooges, and if this is really a wish list that
somebody’s taking seriously, may I have the Rolling Stones
please.
Punk
Globe: So what do you guys do in Majorca apart from drink beer
and play Punk Rock?
We´re working-class punks! Each of us has our own job outside
the band. Apart from that, Juanmi is perpetually building the
ultimate Theremin-Telecaster (of his own invention) and also
surfs naked in winter. Larry is a renowned telepath and also
grows carnivore plants, and talks to them (plants don’t speak,
so his telepathy is put to good use here). Alejo breeds cats;
he lives with a couple dozen of cats at home, and eventually
feeds the surplus to Larry’s plants. Macky has just one cat,
Rudie, big enough to scare the shit out of the neighbours.
She’s developing a formula so both the cat and her survive on
recycled paper alone, given the amount of useless paper she
hoards at home. When we’re not playing or attending other
friends’ concerts, we go to the beach a lot – 6 months a year
that is.
Punk Globe: What´s Spain like scene wise? How does it
compare to somewhere like Argentina?
Spain has a huge punk/hc scene. You find bands playing in
every little town. I think there are some wonderful bands
here, which would definitely crack out as a big success would
they come from the States, for example. Muletrain, Chingaleros,
Los Chicos (they´re almost a big family), Nuevo Catecismo
Católico, Phogo, just to name a few. Argentinean punk rock
scene is much more centred in Buenos Aires, although there are
also countless bands. Of course, it’s hard work to have a band
there, as imported instruments are almost a luxury article in
a country with so much unemployment and an ever narrowing
middle class. It’s not easy to sell records there as well.
Despite all this, there are many great bands who keep this
rock stuff very much alive, thank you. From the past, we
prefer early Loquero, early Fun People (who managed to tour
Central America and the States some years ago), Violadores
(almost the first punk band), Cadaveres (primitive killer
punks, amazing. Patricia, her bass player, has a new band; She
devils, and has been publishing her fanzine Resistencia for 20
years now.
patridevil@yahoo.com.ar .
Marcelo, singer for Cadaveres, has a terrific new project,
Star Losers – check´em out!). We don’t know many of the new
bands as we left our country some years ago, so we cannot
update much. Also, we cannot forget Motosierra – even though
they’re from Uruguay, we love this band. They’re raw,
powerful, fun and a metallic k.o. Also, during many years when
we were kids there was a ban for music in English on the
radio. This caused that news and records started coming south
slowly and late, so you´d only learn of foreign bands in a
very underground way, through fanzines and clandestine
broadcasts, and even so, in a big, anonymous city as Buenos
Aires, it could take years until you discovered if there was
something like that going on. In a way I think some of us were
underexposed to entire styles or scenes. We’ve never been
record collectors, because all of us had to work from quite
early and could not afford it – unless it was re-released in
Argentina, which of course was not the case with most punk, hc
etc. So even when we are thirtysomethings, we discovered many
bands and scenes since moving to Europe, and more recently,
through internet. It´s funny when some critics or journalists
think they can clearly hear our influences, and start naming
bands we never heard before. It may sound naïve, but
probably we were indeed living inside a mayo jar, as we say in
our country.
Punk Globe: Macky have you had any fantasies about
being stuck on a desert island with a UK Punk Rock Writer?
Macky: Not lately. Are punk rock writers sexy our what? I
prefer UK rock stars, although you’re not getting a name from
me.
And there was me hoping to have
an invite to a sunny deserted beach. Oh well one can try:-)
Punk Globe: What you guys expecting for Xmas?
Macky: 14 tracks for the next album.
Punk Globe: Anything you´d like to add?
Macky: Thanks for the support, and for this interview. This is
mostros, stay tuned so we can feed your rockin´soul.
Thanks to Macky and Mostros for doing this interview.
If you get the chance to see this band play in 2006 do so
because if they´re as good live as they are in the studio then
you´re certainly in for a great time.
