Paraguay

Until recent years, there wasn't much in the way of modern music coming out of Paraguay. Between the years 1954 to 1989 Paraguay was under the fierce dictatorship enforced by former President Alfredo Stroessner. He banned all forms of liberal expressions. It wasn't really until after Stroessner's downfall in 1989 that modern music began to emerge. In the 1990s groups such as Chris Patik, Enemigos de la Klase, Gaia, Deliverans, El Templo, Dogma, Shamán, Turkish Blend, & Slow Agony became popular. In the new millennium, Paraguayan rock bands have gained a strong following thanks to the big rock festivals such as Pilsen Rock & Quilmes Rock, which gather around 60,000 spectators each time they are held. 

Enemigos de la Klase is a punk outfit that formed in mid-1992 in Paraguay. The founding members were: Felipe Fernandez – vocals; Juan Armano – guitar; Sargus Perez – bass; & Christian Perez - drums. The bands original name was Los Birramaníacos or The Beer Maniacs, but they quickly changed their name to Enemigos de la Klase or Enemies of the (Upper) Class to be more directly in line with their ideological concept of the band, of their identification with the oppressed, the exploited, those fighting every day for their freedom. They are the enemies of the bourgeoisie , the capitalists, the class that only protects the interests of their money. They sought to address the social problems & politics of Paraguay & Latin America in general.

In 1993 they entered the studio to record their first demo with the songs "República o Muerte", "Nuestras Vidas", & "Nunca" (unpublished). This first demo helped the group become better known in Paraguay & got them some radio airplay. Shortly after the demo is recorded, Felipe Fernandez leaves the group so Christian, who writes most of the material, takes over on vocals &. Roberto Bernal joins on drums. Then Juan Armano leaves & is replaced by Carlos Acuña om guitar. By 1994 they had written more songs & the demo was now 9 tracks. ENSA label issued the release in cassette format in 1995. After the cassette is released, Carlos Acuña left the band. Then Christian Pérez also takes over on guitar, making the group a trio. Christians brother Sargus & Roberto Bernal then quit, leaving only Christian. He enlists the help of long-time friend Marcelo Gonzalez on drums & they recruit Eduardo Anderlique to play bass. It wasn’t until 1998 that they were able to release República o Muerte on CD. It had now grown to 10 tracks. Some time in 2000, Eduardo Anderlique leaves the band so Christian & Marcelo seek out Miquel Loaiza to play bass & Lolo Ferreira as second guitar. Most recently Lolo & Miguel quit the band & Delis Castro signed on to play bass. They have stayed with this three man line-up since, & continue to play.

 Enemigos de la Klase - República OMuerte (Republic or Death), ENSA, 1998.

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Tracklist –

Patria querida

Enemigos

Nuestras vidas

Maria Juana (un amor illegal)

Manifesto

República o muerte

Te Quiero en mi cama

La paz de los muertos

Alcohol amargo

M.J.

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This band reminds me of a Paraguayan version of Calexico. They call their music urban folk, but I call it great.

 

 

In 2006 , Mario Halley, Fernando Peyrat, Roberto 'Chirola' Ruiz Diaz, &Julio Troche, who had been friends for more than 10 years, decided to get together in the back of Fernando’s house for Friday night jam sessions which they dubbed Terapia de los Viernes or Friday Therapy. It all started when Julio started taking drum lessons at Fernando’s & they invited their other two friends over, with a simple goal, to make a little music. Fernando Peyrat had been in two bands, Partes Iguales (Equal Parts) & La Sociedad (The Society). Playing in these bands had given him the opportunity to play alongside great local musicians Rodrigo 'Yuka' Ojeda & Gustavo Gomez.

In August 2006, Mario had written a song called "Bandida" (Bandit) that he thought the four should record. With the help of Yuka Ojeda (formerly of the group La Sociedad) at his home recording studio in Pedro Juan Caballero, near the Brazilian border, the four friends recorded their first demo versions of  "Bandido" & "Guarani Cool" both of which would later appear on the bands first release. Encouraged by the results of that first recording session, the four invited five of their friend to El Santo, a local disco, for an audition/jam. All five friends answered the call to see what it was & subsequently became members of the new 9-member urban folk band K-Chiporros. The new members were: Rodrigo 'Yuka' Ojeda - lead guitar; Edgar Aquino – bass; Eugenio 'El Loco' Barath – keyboards; Gustavo Gómez – percussion; & Pedro Elias Fadul - electronic drums.

On November 25, 2006 the band played their first gig at El Santo & as they say, the rest is history…

The following year they released their 5-song freshmen disc Guarani Cool. This is their sophmore release, 2008s self-titled disc. It has a more refined sound. It really highlights the band skills in songwriting, singing, & musicianship.

Kchiporros – Kchiporros, 4Kcho Records, 2008.

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Tracklist –

Hueso Oficial

Volver a nacer

Me estoy enamorando

Noche de soltero

Algo de ti 

Tuchaite

Loco de amor

Sólo con un poco

El ventilador

Punkchak

Ya no importa

Manuel

Because I love you

Celoso

Se van

Enjoy,

NØ