Alvaro Pena-Rojas

Composer, vocalist, keyboardist, and poet Alvaro Pena-Rojas, better referred to as “Alvaro the Chilean Using the Performing Nose,” continues to be in comparison to John Lennon and Tom Waits, though actually his strange music exists inside a category of its. With a lot of self-released recordings that borrow from such diverse resources as his Chilean history, Western avant-garde, minimalism, and easy hearing pop music, Alvaro offers forged an endearing legacy of DIY and outsider music. Given birth to in Chile in 1943, Alvaro released many singles of pop music in his indigenous nation in the past due ’60s before shifting to London in 1974. Once there he installed briefly with Joe Strummer within an early edition from the 101’ers, Strummer’s group before the Clash. More than the next many years in London and Germany, he documented several demos, frequently simply soloing on piano or keyboards and vocals, or sometimes having a drummer and bass participant. With punk extremely popular of London in 1977 and an focus on self-reliance from record brands where rings would launch their own materials, Alvaro began his very own label, Squeaky Sneakers Records. His very own quirky music, though nothing beats the sound of punk, acquired even less industrial potential. With help from Antonio Narvaez on several percussions and vocals and Cathy Williams on vocals using one monitor, and himself on piano, lead vocals, percussion, pinquillo, twin flute, bass, whistle, and rocks, Alvaro’s initial LP, Drinking MY VERY OWN Sperm, was documented in November 1977 and arrived soon after. Another several years noticed the discharge of even more full-length albums, singles, and tapes from Alvaro, all released by himself label. His third record, The Functioning Class, documented in Bavaria in 1979 and released another year, was a totally solo effort without overdubs. His solitary “Mariposa” from 1985 was regarded as the weirdest solitary in the Virgin Information Megastore in London at that time. Frequently shuttling from London to Continental European countries, aswell as SOUTH USA, to record and tour, from the past due ’80s Alvaro relocated to Germany. He performed some concerts within the East Coastline of america in 1991 and continuing to tour and launch information and CDs through the entire next 10 years. Through self-production, Alvaro offers maintained his exclusive vision, that mix of an unusual performing voice; music that’s steeped in Chilean folk music yet affected by modern Western experimentation; and unusual lyrics in Spanish, British, and German. Because the middle-’70s, he in addition has published many books of poetry with numerous presses.