Gerard Quintana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerard Quintana i Rodeja
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Quintana in 2020
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| Background information | |
| Born | 27 November 1964 Girona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Genres | Rock, rock català, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, novelist, poet, actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
Gerard Quintana i Rodeja (born 27 November 1964) is a famous Catalan singer, songwriter, poet, and actor. He is also a novelist and works on radio and TV. He became well-known as the lead singer of the rock band Sopa de Cabra from 1986 to 2001.
Sopa de Cabra was one of the most important bands in the rock català style. This means they played rock music sung in the Catalan language. After the band stopped playing in 2001, Quintana started a successful solo music career. He has released many albums on his own and with other musicians.
Quintana also writes and publishes poetry. He has worked as a journalist for Catalan newspapers online. He even acted in a short film called Diogenes, the dog. In recent years, he has also become known as a serious novelist.
Sopa de Cabra got back together in 2011 for a special tour. This celebrated 25 years since the band started. Quintana returned to his rock-star style for these concerts. The band has since reformed and released new albums in 2015 and 2020.
Quintana is a very important person in Catalan culture. He cares a lot about Catalan culture and its future. He is currently the President of the Acadèmia Catalana de la Música. This group helps musicians of all kinds in Catalonia.
Contents
Gerard Quintana's Music Journey
Sopa de Cabra: The Early Years (1986–2001)
In the mid-1980s, Gerard Quintana was part of a group of young artists in Girona. At first, he focused more on writing poetry and fanzines. He didn't plan to be a singer because he was shy. But he loved music very much.
Before Sopa de Cabra, he was in other bands. Then, in the summer of 1986, Sopa de Cabra was formed. Quintana became the lead singer. He also wrote most of the song lyrics. The band's name, Sopa de Cabra, was a tribute to the Rolling Stones' album Goat's Head Soup.
Sopa de Cabra's music mixed classic rock, reggae, and blues. But because they sang in Catalan and were very creative, their sound was special. It was true rock music, but also uniquely Catalan.
Sopa de Cabra's Success and Challenges
From 1989 to 2001, Sopa de Cabra released many singles and 11 albums. They also went on regular concert tours. In 1991, Sopa de Cabra played a huge concert in Barcelona. They were with three other top Catalan bands. 20,000 people watched them play. This event is still a big moment in Catalan music history.
After their 1993 album Mundo infierno, Sopa de Cabra lost some fans. This album was sung in Spanish, not Catalan. Many Catalan fans were upset about this. It also didn't gain new Spanish-speaking fans.
By the late 1990s, the band was popular again. But one of the band members, Joan Cardona, became very ill. So, the band decided to stop playing at the end of 2001. Cardona made a short appearance at their final concert in November 2001. He sadly passed away from cancer in January, aged 42. The concert was recorded and released as Bona nit, malparits!. This title was Quintana's usual opening phrase at live shows.
Sopa de Cabra Reunion Tour (2011)
In March 2011, the remaining members of Sopa de Cabra announced a reunion concert. It was to celebrate 25 years since they started. People wanted tickets so much that they planned a full tour of seven concerts. All the shows sold out and were a huge success.
Quintana showed he still had his rock-star energy. The songs were all from Sopa de Cabra's classic albums. The band members were mostly the same as in the late 1990s. They also added a new guitarist, Xarim Aresté. He is a younger Catalan rock musician.
A CD and DVD called El retorn was released in December 2011. It showed the 2011 tour. Two other CDs about Sopa de Cabra's history were also released that year.
Gerard Quintana's Solo Music Career
Even when Sopa de Cabra was still active, Quintana worked with Jordi Batiste. He is another respected Catalan musician. They covered songs by Bob Dylan, who was a big inspiration for Quintana. They released two albums as 'Miralls de Dylan' ('Mirrors of Dylan'). They continued their work together in 2012 with more concerts and another CD.
After Sopa de Cabra stopped in 2001, Quintana continued his career. He became a musician, writer, poet, and actor. His first solo album was Senyals de fum in 2003. He released four more successful albums after that. His solo music is more personal and poetic. It is different from Sopa's traditional rock music.
He has worked with many important Catalan musicians. His 2010 album, De terrat en terrat ('From roof to roof'), is like a musical picture of Barcelona. It shows the city's lively and diverse atmosphere.
In 2013, Quintana helped organize and perform in the Concert per la Llibertat (Concert for Freedom). This big concert was held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. Quintana performed with the old Sopa de Cabra band. They sang "Camins," one of their most famous songs. He also sang a powerful song by Lluís Llach.
Working with Xarim Aresté
In 2013, Quintana started a new project with Xarim Aresté. They wrote new songs for a rock album. They played some of these songs on a small tour called Només és rock'n'roll ('It's only rock'n'roll'). The new album, Tothom ho sap ('Everybody knows it'), came out on March 4, 2014.
The album has 13 new songs. Quintana's stage presence is still strong and full of energy. His work with Xarim Aresté and their talented band has created a new exciting sound in Catalan music.
Sopa de Cabra Returns Again (2015 Onwards)
After the successful 2011 reunion, the band members didn't talk about another return. They all had their own projects. But in early 2015, rumors started about Sopa de Cabra getting back together. On March 28, 2015, they played a surprise concert on a rooftop in Girona. They announced that the band was back with new songs and a new album.
They played a mini-tour of three concerts in the summer of 2015. The new album, Cercles, was released at the end of 2015. They promoted it with a big tour in 2016 and 2017. The year 2016 was the 30th anniversary of the band. They played 23 concerts that year, including shows in Madrid and London. A live album was also released in 2018.
Two years later, another album, La gran onada (‘The great wave’), came out in February 2020. A special concert was filmed by Catalan TV at the ancient site of Empúries. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many concerts to be canceled. However, some shows were possible in the summer of 2020. The songs on the 2015 and 2020 albums were written by the same team as their earlier hits. Josep Thió wrote the music, and Gerard Quintana wrote the lyrics.
Gerard Quintana's Writing Career
Gerard Quintana had written articles for newspapers for a long time. But his first full-length book came out in April 2012. It was called Més enllà de les estrelles ('Beyond the stars'). This book was a personal story about the 2011 Sopa de Cabra tour. It shared many details about his life and the hard work behind a rock tour.
His second book, published in February 2015, was a surprise. It was a story for young children! L’odissea de sant Jordi ('The Odyssey of Saint George') is a new version of the legend of Saint George. It has lovely illustrations. Quintana's Saint George is a very shy boy at first. He is scared of the world. But he goes on a journey alone to face his fears. He carries only a book, which means knowledge, and a rose, which means love. Music also helps him in the story. The song that helps Jordi when he meets the dragon is a real one. Quintana and Aresté wrote and performed it. You can download it using a code in the book.
In March 2019, Quintana's first full novel, Entre el Cel i la Terra (‘Between heaven and earth'), was published. It tells a story about family relationships. The story takes place mostly in Barcelona and Girona from 1952 to the end of the 20th century.
Quintana wrote his second novel in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic affected his band's concert tour. The book, L’home que va viure dues vegades ('The man who lived twice'), was published in March 2021. It won the Ramon Llull Novel Award for 2021. This is a very important prize for Catalan language fiction.
Gerard Quintana's Film Work
In 2014, Quintana played the main role in a short film. It was called Diògenes, el gos (Diogenes, the dog). The film tells the story of the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes and Alexander the Great. But it sets their meeting in modern times. The film uses many of the famous sayings and stories about Diogenes.
Gerard Quintana's Discography
Music with Sopa de Cabra
- Sopa de Cabra (1989)
- La Roda (1990)
- Ben endins (1991) (live recording)
- Girona 83-87: Somnis de Carrer (1992)
- Mundo infierno (1993)
- Al∙lucinosi (1994)
- Sss… (1996)
- La nit dels anys (1997) (live)
- Nou (1998)
- Dies de carretera (2000)
- Plou i fa sol (2001)
- Bona nit, malparits! (2002) (live)
- El llarg viatge (2003) (live)
- El Retorn (2011) (CD and DVD of the anniversary tour)
- Les millors cançons (2011) (a 'best of' collection)
- Re/Ebullació (2011) (the 14 Sopa de Cabra singles from 1989-1992)
- Cercles (2015)
- La nit dels Sopa (2018) (live)
- La Gran Onada (2020)
Music with Jordi Batiste
- Els miralls de Dylan (1998)
- Sense reina ni as (2000)
- Forever young / Per sempre jove (2012)
Gerard Quintana's Solo Albums
- Senyals de fum (2003)
- Les claus de sal (2004)
- Per un tros de cel (2005)
- Treu banya (2007)
- De terrat en terrat (2010)
Music with Xarim Aresté
- Tothom ho sap (2014)
Gerard Quintana's Books
- Més enllà de les estrelles (2012) (Story of the 2011 tour)
- L’odissea de sant Jordi (2015) (Children's book)
- Entre el Cel i la Terra (2019) (Novel)
- L’home que va viure dues vegades (2021) (Novel)
Images for kids
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Quintana in 2020
See also
In Spanish: Gerard Quintana i Rodeja para niños
