Vetusta Morla facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vetusta Morla
Background information
Origin	Tres Cantos (Madrid)
Genres	Indie rock Alternative rock Indie pop Pop rock
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Pequeño Salto Mortal
Members	Pucho David "el Indio" Álvaro B. Baglietto Jorge González Guillermo Galván Juanma Latorre

Vetusta Morla is a popular Spanish indie rock band. They are from Tres Cantos, a city near Madrid, Spain. The band started in 1998.

Their name comes from a character in the children's book The Neverending Story. This character is a very old, giant tortoise named Morla. The word "Vetusta" means "very old" in Spanish.

How Vetusta Morla Started

The band Vetusta Morla began in the summer of 1998. It happened at the José Luis Sampedro Secondary School in Tres Cantos. Some students decided to play music for their school's culture week. This is how their rock band was formed.

At first, playing music was more of a hobby for them. The lead singer, Pucho, worked in graphic design. David "el Indio" Garcia, the drummer, was a teacher. Juan Manuel Latorre, a guitarist, had a radio show. Jorge Gonzalez, who played keyboards, taught physics.

Early Music and First Steps

Their first demo was called "13 Horas Con Lucy." It came out in 2000. This demo helped them win some local music awards. In 2001, they won the Concurso de Rock de La Elipa. This win got them noticed by a music producer, David Hyam.

David Hyam produced their first EP, La Cuadratura Del Circulo. An EP is like a mini-album. It was released in 2003. In late 2001, a new bass player, Alvaro Baglietto, joined the band. Since then, the band members have stayed the same.

Creating Their Own Record Label

For several years, Vetusta Morla tried to find a record label. But they had no luck. Indie music labels thought their sound was too commercial. Bigger labels didn't see much future in their music.

Things changed in 2006. After playing at a festival in Beirut, the band decided to get serious. They quit their day jobs to focus only on music. To solve the problem of not having a label, they created their own. They called it Pequeño Salto Mortal, which means "Little Fatal Leap."

First Albums and Big Tours

Even though they played many shows and won awards, their first album took a long time. It was released in February 2008, almost ten years after the band started. This album was called Un día en el mundo (A Day in the World). It had twelve songs. One song, "La Marea," was first on their 2003 EP.

By the end of 2008, Un día en el mundo was on almost every music chart in Spain. Many called it the best Spanish debut rock album. That same year, Vetusta Morla went on their first big tour.

Three years later, in 2011, they released their second album, Mapas (Maps). It also became very popular. This album had a more complex sound.

Exciting Music Experiments

In 2012, the band tried something new. They had a lot of experience touring and two albums. They decided to record with the Regional Symphony Orchestra of Murcia. This was to raise money to fix a building in Lorca. The building, a music school, was damaged in an earthquake in May 2011. The concert was released as an album in 2012.

Later in 2012, the band did another cool experiment. They released an album with music for a video game. The game was called Los Rios De Alice (Rivers of Alice). Most of the songs on the album were instrumental. Only one song, "Los Buenos," was in their usual style.

At the end of 2013, the band announced their third album, La Deriva (Drift). The first song from it, "Golpe maestro," came out in February 2014. The full album was released in April 2014. They also had many concerts and music videos for this album. Their next album, Mismo sitio, distinto lugar (Same site, different place), was recorded in Berlin. It was released in November 2017.

In 2017, the band joined a special project called Suena Guernica (Singing Guernica). This project was from the Spanish national radio station Radio 3. It celebrated 80 years since Pablo Picasso painted his famous artwork, Guernica. Famous Spanish musicians played songs in front of the painting. Vetusta Morla performed three songs: "Alto!", "Golpe Maestro," and "Puente de los franceses."

In 2020, the band released an experimental album called MSDL - Canciones dentro de canciones. The band described it like a nesting doll. It had new versions of songs from their fourth album. In 2021, they announced their sixth studio album, Cable a Tierra (Cable to Earth).

Awards and Recognitions

Vetusta Morla has won many awards and received special mentions for their music.

Note: For the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, the album Mismo Sitio, Diferente Lugar was also nominated for Best Recording Package. Rubén Chumillas, the art director, received this nomination.

Other Recognitions

• The song "Copenhague" from Un día en el mundo was chosen as one of the top three Spanish indie songs of the last 30 years. This was from a vote by internet users and Radio 3 listeners.
• MTV ranked Vetusta Morla's first album, Un día en el mundo, as the second favorite album of 2008.
• In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine named Vetusta Morla the Best Group of the Year. Their second album, Mapas, was named Best Album of the Year.
• In 2012, the band played 107 concerts, including some with an orchestra and many abroad. Rolling Stone magazine gave them the award for Best Tour of the Year.
• In 2019, Vetusta Morla won the Gràffica Prize. This award was for the amazing visual parts of their work. This includes their album designs, illustrations, and stage shows. The award recognized how they combine music and visuals to tell stories.

Band Members

• Juan "Pucho" Pedro Martín Almarza (sings, plays percussion)
• David "el Indio" García (drums, sings)
• Álvaro B. Baglietto (bass guitar)
• Jorge González (percussion and electronic music)
• Guillermo Galván (guitar, keyboards, sings)
• Juan Manuel Latorre (guitar and keyboards)

Discography

Studio Albums

• Un día en el mundo (2008)
  • Autocrítica (04:42)
  • Sálvese Quien Pueda (03:22)
  • Un Día en el Mundo (04:12)
  • Copenhague (05:03)
  • Valiente (03:28)
  • La Marea (03:43)
  • Pequeño Disastre Animal (03:34)
  • La Cuadratura del Círculo (04:35)
  • Año Nuevo (04:26)
  • Rey Sol (03:27)
  • Saharabbey Road (04:37)
  • Al Respirar (03:35)
  • Un Plan Mejor (04:14)
• Mapas (2011)
  • Los Días Raros (06:27)
  • Lo Que Te Hace Grande (04:12)
  • En el Río (03:07)
  • Baldosas Amarillas (04:16)
  • Boca en la Tierra (03:47)
  • El Hombre del Saco (03:05)
  • Maldita Dulzura (03:47)
  • Cenas Ajenas (04:02)
  • Mapas (03:51)
  • Canción de Vuelta (03:53)
  • Escudo Humano (04:35)
  • Mi Suerte (04:40)
• La Deriva (2014)
  • La Deriva (03:39)
  • Golpe Maestro (03:48)
  • La Mosca en Tu Pared (03:44)
  • Fuego (04:05)
  • Fiesta Mayor (03:36)
  • ¡Alto! (03:13)
  • La Grieta (03:46)
  • Pirómanos (03:39)
  • Las Salas de Espera (03:40)
  • Cuarteles de Invierno (03:55)
  • Tour de Francia (04:15)
  • Una Sonata Fantasma (03:50)
• Mismo sitio, distinto lugar (2017)
  • Deséasme Suerte (03:49)
  • El Discurso del Rey (03:41)
  • Palmeras en La Mancha (03:37)
  • Consejo de Sabios (05:18)
  • 23 de Junio (03:27)
  • Guerra Civil (03:34)
  • Te lo Digo a Ti (02:27)
  • Punto Sin Retorno (04:40)
  • La Vieja Escuela (04:13)
  • Mismo Sitio, Distinto Lugar (03:42)
• MSDL — Canciones dentro de canciones (2020)
  • Deséame Suerte – MSDL
  • El Discurso del Rey – MSDL
  • Palmeras en La Mancha – MSDL
  • Consejo de Sabios – MSDL
  • 23 de Junio – MSDL
  • Guerra Civil – MSDL
  • Te lo Digo a Ti – MSDL
  • Punto sin Retorno – MSDL
  • La Vieja Escuela – MSDL
  • Mismo Sitio, Distinto Lugar – MSDL
• Cable a Tierra (2021)
  • Puñalada Trapera (03:34)
  • La Virgen de La Humanidad (03:05)
  • No Seré Yo (04:31)
  • El Imperio del Sol (02:58)
  • Corazón de Lava (04:17)
  • La Diana (02:46)
  • Palabra Es lo Único que Tengo (03:15)
  • Si Te Quiebras (03:39)
  • Finisterre (03:16)
  • Al Final de la Escapada (03:54)

EPs

• 13 horas con Lucy (demo, 2000)
• Vetusta Morla (demo, 2001)
• La cuadratura del círculo (demo, 2003)
• Mira (EP, 2005)

Images for kids

• 

  Vetusta Morla performing live

See also

In Spanish: Vetusta Morla para niños