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A STAR HAS FIVE POINTS
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IF IT HAS FOUR… IT'S ALMOST A STAR
There were always four of us when we were kids
and I had to be the singer.
In those bands you start as kids…
JOSÉ "EL DOS" VOCALIST
…one chooses guitar, bass or drums.
We didn't have those instruments, but we had already decided.
And I was the singer, I was good at it.
I had the guts to do it.
So that's how I became a singer.
We're going to make music together until the day we die.
RAÚL "LA COFIA" GUITARIST
We met each other in school and sometimes we played basketball,
but music wasn't involved back then.
We saw each other at the arcades, we played table football.
We were looking for another guitarist
and we went to rehearse at my parents' house.
From when we started at La Cofia's, then looking for the studio,
La Cofia and I started to click.
We were kids.
In the studio, we grew up,
physically as well.
We were 16 or 17 years old.
When you do something for the first time, it's more magical.
When it became just the two of us, the connection was stronger.
It already was strong, but from then on it was awesome.
The name stood out immediately.
MARIANO CASANOVA VOCALIST, DISTRITO 14
Frutas y Verduras, "Fruits and Vegetables," awesome!
And when they told me why, amazing!
SERGIO FALCES ARAGÓN MUSICAL
They threw fruit and vegetables, because of the name.
I asked them backstage…
"FINAL MUÉVETE" CONCERT (2008)
…why they were eating carrots.
They said: "It's healthy, they're high in vitamins."
Years later they told me they were messing with me.
I really thought they were healthy guys who ate fruit and vegetables backstage,
hence the name.
We rented the studio on February 21, 1997.
CHAPTER 1 LA COFIA AND EL DOS
We went down one night and the lights were out.
-We played in the dark, man. -We played in the dark.
I played the acoustic guitar and he sang along.
I remember thinking how well we understood each other.
I've never had that same feeling with anyone else.
-I agree, like a spark. -It hasn't happened again.
Ready?
Yes, I'll take it from the top.
THEY STARTED RECORDING THEIR LATEST ALBUM,
DOBLE PERSONALIDAD COMPARTIDA, IN 2018
IT'S DECEMBER 2019 AND THE RECORD IS ALMOST READY TO BE MIXED
Okay.
-It's completely different, right? -Yes.
I remember one night in particular…
GUITARIST AND VOCALIST, MELANCRÓNICO AND FRUTAS Y VERDURAS
…when we had an epiphany.
We shared a bottle of whisky and a bottle of tequila.
Here and at the table in the park nearby.
We talked about so many things that it was like falling in love.
Also, the night we watched Amélie.
Watching Amélie was huge.
They're two of my best friends.
I don't have that many friends, but Raúl and José are two of them.
They always bring me back to my teenage years.
CONCERT WITH KASE.O (1998)
Musically they've taught me a lot.
A lot about Spanish rock, and rock music in general.
The complicity they share…
ÓSCAR PINA LA COFIA'S COUSIN
…it is something extraordinary.
SERGIO "MADRUGADAS" MUSICIAN
It's like a good marriage…
SALA SILKONA CONCERT (2009)
…one with regular love-making and sharing kisses afterwards.
IVÁN "PROKAS" MUSICIAN
They aren't good, they're fucking great.
Their friendship has lasted…
RUBÉN RUIZ FRIEND
…25 years, already.
And they have a love for music.
I don't know why or how, but I had a clear voice
telling me that when I came here, I was on the right path.
"You need to do this, you were born for this."
And I never changed my mind.
"FANTASMAS Y VALIENTES" RECORDING (SUMMER 2012)
Today's going to be good.
I'll record over this part, Lorenzo.
LORENZO PÉREZ SALAZAR IS THEIR SOUND TECHNICIAN
AND SO MUCH MORE HE'S FAMILY
Okay.
They're different from other bands.
SALA MULTIUSOS CONCERT (2009)
They have their own audience and style. They're unlike anything else in Aragón.
They're just themselves.
They were always different, and still are, with this new project.
"GREATEST SHITS" RECORDING (SUMMER 2019)
Again.
Cool!
I met José and Raúl in high school.
He was the first musician I ever met.
Before starting the band, Veler introduced us to Kase.O.
I didn't know José so well because he was in another class,
but I started to go to their legendary studio.
Wow, did you hear that?
I collaborated on his second demo tape, Revolución.
From then on, we became close friends.
La Cofia and I were thick as thieves
throughout high school.
But my mom hated him.
He would finish lunch and call and say to my mom:
"It's La Cofia, is Javi there?"
My mom would pass me the phone, looking pissed off.
But I did the same.
We were addicted to each other.
Right after lunch I'd call: "Hey, are you ready?"
I'd jump on my moped and head over to his.
His parents would still be eating when I arrived at the house.
We needed to stay close.
For a while, my mom would say: "La Cofia is calling again?"
I would say: "It's not his fault, I asked him to call."
For years, we were inseparable.
It would be the whole day, sometimes we'd eat dinner with his mom.
It was crazy, for years.
Since those years, he's been one of my best friends.
He came to the studio from the first day.
We spent evenings in the studio.
This was in high school. We would get home at 4 a.m.
Then we had to be at school at 8 a.m.
We called him the fifth fruit.
I'm the fifth fruit.
You're going to look at those raps again, right?
Yeah, we can start now.
Whoever wants to now. If not, then next Monday.
I was the producer or the fifth fruit.
I got involved in everything I could and I think…
I've rapped on almost all their albums.
Yeah, I'll do it again.
They're the rock band of their generation, in the neighborhood.
In our generation, hip-hop had always been more important.
But what we know as melodic rock in the neighborhood, is Frutas y Verduras.
LA JOTA NEIGHBORHOOD, ZARAGOZA
La Jota was a rap neighborhood.
We've always been in touch with the rap scene.
Everybody else was into rap, so they called us the metalheads.
We've always had a real bond with rappers.
I met José and La Cofia through Kase.O.
He said: "You have to come to their studio.
You'll love it."
He told me what they were up to,
and I thought: "Damn, I have to meet these dudes."
-Xhellazz was 15 and rapping here… -Yes.
-He was. -All of the rappers.
Making music with them is an excuse to hang out and get wasted.
Apart from Sho Hai and Kase.O, who we've always known,
there's Xhellazz, the Velers…
-The Velers, of course. -…Presion…
They were the guys who introduced rap music to Zaragoza.
They're close to Factoría RapSolo,
as they're from the same neighborhood as Kase.O.
They're simple guys from the neighborhood.
Nice guys, the same as Kase.O.
It's awesome.
It's great having the studio here,
because the neighborhood of La Jota has always been involved in music.
Ángeles del Infierno lived just around the corner,
so did Distrito 14.
Kase.O has taken La Jota around the world,
and he's from here.
None of them have a studio here.
So in reality when it comes to making music in La Jota,
it's just us.
Yes.
ALBERTO MOLINER BASS PLAYER, DISTRITO 14
They were born to suffer.
Being a musician is being born to suffer.
Especially in La Jota, suffering is guaranteed.
When we were kids, Distrito 14 was really for us…
It really was what we wanted to be.
We knew them since they were kids. I recorded their first demo,
in this very studio.
I remember that my sister would walk into the house,
and would say: "That guy is so hot."
And it was Alberto.
There was a sort of connection.
They reminded me of us, when we started out.
La Jota has always had a strong music scene.
It's one of the birthplaces of hip-hop, not only in Zaragoza, but in Spain.
They were many groups, but Frutas y Verduras
somehow cemented the neighborhood's status.
There were two main rock bands in Zaragoza:
Heroes del Silencio and Distrito 14.
-Distrito 14 would walk past our street. -They were from La Jota.
They had coats with the collar turned up, Lennon glasses, hair down to the waist.
They were groundbreaking,
and they were our reference point, but not fully because we were too young.
When we started, it was unthinkable
to record an album, or anything else, it wasn't a possibility.
When they started…
CONCERT AT LA ALMENA (2004)
…they could think about it more seriously.
He turned up one day.
We couldn't believe it, the Distrito 14 bass player was at our door.
I've known them since they were kids
and I've seen their evolution, especially in their music.
He came in the room,
and saw three spoons on a table.
Remember this was 1997.
With a straight face, he said: "What are those for?"
And Raúl told him: "To eat yoghurt, man."
Forminder, La Cofia and I all looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Because the night before, we had been eating yoghurt
and we'd frozen Molina's yoghurt.
-For real. -It's true.
We were thinking about that, but he thought we were making fun of him.
He said: "Eating yoghurt, huh?"
"Didn't your parents tell you about the dangers of drugs?"
-You pay for it later in life. -You pay for it later, yes.
He was serious the rest of the day.
-He said: "Careful with that." -"Careful with that."
They were about 17 years old.
I remember I told him I was 17,
and he was like: "I wish I was 17 again."
I asked him how old he was and he said 36, crazy.
I became really fond of them.
Alberto offered to record a demo of three songs for us.
With a four-track cassette recorder we used for our demos.
We had some food, some longaniza sausage, I think.
We were using a wah pedal, but it didn't sound right.
So we put some of the longaniza oil on it…
to see if it sounded better.
They were a rock or heavy metal band.
I don't know what they were, because they weren't really anything yet.
We were preparing because Javier Ibarra lent us an eight-track Yamaha recorder.
They had songs to make a demo,
so I took an eight-track recorder over.
Javi came one day and said: "This is to record your first demo.
You have four months to do it."
It was an amazing summer, like being in Abbey Road.
I mean with eight tracks to record our music…
Every night we recorded the first thing that came into our heads.
I was something between producer and sound technician.
I've never been as inspired…
as I was during those days.
That's how the first album was recorded.
Kase.O refers to those days on his album El Círculo.
He mentions Frutas and Verduras referring to those days.
It was like a marriage between six people.
It was amazing.
CHAPTER 2 ORIGINS
At my house we listened to music from the radio or on the TV.
My parents didn't listen to tapes or records.
I was lucky because my parents have always been music lovers.
JOSÉ VICENTE ROYO LA COFIA'S FATHER
With the U.S. military base in Zaragoza,
we could get records directly.
Raúl was born into that environment.
I remember seeing my father with headphones on
listening to Jimi Hendrix at full blast.
I studied art, which for me is the same as music.
I could only hear that buzz from the headphones.
But I could see him immersed in the music.
ANA GANDU LA COFIA'S MOTHER
Raúl always has been surrounded by musicians, painters, sculptors.
My mom has always liked flamenco.
My sister loved music.
I grew up listening to Madonna,
Olé Olé, Europe, Bon Jovi.
It was really eclectic back then.
I saw Europe on TV and said: "That's what I want to do."
SALA MULTIUSOS CONCERT, ZARAGOZA (FEBRUARY 2009)
Good evening, Sala Multiusos!
Frutas y Verduras is in the goddamn house.
Let me hear you say: "Hey!"
I'd never hear him sing…
PILAR BERICAT AND JOSÉ LÓPEZ EL DOS'S PARENTS
…until we saw him in concert.
-I was totally shocked. -I didn't know he sang.
I thought: "Oh my God, is this my son?"
We reached that age when you begin to define yourself.
You really do it, you leap into the void.
Then you see that, actually, you're good at making music.
This is not just
a real friendship,
there's also admiration. I would buy all of this guy's records.
I'll do a ranchera record.
I would love that.
I'm a big fan of José.
I love how he writes lyrics,
how he plays with words and…
And his singing, right? He has a great vocal range.
I knew I could sing from imitating my favorite bands.
I've always seen a lot of literature in José's songs.
He's also got a bit of rap in there.
He can say a lot of words in a short amount of time.
I gave Raúl his first guitar.
He taught himself and it went from there.
From then on he never put it down.
I would arrive at his house and ask his mom: "Where's my husband?"
"You are always together!"
He came home with Kase.O and José
and I think I was reading, lying on the sofa,
and I heard them playing and I thought: "Damn!
Wow!" Then I closed my book and listened.
Our creative process is like something out of a romantic comedy, when they say:
"We finish each other's sentences." Or: "Just a look is enough to understand."
That's what it's like for us.
They complement each other, they understand each other implicitly.
I would say like a brother, but it's not that.
I have a sister, and it's not the same feeling of love and affection.
It's not less, it's just different.
I've always thought that music saves you.
JEAN-PIERRE BAILLY MUSICIAN
At times, music is the most important thing.
When a song has a story, a strong emotion behind it,
when it's an expression of what's inside,
you can't play it with just anyone.
I've always seen them as my little brothers.
I've always been there for them.
Our first drumkit that Molina played on,
was a 50-kilo bucket of paint.
And the snare was a tambourine.
Instead of drumsticks, he played with 40-centimeter rulers.
-Until he bought some TAMA drumsticks. -Amazing.
ALBERTO MOLINA FIRST DRUMMER OF FRUTAS Y VERDURAS
He had professional drumsticks to play on a big paint bucket.
We had the band before we knew how to play.
We couldn't play a chord, but we had a band.
REHEARSAL THE STUDIO (1998)
For me, music started as something I liked.
At first I listened to bands I liked.
Then it became a hobby.
Then it became something I needed to live.
This is a hard one, man.
I've muted them there. Turn up the chorus.
I remember in class…
MUSIC VIDEO "NUESTRO MOMENTO" (2008)
…sharing headphones listening to Soziedad Alkoholika,
their first demo, amazing.
It finished and he said: "Again?" So we played it again.
On an Aiwa walkman.
I knew José, Juan and Santi from school,
but I got along best with José because we played basketball sometimes.
We hung out in the same circles, but not the exact same group.
I was always with La Cofia and then José would come.
But it was always at La Cofia's house, so the one to call was Raúl.
We would spend the evenings
just being together, not doing anything.
It was just enjoying the company of your friends.
It was awesome.
We were in different classes,
but we still saw each other at school.
In the first year of high school we didn't have the band yet, right?
Right.
We hung out at the arcades, played table football, pool.
I knew Raúl played guitar,
and we started hanging out at his house in the evenings.
It was the first time I saw a wah pedal.
I loved that sound effect in funk,
but I didn't know how it was made, I thought it was percussion too.
We shared musical tastes, but we didn't know it.
We got to know each other better and we had the same favorite band.
I remember really liking Queen.
But Guns n' Roses just blew my mind.
I discovered Guns n' Roses thanks to La Cofia.
He was really into them.
I listened to them because of him.
Forminder, Molina, Santi and I knew that he had a Fender.
I was recording my second album demo, Dos Rombos.
I asked him to record guitar on the song "Evolución de un hombre."
He was the standout musician in my group of friends.
I would say: "If you need a guitarist, I've got a friend who can play."
One day we dropped into conversation that we needed another guitar.
Because all bands we loved had two guitarists.
You needed two or it didn't work.
We didn't even know how to play, but…
Alberto on drums.
CANAL 44 CONCERT (11/10/1999)
Santi on bass.
Raúl and Juan on guitar.
And José on vocals.
Please welcome Frutas y Verduras!
This is awesome, man.
Good evening!
I liked that they were so young and so focused.
I felt affection for them.
-And they were from the neighborhood. -Yes that too.
That means a lot here.
Again. I got that wrong.
We're missing the first chorus.
-No. -Great, I don't know my own song.
Okay, let's move onto the second chorus.
I joined the band a bit later on.
José, Molina, Santi, Forminder.
Only two months later.
They already had a band.
-It was called… -Shit, man.
Almas del Purgatorio, "Purgatory Souls."
I was playing with… some people from high school.
We called ourselves Cannabis Experience.
Awesome.
THEY STARTED AS FRUTAS Y VERDURAS
NOW THEY ARE MELANCRÓNICO
I realized they took it really seriously.
I thought they were crazy.
They were going to exhaust themselves.
-They were going to get in a bad way. -Worse than we were at the time.
We needed to rent a place.
That was really the start…
It was the biggest step in being able to say: "I'm in a rock band."
Renting a place and buying some decent sound equipment.
"Shit, I'm in a rock band."
CHAPTER 3 MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER
Usually, Cofia and I would start the process together.
Not because we have more ability, but because we've been together longer.
We understand each other better.
They're from another planet.
FANTASMAS Y VALIENTES ALBUM COVER PHOTO SESSION (2013)
They're very creative.
There aren't friendships like that anymore.
Their relationship is to be envied and admired.
José is really important to me.
I won the lottery with him, there's no one like him.
I really admire him.
I'm excited about the new album.
I'll try to forget everything we've recorded for a few months
so that I can listen with a clear head to this guy's new stuff.
I love it.
It's not recording.
-It's not recording? -No.
Let's do it again.
-Sure, but the audio on 15 isn't working. -What?
The audio on 15 isn't working.
Try it on channel one.
Okay.
Now?
He may have thought about the guitar section
and between us we decide if it works or what else we can do.
It's the same with vocals.
We never say, "I don't like it." We've always maintained that respect.
One of them may have a moment of inspiration, a spark,
and just by looking at the other,
you see the idea jump from one head to the other.
They don't need to talk.
They look at each other and they get it.
José normally has an idea, some chords or something,
or I have an idea on the guitar, which I show to José.
We debate a lot.
It's a lifelong love story.
If one is down, the other picks him up.
When the other is down, it's the opposite.
They have a phenomenal balance.
Awesome, man!
When you know someone so well,
it's like you're one person.
Your minds work as one.
ERIK VILLARDEL EX-DRUMMER, FRUTAS Y VERDURAS
When you talk with José, La Cofia is also there, even if he's not.
And it's the same the other way.
They are both always there.
It's incredible.
Even if they're not physically next to each other,
you're talking to both of them.
When I think about making music,
La Cofia is just there, automatically.
If you divided my brain into two, La Cofia is one side of it.
You see them talking and they're intertwined.
If it's working, talking nonsense, whatever.
It's so cool, man.
They have this chemistry which is just awesome.
It's magic and it's just around them.
It's something extraordinary.
It's like me with Rumba or Javi,
guys you've known forever and know inside out.
Raúl and José will always be my friends.
We used to see each other every day.
We came as a package.
We were so close-knit.
Now we're at a different stage,
but when we record a song and spend time together,
it's like being 18 all over again.
-That was sweet. -Yeah, let's keep it.
When I have an idea at home…
MUSIC VIDEO "NUESTRO MOMENTO" (2008)
…I instantly think:
"I need to show this to José, he'll love it."
He'll improvise something and look at José,
who picks it up and sings over it.
You think it's something rehearsed.
Great, man!
It's mutual respect.
If I leave and Raúl continues with the recording,
I trust him completely.
Because whoever it is that stays to work on the recording,
won't take decisions on an important part of the song
without consulting the other.
We'll look at it together.
There's a lot of respect.
We're recording Melancrónico's second album,
which will be our seventh or eighth record together.
We're doing this one, but holding some songs back.
-Yes. -So we have stuff for the next one.
I'm going to record with this one.
This sounds great.
You never think bands will be together for that long.
You may think they'll become famous, make money out of it.
Or that they'll put out a lot of great records.
But staying together for many years is a different thing altogether.
Starting out together is one thing, but staying together is another.
They don't have a choice.
They've gone past the point of no return.
If they stopped now, their lives would be meaningless.
They're two people who have a relationship through music.
They've had that for over 25 years.
But it's not their job.
Not that they're not professionals, but they don't make a living from it.
That's not easy.
Putting in the time like a professional, but not making a living from it.
You really need to love it.
I think that's what drives them,
to keep playing and making records,
to keep collaborating with other musicians.
It's that love of music.
I've always admired their music and José's lyrics.
Their rock and my rap have always gone well together.
Playing with them…
SALA OASIS CONCERT (2013)
…is just magic.
Music, as we see it…
is like medicine for the musician.
They haven't really changed, no matter what has happened.
They've ridden out passing trends,
whatever people like or don't like at a given time.
Some bands try to modernize, which is fine.
But it's really hard.
They do what they want, and they don't care what people think.
If the music industry was fairer in this country,
they could make a living from their music.
Because their music is different.
José's voice is really different, the way that he sings.
It's unique.
Lots of people have told me his voice puts them on edge.
They say: "It puts me on edge." And I say: "Good."
MUSIC VIDEO "PARAM ALL STAR" (2009)
They do their own thing.
I think his voice is really unique,
and unique voices annoy people.
They do, man.
What I take from those comments,
is that they're a different band.
When you can't label something,
you say: "It's shit."
We'll give it fucking everything, whatever it takes!
Because we are Frutas!
But when those people see the crowds that the band draws,
they must think: "This band has something."
They bring in so many people, without even using social media campaigns.
"How do they do it?" Because they're different.
Checking every detail of a song…
At times, it can really wear you down.
Because you've listened to the same record a million times.
Over and over.
But I couldn't leave it to someone else.
A bit too much, huh?
-Don't you think? -Yes.
It's over-the-top.
-But it's cool. -Yes.
For our birthdays, in the past few years,
we've given each other equipment.
A new microphone for vocals, or a guitar amplifier.
What do you think?
It's too high.
I bought a Gibson Les Paul.
It's beautiful, just an awesome guitar.
But I wanted to change the pickups
and the new ones cost an arm and a leg.
His girlfriend is a photographer and he asked to borrow the guitar:
"Lend me the guitar, Gloria has some shooting job."
And this motherfucker gave it back to me,
without saying anything,
with these incredible pickups that I wanted.
Ready?
Yes, but I don't know if I have the voice to go that deep right now.
I'm heading in.
That's better.
At times, we really struggle with moving on from songs.
It's like that saying:
"You don't finish a poem, you abandon it." It's like that with songs.
You could spend a lifetime on a song,
but you still wouldn't finish it.
You need to be able to leave it and see it as a complete work.
You need to be decisive and let it go.
We would hang out at your house.
We played two songs until we loathed them.
Forminder and La Cofia were the leaders in the group,
and one day they said: "We need a studio."
One day in the grocery store,
my mom said we were looking for a place.
And the store owner said:
"I'll rent them this."
-And this is it. -Here we are.
CHAPTER 4 THE STUDIO
Awesome.
Molina played drums on a beer barrel.
Yeah.
Wow.
This street looks abandoned now,
but when we got the studio,
there was a phone shop here,
this butcher was open,
they sold air conditioning there, it was all packed.
Now it's just us.
The fact that it used to be a grocery store,
with the sign "frutas y verduras" still there,
I think it's great.
I used to come to this grocery store with my mom when I was four.
I've lived practically my whole life in the apartments above these shops.
Kase.O and El Dos were neighbors.
I've spent the best moments of my life in that studio
and the worst moments too, when I was depressed.
When I've been messed up I've gone to that studio.
When you went through that door, you left your problems behind you.
We just tried to have fun.
I remember the cold and the humidity.
If you shouted out,
there was a huge echo.
Also, the smell it had back then.
This wall…
THE STUDIO (1997/1998)
…had a display for fruit,
which wasn't ours to take down.
-There were lots of mirrors. -They were everywhere.
But it stank.
-You brought some air freshener. -Damn.
Now whenever I smell that air freshener elsewhere,
it takes me back to when I was 17.
It's magical, you go in and it smells like the studio.
You go in and suddenly…
the good vibes hit you.
It's magical going there.
You always know how it will start, but not how it will end, or at what time.
For us it's a temple, and for Sho Hai as well.
The first time I took him there…
it changed his life.
The first time I went to the studio, I was with Javi and another guy before.
I was really nervous about meeting them,
because Javi had told me so many stories.
I introduced him to a new world.
Later, when I went to Colombia for four years,
he kept on hanging out with Raúl and José.
They became his friends, not just friends of mine.
It's magical.
Be it to rehearse or to party, I love going there.
I'm always anxious, but in a good way.
I'm excited to see them.
I love it. I need these guys in my life.
I need their good vibes.
When I came to the studio to rehearse with them,
it had an enormous impact on me.
Being able to feel that energy,
the way they live, grow, and their togetherness,
the way a band works,
it's something you can't explain.
From the top, when you're ready.
Yes.
I remember leaving the studio thinking they didn't have a clue.
But I would leave after rehearsing with them,
and I had to sit like this in the car for a while
so that I could embrace the excitement they'd made me feel.
I was re-living that feeling as an old man.
This was two years after I had gone solo.
It was something I was drawn to, something that hit me.
I felt that on the first day and I went back on the second day
almost wanting to be part of it.
It was so cool to be there,
to share that with them.
Good.
When we started here, the people's reaction was funny.
You can imagine the old ladies
who heard the noise and saw us all scruffy and long-haired.
They started saying this was a drug joint.
At first, people were really surprised,
but after a few days, they treated us like any other shop.
They treated us like we were the next-door convenience store or…
any other shop.
-Is it okay if we take this one? -Yes.
-Okay? -Okay.
Actually, people from the neighborhood have always looked out for us.
If someone was "annoyed" by what we were doing,
the other neighbors would try to shut them up.
They really protect us.
What's funny is that since we got here in 1997,
we've had a special relationship
with the bar on the corner, which has always been there.
The owners and the patrons have had to put up with rehearsals.
Whatever you heard in the studio, you could hear in the bar.
The bottles tremble and start moving forward.
When we rehearse, they collect empty bottles quickly so they don't smash.
We used to rehearse every day from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
We would have started earlier,
but the shop next door asked us to start at 7:30 p.m.
-But we rehearsed every day. -Every day.
Keeping the studio has been great for the band.
Keeping that dynamic of going there to rehearse,
to hang out or write music.
Also because I lived further away,
I felt I had friends in that neighborhood.
I felt I belonged there because I lived in an isolated block,
which wasn't in La Jota.
-Big party. -What happened here?
It smells good.
Time to clean.
Okay?
-You know, man… -A whole beer with a cigarette butt.
-I don't know… -Another whole beer.
-That always happens to me. -What I mean…
And another one.
Everything happened in the studio, not that you can always remember.
That studio has seen it all.
This place has some stories that are…
-Crazy. -Crazy.
It was 5 a.m. and someone knocked on the door: "Police!"
We thought it was the bar owner who always played that joke on us.
-What were we slicing? -Chorizo.
With some cheese and we heard: "Police!"
We said: "Are you sure?"
He replied: "Open up!"
As the door opened, I could see the policeman showing his badge
and Raúl showed him the chorizo slice. That was his I.D.
They understood each other perfectly and the policeman said:
"Sorry, I was just checking…"
We said: "We're having a late dinner."
Another whole beer. Here we just open them.
If one of us didn't turn up to rehearsal for whatever reason,
we never got angry, but the atmosphere was tense.
I still have some old tapes
with one of those terrible tape recorders.
-Right. -I still have them.
There are arguments on them and some dreadful rehearsals.
MUSIC VIDEO "TORPE Y LIBRE" (2010)
We sometimes think about changing studios,
like how we've changed from Frutas y Verduras to Melancrónico.
We think about starting a new chapter, getting a better equipped studio.
But…
-The studio is part of the band. -Exactly. This studio is part of the band.
We could move to a better equipped studio where we don't annoy the neighbors.
-But it would be hard to be 100% focused. -Exactly.
Life happens and things change.
Your personal situation changes.
People come and go.
But in our minds, this place is home.
Whether things are going great or terribly,
we always have this sanctuary.
Actually, we're really…
strict when it comes to keeping the good vibes in the studio.
We always ask: "How are we feeling?"
"Not great."
"Okay, let's grab a coffee, clear our heads, then back to it."
If we're in a bad mood, the first thing we do is go to the bar.
We have a coffee or a beer
and try to leave that bad mood behind.
Sometimes it's impossible of course, when it's something more serious.
Come on guys, it's time to record.
SUMMER (2012)
You let go of your personal shit, which is your own, not the group's.
-Exactly. -Your life, your shit.
We need to renew the aura…
Cleanse.
More.
We need to change this…
Right.
I've always said
that we have to keep the studio for the rest of our lives.
If it became a grocery store or something, we wouldn't be able to live with it.
It would be a huge mistake
to leave the studio.
We'll make an effort to pay the rent.
Everyone has their own life and bills to pay, but come on…
We need to do whatever it takes.
La Jota is more of an identity than a neighborhood.
The amount of musicians in that small area.
Young people that start rap groups instead of hanging around smoking pot.
If we were in Madrid, you'd get other stuff going on.
It's special because it's my neighborhood.
They're from this neighborhood and they don't want to leave it.
Same for me. I grew up here and will die here.
Our neighborhoods are part of us.
When I'm with them at that bar on the corner,
everyone knows them and they know everyone.
It's like it used to be, people say hello to each other.
I think that having your studio in your neighborhood
is just awesome.
There are better equipped studios, maybe in the town center,
but it's about being in the neighborhood.
It's about being part of a community.
La Jota is a neighborhood that is completely…
It's working class, it's industrial.
JORGE CANTORAL "SIMÓN" FRIEND
They're proud to say they're from La Jota.
Just like Kase.O.
IVÁN HERNÁNDEZ FRIEND
I'm not from here, but I really like this neighborhood.
The fact that they're really from La Jota
makes me feel like they're continuing…
what we started.
Kike Mavilla, who plays keyboard in Distrito 14,
who's bass guitarist in Amaral and Rulo y la Contrabanda,
and was bass guitarist in Reo, the big group in the 80s from here…
His family has a liquor store in La Jota.
We bumped into him and Raúl said: "Wait, you're--"
The guy just nodded.
"You're from--"
"You're the guy--" He says: "Yes."
And Raúl says: "The guy from the liquor store."
JANUARY 2020
This studio has changed a lot through the years, it's great.
It used to be a typical band's studio. A real dump.
The studio has been a place to meet,
to get together,
a place to party.
Cofia, this is amazing, man.
A place to confess.
What are you doing?
It's been at the center of so many things
for more than 20 years.
It was like a Mecca for everyone,
to let go of their shit and recharge their batteries.
Lots of people have told us that.
We've had great times there. It's hard to describe…
in words, because it's spanned years.
But for me, during my youth and during high school,
I spent the best moments of my life there.
If this studio was in Valencia,
I would go there to rehearse.
It's hard to explain. It's the neighborhood, it's everything,
but it's also the atmosphere we've created.
It's not physical, it's something spiritual.
It's hard to explain.
Your mood changes when you go inside.
They can never lose it.
That studio is them.
It's cold.
I hope we get a label interested,
a record company backing us.
I hope we'll get a manager who gets us a great booking.
I hope we'll get great publicity.
That's what I visualize so that it happens.
So that things happen as they should.
Which means things going great,
things working out, so we can make a living from this.
CHAPTER 5 PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE
I hate rehearsals.
You can't rehearse without an end goal, just for the sake of rehearsing.
Rehearsing should be bringing together each musician's progress.
But that's not how it usually goes.
Usually I hardly know the song.
Yes, we repeat that part.
-So we do… -Yes, because it was…
We all learn the songs during the rehearsals.
Sorry.
-Ready? -Ready.
I'll never forget I'm here to have fun.
But you have a responsibility too.
A song needs to sound awesome, otherwise it shouldn't exist.
Going to the studio can never be like going to the office.
That would be terrible.
Relationships in a band aren't always easy.
Just like in the rest of life.
Even though it's like a family, I wouldn't say the band is one.
Lots of people have joined the band temporarily, especially on drums.
I wanted to play in a band and I found Frutas y Verduras.
Erik taught us a lot.
We started playing…
SALA SUGART CONCERT (2008)
…and I just followed them.
We had a connection.
He's the best drummer I've played with.
MUSIC VIDEO "TORPE Y LIBRE" (2010)
We try to play a gig with Christian once a year.
CHRISTIAN CALVO KEYBOARD PLAYER, FRUTAS Y VERDURAS
Christian plays with us once a year, which is awesome.
LINE-UP 2010
We had great songs.
That's rock and roll, you get some great songs.
That's awesome.
Erik and Christian taught us a lot.
When Santi left,
not even 50% of Frutas y Verduras was left.
We left Frutas y Verduras behind and started again.
We felt empty at first, but…
the excitement of something new gave us a nice little push.
We went to a house our friend Iván secured for us.
MUSIC VIDEO "LA GUAPA DE LA FIESTA" (2017)
We would wake up at 7:30 a.m. and go for a run.
We did exercise and weighed ourselves every day.
Elderly people would watch us run and we would buy wholemeal bread,
then have a coffee and the whole afternoon…
We wrote music.
We had to explain that Melancrónico wasn't our new record.
We could do a ranchera album and it would still be La Cofia and me.
Whatever they do, it will be the two of them,
not just as a part of the band, but leading the band.
The previous band broke up.
Boscos came along.
I've always wanted to play with guys like them…
SERGIO BOSCOS BASS PLAYER, MELANCRÓNICO
…but it hadn't happened.
I remember watching you both and my cigarette burnt out.
I thought: "This is it."
I kept playing because I found them.
Had it been another group, I would have stopped playing.
They make me feel like I'm 16 again.
Now I think I could keep playing for another 25 years.
We needed people for our live gigs.
I was playing in another band…
SANTI PÉREZ DRUMMER, MELANCRÓNICO
…and I heard they needed a drummer.
We started playing and José said: "You're in." That was it.
I'm happy with how the band is now.
When you've known someone for ages, there's this understanding.
Just a look and you know…
It's true that they think together as one, like two halves of one brain.
You follow their lead and their connection spreads through the band.
It's special.
After so many years together, they just need a look to communicate.
But because I know them, I can pick up on it as well.
-Nice, right? -That was good.
When's our first gig? Next month?
Our very fist gig was in a bar…
in Calle Bretón, called the Voltaire.
I was so excited I couldn't sleep.
And it was a complete disaster.
THERE'S NO FOOTAGE FROM VOLTAIRE
CONCERT AT EL LAZARILLO FROM THE SAME PERIOD (1998)
We truly believed in sex, drugs and rock and roll.
There was no sex because we were snot-nosed 17-year-olds.
There were no drugs either, but there was a lot of alcohol.
Terrible.
I remember we covered the cymbals in floor-cleaning cloths.
It was horrendous.
The drum set didn't fit in a car, so I went with mine.
I took the seats out.
I went everywhere with them to party.
The only time Distrito 14 played in the neighborhood was because of them.
We did a concert with Distrito 14.
THERE IS NO FOOTAGE OF THIS CONCERT THIS IS FROM OASIS (2018)
With limited resources… That was 20 years ago.
Lots of their gigs…
were awesome. A party for veterinary students.
It's as close as I've come to hell.
VETERINARY PARTY CONCERT (1998)
Javi came on stage to rap in the song "Odio."
Back then, I asked the audience to insult me.
Hey, motherfuckers!
Motherfuckers!
He started to piss people off.
He did a kind of monologue and said:
Imagine I'm Pinochet!
"Imagine I'm Pinochet."
Pinochet had just been extradited.
"Throw your drinks at me, motherfuckers!"
People threw ice, drinks, lighters
and whatever people could find.
He asked them to spit at him, to throw things at him
and people started to throw drinks and all this shit.
I was backstage at the time
and the sound technician grabbed me.
"Who is that guy? Get him off the stage!"
I said: "It's Kase.O."
He said: "That's Kase.O?" I said: "Yes."
He said: "Okay, well let him be, but tell him to see me afterwards."
At the beginning they played at Canal 44.
CANAL 44 CONCERT (1998)
We had to bring the sound system, to play the tape we sang to on playback.
It was exciting for us,
because it was one of their first gigs.
We were kids.
They did one at the Sala Multiusos, which was great.
SALA MULTIUSOS CONCERT (2009)
I'm proud of them for that concert. The gig at Sala Oasis was great too.
SALA OASIS CONCERT (2013)
Sho Hai and I played as well.
I don't get to play with bands much.
But I've always loved rapping with a band backing me up.
If everything goes as planned,
we'll tour around Spain,
and play in cool venues in big cities.
That's what I hope for. Not much else.
I hope Melancrónico will fill stadiums and make loads of money.
I'd love that, but I wouldn't think I was more successful than I am now.
We trust that one day we'll hit the big time.
I think it would be poetic justice
if I could make a good living, or even a really good living,
from making music.
At this point in my life,
I have enough money to eat, and that's it.
I can't afford any luxuries.
I've had jobs where I've earned a lot,
but I didn't recognize myself.
My brain was drying up.
I was failing myself, going against my principles.
Not even referring to music, which is a constant for me.
I set myself the goal of making a living using my mind,
my creativity, my art.
I've started my own business.
I'm designing riddles and puzzles
for the popular trend of escape rooms.
I design rooms with my partner, Gloria. I design boxes as well.
I make things that I know make people happy.
I'm having a tough time, but that's fine.
I'd like to record in a professional studio,
but I can't afford it.
A 9-to-5 job kills me.
It makes me miserable.
I've given that up.
When I rehearse in the studio, I'm not going to be angry at the world.
I'm going to be happy.
No one can be satisfied looking out the window of a worker's bus.
It's the closest thing to a funeral I've ever seen.
Self-producing is as it sounds.
MIXING LUNA NUEVA STUDIO (2020)
I make a living serving coffees, and a part of what I earn
goes towards doing what I love.
I've always liked working in hospitality,
but I need the other half of my brain
doing something creative.
I like cooking.
I like making music without boundaries.
It makes me a better person.
I can let out all of the bad stuff I carry inside,
or all of the good stuff, depending on the day.
I want to make music and find inner peace.
You need to find what's right for you.
I wouldn't make commercial music, or music I didn't like.
I'd rather serve coffees.
I would never put a song on a record if I didn't like it.
We're comfortable enough in this small world,
this small space, which is how we like it.
We're comfortable here.
Of course, we would like that world to be just a little bigger.
Doing what you love and getting people to love it too
and to make a living from it, that is a success.
Success is…
That's a tough one.
Success is doing what you want in life,
even if you starve to death.
Our objective in life is to do this,
whatever it takes.
If I'd had to sleep under a bridge, I would have done it.
And if that's what it comes to, then that's what I'll do.
You can keep your studio for 25 years,
still be making music in your forties,
have fun making music,
and even if you don't make it big time,
that could be a success for you.
Keeping at it despite all the people who have told you to give it up,
to leave the band, plus your own self-doubt…
If you've kept at it and continued to enjoy it,
that's a success.
People always say we're a cult band.
For a minority, our records are a breath of fresh air.
It takes about three to five years for us to make a record.
That record becomes
the essence of those five years.
We're not that young anymore, and we're behind on social media.
ROBERTO LORENZO AND HUGO LANDA EVENTOS ROLE
We help them with social media.
-They're still a bit analogue. -Yes.
We think we'll play big gigs, but if we get to 60 years old…
I don't know.
If I couldn't make music anymore,
I'm sure I could adapt
to find fulfillment in another form.
But the pain would be immense, I couldn't imagine that right now.
If I couldn't make a living from it, I would still make music.
It's my passion, it's therapy, it's life.
Everyone is scared of failure.
But with art and music that's practically guaranteed,
so no need to be scared.
I'm not scared of failure,
but I do worry about falling at the last hurdle.
The idea of making a record fit to be played all over the world,
only for it to end up in a drawer
because you wasted all of your energy making the record.
We bring out a record, and the next month we're writing again.
José and I may start at 8 a.m., maybe we have work at 4 p.m.,
but we're always working on music.
"GREATEST SHITS" RECORDING (2019)
Okay?
Really cool, man.
I love that track.
The guitar riffs are spectacular.
MUSIC VIDEO "GREATEST SHITS" (2020)
I like that type of metal music.
Mixing rap with guitar.
It's not as easy as it seems and they've done it well.
It may be the heaviest track we've done together.
Let's give this a try, okay?
Unfair success, now I know why
Your goddamn stupid audience
Your new CD
Isn't worth shit
The song is quite explicit.
The lyrics are cool because we really let loose.
I'm happy because I swear a lot.
Shit
And I was out of the habit, because my latest record is less angry.
It's always been like this, imbecile
You just say yes to everything
That's why I'll be in my studio
Listening to good shit Not your shit, shithead
We really enjoyed talking about the shit music people are making now.
This DJ's got nothing
Don't put my tunes with that crap
Don't give me a shoutout I'm not your friend
Everything you're spouting is shit
All songs sound the same.
It's purely commercial, empty songs.
The apocalypse.
Songs are really macho and nihilistic.
You start writing a song
knowing it's almost guaranteed the song won't be popular.
Every week there's a new king of pop
New this, new that, new king in town
You want to screw me…
No, lost it.
On the one hand it's demoralizing,
but once you accept it, it gives you a lot of freedom.
I think that "Greatest Shits" will take us to…
the top, in the world of rock.
The music video is awesome.
Bitch
Hey asshole, this will hurt This will hurt
-We wrote the script in one morning. -Yes.
-It was magical. -Yes, it was…
We hadn't seen each other in years and suddenly…
There was an immediate connection.
It's always the same old shit
Pablo found this place.
I've filmed stuff there…
LOCATION OF THE MUSIC VIDEO (2019)
…for almost 20 years.
It was in this moment that we thought:
"Why not put in a minute of fiction?"
You guys looking totally lost.
You jumped out of your chair and yelled: "I've got it!"
MUSIC VIDEO "NUESTRO MOMENTO" (2008)
A friend of mine said: "Some friends want to do a music video."
We didn't know what making a video entailed.
We met you when you were doing a set, playing ZZ Top,
and serving cocktails like a madman.
"Wow, is this the guy?"
Being on YouTube, for all to see, is a big step forward.
MUSIC VIDEO "TORPE Y LIBRE" (2010)
"Torpe y libre" was like filming a rehearsal, but playing with it a bit.
I think it has aged better than the rest.
MUSIC VIDEO "PARAM ALL STAR" (2009)
I said: "Why don't I ask permission to film you playing live?"
So we made a music video from nothing.
MUSIC VIDEO "CADA LOCO SU TEMA" (2012)
You wanted a video and I came to the studio.
You played the track and asked my opinion.
I said: "The beach in winter."
And you all went crazy.
-We met at 6 a.m. and went to the beach. -It was awesome.
We were in summer clothing, and it was freezing cold.
We went in the sea.
That bottle wasn't a prop.
No, it wasn't.
You opened the bottle, as we see in the video,
and it lasted the rest of the shoot.
"La guapa de la fiesta" is a Melancrónico song.
Roberto Lapeña and La Pestaña Chillona made the video for us.
I already knew about them…
ROBERTO LAPEÑA PRODUCER
…because José is my neighbor.
But we became friends when I heard the record "Param All Star."
MUSIC VIDEO "LA GUAPA DE LA FIESTA" (2017)
We wanted to do something simple, but that went out the window.
We started to improvise and try out ideas we liked.
It has a prologue and epilogue,
which shows the transition from Frutas to Melancrónico.
I made a film, "Road to Wacken," which needed a band in the first scene.
-You enjoyed it, right? -Yes.
You and José appear in "Vigilo el camino."
-In "Novatos" you're a street vendor. -Yes.
Put that back and come with me.
You know you'll get a cameo in the next film.
You just tell me when.
My objective in music has never changed: take the world by storm.
Become the best-selling band in history.
You need to aim for the stars to get to the moon.
Would I be depressed if I never made it out of the studio?
For sure.
If in the end we're a band that's respected,
locally and nationally, and that's it, then great.
I would be really happy if I die in 100 years,
or in 40 or 10 years…
and the albums of Frutas y Verduras and Melancrónico
don't end up in a drawer.
I would like us to be popular Spanish music in a few years.
It was time they joined the 21st century.
But their essence will be the same in ten years.
They're the same as ten years ago, and that won't change in ten years.
One day people will value real music and creation again.
They'll value bands that spend years together,
working for something they believe in.
They'll keep creating, because that's what they love.
HÉCTOR VICENTE "TANZANI" FRIEND
Their relationship has never changed.
They'll keep on making music.
If you look at their journey and the time they've been together
and how their songs make you feel, they'll make more music.
Where will they be in ten years? That's what's good about them.
Maybe they'll do reggaeton, once it's out of fashion.
I think in the next ten years both of them will be the same.
They've never changed, and that's what I like about them.
Despite what life has in store,
they're still creative and passionate about music.
I hope they're still in the studio, guitar in hand,
José working on his creations.
Of course, I want them to evolve.
But I hope they keep their essence.
I wouldn't want to end up
like those musicians that seem to have collected dust.
That seem to have been in their studio their whole lives,
ageing at the same rate as their guitars and their surroundings.
For a band like us to make it,
we would need a hit song,
and then to start getting gigs that pay really well.
That would be great.
How many books, movies or cases are there about a guy
that gives up what he loves,
only to leave everything later in life to do that same thing?
Why not do that from the start?
On the one hand, it was more magical at the start.
Zaragoza was our whole world.
Everything was new.
Everything was exciting.
But at the same time, you didn't know what you were doing.
So it was magical and terrifying at the same time.
I would pay to get that energy back.
We felt like nothing could go wrong.
We were practically invincible.
Nothing bad could happen.
We tend to long for the past.
Because the past is beautiful, especially when it's good.
I'd keep writing songs, even if no one listened to them.
I'm sure that some sort of self-preservation instinct
would mean I'd dedicate less time, knowing no one listened to them,
but they have a therapeutic effect,
and a feeling of growth that I need… I need to write songs to be myself.
99% of the time, we write songs for ourselves.
It's also about leaving a message that transcends time.
If you have an artistic gift and you don't share it,
it's like having a Ferrari and keeping it in the garage.
I think that's a crime.
You need to spend your life doing what you love, no matter what.
Plato said there's a feeling that is like falling in love,
which is that feeling of facing the truth, being on the right path.
When we're writing, we have good and bad days,
but there are moments of genuine lucidity,
when you see the right path.
Even on bad days, there's always something to do.
You can always do something. Always.
What's your favorite food to cook?
Snails in champagne.
Really? Okay, snails in champagne.
When you were a kid, they'd put that dish in front of you…
Now, you say: "Wow, snails in champagne."
-Every single bite… -So that's the thing.
THIS DOCUMENTARY WAS FILMED BEFORE THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN
SOME SCENES COULD NOT BE FILMED
FILMED IN ZARAGOZA, MAINLY IN LA JOTA
It would be awesome if this never ended.