It's in the city of Belo Horizonte in the end of the 1990's decade, that Irônika begins it's activity. Times of growing violence rates and unemployment, recession and hellish heat everywhere - it was the hottest summer in the concrete jungle.
A concert in the year of 1999 saddle the birth of it all, it was there that Juarez Rodrigues and Bruno Luiz met each other. A friendship as strong as the affinity with punk music was enough for the two boys decide to work on a few punk rock riff's with big influence of jamaican beats, what would culminate in the formation of the band months later.
Ups and downs define the initial years. Playing reggae and ska, they work hard on their first notes, compositions and rehearsals , from 2000 to 2001. In the middle of difficulties the group make their first appearance, in April of 2001, in a Belo Horizonte suburban high school.
Irônika, that had Bruno and Jôjô on the guitars, Juarez on the bass and Dian on drums, being the vocals done by Bruno and Juarez, played for an audience of about 40 people, doing a performance that wasn't the best. Juarez leaves the band shortly after.
The shows kept going in the following months. Irônika where risking a few covers, flerting punk rock with reggae. The band starts to incorporate more elements of rock 'n' roll into their sound, improving the ska and reggae bases. The final ska version of the song "Buracos Suburbanos" (Psykose), played with a lot of swing in the gigs, it's an example of that trend.
In the beginning of 2002 Irônika suddenly stops. In march of that year the band, already tired, does a farewell show in the old Acme Games (in the northwest side of Belo Horizonte) with Juarez on the guitar. That was a memorable concert that marked the end of the rudiest days of the band.
Funnily, the following days marked a transition, when radical changes ocurred on Irônika. In this period, Georges, Tiago and Cau join the band. Soon the group gets into punk rock and slowly recover their strength. Georges join the band in May 2002, revealing his potential on the base guitar, Tiago and Cau close the lineup between the months of June and August, on drums and bass respectively. Naturally the band profile changed - it was the energy that was missing in Irônika, that, unlike their own expectations, was born again in July 2002.
Having germinated their roots on reggae and ska, Irônika, without forgetting the power of those rhythms, moved completed into punk rock. From the ragga vocals to sing alongs the band always kept their simple and direct speech. Their lyrics are like confessions, that goes trough tragedies and the real pleasures of the disposable youth like the urban life, juvenile delinquency, alcohol, the street universe and everything that surrounds it.
Even having direct influence of germinal punk bands, Two Tone, 80's punk and all the jamaican music, Irônika inevitably shares sarcastic, relaxed and irreverent spirit of the 90's punk rock bands. From that spirit comes the name of the band, that refers to the sarcasm wich are treated (or mistreated) some subjects .
The first gig with this raw and determined formation happened in Santa Luzia (MG) in July 2002, in a local punk festival.
In September of the same year they record the song "Garoto Rude" with the vocals of Georges, Bruno and Cau (in an experimental character) and publish it on the internet - what had some local repercussion and opened a few doors for the band.
Since them, the band is playin more and more, and doing great performances. In March 2003 Georges leaves the band and Juarez returns, on June 2008 Tiago Borges gives place to Arthur Corrêa on the drums - solidifying once and for all the formation of Irônika.
In the same year, the group, in the current formation was already recording their first songs. In September they finish the EP "F... A Família Brasileira Tradicional - DEMO" with five songs plus a videoclip of "Libertas Quae Sera Tamen" as a bônus. The release of this EP finally put the band into the Brazilian concerts circuit, through gigs and reviews in the specialized media.
With a history of concerts in Belo Horizonte (and nearby towns), interior of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and even the northeast of Brazil, the band is playing festivals in several places.
Concerts like Tribus Festival 2005 (Teresina, PI), 53 HC Fest 2005, Vans Zona Punk Tour 2006 (Belo Horizonte, MG) and Grito Rock Latin America 2008 (Sabará, MG), playing with big names of the brazilian rock cene and international like the Forgotten Boys, U.S. Bombs (USA), Force Of Change (DE), Defect Defect (USA), Calibre 12, Ação Direta, Matanza, Os Pedrero, Carbona, Gritando HC, Porcos Cegos, Dead Fish and Angra.
Energetic punk, sing along - harvest 2000. That is the simple and direct music of the group that was born in the northwest side of Belo Horizonte. Formed by the quartet Juarez Rodrigues, Bruno Luiz, Cau Marini and Arthur Corrêa.
A concert in the year of 1999 saddle the birth of it all, it was there that Juarez Rodrigues and Bruno Luiz met each other. A friendship as strong as the affinity with punk music was enough for the two boys decide to work on a few punk rock riff's with big influence of jamaican beats, what would culminate in the formation of the band months later.
Ups and downs define the initial years. Playing reggae and ska, they work hard on their first notes, compositions and rehearsals , from 2000 to 2001. In the middle of difficulties the group make their first appearance, in April of 2001, in a Belo Horizonte suburban high school.
Irônika, that had Bruno and Jôjô on the guitars, Juarez on the bass and Dian on drums, being the vocals done by Bruno and Juarez, played for an audience of about 40 people, doing a performance that wasn't the best. Juarez leaves the band shortly after.
The shows kept going in the following months. Irônika where risking a few covers, flerting punk rock with reggae. The band starts to incorporate more elements of rock 'n' roll into their sound, improving the ska and reggae bases. The final ska version of the song "Buracos Suburbanos" (Psykose), played with a lot of swing in the gigs, it's an example of that trend.
In the beginning of 2002 Irônika suddenly stops. In march of that year the band, already tired, does a farewell show in the old Acme Games (in the northwest side of Belo Horizonte) with Juarez on the guitar. That was a memorable concert that marked the end of the rudiest days of the band.
Funnily, the following days marked a transition, when radical changes ocurred on Irônika. In this period, Georges, Tiago and Cau join the band. Soon the group gets into punk rock and slowly recover their strength. Georges join the band in May 2002, revealing his potential on the base guitar, Tiago and Cau close the lineup between the months of June and August, on drums and bass respectively. Naturally the band profile changed - it was the energy that was missing in Irônika, that, unlike their own expectations, was born again in July 2002.
Having germinated their roots on reggae and ska, Irônika, without forgetting the power of those rhythms, moved completed into punk rock. From the ragga vocals to sing alongs the band always kept their simple and direct speech. Their lyrics are like confessions, that goes trough tragedies and the real pleasures of the disposable youth like the urban life, juvenile delinquency, alcohol, the street universe and everything that surrounds it.
Even having direct influence of germinal punk bands, Two Tone, 80's punk and all the jamaican music, Irônika inevitably shares sarcastic, relaxed and irreverent spirit of the 90's punk rock bands. From that spirit comes the name of the band, that refers to the sarcasm wich are treated (or mistreated) some subjects .
The first gig with this raw and determined formation happened in Santa Luzia (MG) in July 2002, in a local punk festival.
In September of the same year they record the song "Garoto Rude" with the vocals of Georges, Bruno and Cau (in an experimental character) and publish it on the internet - what had some local repercussion and opened a few doors for the band.
Since them, the band is playin more and more, and doing great performances. In March 2003 Georges leaves the band and Juarez returns, on June 2008 Tiago Borges gives place to Arthur Corrêa on the drums - solidifying once and for all the formation of Irônika.
In the same year, the group, in the current formation was already recording their first songs. In September they finish the EP "F... A Família Brasileira Tradicional - DEMO" with five songs plus a videoclip of "Libertas Quae Sera Tamen" as a bônus. The release of this EP finally put the band into the Brazilian concerts circuit, through gigs and reviews in the specialized media.
With a history of concerts in Belo Horizonte (and nearby towns), interior of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and even the northeast of Brazil, the band is playing festivals in several places.
Concerts like Tribus Festival 2005 (Teresina, PI), 53 HC Fest 2005, Vans Zona Punk Tour 2006 (Belo Horizonte, MG) and Grito Rock Latin America 2008 (Sabará, MG), playing with big names of the brazilian rock cene and international like the Forgotten Boys, U.S. Bombs (USA), Force Of Change (DE), Defect Defect (USA), Calibre 12, Ação Direta, Matanza, Os Pedrero, Carbona, Gritando HC, Porcos Cegos, Dead Fish and Angra.
Energetic punk, sing along - harvest 2000. That is the simple and direct music of the group that was born in the northwest side of Belo Horizonte. Formed by the quartet Juarez Rodrigues, Bruno Luiz, Cau Marini and Arthur Corrêa.
Rock Punk Brasil