| Amparanoia | |
| Origin: | Alcalá la Real, Spain |
| Genre: | Rock Reggae Alternative |
| Years Active: | 1996–present |
| Label: | La Marmita Productions |
| Current Members: | Amparo Sánchez José Alberto Varona Vesko Kountchev Jordi Mestres Daniel Tejedor Tomas Rundqvist Néstor Gutiérrez Oscar Ferret Lázaro Ordóñez |
Amparanoia is the stage name of Spanish singer/guitarist Amparo Sánchez which combines her first name with the word 'paranoia'. It was also the name of the band she fronted from 1996 to 2006. Her debut album, El Poder de Machín, has been described as "bright, exuberant... with a heavy Latin influence",[1] whereas the 2002-released Somos Viento has been called "a more acoustic blend of Cuban and reggae forms".[1]
Born in Granada, Spain, in 1970, Amparo Sánchez joined her first band, the Correcaminos (Roadrunners) at 16, a year after apparently becoming a mother for the first time. With Billie Holiday as her chief inspiration, Sánchez quickly established herself as the foremost vocalist in the region with a repertoire spanning such genres as blues, soul, rock, and jazz. She formed Amparo & the Gang in the early '90s. The group released Haces Bien on Fabrica Magnetica in 1993, only to see the label fold two months later. Amparo & the Gang broke up and, despite many work opportunities around Granada, Sánchez moved to Madrid.
For 18 months in 1995-6 she developed an enthusiastic following playing the Spanish capital's active club circuit. She also expanded her musical range by absorbing classic Cuban forms through exposure to Madrid's Latin music scene while Manu Chao mentored her in other Caribbean styles. Sánchez developed a side group named Ampáranos del Blues (Protect Us From the Blues), that toured parts of Spain and southern France.
By December 1996, the first edition of Amparanoia (the wordplay gets better once you know it comes from the verb amparar, meaning to protect) was recording its first demo and quickly landed a deal with the Edel label. Amparanoia's 1997 debut album, El Poder de Machín (a reference to bolero-singer Antonio Machín), is a bright, exuberant disc with a heavy Latin influence, but each of the group's three releases has a distinct flavor. The hard-charging Feria Furiosa, released in 1999, reflects the participation of a contingent of radical Basque rock and punk musicians.
The line-up that made these albums fell apart late 1999. Amparo went on to record an album of children's songs which she released as Los Bebesones.
A trip to Mexico late 2000 left its mark when she came into contact with the Zapatista communities in Chiapas. On returning to Spain, she organized a sound system mini-tour with like-minded musician friends to raise funds and Sánchez also went back to Mexico in March 2001 to take part in the Zapatista caravan in Mexico City.
2002's Somos Viento resurrects a more acoustic blend of Cuban and reggae forms but with an Amparanoia twist. Violist Vesko Kountchev is from Bulgaria and introduces a new Balkan flavor to the mix, which is typical since the group lineup and guest artists always come from a wide range of musical cultures and usually a song or two per album has verses sung in English or French. But the international flavor of Amparanoia's evolving sound just seems to be a natural outgrowth of Amparo Sánchez's open, inviting musical personality.
In 2003, the year that Enchilado was released, Amparo recorded Don't Leave Me Now with Calexico as backing musicians. The track appeared in 2004 on compilation Rebeldía con Alegría which covers all her albums except Bebesones.
In 2006 Amparanoia released their final album La Vida Te Da and recorded a live CD/DVD at the Barcelona Sala Apollo in November. Seguire caMinando was released in 2008 and promoted on a byebye-tour.
In 2010, Amparo Sánchez released her debut solo album Tucson-Habana.