Bohemia Suburbana is a Guatemalan alternative rock band formed in the year 1992. Current members are Giovanni Pinzón (vocals), Juancarlos Barrios (guitar), José Pedro Mollinedo (drums) and Josué García (Bass). They have played in a variety of places across the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico. They have also performed in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
Bohemia Suburbana has shared stages with musicians like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, Molotov, Matisyahu, Calle 13, Juanes, Joaquín Sabina, Héroes del Silencio, Jaguares, Rata Blanca, King Changó, Café Tacuba, Desorden Público, Fito Páez, Charly Garcia and Aterciopelados.
After the Latin Grammy Awards nomination for Best Rock Album in 2010, Bohemia Suburbana recorded their fifth studio album: Imaginaria Sonora, a record with the maturity and freshness needed to please the loyal audience that accompanies the band since its inception, and also to entice new generations who want to be part of the suburban myth.
History
1990s: Sombras En El Jardín and Mil Palabras Con Sus Dientes
Bohemia Suburbana was formed in Guatemala City in March, 1992. The band was founded by Guatemalans Juancarlos Barrios (guitar), José Pedro Mollinedo (drums), Giovanni Pinzón (vocals) and the Colombian Juan Luis Lopera (bass). In 1993, the band released their first album, entitled Sombras en el Jardín, as an audio cassette, under the record label Primera Generación Records. In 1994, Peruvian keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Álvaro Rodriguez joined the band. In the same year, Primera Generación Records responded to the band's growing popularity by releasing a compact disc of Sombras en el Jardín.
In 1994, Mollinedo left the group and the Guatemalan Alex Lobos joined the band. In 1995, Bohemia Suburbana traveled to Miami, Florida, to record and produce their next album. The album, Mil Palabras Con Sus Dientes, was released under the RadioVox label. The album included the tracks "Yo Te Vi" and "Peces e Iguanas." The album's popularity exposed Bohemia Suburbana to audiences outside of Guatemala and Central America. The song "Peces e Iguanas" became a radio hit. On the heels of the album's release, Bohemia Suburbana embarked on a tour that included shows in Guatemala, Central America, Puerto Rico, and cities in the United States. The album features a wide array of sub-genres from within the wider genre of rock, including grunge, folk rock, hard rock, blues rock and alternative rock.
In 1996, Alex Lobos left the group. In 1997, under the stress and economic pressure of poor management, the group stopped playing, and each member pursued his own projects. The band reunited in 1999 to play a reunion concert. At the same time, under the title Remixes y La Emergencia de las Circunstancias, RadioVox released a disc that included electronic versions of Bohemia's songs, composed by Juancarlos Barrios during the band's recess. The reunion concert, which broke attendance records in Guatemala, took place in la vieja plaza de toros in Guatemala City.
With the success of the concert, the group decided to stay together and record new material. With the earnings from the concert, the band traveled to Madrid, Spain, to spend time together and study Spanish musical styles. During this time, Juancarlos Barrios left Bohemia Suburbana, and the band returned to Guatemala to regroup.
2000s: Sub and Bohemia Suburbana
In 2001, Bohemia Suburbana released a new album entitled Sub. The album was self-produced and released under the label Strip Records. Álvaro Rodriguez became lead guitarist and the band brought in Guatemalan Rudy Bethancourt to play keyboards and rhythm guitar. Moreover, Colombian Alejandro Duque (Aterciopelados) became the drummer. The band toured in Guatemala, Central America and the United States. The band also record a music video for the song "El Grito."
In March 2002, Bohemia Suburbana celebrated its tenth anniversary by playing a series of concerts throughout Guatemala. These concerts were recorded, and some of the material was released as an album in 2003, entitled Aqui Diez Años...En Vivo!, under the Strip Records label. The album included new versions of the songs "En el Jardín" and "Bolsas de Té."
With the advent of digital downloads, the band found it difficult to maintain its economic viability, and in 2004 the band went on hiatus to pursue personal projects and devote time to their personal lives.