Artist description Arranca mixes the confrontational assault of three chord punk with daring rewrites of Latino classics: intelligent, hummable, politically aware (though not PC), billingual (half in spanish),natty, heart-felt brand of Punk that largely gets passed over by the more sugar-sweet brand. "Himno Racional", a racous take on the Cuban national anthem, has been banned by one Miami radio station and the Cuban government; you can't get much punker than that nowadays!Arranca’s style of music is unmistakably influenced by The Ramones and British bands like The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and The Who. When combined with Arranca’s Cuban-born singer/songwriter, guitarist, Victor Garcia-Rivera’s heartfelt, angry lyrics about his and his family’s exile from Cuba, the result is music with an extreme edge.Arranca is sitting on the cutting edge of a new style of music that seems to echo the reality and authenticity punk rock hasn’t seen for awhile.It’s the kind of reality that makes its own mark in music history.

Music Style Punk

Musical Influences 1977 Punk, Cuban Music

Similar Artists Stiff Little Fingers, The Clash, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Damned, Misfits, Nils, Newtown Neurotics, Dead Kennedys, The Who

Artist History Arranca began in the unlikely haven of Cincinnati, Ohio. What's a Bilingual English/Spanish Punk /Cuban/Rock band doing in the heart of the Midwest, in button-down, staid Cincinnati? A town where less than 1% of the population is Hispanic, and where the local branch of Traveler's Aid International, in their annual guidebook to international Resources in Cincinnati, lists Taco Bell and a local pizza chain as "ethnic" cuisine? (Don't laugh- it's true!). The band asked itself the same question, and has now relocated to Miami, Florida.Arranca: The word translates as "to tear up" or "uproot". How appropriate, as singer/guitarist/tres player Victor Garcia-Rivera & his family were uprooted as they fled the tropical gulag of Fidel Castro. Arriving in Cincinnati by way of Miami, Victor grew up in the Queen City and became one of the pioneers in the Cincy underground music scene in the 1980s, where he met bassist David Dunkum , also a prime mover in the Jockey Club movement. Drummer Jim Burke had played with Victor in the final stages of The Edge , the seminal Cincy band who also logged a couple of years in the Boston scene, toured the country, released critically acclaimed records, and then dissolved in 1991 before the current pop-punk onslaught. The Edge had "been there, done that" long before current wannabe bands made millions aping bands from the late Seventies and Eighties. Dunkum, Garcia-Rivera & Burke sat on the sidelines for a few years, but the music bug hit & the veterans decided to go at it again. This time the concept was a bilingual Spanish/English son/rock/punk band, which would utilize Victor's fluency in both languages, his love of groups as diverse as Stiff Little Fingers(a band from Northern Ireland that were inspired by the revolution started by British bands like The Clash & the Sex Pistols) and Trio Matamoros (a Cuban group that played son music, formed in the 1920s), and the driving drums of Burke, who plays like a reincarnation of Keith Moon and John Bonham combined, with Dunkum laying down the rock steady foundation for the sonic mayhem. Arranca jelled as a trio who combined several elements, whether it be mixing the English language with Spanish, while simultaneously mixing a son or a Cuban guajira in a Ramonesy song structure. Arranca steams from the Cuban-American melting pot, like a musical I Love Lucy!

Group Members Victor Garcia-RiveraJim BurkeDavid Dunkum

Instruments Victor Garcia-Rivera: Guitars, Tres, Lead Vocal, Jim Burke: Drums, Backing Vocal, David Dunkum:Bass, Backing Vocal

Albums "Exile On Pain Street (Exilio Doloroso)"

Press Reviews Censor This #10Arranca: "Exile On Pain Street (Exilio Doloroso)" CDSelf proclaimed "I Love Lucy of Punk Rock", this is Cuban-American Punk Rock! Fresh, old and new English-Spanish lyrics about the shit happening to his native Cuba. Guitarist-vocalist Victor García-Rivera is a true genius and trooper for commuting from Ohio to Florida taking care of business. If they were from Los Angeles they would probably be one of the biggest Rock en Español acts around, even out-Español-ing Calavera."No Return" is by far my favorite tune on this album.Imagine the Ramones and a little bit of the Clash if they were from Cuba and you have Arranca. 10 songs that fuckin' rule! Cover songs include a 1940's Latino classic by Trio Matamoros called "Oye El Cha Cha".Originally from Cincinnati, these guys have even had their share of controversy surrounding them since they do the "Cuban National Anthem", their version called "Himno Racional (Rational Anthem)", but with upbeat punk rock music behind it. The Cuban government has banned the song from the radio. Mr. Garcia-Rivera is also the producer of a Miami-based radio show called "Radio Roquero" on shortwave radio station (9955 kHz) at 6 PM on Sundays through Radio Miami International. It's the first Punk Rock Show to Cuba. Miami and Cuban officials have jammed the song when it's played on his show.Arranca was formed from the ashes of 80's Cincinnati/Boston punk band, The Edge. I think I saw them at Fender's Ballroom with Conflict and a young and untalented NOFX back in '85 or so.Look out for these guys, I have a feeling us Angelenos are going to be hearing a lot from these guys in the near future.¡Abajo Fidel!-SC

Location Miami, FL - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).