Band
Bersuit Vergarabat > B

Bersuit Vergarabat, formed formally in 1989, is an Argentine rock band. The previous name of the band (from 1987 to May 1989) was Henry y la Palangana. After two albums of underground transgressor rock, the band began to experiment with Latin American rhythms such as cumbia, chacarera, candombe and cuartetazo. The lyrics, though, remained acid and critical with regard to political and social problems. The current formation is Albertito Verenzue ... la (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Daniel Suárez (vocals), Germán "Cóndor" Sbarbatti (vocals, charango), Juan Carlos Subirá (keyboards, accordion, vocals), Oscar Righi (guitar), René Isel "Pepe" Céspedes (bass, vocals, guitar) and Carlos Martín (drums, percussion); previous members include Gustavo Cordera (vocals), Charly Bianco (guitar, vocals) and Rubén Sadrinas (vocals). In honor of Buenos Aires' José Tiburcio Borda Psychiatric Hospital, the band often performs in clinical pajamas. Although there is no truth to the urban legend of Cordera spending some time in that institution, the band has demonstrated an affinity for everything related to madness and marginalization. In addition to finding success in the Buenos Aires' underground movement, and then nationwide, Bersuit Vergarabat has attracted fans from many countries in Latin America as well as Spain. The band's success beyond Latin America hinges largely on their ability to constantly reinvent themselves, as with their late 1990s venture into ska music, popular in the United States at the time. One of the band's signature songs, "El Tiempo No Para," from their album Y Punto, is a cover of "O Tempo Não Para" by the Brazilian musician Cazuza. In his honor, Gustavo Cordera sings one of the song's verses in the live version in Portuguese. See more [+]