Flema
Encyclopedia
Flema was an Argentine punk
rock band, that managed to find a unique style among other punk bands.
The last configuration of the band was: Ricardo Espinosa (Vocals and Guitar), Fernando Rossi (Bass), Luis Garibaldo (Guitar), and Pepe Carvallo (Drums). Their songs usually deal with loneliness, alcohol and drugs, friends, women, politics, and complaints about the tough things in life. Their songs have titles like "borrachos en la esquina" (drunken on the corner), "Semen de buey" (bullock semen), "Blanco cristal" (White crystal, a reference to cocaine). The band leader, Ricardo Espinosa (also known as 'Ricky') was a very controversial and beloved figure, and the core and spirit of Flema. Always drunk, always on coke, always in trouble, often the band could not play on a scheduled date because Ricky and other band members were detained at a local police station.
(Buenos Aires
) by a group of teenaged students. There were a lot of changes in its lineups, with Ricky as the only constant member.
Always an underground band, Flema launched their first record in the year 1992 ("Pogo, mosh & Slam"), through an independent record company.
The band acquired great success in the Argentine punk
scene, not reaching the masses only because of the reputations of the members, specially Ricky.
Their shows were marked by chaos, the members usually drunken and doped on the stage, Ricky fighting with the public, sniffing cocaine on the stage, etc.
Their songs often featured guttural vomit-like sounds performed by Ricky, that were one of Flema's trademarks. Happy melodies mixed with profound and touching lyrics written by the perturbed Ricky caught up the feelings of many teenagers that saw their problems reflected in the songs of that band from the suburbs.
when he said to his friend Luichy "If I lose, I'm gonna jump through the window" - He lost and did it, but you will not find reliable sources with direct confirmation of this incident. A lot of versions surrounded Ricky's death. He had been talking about putting an end to his life for years, even writing songs with titles like "I'm Gonna Commit Suicide", "I Have To Go", and "You Will Remember Me".
3 days after Ricky's death, the rest of the band put on a big show with other local groups in his honor. Flema was officially disbanded after that.
Every anniversary, hundreds of fans visit Ricky's tomb at the Avellaneda cemetery.
Argentine punk
-1976–1983: Military dictatorship years:1976 is the year in which punk music started to emerge in the United Kingdom with bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash. That same year a military dictatorship known as National Reorganization Process began in Argentina...
rock band, that managed to find a unique style among other punk bands.
The last configuration of the band was: Ricardo Espinosa (Vocals and Guitar), Fernando Rossi (Bass), Luis Garibaldo (Guitar), and Pepe Carvallo (Drums). Their songs usually deal with loneliness, alcohol and drugs, friends, women, politics, and complaints about the tough things in life. Their songs have titles like "borrachos en la esquina" (drunken on the corner), "Semen de buey" (bullock semen), "Blanco cristal" (White crystal, a reference to cocaine). The band leader, Ricardo Espinosa (also known as 'Ricky') was a very controversial and beloved figure, and the core and spirit of Flema. Always drunk, always on coke, always in trouble, often the band could not play on a scheduled date because Ricky and other band members were detained at a local police station.
Early days and development
The band was formed in 1987, in AvellanedaAvellaneda
Avellaneda is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 328,980 as per the ....
(Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
) by a group of teenaged students. There were a lot of changes in its lineups, with Ricky as the only constant member.
Always an underground band, Flema launched their first record in the year 1992 ("Pogo, mosh & Slam"), through an independent record company.
The band acquired great success in the Argentine punk
Argentine punk
-1976–1983: Military dictatorship years:1976 is the year in which punk music started to emerge in the United Kingdom with bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash. That same year a military dictatorship known as National Reorganization Process began in Argentina...
scene, not reaching the masses only because of the reputations of the members, specially Ricky.
Their shows were marked by chaos, the members usually drunken and doped on the stage, Ricky fighting with the public, sniffing cocaine on the stage, etc.
Their songs often featured guttural vomit-like sounds performed by Ricky, that were one of Flema's trademarks. Happy melodies mixed with profound and touching lyrics written by the perturbed Ricky caught up the feelings of many teenagers that saw their problems reflected in the songs of that band from the suburbs.
Ricky's death
On May 30, 2002, Ricardo Manuel Espinosa ended his life throwing himself off the 5th floor of a building in Gerli. He was 34 years old. There is a very persistent urban myth that says that he was drunk playing a Winning Eleven match with a PlayStationPlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
when he said to his friend Luichy "If I lose, I'm gonna jump through the window" - He lost and did it, but you will not find reliable sources with direct confirmation of this incident. A lot of versions surrounded Ricky's death. He had been talking about putting an end to his life for years, even writing songs with titles like "I'm Gonna Commit Suicide", "I Have To Go", and "You Will Remember Me".
3 days after Ricky's death, the rest of the band put on a big show with other local groups in his honor. Flema was officially disbanded after that.
Every anniversary, hundreds of fans visit Ricky's tomb at the Avellaneda cemetery.
1987:The original formation
- Fernando Cordera - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Juan Fandiño - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Ricky Espinosa - Guitar
- Pablo Sara - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Sebastián Gador - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
1992: Pogo, mosh & slam
- Ricky Espinosa - Vocals
- Cacho Rossi - Bass
- Luis Rossi - Guitar
- Pepe Alsina - drums
1993: Nunca nos fuimos
- Ricky Espinosa - Vocals
- Fernando Rossi - Bass
- Santiago Rossi - Guitar
- Gonzalo Díaz Colodrero - Guitar
- Alejandro Alsina - drums
1994: El exceso y/o abuso de drogas y alcohol es perjudicial para tu salúd... ¡Cuídate, nadie lo hará por vos!
- Ricky Espinosa - Vocals
- Fernando Rossi - Bass
- Luichi Gribaldo - Guitar
- Pepe Carballo - drums
1997: Si el placer es un pecado, bienvenidos al infierno
- Ricky Espinosa - Vocals
- Fernando Rossi - Bass
- Santiago Rossi - Guitar
- Luichi Gribaldo - Guitar
- Pablo Martínez - drums
1998: period of Resaka
- Ricky Espinosa - Vocals
- Fernando Rossi - Bass
- Gustavo Brea - Guitar
- Luichi Gribaldo - Guitar
- Pablo Martínez - drums
1999: Last formation
- Ricky Espinosa - Vocals
- Fernando Rossi - Bass
- Maximiliano Martin - Guitar
- Luichi Gribaldo - Guitar
- Diego Piazza - drums
Discography
- Pogo, Mosh & Slam, 1992
- Nunca Nos Fuimos, 1994
- El Exceso de Drogas y Alcohol es Perjudicial Para tu Salud, 1995
- Si el Placer es Un Pecado, Bienvenidos Al Infierno, 1997
- Resaka, 1998
- La Noche de las Narices Blancas, 2000
- Caretofobia I, 2000
- Caretofobia II, 2001
- Cinco de copas, 2002