Pionera
Sometimes it just takes a little flame to get things going. A spark to make a connection. That spark between Héctor Bardisa (drums, vocals) and Rodrigo Rozas “Katafu” (guitar, vocals) first emerged at distance until Katafú decided to leave Barcelona to establish his residence in the crowded sands of Alicante. His idea was to start over and close his career with FAMILEA MIRANDA, a seminal band of the South American post hardcore scene that had lasted a couple of decades taking him from his native Chile to the fortified Europe. This personal connection and the way of understanding life with music, based on respect and mutual admiration, made the UGATZ project emerge meteorically. In the same way, that spark meant that after a few months of life and a few concerts, the project imploded before its time when it seemed like it was just taking flight. Without much time to lick their wounds or fall into lamentations, H and K decided to build a new house using as foundations the pleasure and contagious joy that playing and creating music together gives them. Thus, in just over a year they built the songs that would end up making up PIONERA's debut, “Bolsa de piedras” (2022). This album featured the collaboration of Rubén Martínez (bass, vocals), a Catalan musician with whom Héctor had coincided as the backing band for basque guitarist AINARA LEGARDON. The record kept certain references to the Sub Pop, Touch and Go and Dischord noiserock catalogs are also present here), however PIONERA is a completely different beast, thanks to the fact that they let in new influences (some 80's heavy metal, progresive punk rock, even South American folklore at times) and have been able to create a handful of well-worked songs, full of details and unexpected turns, which make “Bolsa de piedras” a special album to pigeonhole
