Bosquito (Pronunciation: ʙᴏsᴋɪːᴛᴏ) is a
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band formed in
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County.
According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
in the year 1999. The group's current line-up consists of vocalist/guitarist
Radu Almășan, drummer
Dorin Țapu, guitarist
Ciprian Pascal, bassist
Mircea “Burete” Preda. The band is well known for infusing their songs with diverse influences, including
Gypsy music,
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
,
balkan
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
,
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
, and elements of
symphonic music
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...
. The group has released 5 albums to date with several top-charting singles including "Pepita", "Marcela", "Bosquito", "Hopa Hopa", and the ballad "Două Mâini", which reached #1 in the Romanian Top 100
and remains one of the most celebrated love songs in Romanian music. In 2005, the band entered a hiatus on the Romanian market while relocating to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
; the original line-up disbanded shortly thereafter. In 2011
Radu Almășan made a comeback as Bosquito with a brand-new lineup
launching their first single in 6 years: "Când Îngerii Pleacă", and releasing a new album, Babylon in 2014.
History
Early days and debut album, ''Bosquito'' (1999-2001)
Bosquito was formed in
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County.
According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
at the initiative of singer
Radu Almășan, who dropped out of college in his freshman year to completely dedicate himself to the new band. The first lineup consisted of Victor "Solo" Solomon on guitar, Victor "Vichi" Stephanovici on bass, Mișu Constantinescu on keyboards, and Darius Neagu on drums. Their first demo, containing an early version of the song "Spune Da!" (a song that would later be included on their self-titled debut album), was pitched to
MediaPro Music
MediaPro Music is a Romanian record label, part of the Universal Music Group. Launched in 1997, it became an integrated business of the Radio Company PRO in 2006. Between the main label and its sub-labels most music genres are covered, ranging from ...
.
The label requested a second demo, which included an early version of "Pas cu Pas", a song that would go on to become their first single and music video. By May 2000, Bosquito played their first show at the Propaganda Pro FM festival, the biggest concert in
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
at the time. They were subsequently signed to
Mediapro Music
MediaPro Music is a Romanian record label, part of the Universal Music Group. Launched in 1997, it became an integrated business of the Radio Company PRO in 2006. Between the main label and its sub-labels most music genres are covered, ranging from ...
. Their self-titled debut album was recorded in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
and released on September 1, 2000.
Two singles were released from this album: "Pas cu Pas", released concomitantly with the album on September 1, and "Țigano" released in Spring 2001. The singles propelled Bosquito into the Romanian touring circuit, with rotation on music television channels, but not on radio. The band became a live phenomenon, increasing their fanbase through extensive touring. Numerous Romanian music publications regarded the band as the best new live act of 2001. The song "Pas cu Pas" was included on
Mediapro's "A Fost Vara Ispitelor", a compilation of that year's best songs.
''Sar Scântei'' and ''Cocktail Molotov'' (2001-2003)
Following the positive reaction of the self-titled debut album, Bosquito began working on new material in the summer of 2001. They recorded and filmed the music video for their next single "Pepita", a Mexican-folk cover with Romanian lyrics that Radu would sing during his childhood. The song was their first radio hit and the rotation of the music video on
ProTV
PRO TV (, often stylized as PRO•TV since 2017) is a Romanian free-to-air television network, launched on 1 December 1995 as the fourth private TV channel in the country (after TV SOTI, Antena 1, and the now-defunct, but online Tele7ABC). It is o ...
would make the band popular all over Romania. Pepita was to be included on the band's next album ''Sar Scântei'', released on June 9, 2002.
The album spawned two more singles, accompanied by music videos, that were released to popular and critical acclaim. First the balkanic-influenced "Hopa Hopa" followed by "Doua Mâini", a love song that would represent Bosquito's commercial peak to date.
Doua Mâini became #1 on the Romanian Top 100, has since become a staple for the band's live performances, and remains one of the most celebrated Romanian love songs. By 2003, the band began considering an international career with a move to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Under these circumstances, drummer Darius Neagu would decide to leave the band, being replaced by Radu Buzac. Due to their dissatisfaction regarding the audio quality of a few songs on the debut album, the band decided to re-record some of them, plus 3 bonus covers ("
Patience
or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...
" by
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...
, "Gitano" by
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
* Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp
** Santana 20
** Santan ...
— renamed "Gosa Como Yo" for the album, and "
Soldier Of Fortune" by
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
).
Bosquito recorded their first song in English "Running From You" and decided to release a compilation that included the re-recorded songs, the covers, and the new song. The compilation was named ''Cocktail Molotov'' and was released in October 2003. The single from this album "Bosquito" got significant airplay on national radio & TV stations. A few weeks before the album's release the band suffered another line-up change, with Radu Buzac being replaced by Andrei Cebotari. In a later interview for Formula AS, lead singer
Radu Almășan stated that the band would rather have a rock drummer than a jazz-trained one such as Buzac.
The band felt that Andrei Cebotari, former drummer of
Zdob Si Zdub, integrated much better with its musical direction. At this time, the group decided to also include long-time collaborator, percussionist Mario Apostol, as an official member. In February 2003, in a ceremony held at "Teatrul Sică Alexandrescu" in Brașov, Bosquito received the "Brașoveanul Anului (a city-wide "Person of the year") award by vote of the readers of "Monitorul Expres". They were given the award by the then-vice mayor (future mayor) of Brașov:
George Scripcaru. Bosquito ended the ceremony with a concert.
''Fărâme Din Soare'' (2004-2005)
Following numerous concerts in the previous year, the band decided to take a break from touring and rented a cabin in the mountains where they would spend the month of January 2004, solely focusing on writing for the next album. Upon returning and discovering that MediaPro's managerial staff had been completely changed by the owners and feeling insecure with the label's new direction, Bosquito decided to leave
MediaPro
Mediaproducción, S.L.U., better known as Mediapro, is a multimedia communications group in Spain founded in April 1994 in Barcelona. The company is well involved in movie and television production.
The company holds branch offices in Madrid, S ...
and signed a new record deal with Cat Music / Media Services. In Spring 2004,
Radu Almășan, the band's main composer, signed the band's catalogue to
EMI Publishing
EMI Music Publishing Ltd. is a British multinational music publishing company headquartered in London, owned by Sony Music Publishing.
In May 2018, Sony Music Publishing agreed to increase its stake in EMI to 90%, pending regulatory approval ...
. Subsequently, the band started recording the new album in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, and decided to title it ''Fărâme Din Soare''.
The album was released in August 2004, with the first single "Marcela" being a bold change of style, including elements of punk. The song was largely ignored by the majority of radio stations but became a fan favorite and live staple. The next single and music video was "Tu Ești Iubita Mea", a song that would have considerably greater airplay. The band continued to tour extensively, being voted by music lovers of Romania as being the "Best Live Act" of 2004.
America, rift and dissension between members (2005-2010)
In the beginning of 2005, after years of preparation, the band decides to relocate to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Following that, Mario Apostol and Mișu Constantinescu part with the band. Being for the first time a four-piece, the band flies to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
on March 16. Two days before their departure, the remaining members shot a music video for "Dupa Furtuna", a single only afterwards. In Los Angeles, they decided to perform under the pseudonym "Acoustic Bullet" upon being advised that the name "Bosquito" might be less suited for the American audience.
They started touring clubs in the Los Angeles area such as
The Viper Room
The Viper Room is a nightclub and live music venue located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. It was established under that name on August 14, 1993, co-owned by actors and ''21 Jump Street'' co-stars Johnny Depp ...
,
The Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a ...
,
The Knitting Factory, and the
House Of Blues
House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...
. Shortly after recording a demo in English, tensions between members began to rise leading Victor Solomon and Vichi Stephanovici to return to Romania and leave the band. Radu Almășan and Andrei Cebotari would decide to carry on in America.
However, due to visa limitations, they would return to Romania for the summer of 2005 touring with Victor Solomon and bassist Adrian Ciuplea as collaborators. In December 2005, Radu and Andrei left again in order to concentrate on their newly formed
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band Madame Hooligan, leaving Bosquito in an indefinite hiatus in Romania, but continuing sporadic concerts under several temporary lineups in America.
Return to Romania with new line-up (2010-2014)
In 2010,
Radu Almășan visited Romania for the first time in 5 years. During this time he responded to an invitation to appear on
ProTV's Happy Hour talk show, and, instead of showcasing old material as requested by the producers, wrote a new song "Tobogan" for the occasion. Radu, accompanied by percussionist Felix Mircea Moldovan, premiered "Tobogan" during the show on June 30. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the song, and contractual obligations for Madame Hooligan which would keep him performing in Romania for the next two years, Radu decided to reform Bosquito in a different line-up and make a comeback for the Romanian audience.
At this time, longtime partner Andrei Cebotari opted to return to
Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
for family reasons, eventually rejoining with his former band
Zdob Si Zdub. In August,
Radu Almășan signed a new, three-year record deal with
Roton. Upon deciding to give a shot to younger collaborators, Radu started performing with
Ciprian Pascal on guitar,
Dorin Țapu on bass, and Felix Mircea Moldovan on drums. Their first concert as Bosquito took place in
Piatra Neamț
Piatra Neamț (; ; ) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in northeastern Romania. Because of its very privileged location in the Divisions of the Carpathians, Eastern Carpathian mountains, it is con ...
, on November 5, 2010. Due to touring with Madame Hooligan in the first part of 2011, Bosquito started regularly performing and preparing a comeback single only in the last part of that year. A notable exception is their Bucharest concert at
Piața Constituției opening for
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...
in front of 20,000 people for
The Sun Comes Out World Tour
The Sun Comes Out World Tour (also known as the Sale el Sol World Tour) was the fifth concert tour by Colombian singer Shakira, launched in support of her eighth and ninth studio albums, ''She Wolf (album), She Wolf'' (2009) and ''Sale El Sol' ...
.
The song "Când Îngerii Pleacă was recorded with
Dorin Țapu switching to drums, and
Austin Jesse Mitchell from Madame Hooligan playing bass. This situation, initially seen as a compromise for Felix Mircea Moldovan's prior engagements and inability to attend the sessions, led finally to Pascal, Țapu, and Mitchell being included in the band as official members. The band premiered their new song live with a special concert at "Garajul EuropaFM" on August 4, 2011. Following a positive response from fans and press, a music video was filmed and the song officially debuted on radio EuropaFM on November 16. A period of touring followed in order to present the new songs and line-up to the fans.
In the beginning of 2012, Bosquito started to collaborate with the drummer
Ovidiu Lipan Ţăndărică, of
Phoenix fame. This resulted in a new single and music video, "Întuneric în Culori", as well as nationwide concerts featuring both artists following the single's release in August. As of summer 2012, the band has begun recording its first album since 2004.
In December 2012,
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
featured Bosquito in its
MTV Unplugged
''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
series. Two songs from the upcoming album were premiered on television during the Unplugged concert: "București" and "Omule Perete". The performance also featured Mariano Castro, pianist of
Narcotango, former member Mario Apostol and a
string quartet
The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...
.
In autumn of 2013, Bosquito performed a major concert at the historic Cinema Patria in Bucharest to great success, and followed the concert with a summer tour through all of the most popular
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
tourist destinations including
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
and
Vama Veche
Vama Veche (historical names: ''Ilanlâk'', ''Ilanlâc'', ) is a village in Constanţa County, Romania, on the Black Sea coast, near the border with Bulgaria, at 28.57 E longitude, 43.75 N latitude. It is part of the commune of Limanu a ...
.
''Babylon'' (2014-present)
In September 2014, Bosquito released an album consisting of the recordings made during their comeback period starting in 2010 along with several new, never-heard-before songs. The album was heavily promoted during the band's 2014 summer tour with the single "Prieteni", and was followed by a major concert held again at the landmark Cinema Patria in Bucharest on November 10, 2014.
Members
Official members:
* Radu Almășan –
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
,
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
,
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
* Ciprian Pascal –
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
,
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
,
mandolin
A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
,
backup vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
* Mircea “Burete” Preda –
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
* Dorin Țapu –
drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
,
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
,
twelve-string guitar
A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 string (music), strings in six Course (music), courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lo ...
Live band collaborators:
* Mariano Castro –
keyboards,
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
* Harvis Padron –
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
* Madalina Penciu –
viola
The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
* Cristina Pasa –
violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
* Diana Jipa –
violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
* Violeta Tuta-Popescu –
cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
* Gilberto Ortega –
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
Discography
Studio albums
* 2000: ''Bosquito''
* 2002: ''Sar Scântei''
* 2003: ''Cocktail Molotov''
* 2004: ''Fărâme Din Soare''
* 2014: ''Babylon''
* 2019: ''Sus''
Singles & Music videos
References
External links
Bosquito's official Facebook websiteLast.fm profile on Bosquito
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bosquito
Romanian rock music groups