Qwentin

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Qwentin
[[Image:|220px|Left to right: Drepopoulos, Qweon, Gospodar, Bárány, Morloch.]] Left to right: Drepopoulos, Qweon, Gospodar, Bárány, Morloch.
Background information
Origin	Cartaxo, Portugal
Genre(s)	Alternative rock
Years active	2003 - present
Associated acts	Huxley
Website	http://www.qwentin.com
Members
Drepopoulos Qwentinsson Qweon Qwentinsson Gospodar Qwentinsson Bárány Qwentinssonbr />Morloch Qwentinsson
Former members
Vjlasson Qwentinsson Qartafla Qwentinsson

Qwentin is a Portuguese rock band born in the town of Cartaxo, in 2003, and is lined up by: Drepopoulos Qwentinsson (bass guitar), Gospodar Qwentinsson (guitar, vocals), Morloch Qwentinsson (samples, keyboards), Qweon Qwentinsson (guitar, vocals) and Bárány Qwentinsson (drums). Apart from the music, the visual component has a special role in all of Qwentin’s universe. In stage, they appear with make-up and wearing black tie and long skirts, always with a dark theatrical theme as a prevailing feature.

Contents 1 History 2 Discography 3 Line-up 4 External links

[edit] History

Born from the ashes of different musical projects, from rock and roll, punk, metal and hard rock to psycadelia and other disciplines of the musical world, Qwentin appear in 2003 with their own version of “alternative”, placed somewhere between psi-fi fiction and fantasy. Their music is deeply marked with a worldwide atmosphere and cinematographic influences, based on the multiplicity of languages and on the creation of stories that evolve as movies.

Assuming themselves as an European band, as confirmed by themselves in an interview to the newspaper “O Mirante”, Qwentin was formed in Cartaxo and had their premiere in Festival Tejo – a summer festival dedicated to Portuguese bands from all steps of the stairway of success. Thus, in July 2003, Drepopoulos Qwentinsson (bass), Gospodar Qwentinsson (guitar, vocals), Morloch Qwentinsson (samples, keyboards), Qweon Qwentinsson (guitar, vocals) and Vjlasson Qwentinsson (drums), performed live on a minor stage of Festival Tejo, in Azambuja.

In April 2004, and with the same line-up, they won the AZB002 battle of the bands (provided by the Azambuja town hall), which granted them the presence on the New Talents Stage on Festival Tejo’s 2004 Edition, held in Valada – where they shared the stage with bands like Zen, Fonzie, Ramp or Mão Morta. This brought on the first reviews from the Portuguese press: “astonishment”, “amazement” and “mystery”, were some of the words chosen to classify the enduring rising of Qwentin’s world.

«Qwentin don’t do anything of what is expected, and there lies their merit». (Rita Guerreiro, Blitz, 27/07/2004).^[1]

«”Challenging” is the adjective which best describes Qwentin’s performance». «”Desafiante” é o adjectivo que melhor define a actuação dos Qwentin». (Hugo Amaral, Divergências.Com, 27/07/2004).^[2]

« Qwentin won the prize of “I don’t know what to say about this progressive mutation with Zeppelin on the horizon and several languages on its speech». (Mário Lopes, Diário de Notícias, 27/07/2004).^[3]

The year is 2004 and Qwentin performs at Lisbon’s Hard Rock Cafe. In the beginning of 2005, the first EP, called “Il Commence Ici”, was recorded in Toolateman Studios. With Dominique Borde and Ary (Blasted Mechanism) in charge of the production. The presentation show took place in a bar then known as “Touro Louco”, in Cartaxo, before a crowded house of one hundred people. Shortly after, Vjlasson leaves the band and Qartafla Qwentinsson takes his place in the drums. Then, a period of several live performances takes place, passing through Almeirim, Azambuja, Entroncamento (with Blind Zero), Esposende, Lisbon (Santiago Alquimista), Nazaré (with Blister), Santarém and Viseu. During this tour, Qwentin returns to the Toolateman Studios, again with Dominique and Ary has producers, to bring the new EP “Uomo-Tutto” to life. It includes new versions of “Il Commence Ici”, “Jornalisma” and “NFO Kronikoj”, and two new songs: “Uomo-Tutto” and “Chewbacca’s Blues”.

The summer season came up and with it, an invitation from the promoter Código 365, to perform at the Blitz Stage in what was to be the last edition of Festival Tejo. Names like Moonspell, Kreator, Blasted Mechanism, Transglobal Underground and Asian Dub Foundation performed in that year’s edition. Meanwhile, Qwentin produces its first videoclip, in order to promote the song “Il Commence Ici”. It was directed by Ricardo Leal Pereira. With the arrival of October comes an invitation from the Cartaxo Town Hall and Antena 3 Radio, for a live interview in the radio station’s morning show (called “Manhãs da 3”), with Nuno Markl and Ana Galvão.

«Qwentin dazed and confused the musical critics (...). When a new band appears, there’s always a big temptation of putting a label on it and put it in a sort a shelf. With Qwentin that’s impossible.». (Nuno Markl, Antena 3, 13/10/2005).^[4]

The first months of 2006 are dedicated to the creation of “Homem Tudo” (“Whole Man”), a show witch involves video, theatrical performance and music. It was premiered on April 15th, in Centro Cultural do Cartaxo (CCC), with the contribution of the actor Tiago Graça and the director Ricardo Leal Pereira. During rehearsals for the show, Qartafla leaves the band and Bárány Qwentinsson takes his place, making “Homem Tudo” his debut show. Given the show’s big success, Qwentin was invited to return to CCC, in September, for a presentation of a less theatrical nature, but still with a very well prepared performance and visual show – which would come to be Qwentin’s customary way to appear on stage. The same show that was presented in Portalegre, during “Games 2006”, an event that brought some of the major worldwide names of the videogame industry and multimedia programming to Portugal. By October 2006, the band decides to put the live acts on hold and proceed to the studio, in order to record its first album, “Première!” (working title), with release date set for the first trimester of 2007. The record is produced by Daniel Cardoso (Head Control System, Del), in the Ultra Sound Studios, Braga. The work presents twelve songs, interpreted in Castilian, English, Portuguese, French, Italian, Dutch and Esperanto.

[edit] Discography

• Il Commence Ici EP (2004)

1. "Il Commence Ici
2. "Jornalisma
3. "N.F.O. Kronikoj

• Uomo-Tutto EP (2005)

1. "Uomo-Tutto"
2. "Il Commence Ici"
3. "Jornalisma"
4. "N.F.O. Kronikoj"
5. "Chewbacca’s Blues"

• Première! (working title) (2007?)

1. "Fatalidad!"
2. "Casualty Friday"
3. "Aqui (reposição)"
4. "Il Commence Ici "
5. "Uomo-Tutto"
6. "Jornalisma"
7. –interlúdio-
8. "Aqui"
9. "Tweestrijd"
10. "N.F.O. Kronikoj"
11. "Mind (the) Thieves"
12. "Terrier"

[edit] Line-up

Year	Band					Title
	Bass	Guitar, Vocals	Guitar, Vocals	Samples, Keyboards	Drums
2003	Drepopoulos Qwentinsson	Gospodar Qwentinsson	Qweon Qwentinsson	Morloch Qwentinsson	Vjlasson Qwentinsson	Curta-Metragem Demo
2004	Drepopoulos Qwentinsson	Gospodar Qwentinsson	Qweon Qwentinsson	Morloch Qwentinsson	Vjlasson Qwentinsson	Il Commence Ici EP
2005	Drepopoulos Qwentinsson	Gospodar Qwentinsson	Qweon Qwentinsson	Morloch Qwentinsson	Qartafla Qwentinsson	Uomo-Tutto EP
2006	Drepopoulos Qwentinsson	Gospodar Qwentinsson	Qweon Qwentinsson	Morloch Qwentinsson	Bárány Qwentinsson	Première!

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• MySpace Page
• Banda blog