Moderatto

Emerging toward the end of the 1990s, the metal-parody collective Moderatto gave five Mexico City musicians—Jay de la Cueva, Javier Ramírez, Marcelo Lara, Iñaki Vazquez, and Olallo Rubio—an outlet from their more earnest performing commitments. Conceived as a playful jab at the glam-rock excesses of an earlier decade, the group offered its members a chance to apply heavy eyeliner, flash theatrical tongues, and release pent-up creative energy. Within roughly a decade the project had evolved into a nationwide rock sensation that thrust every participant into the spotlight. Channeling the glitter and excess of Poison and Mötley Crüe, Moderatto cultivated a devoted, irony-tinged following across Mexico City nightclubs. Their first album, Resurrexíon, appeared in 2001; the hit singles “Marchate Ya” and “Isabel” quickly broadened the band’s reach through radio airplay to listeners beyond the club circuit. By blending original songs with 1980s staples such as Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and The Knack’s “My Sharona,” the quintet built a reputation for flamboyant, high-theater concerts. The follow-up release El Detector de Metal pushed the act firmly into mainstream pop territory when their version of Timbiriche’s “Muriendo Lento,” featuring vocalist Belinda, crossed over to pop stations. That commercial breakthrough translated into sold-out appearances at the Auditorio Nacional and the Teatro Metropolitan. The third studio album Grrrr! arrived in 2006 and propelled the single “Sentimental” to number 3 on the Mexican pop charts within weeks.