Tequila Baby

Tequila Baby came together as a punk rock group in Porto Alegre during 1994, when Duda Calvin took the microphone, James Andrew handled guitar, Rodrigo Deltoro played bass, and Didi Gloor sat behind the drums. Their start mirrored that of countless other garage acts, marked by scant resources and makeshift gear. Without funds for proper equipment, the quartet played small venues across their city and the nearby coast, frequently borrowing or renting whatever instruments they needed.

They eventually scraped together enough to cut a two-song demo featuring “Sexo, Algemas e Cinta-Liga” and “Malandro do Bonfim,” both of which earned favorable local radio play. Fresh material kept flowing, and on March 17, 1995, the band tracked the live demo Fiesta, Sombrero e Rock n' Roll at Isaec Studios in a single four-hour session. That same week they appeared at Bar Opinião for the Brazilian MTV program Eletrika Live. By selling their old Fabian drum kit they pressed an initial run of thirty cassettes, handed twenty to key members of the Brazilian press at the showcase, and sold the remaining ten. Profits funded another twenty copies, then forty more, and the process continued until they had moved one thousand units—an impressive tally for an unsigned local act.

Throughout 1995 they pushed the demo relentlessly. After thirty-six performances over the next twelve months, Tequila Baby inked a deal with Antidoto, a subsidiary of ACIT Records. Recording of their self-titled debut began in January 1996. In 1997 Antidoto secured distribution through PolyGram, Showbizz magazine named the band the year’s biggest newcomer, and the track “Minha Menina” landed on a television series soundtrack.

January 1999 saw the group back in the studio for Sangue, Ouro e Polvora, a harder-edged set that spawned several hits; however, the live album that arrived in 2001 drew limited attention. Their third studio release, Punk Rock Até os Ossos, appeared in 2002 under the guidance of producer Daniel Rey and included one track featuring Marky Ramone on drums.

August 2004 brought the fourth studio album, A Ameaça Continua, which recaptured the raw drive of their earliest work. Later that year Rodrigo Deltoro and Didi Gloor departed, with Otto Branco and Rafael Heck stepping in as replacements. Reuniting with Marky Ramone in 2005, the band toured southern Brazil and added several Ramones songs to their sets. A live CD and DVD documenting those shows surfaced the following year.