The Story
In 2001 Ignacio Peña, Bletzung's front man, released his
solo debut album, "El Mundo Al Revés" (The World
Upside Down) on Universal Latino which earned him rave reviews
from the critics.
"Singer/songwriter Ignacio Peña's first outing, on
Universal, is a lovely collection of pop tracks that evoke everything
from Eric Clapton to Oasis. Thanks to thoughtful, well-written
lyrics that never fall into triteness, this manages to be an album
without a single throwaway track."
Billboard Magazine
"A debut record that sets precedence "En Español" -
track that opens the CD - and evokes the days past of Argentinean
Rock and English Pop."
People En Español
Anormal, Peña's sophomore album, is a pure rock n roll
set which feeds on classic rock influences but with a clear grasp
on melody. The songs are an evolution in Pena's songwriting in
many ways: a harder edge, songs written in BOTH Spanish an English
(5 songs in Spanish, 5 songs in English), and recorded with his
touring band. With a soft release in the U.S. and Puerto Rico,
several tracks from the album have remained on the Radio & Records
Magazine's Latin Format Rock/Alt. play lists consecutively for
11 months.
Radio Airplay
WMVA 105.3 FM (Clear Channel), Atlanta, GA
KDLD 103.1 FM, The Red Zone, Los Angeles, CA
WRTO 98.3 FM (Univision), Fuego Rock, Miami, FL
WRTE 90.5 FM, Radio Arte, Chicago, IL
KSCR 1560 AM, University of Southern California, Los Angeles,
CA
KTFH AM, Rock Radical, Seattle, WA
KSJS 90.5 FM, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
WLJS 91.9 FM, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL
WMSC 90.3 FM, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
KSJV 91.5 FM, Radio Blingue, Fresno, CA
Internet Radio Airplay
Pulso Rock Radio
Batanga
Puro Rock
Yahoo Music
Radio Wazee
Video Airplay
Mas Musica Teve Network
MTV-S
LATV
Latin Eyes TV
Mun2
Video Max (Puerto Rico)
Under the auspice of Ignacio Peña, Bletzung showcased
at the 2005 South by Southwest music festival in Austin, where
the song Only End Up Lonely won the first-ever Jukebox Jury competition
and was featured
on Apple's iTunes. The song and the album (Anormal) charted on
iTunes' Latin charts' top downloads.
After touring throughout Latin America and the U.S., sharing
festival stages with the likes of Oasis, Eric Clapton, and Roger
Waters among others, the natural evolution of Peña's musical
direction, LIVE PERFORMANCES and TOURING experiences have taken
him to the next logical evolutionary step - to compose all the
songs in English. This new project also involves a name change
that better reflects his touring and recording experience with
the band and as "a band":
Bletzung, a melodically driven modern rock band that's conceived
as a multimedia experience in the vein of Pink Floyd and the
Beatles.
The Record
Bletzung's self-titled debut album is a conceptual proposal that
entwines 12 songs that narrate a process of existential conflicts
and which originated in times of worldwide terrorism, war and
fear. Produced by Peña, Iker Gastaminza and Tony Rijos,
the record features British influenced songwriting with an American
approach to recording and making records. Bletzung's songs are
a powerful marriage of
melodically driven strong hooks and memorable guitar riffs which
speak about alienation, disappointment, angst and other pressing
issues.
