Line #26 Music/Puya


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9fa6_2.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:The original fusion from the island Borinquen.]]
3	[floatboxright:
4	Influences:
5	+ Music/{{Pantera}}
6	+ Music/{{Rush\|Band}}
7	+ Fania All-Stars
8	+ Music/{{Fishbone}}
9	+ Music/{{Metallica}}
10	+ Music/BlackSabbath
11	+ Music/VanHalen
12	+ Music/{{Sepultura}}
13	]
14	[floatboxright:
15	Related Acts:
16	+ Ankla (Ortiz)
17	]
18	Puya is a Puerto Rican {{Jazz}} ProgressiveMetal Salsa band. Their music usually involves a blend of several different styles at once or a GenreRoulette shifting from different types of music. They would be best described as a jazz fusion or "metal jazz" band, but are usually called "ProgressiveMetal" because "jazz metal" really isn't a thing.
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20	Puya first made a name for themselves in Florida, where a lot of the other jazz-metal bands like Music/{{Atheist}} and Music/{{Cynic}} popped up. Puya differentiated themselves from the other jazz-metal acts (who were typically TechnicalDeathMetal bands) by:
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22	1. Drawing from more palpitatable, accessible, less extreme metal genres (their sound has incorporated elements of ThrashMetal and GrooveMetal) and prominently using elements of Latin Jazz and Salsa, either predominately, or fused with metal.
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24	2. Shifting into other styles. Their songs have had [[RapMetal occasional rapped vocals]], the band has dabbled in FunkMetal and a lot of their songs are straight up in Latin styles like Latin Jazz, Salsa, Cuban rumba, bomba, and so forth (at least one track, "Semilla", is a ProgressiveRock instrumental).
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26	Though before they were a metal band with vocals, they started off as a instrumental Prog Rock combo named Whisker Biscuit influenced by bands like Music/{{Rush\|Band}}. With their shift to a Metal/Salsa/Jazz band, however, Puya added a backup horn section and percussionists, giving their live shows a large cast of musicians rivaling Music/TransSiberianOrchestra, although, officially, the band only has three musicians and a singer. Vocalist Sergio Curbelo performed on Puya's 1995 album, but was not officially a member of the band until 1996, thusly the "band" from 1991 until 1995 only consisted of two members--guitarist Ramon Ortiz and composer/bassist Harold Hopkins Miranda, the band's [[LeadBassist founder and leader]].
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28	Their first, self-titled album was released independently in 1995 by the Miami, Florida indie record label Noiz Boiz Records, and then they had a couple of albums on the major label MCA before being dropped due to lackadaisical sales; despite tours with mainstream metal bands, Puya failed to attract much interest due to their jazz fusion style not being widely received by metal fans and initial mixed to negative critical reviews and then broke up for several years. During that time, Puya went on to become very well noted and respected by ProgressiveMetal musicians, and had some influence on jazz-metal fusions. So, in 2010, they reunited releasing a new EP with some new songs and an outtake from their third album, and successfully crowdfunded a live album in 2014. They haven't put out any new releases since then, but have been actively touring.
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30	Puya's live shows are noted for extended improvisation and jamming, and live performances usually feature extended percussion sections and instrumentation compared to the studio releases.
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32	Ramon Ortiz has released several solo albums, described musically as being a cross between Music/DreamTheater and Music/IllNino. Ortiz also fronts a band called Ankla, which plays a mixture of Thrash, {{Metalcore}} and DeathMetal.
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34	See also: Music/{{Candiria}}, which also mixes metal and jazz, but with significantly more HardcorePunk, mathcore and HipHop influences.
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36	!Band members
37	Puya has maintained [[LongRunnerLineUp the same line-up for over 20 years]]:
38	* Ramon Ortiz – guitar
39	* Eduardo Paniagua – drums
40	* Harold Hopkins Miranda– bass
41	* Sergio Curbelo – vocals
42
43	Their backup fluctuates, however, and the albums feature session musicians playing the horn and additional percussion instruments.
44
45	!Discography:
46	* ''Whisker Biscuit'' demo (1994) (has never been officially sold by the band; torrents of the demo often cut the last 30 seconds of the song "La Raza" for some reason. Recording and mixing quality is inconsistent, but it's a must-hear for fans of the band; a full version streams [[https://m.soundcloud.com/progfusiondb/sets/puya-whisker-biscuit-rare-1994-demo here]].)
47	* ''Puya'' (1995) (first album, originally released only to Miami, but is now on digital services like iTunes and Amazon, but is also widely file shared and torrented; "Chisme" is a re-recording of a song from the ''Whisker Biscuit'' demo)
48	* ''Fundamental'' (1999) (first major label release; out of print, but can be purchased digitally)
49	* ''Union'' (2001) (last major label release; also out of print, but can be purchased digitally; the title track is a re-recording of a song from the 1995 album)
50	* ''Pa Ti En Vivo'' (2010, filmed in 2002), the band's live concert DVD , showcasing their live improvisation. Also features interviews with fans and Puerto-Rican locals, as well as the music video for "Pa Ti Pa Mí". Includes live performances of songs from all of their albums and the ''Whisker Biscuit'' demo.
51	* ''Areyto'' (2010) (EP; every track is new, except for "Hecho El Resto" which is an outtake from ''Union'')
52	* ''Vital'' (2014), the band's live album, was released as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. Showcases the band's live improvisation.
53	----
54	!Tropes include:
55	* AvantGardeMetal: Numerous songs shift from genre to genre, typically from jazz, salsa, samba, rumba and bomba to some form of metal, or HardcorePunk, and sometimes to ProgressiveRock. The Jazz element ranges from Latin Jazz to American Jazz to Jazz Fusion.
56	* CoverVersion: They did Music/ThePolice's Spirits in the Material World as a Rock en espanol song for a Police tribute album and a RapMetal version of Music/RunDMC's It's Like That which was never released.
57	* GenreMashup: Various. E.g. "Bembele", which shifts from salsa to ThrashMetal to ProgressiveRock, "Keep It Simple", which is a jazz fusion track mixing Latin jazz instrumentation (flutes, acoustic flamenco-style guitar and Latin percussion) with HipHop-style beats, rap verses in English and a verse sung in Spanish, and "Ahorake", which in live concerts is accompanied by extended salsa jamming and onstage salsa dancing by salsa dancers.
58	** Subverted on ''Areyto'', which mostly featured Prog Metal tracks, but even there, "La Muralla" was a song that started off as prog-metal and then threw in guest rap verses out of nowhere.
59	* GenreRoulette: The band shifts between various different styles of metal, jazz and Latin music, as well as ProgressiveRock, in an attempt to bring together different communities of music lovers.
60	* {{Jazz}} - Puya is best described as a "Jazz Metal" band.
61	* LeadBassist: Harold Hopkins Miranda is the band's founder and leader; he composes all of their music.
62	* LongRunnerLineUp: Not counting the horn and additional percussion back-up players, who are not officially considered part of the band and fluctuate, Puya has maintained the same lineup since 1996.
63	* ProgressiveMetal - what the band is more often called.
64	* ThemeSong: "Oasis", Puya's tribute to Puerto Rico, typically ends the band's concerts, and is one of their most popular songs.

Context Music / Puya