Molotov

Molotov was formed in 1995 when two friends, Tito Fuentes (guitar) and Micky Huidobro (bass) began playing together and in 1996 they were joined by Paco Ayala (bass) and Randy Ebright (drums), the only US-born member of the band. Throughout 1996, the band played in many underground clubs in Mexico City and quickly began opening shows for some of the biggest bands of the time, including Héroes del Silencio and La Lupita, and Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas. That were quickly discovered by Surco/Universal and within their first year of existence, they were offered a recording contract.

They quickly began production on their debut album under the direction of Latin Rock Svengali Gustavo Santaolalla and in July of 1997, they released their debut album ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas?, which took its name partly from Maná's album ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? generating controversy with stores refusing to sell it because of its lyrics and cover. The lyrics included a mixture of politics, sex and expletives, which made it hard for Molotov to enter mainstream media, but served as the driving force for growing their fan base and to date has registered more than 1 million copies sold worldwide.

Molotov became one of the first Latin groups to receive recognition from US-based Urban publications such as Vibe who said "[Molotov's music] is incendiary by nature… with darts poisoned aimed directly to the heart of the oppressive paternalism of the government." For example, the song "Gimme Tha Power" contained lyrics such as "Hay que arrancar el problema de raíz y cambiar el gobierno de nuestro país" (translated: We have to rip out the problem by the roots and change the government of our country), which astutely reflected aspects of the tumultuous political climate of the late 1990s in Mexico.

Their sophomore album Apocalypshit was released in September of 1999, and the band embarked on their first European tour, which included Russia – a country that immediately embraced their sociopolitical yet humorous lyrics. In 2001, after a couple of years of touring, they took a rest by contributing to the soundtrack of the films Y Tu Mamá También (in which the soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy) and Atlético San Pancho.

In 2003, the band's new album, Dance and Dense Denso, was released with their first Latin Grammy-winning single, "Frijolero," which became the band's biggest hit to date. Next came Con Todo Respeto in 2004, which consisted of covers of groups such as The Misfits, Beastie Boys, ZZ Top, and Los Toreros Muertos and also won a Latin Grammy for Best Rock Album.

In January of 2007, Molotov's official website addressed a separation rumor, saying that it could neither be confirmed nor denied but that more information would be coming soon. A few weeks later, the band confirmed on its website that it would indeed be touring and despite no official break-up update, many radio stations announced the tour as Molotov's last.

In 2007, the band released its album Eternamiente (a portmanteau of eternamente [eternally] and miente [he lies]) with included the hit song “Yofo,” and was comprised of 4 separate albums written and produced individually by each member, a homage to the infamous 4-record solo releases by KISS in 1978. Eternamiente gave them their 3rd Latin Gammy win.

Ever passionate about the political climate in Mexico, and immigration rights, in 2010, the band performed the first time in Mexico City's Zócalo for, after being denied the venue five times before. They performed alongside other important Mexican Rock bands such as Jaguares and Maldita Vecindad to protest against Arizona's SB 1070 law.

The band recorded their performance in the “The Creation of Peace” festival in Kazan, Russia. In May 2012 this was released as the live album Desde Rusia Con Amor, with an accompanying DVD and subsequently was the winner of a 2012 Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, the 4th in their career.

That same year a documentary called “Gimme the Power”, directed by Olallo Rubio was released and featured the connection of their political views with their musical work and analyzes their significance on the political climate of Mexico just before the Mexican Presidential Elections of 2012.

In June of 2014 Molotov released their album Agua Maldita, which featured the first single “Animo Deliquencia”. To promote this album the band embarked on a world tour throughout the USA, Latin America and Europe. This album gave them their 5th Latin Grammy win for Best Rock Album and for the first time featured an appearance by one of the most important names in Hop Hop, Daryl “DMC” Daniels from the group Run-DMC.