The Gurus

The Gurus hail from Barcelona, Spain, but most listeners would never guess it — they play '60s-influenced pop music with a psychedelic undercurrent that would sound right at home in Swinging London. The Gurus were formed in 1996 by bassist Sergio Bartel and guitarist Emilio Ramirez, who had been friends since childhood. After working with other percussionists, Bartel and Ramirez teamed up with drummer Josep Pons and released their debut album, En la Oscuridad, in 1998. The album featured songs in Spanish, but on their subsequent recordings, the group wrote and recorded their original tunes in English. After recording the 2002 EP All the Children Sing By, the Gurus' music came to the attention of the respected American pop label Rainbow Quartz Records; they combined the eight songs from the EP with six new selections and released the collection in 2004 under the title The Gurus. Since then, the group has become a cult favorite on the international pop underground and garage rock scenes, earning frequent airplay on Little Steven Van Zandt's Underground Garage radio show and making appearances at the International Pop Overthrow Festival in the U.K., as well as releasing several more albums through Rainbow Quartz.