La banda

Brief history

Guieldu. Born in troubled times

Guieldu was created as a musical project at the end of 2019 in Asturias, at the initiative of the flutist and composer of the group Héctor Aneiros. It is a young band framed in the current of Celtic Music, which is inspired by the sound of the groups and artists of the genre in the 80’s and 90’s.

The name usually arouses some curiosity and comes from an expression typical of some areas of central-western Asturias. In them, “dir al guieldu” or “tar al guieldu” means to go to collect small fruits in the forest or the sea. That is why Guieldu is also an allegory of the band’s work: collecting traditional music from the Atlantic arc and adapting it to their own style.

Forming the band

Due to the pandemic and the 2020 lockdowns, the group’s activity was cut short shortly after it began. The rehearsals were affected by long breaks that made difficult not only the preparation of the repertoire, but also the stability of the formation.

After these initial ups and downs, throughout 2021 Guieldu manages to consolidate its members with seven components from Asturias and León. Musicians who come from varied scenes, from traditional and classical music to metal or world music and of course folk.

They were Susana Sors, voice and acoustic guitar; Jorge Álvarez, bouzouki, mandolin and electric guitar; Laura Mendez, synthesizers; Pablo Santamarta on bass; Héctor Aneiros with whistles, flutes and ocarinas; Celia Nieto, violin and Gabriel Catalán as drummer.

At the end of that same year, with the band still immersed in the creation of their repertoire, they recorded the first single on their own and with their own technical means, which positively surprised critics and specialized audiences.

In the summer of 2022 the repertoire was ready and the first live concerts arrived. The band’s tour included, among others, performances at the Sendim Interceltic Festival (Portugal), the Intercelticu d’Avilés, the Festival Intercéltico de Occidente or the Campo y Santibañez Celtic Night.

In the autumn of that year, Celia and Gabri are forced to leave the band due to their academic commitments. Then the violinist Olaya Pérez and Rubén Cadenas take over on drums, percussion and programming.

At the present time, Guieldu is preparing his second single, already in a professional studio, which will be released on digital platforms in March 2023.

Guieldu. mimbros de la banda: Susana Sors, voz y guitarra acústica; Jorge Álvarez, bouzouki, mandolina y guitarra eléctrica; Laura Méndez, sintetizadores; Pablo Santamarta al baxu; Héctor Aneiros con whistles, flautas y ocarinas; Olaya Pérez, violín y Rubén Cadenas, baterista.

Semeyes: (CC BY-ND) Mónica O.

"L'Aremu" His recording debut

En diciembre de 2021 la banda se decide a grabar dos temas por su cuenta, en el local de ensayo, aprovechando las vacaciones de Navidad. Con la ayuda altruista del técnico de sonido Adrián Fernández (The Wild Blue Yonder), que se ocupa de la mezcla y masterización, en febrero de 2022 se lanzó en todas las plataformas digitales L’Aremu, el primer single del grupo a modo de maqueta-presentación.

Tras las actuaciones de verano de 2022 comenzaron a trabajar en el segundo sencillo, que al igual que el primero, estará a disposición del público en todas las plataformas digitales. À la banda le gusta el formato single à la vieja usanza, con dos temas ( cara A y cara B). A estos dos sencillos que suman cuatro temas se añadirá a lo largo de 2023 un tercero y los tres completarán en un futuro cercano un LP que aspiran a publicar en formato físico.

Toda la actualidad de la banda puede seguirse aquí.