Felpeyu
Felpeyu is a Spanish folk band who play music of the traditional Asturian style.
It was formed in 1991 in Salamanca, Spain, by founding members Igor Medio, Ruma Barbero, and the Galician brothers Castor and Félix Castro who were studing Fine Arts at the time. Having won a number of local awards, the band went on to record a number of studio albums and perform in Europe and Australia.
History
The group's first recording was the demo Fuxide Oricios in 1993. The same year, Felpeyu won third prize in the Vilagarcía d'Arousa Folk Bands Competition, and consequently contributed two tracks to the compliation V Festival de Música Folk Galega (CD, 1993 Edicions Discográficas Galegas).[1]
In 1994 the group released its first album, titled Felpeyu and published by FonoAstur. At this early stage the band's repertoire included both Galician and Asturian music, whereas the focus later shifted solely to the Asturian. The second album, Tierra, was released in 1997 and became Asturian Recording of the Year.
During the following years, the band toured throughout Spain and other European countries. In 2000, Felpeyu toured Australia, with 30 performances at major Australian festivals. During the international tour Felpeyu recorded Live Overseas. A second Australian tour took place in 2001.[2]
In 2003 Felpeyu created its own label, Tierra Discos. The first release on the label was the album Yá!, distributed in Spain and Australasia. That same year, Felpeyu played at the annual WOMADadelaide festival of world music and dance in Adelaide, South Australia.
On 24 June 2006, as the group was travelling from Asturias to a concert in Catalonia, a motor vehicle accident claimed the lives of band members Igor Medio and Carlos Redondo. Other members of the group, including Ruma Barbero, Xuan Nel Exposito, Lisardo Prieto, Fernándo Oyagüez, Diego Pangua and Slaven Kolak all suffered injuries of varying severity.
After a long period of inactivity, the group returned to the stage in the summer of 2007 with the addition of Dudu Bridge on bass and lead vocals.
In April 2008 Felpeyu released Stonemasons, also on the Tierra Discos label. The year saw a number of changes to the group's lineup: Senen Luis Fernández replaced Dudu Bridge on bass and lead vocals, Borja Baragaño (Asturian bagpipes, flutes) replaced Diego Pangua and Elias Garcia (bouzouki) replaced Fernando Oyagüez.