The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, accompanied by the councilor of Chamberí, Jaime González Taboada, and Mario Vaquerizo, inaugurated today the new Rehearsal Room for Young Groups named after the Madrid artist and located at the Galileo Cultural Center. This name, approved during the last District Council meeting this April, is a recognition of this artist for his long and multifaceted professional career.
The rehearsal room is equipped with drums, guitar and bass amplifiers, speakers, keyboard, microphones, instrument stands, soundboard, and headphones.
Almeida thanked Mario Vaquerizo, «a reference of the transgressive and free-spirited Madrid that we are so proud of,» for accepting this recognition as he represents «everything we aim for in this rehearsal room: that all young people who want to fulfill their dreams, create, or develop an artistic career have a place to start at the Galileo Cultural Center.» The mayor emphasized that «Madrid is a land of dreams, goals, and opportunities» and highlighted the need to support spontaneous talent with the necessary means «so that the people of Madrid can enjoy culture and art in its fullest form.»
On his part, González Taboada explained that «today culture is represented in the figure of Mario Vaquerizo, an artist with a long musical tradition in our city and a true Madrilenian at heart,» also highlighting the importance of the Galileo Cultural Center, «the foundation from which all the culture of our district is built.»
Likewise, Mario Vaquerizo expressed his gratitude to the City Council «of a city that means a lot to me» and especially to the Chamberí Municipal Board, because the rehearsal room «is a meeting place for friends where work is done, creativity flourishes, and fun is had to create the best song possible» and «in this new room, young people can unleash their musical creativity.»
The event was enlivened by Kike Ruiz and his band, who performed a version of the emblematic chotis Madrid.
Mario Vaquerizo, a multifaceted artist and social phenomenon
Born in Madrid in 1974, Mario Vaquerizo has built a multifaceted career as a journalist, singer, artistic representative, writer, and television collaborator. He began his career collaborating with media outlets such as El País de las Tentaciones, Rolling Stone, Primera Línea, Canal+, or La Razón.
In 1999, he started working at the Subterfuge record label. Among the groups whose albums he helped launch was Fangoria, marking the beginning of his relationship with Olvido Gara, popularly known as Alaska.
Since 2004, he has been the lead singer of the band Nancys Rubias. With five albums released, they defend a musical proposal that embraces the kitsch, the irreverent, and the performative, contributing to cultural diversity. In 2011, he gained fame in Spain for his participation in the reality show Alaska y Mario on MTV Spain, showcasing the daily life of the couple.
Author of several books, one of his notable works is Fabiografía, published in 2014, where he narrates the biography in the first person of Fabio McNamara, an emblematic figure of the Movida madrileña.
