“People just want to listen to old hits”

Since its appearance in 1998, The Beriso It slowly gained a loyal audience that accompanied its growth and celebrated as its own the popularity boom that came almost 15 years later, when they began to fill El Teatro Flores, the Quilmes microstadium and their first Luna Park.

The turning point came with their fifth album storieswhere were the songs Do not forget me and Treacherous. There he started a string of milestones, from his first Gold Record to massive shows in increasingly larger stadiums: Malvinas Argentinas, Only one of La Plata, Ferro, Vélez and River.

Today, La Beriso is one of the most popular bands in the country and is located in the “classics” category, given its extensive career and discography.

Rolo Sartorio, singer, songwriter and leader of the group, is proud to have achieved success in other countries, in addition to the challenge of playing in new markets. This year, for example, they will go to Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, the United States and Spain.

However, in conversation with Clarionadmits that he doesn’t want to record more albumsdiscovering time and time again that at shows people enjoy the old songs more than the new songs.

“I don’t want to release anything,” says Rolo, “because it’s useless. If I started the band again today, I would have released the first four albums and nothing more, because people only want to listen to that. But one, obviously, wants to release songs to renew oneself. Then maybe I will make songs for others or release a solo album without going out and playing it. I like the idea of ​​composing for others and I’m already doing it.

According to Rolo, “This year the idea is to play a little less here in Argentina.”

-Do you alternate places where you are known with others where you have to start from scratch?

-Yeah. It happened to us that we played in River and we went to Mexico the following week and we played for 80 people. And besides, everyone had to carry their own things, without any stage, nothing, and the horrible sound. And we had just played in a stadium for 55 thousand people!

-The satisfaction must be great when you conquer a new country later.

-Yes of course. Uruguay for example. Or Paraguay, where we went recently and now we are returning. There were 18 thousand people! That’s great, because you’re conquering another audience and at the same time not getting bored and playing so much here. In general, the most popular artists play little in the country. Andrés Calamaro comes once a year, for example.

-When was the time when you played the most, probably in smaller places?

-When we played for 2500-3000 people. We had tours of 20 days in a row, something we don’t want to do now. Now they are two-date tours and come back. We’re too old for the microphone! The next day you wake up and you have to take an iboprofen because everything hurts.

-Before they carried drugs and now they carry medicines. (laughs)

-It’s true. Now we carry a first aid kit! (laughs)

-How do you see this moment of the band?

-The main thing is that we are fine from the inside. We are happy and celebrating to continue playing, touring with the microphone and traveling. A great artist told me, when we started filling stadiums, “Look, now they’re going down.”

Sometimes one with Monday’s newspaper would say that it would be better not to have played in River, because it is better to go up little by little and take 15 or 20 years to reach River. We added six furlongs in two years! A bestiality. Now we are in the process of playing, doing what we like and having a good time.

In June of last year, La Beriso released their latest work, They liefrom which new hits emerged like Reflection, Sanity and believingIn addition to the topic Ratsfrom which the title of the album arises, in unusual lyrics for the group, due to the rock tone of denunciation.

“Liar people: they hate you, they mistreat you, they are soulless people who will never show their faces… And if you open your mouth the idiot censors you, repressed people play with your life, they are more police than the police themselves,” Rolo spits. while the band transmits a fury worthy of León Gieco or the first era of Bersuit.

“It is a topic,” says the singer, “for all liars. It is not made for politicians, but for all idiots who waste the time of their lives criticizing what we do.”

And he adds, with a hint of disappointment: “They are those strong songs that you think are a bomb and then the public turns out to prefer the quieter songs. You can tell that they like it, but just standing still.”

-Did it hit you badly when the networks and the haters started?

-At first, yes. I would advise other artists not to have social networks and that’s it, because later it influences you and you don’t know where to go with the songs.

-What was the concept of the album in general?

-The album is very good. I think we are the best band in making ballads. And this album has three ballads that are tremendous. I made many songs and the band chose from there. In fact there are songs that I really liked, but they were left out. Maybe one day I’ll record them.

-Have you already played it all live?

-Not whole. On the tour we have played Reflection, Believing, Sanity, Tired and Rats. Now there is the new cut, with a video that has a lot of impact and a lot of views. You can see it live, because the people started singing in full force.

-Would you play the entire album?

-People do not like. People want to sing. So, If we are going to play songs that people are not going to sing, it is a mess.. There will always be songs missing from a set list; it is unavoidable. It happens to us that we are making the list for Movistar and if someone says that something is missing, then I ask which one we take out and there it is like silence.

-The other option is to play for three hours and not miss anything.

-It happened to us at the beginning. We have done a show for more than three hours, and the people are all on their knees, exhausted.

-The idea of ​​this Movistar Arena show is to celebrate an anniversary with what date as the start?

-The first show was in ’98, when I joined the band, but there are some that joined in 2003. The idea of ​​Movistar is that a new stage begins in the band. What would be the stage? That of playing the greatest hits from the shows again.

Before we closed the concerts with new songs that people didn’t know as much, but now the songs from the first three albums are back on the list. From Movistar we are going to make the great songs for the live shows.

-How was that first show?

-The first of all was in a development society. A friend band was playing and they invited us, but we only had six songs. None of the musicians who are there now were there and we were called The Disciples of Berisso. Then we started playing in the neighborhood, the musicians changed and from ’99 Pablito came, who is no longer playing with us, Javi in ​​2000 and Emiliano in 2003.

-How do you see this current moment?

-I think that Argentine music in general is in the best moment, because before, when we filled River, not just anyone played in a stadium. In fact, we were the tenth band in all of rock to reach a stadium like this. And now all the new trap kids are playing.

That’s why I say that economically we are bad, but there are a lot of bands of different styles. Even the quartet became a very strong style. Who would have thought that the quartet would fill a stadium? There are styles that are at their best.

-Aren’t they tempted to get together with one of them?

-No. I don’t like it when someone wants to cross styles to see what happens.. Now, if I get on with someone, go ahead. We did it three times, with Bronco, which was great, exceeded expectations and had millions of views. Then with Cacho Castaña, who exploded everywhere, and then with Victor Herediawith 150 million views on YouTube.

Collaborations are new for rock, it was not common. We were the first rock band to open the game to singers that rock sometimes left aside. Before, the rock audience and the artists were more prejudiced and now the artist is more open.

-Who do you feel like doing something with?

-There are many, but the ideal is to know each other beforehand. It would be good with Vicentico. He’s a good guy. I had the opportunity by chance to go to Uruguay to play with the band and I had to travel with him. How much we laughed in an hour of travel! He is very cool Vicentico, even though he has a reputation for being unfriendly. But ultimately he’s just shy, like me.