Power trio
The power trio is called the musical formation originally made up of an electric guitar, an electric bass and drums. In general, one or more members act as vocalists while playing an instrument, although in many cases the purpose of the power trio is to emphasize virtuosity when playing instrumentals, leaving in the background both the vocalist as well as his lyrics.
Historically, power trios were characterized by the virtuosity of their musicians. They emerged in the 1960s with bands like the British Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Americans Blue Cheer and ZZ Top, or the Argentine blues rock trio Manal. In the 70s, with the birth of progressive rock, the power trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer, whose sound was geared toward keyboard and synthesizer; In that decade the Canadian power trio Rush and the British The Police and Motörhead were also born.
This formation has also had an impact in the world of jazz, with very successful trios among critics and audiences such as those led by John Scofield, especially with Bill Stewart and Steve Swallow, or those led by Pat Metheny, who, for example, recorded his first album shielded by Jaco Pastorius and Bob Moses.
In Latin America several power trios achieved success, such as Soda Stereo, Manal, Los Prisioneros, Almafuerte, Aeroblus, Divididos, Carajo, La Renga and Spinetta and the Desert Partners. In the 1980s, when the dominant genres were glam metal and mainstream "radio friendly" (radio friendly), the popularity of the power trio format declined. In the 1990s, with the arrival of new groups of the genre, such as Primus and Nirvana, this format once again gained popularity. In that same decade other groups followed, also with strong pop influences, such as Green Day and Blink-182.
In the new millennium, the traditional power trio is still alive and popular with groups like The Winery Dogs, Muse or the less conventional Keane and Placebo.
In Mexico, the most important power trio were Enigma, Three Souls In My Mind (where El Tri came from), and later Tex Tex and Isis, who continue currently playing. In addition to the emergence in 2013 of the Villarreal sisters with The Warning (band). In Argentina, it is worth mentioning the innovative FROM Power trio (today FROM Power Project) and others such as Carajo, Parte Planeta, Mar de Java and Eruca Sativa. In Chile, in the 1980s, Los Prisioneros, and later bands such as Ángel Parra Trío.