Alcoolémia is a band from Amora, created in 1992, with the formation of Jorge Miranda (vocals), Manelito (guitar) Pedro Guerreiro (bass), João Miranda (lead guitar) and Hugo Fernandes (drums), with a of composition that was based on rock, varying the sound texture sometimes with punk rock, hard rock, with pop, in the search for a sound of its own.
They recorded the first demo-tape with 3 original songs “Quero-te ver nua”, “Curtir a vida” and also “Alcoolémia” an instrumental.
The first highlight of Alcoolémia began with their participation in the semi-final of Seixal Rock 92, where they became one of the revelation bands in the county.
The year 1993 was decisive for the band, with the departure of João Miranda as guitarist, starting to perform the duties of sound technician and with the entry of solo guitarist of Carlos Botelho.
In April they recorded the second demo-tape with the songs “Não sei se mereço”, “Vizinha linguaruda”, “509”, “0.5” (both instrumental), and also “Quero-te ver nua” and “Curtir a life” with new arrangements.
In June they were invited to the main stage of the Festa Populares do Seixal.
Also that year, they won the 1st Prize in the Modern Music Contest in Setubal, and the 1st Modern Music Contest in Castelo de Paiva.
One of the most prestigious radio stations on the south bank of the Tagus, Super FM, showed interest in the band, where interviews took place, reaching a notable highlight in air-play.
The theme “I don’t know if I deserve it” catapulted the band to notoriety, resulting in a greater demand for the band for shows.
Also the prestigious Lisbon radio – “Energia – N.R.J.” highlighted Alcoolémia through its program “Santos da Casa”.
In 1994 they won the Seixal Rock 94, and were invited to support the tour in Portugal of the Argentine Heavy Metal band, the renowned “Rata Blanca”.
During 1994, Alcoolémia performed around 100 shows.
In September 1994 “by the hand” of producer João Martins known for his work with Braindead and Da Weasel, they started recording 11 songs at Heaven Sound studio in Almada, which resulted in the 1st album called “Não sei se mereço” , with the participation of ex-Rock & Varios Mario Gramaço on saxophone.
In January 1995, he left the band Pedro Guerreiro, replacing Carlos Cardoso.
The band took a very important step in their career by signing with the agency Mario Dimas Management in Almada “by the hand” of Mario Dimas himself, already known for his work with bands as different as the UHF and Xutos e Pontapés.
Still this year, Movieplay signed a contract with Alcoolémia.
In May 1995, Super Jovem magazine released the single “Para Quê Sonhar” in one of its numbers, which became one of the group’s greatest hits, culminating in Alcoolémia being elected the 3rd best national band in a poll by its readers.
In June of that year, the band recorded the music video for the song “Não Sei Se Mereço”.
The album “Não sei se mereço” was released in June, and achieved a huge success, entering directly to the 14th place on the Made in Portugal chart, reaching 7th place a few weeks later.
The album release party “Não sei se mereço” was held at Gartejo in Lisbon on the 4th of July.
The French channel MCM, did a report on the band in Lisbon and was later shown in France, simultaneously with the videoclip of the song “I don’t know if I deserve”, which would become the biggest hits of the group.
In 1996, as a result of the excellent reception that the record reached among the public, namely, for sales of more than 10,000 units, in March of that same year they were awarded the Silver record award, delivered by the hands of Herman Jose in his program Congratulations on RTP1 .
The group’s music is supported by a strong presence on stage, and they manage to intersperse some ballads in their shows, with a more rock sound and the simplicity of pop with the energy of punk. Arguments that made Alcoolémia one of the bands that performed the most concerts between 1995 and 1996 (amounting to more than 100 shows).
In 1996 the theme “I don’t know if I deserve it” is included in the collection “The age of sin” edited by BMG.
In February 1997, Alcoolémia recorded at the “Tcha Tcha Tcha” studio in Miraflores, the 2nd album entitled “Não Há Tretas” with production by João Martins known for his work with Rio Grande, Rui Veloso, Sérgio Godinho, Clã among others, and Rui Dias (ex-guitarist of Quinta do Bill and UHF) as assistant coach.
This album also features the participation of Alexandre Dinis on keyboards, as well as Fernanda Lopes and Laura Pereira on choirs.
After recording the album, the band now had another element, Filipe Rodrigues on keyboards.
In June 1997, a small presentation was held exclusively for the press, at the Casa do Vinho do Porto in Bairro Alto, with the presence of António Chainho on Portuguese Guitar who accompanied Alcoolémia in the fado “Nem as Paredes Confesso”.
As an act of promotion on the occasion of the commemoration of the Day of Portugal and the Communities (10 June), 5,000 singles of the theme “Portugal o Nosso País” were offered.
The album presentation party to the public took place on July 9 at Rock City in Lisbon.
In July, the album “Não Há Tretas” was launched on the market, with 10 original songs and a rock version of the popular fado “Nem à Paredes Confesso”, including the songs “Portugal o Nosso País”, “Quero Protestar” and still the “Die Slowly”.
A year on the road followed, where the band showed remarkable maturity.
The album “Não Há Tretas” in terms of sales is close to reaching the silver disc award.
That same year, the highlight for the band from the south bank was the fact that they were awarded the “Silver Medal” of Cultural Merit by the Seixal City Council …”for the way they had contributed to the development of Arts and Culture in the its various expressions in the municipality of Seixal”.
In 1997 the theme “Não Sei Se Mereço” is included in the collection “Heróis do Rock” by edtora Vidisco.
Still in 1997 the theme “Não Sei Se Mereço” is included in the collection “Exactamation” by the publishing house BMG.
In 1997 the theme “Portugal o Nosso País” is included in the collection “Portugal Pop” by the publishing house BMG.
Highlighting the participation in the 5th Anniversary of SIC in October.
In addition to the numerous concerts held throughout the country, Alcoolémia began the pre-production process of their 3rd album with sound engineer Jonathan Miller on the south bank, in Aroeira.
In 1998 the theme “Não Sei Se Mereço” is included in the collection “Pop Rock” by the publishing house BMG.
Also in 1998 the theme “Portugal o Nosso País” is included in the collection “Heróis do Rock – Sou Metade Sem Ti” by Vidisco.
Alcoolémia started to be managed by Alien Produções based in Fafe.
The 3rd album (acoustic) “Até Onde” was recorded at Namouche and 1 Só Céu studios and features several versions of songs from the previous records and two new songs: “Até onde Posso Ir” and “Quem És Tu”.
