Cafe Tacuba (stylized Cafe Tacvba) is a band from Ciudad Satelite, Mexico. The group gained popularity in the early 1990s. They were founded in 1989, before they had the current lineup of Ruben Isaac Albarran Ortega (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Emmanuel del Real Diaz (keyboards, piano, programming, rhythm guitar, melodica, vocals), Jose Alfredo
Formation (1989-90)
Previously known as "Alicia ya no vive aqui" (a tribute to Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), the band took its final name from a coffee shop (el Cafe de Tacuba) located in downtown Mexico City. The cafe, which opened in 1912 and had its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, was representative of the Pachuco scene at the time, something the band would later acknowledge as an influence. The Cafe de Tacuba is still in operation as a coffee shop and restaurant on Tacuba Street, in Mexico City's Historic Center. The band changed its name to Cafe Tacvba (changing the u for a v) in order to avoid legal issues with the coffee shop.  Singer Ruben Albarran and guitarist Jose Alfredo Rangel met while studying graphic design at Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City. Rangel's brother, Enrique, completed the band's lineup in 1989. The group began playing music in the garage of a house in their neighborhood, Satelite, an upper-middle-class suburban area in the Naucalpan municipality, in the northern region of the Mexico City metropolitan area. Cafe Tacvba was principally influenced by alternative rock bands of the 1980s such as The Cure, The Clash, The Smiths, and Violent Femmes. Despite their English-language influences, the band members wanted to represent their native culture, so they incorporated Mexican influences into their music. The group began singing primarily in Spanish and changed their name to Cafe Tacvba.  Cafe Tacvba went from being a garage band to a concert act in 1989, when they joined the scene surrounding El Hijo del Cuervo, a cultural club in Coyoacan featuring writers and musicians. As they performed in various venues around Mexico City, they were discovered by Argentinian music producer Gustavo Santaolalla, who at the time was producing albums for leading bands of the burgeoning Rock en Espanol movement of the time. Santaolalla arranged a contract for the band with Warner Music Latina (WEA), with plans to produce its debut album himself. Cafe Tacvba in turn proceeded to record their first song for commercial release, "Tamales de Iguanita," which WEA released as part of a Christmas-themed rock en espanol compilation, Diciembre 25, in 1990.

Q: How was the band formed?
A: Singer Ruben Albarran and guitarist Jose Alfredo Rangel met while studying graphic design at Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico
What year was the band created?
Rangel's brother, Enrique, completed the band's lineup in 1989.
Rangel's brother, Enrique, completed the band's lineup in 1989.