La Secta AllStar

La Secta AllStar
La Secta Allstar (Mark Kilpatrick, John Lengel, Mike Genao & Gustavo Laureano)
Background information
Origin	Puerto Rico
Genres	Rock en Español Punk-rock Indie-rock
Years active	1997–present
Website	LaSectaAllStar.com
Members	Mark Kilpatrick John Lengel Mike Genao Gustavo Laureano
Past members	Carlos Figueroa (guitar), Giovanni Perdomo (guitar)

La Secta AllStar (or simply La Secta) is the most prominent rock en Español band from Puerto Rico. The band members are Mark Kilpatrick (bass guitar), Gustavo Laureano (singer), John Lengel (drums), and Mike Genao (guitar).

Mark Kilpatrick and Gustavo Laureano met in Orlando, Florida where they studied sound engineering. After graduating they moved to Miami Beach and started working. They also began rehearsing in a local warehouse along with drummer John Lengel and guitarist Carlos Figueroa. They soon began writing and composing their songs and started playing at local clubs in Miami and Puerto Rico. It is during this time that artists like Ricky Martin and Ednita Nazario discovered them. In 1995, Martin recorded the song "Bombón de Azúcar" and in 1996, Nazario recorded "Ultima Vez", also written by Laureano.

José Fernández Camilo became their manager and introduced them to producer Jorge Alvarez. Alvarez then introduced them to Andrés Levin, and La Secta Allstar signed a record deal with Fonovisa soon after. Their debut album, Aniquila, was released in 1997 producing four Top 40 hit singles: "Se Acabó", "Recompensa", "Nunca Jamás" and "Bombón de Azúcar". This album was re-released in 1999 under the title Bombón de Azúcar. The main difference is that the new album did not include the songs "Si Tú No Estás" and "Mar y Marea". These were in turn substituted by the Spanglish version of "Bombón de Azúcar" and a new track titled "Luna de Día". Bombón de Azúcar was again re-released in 2007 with the addition of "Mar y Marea" while "Si Tú No Estás" has not been rereleased.

On January 2001, the band presented a sold-out concert at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan. After this and the success of this first album, the band released the follow-up titled La Secta Allstar in April 2001. This album was recorded and produced by the band itself. Four days after the release, the album had already sold 25,000 copies. The single "Dame Lo Que Quieras" peaked at local radio stations and won an ASCAP Award.