On October 1st, Brazilian band Boogarins released their debut album “As Plantas Que Curam” (“The Plants That Heal”). Fernando Almeida and Benke Ferraz, two twenty year olds from Goiânia, Brazil, emerged only recently in the international music scene. Yet even before the release of their first album, they had already caused several well-reputed music bloggers to do a double-take in regards to their music, being recognized for their stellar ability to produce authentic neo-psychedelic foreign sounds.
My curiosity and respect for this band started when close friend enthusiastically showed me their music video to “Lucifernandis,” a few weeks before “As Plantas Que Curam” came out. Only fifteen seconds into the song, I was completely absorbed in Boogarins’ world of psychedelic vocals and entrancing riffs. Being part Brazilian, I had been exposed to Brazil’s brilliant Bossa Nova scene and had kept in touch with its transitory popular music; but never have I ever heard what Brazil’s underground neo-psychedelic scene had to offer. The talent and passion for the genre held by these two young men is unquestionable, and is reflected all throughout their album.
After a few days spent listening to their EP on repeat, I decided to get in touch with the band for an interview. Guitarist Benke Ferraz gladly agreed, and after a pleasant exchange of emails, he answered all of my questions. His responses are expressed with the same authentic and free-spirited manner heard in his vibrant guitar playing.
Boogarins’ songs are both melodically well-executed and expressively raw, capable of grabbing your attention, and then losing you in all the right places. Their sound is one to get lost to, one to dream to, one to take you to those stranger places… where perhaps you’ll find their “menina perdida no ceu azul.”
How long have you guys been a band? Give us a bit of history… Where did you guys meet and how did the idea of playing music together come about?
Fernando and I met each other in 2008, in high school. We started to play at that time, but never as band. Fernando already had a band, so we didn’t have much time to play outside of school time. At that time we already wrote songs together, but only by the end of 2011 did we start trying to record some… “Paul” was the first recording of a song by us.
What’s the story behind the name of your band? And of the album?
After we began to rehearse with our live band this January, we were all looking for names for the band. I found this flower’s name, “Bogarin” in a botanic book that said that this flower smells like ‘pure love.’ I thought that this was just great and it fit perfectly with the whole band’s vibe.
What inspires your music (melodically and lyrically)? Your music seems reminiscent of the psychedelic rock and roll of the 60s and 70s. What were the influences behind your sound?
Of course we have heard a lot of the sixties… The Nuggets compilations.. Brazillian Tropicália… Beatles… Syd Barrett… But there is a lot of this called ‘neo-psychedelic’ scene that has a huge influence on us. I mean, we don’t want to sound like a 60’s tribute group. We’re 20 right now… Maybe every inner conflict those guys had at that time, we’re having now. Young or adult, heart or brain, driven by passion or logic, you can either study to have a quiet future or try to make your future right now. I would say that life inspires us.
What Boogarins song are you proudest of putting out to the public?
It is pretty difficult to choose. But I really love “Despreocupar”.
What is the music scene like in Goiania? What kind of music did you grow up listening to?
We have a really strong rock scene here in Goiânia, but it’s moved totally by the passion of making music. Very few people make real money out of it. Pub owners do, and some producers… but no bands, unfortunately. It’s normal for you to see great local bands playing for the price of only a couple of beers. It’s horrible. But Goiânia is probably the best place in Brazil if you want to hear authentic rock bands.
How do you guys see Brazilian rock music evolving in the international sphere?
With the internet right now, it’s pretty easier for everyone to meet foreign sounds. Sepultura is the first name that pops up in my mind when I try to think of “Brazilian bands internationally succeeding.” Right now people are really more open to listening to songs in ‘weird’ languages, sometimes the logic is ‘stranger is cooler’ ha ha. Right now, I’m in love with this Swedish band called Dungen.
What do you think sets your music apart from other bands in Brazil?
I think our whole process was really unpretentious. We wrote songs just for the pleasure of doing it, recorded them in my room just to register that moment, but after a whole year of showing these songs to friends and others, we felt the need to be a band. The way things happened for us gives a truth and singularity to the songs and to how they come out through every ear.
You guys are signed by a North American label. How did that opportunity come to you guys, and does it reflect the path you guys are looking at taking for the future?
We did post 6 songs, as an EP, at the beginning of the year and an American website called “Ongakubaka” made a review of it. The songs came to Gordon Zacharias, actually our manager now, and he is an old friend from the ‘Other Music’ folks. This was really unexpected and we feel very happy to notice all these people listening to our songs and actually liking them.
Are you surprised that your fan-base has reached as far north as Montreal?
Totally! Hope we can get up there to Pop Montreal, or any other gig soon!
Have you guys started touring in promotion of your new album? Any plans on coming up to North America (or Montreal) soon?
We’ll start our first ‘mini-tour’ around Brazil this October. We can’t just stay out for two whole weeks, because we all have ‘day jobs.’ I work at a private elementary school office, doing every kind of stuff… Fernando works at the theater of the local Federal University. Hans works in the cemetery (uhhh) and Raphael only studies psychology at University, but it is a full time course. We hope to be able to focus only on the band someday, and tour forever, ha ha. Next year we’ll go up there!
What’s the best show you’ve performed so far? What’s your favourite part of performing live?
The last concert down here in Goiânia, we were making a party for the video of “Lucifernandis”. It was full of people, singing our songs, doing crazy stuff… That’s definitely my favorite part of it, dealing with the people’s joy. There is this video of “Despreocupar” at that concert…
If you could play on stage with any famous musician (dead or alive) who would you play with? How about any famous Brazilian musician, and why?
I would play with Syd Barrett for while, check out his non recorded songs. And I totally want to jam with the ‘mineiros’ of “Clube da Esquina”: Milton Nascimento, Lô Borges, Beto Guedes, Toninho Horta, Robertinho Silva… I would probably prefer just to watch.
You guys are both quite the catch, do you have groupies?
Not that we know, hahaha. We all have have girlfriends… Only our lead-black-power-singer Fernando is single right now. Girls, just look for Fernando Almeida on your facebook page and try your luck.
Doce - Boogarins
Infinu - Boogarins
WRITTEN BY NAIMA VOGT
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BOOGARINS
