MONJOLO, MONJOLO
By Clemente Nascimento (*)
“Alguem mandou chamar, eu vim....†(“Somebody has called, and I’ve come...â€)
The sentence which opens Monjolo..s debut CD could not be more appropriate. Because it is in the first record that you have to show people why you are here. The question is not to just show up, it is to show up and have something to say, something to add. I have come, I have seen and I have won, a Roman general would say.
Monjolo was created in August 2002 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. But its biological mother is old Pernambuco (northeastern Brazil), from where all the band members came in a musical migration. All of them have learned important lessons on the road, and all have been on it for a long time. They might not be veterans, but almost.
AD Luna (drum) and Alfaia (bass and voice) were members of the rock band Querosene Jacaré, where they recorded two CDs and completed tours in Portugal and the United States. Marcio Monjolo (percussion) was a member of Songo where he recorded a CD and completed a tour in France. Sasquat (voice and guitar) is the son of Bugao (a legendary sound operator in Olinda-Recife, Pernambuco) and Buguinha Dub’s brother (Nacao Zumbi..s sound technician.) Sasquat has also worked as a roadie with about half of Pernambuco’s bands! Thus, collectively they have a lot of experience in the music business.
Not lured by the empty promises of the record industry, they searched for new routes and found the cozy Brazilian capital of musical craving, Sao Paulo, always with open arms. A cosmopolitan city, it is the perfect shelter for those who want to talk to the world, not only because the entire world is here, but because in every corner of the city there is a new universe to be discovered.
Created on the small stages of the alternative scene in Sao Paulo, the first record sounds mature and well arranged. The songs were molded over the past four years and gained strength during the band’s live shows. With grooves to destroy any dance floor, "Monjolo" grabs your attention immediately. From the opening track, the hit "Raio Negro", through "Samba do Sequestro", and "A Rede", until the last track, "O.B.R.E.G.A", a nervous and danceable instrumental.
Produced by Brazilian master of low tech art, Buguinha Dub, released by +Brasil and distributed by Tratore, "Monjolo" not only says why they have come, but says they have come to stay. It is difficult to describe feelings, they need to be listened to and felt. So forget everything you have already heard from Pernambuco before listening to Monjolo. Because they are truly different, they have their own identity and groove. Hurray Fela Kuti, Cartola and The Sex Pistols!
Somebody has called.... They have come.
(*) Clemente Nascimento is the vocalist and guitarist of the bands Inocentes and Plebe Rude, and a presenter at Showlivre.com
Contact
[email protected]
To buy CD:
Samba Store
Amazon.com
