Global Roots Festival 2009 presents Os Mutantes
"For all the verbal conundrums and chameleonic arrangements, the revived Os Mutantes rarely sound calculated or contrived. Their response to bleak realities is manic inventiveness and willed optimism. When they break into the chorus (in English) of "Neurociência do Amor" - "Let us sing to the rainbow of love all together/Yes, singing the music of life we are all one" - they sound like they mean it and that somehow the 1960s didn't end." - NEW YORK TIMES
Though rarely heard outside their Brazilian homeland (especially during their brief heyday), Os Mutantes were one of the most dynamic, talented, radical bands of the psychedelic era — quite an accomplishment during a period when most every rock band spent quality time exploring the outer limits of pop music. A trio of brash musical experimentalists, the group fiddled with distortion, feedback, musique concrète, and studio tricks of all kinds to create a lighthearted, playful version of extreme Brazilian pop. Now, 35 years after their last studio album, the group has reformed to record a new album Haih or Amortecedor, (Sept 8, Anti). Seeing the legendary “Tropicália” band live is something Kurt Cobain could have only wished for when he pleaded (unsuccessfully) for them to reunite and tour with Nirvana. Revered by musical luminaries including Beck, Devendra Banhart, David Byrne, Of Montréal, The Flaming Lips and Cobain, the reunited Mutantes offer something far more intriguing than mere psychedelic nostalgia. While the ingenious genre blending Tropicália spirit remains intact on Haih or Amortecedor, it’s clear the Mutantes are not looking to the past, but ahead into further uncharted musical terrain.
Band leader Sergio Dias says he is eager to translate the epic Mutante sound on stage. “I love playing this music live,” Dias says. “It is the best thing possible. When we were playing at the Pitchfork festival it was like looking at yourself when you were a kid trying to mumble the words to I Wanna Hold Your Hand in English and not understanding the words. There weren’t many Brazilians there but the kids were singing our songs in Portuguese. Playing with this band live is amazing. I can not describe anything better other than maybe going into space. It keeps me young.”
“The band began Friday’s set with a song from 1969 that imagined Don Quixote getting a chance to sing on television, with music that switched styles every 20 seconds or so, from light-opera vocal harmonies to fuzz-toned garage stomp to slow, mock-bluesy rock to a brief bit of improvised chaos. And that hardly exhausted Os Mutantes’ inventiveness; they had lilting pop melodies, Latin rock, mock-Baroque counterpoint and even something like an anthem: “Balada do Louco” (“Ballad of a Crazy Man”), written by Arnaldo and sung by Sérgio. “They say I’m crazy to think this way, but I’m happy,” he sang in Portuguese. ‘It’s better than being normal.’” New York Times
“The band are more than just a bunch of session musicians: the backing singers pull faces at each other, Zélia prances around like a mad hippie with a tambourine, and at one point, someone plays a bass guitar like a cello. You could almost forget you were in the Barbican. The temperature shoots up and people pull their jumpers off and dance. If you didn't know any better, you'd see a band at their peak, playing for their lives… Long after the lights have come up, the crowd are still chanting "Mutantes! Mutantes! Mutantes!" As a Brazilian, seeing an obscure South American psych-rock band receive such rapturous applause from a young London audience almost brings a tear to my eye… In a way, Kurt Cobain was lucky that Os Mutantes turned down that support slot - Nirvana getting out-rocked by a bunch of mad, middle-aged Brazilian hippies would have been a sight to behold.” The Independent UK
The Cedar advises that Minyeshu, originally scheduled to perform on this evening, has cancelled her USA tour.
Tickets are on sale now from the Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), Cedar outlets, and online at Ticketweb.
STANDING ROOM ONLY
Festival passes (admission to all six Global Roots Festival shows, plus opening night beer and sushi reception) are available for only $79 from The Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), and Ticketweb.
When the members of the legendary “Tropicália” band Os Mutantes took the stage before an audience of thousands at the Hollywood bowl a few years back, it seemed one of the greatest secrets in modern music was finally out. The seminal band whose ethereal...
