Backseat Sandbar

Boomslang ended up being kind of a long weekend.  There was so much going on and so much great music that kept me out until ridiculous hours of the night, that I was downright exhausted on Sunday.  I decided to take it easy for most of the day until the last band at Buster’s which I was expecting (correctly) to be the highlight of the whole festival.  That band is the irrepressible Brazilian band Os Mutantes.

Originally formed in the mid-60s by the Baptista brothers (Arnaldo and Sergio Dias), Os Mutantes was one of the most progressive and exciting bands of the decade making psychedelic pop music that was influenced by a number of factors including the famed Tropicalia movement.  It is interesting to note that during the time that they released their first few records in Brazil (’68-’74) the Brazilian government was under a tyrannical dictatorship bent on suppressing art and censoring radical thought.  Although the band had to suffer through imprisonment and exile, it still thrived thrived and released beautiful records that were so groundbreaking that Kurt Cobain famously failed at trying to get them to reunite to tour with his little musical project.  Many incredible modern artists cite Os Mutantes as vital to their existence including David Byrne, Of Montreal, and Beck.

Thankfully the good folks at Boomslang decided to bring Os Mutantes in because they were one of those bands that I never thought I would get to see in my wildest dreams.  Unfortunately, due to their storied and dramatic history, only one original member remains in the band (guitar/vocalist Sergio Dias Baptista).  This gave me a little concern over seeing them, but all worries were forgotten as soon as the band broke into their first song “Tecnicolor” where the harmonies soar like “Secondhand News”.  Do not be mistaken, these newer members are not boring studio musicians but talented artists in their own right who emit the joy and tenacity of Os Mutantes so well that it would seem they’ve been along for the entire bumpy ride.  In particular, vocalist Bia Mendes and guitar/vocalist Vitor Trida are significantly inseparable from the bands visual and musical effectiveness. In fact, Mendes’ stage presence is so engaging and energetic that she is certainly a crowd favorite and you can barely take your eyes off of her.

Their performance pulled perfectly from their unbelievable back catalog and their fresh new songs on their current record Haih Or Amortecedor. I had decided ahead of time not to stay for the whole set due to the fact that I had to drive to Louisville immediately after, but once they started playing, there was no way I was leaving early.  I even usually hate it when bands play encores, but I didn’t ever want their set to end.  At times, they were visibly having so much fun that it seemed almost campy in a Univision-soap-opera type of way, but it was such a moving and inspirational set that it was nearly impossible not to get sucked into the joy and fun of it.  Up on the stage, donning a cape and a pair of black spandex pants, Sergio Dias seemed like a South American Paul McCartney leading his all-star band slinging songs that evoked music of the past like The Beatles/Wings, Fleetwood Mac, Love, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and more (and often within the same song) and at the same time still sounded fresher than almost any young hip band around.  It’s completely understandable why this band has influenced so many bands, especially the ADD-pop of Elephant 6 bands Olivia Tremor Control and Of Montreal.  In fact, E6 all-star Robert Schneider was in attendance and seemed to be enjoying himself.  I count myself blessed to have been able to witness this historic band perform live.  They have a few more dates left on their US tour and I’d recommend blowing off this dreary/rainy week and seeing them on one of their last few dates in the south.

Setlist:

1. “Tecnicolor”
2. “El Justiciero”
3. “A Minha Menina”
4. “Baby”
5. “Querida Querida”
6. “Teclar”
7. “2000 E Agarrum”
8. “Baghdad Blues”
9. “Jardim Eletrico”
10. “Neurociencia Do Amor”
11. “Anagrama”
12. “Top Top”
13. “Balada do Louco”
14. ?
15. “Bat Macumba”
16. “Panis et Circenses”

Tour Dates:

• 10.15
  CLUB AT FIRESTONE
  ORLANDO, FL – US
• 10.16
  VARIETY PLAYHOUSE
  ATLANTA, GA – US
• 10.17
  TIPITINA’S
  NEW ORLEANS, LA – US
• 10.18
  LA ZONA ROSA
  AUSTIN, TX – US

Tags: Backseat Sandbar, Beck, Boomslang Fest, Brazil, Brazilian music, Buster's, David Byrne, Fleetwood Mac, Haih Or Amortecedor, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Led Zepplin, love, Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Os Mutantes, Os Mutantes photos, Paul McCartney, Robert Schneider, Sergio Dias Baptista, Set List, The Beatles, Tour Dates, Tropicalia, Wings

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 4:16 am and is filed under Lexington, Louisville, Music, Photos, Review, festival. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.