Os Mutantes
Friday, April 21, 2006
So, who else is planning on going to Ye Olde Pitchforke Feste? I am, which I suppose could be inferred through my use of the word “else”. I’m most intrigued to see the latest addition to the lineup, Os Mutantes, which rides about even with Intonation’s attempt at retro cred (Blue Cheer and the wonderful Roky Erickson). Quick primer on the Mutantes—Brazilian band lumped in with the uber-hip Tropcalia movement of the mid/late Sixties which melded american psych and folk rock with traditional Brazilian music, which was massively popular in South America, but didn’t get any recognition up here until David Byrne’s Luaka Bop reissued their best a few years back, and, of course, much more now that Soul Jazz has reissued the definitive genre comp (buy). But I’ll get to that in a moment. First, here’s visual of “Panis et Circenses” from 1969, courtesy of our friends at Youtube:
So a few Brazilians bought The Velvet Underground and Nico, too.
As for the Luaka Bop compilation, it’s titled Everything is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes, and it’s where you’re going to be best served to discover the wonder that is Os Mutantes. Which you need to do in order to impress those itinerant Pitchfork staffers who will no doubt be wandering about. It contains the non-visualized version of “Panis et Circenses” (mp3), and so does this here blog post, as you can see from the bold-face type and the mp3 link. Furthermore, here’s “Cantor de Mambo” (mp3) from 1972, which will sound fantastic in the sweltering Chicago summer sun.
Purchase Everything is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes here.
I am not sure but I do not think Rita Lee is going to be at the festival with OS and me (so yes I am going), since she is intelligent enough to know when to call it quits. Or maybe she gained like 400 lbs. can couldn’t attend for logistical reasons. Whatever the reason, I really am against old people playing music unless they are De La Soul. It will be fun to watch all the people gleefully cheer for OS Mutantes but not really know anything about them. I guess that is how it is.
I hope their set isn’t too long. I think old performs need to keep their sets short to not overshoot ther wave of nostalgia, for it is a short wave. I was thinking about this when I saw Dave Chappelle’s Block Party and Big Daddy Kane came on the stage. Everyone cheered like mad, but you just know that they would have been bored out of their minds if me played a whole set.
People like to like nostalgia and that is about it.
We’re SO gonna be there. Plane tickets are already reserved. I’m psyched. Woo. Woo! WOO!
i’ll be there for sure
looks like Ted Leo/Pharmacists and Spoon are the cream of the crop for this festival.
oh, i’ll be there, at both pitchfork and intonation, as it’s about 5 blocks from where i work. i mean, i can actually see union park from my window.
their set list is gonna be this one:+
DOM QUIXOTE
CAMINHANTE NOTURNO
AVE GENGIS KHAN
TECHNICOLOR
VIRGINIA
CANTOR DE MAMBO
EL JUSTICIERO
BABY
TOP TOP
DESCULPE BABE
DIA 36
FUGA Nº II
LE PREMIER BONHEUR DU JOUR
2001
AVE LUCIFER
BALADA DO LOUCO
ANDO MEIO DESLIGADO
CABELUDO PATRIOTA
MINHA MENINA
BAT MACUMBA
PANIS ET CIRCENCIS
sergio dias posted it on their community on orkut (yeah, you probably have never heard of it, i believe that around 80% of people there are brazilian), so i think it’s quite reliable
I’ve dl’d El Justiciero, Ave Lucifer & Panis et Circenses.
Maaan…they were doing the whole Stereolab thingy twenty years ahead of them!!!!
Right. Just thought I’d add my bit here as I saw them last Monday in London. First, the set list posted above is accurate as far as I can remember. To be honest, though I am a big Mutantes fan, I enjoyed the opening act — Nacao Zumbi — more (highly recommend those guys if you get a chance). Mutantes seemed rusty and they definitely got better as the show went on. The earlier post about nostalgia acts kind of holds true. But — Sergio Dias is still an excellent guitarist and well worth seeing. They resurrected a lot of the old gear he used back in the day (in fact problems setting it up delayed the start of their set and he himself had to come out on stage to fix it). The band are still quite good and the songs are excellent. If the form they hit by the end of the London show carries on through the gig in Chicago, you will get a real treat.