1. What is the secret behind your
bandname ?
AUTORAMAS here in Brazil is the name we give for Slot Cars, those
little cars that run on tracks...Speed and Fun.
2. Are you car freaks/fans ?
Yeah, I had a Puma, a brazilian convertible
made with Fyber Glass...Really cool...
3. Who are the musicians behind THE AUTORAMAS ?
Well, we are a
trio...Selma Vieira is the girl in the band, she plays bass and sings. Bacalhau
is the drummer and who takes care of all the electronic stuff. My name is
Gabriel Thomaz, I play guitar and i am the lead singer.
4. A band as a trio is always a special thing (remember MOTÖRHEAD and co).
What do you think are the advantages/disadvantages playin as a trio ?
I love
the way trios sound like, every function is important. But, I think the main
advantage is we are less people, it’s easier to travel, to make lots of tours.
5. You toured a lot in your bandhistory. So, a band on the road makes various
experiences. Which was your coolest and which was your uncoolest adventure on
tour ?
Touring Non-stop is the coolest thing in a band, we had great
experiences in every tour we made. Sometimes, here in Brazil, is uncool playing
in places with really bad sound equiptment, but we already got used to that. Now
everything is just fun...
6. Your latest AUTORAMAS record features many styles...heavy guitar riffers,
speedy powerpop tunes ala` Pixies and DEVO, some Man or Astroman? like guitar
sounds or simple punk rock numbers. Tell us about your musical influences please.
We love many kinds of music...But we prefer Rock and Roll that is easy to dance.
Surf Music, New Wave, PowerPop, Garage, Punk...We are interested in all of this.
We love the brazilian pop music of the 60’s, a movement called Jovem Guarda.
7. You sing all of your vocal tracks in portugese. How does it come to that ?
I think it’s easier to write in portuguese, it’s natural for me. But we have a
song in english, called “Catchy Chorus”, that is one my favourites.
8. What are your songs about ?
About People, relationships, music, love,
hate,friendship, enemyship (does this word exist?) ahahahaha
9. Did you ever thought about singing in another language ?
Yes, It would
be cool singing in German, I love german rock, I have many records of the Neue
Deutsche Welle, Punk Rock, Kraftwerk...Is Fred Banana Combo german? Please tell
me about other German bands I can download...
10. What do you do beside your rock`n`roll job ?
We are all musicians...I
am songwriter, I already wrote songs for other artists that became big hits here
in Brazil.
11. Is it difficult for brazilian independent bands to get gigs, release
records or to reach a wider audience ? Is there a kind of network between bands,
zines or venues in brazil ?
Yes, Independent scene in Brazil is in its best
moment in history, lots of labels, great bands, many cities to play shows
(Brazil is a huge country). And lots of people interested. Last year Autoramas
became the band that won more prizes in Video Music Awards of MTV Brazil, more
than any mainstream artist. It was the first time an independent artist made it.
I recommend some websites you can get information of Brazilian Rock (well, i’m
afraid it’s only in portuguese)
www.senhorf.com.br is very good. In
www.tramavirtual.com.br you can download or listen to thousands of independent
bands.
12. Which other cool brazilian bands can you recommend ?
Erika Martins &
Telecats, Canastra, Cansei de Ser Sexy, Walverdes, Rock Rocket...
13. Do you play in other bands too beside THE AUTORAMAS ?
I play in
another band that me and some friends are the support band for Lafayette, great
organist from the sixties. The name of the band is Lafayette & Os Tremendoes. We
just put out a 7’
14. What are the future plans for THE AUTORAMAS ?
We are going to play
our first shows in Europe, two in England and one in Portugal. I hope we can get
back soon and tour more countries. And we are finishing our new record.
The interview was originally prepared for surfngarage.com in 2006. The Autoramas toured europe meanwhile and released some more extraordinary stuff. For more information (releases, tourdates etc.) check these links:
Autoramas Myspace Site |
Official Autoramas Site