Mapped, Music Without Borders: Boogarins

By Sharon Kavai

Mapped Spotlight of the Week: Boogarins

 

What’s more surprising than Brazil getting it handed to them during the 2014 World Cup, (too soon)?  How about the story of small band’s rise after being chosen by a New York music label, without ever having played a single show together? Sound crazy? Maybe.

But, it’s what happened to Boogarins, a psychedelic Brazilian rock band out of Goiania Brazil. Drawing from 60’s Tropicalia pop music, this foursome combines Portuguese vocals with harmonious beats. Boogarins was formed by Fernando Almeida and Banke Ferraz while they were still in high school in 2010. The talented duo caught the attention of New York based label, Other Music Recording Co., before ever playing a single show, or even selecting a band name. They had however, recorded an albums worth of material that was apparently too good to resist. Their makeshift music and DIY style produced some surprisingly high quality content. Quickly after being signed to the label they dubbed themselves Boogarins, after a type of flower. They expanded the band to include bassist Raphael Vaz and drummer Hans Castro and have been showering listeners with their exotic and chromatic 60’s inspired sound ever since. The band played their first show in April of 2013 and released their debut album, As Plantas Que Curam, a few months later in September. They’ve been touring all over the world for the past month and luckily for us they’ll be performing in Boston on August 14th, at Church of Boston. Listen to the first single off of their album here, and be sure to check them out at their show.

 

Mapped playlist of the week, a reminder that yes, music does continue to exist out of the United States