Guess. What. Boogarins will be at the Church of Boston this Thursday night. They’re touring from Goiânia, Brazil on the strength of their Burger Records/Other Music debut, As Plantas Que Curam (translated: “Plants that Heal”). The album was primarily recorded when Boogarins were just a duo and still in their teen years. Singer/lyricist Fernando Almeida and multi-instrumentalist Benke Ferraz managed a hell of a first record: homemade but expansive psychedelia that can stand on the strength of its songs. They found time in their travels to send us an e-mail:
Who’s in the band right now and what do they play? Is everyone an official member?
The band is me (Benke), Fernando, Raphael and Hans. Everyone’s an official member, since the first Boogarins rehearsal we played.
How did Burger Records discover Boogarins?
I contacted Burger Records on e-mail, even before Other Music decide to release our album in vinyl. Sean is a really great guy and helped us a lot in releasing the album on cassette.
Fernando and Benke, how long had each of you been playing music when you started recording the songs on As Plantas Que Curam?
Maybe since we were 12 or something like that. Fernando started playing in the church and I studied music for a long time, even started studying it in college. We did play together in school since 2008 and started recording in 2013.
How do the songs change when you play them live?
Talking about the songs of our first album, “As Plantas,” they were more bedroom songs, written and recorded in a very “dreamy” way. Everything is really goofy and the bass frequencies are not really there. Live, we sound more like a rock band.
How’s international tour-life? Do you have time to enjoy the cities you’re playing in? What do you do between shows?
We enjoy our time in the cities, but usually that means, hanging out in the venue or walking around it. We had some time off in a few cities, which was great. We could spend a little time in Berlin, Brussels, Barcelona, Austin, NY and few others. Between concerts, we’re usually in the van, traveling.
Any good stories from tour so far?
Haha, yeah, a lot of it. It’s the first time we did hit the road for 6 months straight. I think everybody started losing some sense after spending so much time in vans, not sleeping and etc..
Anything you’d like to tell the Boston crowd coming to your show next week?
We’re really happy to play again with the Atlantic Thrills guys. We met them for the first time in the very beginning of our tour, in March, and we’re sure it’ll be a special first time there in Boston! Hope to see you all there!
Thursday’s show at the Church is presented by Illegally Blind and also features Atlantic Thrills, The Televibes, and Gymshorts. Show starts at 8:00, costs $10, and is 21+.