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| Summer 2007, |
Boston's Weekly Forro
in the Dark
Bonfires of Sao Joao
by Michael Brodeur
Issue 8.43
October 25,
2006
There's some bad science
when it comes to bands from New York. PR theory will tell you that the
more a band absorbs the city, the more authentic they'll sound. In
reality, absorbing most anything from the city, let alone its commercial
influences, ends up being kind of gross. The real challenge is one that
Forro in the Dark meets masterfully on their debut - simply allowing NYC's
formless energy to pass through their music and into a particular shape
like a lens - or, in this case, a prism.
Forro in the Dark play Baiao, a "working
man's dance music" originating in Northeastern Brazil and developing
fully at the hands of its daddy, Luiz Gonzaga; and as appealing as that
sounds on its own, carried as it is by a cast of incredibly capable
players, it's the way that the music welcomes any number of variations
that makes this record shine. Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto chimes in on a
maddenngly catchy Japanese version of "Paraiba,"...
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A Brazilian Dancefloor
Sensation, Injected With NYC Artiness, Assaults Your Hips
Forro in the Dark's Bonfires of Sao Joao
by Uday Benegal
November 8th,
2006
Forro in the Dark are
finally ready to take their rambunctious Wednesday night fiesta out of the
Alphabet City fringes with their debut album, Bonfires of Sao Joao. The
crack squad of sidemen, led by percussionist Mauro Refosco, seem poised to
launch what could well become North America's Next Big Brazilian Thing:
forro (pronounced fo-ho), the party music of northeastern Brazil, a style
fathered by singer-accordonist Luiz Gonzga. Bonfires is a blast, a
pitch-perfect reenactment of F1TD5 live energy that succeeds in conveying
the exberance and nostalgic spirit of traditional forro while inbuing it
with a definite New York vibe, no doubt helped by its art-school-frendly
guest vocalists: David Byrne on the woeful Gonzaga classic "Asa
Branca," Bebel Gilberto on the bossa nova-smooth "Wandering
Swallow," and Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori on the Nipponized and
maddeningly catchy (just try and get it out of your head)
"Paraiba." But the party belongs to F1TD5 regular crew, who
employ a kitchen-sink collection of instruments to dazzle, str, incite,
and entertain. Confronted by the pifano-driven cowboy romp "Indios do
Norte," the sauntering zabumba-bottomed "Riacho do Navio,"
and the guitar-and-pandeiro-fueled "Que Que Tu Fez," your hips
are destined to dance. And if you dance like a Brazilian, pay no mind -
this record will make you believe otherwise.
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TOUR
DATES
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| DATE |
CITY |
TIME |
VENUE |
TOURING WITH |
| 2007-07-18 |
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Getty Museum
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| 2007-07-13 |
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Belly Up
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| 2007-07-12 |
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SOhO
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From
sfweekly.com
Originaly published by SF Weekly 2006-12-06
Forro in the
Dark
Bonfires of Sao Joao
(Nublu Records)
Toph One
If it's a Wednesday night in New York, you
can bet the line is forming outside the Nublu Bar and Lounge, regardless
of weather. That's where Forro in the Dark was formed, three years ago, as
a one-night-only party band for leader Mauro Refosco's birthday. The
response was so wild, that Forro's been packing folks into this Manhattan
hotspot every since. Refosco and bandmates had played with heavyweights -
Tom Waits, David Byrne, and Beck - before coming together to make their
version of forro, a folk-dance-music from northeastern Brazil popularized
by Luiz Gonzago in the '40s and '50s. And it's a Gonzaga favorite -
"Asa Brance," with Byrne on vocals - that sets the tone for this
gem of an album. Peppy, poppy, and impossible to sit still through, the
songs bounce happily along and becon all listeners to jon the festivities. The
translucent vocals of Bebel Gilberto shine on "Wandering Swallow
(Juazeiro)," while the band conjures the Second Line spirit of New
Orleans with "I Wish," again featuring Byrne. Flute, accordion,
guitars, and dual percussion drive the dancing sound and could very easily
fill your holiday household wth good cheer. "Oile Le La!" - Toph
One
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