Fernando Almeida and Benke Ferraz of the Brazilian psych-rock band Boogarins released a debut album titled “As Plantas Que Curam” (translation: “Plants That Heal”) in October. Almeida sings in Portuguese, his voice usually bathed in either reverb or echo (or both), while multi-instrumentalist Ferraz surrounds him with jangly, out-of-phase guitars, drums, handclaps and assorted studio weirdness. The whole thing lasts little more than a half-hour, but listening to it feels like discovering a long-forgotten gem in a Sao Paulo record store in 1969 (or so I imagine).
Boogarins play a free show at BAR in New Haven on Wednesday, Aug. 13, with Wild Ones and Zanders. CTNow asked them a few questions via e-mail about the album and life on tour.
CTNow: Your first album, which came out in October, is terrific. How has the response been so far?
Ferraz: Lately we’ve been thinking about it more and more. We would never expect that our bedroom-recorded songs would go very far. When people from all over the world — press, other artists — listen to us, and talk about us, we feel really happy. Being able to spend almost a whole year touring is something we could never imagine, too.
CTNow: Over what period of time were all the tracks recorded? Did you do it all yourselves?
Ferraz: It was recorded during the whole 2012 year. We started Jan. 5 .. and finished by Christmas. We used to record and mix a song in one day, so Fernando could take the buses back home already listening to the song.
CTNow: The folks at Burger Records released the album on cassette. How did you initially hook up with Burger? Do you guys often listen to and/or buy cassettes yourselves?
Ferraz: I first emailed Burger and [they] replied to me very excited about releasing our tape. After releasing on vinyl and CD by Other Music/Fat Possum, both got in touch and things happened really easily on this cassette release by Burger. I think what we most listened to in the van, during all tours, are cassettes that we were finding in each city we went. New bands, old ones, compilations. We love it for sure!
CTNow: Growing up in Brazil, who were some of the artists you listened to? And do you have any current musical obsessions?
Ferraz: I think the biggest musical obsession I have now, is to produce more with our hometown friends. There is so much going on there. Names like Kastelijns, Carne Doce, Bruna Mendez, Hellbenders, Industria Organica…so many good musicians and songwriters there. It’s really something.
CTNow: When you’re on tour, assuming there’s time, what do you like to do when you roll into a new town?
Ferraz: Fernando, our lead singer, likes to walk a lot in every city he arrives. I really enjoy tasting the burgers they have in town, hehe.
BOOGARINS perform on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at BAR in New Haven, with Wild Ones and Zanders. Showtime is 9:30 p.m. Tickets are free. Information: manicproductions.org.
