Os Mutantes Announce North American Tour
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Os Mutantes Announce North American Tour
Visionary Band to Tour in Support of "Haih or Amortecedor"
Their First Album in 35 Years
Os Mutantes have announced a tour of North America in support of their startling new album "Haih or Amortecedor." Seeing the legendary "Tropicália" band live is something Kurt Cobain could have only wished for when he pleaded (unsuccessfully) for them to reunite and tour with Nirvana. Now Brazils' beloved Mutantes, long regarded as one of the most influential and innovative bands in pop music, have returned with both an ambitious new album and a series of highly anticipated performances. Revered by musical luminaries including Beck, Devendra Banhart, David Byrne, Of Montréal, The Flaming Lips and Cobain, the reunited Mutantes offer something far more intriguing than mere psychedelic nostalgia. While the ingenious genre blending Tropicália spirit remains intact on "Haih or Amortecedor", it's clear the Mutantes are not looking to the past, but ahead into further uncharted musical terrain.
Band leader Sergio Dias says he is eager to translate the epic Mutante sound on stage. "I love playing this music live," Dias says. "It is the best thing possible. When we were playing at the Pitchfork festival it was like looking at yourself when you were a kid trying to mumble the words to I Wanna Hold Your Hand in English and not understanding the words. There weren't many Brazilians there but the kids were singing our songs in Portuguese. Playing with this band live is amazing. I can not describe anything better other than maybe going into space. It keeps me young."
Acclaim for Os Mutantes live:
"The band began Friday's set with a song from 1969 that imagined Don Quixote getting a chance to sing on television, with music that switched styles every 20 seconds or so, from light-opera vocal harmonies to fuzz-toned garage stomp to slow, mock-bluesy rock to a brief bit of improvised chaos. And that hardly exhausted Os Mutantes' inventiveness; they had lilting pop melodies, Latin rock, mock-Baroque counterpoint and even something like an anthem: "Balada do Louco" ("Ballad of a Crazy Man"), written by Arnaldo and sung by Sérgio. "They say I'm crazy to think this way, but I'm happy," he sang in Portuguese. 'It's better than being normal.'" New York Times
"The band are more than just a bunch of session musicians: the backing singers pull faces at each other, Zélia prances around like a mad hippie with a tambourine, and at one point, someone plays a bass guitar like a cello. You could almost forget you were in the Barbican. The temperature shoots up and people pull their jumpers off and dance. If you didn't know any better, you'd see a band at their peak, playing for their lives... Long after the lights have come up, the crowd are still chanting "Mutantes! Mutantes! Mutantes!" As a Brazilian, seeing an obscure South American psych-rock band receive such rapturous applause from a young London audience almost brings a tear to my eye... In a way, Kurt Cobain was lucky that Os Mutantes turned down that support slot - Nirvana getting out-rocked by a bunch of mad, middle-aged Brazilian hippies would have been a sight to behold." The Independent UK
North American Tour Dates:
08-28-09, Los Angeles California, The Echoplex
08-29-09, San Francisco California, Outside Lands Festival,
09-01-09, Redway California, Mateel Community Center
09-02-09, Portland Oregon, Aladdin Theater
09-03-09 Vancouver, BC, The Commodore Ballroom
09-04-09 Bellingham Washington, The Nightlight
09-05-09 Seattle Washington, Bumbershoot Festival
09-19-09 Yosemite California, Symbiosis Fest
09-24-09 Denver Colorado, Cervantes
09-25-09 Omaha Nebraska, Waiting Room
09-26-09 Minneapolis Minnesota, Cedar Cultural Ctr
09-30-09 Cleveland Ohio, Beachland Ballroom
10-04-09 Boston Massachusetts, Sommerville Th.
10-08-09 New York New York, Webster Th.
10-09-09 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Mr. Smalls
10-10-09 Columbus Ohio, Capitol Th.
10-11-09 Lexington Kentucky, WRFL Fest
10-13-09 Tampa Florida, Skipper's
10-14-09 Ft. Lauderdale Florida, Culture Room
10-16-09 Atlanta Georgia, Variety Playhouse
10-17-09 New Orleans Louisiana, Tipitina's
10-18-09 Austin Texas, La Zona Rosa