NOVEMBER 17, 2009
Forro In The Dark Announce New Tour Dates
New York's Favorite Brazilian Band Makes West Coast Swing
by Tom PryorForró in the Dark, New York's favorite Brazilians since Pelé played for the Cosmos, are taking their hip-shaking show on the road, with a string of west coast tour dates in support of their new album, Light A Candle.
Light A Candle, released on Nat Geo Music, is the group's first full-length release since 2006's acclaimed Bonfires of Sao Joao. Recorded in a marathon, six-day session at New York City's Flux studios with production by Fab, the album contains 13 all-new tracks and a reprise of Forro favorite "Nonsensical" from their 2008 EP Dia de Roda.
Taking inspiration from a Neil Young song, Guilherme explains how Light A Candle's title track is about the power of hope and faith in dark times. "Coming from a Catholic country like Brazil," he explains, "lighting a candle has a spiritual connotation - and not just in Catholicism, but in Candomble and other Brazilian spiritual practices, too, the idea of illuminating a space is very powerful. For me it's about using music to transform the darkness of the times we just came out of into something positive."
Old friends and fellow Nublu alumnae drop by to lend their voices to Light A Candle, too. Sabina Sciubba of Brazilian Girls graces "Silence Is Golden" with a sultry and knowing performance, while Forro's own Guilherme Monteiro, sings the lead on "Better Than You," and singer-songwriter Jesse Harris voices the rueful hangover ballad "Just Like Any Other Night." But their tenure in NYC hasn't erased Forró In the Dark's Brazilian roots, as covers of forró classics "Saudades de Manezinho Araujo" by Teo Azevedo and "Forro de Dois Amigos" by Edmilson do Pífano attest. Also on the trad side is the rollicking "Bandinha," built around forro's fast-paced arrasta-pé rhythm. Taken together, these 13 songs break new ground for Forro In The Dark, and extend the range of Brazil's favorite homegrown sound into entirely new territory.
Forró in the Dark Tour Dates:
West Coast:
Tues, November 17 on KCRW "Morning Becomes Eclectic"
Wed, November 18 @ Club Mercy @ Soho - Santa Barbara, CA, 8pm
Thur, November 19 @ The Mint - Los Angeles, CA, 8 pm presented by KCRW
Fri, November 20 @ Cafe du Nord - San Francisco, CA, 9pm presented by KPFA
Sat, November 21 @ Cafe du Nord - San Francisco, CA, 9pm presented by KPFA
Sun, November 22 @ The High Dive - Seattle, WA, 8pm
Mon, November 23 @ The Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR, 8pm
NYC CD release party!!
Fri, November 27 @ The Highline Ballroom - New York, NY, 7pm