EVOKE INTERVIEW # CROSS

Three years ago, the Sao Paulo Cruz band decided they wanted to record an album and go to Los Angeles to see how the music business worked there. In one week, the album was ready, and in little more than that, they imprensionavam producer Jay Baumgardner - the same bands as Stone Temple Pilots, Incubus, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Korn - who signed the contract and end to release an album. Between parties in the Playboy mansion and shows the classic circuit LA, Cruz came to Brazil and spent the Evoke studio to tell us a little of the history of the band, which, with that determination should be reached easily at 33. Years and records.

Kumelys Rafael (guitar), Daniel Pampuri (drums), Enrico Minelli (vocals), Philip Pampuri (guitar), Jose Rondo (drums)

Evoke - contains some of the band's inception. You are Brazilian and live together in Los Angeles, right? The band is new?

Felipe - This. The five of us lived together until now. For three and a half years that we have the band, and three who went to Los Angeles. We went with the band shortly after making our record ourselves, in our studio here in Sao Paulo. We were mixing the album.

Zé - And also to know the place, how was the market. We thought it was good, because we have the band in English, it was natural.

Enrico - When we got there, which was to take ten days, eventually surrendering. The producer was mixing for us, Jay Baumgardner, who owns the studio and now our producer and manager (he works with Evanescence, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, No Doubt, Korn ...), he heard and would like it.

Jay Baumgardner in her studio in LA, the NRG

Evoke - How did you meet him?

Enrico - contact for this mix cd.

Felipe - We were the first clients. Then he began to listen, liked it and asked for us to stay there to record some more sounds with it and see what happens. So we stayed, and he said he would open a label just to throw us.

Evoke - The CD has been released?

Enrico - Here in Brazil already, was released on September 8, came to Brazil for this.

Felipe - We spent the last three months working there. In fact, we had a mix cd for when he got there, but it was not the same.

Daniel - This actually is our second album, but only the first offer on the Internet, was never released. Jay told us to stay there to record and started doing new things, so we decided to drop this first single on the internet, nothing official. Now yes, we recorded the album official release came here on September 8 at Alley 203. Still played in Fortaleza and Curitiba, and returned to the U.S. shortly.

Enrico - The U.S. launch will now be in January. We are still setting the date and place, so we have to come back soon.

Evoke - What is the name of the first cd, that you have made available online?

Enrico - called Monte Cristo. At the time, the band was called so.

Philip - The name changed when we arrived in Los Angeles, because I had a band called Monte Cristo, and then began to zica. Then we moved to the Cross. Our first official album this is, Volume 1.

At the time of Monte Cristo,

and the cover of Volume 1.

Evoke - Contains sound more like what you do. What are the influences? What would you like to hear? You had bands before?

Felipe - We play rock n 'roll-influenced grunge.

Joe - We like a lot of the 90s, but also enjoyed rock muiro old classics.

Enrico - 70 and 90, I'd say. Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, South Garden. Led, Beatles, Purple.

Daniel - ACDC, The Who Who Much

Joe - We met, but did not grow up together. Then everyone have things in common, but like different things. And all played in different bands, but together.

Enrico - Me and Joe had a band called Grindare. Dani and Felipe had a band achamada Motel. Rafa played with Felipe in Level Nine. All in Portuguese.

Felipe pattern of the band's influences

Evoke - Now, you only sing in English, or rolls a mixture?

Daniel - Yes. We still do not have music in Portuguese, but one day we'll do. We have only song in English now, but the important thing is that there is a rule, if you leave something nice ...

Evoke - Who makes up?

Daniel: Everyone, the whole band. When everyone plays together, makes some jams. Whenever one comes with a business, together with the other, or two exchange idea, come up with something and have a letter ... do not like to semparar

Philip: So because we always lived together, so when someone has an idea, the other already is giving a Pitaco before you even start to develop. Everyone gets along, building, creating together.

Evoke - And the lyrics speak of?

Felipe - Of much. It is very diverse. In this new cd has enough letter that has to do with the bid we have gone to Los Angeles. Of our life, our history, than live agent.

Daniel - Not exactly a specific situation, but the feeling of being there, battling, through an undefined business. Missing too.

Enrico, is natural, flowing, it's not thought of before.

Daniel, also has quite a lot of celebration, because we like a party. (Everyone laughs)

The team

Evoke - In speaking of fun, we learned that you played at the Playboy mansion. Talk more about it, tell all!

Daniel - Actually, there was a show of ours. It was a feast, and we were called to play. It was a fundraiser. The Playboy mansion is one of the most coveted events spaces.

Evoke - And the bunnies were there? A lot of people? It was a crazy party? Contains more!

Joe - Yes, the bunnies were there, is everyone there. At the time it's impossible to know who lives in the mansion or not, a lot of people!

Philip - It is. A lot of people naked. (Everyone laughs) A lot of beautiful woman. It's just like in the movies, a rich old shovel ...

Joe - It has that pool, the Grotto. We did not enter the water, but entered the cave to see what it was like, take some pictures. It was nice to be there and see how it is. It was crazy, we thought it was over. It was bountiful, they tavam auctioning many things to charity, Kurt Cobain's guitar ...

Daniel - I should have some 800/900 people. It was the Parting For A Purpose, with the auction of various things to raise money.

Evoke - You crossed with Hugh Hefner over there? Who else was there a law?

Felipe - Was he, but we have not seen. He only goes there to take pictures and send. Only just saw Ron Jeremy (porn star. All Laughs again)

Daniel - He also played a cool band that calls Pepper, a reggae band from Hawaii really cool. And only. They had a few more bands that we do not know, some djs party mood ... Well, it was not show. Many of our shows were much better. It was nice to go there in the Playboy mansion. And will roll again, we have already received other invitations. I think we'll be playing there right now.

Evoke - Too bad! (Laughs). And the invitation came as? Enjoy and tell where else you played.

Felipe - Who made the bridge was a friend, nephew of Santana. They had enjoyed the sound and called us. We've touched all over the place. Actually, we did a circuit that exists in LA, a lot of traditional rock, the Whisky A Go-Go, the Roxy, the Viper Room ... it's kind of a neighborhood where everything rolls, there is one other that are a little more distant. We played that way in every house.

Daniel - In the beginning, do not play much because we were recording our record. Now before coming was going on show at least once a week.

Felipe - We played a place where we shot a video that was really cool, called Crazy Girls. The place is a famous strip club, appeared in several movies and such, which also scrolls show. It's quite small but hurts. Tava packed and made the video quite by accident. We had taken three cameras to film the show and the quality of the images, we decided to launch. Going out this week on MTV here in the erotic range, the song name is Physical Game.

Evoke - Do you have other clips?

Philip - Yes, we have some. Has Sin City, which we filmed in the desert, directed by Rodrigo Giannetto. This one was passing on MTV a lot now, entered the Top 10 until it was cool. And it has other clips that we did in the meantime, while we were focused on recording the album. We recorded over 40 songs for cd!

Evoke - It's serial production. How many songs have the cd? And you already have another order for the material that's left?

It Danile-14 Brazilian version, which has two older songs from the Cross that the guys here have liked. There are 12. The other songs we use, recycle. For example, someone will make a video of skateboarding and want to put a song of ours, uses one of them. Out there, when you launch iTunes, it can be done several versions of her album, which is an official record, and one that has all the b sides. For this, the person pays a little more and download a video of us playing live and all the songs that did not make the cd.

Evoke - Legal, is quite something. You are selling the album online?

Daniel - He's streaming in to hear cruzbrasil.com.br, you can listen to whole and, cuss, to buy. But the physical version, the CD itself, and receives at home. As yet, no internet. Going out on iTunes in January.

Felipe, still do not know how the album will be released, but the idea is that you guys have the internet to download for free, but for now we have to hold.

Evoke - Beauty, Personal. To finish, contains a little of your life in LA, if anyone wants to follow the trail. You travel a lot, working on other things?

Enrico - We do more personal trips per hour, but now we go on tour. Sticks so we tava recording the album, was focused. To the beginning of the year is that the thing will spin.

Felipe-Actually, we recorded three CDs since we are there. We went with that first, we spent a year there recording over 20 songs, then come back here in two hundred and first - was when we did our first show in Sao Paulo, in Vegas - and we were at the site of Enrico making sounds, relieving the head of production in the U.S. ... there appeared a lot of songs, we went back more or less with a cd ready, record new ones. Now that's going through the same thing ...

Joe - But now we will launch this!

Evoke - You are very productive. They pick on the lives of neighbors together playing all the time at home ...

Joe - Yes! We are like a little machine of songwriting

Daniel - But in fact, we have a room in Los Angeles, our rehearsal room, which is locked with our equipment. It is an industrial district, as a pit shed, a complex type of rehearsal studios, which is not only an hour. Each band has its own room there and go anytime you want, at 3 am ... do not bother anyone, at home does not!

Evoke - So the plan is to stay there? As it does with the visa? Do you work with other things?

Philip - Yes, it's getting there. Even more so now that we will start working the cd.

Daniel - We have a work visa for the record, as a musician. We only work with music, with a studio, record, produce. I always had the studio with my brother, that was when we made our first CD in our studio. We even produced, basically I, Felipe and Enrico. The Joe and Rafael were not in the band when he was the Monte Cristo, a project was only the beginning. We just wanted to do what he enjoyed, then we were getting good. I think good. (Laughs)

Evoke - Beauty, then, boys. Thanks! Good luck and much success to you!