Thanks so much to Gustavo Gusmão for the interview! I wrote about his band Multisofá about two weeks ago and happily he got in touch and it was all so fast and now there’s an interview! I love when things happen this way. Now I know a little more about them of course and that’s great. Pretty interesting as they are the first Brazilian band I’ve interviewed. If you’ve never heard about them, I suggest checking this interview out!
++ Hi Gustavo! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Still making music?
Hi Roque, glad to connect with you. I am doing just fine – hoping that this COVID 19 situation gets addressed properly in the upcoming weeks. I am still making music by myself sometimes – actually it is one thing helping through this Corona Virus lockdown. I am trying to recover some of the songs I wrote since the band split up and register them on home recordings.
++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen at home while growing up?
My memories go back as far as when I was around 6 years old watching music videos from TV shows in the early 80’s. I also remember my uncle playing non-stop “Roxanne” by The Police on vinyl. My first real instrument was a nylon acoustic guitar but I probably had piano and guitar toys earlier on. I started playing when I was around 10 taking guitar lessons in my neighborhood but that didn’t take too long. When I was 14 I decided to put more effort in learning to play – self taught this time. Growing up I listened a lot of music from mainstream radio stations, which actually played local rock bands and UK pop/rock/indie from the 80s, such as The Smiths, The Cure, New Order, Simple Minds. Gradually, I started buying or copying cassette tapes from this type of bands.
++ Had you been in other bands before Multisofá? What about the rest of the members? If so, how did all of these bands sound like? Are there any recordings?
Before Multisofá I used to play bass in a band called Vellocet, which released 2 albums – the last one is available on Spotify. Early Vellocet reminds of shoegazer sounds from the early 90s and the second album is a bit more psychedelic. Some of the guys in Multisofá (Gustavo Afonseca and Juliano Rosa) used to play in a band called Soap Blisters which reminded of 90’s post/math rock sound. I am sure they have some recordings but I guess they’re not on any streaming service. Alexandre, who sings in Multisofa’s second album used to play drums for Vellocet and another band named Valv, which released a few albums in the early 00s – also available on Spotify.
++ Where were you from originally?
We all used to live in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, during the 90’s and up until 2007 when I moved to Rio. Now, I am living in Sao Paulo
++ How was Belo Horizonte at the time of Multisofá? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?
Belo Horizonte had some weird bands and many punk/hardcore bands. In the mid 90s, I got to see a few gigs from this band named Chemako, which really called my attention. They used to be a kind of metal influenced band in the early 90’s but had developed a more complex and darker sound by 1996. I guess they never got those songs recorded properly, although there were some demo tapes from these songs being passed around. I don’t know what exactly happened but one of the band members passed away and that was it. In the late 90s, Vellocet came up and it really sounded like the stuff I was into at the time. Their first gig was opening for Superchunk. A few months later they invited me to play bass in the band (not Superchunk!). During the 90s and early 00’s, the legendary record stores in town were Urban Cave and Motor Music. Actually Motor Music was more than a record store. They began distributing many US indie labels releases, such as Merge Records, at very convenient prices and they were also promoting festivals and gigs with many influential indie-rock bands of that era. In Belo Horizonte, there were always venues you could arrange to play or to host an international gig. Perhaps the most emblematic venue was “A Obra”, which hosted many festivals and gigs, mainly supporting acts from Brazil. They are still open for business, which is a rare thing nowadays.
++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?
Multisofá started in 2000, which consisted originally of myself and Mauricio, who used do play drums in a few bands we tried to have together. We met during college through and ad I posted looking for drummers. Our previous bands never got too much done in terms of writing and recording songs, which was kind of frustrating. The idea behind Multisofá was to finally have a music outlet focused on recording acoustic songs on a 4 track and releasing it somehow. After writing a few songs we decided to recruit other people to play and rehearse the songs as a full band in order to make things more interesting. We then decided to record our EP with a full band. Many people played in Multisofá throughout the years but Juliano (guitar) has been the only one with the band since we first decided to have a full band.
++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?
I would usually come up with the song structure at home and bring to rehearsals so that everyone would figure out their parts. Otherwise, every once in a while, somebody else would bring an idea for a song and we would try to make it into a complete song. Practices would usually take place in pay as you go rehearsal spaces, which were widely available in Belo Horizonte.
++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
Very simple actually. Multisofá was a furniture store just across the street from one of the venues we used to hang out. A friend of ours suggested it as the band name and we decided to give it a shot.
++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?
I guess it changed over the years but I remember some of the bands we would be really into when the band started playing: Pernice Brothers, Built to Spill, Guided by Voices, Silver Jews, Ladybug Transistor, East River Pipe, Slowdive, Teenage Fanclub, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Elephant 6 bands.
++ You only put out a self-title album. First it came out on tape on the Italian label Best Kept Secret in 2001. And how did this release came together? How did you end up on that label?
We actually have 2 albums released now. The self titled album was released by 3 different labels. It was first released by our self sponsored label, Bay King Music. Then it was released on tape by Best Kept Secret in 2001, after sending the album around to a few indie labels. Right after that, the japanese label Little Pad Records also released the album with a different cover and a few bonus tracks. We were supposed to release our second album in 2007, also under Little Pad Records. But we only got halfway through the recording process. I ended up moving to Rio and we had to put the band aside. Other band members also moved away from Belo Horizonte. I resumed the recording in 2015 and finish the second album, which was released in 2017 by Fleeting (www.fleeting.com), a San Francisco based label owned by our friend from Belo Horizonte, Bruno Orsini. The label released the video for the song “Change of Pace”. The second album is called “MTSF” and is available on most streaming services.
++ How was the experience of recording at 1501 studios these songs? Was this your first time at a recording studio?
This was actually my apartment number. I recorded the album in my room while trying to figure how to use recording software and audio gear. Previously I had just experienced recording on a 4 track tape. I was very unskilled, but I just took my time to learn a few basic things and tried not to rush into recording in a sloppy manner. I remember using a very cheap microphone and trying to capture vocal tracks in the bathroom for better reverb quality. I also remember not having a proper gear to record distorted guitars and the solution would be having more guitar parts and reverb.
++ At this time more members joined the band, right, like Juliano Rosa and Diego Carlos. How did you know them and what did they bring to the band?
Juliano joined as soon as we started rehearsing. I knew him from his previous bands. We used to meet at gigs and rehearsals of our bands at the time. I always thought he was a very skilled guitar player with very interesting guitar parts to counterbalance the linear songs’ structure. Diego came a little bid later just before we start recording. We were looking for someone to focus on strong vocals and stage presence. Someone mentioned Diego and we went to see him playing. We then invited him to join us. I guess we liked his musical influences, which included bands we liked form the 80s and 90s but also 70s stuff such as Stooges and T. Rex.
++ The recordings also included guest musicians like Dennis Martins, Marina Gomes, Emerson Galvao, Livia Segurado and Maya Mitre. Where they in other bands?
Not actually. Emerson used to play guitar with Juliano in Soap Blisters but I think they were not playing anymore at the time of the recordings.
++ One thing that I thought was interesting is that all your songs were in English, none in Portuguese. Why was that? Did you ever make any songs in Portuguese?
I never wrote a song in Portuguese, never seem to match with the song melodies. Actually, it weakened the song somehow and did not make sense to force it, especially since we did not have much commercial ambitions, which could be a good reason to eventually start writing in Portuguese. English words would naturally fit in the melodies.
++ Then this album was released afterwards, in 2002, on Little Pad Records in Japan. Now on CD. How did they approach you? Were they familiar with your cassette release? I know very little about this label, if there’s any chance you can tell me a bit more about them?
I might be wrong but as I recall it we started sharing some of our songs to some indie labels around the world. Little Pad Records showed interest in releasing our album and it made sense since we were looking to release pressed CDs. They did release a few albums and 7”s from their cast. I especially liked the song “Temptation Temporary” from Mirah, featured on Secret Home Party 7” compilation. Other bands released by LPR were Dennis Driscoll, The Oliver Brown Trio and Dear Nora. I would describe the bands on LPR as lo-fi. I don’t think they were familiar with the cassette release from Best Kept Secret. I believe LPR is no longer active.
++ Did you had the chance to go play in Italy or Japan? Did you ever meet the people behind the labels?
We did not get to play in any of these places. We did very few gigs outside Belo Horizonte. Never met the people from these labels, unfortunately. Mauricio got to meet Katsuya Shibata (Little Pad Records) a few years ago in Japan.
++ You also appeared on a compilation that came with the great Cookie Scene magazine in Japan as well as on a compilation called “Pop Renaissance” released by Excellent Records in Japan. Would you say Little Pad had a lot to do in promoting you there? Were you more known in Japan than in Brazil perhaps?
I suppose Little Pad had an influence but I don’t remember exactly how we ended up in these compilations. Anyway, I guess the label had a relevant role indeed. Japan and Brazil are very distant and different places. I could not tell where Multisofá was better known. I never asked how many albums we sold in Japan. Would be interesting to know that.
++ Then there are songs from 2011 and others from 2017 online. There’s even an album called “MTSF”. Did these songs get a proper release or only digital?
The song posted in 2011 called “Into the Ocean” was actually an early version of the song “Change of Pace” from our 2nd album. I don’t know why Mauricio ended up posting that on soundcloud. The 2nd album “MTSF” was released only in digital format so far. I would like to have it released on vinyl eventually since it’s a more consistent record in terms of writing and recording. We mixed the album with George Shilling, who worked with Teenage Fanclub in the 90s.
++ There is also a video for the song “Change of Pace”. Where was it filmed? And who did it?
The video was filmed in San Francisco/CA, Fleeting hometown. The video was produced by the label, with direction and editon by Bruno Orsini and Cris Meira. They really dedicated themselves in preparing and making the video and we were very happy with the result.
++ I read that you set up your own label Bay King Music. What does that mean? Did you put out any records?
That’s right. We decided to create the label to release our Multisofá album and a few other bands from Belo Horizonte. We brought some friends to help out and we ended up also making videos, merchandising, festivals and even a podcast (before it was called that). It became kind of a collective. Bruno Orsini (from Fleeting) and Alisson Santos (Vellocet) were also members of Bay King Music.
The other bands we released were Vellocet (first album – previously release on tape only), Tênis (Juliano’s side project) and Grenade. Many of the releases included a video from the band.
++ I also read online on Alto Falante that you were having a release in Canada. What happened to it? Did it come out?
I am not sure if that is accurate. I remember there was some kind of distribution in Canada but it was not an actual release from the band. We never released anything in Canada.
++ And are there more recordings by the band? Unreleased tracks?
Not as a band. I have a few home recordings with songs from that period that we never tried to play as a band. Or perhaps we used to play but never got it recorded properly.
++ I think my favourite song of yours might as well be “Suffering and Smiling”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?
This was the first song we wrote for Multisofá. I used to try to make something out of it in our previous band rehearsals with Mauricio but we had no lyrics or melodies for it. When we were trying to get it recorded on the 4 track, Mauricio and I came up with some melodies and lyrics for it. I think most of the lyrics was written by Mauricio. Not really sure what the inspiration was. I used to think it had some kind of a Yo La Tengo feel.
++ If you were to choose your favorite Multisofá song, which one would that be and why?
Probably “Change of Pace”. I like the different dynamics of the song, the fact that it contains backing vocals through the whole song and it sounded good after recorded and mixed.
++ What about gigs? Did you play many?
Not many gigs. I guess we played 10 or 15 shows during the time we were together. We played one gig in 2018, which was kind of a reunion tour to celebrate our 2nd release after more than 10 years we split up.
++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?
I remember one gig in the Bananada Festival, which was hosted in the city of Goiania. Very nice venues and the vibe was pretty good. No anecdotes I could share but our bass player seemed to spend a lot of time reading the news in the local paper – the good ones and the bad ones. At the beginning, I would say that in most gigs we would get frustrated trying to play the songs with accurate and clean arrangements. We even tried to have a piano player in the line-up. Eventually we decided to simplify the arrangements and to have a more relaxed and direct approach to the songs played live – which made it more enjoyable and fun. A fews gigs at A Obra had this fun vibe.
++ And were there any bad ones?
Sure. A few of them but nothing that would get us thrown out of the stage. I guess if it wasn’t played as tight as in the rehearsals we wouldn’t be too happy with the gig. So perhaps it would be “bad” for us but not as “bad” for the audience. Our first gig was in a college party. It was a very interesting experience but I would not consider it a bad gig.
++ You split in 2005 when you moved to Rio de Janeiro, right? But then you’ve made music again with Multisofá. Did you return to Belo Horizonte, or how has this worked for you?
I moved to Rio in 2007. I resumed the Multisofá recordings many years later mostly by myself while living in Rio. Juliano went to Rio to record the remaining guitar tracks and I went to Belo Horizonte to record Alexandre’s vocals. It was all pretty much finished in Rio by 2015.
++ Have you or the rest of the band been in other bands afterwards?
Not really. I believe Juliano and Alexandre kept playing occasionally in other bands.
++ Did you get much attention from the radio? TV?
Definitely not on traditional radio. I think we came up around the time people were losing the habit to listen to the radio and started shifting to digital platforms and social media. In terms of TV, we were featured a couple of times in local music shows but nothing beyond that. Back in those days people interested in this kind of music were still buying CDs but were already deeply connected digitally.
++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?
I think so. When we released our first album there were many media outlets featuring this type of music in Brazil: websites, magazines and newspapers. The indie music festivals also got a lot of attention. So we got a good amount of coverage.
++ What about from fanzines?
That as well. We got album reviews and interviews in many printed fanzines. They were still around when we came up but gradually they became blogs or websites.
++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?
rsonally, it was accomplishing to resume and release our 2nd album after almost a 10 years gap. It would be a shame no to release something we put some much effort, but I was glad it got finally released in 2017. Reuniting the band to play in 2018 was also a highlight. The venue we played is unbelievable – Sonasterio (https://sonasterio.com/). It is a studio up in the mountains near Belo Horizonte.
++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?
Travelling, usually trying to catch a gig whenever I can fit into the travel itinerary.
++ Never been to Belo Horizonte so I’ll take the opportunity to ask a local for any recommendations you’d have? Like sights one shouldn’t miss? Food and drinks one should try?
I will be honest with you. Belo Horizonte is not a place you will get impressed by sightseeing. I am not up to date with bars and restaurants in Belo Horizonte but the city is famous for having a wide range of bars and local beers. Drinking and chatting is a tradition in the city. The local food is also worth trying but beware if you are vegan or vegetarian. The traditional meal is usually based on meat, specially pork. I would also recommend going to the legendary A Obra. Nearby Belo Horizonte, a major attraction is Inhotim, a Contemporary Art Center and Botanical Garden.
++ Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for reaching out and congratulations on the blog / Cherry Records. I wish we had more labels releasing 7”s.
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Listen
Multisofá – Suffering and Smiling
