about the band
"De onde vem o baião...? Vêm debaixo do barro do chão."
Quando o Gil escreveu essa letra, é certo que o barro a qual se referia era do solo nordestino. Mas agora o baião, o xote, e o xaxado também brotam em novas terras. Dessa vez na cidade de Athens, próximo a Atlanta.
Bichos Vivos teve início em 2017 quando dois Brasileiros (Tony e Lucas) juntamente com seus amigos norte-americanos (Phil, Todd, e Freeman) se uniram para tocar forró. Com a entrada logo depois de Robert, Natalie, Keiko, e Nic, o grupo se completou. Todos tinham em comum o gosto pela música do Brasil e, em particular, pelo forró.
Desde então, Bichos Vivos tem se apresentado em diversos festivais pelos Estados Unidos e estão rapidamente conquistando o público norte-americano com seu som nordestino e alegre. Em Junho de 2024, o grupo fará uma turnê pelo nordeste do Brasil pela primeira vez.
De onde vêm a esperança... a sustança... espalhando o verde dos teus olhos pela plantação?
Vêm debaixo do barro do chão… e também vem do coração...
Formed in 2018, the musical ensemble Bichos Vivos, based in Athens GA, brings a totally new and unique sonic and cultural tradition to the elements of Forró (the most popular genre of music and dance in Brazil's northeast, to the extent that historically “going to the Forró” meant simply going to party or going out. Regarding the music, it is based on a combination of three instruments (accordion, zabumba and a metal triangle).
Bichos Vivos is characterized by a unique mix of elements from Baião, Forró, Xaxado and Frevo with Folk Music from the United States of America. The band specializes in fusing the musical elements of Northeastern Brazil with a variety of American popular and pop music, to highlight the numerous inter-American crossroads that exist between these distinct traditions – North and South. The closest US equivalent is Zydeco with its contagious and highly danceable rhythms. These are deeply moving songs that also make people sway their hips and dance the night away. In their performances, Bichos Vivos draws on a wide range of Brazilian musical influences (from MPB to Bossa Nova), North American and African music genres.
We plan to play songs by Bob Dylan, A-há, Peter Gabriel, John Prine, Willie Nelson and others, all with that wonderful flavor of regional music from northeastern Brazil.
Bichos Vivos is a unique collection of music educators, academics and professional musicians.
We are:
• Keiko Ishibashi: violin
• Philip Kohnen: accordion, guitar
• William Freeman Leverett: bass, vocals, guitar, percussion
• Robert Moser: vocals, percussion
• Todd Mueller: drums, percussion, vocals
• Tony Oscar: percussion
• Natalie Smith: flute, vocals, percussion
• Lucas Tavares: guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Nic Wiles: percussion
The band has gained experience performing in diverse environments, from nightclubs, festivals, private events, to educational institutions where we present a wide variety of genres, instruments and musical traditions in a lecture/performance format. In Athens and Atlanta the band developed an audience, and even a sense of community, for Brazilians, Hispanics and a broad spectrum of individuals who enjoy Latin American and world music. It has become routine for band members to have the experience of watching the reactions of people who have never had contact with the mesmerizing rhythm of northeastern Brazil. Lots of happy people letting go of their inhibitions and dancing, singing, etc. As you know, there is a large Brazilian community in Atlanta who, alongside people from the Latino community and a growing group of fans of all kinds, have come out to experience our music.