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Interview: Are You God?
by Rafael Karasu (rafael@karasukiller.com)
originally published in DOLL (Japan) #260
2009/03

ARE YOU GOD? 
LET’S START FROM THE START.
Are you God? was started in Sao Paulo, in 2000, by Joao (vocals/guitars), Bernardo Andrea (bass) and Carlos Renatao (drums), recording the 1st self-titled demo in 2001, which impressed favourably the underground scene most likely by the fact that the 1000 copies for this demo were distributed for free rather than for its content – a highly technical grindcore with some death metal parts. The band then started looking for a vocalist for the live shows but they had no success on this task. Considering that it’s easier to find good guitarists than vocalists, Joao took over the vocals and the band started to be a quartet, with Denis joining as a live guitarist…

1- Are You God?, how are you?
We’re fine, and you? 

2- Can you tell Doll readers who Are You God? is?
Nowadays, human beings who are trying to live life and have a band. 

3- Tell us a little of the band’s history, discography, first shows... What’s the meaning of the name?
We started in 2000 and released our first demo in 2001, it was only then that we started playing live. In 2002 we released the “Espelho de Carne” EP. In the following year we worked hard on a project called “Neon”, the record came out in 2003, we did many shows at the time. In the end of 2006 came out the record that is still being promoted, “Miranda”, and we have just released a split, last March with the Germans from Japanische Kampfhörspiele. About the band’s name, we’re still searching for a meaning, and an identity for our sound. 

4- Did you have other bands before AYG?
We’ve always had other bands, after I left Sepultura I started Beegar along with Carlos (drums), which was the embryo for AYG?. Bernardo (bass) came from Dipnoi and nowadays he plays in Elma as well, which was started by Sergio (guitars) who also plays in a band called Jeffrey Dahmer. 

5- What are the band’s main influences?
There are way too many, but I think the ones that have influenced our sound more directly are Nasum, Brutal Truth, Napalm Death and Japanische Kampfhörspiele. 

6- Do all band members have a job, or do you live solely off of your music? What’s the hardest thing when having a band in Brazil?
We all have day jobs, we have never earned anything from the band apart from complaints coming from our wives. Still in Brazil there’s no difficulty in starting a band, if you take aside the lack of musicians, money, equipment, venues and talent. 

7- What are the themes you guys address in your lyrics? How is the writing process?
It’s a very delicate process, they start before everything else and they’re finished after everything else, they’re the basis of our sound, everything we believe in and that, one day, we hope to reveal.  

8- What are the band members listening to nowadays?
Sérgio is listening to a lot of Megadeth, Bernardo listens to Pixies, Carlos listens to Ministry and I listen to Sepultura. 

9- About the shows, how is the audience’s reaction and what bands have you guys shared the stage with? Have you ever had any friction with the scene radicals?
Here in Brazil, any band can open for an international band, all you have to do is pay for it. We have done that with a few bands, like Brujeria and The Black Dahlia Murder. People always expect us to do something different at shows, so when we just go onstage and play, I don’t feel the same thrill. When we can do something unusual, we really try hard, it’s usually really tricky stuff, we never repeat any of our ideas. Things like leaving the drummer alone onstage while the band plays hidden somewhere else, or putting other people onstage playing our songs for us. Sometimes the most extreme ideas, where we don’t do anything band-related onstage, are not really accepted by the audience, but they’re the ones that cause a stir. I don’t think there’s any way someone can be more radical than we are. 

10- Explain to the Japanese readers the now classic Big Screen Concert which took place at SESC in 2003. How was it? Is there any possibility that AYG? will ever do another show like that one?
All I remember now is that it was hard work for us. It was basically the band playing live with vocals that were recorded in audio and video, and were shown on a giant movie screen. Each song was recorded in a different location and in a single take, without any retakes or editing, it was a big show that we have sworn not to repeat, you can just type “Are You God? SESC 2003” on YouTube

11- Do you consider yourselves a grindcore band?
Yes, but that’s not the end of it. We like all extreme subgenres of music, we hope they’re all there, within our sound. 

12- Grindcore bands in Brazil have good production, are there many bands playing that kind of music, organizing festivals and releasing records?
They keep coming and going. Lately we’re in a dark phase. Our attitude includes saying good things about everybody, because that helps the scene grow.     

13- Did you cry when you heard about the death of Jesse Pintado (former Napalm Death guitarist, who was about to reform Terrorizer)?
I had spoken to him on the phone a few days before, we was very ill, in need of help. I think it was the path he chose, I feel sad but honored to be the owner of his last riff. 

14- What’s your point of view when it comes to living off of music, and what was grindcore’s contribution for that?
If we had thought about that, we wouldn't have chosen this style. 
 
15- When talking about Brazil, we hear more and more about corruption, violence and unemployment. What do you see in the future for the country?
We do have all that here, but also we don’t live like robots, we have no discipline, so I guess there’s no solution. That’s what the people want.

16- How is it living in the concrete jungle that is São Paulo?
If you have money, the city will offer you everything the rest of the world offers. The hard thing here is to make money. 

17- Wouldn’t it be nice to one day have the band touring Japan, do you think there’s a possibility?
One can dream. 

18- What do you know about Japanese grindcore bands? What bands do you like the most, and what about them impresses you?
I really like 324 and master Merzbow, we really hope to have more contact with Japanese bands. 

19- Tell us, what do you know about Japan? What do you admire about this country?
Besides the food, all my neighbors are Japanese, here in São Paulo we’re heavily influenced by the Japanese culture. 

20- Leave a message to Japanese Doll readers.
It’s surreal for us to be promoting our work on the other side of the world. We’re sorry for not having the ability to produce faster and in a more efficient manner.

Contact:
www.myspace.com/areyougod 

www.travoltadiscos.blogspot.com