Interview: Cristiano (Bandanos)
by Rafael Karasu (rafael@karasukiller.com)
Photos: Rita Gonsalves
originally published in DOLL (Japan) #247
2008/02

Crossover is back!
Bandanos: premium quality crossover/thrash coming straight from São Paulo, Brazil. The band is Luciano (Dr), Cristiano (V), Marcelo Papa (G) e Alex (B).

Introduce the current Bandanos line-up to the Japanese readers.
Well, Bandanos is a foursome which, after many line-ups, and having been on the road since 2003, has Crisplatterhead on vocals, Cyco Papa on guitar, Metrankor on drums and Alex the Crusher on bass. Bandanos are nothing but illegal immigrants persecuted by the law in other countries, who found refuge in Brazilian ghettos and formed a band to pay tribute to the great thrash bands throughout history, from Venice Beach to Japan… We met trying to cross the Mexican border to go to the USA, because Papa helped people in the crossing. But when we got caught at the border, he had to come with us to Brazil, and we ended up meeting Alex in a cargo ship coming from Europe with Bangkok smuggling, and Luciano was a sailor who had deserted the Italian army and ended up in the same ship… Papa was wearing a Suicidal Tendencies t-shirt and Alex was wearing a Slayer t-shirt, so we started talking to one another and by the end of the journey, the songs from the first demo were made…

Tell us a little about the band's history, how and when did it get started? What has driven you guys to start a band?
Well, the real reason was really the fact that we wanted to have a band that sounded like early Suicidal Tendencies… We were all huge fans of the older records and of the whole aesthetic and atmosphere surrounding this band. Obviously we didn't want to be in a cover band, but to have a band that had direct influences from ST. In the beginning it was more like a side-project, with no real intentions of being a serious band, but as time went by, things started getting more serious… Actually, people didn't really take us seriously, they thought that the band was a joke for us and that it wouldn't last long, but that's not exactly what happened…

What's the meaning of “Bandanos”?
(laughs) That's a good one. If you conduct an etymological analysis you'll see that there's no such word, because it's the inexistent masculine plural form of “bandana”, but the idea was to sound like “the guys with the bandanas”, since you can consider the bandana a strong symbol of the 80s, and there's all its connection to thrash metal and specially the Suicidal Tendencies, because it was like a trademark for Muir and his boys. It was more like a tribute to the band that inspired us and thousands of other bands that we liked and who also used this thrasher accessory. Then later we discovered that this was the name of a Latin gang in San Francisco (USA) like the Cycos from LA (where some of the ST members came from), so it fit like a glove… We also heard it was the title of an amateur documentary about gangs, but we're not sure about one or the other. It's a meaningless name (in a minimalist point of view), but it ended up becoming something with a stronger meaning, since nowadays that's how we call our friends who go to the shows and wear bandanas, like a way of identifying gang members… Be a “bandano” you too! Join the army!!!

What's the meaning of crossover/thrash in your lives and what are your major influences?
I think that when you're a kid, and you get involved with this rock thing, you know, a scene, bands, the underground, shows, records, all that stuff from the life you lead, what really leaves an impression is the music you listen to in the early days… Because it's a phase in your life where you don't have much to do, while everybody else was thinking about having girlfriends and cars, you spent your time buying records and looking for a crappy show to go to. So you live that with a somewhat romantic intensity, I would say. Thrash and crossover are the soundtrack to that phase in our lives, so they left a strong impression on us as musical genres, and maybe that's why when we sit down to write songs, it flows in such a natural way, and it's so good for us to play. Our influences are classic and at the same time more obscure bands… I think SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, SLAYER, D.R.I., CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, ACCUSED, SEPULTURA (early stuff), AGNOSTIC FRONT (the “Cause for Alarm” and “Victim in Pain” era), S.O.D., HERESY, SACRILEGE, DEATH ANGEL, EXCEL, VIO-LENCE, ANTHRAX, those are bands that, in one way or another, influence us… But obviously we all have personal experiences as musicians and I could go on for hours just naming them… We already have new songs and we'll soon release two splits that Karasu Killer Records might put out in Japan, one with Violator (thrash from Brazil) and another with Toe Tag (hardcore from the USA).

Bandanos is now a respected band in the São Paulo scene. Did you imagine the band would have such an impact, in São Paulo as well as everywhere else?
Well, like I said before, and I'll repeat it now, when we started, people thought we were a joke, no one took us seriously… But I'm not going to lie, I never thought Bandanos would be a garage band forever… We even broke up for a while, and I was responsible for getting everybody back together, remodel things and BEG the other guys for us to get back together and play. I always knew that our work was honest and that there were still many doors out there, and if we wanted, we could slowly open them, and that's what happened… We did things slowly and with perseverance, and with the help of a few friends we managed to conquer more and more space inside what we can call “scene”, be it the punk/hardcore scene or the metal scene. But I confess, I didn't expect us to get this far, even though now that we're here, I look ahead and I see there's so much more to be done.

Do all the band members have jobs, or do you life off your music?
I wish we could live off our music, I would like it… Everybody has a job. Papa owns a store that sells eyeglasses and works at a video store at night. Guerreiro is working way too much to pay the bills. Lobinho is “the one who succeded”, and he's a producer in a TV channel belonging to ESPN Brazil here in São Paulo. I work with telemarketing (the job from hell!) and I'm an English teacher, besides working as a personal trainer. Alex works as a roadie, sound tech and he has a label, Bucho Discos.

What are you guys listening to nowadays?
Ouch… that's a tough one… Lobo listens to Black Flag, Madball e Cryptic Slaughter, Alex only listens to crust, grind and D-Beat. Papa listens to Neurosis and Suicidal. And right now I'm listening to stoner, crust and old school thrash (laughs). I'm kidding, even though Bandanos members have similar tastes in crossover/thrash, they listen to several other music genres and bands that are completely unrelated… I can speak only for myself, but I've been listening to a lot of ORANGE GOBLIN, SAINT VITUS, THE EXECUTE, NEGAZIONE, ROSE ROSE, DR. LIVING DEAD, MxAxCxEx, DEATH ANGEL and HATE YOUR FATE, which are the latest things I bought.

Brazil is a very big country, the band has been to many states and cities, tell me, what's the audience's reaction in each place? Is there a difference?
Anywhere we go, at least for us, everything is an amazing party! We love being on the road and the Thrash Inside Tour was really gratifying for all of us in the band… We played 32 shows in several states and regions of Brazil next to great bands and great friends, who helped us organize these shows, giving us a roof, food, anyway, helped us to promote and play all these shows. In all the places we've been to, there wasn't any negative reaction to our set… There was always a lot of people coming to talk, buy our CDs, t-shirts, patches, bandanas… Not to mention that the CDs are selling really fast, meaning there's the possibility of a second pressing, which would be really good for us. People who live over 100km away from us singing our songs, going crazy in the circle pits, stage diving, taking bodyboards to the shows… It's something very good, to feel this “love” from the people, seeing people wearing our shirts everywhere we go, enjoying the “Cyco” look and identifying with our work. Fuck, I'm being interviewed by a Japanese magazine!!!! That's truly awesome, knowing that people will read my answers backwards! (laughs)

For a few years now, we've been seeing a new wave of punk/hardcore bands in Brazil. How do you see this renewal? Which bands do you like?
I confess, I haven't been following the hardcore/punk scene, but I know that good bands like Buzzcops, Velho de Câncer, Besta-Fera and Diarréia Brutal have been playing here. And also that the terms “punk” and “hardcore” comprise many things, from D-Beat, that's been producing a lot of bands in Brazil, to even crossover bands, like Bandanos. We're living a good moment, which I hope lasts as much as it's possible… But if it doesn't, after everything we'll be here, the same way, doing things as we have always done…

How do you see the current Brazilian scene? Which bands that are a part of this scene do you listen to nowadays?
We're living a good moment right now, in terms of thrash/crossover and fastcore the scene is very well-represented. And I think never before we have had such a “united forces” moment, because the metal and hardcore scenes are more and more integrated, and the people from both sides are also integrated and expanding their “musical taste”, leaving their own radicalism aside and shortening the distances… The bands I would highlight here in Brazil today are HATE YOUR FATE, VIOLATOR, LOW LIFE, REPULSORES, POSSUÍDOS PELO CÃO, D.E.R., xEM CHAMASx, FATAL BLOW, BEERMUG, MxAxCxEx, ALARME, SOCIAL CHAOS, SUBCUT, PRESTO?, RxHxDx, BLASTHRASH, BYWAR and FARSCAPE, among others.

Your songs are sung in Portuguese. Can you explain the content of Bandanos' lyrics? How's the writing process?
Well, I always say the same thing when people ask me about that. I always come up with lyrics in the most unusual situations. Something gives me an insight and I go and write some lyrics for the band. It can come from a book, a movie I saw, a simple conversation with a friend, or even with a stranger on the street. It's something that bothers me and starts building up, like “a cancer in your soul”. Sometimes I even lose some good lyrics, because they come up at a time when I have not even a small piece of paper to write down the idea, and there it goes, a good lyric that could be, maybe, a good song. In “No Crush” there are some very old lyrics that I had kept in my stuff for a long time, and only got to use now, in Bandanos. I've always had this habit of writing lyrics and keeping them, I ended up using some of them in the band, others in bands like xEm Chamasx, which I've played in too… About the content, well, “Por Trás da Máscara do Medo” for example, is a mixture of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and Natural Born Killers… It talks a lot about the other side every man has in his personality, hidden deep inside and that can come out. “Song for George Romero” is a tribute to the great zombie-movie writer, “Justiça das Ruas” and “Only for Good Thrashers” follow the aesthetic of street and scene lingo, in their specific contexts, “Azul, Vermelho e Branco” is more about politics and it talks about the “Amerikkkan” imperialism, even mentioning the tragedies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “Com As Próprias Mãos” is about suicide, that is a major cause of death in Brazil (with higher figures than traffic), and according to what I've seen on TV, it's also the cause of death for 30.000 people a year in Japan. I don't follow a pattern, I speak and express myself the way I see fit. The other members give me the liberty to do it, when they don't like something I write, I just don't use it and leave it aside.

More and more we hear about corruption, violence and unemployment in Brazil, what do you see in the country's future?
There's a clock in São Bento Street here in São Paulo, that instead of the time, tells the amount of taxes the Brazilian citizen pays per second. Every time I pass by it, I admire that bizarre and gigantic figure and I'm sure the problem is never the lack of money to invest and build infra-structure, but the way this money always ends up in the pockets of local elites and mobs. In Japan there's Yakuza, which is known by everybody, but I'm sorry, they're not even close to what the politicians are doing around here… The needy portion of the population (that is, the scum) has no diploma, didn't go to law school, so, they're at the mercy of the elite, that does whatever it wants with public funds, making the country a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year joke.

The reality here is completely different from Brazil. What do you know about Japan? What do you admire in this country?
Wow, “different” is an understatement when you try to express the universe of possibilities that separates our reality from Japan's reality. I really admire Japanese culture, because I'm really obsessed with Japanese art, be it in paintings or sculptures. I'm not very good with names, so I'll try not to mention anyone… Even though it's western, my living room is like a little piece of Japan, with dragons, samurais, masks, swords and Japan, Korea and Thailand-inspired decoration. I admire the strength of a nation with small geographical dimensions that has risen as a power after WWII and the whole American devastation in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and I also admire the Japanese people discipline, because I'm really into martial arts and I think the basis of this whole culture has its roots in eastern countries like Japan, China, Thailand, the Philippines and Korea. Oh, and I also love Spectraman and Ultraseven, who I grew up watching on tv, and of course, the games are incredible… Is there anyone there who would want to invite me for some vacation? Besides, I'm crazy about Japanese food, and obviously, the Japanese beauty (laughs). Damn, your descendents here in Brazil are beautiful!!

Which Japanese bands do you know? What impresses you the most in Japanese bands?
Well, you already know about this, because in the e-mails we've exchanged I made it pretty clear I'm a big fan of Japanese bands… Right now, for example, I'm listening to THE EXECUTE, one of the best bands in the whole history of the Japanese punk/hardcore scene, in my opinion… My first contact with Japanese bands was through two compilations, one called “Farewell to Arms” with OUTO, GAZ TUNK and others, and then there was “Thrash Till' Death”, which had bands like SYSTEMATIC DEATH, GAUZE… I think the Japanese thrash/hardcore scene is amazing, with excellent bands and great records. I'm an unconditional fan of ROSE ROSE and other bands from the eighties like SIC, GAUZE, LIP CREAM, GARLIC BOYS, DEATHSIDE, SOB… But also other kinds of bands (grindcore, punk, crust, etc) also some that don't exist anymore and a few newer ones like BATTLE OF DISARM, CARCASS GRINDER, BEYOND DESCRIPTION, M.O.M. (Morbid Organs Mutilation), UNHOLY GRAVE, SHIKABANE, FUCK ON THE BEACH, DISCLOSE, BALZAK, REAL REGGAE, VIVISICK, SLIGHT SLAPPERS, THE GAIA (I love these girls!!!), CRUCIAL SECTION, RAZORS EDGE and the incredible GALLHAMMER.

Is there a possibility of the band coming to tour in Japan?
Well, I think there's like a 1.9% chance of Bandanos playing in Japan, which is better than zero, right? (laughs) But seriously, we have a “proposal” for some shows in Australia that are still a very remote idea, and through Karasu Killer Records and other friends we have some contacts in Japan… It would be an interesting idea, to have a Australia - Japan connection, but it's something very difficult due to the costs, in both countries, to accomplish a tour like this (DIY). But it's not impossible… It's an idea that in no way we discard. It would be awesome to play there, next to so many bands we like and especially next to ROSE ROSE (Japan heroes!!!!).

Leave a message from Bandanos to the Japanese readers.
My dear Nipponese, you guys rock, keep on having incredible bands and be proud of your whole underground scene and history… Wear bandanas and listen to a lot of thrash and crossover. Keep being extreme as you've always been, and please, don't work too hard!! This is crazy. Write to us, and get our stuff from Karasu Killer. Cheers!

Related link:
www.myspace.com/bandanos