Interview: Eduardo e Alex (Kacttus)
by Ricardo Tibiu (tibiu@karasukiller.com | www.chiveta.wordpress.com)
Photos: Jalto Amaro
originally published in DOLL (Japan) #255
2008/10

Back to the '90s!
Started in São Paulo six years ago, Kacttus has just had their first CD, “Lado a Lado”, released by Fusa Records. The band's sound cross-refers straight to the hardcore that defined the nineties. With fast bases, melody and singalong vocals, Rafael (guitars/vocals), Nicola (guitars), Eduardo (bass) and Alex (drums) show, in Portuguese, their indignation against everything they believe to be wrong, be it social or political injustice. We talked to Eduardo and Alex, who, among other things, told us about playing with the Canadians from Propagandhi and the North Americans from Strike Anywhere.

What do you think would be the best definition to Kacttus's music?
Eduardo: So, this label thing is complicated. For us, we sound like old school nineties hardcore, but we'd rather have each person listen to it and then give us their opinion.
Alex: It's complicated to say that you play hardcore in Brazil nowadays, because people will think it's that genre where bands have a lighter approach to the music and sentimental lyrics, so because of that we like to say that “our” hardcore is totally influenced by the old school, '80s and '90s.

What are the band's main influences?
Eduardo: The main influence is undeniably Pennywise, but there's also Strike Anywhere, Suicidal Tendencies, NOFX...
Alex: We listen to a lot of old school, be it punk, hardcore, thrash, crossover... Since Eduardo has already talked about our influences, I can add Nitrominds, Rise Against, Municipal Waste, Propagandhi and the list goes on.

You guys sing in Portuguese, give Japanese readers some insight on what your lyrics are about.
Eduardo: We sing about social and political injustice, about violence etc. Basically, we talk about everything that happens around us every day.
Alex: We like to talk about what's wrong in the country and the world we live in, always with a message saying that everything can change if instead of just sitting around and waiting for it to happen, you take positive action and make it happen; union and friendship are everything nowadays, that's where your motto came from, and the title of the record as well: “We are not here to be better, we're here to walk side by side” [Editor's note: the CD is called “Lado a Lado” (Side by Side)].

You have shared the stage with the Canadians from Propagandhi and the Americans from Strike Anywhere. What did it mean to you?
Eduardo: For us, it was an old dream come true. All bands dream about sharing the stage with that band that has directly influenced their sonority, the one you don't stop listening to, wherever you are, and with us it wasn't any different.
Alex: Dude, to this day, when I think about it, I still can't believe we played those shows. With Propagandhi it was a bit complicated because the mayor's office sealed off the venue (Hangar 110), and the show was transfered to another venue at the last minute, we had to run a lot, but the show happened, the guys were super cool. With Strike Anywhere it was like we had known the guys forever. A fine example of humbleness and respect, which many Brazilian bands should follow. We talked for a while and the guys complimented us saying they enjoyed our show, it was amazing!

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?
Alex: Dude, there really are bands coming from all over the place. The internet has been the main marketing tool for bands nowadays, too bad many of them come in “seasons”, you had never heard of the band up until yesterday, and today you know them and they have thousands of “fans” on their Orkut profile or community, huge shows within the independent scene etc. I consider this to be temporary due to the boom of bands that came out of the independent scene and are now mainstream like NX Zero and Strike. Kids start and break up bands within minutes influenced by this kind of band with a more accessible sound, lyrics that are easy to assimilate etc. In relation to highlights, the punk/hardcore bands that are thriving and walking their own path are our friends in Decore, Que Fim Levou Valdir?, Nivaldos. But the eternal highlights that I can mention are also our friends in Nitrominds, Deserdados, Gritando HC, Randal Grave... It's those and many other bands that keep the old school going strong.

Alex, as the owner of Fusa Records, you do you see the music industry nowadays?
Alex: Weak. Today it's easy for you to download a CD through a link, in less than 10 minutes you have the record, the artwork and more. What's hard and mostly impossible is to make these kids think about the effort needed to record this CD, release it, so that it could later be compressed into a link. Of course there are pros, the band's work will end up in places impossible to be reached through regular distribution, it will be heard by many, many people. I thought that what Envydust (from São Paulo) did with their record was really cool, they made a deal with their label, Travolta Discos, and released their record at a very reasonable price. Nowadays that's how things must be done, you have to give up using an old, standard method and invest in the quality of the band live, in the production and other methods to, then, make people interested in buying the CD.

Kacttus sonority's really draws from '90s-style hardcore bands. Which do you think are the main changes the style has been through since then?
Alex: The exaggerated “melody” that this genre has suffered from (laughs). Nowadays it's complicated to say that a band plays hardcore because most people won't bother listening to the band to try to know it, they rather just think it's a melodic band with sentimental lyrics and all that stuff that's now connected to what hardcore has become. Due to the large number of bands like that, hardcore from the nineties has lost some room with the crowd, but there's always those people who still have that spirit longing for change, liberty, friendship and positivity, which goes beyond any other feeling or transformations that have occurred since that time. Surely that motivates not only Kacttus, but also the bands that have been around for a long time, to keep doing this kind of music, without demagogy and without trying to impress anyone.

What are the band's plans for the future?
Eduardo: We want to keep on promoting our first CD, “Lado a Lado”, which was released this April, everywhere we can, and soon release our first video.
Alex: We're almost finishing our “Underground Voices Tour” (promoted by Fusa Records) along with Gritando HC. This tour will be over by the end of June and in July we're already scheduling shows to promote “Lado a Lado”. Now that we have the CD in our hands we plan on playing all over the country where we're given space to do so, and also promote it on radio stations, fanzines and on TV for people to know us. During this tour we'll start working on ideas for a video which will be released on the latter half of the year.

Besides Godzilla, what do you know about Japan? Any band?
Eduardo: There are many Japanese bands I've been listening to lately. FC FIve, Rude Bones and Ska Ska Club are a few.
Alex: Eduardo talked about the bands we know, I also know and talk to Yusuke from Sunsgrind. Besides Godzilla I know -- and I'm fascinated about Jaspion and Jiraya! I've just heard about a band formed by Brazillians who play there, called Cabeça de Bagre.

Leave a message to Japanese readers!
Alex: First, thanks Ricardo for the interview, if there were several “Ricardos Tibiu” out there I guarantee that the promotion for bands would be much better! To the Japanese: thank you to those who read the interview, check us out at MySpace and promote our band in Japan, who knows, maybe we're invited to play over there (laughs).

Contacts:
www.myspace.com/kacttus
www.fotolog.com/kacttus
www.purevolume.com/kacttus
www.myspace.com/fusarecs
www.fotolog.com/fusarecords
fusarecords@gmail.com