Interview: Nomares
by Kenji Yamaji
originally published in DOLL (Japan) #254
2008/09

1. How did NOMARES get together?
Caju:The band started in 2004 with dfferent members,the idea was make original songs
and record one song for a independent Brazilian website compilation here in Japan, in
2005 I meet Rafael through the internet, after a while Akira (Injecting Steel) and Mauricio (N.E.K) joined the band, with this formation we recorded our first Demo-cd titlted ''Pensamento mal''.
Rafael:We distribuited this material to a bunch of people here in Japan, we wanted to meet Japanese Punk rockers, at this time I met Nakamura san (Answer) who gave us
an important help to get us in the Japanese punk scene, our first concert for a Japanese
audience was organized by Answer Records.

2. Why did the band break up?
Caju: Akira (drummer) quit the band due to personal reasons, Rafael started to play with Darge and N.E.K,  I’m a little busy now with some other stuffs, but the idea is continue to make songs and record.
Rafael: Acutually, Nomares didn't break up, the band is just taking a break. Akira got
tired of playing punk rock with us, his wife is having a baby soon, so it was really hard for him to get all this things done (family,work and the band).Well , I still think that I have to do everything I want! May'be we'll get back together in the future to revive the old times!

3. I think that the sound is a mixture of RAMONE PUNK and Brazilian
hardcore. Who are the biggest influences on your music?
Caju:Ramones was our first influence,from there that everything started, but the biggest influences are Brazilian bands such as R.D.P, Cólera, Olho Seco, Mukeka di Rato, D.F.C and many others.
Rafael:Yeah, Brazilian Hardcore runs in my veins!

4. Are the lyrics written in Portuguese? What do they mean?
Caju:The lyrics express dissatisfaction , hate,punk-horror.
In songs like Na Igreja Não! / 教会は信じるな, Destruir / 破壊and Rezar / 祈り, we express our hate against the religion fascism  that deludes people all over the world. Quenguinha / 娼婦  is about this prostitute who's been ignored by one guy, Ei Garota ! / ヘイ彼女！is the opposite of Quenguinha, one guy who really wants to make out with this girl, but never had chance, then one day he figures that she is a hooker...So he could've had her if he'd given her money.
Putaria ! / やり放題！this guy goes to a party, gets drunk with some ladies and the next day he wakes up in some bad situation...So that's why he quit drinking.
Rafael: The lyrics are all in portuguese, this is the only way  we can express the hate we got inside us. Pensamento Mal / 悪思考, Você vai morrer também/ お前も死ぬ,  Gritar / 叫び, . Minha Mente Suicida / 俺の自殺知能 and Infeliz Aqui / 不幸 are symptoms of personal dissatisfaction, frustration, disgust, depression and will of suicide.
The song Você merece morrer(you deserve to die)will be in a  V/A TOO CIRCLE World Hardcore Punk Compilation 2CD. It is also on the full lenght as a video, shoot in Hamamatsu Shizuoka.

5. What is the meaning of the title “RASCUNHOS 2005-2008”? Is it
Portuguese?
Caju:Yes, it is in portuguese,Mauricio who came with this name wich means draft, or like when you write something on a scrap-paper, it can be also rough things.
We were intended to get in the studio and record all the songs to make this album,but it didn't happen because Akira left the band, so we thougth the name  ''Rascunhos" would be perfect !
Rafael: We have in this album everything we made together, songs from our first demo, stuffs recorded at the live houses, songs produced and recorded with Okazaki( Eternal Elysium) in his studio(Zen studio) and others recorded at Interceptor Studio ,wich is onwed by our Brazilian friend Marcio Maeda.
So...We got all this material together to make this cd Rascunhos 2005-2008, we  really wanna thank Mr.Shutoh san (E.A.S.T Peace records) to make this happen!

6. Did you get the opening SE from a movie? What did you do that for?
Rafael: Yeah...It's really deceptive what is happening, people believe in a ''fake'' god. They think that if they donate more money to the church, it will make them happier.
Here in Japan, some people (Brazilian) who come to work as factory worker or whatever, they leave everything behind to run this churchies and collect money from this idiots. In Minokamo (Gifu),you see more churchies than Brazilian stores.
Caju: The lyric is simple and gets right in the point, it's about this fanatic people fooled by this churchies, this things have been increasing in Brazil,you see one of  this temples in every corner promissing the cure for everything, even  for the H.I.V. Acuatlly we got the opening from hidden camera made by one broadcast in Brazil, where the leader of the church asks for money to cure people.

7. You are playing with DARGE in N.E.K, and also used to play in a metal
band INJECTING STEEL. Could you tell me about each band?
Rafael: With Injecting Steel I was playing tradicional 80's metal, all the members were from Brazil. The band had influences of the Judas Priest, Running Wild, Accept....I joined the band because they needed a bass player and it was really hard to find one, then I stayed 2 years in the band, one day I figured out that I couldn't give 100% to all the bands I was playing, so I decided to quit one.
Darge: I met Oze (gui/vo) last year in may,I started playing with them in November at the same time  as Shinsuke (ex-J.U.U.M) joined the band.
I always wanted to play in a Japanese band, because really like Japanese Hardcore (S.D.S, Death Side, Paintbox, Crow, Lip Cream, Systematic Death,,Gauze, Corruption Of Peace, Gouka, DSB, Nightmare, Vivisick, Flash Gordon, Nice View,Out Of Touch, C.F.D.L. ,Encroached...)
I really enjoy playing bass with Darge, I go crazy with the band style. It's being a fantastic experience for me,where I can give my opinion about the songs and everything...It gets this weird mix between Brazilian and Japanese Hardcore., with lyrics in Japanese and Portuguese. We're gonna have some material soon for you guys,the tracks are about to be finished this month.
N.E.K is crazyness, Insanity...My first experience as a singer, where I can spit out all of this hate that I feel about the world ....I just shout it loud to everyone listen to what I have to say. The band is formed by Naito san (C.F.D.L and ex-Out of Touch) bands that I've always admire and now play with him is fucking great!!! My first friend in Nagoya Mauricio guitar (ex-Nomares) and the ''Destruction boy'' Raphael Mini playing bass.
Ultra fast drumms,Thrash punk with a bit of crossover,crazy latino hardcore with a japanese drummer!!!

8. Each band (the bands mentioned above and NOMARES) has its own style. Do
you play in these bands because you like different music? Don’t you want to
play in bands with a similar style?
Rafael: I like different styles within the punk/hardcore such as Real true Hardcore! General 80's Japcore/Punk,japanese ThrashCore, 80's brazilian Punk Hardcore,70's Punk Rock,US Hardcore, Sweden Punk, UK Punk, Crossover, Thrash Hardcore, D-Beat, Crust, Grindcore, Powerviolence Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Raw Grind Mayhem.Certain time in my life I was playing bass in 3 different bands, it was very exhaustive for me, so  now I play bass with Darge and sing with N.E.K. I think that if I play with bands that have similar style ,it would be hard for me to separate one from another. That's why I prefer to play in bands that don't sound the same.

9. What is your favorite band/record?
Rafael: 1997, I was only 13 years old and i was working delivering documents for this office, riding my bike everywhere in the city. Sometimes I use to stop by these cd stores on my way back.
That time I was amazed by heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Kiss, etc. But I thought that I needed more, I felt like something was missing...I wanted to listen to Brazilian bands! So I got feel bucks to purchase the Ratos De.Porão “Feijoada Acidente-Brasil” album, this cd changed my life.From this day on, I started searching for more material about Brazilian Punk Hardcore scene. It's hard to say wich one is my favorite band, but here is a few ones that I like: Ratos De.Porão, Olho seco, Cólera, Restos De Nada, Lobotomia, Inocentes, Lixomania, Psychic Possessor, Ação Direta, Garotos Podres and Ulster.

10. You often ask Brazilian bands “What do you think about the present
situation in Brazil?” What do you think about the current situation in
Japan where you live in?
Rafael:  Brazil? I don't see a future for Brazil! If you are poor you will be poor, and rich getting richier. It is a country with a lot of social diferences.
I've been in Japan for 5 years, I left my country because I couldn't expect much there for my life. I was poor,  my salary was to be used to help my family, buy cigarretes and records. I started college, got my driver's license, but I did because my mom helped me.I didn't want this things to be like this!
I just wanted to get out of that shit life and try something new, fortunatelly I guess it was a right decision. Today my life is diferent, I like living here, I can work, have my money to do wathever I want.I can see a future here in Japan!
Caju: Brazil is a country that has everything to be among the rich countries,it is growning i believe! But there is always some fucking corrupt  politicians who just wanna dig money out from the population! Japan is  an stable country, I guess you can trust the politicians here more than many other places, they at least do something for the people and the country! I live in Minokamo city.

11. I want to ask you something personal. Were you born in Brazil? How and
when did you enter the world of punk? Have you ever been discriminated in
Japan?
Rafael:I was born in ''chaos'' Sao Paulo.Since i was a little kid, my mom kept saying ''this is not a good place to raise this boy''. I didn't have a dad, it was a troubled time in my life, rebel&crazy times, with drugs and everything, but when I turned 15 years I had the change in my life, I got into the music world, stated learning how to play bass, joined one band called Aneurysm playing some cover songs (Nirvana, Sex Pistols e Ramones,) where I really didn't know what I was doing, but had a happy ending  though.
There is about 300.000 Brazilians living in Japan right now. It is the third biggest foreign community in Japan,yes! I have been discriminated here, just like many other foreigners. I'm not gonna lie to you!
One time I was getting in the store to buy a t-shirt, but when I got in the owner was already telling me to leave, i couldn't understand the language very well, so just left! Sometimes on the train nobody sits next to me, It feels weird sitting alone in this big seat and see all this people standing in front of me.I also worked in a Bentoya where the old ladies weren't very nice to me, there is so many stories...Even when I tried to get in a ''Soprano" place, they didn't let me get in...They showed me a board written ''Japanese Only", well this last one hasn't changed...hhaahahahah
But when I got in the japanese punk/HC scene I saw that there was no prejudice in this world, it was kind of a different planet, I met people who were willing to talk and know things about my country and the Brazilian Punk/Hardcore scene .It was very good for me meet this guys to  help me forget about the problems and discrimination that I had suffered before.
Today I have more Japanese friends than Brazilians !I like Japan a lot, and if there are still people who discriminate other cultures ,I hope they change their way of view because besides the diferences we are all human being.

12. Could you tell me about KARASU KILLER?
Rafael:This label is my life, it gives me the chance to show my japanese friends that there are  thousands of good bands in my country.
Karasu Killer Records is an independent label and distro that was born to make the exchange between Brazil and Japan. Besides its own releases, KKR distributes releases from Brazilian bands in Japan, as well as the other way around.
We believe in the underground scene and the DIY posture. Our intention is to work with several different styles, as punk rock, hardcore, japcore, crust, fastcore, power violence, thrash and grindcore. In a word: noise!
The purpose of KKR isn’t getting rich and making money off underground, but distributing music which we consider good, and with a message to convey.

13. You must be very busy in running a label, playing in several bands, and
writing articles. What is your driving force?
Rafael:Well, the respect and the interest of you guys in what I've been doing here in Japan keep me on this crazy life, playing, working with the label and writing.
My life would be perfect, if I could quit working in factories for good!

14. Please give your message to the readers.
Caju: The violence in the  band's songs and movies on tv is cool,
But in the real life is not that funny!!!
Rafael:I would like to thanks Yamaji san for this opportunity,our good friend Shutoh san for supporting us,all of our friends who's been helping us for this past 2 years,japanese and brazilians.We are one!!!United we will always make dreams come true.
We appreciate !!!!Thanks a lot!!!

Contacts:
www.myspace.com/nomares
karasukiller@karasukiller.com