Carnaval PDX

More pre-Carnaval tidbits

2009-02-24T16:36:00.001-08:00

Members of the wonderful Lions of Batucada taped a short segment in the KINK.FM Live Performance Lounge today which was videotaped and will be posted on the KINK website sometime Wednesday. In addition, portions of the audio will be broadcast on the KINK morning show on Friday.

Though only about 35% of the drummers were present, they shook the building and attracted a large number of the radio station's employees with their contagious Carnaval rhythms. All were impressed by the group's precision, the tight, punchy breaks and their obvious enthusiasm and energy.

Get ready for an amazing show on Saturday at the Crystal. These Lions are out for blood and I promise you won't be able to sit still once they start roaring!!! More powerful than a locomotive!

Don't forget the Lions will also be on KOIN-TV's morning show this Friday with three live segments running from 5-7am. Hats off to those players and dancers who will be getting up early to make this gig!

Sign up for our mailing list if you want to be kept up to date, and sign up as a Facebook friend, "Carnaval Brasileiro Portland".

Carnaval is only a week away!

2009-02-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

Well, a week plus one day! The buzz around the city is becoming palpable, lots of forums are heating up with discussions about costumes, pre-Carnaval gatherings and so on. The tradition in Portland is getting off to a nice start.

Some items of interest: the Lions of Batucada will be recording a short segment at KINK.FM as part of their Live Music Lounge series...it will be videotaped for the KINK website, and a part will be broadcast on KINK sometime Thursday morning. In addition, some brave members of the Lions will get up early on Friday the 27th for several early morning appearances on the KOIN morning news program...broadcast live from somewhere in the Crystal Ballroom...hats off to those drummers and dancers who will take the plunge...coffee will be provided by Nossa Familia coffee, a Portland-based roaster of family-fazenda-grown coffee, and one of our sponsors.

Check out the photo gallery on this site for some great shots from the Carnaval in Austin three weeks ago...just click on the 2009 button on the Photo Gallery page...some cool and HOT stuff....

For some warm-up music for Carnaval, yours truly, the humble SambaMaster will be hosting an hour of samba, frevo and other carnaval music this Monday, Feb 23 at 11 a.m. on Wieden + Kennedy's new Internet radio site: http://radio.wk.com/ Will be a great way to get ready for the party the following Saturday. Crank it up!

So, get your costume ready, and spread the word about this amazing party! If you want to sign up on our brand new FaceBook page, find us here: "Carnaval Brasileiro Portland"

See you soon.

"Official" Carnaval Hotel

2009-01-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

We've lined up a great hotel with a special rate for those coming into Portland for Carnaval, or for those who want to avoid driving after a night of wacky festivities. The wonderful Mark Spencer Hotel will now be one of our co-sponsors and pals...They are offering a special rate of only $109 for their Standard room making it a great and economical option only two blocks or so from the Crystal Ballroom.

To get this special rate, call the hotel directly at 503-224-3293, or toll-free at 800-548-3934 and ask for the special Carnaval rate.

We are really excited about this and encourage you to give them your business.

Another new sponsor is Nossa Familia Coffee, a locally based Portland importer of great Brazilian coffees, straight from their family's "fazenda" in the state of Minas Gerais. They practice ethical and sustainable growing practices on their farm and often donate to local causes here in Portland. Their various coffees are available in several local coffee houses as well as at New Seasons and Whole Foods, among other quality grocers.

The Lions are roaring!

2009-01-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I attended a rehearsal of the Lions of Batucada who will be performing at Carnaval, Feb 28 at the Crystal along with Grupo Saveiro from New York.

All I can say is: "OMG!!!!!" They are fantastic. The power and precision of nearly 30 percussionists can be overwhelming, and this jaded music critic was overwhelmed. This is music that immediately penetrates your gut and you soul and gets you moving on all levels. The low pitched bass drums, the surdos, connect with your heartbeat while the higher pitched drums, the caixas, repiques and especially the tiny tamborins, really mess with your brain's beta waves and can send you into another world. Does this sound like great dance music? YES!!!! It is!

And the Lions do it with finesse and power at the same time. No mean trick. This group of "volunteers" is highly dedicated, attending one or two rehearsals every week to perfect this really quite complex drum music. So they must be commended for dedication, if nothing else. However, they can likewise be commended for just doing an amazing job with a music I've loved and embraced for the last 35 years. I've experienced this stuff in Rio, Bahia, Rio some more, Austin (with members of the samba school Portela), San Francisco, and even more Rio, and the Lions shake me up as deeply as anything I've heard anywhere (well, except maybe when I was playing caixa with Portela in Rio, and maybe the first time I heard the afoxe, Filhos de Gandhy in Salvador in 1980).

If you like to dance, then you need to get yourself in front of the Lions of Batucada. Your body will love you for it as their rhythms attack you, seduce you, eat YOU for lunch! The power of the pride!

Carnaval in Portland ready to launch!

2008-12-30T14:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a long time hatching this baby, but now Carnaval Brasileiro Portland is barely 2 months away, Feb 28, 2009. The Crystal Ballroom has been the site of many amazing musical events in its 100 or so years, but rarely has anything as wild, hypnotic and exciting as Carnaval taken place within those very interesting and experienced walls.

We're getting all the elements together: the Lions of Batucada from Portland, Grupo Saveiro from Brazil via New York, and YOU! Because, in the end, it is you, the party goer, who makes this thing happen, your enthusiasm, your energy, your costumes, your spirit. So, bring it on!

We are proud to have KINK-FM as our radio sponsor, and they are excited about becoming involved with this event. They will be doing lots of Carnaval related things on the air, and we'll announce those as they firm up.

We are also firming up a deal with a local hotel right down the street from the Crystal which will offer better than usual rates on rooms during Carnaval weekend. Stay tuned for that.

Oh, almost forgot, tickets are on sale now for Carnaval, via TicketMaster, go to the "Tickets" button above to get to the link for TicketMaster. But just so you know, if you want to avoid those high "convenience fees" for online ticket sales, you can go to the Crystal Ballroom box office where the "facility fee" is only a buck, and you can pay cash or card there. Hours are 11:30-6, later on nights when there is a performance in the Ballroom.

Please spread the word about this ultra cool event. I think Portland will take to Carnaval the same way Austin has where this party now attracts more than 6000 happy party folks!