The band is really young, created in early 2009 and composed by Afonso Cabral, Salvador Menezes, João Gil, Luís Costa, Tomás Sousa and David Santos.
You can reach the band through their Official Site and Facebook.
Discover with this funny and relaxed interview how did everything started, their adventure to SXSW, what they think about music and much more.
Fuck Yeah Music Stories: Hi! First of all, we would like to know what's the story behind the name?
You Can't Win, Charlie Brown - Salvador: Every band needs a name so people can identify them and since we were appearing on the album Novos Talentos FNAC, we needed one too. We used to rehearse in Afonso’s home rehearsal studio and there were several books. You can’t win, Charlie Brown was one of them. We looked at it and we thought it made perfect sense.
FYMS: We know it was Salvador and Afonso who actually started and then came up the opportunity to join other bands. How did it all happen?
YCWCB - S: Yes, sort of. Luís Costa asked Afonso about the idea of starting a project with him, since they were both writing songs on their own. Afonso knew I was doing the same and asked me about it. And then we met up to arrange the songs each one of us had. After that we decided to invite David to join the band and he said yes and the band was formed.
João and Tomás joined later but the truth is they were always present. Initially, our idea of the band was something where we could invite different people to participate. At the end it wasn't like that. We already knew them because Afonso and I had already formed a band with them. We have known each other for years. We needed people for the band and it is obvious that we invited those we know well and like working with.
FYMS: How did you get the opportunity of recording an EP with Optimus Discos?
YCWCB - S: It was an invitation from Henrique Amaro. It was a great way of advertising.
FYMS: Did he have any kind of influence during the process? Or did you already have everything planned before?
YCWCB - S: He didn’t have any influence. As a matter of fact, it was also Henrique who invited us to participate in the album Novos Talentos FNAC without even listening to any song. He had confidence in us. Apparently, he trusted the band and he just said, “Choose the song you want”. The same thing happened when we did the EP.
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FYMS: So, basically, you can say the EP was your launching pad.
YCWCB - S: It was more thanks to the Novos Talentos project by FNAC. It all started there. We were also asked by Fernando Alvim to participate in the Termómetro music festival and we got the third place.
YCWCB - João: All that happened with the original formation of the band.
YCWCB - S: By that time we were still experimenting. There was a violinist that didn't stay in the band and then when João and Tomás came we felt that we were complete. It was like reinventing the wheel.
FYMS: Which bands or artists influenced you while working on your album Chromatic?
YCWCB - J: We are six members who share the same tastes and at the same time we also like completely different things.
YCWCB - S: It is obvious that we have some in common, because if we didn’t then we wouldn’t be making music together, I think.
Each one of us has been influenced in different ways. Like João said, some are the same and some are completely different. That is why it is difficult to answer.
FYMS: Couldn’t you give us some names? Or a name?
YCWCB - J: I can tell you one we all love and it is Radiohead. I know it can be quite obvious. It must be 500 million people's favorite band too but it is one we have in common.
YCWCB - S: We can’t say a band or an artist. It is almost like saying we copied that band. It's not copying but, more and more, I believe we start being influenced the moment we start listening to music as children. As bad as those songs could be, they are experiences that stay with us forever and as our musical taste evolves, we realize whether they were good or bad.
FYMS: Why the name Chromatic?
YCWCB - S: The name came up because we thought Chromatic made sense, since it is an album that has different colors. We think each song of the album has its own atmosphere but as a whole they create an album that can be listened from beginning to end. And it was more because of that diversity that we decided to use that name. Finding a one-word name was one of the premises because the name of our band was already too long. So we had to find a word that was a synonym for the album and Chromatic was the one we came up with.
FYMS: While doing the album, we know you worked with Mário Feliciano from Real Combo Lisbonense. What could you tell us about that?
YCWCB - S: By that time we were already 6 members. Mário went to see us and apparently he liked the band a lot. He sent us an email saying he owned a recording studio with his brother, and that he would like to record our first album which we agreed. We did our first album and he did his first album production. The conditions were great and I think it was a good experience for both the band and the producer. And it was good working with him.
YCWCB - J: He has the most amazing recording studio in Portugal, I think. At least compared to the ones I have seen so far. They have a lot of old instruments. It’s a place where you feel good the moment you get there. There are studios that make you want to leave as soon as you arrive. That doesn’t happen in this one. It’s a place where we feel good. I think that also influences the recording process. Perhaps some songs took a different turn because of the instruments that were available.
FYMS: If you had the chance to work with a band or a Portuguese artist, who would you like to work with?
YCWCB - J: I think it's a good time to mention Paus.
YCWCB - S: Yes, now it makes sense to talk about them. They’re a band we all like very much and we will also be playing with this great Portuguese band on February 29th, at São Jorge Theater. Not exactly with Paus but with their Siamese drum set.They are a great band we are going to be working with now. There are several bands we like- some are good Portuguese bands that are coming up and some that already existed. We also have in Pataca publishing house two bands that we know very well, Julie and the Carjackers and Walter Benjamin. Even Márcia, who participated in the album.
YCWCB - J: I am thinking about some artists but it would be ungrateful to mention ones and not the others. They are so much that…
YCWCB - S: Our band is very open to new suggestions and if there is a chance, we'll always try to do something that can please both the bands and the people.
FYMS: But we read Blitz a lot, which is the most acknowledged Portuguese magazine. And besides the Optimus Discos fascicle, it doesn't have a big impact in Portuguese music.
YCWCB - S: We are a recent band that just released an album in 2011. I think a band is only taken seriously after releasing an album. And since we only have one and it is recent, we're not famous enough to make people talk about us.
FYMS: From my experience, I started discovering more bands through the blog. Someone told me YCWCB were very talented.
YCWCB - J: Nowadays, the Internet is the best way to reach people. It is faster to reach 10 thousand people through Facebook than appearing 10 seconds on TV.
YCWCB - S: And probably we wouldn't be reaching our target audience through TV.
FYMS: Following up the question about Portuguese artists. We wanted to know if there is any international band you would like to work with. Besides the obvious one.
YCWCB - Afonso: I think Paus is obvious! But speaking about international artists, I don’t know. I would like to work together with so many bands. I’m trying to remember bands I’ve been listening to but they’re all dead.
FYMS: If you could bring someone back to life who would it be?
YCWCB - A: I think it would be Nick Drake. I would work with him and then he could go back.
FYMS: What do you think about music made in Portugal?
YCWCB - A: I think it’s going through a great period right now, excellent. These last years, especially on 2010 and 2011, a lot of new things have appeared. I don't remember a year with so many album releases. Good albums. We already talked about Paus and also Julie (and the Carjackers) album, that was released some months ago. Still related to Pataca, there is also Márcia’s album that was very good. B Fachada’s album too.
FYMS: How was it to work with an artist such as Márcia?
YCWCB - S: It was very easy. We already knew her and she also knew the studio where we recorded. She went a couple times so we invited her and immediately she said yes. It was quite easy, it was just a matter of scheduling a time to meet.
FYMS: So, she didn’t participate in the songwriting process.
YCWCB - A: No, the song already existed.
YCWCB - S: We just thought it made sense to have a feminine voice in that song. We were lacking that kind of voice and we thought Márcia was the obvious solution.
YCWCB - A: Mainly because of her voice and the music she does. And besides it was also because it was easy to record at the same publishing house and at the same studio so it was like family.
FYMS: How was it to play at English stages?
YCWCB - S: It was amazing. We never expected much. Well, I speak for myself. I always think there will be a few guys and our manager. But 90% of the times – we had a very small audience at a concert once – they exceed our expectations.
YCWCB - J: Even the smallest ended up to be an interesting concert. At least I have good memories from that night.
YCWCB - S: Apparently artists like Amy Winehouse and Blur had already performed at that place.
In a place where concerts happen every day, it’s normal to have an off day once in a while.
YCWCB - A: It was awesome. We arrived there thinking it would be empty. Or that maybe people aren't there to see us but the truth is, most of the times people stay at the end and they’re entertained. People were singing Over The Sun/Under The Water at the last concert we did. We were absolutely surprised.
YCWCB - S: We had a full house at The Great Escape music festival in Brighton. Even more than the main artists had.
FYMS: Is the English audience different than the Portuguese? When international artists arrive, they say Portuguese audience is unique. What's the difference?
YCWCB - J: I had the feeling they were more attentive. I couldn't hear the chatting. At Music Box, for instance – which is one of the places where I like to play the most because I’m right next to the people – there is always noise. At Lock Tavern (London), the first place we played, I had the feeling people didn't talk. When we were playing people were just listening. When we stopped, they started talking and then when we started again, they were silent. That doesn’t mean it’s better.
FYMS: Perhaps the place was also a bit different…
YCWCB - S: Exactly. Like you said, maybe Music Box isn’t the best example. At São Luís theater, people were quiet. It always has to do with the place. David Byrne has a video on TED where he talks about that, how architecture influences music. I think it all has to do with the place your playing and who you’re playing for. Perhaps in each place you’ll have a different audience.
YCWCB - A: What I found curious about the audience was that there were a lot more people talking with us after the shows than here. We noticed that people there thought we were something different.
(Afonso, Salvador and João)
FYMS: Is there any song you think, “I wish I had written this”?
YCWCB - A: It happens every day. It never happened to me with a whole song, but small things, certain ideas or certain ways to arrange songs…
YCWCB - J: I’ve had some difficult times in my life because of that. Being upset thinking why didn’t I do this. This is so simple, so pretty and I never thought of that.
YCWCB - S: I have a problem with that because I can’t think like that. If something like that crosses my mind I immediately think I wouldn’t be capable of writing that. I think each person has its own way of writing which ends up being characteristic of that person. And you’ll never have that idea in your life. That’s why this thought could eventually cross my mind but the truth is I know I couldn’t have written that.
FYMS: So, music is personal, from each one…
YCWCB - S: Always.
FYMS: Because there are artists that sing songs that were written by others.
YCWCB - A: That also happens. Perhaps it is more personal to the person who wrote it than to the person who sings it. These are completely different things. When we say music is personal, at least for me, it has to do more with the songwriter than with the singer, most of the time. Just because it’s personal it doesn’t mean it biographical. It only means that it comes from than person and it could only be that way.
FYMS: You will be playing at South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas. How did that opportunity arise?
YCWCB - A: You have to apply to go and then they say which bands were selected. We were chosen in the second round. We sent the application form and never thought about that anymore. Then we knew we had been selected and got really excited.
YCWCB - S: As a matter of fact, I have a curious story about my boss. Last year, I started working with him and when things with the band started developing he told me, “Next year you’ll be playing in Texas” and we both started laughing. At a certain point I ended up telling him I was actually going to play in Texas. It was curious that he said that as a joke and it ended up happening. No one was expecting it.
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YCWCB - A: I said we got very excited. That lasted 5 minutes. Now we have to turn this into reality. We’ve been looking for support since then and we're still looking in different places.
YCWCB - S: We are 6. Each ticket to Texas costs more than a thousand Euros if we buy them now. If we buy them later they will be even more expensive. So that’s already 6 or 7 thousand Euros. And then there is also the work visa, renting the equipment and all that stuff. At the end, it costs a lot of money. We all gathered and agreed to find a solution, because things are complicated and finding support nowadays isn’t easy. We came up with this crowdfunding idea that is working pretty well. And I hope it keeps going until the day comes.
FYMS: And you have a concert scheduled at São Jorge Theater.
YCWCB - A: Yes, it’s all part of the same. But we didn't want to ask people to help us with money. I don’t like using the expression “ask for” because we’re not properly asking. We are asking for help, yes, but there are “rewards”. It's hard for us to pay the trip to Texas, but things are difficult for the rest of the people too. That’s why we are giving a concert and we will give tickets according to people’s donations. We also recorded some songs for an EP and some posters. We have several things to offer according to what people give us.
FYMS: I remember last year there was an international band that cancelled their tour in Europe because they didn’t have the money to travel.
YCWCB - A: There are specific websites for that. We did it by our own means. It isn't exactly an innovative idea. I don’t remember anyone doing anything like that in Portugal.
YCWCB - S: I think it has been done before. But I can’t remember who did it.
YCWCB - A: It’s not exactly the same thing but They’re Heading West are a band formed by Francisca Cortesão, João Correia, from Julie and the Carjackers, Mariana Ricardo and Sérgio Nascimento. They also give some concerts at Teatro da Barraca, always inviting a band, and we were one of them. The money from those concerts was used to pay trips to the US, to give concerts. So, it’s more or less the same idea but it's used differently. That's the reason for the concert, the songs, the posters, the videoclip... We know we have a small window of opportunity.
FYMS: Now complete these sentences...
a) One Day...
YCWCB - A: I won’t have a desire for a cigarette.
b) The best thing people can say about me...
YCWCB - S: Good things. These guys are very handsome and they all have a very nice beard.
YCWCB - A:“Afonso, you can smoke, it won’t do you no harm.” Or That they (people) would like to have the same beards.
c) And the worst...
YCWCB - S: Bad things.
YCWCB - J: Shave that beard and mustache, you ugly.
YCWCB - S: I think we would stop having an audience if we get on stage one day without drooling.
d) In ten years...
YCWCB - J: Chromatic will be the worst of our ten albums.
FYMS: What would you tell to FYMS readers?
YCWCB - A: Hi! How are you?
YCWCB - S: If you made it and read the whole interview, Congratulations!
YCWCB - A: If you held on until the end, congratulations and show up at São Jorge theater.
Special thanks to You Can't Win, Charlie Brown, to Afonso, Salvador and João who got the time to meet us, Raquel Lains, Diana Pereira for assisting on the Translating process and all the artists above.
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