PRS Visits O Rappa in Brazil

Shawn Nuthall, from PRS Guitars, recently traveled to Brazil to spend time with Xandao Meneses, guitar player for the Brazilian band O Rappa (pronounced Oh Hoppa in Portuguese) to witness the filming of a live concert DVD as well as to tag along for a few stops on the band's most recent tour. On August 24th, O Rappa performed and filmed a historic live concert in Rocinha, which is a favela (or slum) located in the hills of Rio de Janeiro. Due to the isolated and often violent nature of the favelas, most acts will not perform among the shanty homes and twisting streets of these communities. O Rappa is a bit different. They have a message in their music which empowers people from all walks of life, rich or poor, so Rocinha seemed to be the perfect place to film a live concert DVD.

The media buzz was at fever pitch and the three major Brazilian guitar magazines repeatedly called Xandao for the scoop on the Rocinha show. Everyone wanted to know if the show was really going to happen? Was it safe? What was the band thinking? Xandao explained the game plan and insured everyone that the show would indeed go on as planned.

On the night of August 24th, 2009 the streets of Rocinha were shut down to motorized traffic so the residence of this impoverished community took to the streets on foot to celebrate the arrival of one of Brazil's most popular musical acts. As the camera crews and sound men, light crews and guitar techs set up for what would surely be a monumental event, the residence of Rocinha gathered just outside the venue walls. The doors opened around midnight and about 10,000 people filled the outdoor arena. At 1:30 AM the band took the stage. They opened with "Meu Mundo é o Barro" a song from the bands most recent release 7 vezes (7 times) which is one of the bands most recent hits. This song really got the crowd rocking! About three songs into the set, the overflow crowd, which gathered outside of the venue walls, busted down the barrier gates and flooded inside. Since the favelas are know as violent and high crime areas, tensions ran high. Falcao, O Rappa's front man and lead singer, calmed the crowd by asking for peace and respect. The band resumed playing and the show continued into the early morning hours without a single incident of violence or further disturbance.

After a few days off in Rio, the band and crew loaded up and headed south to Curitiba, a city in the state of Parana. Curitiba has more of a European vibe when compared to Rio de Janeiro. Regardless of the location or the demographics, the crowds at O Rappa shows are fervent. They know every word to every song and sing along freely and without reservation. These fans have more than a passing interest in this band and it's music. This is a cultural phenomena.

The following day the gear was loaded onto the truck and we hopped onboard the tour bus for a trip to Florianopolis, an island in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. This island has the laid back vibe of southern California surfing community mixed in with the influx of affluent vacationers. Due to the relaxed atmosphere of this resort community, one would think the crowd would be a bit more subdued, nothing could be further from the truth. O Rappa rocked with the Florida crowd well into the pre-dawn hours of the morning.

Throughout the tour Xandao played his #1 guitar, a Singlecut Modern Eagle for most of the sets. However, he does switch it up and also uses his PRS 22/12 string and PRS Archtop models on certain songs. The versatility and dependability of PRS guitars make them an excellent choice for touring musicians. In fact, Xandao trusts his PRS guitars so much, he doesn't even bring a back up instruments with him on tour although he has several more PRS guitars residing in his studio which he uses for recording.

These three shows with O Rappa showed the enthusiasm of a Brazilian crowd, the clockwork timing of a tour-worthy road crew, and the glory of a rock band in their prime. The Brazil public has embraced O Rappa because their music crosses all boundaries of race, economics and social status. The complexities of the music and empowering lyrics speak to the heart of Brazilians and people everywhere.

Visit O Rappa on the web:

www.orappa.com.br/orappa/orappa.html

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