Brazil pop-up shows November 19th through November 25th

beckysioux · November 2011

Awesome article is awesome.

Interview: OK Go on letting fans insert their 'social selves' into their live show

What would (all of) you do if you weren't in a band?

As a child I wanted to be the guy who designs LEGO sets. I like to think I might have followed that dream. Tim would be a playwright. Dan would be in the pit crew of a Formula One team. Andy would run a paleo food company and a gym.

I see a Boardie in this pic!!!

And here's another article that promises an interview with D some time next week:

OK Go pop-up gigs build buzz ahead of Cuervo live event

During the day new media age also got a chance to interview Ok Go frontman Damian Kulash and Cuervo Tequila MD Peter Gutierrez. Both interviews will be featured next week on new media age, with Kulash talking on how the band got rid of EMI to create their own record label and how that effects the way they partner with brands.

laeticia · November 2011

beckysioux said:

Awesome article is awesome.

Interview: OK Go on letting fans insert their 'social selves' into their live show

What would (all of) you do if you weren't in a band?

As a child I wanted to be the guy who designs LEGO sets. I like to think I might have followed that dream. Tim would be a playwright. Dan would be in the pit crew of a Formula One team. Andy would run a paleo food company and a gym.

I see a Boardie in this pic!!!

And here's another article that promises an interview with D some time next week:

OK Go pop-up gigs build buzz ahead of Cuervo live event

During the day new media age also got a chance to interview Ok Go frontman Damian Kulash and Cuervo Tequila MD Peter Gutierrez. Both interviews will be featured next week on new media age, with Kulash talking on how the band got rid of EMI to create their own record label and how that effects the way they partner with brands.

HAHA, loved that interview

especially:

We were here (see photo above). And honestly, it was pretty shortsighted of me to think we'd get mobile coverage up there, because Jesus clearly doesn't need our petty technology. When he wants to talk, he just speaks directly to people.

TipoDeemin · November 2011

This... This has all made me so very, very happy. So many congratulations, Laeticia! And wow do I wish suddenly that I was in Brazil. >_>

beckysioux · November 2011

The video of the live performance of IWYSBICB is up. Now, I got to see it live via my phone, so I couldn't hover over the pixels to see who exactly made it into the live feed, but I could have sworn I saw my Twitter avatar, albeit very small. But now when I watch the recorded video, I'm not there. Nor are some other Boardies that I know were also in it.

I'm thinking that the site picks up avatars that recently tweeted #shotcast from when you reload the webpage and didn't keep the info from when the show was live. I think that sucks just a little.

But anyway, have any of you found any other pics or vids from the Rio shows?

glamour_and_sedition · November 2011

Hmmm, I think you may be on to something. I remember seeing yours, too, and I'm pretty sure Leticia said she saw both mine and yours during the live broadcast. Wish I had thought to do a screen capture!

BeckiWitte · November 2011

My pic appears to still be in it. I checked after reading this. Hmmmm....... strange.

BTW I am listed as Rebecca W Hoopes on the shotcast.

laeticia · November 2011

Becks, I think you're right. Each time I loaded the videos (day after day), the avatars change. AND I noticed that the latest #shotcast you tweet appears. So, if I tweet it when I'm seeing it, I'm there. If I reload it the other day, I'm not. I remember seeing one of the girls from twitter all over everything that was white when it was broadcast, but now there's someone else's avatar there. So, I think yeah, it loads differently everyday or so.

There's a bunch of pics of Rio in Jose Cuervo's facebook (if you want me to, I'll link them over here, but just search for Jose Cuervo's page)

And I have to say, because I'm amongst friends here, they were much more friendly and seemed happier on the Rio concerts (Dan even threw drumsticks, and he didn't do it here, not a single time, even though we screamed he was awesome like 1294720834 times in every show). AND they didn't take a single shot from us either. I haz the sad. But it's okay, they did more shows there, maybe that's why. And they picked the most awesome places and the correct times, so, there was always a lot of people around, except for the 1st one at Ipanema. And people love Rio, what can I say. hahahaha but stiiiiiil ok /endrant /nevermindsillyme

AND I HAVE A QUESTION

I'm translating (not google translating, really translating) two interviews with OK Go from magazines from here. They're pretty cool interviews, with things I think you'd like to read, BUT I STILL HAVE TO KNOW, if anyone will read it, because they're really huge. And I have a lot on my hands lately, but if someone reads it I will gladly and most certainly put in the effort. Because I love you guys <3

laeticia · November 2011

Okay, I'll link some stuff I found here

here's a playlist to the Lapa concert, to the Cinelandia concert and to the Ipanema concert @Rio

here's the link to Jose Cuervo's albuns

and for the ones who don't have facebook or something, their flickr

also, there's more videos on Cuervo's YT account

and if you browse 'cuervo cold ok go' on Flickr, you'll find A LOT of pictures.

is this okay?

magnoliamaggiemag · November 2011

Leticia, all those links are most ceraintly WONDERFUL. And a great way to procrastinate :) Concerning the interviews, I'd love to read them. Though I don't want you prioritizing your time on this silly little interview. I rather you finish up what you have before you start translating. I'll be quite entertained in the meantime...

TipoDeemin · November 2011

I also agree that I'd love to read the interviews you're translating, but I think you should take care of you first and we'll all be patient in the meantime. :)

beckysioux · November 2011

Here's that article New Media Age promised:

Q&A: Damian Kulash, OK Go

"What appealed to you about the project?

It was mostly the idea of playing with the parameters of shows. Rock and roll shows have been such a known quantity. In 2007 or 2008, we’d been on tour for our second record for 31 months, we played over two and a half years of shows and most of that time was opening for really huge bands. We’d play massive arenas that are just a sea of darkness. There’s this really impersonal feeling and when you get to 300 of those, you start to realise how modular and commodity driven music is and I was feeling very burned out

Since then we’ve been looking for ways to play with the parameters of rock shows and make them a different type of challenge or experience, so that everyone is discovering something new together. It’s been awesome because there is a hardcore, dedicated group of fans that would show up at all of it, but then you also see all these people walking by on the street. It is such a good feeling because it’s a different relationship between the band and the audience and I love it."

Bold emphasis mine.

I never thought I'd be called hardcore.

laeticia · November 2011

Here's an interview with OK Go my brazilian OK Go fans/friends sent me a link of because, welp… according to this, we have some big news for the boys in december. Dan's having his boy and apparently, Damian is getting married in Mexico at the end of the month. So I decided to translate this one now, since I had some free time.

Though this newspaper is somewhat reliable (it's been only online for a while now), it's not the biggest newspaper out there, and I find some of the answers sound really weird. Perhaps they really were drunk all the time...

I made this really fast, so sorry for mistakes on grammar/spelling/whatever

In the van with OK Go: the band talks about their stay in Brazil and the current music scene.

We got a ride with the group to the show at Baixo Gavea, last wednesday (24/11).

Jornal do Brasil

The hall marked by its earthy tones from the Fasano Hotel, in Ipanema, was filled with white spots as the elevators came down bringing the members of the North-American band OK Go, who, during three days, played little concerts (really little, lasting 15 minutes each) in various spots of the city. Before they checked into the hotel, before the most applauded sunset of the globe, Damian Kulash (vocals), Tim Nordwind (bass), Dan Konopka (drums) and Andy Ross (guitars and keyboards) also went to Sao Paulo with these gigs and, at their free time, Damian was hoping that the good weather of Rio would transport itself to his wedding ceremony, which is happening at the end of December in Mexico, Tim has written a play and Andy was working on his project on apps for the iPhone, between them, an educational game for children which will be released next year.

The roving action from José Cuervo debuts here in Brazil and was planned by the british agency Albion *insert by me, sweetest guys on the planet!* and, when we met Ed Norrington, business director of the agency, using the carioca super combination of shorts and t-shirt, we felt the need to ask why they chose our country. "When we analyze the sales charts, we realize that consumption is very warm in here. Besides that, Brazil is famous for their warm people, very beautiful, fun and who won't miss a party. And we have confirmed all of that on this tour," he says.

Thursday night, Baixo Gavea was the spot for the fourth concert in Rio, which was transmitted online to the world using pictures of fans of the band over Twitter and Facebook as pixels of the images. And us, from this journal column, got inside the van of the band right at the moment the sun was setting, to accompany them on their way to the truck parked near Santos Dumont Park. A ride that, thanks to a little traffic, lasted longer than expected. Good.

HT: Have you stopped to admire the sunset at Ipanema?

Damian: It's wonderful. I thought it was awesome that people applauded. It's like everyone's saying: "Hey world, good job! Another day happened!"

HT: Did you have time to go around the city?

D: Today (thursday) we did a little tourist track: we went to Corcovado and Sugar Loaf. I went with a friend to see some favelas he used as scenery for a movie he made a year ago. I went to Rocinha and Vidigal. It's impressive how these aren't the most expensive square meters of the city because it's so beautiful. I would certainly buy a house there.

HT: Did you manage to cross the street and go to the beach?

D: Tim and I had a lot to drink yesterday and we went swimming at night. We did everything the hotel staff told us not to: 'don't go to the beach at night, don't swim without your swim suits, don't run on the rocks, don't try to climb the rocks alone if you're drunk'. Tim has his leg hurt because he fell on the rocks. But, from the little I remember, the beach is very beautiful.

HT: Is it true that you went to visit the Salgueiro School of Samba?

D: Yes! We went there yesterday.

Tim: It was sweaty. And noisy. But a good noise.

D: I joined a dance contest. I tried to move my legs like you guys do and I think we kinda samba danced. It was nice.

Dan: I managed to play one of those drums. It was really fun and really noisy. It was almost a bad noise. To see the carnaval costumes in person was also really cool.

D: Andy got out of there wanting to form his own samba school. He loves competitions.

A: It's true. And in my samba school I would play a little drum, then I would go and dance and then, I would put one of those big gowns that go down to the floor (we call them baianas). They may be made for women, but I would wear one of them anyways. (this)

HT: We're going to Baixo Gavea, which is a tourist spot of the city. If you're looking for a happy hour spot, that's the right place.

D: That's a great idea. We like drinking tequila, of course. We're in a tour promoted by a brand of Tequila, after all. In this trip we had so much tequila that I think we might be a little drunk all the time. I really like Tequila, but I'd rather have it on drinks, though I also like it pure.

HT: Do you have any surefire recipes for drinks?

D: I have a lot of them. But now I particularly like mixing basil, pepper and tequila.

HT: And our caipirinha, did you have some?

Dan: Yes. It's tasty, but a bit sugary. We like less sugary drinks.

HT: Out of all concerts that you played in Brazil, which was the most interesting place you played?

D: The cool thing is that they're all very different. When you make twenty rock concerts in a row, they all sort of blend into one because it's always a similar stage, the audience is more or less the same, especially in the US. But here, one time we played at the beach, one time in a gas station. They're all different, you can't choose a good or a bad place. But, usually, I prefer night concerts to day concerts.

HT: What is the main difference betwen playing a normal show and a pop-up show like this?

D: The biggest difference is the audience. In a normal show, they're all there because they planned to be there. Here, between the beginning and end of the show there's a difference in the audience. It may start with a few dozen people and end with thousands there. Besides the ones that are just walking by, seeing it and they notice this great thing happening. It's very fun to play for people that may have never heard of us or would never go to a rock concert.

HT: You're doing a collaborative video with the help of your fans and you have a very close relationship with them, haven't you?

D: We live in a very different scene than we did 10 years ago. We abandoned that distance that some artists had to preserve themselves. But we never wanted to be distant. Our fans are the reason we make music. There's a story in rock'n'roll that you don't have to be in the middle of the system and try to make something that sells millions and millions of copies and make a huge success. Our thing is to do stuff we find interesting and find people who'll recognize it. We don't need to sell 10 millions of records. We're good with the fans we have; happy and close to us. Cuervo wouldn't be doing this if we didn't have a lot of fans. And it all comes down to them in the end. Our connection with the fans is what moves us.

*insert me in a glass case of emotion here*

HT: It's impossible to talk about you without remembering 'the video with the treadmills', from the song Here it Goes Again. How did you came up with that and what was the reaction to seeing the huge success it was?

D: It was shocking to be honest. We always danced on stage. We would simply drop our instruments and start to dance. It was so unexpected that the audience loved it. Then, we decided to record a video with this dancing routine and, when we put it online it got like 100,000 hits – that was the number of records we had sold at that time! We thought that, if we could accidentally make it, then we should do it on purpose. We filmed the video with the treadmills at my sister's house, thinking about putting it online to maybe cover that same amount of people we did before. At the time, it seemed like the biggest thing online, because we managed to get about 200, 300 thousand hits. And when we put that one with the treadmills, I think we had 600,000 hits in one day. We thought it was impossible. And it changed a lot since then.

HT: But the video is still remembered.

D: We are very proud of it, of course. It was one of the most fun weeks of our lives. The video was very creative, but it was also the right thing at the right time. YouTube was very new and MTV and the old music industry were falling apart. We managed to find a new way of connecting with the universe.

HT: Do you think that, with all these changes on the industry, there's a new formula to work with music?

D: I don't think we should say that there's a formula. In simple terms, you have to do awesome and good stuff. Before, there were a lot of obstacles between the artists and the people that wanted to see the art and, now, most of those obstacles are gone. Especially in the music industry. And the rules for what is allowed and hoped changed completely. In 1975, 85 or 95, music was what you could put into a piece of plastic and, a 100 years ago, music wasn't even recorded. So the idea about what music is, is constantly changing. Now, music is everything you can put on the internet. But literature and photography are that also. All those forms of art converged. The traditional terminology also doesn't work anymore. We make things that we find awesome, part of that is traditional music and the other part isn't.

HT: What kind of music you have on your iPods?

D: I really like old soul music. But I'm a big musical mixture.

T: I like british pop from the 80's and 90's. Bands like The Smiths, The Cure and New Order. I also have been listening to a lot of dancier indie rock and I went to Yelle's concert on tuesday. I don't know her in person, but I love her music.

Dan: I grew up listening to a lot of 70's music and I really like Led Zeppelin. I'm the drummer of the band, so I try to pay attention to good drummers to try to copy their style. Over the last six months, I've been listening to a lot of dancier electronic music and I've been trying to make my own. That's why I've been listening to a lot of house music.

A: I've been listening to a lot of classical music lately, though I really don't know why. But I'm the classic rock kind of guy and I always liked The Beatles. I like La Roux, that girl with the crazy hair, and there's a certain DJ out there called DNK that has been making some good remixes.

Dan: That's me! That's me!

HT: Ah, that doesn't count.

A: But I really like it!

HT: Do you know any brazilian music?

T: The Mutantes. They're great.

HT: To finish, are you taking any souvenirs from Brazil?

Dan: My first child will be born at the end of december, so I bought a little soccer jumpsuit from the Brazilian team for him, but it doesn't have the name of any soccer player on the back.

T: I'm thinking about getting some hangers from the hotel and maybe some sheets…

D: Maybe shampoo, hair conditioner and soap, right?

T: But seriously, we want to go out and buy some stuff before we leave.

D: Last time we were here (to concerts in Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre), I got a tambourine that makes a noise completely different from normal.

laeticia · November 2011

I have to make my personal comments (though there's a part of me that sometimes twitches when it comes to personal affairs of them, I made it so to at least not bring it up on tumblr…) on D's news, if they're true. If it's still Ambra (hahaha), I couldn't be more thrilled! I hope they're very happy together!

For Dan we already knew, but it's sooo close! I do hope he shares at least a picture.

I found this interview pretty hilarious – half naked on the beach, drunk, falling on rocks? DUDES!! NOT CLASSY hahhaha

and Andy is just all over the place with humour, I love it :D

glamour_and_sedition · December 2011

love love love this - "Our fans are the reason we make music...And it all comes down to them in the end. Our connection with the fans is what moves us."

Thanks so much for taking the time to translate this for us, Leticia! Can I just say I am also loving the idea of Andy in a baiana (did I get that right?). LOL.

laeticia · December 2011

glamour_and_sedition said:

love love love this - "Our fans are the reason we make music...And it all comes down to them in the end. Our connection with the fans is what moves us."

Thanks so much for taking the time to translate this for us, Leticia! Can I just say I am also loving the idea of Andy in a baiana (did I get that right?). LOL.

hahahaha yeah! it would be a baiana outfit!

me and my brazilian friends have been making SO MUCH FUN about it

such as this

BeckiWitte · December 2011

Does anyone else think that the new white suits have an Ennio Capasa/Costume National look to them? I think he may have made (or inspired) the new suits.

beckysioux · December 2011

BeckiWitte said:

Does anyone else think that the new white suits have an Ennio Capasa/Costume National look to them? I think he may have made (or inspired) the new suits.

Well, their red, blue, green and yellow suits are Costume National, so I wouldn't be surprised if the white suits are also Costume National. Damian did an interview not too long after debuting the colorful suits about how they had asked Costume National to make some suits for them based on the white suits they had seen before, but with primary (and one secondary) colors. Since Ennio only really works with white (or did at the time of that interview), this was a special, special thing for him to do for them.

I can't find the article now, but I'm pretty sure it's in one of the threads.

As an aside, I just Googled "Damian Kulash Costume National" and only found references to them and their primary colored Costume National suits and the Range Rover parade. Now, I'm no art student, but I do know that there are only THREE primary colors. They are red, blue and yellow. Green is a secondary color as it comes from mixing blue and yellow. This is something you learn in 1st grade. Why do journalists keep calling the 4 suits "primary colored suits"?

Whew. Sorry to go off on a rant there, but I'm so, so tired of people getting it wrong all the freaking time. It is seriously one of my pet peeves.

glamour_and_sedition · December 2011

Actually, thanks for the rant; I found it totally cathartic Smile

. Seriously, thought, that whole "primary color" thing has been bugging me, too, so I'm glad I'm not the only one.

DJRose · December 2011

I'm going to be the know-it-all asshole here and point out that Yellow is a primary color only in pigment. In light, it's Red, Blue, and GREEN. *Ahem* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_color I learned that in 8th grade.

And this:

glamour_and_sedition said:

"Our fans are the reason we make music...And it all comes down to them in the end. Our connection with the fans is what moves us."

Exactly. Thanks boys. It's why we're fans.

(Oh, and congrats, Damian! Laugh

)

silver12 · December 2011

Thanks for translating that, laeticia. Totally made my day. :)

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Brazil pop-up shows November 19th through November 25th

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