Online Chat with Bloco Vomit

Bloco Vomit is here in Brazil, played at the "April Pro Rock " festival and also is playing in São Paulo, on 17th April. The band is in the chatroom to talk about their music: a mixture of maracatu with punk and other Brazilian influences.

180 people took part.

(21:02:41) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Greetings Brazilians! We are the crazy Scots band, everything is OK in São Paulo... Jacques Arede-Parede, Zen
(21:02:59) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Good evening Brazilians, we are Bloco Vomit, how are you? We're at your disposal, ask questions please!!!!!
(21:03:30) Moderator UOL: UOL is pleased to present Bloco Vomit, the Scottish band that took part in Abril Pro Rock. The answers will be simultaneously translated. Thanks.
  1. (21:04:45) Rocker: Let's go, good evening! How did it start?
    (21:06:40) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: In a pub in Edinburgh, drinking Guinness, and then practising in a samba school in Edinburgh.
  2. (21:05:16) Igor / 19: What kind of music do you play?
    (21:08:04) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: We mix punk, samba, maracatu, hip hop, reggae, rock'n'roll, garage sixties, rhythm and blues and a little classical music
    Rob, of Bloco Vomit

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  3. (21:05:52) Julie: How long has the band been going?
    (21:08:36) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Since 96. The first gig was on an island off the coast of Edinburgh during a Punk Festival, playing maracatu and samba-punk
  4. (21:06:59) Zaira: Do you know axé (É o Tchan, Patrulha do Samba?)
    (21:09:59) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: We know other rhythms better: samba-reggae, batucada, baião, samba and hip-hop.
  5. (21:08:36) SK8: Do you know any Brazilian bands?
    (21:11:18) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: We like Chico Science, Olodum, Timbalada, Lenine, Free World, Supersoniques,
  6. (21:09:03) Igor / 19: Can we buy your CDs in Brazil?
    (21:11:14) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Yes, the two CDs are being launched this week by Trama and will be available in the shops and at the Woodstock Bar, where we will be playing on Monday at 10 p.m.
  7. (21:11:33) Julie: Where are you from?
    (21:12:35) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Cherry is from Edinburgh, Scotland, and Hanley is from Glasgow, Scotland
  8. (21:11:41) Zaira: OK let's talk seriously. Do you know the Fugees?
    (21:14:07) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: We like R&B, and the Fugees are brilliant, we like Motown a lot
  9. (21:11:44) SK8: How do you know each other?
    (21:14:37) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Zen: I'm from Holland, I play soccer in GSAVV Forward, and I sail in the "Tjotters ". Jacques: I'm English, live in Edinburgh and have two Scots children
  10. (21:13:18) Zaira: Where are you at the moment?
    (21:15:08) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Zaira. we are in the UOL centre here in Sao Paulo
  11. (21:13:24) SK8: How did you meet?
    (21:15:55) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: On a bicycle. I was on a bicycle and I beat Jacques, who was very slow.
    Rob, of Bloco Vomit

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  12. (21:14:11) gabi: Where did the name come from?
    (21:19:38) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: gabi - the name was invented by Hanley and Jack, because one mixes samba and batucada with alcohol and ends up vomiting (laughter!!!!)
  13. (21:15:03) Julie: Where do you live?
    (21:18:33) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Julie, in Edinburgh (Scotland).
    (21:21:33) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Julie, we all live in Edinburgh in Scotland, except Annie, Manchester and Agent Orange, Birmingham, in England
  14. (21:17:11) Rocker: What do you do in your free time?
    (21:21:53) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: (Zen) I read books and cycle, sail, but my knees aren't so good, so now I eat bananas. (Jacques) I cycle, read, and drink Guinness. To be honest, I do not have any free time, because I manage this fucking band.
     Gary, of Bloco Vomit

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  15. (21:18:06) Julie: How old are you?
    (21:24:08) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Julie, (Zen) I'm 40 years and 3 months - I've already lost count. (Jacques) I'm two weeks older than Zen.
    (21:24:36) Cherry Parsnip e Hanley Hamlet Crouch: The band is between 20 and 40, though some of them say they've lost count or can't remember any more (laughs!!!!!)
  16. (21:19:32) MANSON: DO YOU KNOW MARILYN MANSON?
    (21:28:24) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Manson, is he Marilyn Monroe's nephew? I (ZEN) don't know him and I don't watch television.
  17. (21:19:34) Flora: I saw your show at Abril Pro Rock and I absolutely loved it, what did you think of the audience?
    (21:29:34) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Flora, the audience was amazing, we loved it. People were dancing, smiling, waving, there was a good feeling between us and the audience.
  18. (21:20:42) Julie: Hum... have you been successful in Scotland? Is the band well known there?
    (21:29:04) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Julie, yes - people fight to get into our shows, and audiences is really enthusiastic,
  19. (21:20:54) ZAIRA: ROB, YOU ARE A HUNK! MARRIED, SINGLE, IN A RELATIONSHIP?
    (21:31:24) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Zaira, I am six months pregnant. Yes, I am married, single and in a relationship.
  20. (21:22:15) Gus: How many are there in the band?
    (21:30:02) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Gus - 10 people
    Gary, of Bloco Vomit

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  21. (21:22:29) Rocker: Did you find it difficult at the beginning?
    (21:32:13) Cherry Parsnip e Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Rocker, yes, when we met up as a band, it took us half an hour to find a bar - today we're smarter!!!
  22. (21:23:30) Julie: Are you all married? Is anyone a bachelor?
    (21:32:05) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Julie, in Brazil, we are all bachelors. Call me, baby!
  23. (21:23:32) MANSON: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO AN ADOLESCENT WHO DREAMS OF BEING A ROCKSTAR AND KNOWS HOW TO PLAY GUITAR BADLY?
    (21:33:50) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Manson, study to be an accountant and later you can keep playing for pleasure.
     Aileen, who accompanies Bloco Vomit

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  24. (21:24:39) Gus: What do people know about Brazil in your country?
    (21:34:11) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Gus - a lot, football, music, we have many samba blocos and people interested in Brazilian music.
  25. (21:30:54) Julie: I haven't heard your music, it must be really good !!!
    (21:42:07) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Julie, Cherry is sculptor and studied in edimburgo and Hanley it is formed in music and it always touched guitar
  26. (21:30:59) Vivi: oi! I don't know the band, but I heard your music and you seem parabens
    (21:34:47) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Vivi, thank you, us we are in amusing very in Brazil, is better of the one than to go for the Moon.
  27. (21:31:51) MANSON: IN WHICH LANGUAGE DO YOU COMPOSE?
    (21:35:41) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Manson - our language is English!
  28. (21:32:01) Livia...: What do you think of Brazil??? What about the women here?
    (21:36:21) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Livia, the bus drivers are amazing, brilliant, particularly the night drivers. Brazilian women are incredible. We cannot compete.
  29. (21:34:38) Moreninha: How have you found Brazil? Have you tried typical Brazilian food?
    (21:37:28) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Moreninha, we tried feijoada, the food of Pernambucano, strange fruits like acerola, graviola... and the coffee is also excellent.
    (21:37:36) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: moreninha - Brazil is beautiful! Hanley is a vegetarian, Cherry likes feijoada and we all love the coffee.
  30. (21:36:24) Bruno: I adore music, I play in a band, but my parents don't know, because they say that music is not a good career. What shall I do?
    (21:38:29) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Bruno, become an accountant, buy a bank and continue playing. But do not become a salesman.
  31. (21:36:29) maíra: oi I would like to know the date of the festival and the other gigs this year?
    (21:39:34) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: maira the festival was in Recife, we are playing now in Sao Paulo and Rio, on the 17th at the woodstock bar and in Rio at the Ballroom on the 21st, and Cantareira, Niteroi on the 22nd. In Recife we played with Otto, Sheik Tosado, Soulfly, Paralamas, Replicantes; that was last week
    Kid Vinyl, official translator of this chat

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  32. (21:36:33) Gus: If I give you a tape of my band, could you pass it on?
    (21:39:19) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Gus, we don't understand music, we can't judge, we are too old.
  33. (21:37:37) MANSON: HOW DO KNOW PORTUGESE SO WELL?
    (21:40:47) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Manson, we have some friends and (Jacques) my degree is half accountancy, half Portuguese.
  34. (21:39:30) MANSON: WHY DO YOU TALK SO MUCH ABOUT ACCOUNTANTS?
    (21:42:10) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Manson, it's our job and the tour is sponsored by the British Association of Accountants.
  35. (21:39:34) Julie: Vc's is formed in some thing?
  36. (21:41:09) ¤Vivi¤: is there any band that influences u guys?
    (21:45:32) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Vivi, yes, hundreds, all the punks bands between 1976 to 1979. And Brazilian music, such as Chico Science (above all), Carlinhos Brown, the samba schools samba. The live shows is also influenced by John Cage and T-Rex.
    (21:46:04) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Vivi...loads, the Sonics, Crass, ATV, Chico Science, Sonic Youth, Hendrix, Nick Drake, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, the Residents, Frank Zappa, Throbbin'Gristle,
    Gary and Esther, of Bloco Vomit

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  37. (21:43:24) Moderator UOL: You've got 2 CDs, right? Are they in the same style or are there differences?
    (21:47:18) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Moderator, the first one contains covers of English bands. The second has our own songs, and more varied rhythms.
    Kid Vinyl, official translator

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  38. (21:43:27) Moreninha: It sounds as if you like it here, so are you going to come back? I hope so, because you seem very likeable and considerate.
    (21:47:54) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Moreninha, thank you. We will come back next year, if it is possible.
  39. (21:44:20) Gus: Kid Vinyl! It's you...
    (21:47:21) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Gus too? Yes it's me! I'm translating for them.
    (21:48:17) Moderator UOL: Kid Vinyl is with Bloco Vomit and is helping with the translation.
  40. (21:44:56) Vivi: What of the u guys think of the brit-pop bands?
    (21:48:37) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Vivi, we only calculate, we don't think.
    (21:48:55) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Vivi - it is good to see bands playing guitar in a new way, we like skunk anansie, travis, radiohead.
  41. (21:46:09) Julie: Do you travel a lot? Do you get tired of going here and there, without a fixed address?
    (21:49:26) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Julie, it's fine. We get to know a lot of places, which we like.
    (21:46:35) Moderator UOL: Guys, we have more 10 minutes more. Thanks.
  42. (21:48:31) Livia: Which country do you like the best, of those you've visited?
    (21:50:21) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Livia, we've been to Spain, Portugal, Wales... Brazil is the best.
    (21:50:36) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Cherry likes Spain, Hanley loves playing in Amsterdam, not counting Brazil, of course!.
  43. (21:48:43) DAWN: I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE BAND, WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE IN A CHAT ROOM, TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO YOU DON'T KNOW. IT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE BEEN IN ONE AND I CONFESS THAT I'M TOTALLY CONFUSED...LAUGHS..
    (21:52:06) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: (Zen) Dawn, I have taken off my sandals to relax my feet. (Jacques) It's OK, I've never been in a chat room. It would be better to meet in a bar, drinking caipirinhas, though.
  44. (21:49:47) alex23: Whom in the "British Association of Accountants" should we thank for this marvellous idea (truco)?????
    (21:53:38) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Alex, it's thanks to George Benson-Hedges, particularly.
    Kid Vinyl, official translator

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  45. (21:50:31) Gus: Go for it, Kid, fantastic!
  46. (21:51:29) Livia: What do you like most here?
    (21:52:53) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: caipirinhas and Brazilian music are the best!!!!!
    (21:54:44) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Livia, caipirinhas, playing music and seeing ourselves on MTV, the food, and the beautiful Brazilian women and transvestites.
  47. (21:51:45) Julie: Do you fight between yourselves?
    (21:55:15) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Julie, there are ten of us, but we want to have fun, we drink a lot and we don't worry about arguments, we're friends!!!
    (21:55:17) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Julie, yes, no, yes, not at all, stop it!
    (21:52:07) Moderator UOL: Folk, we have more 5 minutes. Thanks.
  48. (21:53:10) Flora: What did you think of the show in April Pro Rock? I was there and I adored it.
    (21:56:07) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Flora, it was incredible, the show that we enjoyed most, the audience was wonderful.
  49. (21:53:38) Paula: I would like to know what you thought of maracatu in Recife
    (21:57:15) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: paula, we love maracatu, we began to play maracatu when we were here before and then played it in Scotland. We try to mix maracatu with other musical styles.
    (21:57:44) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Paula, "Amazing, absolutely incredible" We went to see a traditional maracatu rehearsal, by "Estrelha Brilhante".
  50. (21:55:39) Vivi: Can you give us your email or icq number?
    (21:59:16) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Vivi - Bloco Vomit's email of bloco_vomit@pobox.com
  51. (21:55:49) Livia: When will you be on MTV??? I can't miss that!
    (21:58:59) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Livia, we are recording an interview on Wednesday for the program Mundo Massari and also for Lado B, to be broadcast next week. We also recorded interviews during April Pro Rock, also broadcast next week.
  52. (21:56:28) Flora: How did you get interested in Brazilian rhythms, especially from Pernambuco?
    (22:04:09) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: Flora, we were in a samba school in Scotland. We really liked playing music together with a lot of people, infectious and upbeat music. We mixed these things with punk rhythms to develop our own music. Music of Pernambuco has many African elements, it's difficult to play, but very powerful. We were here in 1997, at the carnival in Olinda and we played with "Bloco Escoces", which was our samba school. Then we got to know traditional maracatu at the Noite dos Tambores and got to know the music of Chico Science, we found all of this fantastic.
  53. (21:57:45) Vivi: what will be your next single?
    (22:01:27) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Vivi, we are releasing two albums in Brazil by Trama Records - we 're not releasing singles - we prefer to release the full CDs. You can get them in the shops or the Woodstock Bar on Tuesday 17, at 10 p.m. in Sao Paulo or in Rio on the 21st and 22nd.
  54. (21:57:57) Livia: How many times have you been here?
    (22:03:31) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Livia - Cherry is here for the first time, Hanley was here in 1997 for the Carnival in Olinda and played with various bands.
    (22:07:22) Cherry Parsnip and Hanley Hamlet Crouch: Thanks to everyone for taking part, and we invite you to come to the show on Tuesday at the Woodstock Bar, Rua Consolação 3249 - SP, ticket price R10, thanks also to Kid Vinyl!
    (22:07:44) Moderator UOL: UOL thanks Bloco Vomit and the generous help of Kid Vinyl in the Chat. Thanks to everyone.
    (22:09:12) Zen O'Phobia and Jacques Arede-Parede: It's a pleasure talking with you... we hope to know more people here in Brazil. Our web page is http://pobox.com/~bloco_vomit, please leave a message in the "guest book". If you want to join the mailing list, send a message to bloco_vomit@pobox.com. There is one in English, but we will start one in Portuguese and when we're back in Scotland we we will send news in Portuguese, OK? Many thanks, bye!.

Read the interview in Portugese