Rio Banda Fest Celebrates Rising Rock Bands May 2nd

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Aiming to highlight the growing rock scene in Rio de Janeiro, the Rio Banda Fest will present twenty of the city’s best rock bands performing live simultaneously in five locations on Saturday, May 2nd. Sponsored by the City of Rio de Janeiro, the festival is included is the schedule of ongoing 450th-anniversary celebrations of the city.

“It’s very good that the city is investing in a rock festival for Rio’s 450th Anniversary celebrations,” festival curator and Imperator producer Paulo Lopez told O Dia. “The city is not only bossa nova and samba, it helped build Brazilian rock.”

Much more than simply five sets of rock concerts, however, the Rio Band Fest is also a competition. A jury selected the twenty bands that will perform on Saturday from more than three hundred entries. Specifications to enter included that groups must play rock and be composed of three or more members.

On Saturday, each of the festival’s five locations will host four competing bands. Each band will perform a twenty-minute set of three songs. The winner at each location will then advance to the final round, which will take place in Circo Voador on June 4th. The top two Rio Banda Fest bands, chosen that night by popular vote and a technical jury, will win a cash prize of R$ 10,000 each.

Additionally, the finals will proceed a show by well-known Rio de Janeiro rock band, Detonautas. Promising to make it a memorable night of rock music in Rio.

During the semifinal round on Saturday, the shows will be free and begin in each location at 6PM. The five venues are Jovelina Pérola Negra in Pavuna, Dicró in Penha, Chacrinha in Guaratiba, Fernando Torres in Madureira and Teatro de Marionetes Carlos Werneck in Parque do Flamengo.

Bands Nocturno, Nove Zero Nove, Zena, and Re-Volt will perform Jovelina Pérola Negra in Pavuna. FOLKS, Clashing Clouds, La Nuova and Vital will play in the Arena Carioca Dicró in Penha. El Efecto, Pessoal da Nasa, Sound Bullet and The Highjack will perform in the Arena Carioca Chacrinha in Guaratiba and DIABO VERDE, Halé, Melyra and Indiscipline in Arena Carioca Fernando Torres in Madureira. Finally bands, Drenna, Helga, La Guerra, and Linda Lobo will play in the Teatro Municipal Carlos Werneck in Parque do Flamengo.

When asked what he thought of the festival lead singer and lyricist for Clashing Clouds, Fabio Figueira, told The Rio Times: “I think it is great, such events didn’t happen that often in the past. Now, with rock music recovering its space, the spotlights are on us again.”

For more information about the festival and the participating bands see the official Rio Banda Fest site.

What: Rio Banda Fest
When: Saturday, May 2nd. Shows at all five locations will begin at 6PM.
Where:Five locations: Jovelina Pérola Negra in Pavuna, Dicró in Penha), Chacrinha in Guaratiba, Fernando Torres in Madureira and Teatro de Marionetes Carlos Werneck in Parque do Flamengo.
Entrance: FREE