Iconic Brazilian band Os Mutantes plays the Chapel
SAN FRANCISCO -- Legendary Brazilian psych band Os Mutantes returns to San Francisco Saturday, headlining a show at the Chapel in the Mission District with an opening set by songwriter Rogê.
Along with fellow Tropicália trailblazers, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa and Tom Zé, Os Mutantes helped subvert Brazilian popular music in 1967 by mixing traditional sounds with fuzzed-out psychedelic guitar, experimental musique concrete, oblique political criticism. and Dadaist humor.
Founded in 1966 by the Baptista brothers Arnaldo (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Sérgio Dias (guitar, vocals) -- and lead singer Rita Lee, the band originally used the name Os Bruxos and recorded a single as O'Seis prior being dubbed Os Mutantes by show host Ronnie Von moments before making their television debut on his program.
The rising band would connect with Gil, who began collaborating with the musicians and brought them into the Tropicália movement that was rebelling against both bossa nova's rigid template and the heavy hand of the military regime that was in power. The self-described "cultural cannibalism" of the Tropicálistas would eventually become the foundation for popular music in Brazil while exerting influence on adventurous musicians the world over. Os Mutantes backed Gil when he competed in the third annual Festival of Brazilian Popular Music, making Brazilian music history by being one of the first two rock groups to participate. Gil won second prize in the song competition with his song "Domingo no Parque" ("Sunday in the Park").
The following year would prove to be a busy one for the band as they served as Gil's backing band on his second album, released their own landmark self-titled debut and participated in the movement's statement of purpose collection, Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis. The band also played with Veloso at the third International Song Festival in Rio for a pair of controversial performances that nearly led to a riot as anti-Tropicália protesters jeered, booed and threw vegetables at the musicians while they performed. Live recordings from the chaotic appearance were later released, as was an EP featuring other in-concert performances by Veloso and the band.
The joyous anarchy the music embodied did not sit well with Brazil's oppressive dictatorship. That same year, Gil and Veloso were jailed for several months before being exiled to London while Os Mutantes received threats and harassment from the government. The band would press onward with their career, releasing follow up albums, the more polished but still highly experimental and psychedelic Mutantes in 1969, A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado in 1970 and Jardim Elétrico in 1971. That collection of tunes featured versions of songs that had been planned for a full album of re-recorded English-language takes on Os Mutantes' earlier material entitled Tecnicolor that was intended to introduce the group to a wider audience. The album would eventually see release in 2000 after the original recordings were unearthed.
The band would incorporate elements of progressive rock and funk into their sound for 1972's Mutantes e Seus Cometas no País do Baurets, which would mark the last album album by the band to feature Lee, though the group backed her on her second solo effort Hoje É o Primeiro Dia do Resto da Sua Vida that was released later that year. By the time Os Mutantes released their sixth album Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol in 1974, only Sérgio Dias following the departure of his brother Arnaldo. The guitarist would keep the band going for several more years before Os Mutantes split up in 1978.
There was no new band activity for decades, but subsequent greatest hits compilations and an unissued 1973 album O A e o Z that was finally released in 1992 would help keep the Os Mutantes legend alive. The group would be championed by famous fans like Nirvana's Kurt Cobain -- who actually wrote a letter to Arnaldo Baptista asking him to reform the band and play with Nirvana in 1993 -- Beck and Talking Heads leader David Byrne (who would eventually release the comp Everything Is Possible! - The Best Of Os Mutantes on his Luaka Bop imprint in 1999), leading to a resurgence of interest and an eventual reunion in 2006.
While Rita Lee did not participate, the Baptista brothers assembled a group including early era drummer Dinho Leme and younger musicians to play their first live show in almost three decades in connection with a Tropicália exhibit in London in 2006. That performance would be documented in a live album and DVD that showed the new version of the band ably delivering classic tunes from their deep catalog. Though Arnaldo would again depart the following year, Sérgio Dias vowed to keep the band going. Os Mutantes would remain a popular festival attraction, performing at Glastonbury in England, both Stern Grove and Outside Lands in San Francisco, and more recently at Levitation in Austin, Texas. The band has also issued two albums of new songs -- the acclaimed Haih Or Amortecedor on Anti- Records in 2009 and the 2013 follow-up Fool Metal Jack.
The guitarist brought his current line-up of Os Mutantes to tour the U.S. last fall, playing the Levitation Festival in Texas as well as a sold-out show at the Chapel that dazzled the packed house. Despite appearing frail and performing seated, Dias proved he can still deliver onstage. For this return to the venue Saturday night, the band is joined by rising Brazilian songwriter Rogê. A talented guitarist and singer inspired by the music of Brazilian masters Baden Powell and Dorival Caymmi, Rogê has released six albums since making his solo debut in 2003. He visited the Bay Area early in 2020, performing with longtime friend Seu Jorge including songs from their first collaborative effort -- the largely acoustic recording Seu Jorge & Rogê: Direct-to-Disc Sessions on the UK-based Night Dreamer label. He released his latest solo effort Curyman earlier this year.
Os Mutantes with Rogê
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. $43-48
The Chapel
