Surforeggae interviews Ayahuasca, the reggae band from Amazonas! Read and feel the sound!

The work of the band Ayahuasca goes far beyond its musical and verbal vein, it is pure dedication and perseverance in defense of forests and our greenery, added to a good social context. With 7 years of career and two studio albums released - "Pés no Chão” and “Urucum” - the band started in Manaus and currently lives based in the city of Rio de Janeiro. To show a little more of this work to Brazil, Surforeggae did an exclusive interview with the group. Check it out!

THE INTERVIEW

Tell us a little about how the band was formed and who its members are. The band was formed in Manaus (AM) in 2006. In 2009 the band came to Rio de Janeiro where only the vocalist Yuri Reis and the former guitarist remained in the city. There, they met the drummer Daniel Tot who already played with the bassist Pedro Sustagem. A year later, guitarist Rafael Casqueira joined the band, which currently also features keyboards from Gunter Fetter. 4 we have been working on the Rio scene for years. Who are your favorite national and international artists who somehow influence your sound? We like Nação Zumbi, Steel Pulse, The Congos, in short, Jamaican and Brazilian music. We also like heavy rock like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. RAP is also part of our daily lives - artists like Black Alien, The Roots and Mos Def. We enjoy a little bit of everything and it ends up becoming an influence. Do you use different elements, such as indigenous people, in the band’s music? We sampled some indigenous songs and bird whistles. We have some percussions brought from the Amazon that we also use. The band has a lot of influence from indigenous music. How did the idea for the band name come about? The name was given by vocalist Yuri Reis after a session of Ayahuasca, which is an ancient drink cultivated by indigenous people. How is the band's discography? What is being prepared for the near future? We have two discs, "Pés no chão" recorded in Manaus and "Urucum", made in Rio de Janeiro. We are preparing our third album which will be called 'Tribos'. The band moved to Rio de Janeiro some time ago. Why did you make this decision and how is it going? We wanted to expand our horizons. We were already on the Amazon scene and it was necessary to breathe new air and seek greater insertion in the market to reach a greater number of people. For those of you who have experienced it more closely, what is the movement of Reggae like in Amazonas? Despite having good bands on the scene there, there isn't much of a market yet, that's why we felt the need to come to Rio de Janeiro. What needs to improve for the national Reggae to reach a wider audience? We believe there are a lot of good bands here, but they lack authenticity. Since we make protest music, we should care more about Brazilian issues, the forests, our Indians for example. Maybe we would have more credibility if we were "menos jamaicanos" and more Brazilian. Leave a message for those who already enjoy your sound and for those who have just learned a little more about the band's work here at Surforeggae. For those who already know and know about our proposal, thank you for your respect! For those who don't know, we invite everyone to enter our world. Long live the forest and all the beings that live in it! Thanks!

MORE INFORMATION

Facebook: facebook.com/ayahuascareggae Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/ayahuascareggae