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Black Pistol Fire discuss their new release, 'Look Alive', which should reach record stores and streaming platforms in early 2021 



Entrevista com o guitarrista e vocalista da banda canadense Black Pistol Fire, Kevin McKeown. Originalmente publicada no Scream & Yell, em português. Abaixo, disponibilizo o conteúdo em inglês na íntegra.

AUSTIN, TX - This interview with Black Pistol Fire's guitar player and singer Kevin McKeown was originally published on Scream & Yell in PT-BR. You can read it below in English. 

Hey, Kevin. Nice to talk to you. So, what have you been up to for the last seven months, with the pandemic and all?

Yeah, we were supposed to be on the road for the better part of this year. I think we were supposed to be in Europe right now doing festivals. And we were supposed to release our album this year as well, but we’ve had to postpone that. The last few months and the better part of this year have been spent at home, which has been good, being able to spend time with family. But other than that, we’ve been working from home, writing and recording and trying to take advantage of the creative time to work on things from home. I love being on the road, touring and playing for people, but I find it difficult to write music on the road. So, when I’m home, I try to take advantage of that.

Tell me a little about your latest release, the song “Hope in Hell”. The title has a lot to do with what’s going on in the world right now, but the song was written before the pandemic started, right? How was the recording process for the track?

Yeah, it was written almost two years ago now. And it was written mostly out of personal experience, having to deal with a tough time and personal decisions that needed to be made, and the risks and consequences of those decisions that were made, but yeah, it had stayed on the shelf for a while. We didn’t know if we were gonna release it in an album or such. But when we started making the new album that song definitely fit in thematically and vibe-wise with the rest of the material. We didn’t exactly know what to do with it, but when the pandemic came about, we decided, wow, this song really resonates quite a bit with what’s going on in the world right now.

I heard you guys plan to release a new album on the winter. How are the recordings coming along? 

We have plans to release it early next year. We’re excited, and we’ve been wanting to release the album for quite some time. This is definitely the album that’s taken the longest for us to make and record, so I hope it shows a lot of different sides of the band, where we’re at musically.

Is there anything different or unusual that we can expect in the new record, compared to your previous releases? For example, do you guys have any other musicians or guests playing on the record, or is it just you and Eric? Or any new styles of music that you may be trying to experiment with this time?

Well, yeah, all of the above almost. A lot of different genres and styles of music. For this album I didn’t want to restrain ourselves to recording music that could only be played live with two people. I wanted to do what was best for the songs. So, if it needed extra instrumentation and bigger arrangements, that was something I didn’t want to shy away from. I wanted to just best serve the songs for the album. As far as guest musicians go, we’ve had some back-up vocal singers to help us on a few tracks, some lead guitar guest appearances on a track or two, and on keyboards, on Hammond organ, we’ve had somebody as well. So, yeah, we’ve definitely moved more out of our comfort zone with this album. It was recorded in many different studios in Nashville and here in Austin. And during the pandemic, we’ve been able to round out the album with a few extra last-minute songs that were recorded from home, and kind of, work some of that stuff out. It was the first time I had to do that, work and record from home, with no people at a studio to help out.

Can you reveal who the guests are?

Some of the guests are friends that we know in town, not people from a level of notoriety that the public might know about. I really wanted to collaborate because, sometimes, when you work with just two people for so many years, it’s great because you develop such a strong chemistry and bond musically, but at times you need other people to come into your circle to shake things up in terms of, you know, make sure you don’t fall into a very predictable outcome with the creative and recording processes. I really wanted to seek that out, having someone to play guitar on a track, or keyboards, and create a different dynamic with the sound. That’s really in only a few songs, but I think it definitely brings new life to the tracks.

Do you have a title for the new album?

Yes, we do. It’s called Look Alive. It’s funny, again, we’ve had the title for this album for quite some time now, because it related a lot to me on a personal level. But then the pandemic came, and the title seemed even more appropriate. All these things related to the album were decided before the pandemic, and it’s strange, because it all resonates with what’s going on in the world right now. It’s a big coincidence really.

You have also released quite a few singles last year, such as ‘Level’, ‘Black Halo’, ‘Temper Temper/So Real’, ‘Pick Your Poison’, and ‘Well Wasted’. Are those songs on the new album as well or are they standalone tracks?

Yes, a few of them will be on the album. The intent with these singles last year was to have them compiled in a bigger album. So, another four unreleased songs will be included to complete the album as well.

The record is produced by Jacob Sciba, who had already worked with you on Deadbeat Graffiti. Why did you choose to work with Jacob again?

We started working with Jacob on our fourth LP and also with another good friend and engineer, our co-producer, Nick Joswick, who works at 5th Street studios here in Austin. We worked with him on most of the album, but with other people as well, and we also went to Nashville to record with Vance Powell, who has previously recorded The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, Chris Stapleton, among others. He’s a great engineer, I loved to work with him. So, it was kind of all over the place. And when you continue to work with the same people, it’s because of who you develop a musical relationship with. ‘Oh, I know what you are going for with this vocal sound or with this guitar sound’. Or because they’re there to stay, ‘oh, you’ve done this before, let’s try going in a different direction’. For me, I like to lean on people that I have a history with, so I know how to get to results a little bit quicker, or someone who pulls your back to let you know that you’re repeating yourself or going on the same path you’ve gone before. So yeah, it’s a very interesting album considering how many different people were involved in it. And it’s a very special record for us, we’re excited to get it out.

Besides the whole sanitary situation we are dealing with right now, you also have an election coming in the US. I know you guys are Canadian, but I just wanted to ask you if, as a band, do you guys feel like you need to address the election or politics in your music or in some other artistic way, or do you prefer not to get involved in the matter?

Uh, it’s a very tricky thing for us to come into, because we are Canadian, and we cannot vote in the United States. We live in Austin, but we can’t vote, so that’s very frustrating considering this is where we live and that we would like to have a say in how our country is going to be shaped and run. So, it becomes difficult for us to want to speak up about any kind of political issues about this country when we don’t have much of a say. But we do encourage everybody to vote, because if you don’t, you don’t have a voice. You can’t make a difference without speaking up. Just because we can’t vote, we would love to have the opportunity to do that. It’s a very important time right now in the history of America and the world, with everything that’s going on in the world. I just encourage people to get out there and vote, that would be my comment on political issues.

I don’t know if you heard about this, but last June, Jeff Tweedy released a statement regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, proposing to go forward with a program that allows songwriters and musicians to direct a percentage of their ‘writer’s share’ revenue to organizations that assist and support Black communities. How do you, as a songwriter yourself, feel about this kind of actions directed to support Black communities and artists as well?

Well, this is something that I personally feel very passionate about and I’ve been trying to figure out how to help and contribute to this movement. We’ve been trying to raise awareness as much as we can, using social media as a tool to repost and other things. I want to take actions about issues, and on a much smaller scale than Jeff Tweedy, Gibson guitars (which is my sponsor) donated a Les Paul guitar to me, which I have been hand-painting, and we’re working towards doing a live stream, where all the proceeds and donations will go to the Black Live Matters movement, and also to the frontline healthcare workers. These are all very important issues to us, these are all things that we’ve been trying to find the best avenue… It’s just very hard to navigate through anything during the pandemic: trying to get together to rehearse, or put together a live stream, or do things to raise money. I’m also a father to a two-year-old. At home, sometimes the days can go by like a blink of an eye. 

Yeah, I know how it is.

(Laughs) So, I constantly wrestle with the idea of like, ‘oh, man, I’ve been working on this for two months and I still need to get around to this, and I need to get around to that’, so I’ve been trying to give myself a little bit of grace, like, ‘ok, so I’m slowly chipping away when I get some time to work on music, or finish projects…’ But back to what you were saying, yes, those types of issues and movements are extremely important to us, because what’s happening right now is what is going to spark change. I think what Jeff Tweedy is doing is amazing work and we are hopefully going to be able to contribute more soon.

I know this is a hard question, but what are your plans for the future? Are you already thinking about going on tour and what should be your next steps after the pandemic?

It’s hard to know what is gonna happen. We have shows on the books for the next year and we hope to go on tour. But I don’t know if that’s really going to happen. We are going to hopefully release this album early next year, and we would love to get on the road and perform in front of fans and play in places that we’ve never been before. But right now we’re at the mercy of what lies ahead of how venues are going to continue, and even if people will want to go to shows again, due to the fact of how severe things progress or start to subside. Right now, the only thing we can do is stay safe and stay sane, working on music as much as we can from home, so when the gates open up again we’ll have plenty of new material to give fans.

Great! We hope to see you guys in Brazil soon.

Yes, me too. We would love to get to Brazil, that’s definitely on our bucket list. We hope to see you guys soon.

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Vídeo de "Losing My Religion" faturou prêmios e ajudou a levar o R.E.M. ao mainstream


Um vocalista que flertava com a androginia sem abandonar seu lado nerd, um guitar hero esquisitão que não fazia solos, um baixista que parecia recém-saído de uma aula de química orgânica e um baterista com pinta de professor de sociologia. Não era exatamente o que se esperava de uma banda de rock no auge da era MTV, certo?

Durante toda a década de 80, no entanto, aquela mistura que parecia fadada ao fracasso — o próprio vocalista Michael Stipe confessou não querer tocar em uma banda com alguém de aparência tão lambisgoia quanto o baixista Mike Mills — fez do R.E.M. a maior banda norte-americana de sua época. E não sou eu quem está dizendo: foi a revista Rolling Stone que os definiu assim, em matéria de capa de sua edição de dezembro de 1987, logo após o lançamento de Document, seu quinto álbum.

Após criar seu som com base no punk rock, na new wave e na poesia de Patti Smith, o quarteto de Athens (Georgia, EUA) foi conquistando seu espaço: primeiro, nas college radios americanas, fazendo a cabeça de jovens antenados em novos sons, que fugiam da estética já ultrapassada do sexo, drogas e rock n’ roll dos anos 70. Depois, foi superando novas etapas, chegando inclusive a se apresentar em shows de TV do estilo late night – a performance de “Radio Free Europe”, no programa de David Letterman, em 1983, é histórica e está disponível no YouTube.

Mas faltava algo para o R.E.M. se tornar uma banda global — não que essa fosse a intenção. Após um quase-hit com “The One I Love”, em 87, a banda fez uma grande turnê de seu álbum seguinte, Green, lançado dois anos depois. Focando cada vez mais no visual — os figurinos criativos de Stipe, com múltiplos telões e projeções artísticas deram o tom dos shows, além dos vídeos com rodagem intensa na MTV — o quarteto foi ampliando seu público pouco a pouco.

A grande explosão de popularidade, no entanto, veio apenas em 1991, com o lançamento de Out of Time. Com o maior hit da carreira — “Losing My Religion” — o R.E.M. saiu do seu caráter de “banda alternativa” para se tornar uma das maiores da música pop. Canções acessíveis — embora com um tom de sarcasmo — como “Shiny Happy People” ajudaram a tornar o quarteto ainda maior no mercado fonográfico.

Mas Out of Time é muito mais do que isso: “Radio Song”, a música que abre o álbum, traz na guitarra de Buck sua marca registrada ao mesmo tempo que adiciona um elemento novo: o rap, com a participação de KRS-One. “Texarkana” é o indie/pop perfeito que tantas bandas da época tentaram imitar — e soa ainda mais redondo com o vocal de Mike Mills. Já “Country Feedback” poderia ter sido composta por Neil Young, demonstrando uma variedade incrível de estilos para uma única banda.

Nos anos seguintes, o R.E.M. continuou trilhando um caminho de alta popularidade, com discos de sucesso como Automatic for the People, e uma oferta assombrosa da Warner, considerando-se as raízes underground do grupo — US$ 80 milhões por cinco álbuns. O contrato foi assinado em 1996, superando números de pop stars como Michael Jackson e Madonna.

Como consequência, a banda continuou lançando álbuns frequentemente — mas fazendo turnês cada vez menores, graças à estafa causada pelas longas viagens, o que inclusive resultou na saída do baterista Bill Berry, em 1998. Isso pelo menos até 2011, quando o grupo divulgou um comunicado na internet anunciando o fim da carreira de 31 anos. Sua missão, no entanto, já estava cumprida há muito tempo. E Out of Time é apenas um dos belos capítulos dessa história.






Texto publicado originalmente no e-book "1991: 25 textos em celebração aos 25 anos de álbuns clássicos do rock e da música pop", disponível na Amazon, em 2017.
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Wilco (from left to right): Nels Cline, Glenn Kotche, Jeff Tweedy, Mikael Jorgensen, Pat Sansone and John Stirratt | Photo credit: Annabel Mehran

Entrevista com o baixista do Wilco, John Stirratt, publicada em português no Scream & Yell. A seguir, disponibilizo a versão original.

In this interview, Wilco's bass player John Stirratt shares his thoughts on the band's 25 year-run as one of the world's most creative and admired rock outlets, as well as a scoop: come next winter, the group will try to make a new record, remotely. The full article was originally published on Scream & Yell, in Portuguese. Below you can check out the whole e-mail conversations which took place between October 2019 and September 2020.

Mr. Stirratt, thanks for the interview. I hope you're staying safe during the pandemic. After Uncle Tupelo disbanded, you formed Wilco with Mr. Tweedy and other musicians. Now, 25 years later, you are the only original member who remain in the band. How did you and Jeff decide to keep playing together after Uncle Tupelo and form a new group? Did you ever think the band would last this long?

As Uncle Tupelo was breaking up, Jeff came to Ken (Coomer, drummer), Max (Johnston, multi-instrumentalist) and me and told us — in no uncertain terms — he was interested in continuing the band. We had just gotten some momentum as a five piece and felt there was a certain amount of chemistry, and he was ready to jump straight into a renamed version of this.  It was great as we all were having such fun and it appeared to be ending as soon as it had begun.

Around the time A.M. was released, the record wasn't immediately successful. Nevertheless, as Wilco progressed and changed over the years, and you drew the attention of more fans with each new release, your first record started to grow on people and to this day you play songs off of it live. What do you remember the most about those sessions and what are your thoughts on A.M. 25 years later?

I have distinct memories of the first thing Wilco committed to tape, which was the version of "I Must Be High" on record, the first song — we set up, got sound and rolled that song, which came out really good. It was a good beginning.

The other tune I remember most was my song, "It’s Just That Simple", as it was such a blast to play it live with the band as well as Lloyd Maines (texan musician) on pedal steel.

Speaking of “It’s Just That Simple”, it’s such a beautiful song. What are the chances that we get to hear you singing on a Wilco track in the future?

It would be amazing, although now I am fixated on the idea of any Wilco recording happening during this pandemic. But we kicked it around here and there, other voices.

Both A.M. and Being There have already gotten the deluxe treatment in 2017. What are some of your favourite outtakes from those albums? Do you guys plan on releasing new versions of your following records (like Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) as well anytime soon?

We’ve just announced the Summerteeth reissue, which has got some great bonus tracks and live stuff.  I was happy to see "Myrna Lee" and some other songs of mine make it onto the A.M. reissue, as we were demoing lots of stuff.

After a quarter of a century playing with Wilco, I’m sure you’ve lived tons of unforgettable moments, felt all kinds of emotions and experienced great things like recording classic albums, playing a part in amazing music documentaries, collaborated with other great artists such as Billy Bragg and played to adoring audiences all over the world. Is it possible to sum up these 25 years in one great moment? Which moment would it be, the one that keeps coming to mind over an over?

That’s a nice question, and I wish I could sum it all up in one story or memory. Something I think about a lot is actually doing the basic take of "Sunken Treasure" during the Being There sessions, being moved by the music to that extent and knowing that, at that point, we were making something lasting, and there was real potential for a career with this band.

Photo credit: Anton Coene


What do you remember from the last time you came to Brazil? I remember seeing quite a few pictures on Instagram of you and Pat Sansone (Wilco's multi-instrumentalist) in Rio, hanging out with fans.

I just remember that wonderful Samba Club in São Paulo — how I remember music being in the air everywhere in Brazil. The only thing that comes close in the world is New Orleans.

In 2016, Jeff was interviewed by a Brazilian newspaper and he mentioned that the song “Hate It Here” was one among hundreds of regrets he had regarding the band or something like that. The fans never really understood what he meant by that comment. Do you guys really dislike that song? Or is it just something about the recording or other technical stuff that you don't like about it…?

I believe with the song "Hate it Here", he was making a joke to some extent, as he can be very self-deprecating in a funny way lots of times. I think with that song he was trying to write something very straightforward and conversational, not oblique at all, which is the hardest type of song to write. Like "Passenger Side", for example. I don't think he dislikes the song at all.

Besides being Wilco’s bass player and also playing in The Autumn Defense, you are now a businessman — you own a hotel in North Adams, MA. How’s the experience going so far? And how much has your life on the road playing in bands influenced the way you designed your own hotel?

I’ve always been into hospitality on some level, hosting bands in the early days etc. And later Airbnb. But seeing the hotel industry finally achieve some sort of individual and smart product by the likes of Ace and the Bunkhouse Group, in Austin, inspired me to create a hotel that spoke to people like me, my age. A lot of similar parallels between making music and hotels, basically like creating a record you would want to listen to, in this case creating a place you’d love to stay.

Wilco is a band that does a lot of touring. How do you conciliate both careers?

I found that doing business and being in a rock ‘n’ roll band is somewhat easier than I thought. As your days are completely open preshow, you can get a lot done, especially administrative/deskwork. It’s basically the boredom of waiting to go on stage that's always been the challenge. For anyone with a family, they understand I get much more done on the road then at home.

In the Ashes of American Flags DVD, which was released about 11 years ago, Jeff mentions in one interview that, although he didn’t want any more line-up changes within the band, he believed Wilco could survive another shift — as long as it was not you, John. One decade later, the band’s line-up remains unaltered. What are your thoughts on that? Could Wilco survive another change?

I do remember Jeff mentioning that, it was very kind. But at this point, I believe Wilco as a brand would almost continue on some level infinitely, as long as he was fronting it.

What are the band's plans for the future? I know you postponed your tour with Sleater-Kinney for 2021. Are there any recording plans for a new album or single, considering you are not able to tour for the time being?

I think Wilco will try to make a record remotely over this winter, and see how that works. We did try it with the song "Tell Your Friends" and it came out quite good.


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Foto: Diane Keaton/Arcade


Cercada de polêmicas, a autobiografia do diretor americano Woody Allen foi lançada nos Estados Unidos em maio de 2020 e tem previsão de chegar ao mercado brasileiro nos próximos meses. Escrevi sobre o livro para o Scream & Yell. Leia um trecho da resenha abaixo.

Após 84 anos bem vividos, Woody Allen resolveu contar sua história na autobiografia “Apropos of Nothing” (Arcade), lançada nos Estados Unidos e Europa no primeiro semestre de 2020. Não sem antes enfrentar uma polêmica com a Hachette, editora original da obra, que acabou desistindo da publicação em função de um protesto de funcionários e do boicote por parte da ex-companheira do autor, a atriz Mia Farrow, e do filho do casal, o jornalista Ronan Farrow.

Em 392 páginas que fluem harmonicamente entre o drama e a comédia, como os principais filmes do diretor nova-iorquino, Allen resgata suas memórias desde a infância no Brooklyn, entre os anos 30 e 40, passando pelo início da carreira como escritor de piadas para comediantes já estabelecidos na cena local, suas primeiras experiências no cinema, a conquista do público e da crítica nos anos 70 e, finalmente, os dissabores promovidos por Farrow e o “cancelamento” do artista no século XXI.

Aliás, “Apropos of Nothing” surge em um momento no qual Allen vem sofrendo um verdadeiro boicote na indústria do cinema nos Estados Unidos, após as renovadas acusações da ex e da filha adotiva do casal, Dylan, a respeito de um suposto crime de violência sexual cometido pelo diretor quando a menina tinha apenas sete anos de idade.

Pela primeira vez, o cineasta entra em detalhes sobre o que chama de “falsas alegações”. Você já deve conhecer a história: em 1992, Allen (na época com 56 anos) e Soon-Yi Previn (outra filha adotiva de Farrow, então com 22 anos), passaram a viver um relacionamento. A partir daí, uma montanha-russa de acontecimentos levou Farrow a acusar Allen do suposto abuso a Dylan, que teria ocorrido em uma casa de campo da atriz, em Connecticut. O processo não foi levado adiante pela justiça americana após duas investigações bastante detalhadas, com direito a depoimento mediado por um detector de mentiras. Allen passou no teste, enquanto Farrow se recusou a se submeter ao polígrafo.

Apesar do tom divertido, diretor fala sério na hora de contar sua versão a respeito das acusações de abuso sexual. O cineasta dedica boa parte do livro para se defender. Diz que, na época, o caso foi considerado uma fabricação por parte de Farrow, por não haver qualquer evidência de que Dylan havia sido molestada — versão corroborada por testemunhas como babás e até mesmo Moses Farrow, filho adotivo de Mia que ficou ao lado de Allen na disputa. Não é que Dylan ainda esteja mentindo, na opinião de Allen. O diretor acredita que ela é uma vítima, sim, mas da própria mãe, após anos e anos ouvindo-a martelar insistentemente que teria sido abusada pelo pai. Isso justificaria, inclusive, seus depoimentos recentes acerca do ocorrido há 28 anos. Há estudos que comprovam essa possibilidade.

Ainda assim, os detalhes são bastante complexos. Mesmo sem encontrar evidências, o juiz do caso, o controverso Elliot Wilk, já falecido, definiu que Dylan precisava ser protegida e Allen perdeu o direito de visitação à filha, enquanto Ronan podia ver o pai apenas acompanhado de um assistente social. O diretor desistiu de conviver com o filho após um ano, argumentando que o tempo passado com ele era insuficiente para construir um verdadeiro laço familiar. Além disso, Mia declarou que Ronan poderia, na verdade, ser filho de Frank Sinatra.

Mas o melhor do livro, porém, fica para o resgate das memórias do autor como comediante stand-up, diretor de cinema e músico amador. Para quem tem a oportunidade de ler a obra em inglês, é inevitável “escutar” a própria voz do artista enquanto as páginas são devoradas. O estilo conversado, inclusive, remete à cena final de “Manhattan”, filme de 1979 no qual o personagem Isaac Davis (interpretado pelo próprio Allen) deita-se no sofá e, com a ajuda de um gravador, começa a registrar em áudio tudo o que “faz a vida valer a pena”.

Para conferir a versão integral da resenha, acesse o texto no Scream & Yell.
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Arte de capa: Santo de Casa

Em setembro de 2019, após um criterioso processo que envolveu meses de pesquisa, viagens a São Paulo (SP), entrevistas, redação e edição do vasto material disponibilizado pelo cliente, foi lançado o Relatório Social do Instituto NET Claro Embratel, com os principais resultados do trabalho desenvolvido pela empresa ao longo de 2018. Tive o prazer de participar do projeto em parceria com a agência Santo de Casa.

A seguir, confira um dos textos do relatório, a respeito do projeto Ação Social Pela Música. Para ler o material completo, basta acessar o Relatório Social.

Ação Social Pela Música faz conexão Rio-Nova York

O Ação Social pela Música (ASM) conquistou corações até nos Estados Unidos em 2018. A apresentação da Camerata Jovem do Rio de Janeiro, que é uma das iniciativas do projeto, em dois eventos em Nova York (EUA), no mês de maio, foi um dos grandes destaques do ano. 

Primeiro, o grupo foi premiado e se apresentou no evento “O Homem do Ano”, promovido pela Câmara de Comércio Brasil-EUA. Mas eles foram além: também tocaram na sede da ONU (Organização das Nações Unidas), a convite da entidade.

Para completar o tour nova-iorquino, os jovens músicos da Camerata ainda estiveram em um evento em uma escola no bairro do Harlem, onde se apresentaram para os estudantes e participaram de um debate entre afro-americanos e afrodescendentes.

Para David dos Santos Nascimento, contrabaixista da Camerata, a viagem à Nova York foi a realização de um sonho. Depois de ter se apresentado na Alemanha e na Holanda em 2017, e de ter passado 21 dias na Venezuela em 2015, fazendo um curso de liderança musical com os principais maestros da América Latina, tocar na sede da ONU foi mais um momento especial para o músico de 22 anos.

“Foi realmente incrível! Tão jovem ainda, poder conhecer outras culturas e sair do país. Sou muito grato pela oportunidade”, afirma David. “Em 2019, vamos receber outro prêmio na Europa, com apresentações na Suíça e na Alemanha. É demais sermos escolhidos entre os melhores grupos jovens de música clássica”, comemora.

Para Flávio Rodrigues, gerente de Responsabilidade Social Corporativa da Claro Brasil, ver jovens como David realizando esses sonhos é apenas o primeiro passo de um futuro que ainda reserva muitas outras conquistas.

“Quando a gente conversa com eles, percebemos o quanto já se sentem realizados por terem estudado música clássica e terem não só a oportunidade de passar seu conhecimento para outros jovens, agora no papel de instrutores, mas também de visitar outros países e demonstrar seu talento”, observa Flávio. 

Eventos do ASM em 2018

Veja a lista de iniciativas das quais essa turma participou em 2018. Entre elas, as conexões entre projetos e eventos patrocinados pelo Instituto NET Claro Embratel, como o realizado pela Fundação Gol de Letra e a Semana Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia da Zona Oeste do Rio de Janeiro. E teve mais. Confira as apresentações:

• Evento Diálogos Gigantes, em fevereiro;
• Fundação Gol de Letra, em abril 2018;
• Semana Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia, em outubro (que também teve participação do projeto Dupla Escola);
• Reunião de Comunicação da Claro Brasil, em dezembro.

"Foi muito emocionante a apresentação na Reunião de Comunicação e, mais ainda, a história de superação dos meninos e meninas do grupo. Encontrar um sentido e um propósito por meio de algo que encanta é maravilhoso. E saber que a empresa em que a gente trabalha apoia causas e projetos como esse nos enche de orgulho. Me lembro desse dia com muito carinho", conta Nelson Barreto, colaborador da Claro Brasil em São Paulo.

Aula para primeira infância

Outra grande novidade do Ação Social Pela Música em 2018 foi que o programa começou a desenvolver polos de musicalização para a educação infantil em parceria com creches comunitárias e escolas municipais. Assim, eles passaram a dar aulas de musicalização para a primeira infância e alunos da pré-escola. Esse trabalho tem demonstrado um impacto positivo no desenvolvimento motor e sensorial das crianças atendidas.

Ficou com vontade de conferir a Camerata Jovem do Rio de Janeiro tocando? Clique aqui para assistir a reportagem que a Rede Globo fez durante a apresentação deles na sede da ONU, em Nova York.

Veja também um vídeo de um sarau na Fundação Gol de Letra, onde a camerata se apresentou em 2018.

Mais sobre o projeto Ação Social Pela Música

Criado em 1994 no Rio de Janeiro, o Ação Social Pela Música do Brasil é patrocinado pelo Instituto NET Claro Embratel desde 2010. O projeto atende 1.394 crianças, adolescentes e jovens nos núcleos de aprendizado musical e 2.583 crianças nos polos de musicalização voltados para educação infantil e a pré-escola. No total, são nada menos que 3.977 pessoas atendidas.

O foco do programa é promover a inclusão social e a formação da cidadania, por meio do ensino coletivo da música clássica para moradores de comunidades em situação de vulnerabilidade social.

Entre as comunidades atendidas estão o Complexo do Alemão, Morro dos Macacos, Rio das Pedras e Cidade de Deus, no Rio de Janeiro.
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Mike Watt / Howlin' Wuelf Media

Entrevista com o baixisita Mike Watt, publicada em português no Scream & Yell. Abaixo, disponibilizo a versão original na íntegra.

SAN PEDRO, CA — Mike Watt is one of the world's greatest all-time bassists. In this interview, originally published on Scream & Yell, he discusses his first solo record, "Ball-Hog or Tugboat?", released in 1995. He also talks about Eddie Vedder, Nels Cline, Jeff Tweedy and Bob Pollard, among others.

So, I wanted to discuss with you the 25th anniversary of your debut solo album “Ball-Hog or Tugboat?”, which was released on February 28, 1995. Does it feel like it’s been that long?

Well, I’ 62 years old. I was in my late thirties. So, I wasn’t that young… But yeah, I do remember it. When I think back about this record, it definitely feels like it was kind of a sea change in my life. Before that album I mainly had done Minutemen and fIREHOSE. So, when I go do this record, which is really funny that it’s called a solo record, cause there’s 48 people on it, but… I’m not working on the trio anymore. There’s 17 different bands on the record. With D Boon I would bring all my music to him, and with Edward I did that too. I remember bringing Edward “Piss-Bottle Man” and he thought, “well, maybe this isn’t a song for this band”. So that’s when I started thinking about “Ball-Hog or Tugboat”. Just the idea of the bass player knowing the song and having other people come in. Traditionally the bass player is the last to be brought on except maybe in R&B and funk music. So, that’s where the title comes from. Am I gonna be the guy that brings this together, or is it gonna be just, you know what I mean, like a “fake lead guitar bass”, which I don’t really think is what bass is. Bass is not really guitar, it’s got strings like a guitar, but it’s more like a drum set, in my opinion. Specially the notes, they are down there with the kickdrum and the toms. So I used the metaphor of wrestling, like the studio was kind of a wrestling ring, and I called my friends up, see if they wanted to come play with me and do this record. It was three different towns, pretty spontaneous, it was done really quick. I wanted it to be a record that stand on its own. I didn’t want it to be so much hype, or people making a big deal about names of some of these people. I didn’t use managers or anything, I just called people up and did this for a little bit. And it got me to what I am doing nowadays. So, looking back, it was a really important record for me.

When you wrote songs like “Against the 70s”, for example, did you write it with Eddie Vedder in mind to be the singer on the record? Or “Chinese Firedrill”, for that matter, did you write it thinking of adding Frank Black’s vocals to it?

No, of course not. I didn’t know who was gonna be available for this. There wasn’t hardly any practice, all this stuff was done very spontaneously in the studio. I did have a few songs, but I felt if the bass player knew how to play them, anyone could come and play drums or guitar or sing. So I showed it to them right there in the studio. Nels Cline, I did a little practice with him. There’s a song on the record, “Coincidence is Either Hit or Miss”, that’s kind of what it was, you know?

How did the idea of reuniting so many different musicians come together? Did you invite them or they were the ones who approached you to record together? I imagine many, if not all of them, were big fans of your previous work on the Minutemen and fIREHOSE.

No, it was my idea, my record. I asked them. The only one who approached me was Kathleen Hannah, when it was almost done. She heard about it and asked to be on it. Like I said, I wrote “Piss-Bottle Man” and brought it to Edward, in fIREHOSE. There’s no way I wrote that for Evan Dando. But I thought Evan would be kind of good to do that tune. You know, that was a strange year, 1994. fIREHOSE broke up, the first week or two of the year, and I did not tour, the first year I did not tour since the Minutemen days, so, it was kind of unusual. So I thought of doing the record, but I never thought about touring. Cause there was too many people on it. That was David’s (Grohl) idea, he called me up, he said he and Ed (Vedder) would be my band, they had their own bands who could open the show, it was all very spontaneous, there was no strategy behind it, or plans… I thought of it as the old bebop days, when people just jammed together, no big stuff, setting it all up, and no expectations, no preconceptions of the way it should be, just let the freak flag fly.

So, you guys were travelling on a van and playing every night, which was the punk thing to do. However, many of your fans didn’t really appreciate you playing with rock stars. People were throwing coins and all kinds of things at you, specially Eddie, right? How did you guys deal with that situation back then?

I’ve gotten stuff thrown at me a lot of times before, when the Minutemen open up for Black Flag and then when I opened up for Primus. But I think what you are talking about is… Eddie got money thrown at him. Those weren’t my fans, those were Pearl Jam fans! You know about this shit. Who’s the guy who shot John Lennon?

Mark David Chapman.

Yeah, he’s wearing a fucking name tag! These guys are like this. It’s this love/hate thing. That was so fucking weird. When I saw this teenager throwing money at Ed, and his t-shirt said “Fuck you, Eddie”, I just thought, “what’s wrong with you?”. You’ve never been to a Mike Watt gig, you’re not a Mike Watt supporter. You just want to tell your friend the next day in school that you did this stupid shit. That was something I never had to deal with in tours before, cause I come from the underground and a small scene. But what can I do about that? They just come to the gig, they’re assholes.

It’s interesting to hear this, because I always thought it was your fans reacting to you playing with these famous guys from mainstream bands.

Well, not really. I guess, yeah, they were more mainstream than me at the time, but they were not New Kids on the Block. And Dave was just starting his new band at the time, and Eddie was playing with this weird, experimental band, where he was playing drums. He wasn’t doing what he was known for. And even when playing with me, he was mostly playing guitar. So these guys weren’t doing what they regularly do. It was kind of different, it wasn’t so mainstream, but what happened is that mainstream attitude came in, all this hype and phony shit, yeah that was terrible. But, you know, Dave was in a band called Scream. And Eddie had played in a band before called Bad Radio. So they knew about all these stuff, but you’re right, there was some popularity right? But that shit’s terrible, come on, it’s fucking Hitler shit. But it was something I didn’t really foresee, cause I never had to deal with that kind of fame before. That was no Mike Watt fan! I hope no Mike Watt fan ever does stupid shit like that. But that shit happens, there’s this mentality, when you get kind of popular, the scene becomes different, people like things because other people like things, they don’t trust their own judgement. So you’re not dealing with open minded people, you’re dealing with a herd, or a bunch of cows. People are not in their best moment. So that was not a good part of the tour. But playing with those guys, we only had a couple days of practice. And I thought that was pretty amazing to pull that off. And Pat Smear, I mean, Jesus Christ. Pat Smear was a hero of Minutemen, he was in The Germs. That’s what I found interesting, these guys could fucking play their asses off. In just a couple days we put together a whole fucking tour, did this thing, even though there were some problems with this phoniness and hype shit, as far as playing together, you know, getting together songs and making a gig, I thought it was pretty successful. And I was pretty amazed, specially coming from where I did, where I never… This was kind of a different thing for me. It was scary, exciting scary. I don’t look back on the other stuff, I can only imagine what Ed felt. I hope those guys grew out of that stuff. And also there was this sickness that came around, a flu. We were travelling on a van, but that’s what we always do. I had my van, the other bands had their vans, maybe that’s why I didn’t get sick. But anyway, they were champions, they were soldiers, they played so fucking good. Actually, a few years ago we released one of the shows from this tour as a live record. The Chicago one. Man, that tape had been around, cause the Chicago Metro always record their gigs. So, when the record company asked me about it I said, well, I’ll ask Dave and Ed and Pat. When I listened to it, I thought there were going to be a lot more mistakes. I’m really grateful to them guys.

You have a few covers on the record as well, such as Sonic Youth’s “Tuff Gnarl”, where you actually had most of the band to play it with you on your record. Why did you choose that specific Sonic Youth song to cover?

Cause I like it! You need a better reason? I think the words for that song are some of Thurston’s (Moore) best words. I got J. (Mascis) to play drums on that song, but J. jumped off in the middle. That’s why you don’t hear any drums in the middle. So Steve (Shelley) was there and he jumped on. I picked that song, also to me the music is kind of symphonic, and Nels Cline… I actually did it for Nels Cline and Carla Bozulich, who always wanted to sing it. I thought we could do a great version and make it justice, give it a new meaning. But I think J. did really good too, kind of Keith Moon drums. Until the jumped off of it. (laughs)

What’s the story behind “Hearbeat”, specially the lyrics?

This song was going to be an instrumental. But it was like 45 guys on the record and I thought, “man, I gotta have more women on this”. So I got Carla. Petra and her sisters did some singing, played some violin… I asked Tifanny, a friend of J. Mascis, if she would sing. Actually, this song is made up of a Dos song, and a song I’ve written for the Minutemen, I put them up together. Anyway, the one person who asked to be part of this project was Kathleen Hannah. So, on this song, Tifanny sings the words that I wrote, and the words that Kathleen Hannah, I guess, recited, those are her words. I was in New York City, and I was already down with the studio. Thurston was with us. And he said: “You know what, we can use my answering machine, from the studio”. So, he had Kathleen call him up and leave the message you can hear in the song. So, that’s the recording. It’s not a real message, she makes up this… Some of that stuff is very real, but some of that is made up, for sure. That’s the way Kathleen is, she mixes up things together, but the impression you get by listening to that, is like she doesn’t want to be on the record. But that’s the complete opposite of the reality, she wanted to be on the record, she asked me to. But that’s what you can do with records, you can mess up with reality. I have been asked a lot about that. That’s the story. Kathleen wanted to be on the record, she was. You know, her husband’s on there. Mike D. They’ve been married 26 years, she told me that I had something to do with it. But come on, I was just trying to make a record. The same thing happened to Nels Cline and Yuka Honda. I made a record, you know, usually when I make projects, people don’t marry each other, but sometimes it happens. (laughs)

One of the musician’s that has the most presence on the record is Nels Cline. He probably wasn’t one of the more well-known guys back then, but after he joined Wilco, certainly a more mainstream audience was able to get to know him better. He also played with you on the second leg of that tour. Do you still play with him often?

I gotta tell you, Jeff Tweedy is the boss of Wilco. He played bass in a band from St. Louis, it was called…

Uncle Tupelo.

Yes, Uncle Tupelo. They even had a song called D. Boon

He’s a big fan of yours.

After D. Boon got killed they wrote a song for him, so I knew him a little bit. But I’m really grateful to him hiring Nels Cline to be in his band, cause Nels has always done experimental wild music, and this way he can still do that, and still make a living working for Mr. Tweedy. So that subsidizes his experimental side, you know? Specially since Nels Cline moved to New York City, after he married Yuka Honda (from the band Cibo Matto). There’s a much more free jazz open experimental scene there. He and his brother Alex tried to get it going here in So Cal for a long time but people wouldn’t support it. There it’s really huge. I do still play with him, but you’re right. He started getting some attention, but the first time he got attention was when he played on my first opera, “Contemplating the Engine Room” (1997), maybe not so much with critics or the press, but other musicians. A lot of people were asking me about this guy playing guitar. And so I ended up making albums with these guys. I said: “You wanna know Nels Cline? Just play with him!” We just set up the project. For years, he just came to the studio and improvised. He’s a great listener. Also, with the internet now we can collaborate more easily than in the old days. Nels has always made himself very available to me. A great guy like that. A very generous, open guy. He’s one of the positive things I like about the music scene. There’s so much phoniness and bullshit, and then you got a guy like Nels Cline, who’s just the opposite of all of that.

Floored by Four: Nels Cline, Dougie Bowne, Mike Watt and Yuka Honda / Howlin' Wuelf Media


There is also a Brazilian connection on the record, since Mario Caldato is on the closing track “Coincidence is Either Hit or Miss”. How did you get to know him?

Well, Mario Caldato, he was sound man for the Beasties. Yeah, that connection was through the Beastie Boys. I opened up for them, Check Your Head Tour, I think in 92. It’s when they started playing their instruments again, really good tour. Horowitz came on stage and played with us, this was fIREHOSE, one of our last tours. We had a problem with people throwing stuff at us. Actually, they had problems too, people wanted them just to rap and not play their instruments. This is the way it gets, things get a little knucklehead, when things get a little “less underground”. It’s pretty fucking stupid.

Are there any leftovers from that recording session? And do you have plans to release a reissue of that album in celebration of its anniversary?

Just the seven inches, the b-sides. We released three seven inches, with b-sides. There are no plans to rerelease the album. I don’t think that would be right. It’s still on sale. I thought the best way to redo it was with the live record we released a few years ago. We ended up doing the vinyl, cause back then we just did the CD. So we did a blue vinyl, it was deluxe enough, I don’t think there’s anything else to do without being exploitive about it.

So, you played with 48 different musicians on this record and a lot more during your career. Is there anyone you still haven’t worked with that you’d like to get together and play?

Yeah, Bob Mould.

Wow.

I’ve always wanted to do something with Bob.

Yeah, that would sound amazing.

There’s another Bob. Bob Pollard.

Wow!

Guided By Voices, right?

That would also be great.

Both of those guys, they got such a vision of their own. I would also like to, instead of repackaging the wrestling record, I would like to do another one, Leonardo.

Yeah, please do.

Only, I would do it in Cleveland. Just with Cleveland musicians. You know, the town where Pere Ubu came from. I really would like to do that. With guys from Pere Ubu, like Tom Herman, Scott Krauss, John Petkovic, from Cobra Verde, there’s quite a few musicians in Cleveland with whom I’d love to do a miniature version of “Ball-Hog or Tugboat?”.

You can make an exception for Bob Pollard, since he’s from the same state…

Yeah, he’d have to come visit. Yeah, I love his genius, he’s so prolific, oh my God.  You know, he just played here in downtown LA in the New Year’s. One hundred songs, a five-hour gig.

He probably played all the songs he wrote that week.

That day! (laughter) He’s amazing.

You came to Brazil in 2005 with Iggy Pop and the Stooges, right? Any memories from that experience that you’d like to share?

Three times in Brazil, two times with The Stooges. One was the James Williamson Stooges and the other was Ron Asheton Stooges. And another time I came to Brazil was with The Missingmen. So, all three times were São Paulo, and two of them also Rio. I liked it a lot. But I still have to know more of the country. Rio and São Paulo are very different towns, but they’re kind of close to each other. (laughs)
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Photo Credits: Annie Dressner

Entrevista com a banda Nada Surf, publicada originalmente no Scream & Yell em português. Abaixo, a íntegra da conversa com o vocalista Matthew Caws no idioma original.

Another interview with a band I love. This one was originally published in Portuguese on Scream & Yell. Below you can check out the whole transcription of my conversation with Nada Surf's vocalist Matthew Caws. Enjoy!

- So, you have a new record out, “Never Not Together”. What can you say about the song writing and recording processes? Was it different to previous releases in any way?

It was a little different at the end of the process, but the beginning of the process was the same. Which is that I write songs at home, sometimes they’re complete, sometimes they’re just little pieces. And when it’s time to record I just bring them all to the band and we arrange them together. The only thing that was different was that everybody stayed a little bit more involved. Usually with the record, after we’ve done the basic tracks I’m all alone. But this time everybody wanted to hang in there and, you know, stay involved and have opinions and stuff.

Anything else is different... I don’t know, I’m in a good place in my life right now, so it’s made me able to be a little more objective, I think, about what I want to write about. And differences like, I always thought a little bit about what would comfort me or make me feel better if I was a listener. I always thought about that, but I think about that more now, more than I used to.

- Why did you choose to record the album at Rockfield Studios, in Wales? Was it your first time there?

Yeah, I’ve never been there. I’ve seen the name a lot on records that I like, so it’s a legendary place. The guy that we asked to produce the record, Ian Laughton, he had worked there with Ash a long time ago. And he knows the engineer there and he said it would be a great place to be. And also we wanted to record in England because my wife and I have a toddler. We usually record in New York, but this time it would be easier for me to be close to home. So we practiced here and then recorded it there. We’ve been asked a lot if is there anything special about recording in a historic studio, if it’s just machines... But what’s good about it is that it puts you in a romantic mood of trying to achieve something. So it keeps everybody excited.

- What are some of the records that you like that were recorded there?

The first three Echo and the Bunnymen albums. “Shake Some Action” by the Flamin’ Groovies. And then a lot of punk and britpop. But it’s most famous for “Bohemin Rhapsody” and Oasis as well.

- What are some of the album's main themes?

The album is about division, about tolerance, about conquering our prejudices on the inside so that we can repair them on the outside too. I feel like personal politics lead to outside politics. People are writing each other off in the United States. I don't feel like I can afford to write people off, even if I don't agree with their politics. I was lucky to be born into a liberal progressive family. But I might have been born in a different one. We're very tribal, but I'll always believe that we have more in common than we think.

- Do you guys all live in New York at the moment? You’re in the UK now, right? How do you get together to play, rehearse and work on new songs?

Nobody lives in NY anymore. Daniel lives in Ibiza (Spain), Ira lives in Florida and our keyboard player Louie lives in Austin, Texas. And we rehearse here. Yeah, I mean, it was easier when we all lived in NY, but I think it’s part of why the band has stayed together for so long. We allow each other to have our lives. And if we all had stayed in NY, even if our families lived elsewhere, I think it could have caused some kind of resentment, I’m not sure.

- The songs on the new album sound very fresh and energized, like we are listening to a new band, and not a band that is on the road for more than 20 years. 

That’s great!

- So, where do you get inspiration from to keep things interesting for you and also for the audience? 

Uh, I don’t know. You have to keep pushing yourselves a little bit. I wish I had a better answer. Cause it’s very possible that we could stop being interesting. We’re not interesting on purpose, I can tell you that.

- Yeah, but do you keep up to date with what’s going on in the music world, do you listen to new bands or do you get inspiration from other sources such as movies or, I don’t know, your family or somewhere else?

Yeah, it’s everything. I do listen to new music and stuff. We do not try to keep up with the times or anything, there’s nothing like that. We don’t try to make this kind of music because the kids are into it or anything like that. I’m into literature and painting. I mean, it’s tricky in all arts, because you want to be natural and let your imagination run free, and at the same time you have all this craft. And you can be a quick judge, maybe too quick of a judge. So it’s hard to combine everything you’ve learned from all the music that you’ve listened to, and do your craft with freedom. Maybe you’ll have an idea and you’ll shoot it down before giving it a chance cause you’re judging it. But you need that judgement, so it’s a contradiction.

- Over the years you have recorded with an orchestra on “Peaceful Ghosts”, you have made a covers album (“If I Had a Hi-fi”), and also a record with Juliana Hatfield (“Minor Alps”). Is there anything you would like to do musically that you haven’t been able to do yet?

Well, I’ve been writing songs with a lot of people. I might put out a record of songs I’ve written with others. And there’s a record that I’ve made with a guy called Michael Lerner, in a band called Telekinesis. So yeah, I’ve got other projects for sure.

- What would you say Nada Surf’s role in the current alternative rock scene is, if there is one? I mean, do you worry or think about staying ‘relevant’ in the music business and breaking new ground, or reaching a wider audience? I mean, what’s your goal artistically at this point in your career?

I do worry about reaching a wider audience, we always want to do that if possible. But I don’t worry about our place or keeping up or anything like that. I can’t really think in those terms. I can only artistically. I don’t know what our role is. We’re the old guard. I just wanna work, do what I love, try and do good work. Recently I put out a single named “Song for Congress”, which is a song talking directly to senators and congressmen in the American government. And I played it in Washington, and that’s something I’m definitely trying to get into a bit more. I wrote it in reaction to the stories of families separation in the Mexican border. I was so upset by that, and so I wanted to do more than just call my congressman. So I wrote a song directly to them and wrote a piece about it.

- For a band of your stature, what advice would you give to new bands who might be following on your footsteps, considering how influential you guys are? I mean, a lot of bands fight a lot about stuff like song structure, arrangements, whose songs get included and whose songs are left out etc. What’s your take on this, from your experience?

Well, it can really help… It depends. If one person writes the songs, then… If a band is just a short project, that person should keep the rights to those songs. But if it’s a band that you want to really last, it’s good to share publishing. I basically write the songs in the band, all our names go on them and we split all the money. It helps to take away the argument of which songs to put on the record, because that argument can come a lot. The Byrds, for example, one of the best bands ever. Gene Clark wrote their first songs, so he made a lot of money much faster than the other guys and they really resented him. And then it caused arguments in the band and they kicked him out. It can really destroy you. I think it’s like a marriage, you have to work on tolerance and be as kind as you can.

- You have tours aligned for Europe and USA in the next few months. Have you received any offers to come to South America? What are your memories from your past tours in Brazil?

Uhm, yeah, we have an offer to come back. We just don’t have time this year. My son will be starting school in September and I have to be home. So I hope we can come back next year. I had great experiences playing in Brazil, the audiences were fantastic and I really liked the food too. I like muqueca. It’s really good. Yeah, we had an incredible time there, I can’t wait to come back.

- Any additional comments?

I was gonna say that I hope the next time we come we have some free time on Sunday, because I was walking on that big avenue where everybody plays outside [Avenida Paulista]. It would be great to play an outdoor acoustic concert there too.

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Foto: José Reynaldo da Fonseca - REFON

PROMISSÃO, SP — Em Tupi, “Ti” significa “água” e “Etê” quer dizer “verdadeiro”. Dificilmente outro nome seria mais adequado para batizar um caminho repleto de águas tão intensas, capazes de fazer tamanha diferença na vida de milhões de pessoas no estado de São Paulo. Quem o observa de fora pode pensar que o Tietê é apenas um rio poluído que cerca a capital paulista, sem ter a noção de sua vastidão e importância para o País e para todos os colaboradores da AES Brasil.

Ao cruzar os céus e as estradas do estado de São Paulo, sempre se tem a sensação de estar próximo – ou ao menos sob a influência – do Rio Tietê. Seus 1.150 km de extensão banham 62 municípios – incluindo a capital –, exercendo grande impacto social, ambiental e econômico sobre a população. Desde sua nascente, em Salesópolis, próximo ao litoral, até o ponto em que deságua no lago formado pela barragem de Jupiá, no rio Paraná, o Tietê carrega consigo mais do que as formas de vida submersas em suas águas – é também o sustento da população ribeirinha e a fonte de trabalho de seis usinas hidrelétricas instaladas ao longo do rio, sendo cinco da AES Tietê: Barra Bonita, Bariri, Ibitinga, Promissão e Nova Avanhandava.

Atividades diversas ocorrem em sua trajetória: pescaria profissional e amadora, lazer, turismo, transporte de cargas e, claro, geração de energia elétrica.
Não é piada
Passear de barco pelo Tietê é uma das atividades disponíveis para quem visita a região de Barra Bonita. Um anúncio de uma empresa de turismo tenta convencer seu público-alvo a respeito dessa possibilidade afirmando que “não, não é piada”. A má fama do rio é justificável, devido ao alto nível de poluição do trecho que chega à capital, mas não se confirma para quem o conhece mais de perto. E as alternativas de lazer não param por aí: a pesca amadora e a canoagem são outras opções oferecidas aos visitantes.
As prefeituras locais também criam opções para quem vive nas cidades do entorno do rio. Pequenas praias artificiais, com estrutura para preparar um churrasco e curtir momentos de alegria com amigos e familiares, são comuns nessas localidades. A água cristalina, calma e de pouca profundidade é um convite para quem gosta de nadar e se refrescar. Os municípios de Barbosa e Buritama, entre outros, são exemplos de cidades que dispõem desse tipo de praia.
Por um Tietê mais limpo

Existe uma perspectiva de que o rio Tietê diminua seus índices de poluição. Desde 1998, está em andamento o Projeto Tietê, desenvolvido pela Sabesp (empresa responsável pelo fornecimento de água, coleta e esgoto de 366 municípios no estado de São Paulo). O objetivo do programa é coletar e tratar os esgotos de cerca de 18 milhões de pessoas na região metropolitana da capital, melhorando as condições ambientais e de saúde pública.

O projeto, no entanto, é realista. Em sua terceira fase de execução – que vai até 2015 – não há esperança de que peixes voltem a habitar as águas desta parte do rio, ao menos no curto prazo. Tampouco se espera o retorno de um passado glorioso, quando era possível praticar esportes como o remo, realidade para os habitantes de São Paulo até os anos 50. Porém, de acordo com o site oficial do Projeto, foi possível construir estações que recebem os esgotos coletados e devolvem os tratados ao meio ambiente. Os benefícios foram notados no interior do estado, a partir da redução da mancha poluidora e o retorno da pesca, o que indica a importância das obras de saneamento ao desenvolvimento econômico e social.
Rio Tietê é "tudo" na vida dos pescadores
A pesca é uma das atividades profissionais mais importantes que ocorrem no Tietê. Dagoberto Lopes de Oliveira é um entre as centenas de pescadores que buscam sua subsistência nas águas do rio. Atuando na região há mais de três décadas e meia, “desde os 10 anos de idade”, ele embarca em uma pequena jangada por volta da meia-noite, diariamente. “Nesse horário a turbina da usina acalma e podemos soltar a rede”, explica. Até as 6h, seu instrumento de trabalho fica submerso, atraindo espécies variadas de peixe, como a Curvina e o Porquinho, que depois são comercializados em uma banca, sob os cuidados de seu sogro.
Não é uma vida fácil. Na época da Piracema – período de 1º de novembro a 1º de março, em que determinadas espécies fazem a migração do rio para completar o ciclo de reprodução –, o Ibama (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente) interrompe a pesca para espécies nativas, permitindo apenas que os peixes exóticos sejam retirados das águas. Com isso, o órgão busca preservar essas espécies, que precisam se reproduzir e se desenvolver antes de serem pescadas. No entanto, o dia a dia dos pescadores se torna ainda mais duro. “O Governo Federal ajuda com um salário mínimo nessa época”, conta o pescador.
Mas, precisando se sustentar e ainda pagar a faculdade da filha, a remuneração de cerca de R$ 500 mensais não é nada mais que uma pequena colaboração governamental para as famílias que perdem sua principal fonte de renda durante quatro meses do ano. Ainda assim, Dagoberto revela que o rio Tietê é tudo na sua vida. “Com certeza é o rio que mais dá peixe, e vai continuar dando. Seria bom se o Governo e as empresas ajudassem mais, criassem mais programas de piscicultura”, sugere. Para ele, o trabalho realizado pela AES Tietê na região é fundamental. “É importante, muito bem feito”, analisa.
AES Tietê faz a sua parte
Para manter a subsistência dessas famílias, é essencial que as empresas instaladas na região ofereçam condições de realizar seu trabalho. A AES Tietê conta com uma série de programas de sustentabilidade para permitir que o meio ambiente e as comunidades que vivem às margens do rio possam continuar sua rotina.
Dentro dos programas de manejo das bacias hidrográficas, a AES Tietê executa a pesca científica. A atividade – documentada e licenciada pelo Ibama – consiste em capturar peixes desde a forma de alevino (jovens) até a idade adulta, para análise dos seus hábitos. “O objetivo é manter a pesca nos reservatórios operados pela empresa, o que tem um impacto econômico e social”, pondera o analista de Meio Ambiente da AES Tietê, Silvio Carlos Alves dos Santos.
Um dos resultados concretos deste trabalho é a reintrodução da Piracanjuba nas águas do Tietê. A espécie, que esteve extinta por 30 anos em São Paulo, em função de mudanças no ambiente aquático, está começando a ser reinserida. A empresa trabalha somente com peixes de Piracema. “Com a construção das barragens, o ciclo foi interrompido, então certas espécies foram prejudicadas. Algumas conseguiram se adaptar, mas nem todos os reservatórios ainda têm características que favoreçam a desova. O Pacu-guaçu e a Piracanjuba, por exemplo, não se reproduzem espontaneamente”, explica Silvio. Para facilitar esse processo, a AES Tietê desenvolve um trabalho de piscicultura na Usina Mário Lopes Leão (próxima a Promissão-SP), por meio do qual induz a reprodução dessas espécies (mais detalhes na Revista Ligado nº 28, de abril/2010).
Entre outras atividades relacionadas ao programa de sustentabilidade da AES Tietê, destacam-se o acompanhamento da pesca amadora na Usina Nova Avanhandava, o monitoramento genético das espécies para seu correto repovoamento no rio e o resgate de peixes que ficam “presos” nas turbinas das usinas, que são reinseridos nas águas do Tietê. Frequentemente, crianças também visitam as usinas, para se educarem a respeito da importância de preservar a água e consumir energia elétrica de forma racional. “É nossa obrigação como cidadãos e como empresa. Nossa atividade não causa perda na qualidade da água, não traz prejuízos físicos e químicos, estamos conscientes a respeito do impacto que podemos ter na sociedade. Trabalhamos para não impactar negativamente a vida das pessoas”, diz o gerente de Meio Ambiente da AES Tietê, José Luiz Simionato.
Como não cuidar bem de um recurso natural tão importante para a vida de tantas pessoas e tão impactante nos negócios do Grupo? Além da extensão de sua bacia hidrográfica, outro fator determinante para o valor que o rio tem para a AES é o período chuvoso do Tietê em sua cabeceira, que ocorre de novembro a junho. “Isso contribui com uma afluência média constante para a geração de energia em cinco usinas, garantindo em torno de 35% da energia assegurada da AES Tietê”, revela o gerente de Operações, Antônio Carlos Garcia.
Tilápia é sucesso em Nova York
A influência do Rio Tietê extrapola fronteiras. Até mesmo Nova York, a chamada “capital do mundo”, recebe um impacto – positivo – daquilo que o rio tem para oferecer. A tilápia vermelha é uma das espécies cultivadas em uma fazenda localizada no noroeste do estado de São Paulo, em Santo Antônio do Aracanguá, a 510 km da capital. O filé do peixe está sendo exportado para os Estados Unidos. A cada semana, os nova-iorquinos recebem nada menos que três toneladas de tilápias fresquinhas, embarcadas apenas um dia antes. Um dos pratos preparados com o peixe é o filé de tilápia à milanesa com alcaparras.
Você sabia...
Que os primeiros “habitantes” das regiões ao entorno do rio foram os índios tupiniquins, kaiapós, guaranis, kaingangs e painguás?
Que em 1930, 150 empresas já jogavam lixo no Tietê?
Que a AES Tietê conta com 326 colaboradores?
Que o Tietê serviu como inspiração para a cartunista Laerte criar a série em quadrinhos “Piratas do Tietê”, em que piratas sanguinários navegavam pelo rio causando caos nas cidades do seu entorno?
Que o rio possui 19 afluentes, entre eles, os rios Pinheiros, Jaú, Bauru, Dourado, Piracicaba e São Lourenço?
Que as cinco usinas da AES Tietê ao longo do rio contam com eclusas – mecanismos que abrem caminho para as embarcações passarem – integrando a hidrovia Tietê/Paraná? O rio é um importante corredor de carga e turismo para o estado de São Paulo.
Que no ano de 2009 a AES Tietê totalizou a geração de 14.517.923,90 MWh, sendo que a contribuição das Usinas do Rio Tietê foi de 4.913.693,00 MWh?
Que para operar uma usina é necessária a mão de obra de 20 colaboradores?
Que, considerando a potência instalada total, cada colaborador gera 8,1 MWh? E que considerando a energia contratada (energia assegurada), cada pessoa gera em torno de 4,1 MWh?
Que 1 MWh é suficiente para abastecer 3.144 residências, considerando a média de 229 KWh/mês por residência com uma família de quatro pessoas?
Que a Usina Água Vermelha, considerando sua energia assegurada em KWh/mês, abastece 2.345.502 residências?
Matéria apurada presencialmente às margens do rio Tietê, no interior de São Paulo (SP), e publicada na Revista Ligado, da AES Brasil, editada pela Santo de Casa, em 2010.


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