Raimundos

Formed in 1987 by childhood friends Rodolfo Abrantes and Digão in the city of Brasília, Raimundos are one of the most seminal bands in the history of Brazilian rock. They are known for their eclectic mix of hardcore punk with forró (a music genre from Northeastern Brazil), a style that has been often dubbed as “forrocore.” Equally inspired by iconic punk acts such as Dead Kennedys and Ramones, as well as forró singer Zemilton, Abrantes and Digão recruited bassist Canisso and made their first live performance at Gabriele Thomaz’s house, where they became acquainted with future drummer Fred. After a brief hiatus between 1990 and 1992, Raimundos returned to the scene in full force, opening for Camisa de Vênus, Ratos de Porão, and Titãs. In 1994, they released their groundbreaking eponymous studio debut, which sold over 250,000 copies and was eventually certified gold in their native Brazil thanks to tracks like “Puteiro em João Pessoa” and “Selim.” A harsher-sounding effort, second album Lavô Tá Novo (1996) found the band at the peak of its powers, surpassing its predecessor in sales and earning the band slots at the festivals like Monsters of Rock and Hollywood Rock. After the commercial failure of Lapadas do Povo (1997), Raimundos made a triumphant comeback with 1999’s Só no Forévis, a three-times platinum album that was hailed as a return to form by critics. They followed this success with the live album MTV Ao Vivo (2000), the last one featuring original vocalist Rodolfo Abrantes, who quit the band in 2001. A year later, Digão made his debut as lead singer on the full-length Kavookavala (2002), and then the group took a much-needed break after releasing the EP Pt Qq cOizAh in 2005. In the subsequent years, Raimundos toured tirelessly and released the live albums Roda Viva (2011), Cantigas de Garagem (2014), and Raimundos Acústico (2017), featuring Ivete Sangalo, Alexandre Carlo e Marcão.