by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: Little Brazil
When: February 19th @ 8PM
Where: Jack Rabbits
When I was set to interview Landon Bridges, band front man and founder of the Omaha based Little Brazil, the first question I wanted to ask him was about the band’s name. With a name like Little Brazil, most people have to believe they play flamenco style music or that they named it after a Manhattan neighborhood block. I researched the neighborhood and the community connected with it as soon as I listened to the Little Brazil’s new album, Tighten the Noose. According to Maxine L. Margolis’ book, Little Brazil, Brazilians in New York City (population approx. 90,000) have the possibility of being a force to be reckoned with, except that the New York Brazilians seem to be suffering from a “lack of community spirit and organization.” Little Brazil’s single block is the only concentration of Brazilians in New York, and even there they share the block with Japanese, Argentine, Korean and Italian eateries. So here you have this huge group of people with something in common, but no real sense of community, just a sense of apathy. Listening to the band Little Brazil, I thought that the name was a brilliant, if obscure, choice for a rock band with definite gen-x/y emo overtones.
It turns out that Landon never really put that much thought into it, declaring that “the name is pretty much a mystery. It doesn’t really hold any type of significance. It’s just something… I saw a long time ago, wrote it down on a piece of paper, put it in my wallet for easy reference…Then when I had a project, I named it…[Little Brazil].”
Before naming the band, Landon had never even been to the Little Brazil neighborhood in New York and actually says he never really thought about it as a neighborhood until people starting asking about the name. He was curious though; since then he has visited it, driving by just to check it out.
Their sound is very high-energy rock, with a splash of indie sensibility and emo attitude. Landon Bridges has a distinct tonal quality that sometimes makes a very straight-forward song sound quirky and indie.
The band’s been up and running since 2002, though they didn’t release an EP until 2004 because band members had been more involved in other side projects and other bands. Tighten the Noose is their latest and third release. When asked about the band’s progress since its start Landon replies that they are “excelling…We seem to be getting more response. We’re going to be making music, regardless, but I’m definitely satisfied with where we’re at right now.”
Their name and music isn’t the only thing that’s been capturing the attention of the public. The eye-catching and disturbing-but-cute artwork on the album certainly has something to do with boosting their popularity, as it has attracted new listeners.
The band was trying to figure out what art should go on the cover of the CD, when Landon went out to a friend’s art show. It was only when he was describing the artwork to his girlfriend that he realized it would be perfect match for the band. “She paints these dolls hanging from nooses, and I was like ‘Wait! Tighten the Noose!’” Thus, both the title and the cover art were conceived. “The idea is just something that’s never been done on a CD cover before and that’s kinda what we’re all about, just trying to stick out and be unique. And we felt like it’s good symbolism for the lyrics of the album.”
Check their tunes out atmyspace.com/littlebrazil and you may find yourself digging them in a big way. You can listen to Little Brazil rock out live Monday night at Jackrabbits.
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