Lou Reed, from the Velvet Underground, cares a lot about what Caroline Says. But will he care about what she plays? ..:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />

Borrowing their name from his classic tune, Belo Horizonte..s Carolina Diz (meaning, literally, 'Caroline Says'), were formed in 2002 by drummer and lyricist César Gilcevi and guitarist Humberto Teixeira, later joined by Fernando Prates (Guitar) and Dennis Martins (bass). The band are on the spot for the release of their second album, Crônicas do Amanhecer.

In a stream of moods, their music can easily go from straight forward rock and roll, as showcased in their debut album Se Perder (2004) to some more introspective sounds or even some pieces of electro rock as they were able to manage in 'Crônicas'. The album clearly shows the band evolving from their initial sound – something between Placebo and Brazillian 80..s punk new wave – to a more refined and diverse brand of rock and roll, but without losing the rawness of the early days.

In the following interview, lyricist and drummer César Gilcevi gives us a word or two about it.

Rockfeedback: How is it being an independent artist in Belo Horizonte?

Cesar Gilcevi: "Very, very hard. There is no support whatsoever, and the bands really work for themselves in all ways, whether it's recording, producing, printing or distributing their own albums. Some have support of small labels, but that's he minority. Also, there are very few places to play in Belo Horizonte and the bands are getting together in order to produce small festivals. Getting airplay for the new generation of bands is also a dream. In Brazil, the artist that decides to face all the dificulties of the independent music market truly believes that he has something to show, or they would give up in their first week. A really cool band that made their way beyond that were Cansei de Ser Sexy. I hope more new bands start to get attention outside of Brazil, so good things can happen."

RFB: How was the process of producing Crônicas do Amanhecer, from scratch to the final product?

CG: "We..d had a lot of songs already written, nearly 30 tunes we thought that could be recorded. We wanted someone to produce the album but there was no one we thought was that interesting or able to step in the studio with us. After long talks with João Eduardo Neto and Fabrício Galvani from the band Cinco Rios, also from Belo Horizonte, we realized they were the right guys to work with. We chose 14 songs, went to the Casa Antiga studio, owned by Galvani, and recorded the album over the space of a year. The two of them gave us a lot of suggestions on the arrengements of the songs, got sounds and ambiences we were looking for and helped us getting to the final product. The name had been chosen ages ago and the artwork was chosen by me from the work of photographer and designer Tiago Capute, who also recorded electric guitars in two tracks of the album. Other musicians from our local scene took part aswell such as Renato Boechat on the keyboards and poet Roberto Soares, one of the creators of the Marginal Poetry movement in Brazil during the 70's."

RFB: On the first album, the band sounded more visceral and raw. Now, on this one, Carolina Diz is sounding a bit darker... did the band go through a change of mood during these years?

CG: "We didn't notice that. I believe there are extremely visceral songs on this record, but also some pop songs like 'O Que me Faz Cantar'. We've got a great variety of influences in our music, hence the wide range of moods in the songs. What has changed is that the band had time to live on together and we got to know each other better and, because of that, we have got more mature in writing songs. Maybe Brazil has become a bit darker and that is reflected in our tunes. The album references the actual social situation in Brazilian cities and their inhabitants. One journalist once said that in this album Brazilian cities revealed themselves in a post 9/11 feel because of the realism we have portraited the streets of Belo Horizonte."

For your information: Belo Horizonte is the fourth largest city in Brazil, with 2.5 million people. It got known in the 90's as the home town for thresh metal band Sepultura. It is the capital of the state of Minas Gerais and has a very lively night life with bars and clubs, one of them, A Obra, being the landmark for the independent scene in town.

More information on Carolina Diz can be found via their OFFICIAL WEBSITE or MYSPACE profile. You can download a free, legal MP3 of their song 'Em Qual Quer Luga' exclusivley via Rockfeedback HERE.