Evan Dando in Brazil – Hangin’ out in Caverna
Continuing our series “Evan Dando no Brasil”, today I bring you a ride (we called “rolê” in Brazil), not so random, of Evan in one of those diverse and even folkloric spaces that you only find ingrained in the center of São Paulo. I’m referring to the Caverna space, which are actually apartments (!) set inside a residential building on Andradas St. and managed by the super friendly Carlos Alberto, aka Caverna.
The “complex” Caverna, let’s conceptualize it this way, comprises a record store (vinyls and cd’s), arcade, bar-kitchen and listening room, where, according to Caverna, musicians go to play, rehearse, record and, mainly, relax. “I like to put artists at ease,” he says. As comfortable as Evan was. According to Caverna, as soon as he arrived, he would have been so dazzled by the place that he already grabbed a glass of beer and helped himself to esfirras, going through equipment by equipment, playing pinball, until finally making a jam of “heavy stuff”.
Evan sound-checking Caverna’s drums (video courtesy of Caverna)
In addition to Evan, Caverna says that it regularly receives several punk-rock artists from São Paulo, such as my dear pal Clemente Tadeu (Inocentes) and Edgard Scandurra (Ira!), as well as national rock in general, such as Beto Bruno (ex-Cachorro Grande ), Fred 04 (Mundo Livre S.A), Marcelo Bonfá and even the most hyped crowd from Baiana System. As for “gringos”, he remembers the visit of none other than Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr), who has bands like The Who and Oasis on his resume. Talking about Evan, Caverna admits that it took a while to figure it out who the h*ll he was, due to the surprise in front of a house full of clients in the middle of a Friday afternoon, but little by little he got along with the Lemonheads’ frontman during the approximately two and a half hours that they spent together. “He has more pictures taken with me than I have with him“, jokes Caverna.
But what was Evan doing in Caverna anyway?
Well, according to Caverna, Evan bought a tape deck like the one in this video, to start a project that would involve recording cassette tapes. The one Evan took cost $300, but the store has equipment ranging from $100 to $20.000. The promise is that Evan will return to the place soon so that Caverna can help him record the new material.
About Caverna
CAVERNA is the name behind the vintage/hi-end audio equipment scene, a major reference in São Paulo and Brazil. Connoisseur of retro culture in tube audio technology, roller recorders and impressive acoustic boxes, Caverna reverberates all its technical and artistic knowledge. Currently, in addition to an incredible exhibition space for its exquisite sound equipment, it has a space dedicated to the culture of pinballs, known in the 70s and 80s as arcades, electronic entertainment that symbolized a generation.
Caverna also has a large vintage audio room for friends and customers to travel in excellence and the resolution of the best bass, mids and highs. In addition, Caverna Rock Discos, Caverna Rock Pinball and Caverna Audio Room represent a new articulation of events, parties with DJs and jazz shows, contemporary instrumental music and composers that launch and amplify the vinyl culture.
Caverna Rock Discos at R. dos Andradas, 375 – 12
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