Meet Wannabe Jalva

If that ever-growing list of your favorite bands includes Pink Floyd, U2, Boston or even the legendary ‘70s supergroup 801, then you’re going to love Wannabe Jalva.  Featuring Rocha along with Tiago Abrahao (guitar/bass/sequencer), Felipe Puperi (vocals/guitars) and Fernando Paulista (drums), Wannabe Jalva makes the kind of music that woud be a perfect fit in a record collection filled with soaring guitar riffs, complex rhythms and occassional existensial moments.  It’s music to be played loud but can be equally effective as a whisper.

Currently touring in the U.S., Wannabe Jalva’s accomplishments include stadium gigs such as a slot on Lollapalooza Brazil and opening for Pearl Jam.

The band’s new EP is Collecture – a disc you can listen to repeatedly and still be surprised by the group’s complex yet accessible music.

Rocha seemed to take it all in stride when he spoke with Pollstar the day before the band’s New York gig on its debut U.S. tour.

Why hasn’t the band played the U.S. sooner?

We’re always singing in English and [we] always wanted to come here and play.  I think, maybe, this is the right time.  We started as a band and we did the songs on the first EP in the first few months we were playing together.  So, at the time we were [getting] to know each other as musicians.  The second EP is more mature and more of the shape of [what] Wannabe Jalva sounds like.  It’s more concrete.

More like establishing the band’s signature sound?

Yeah.  We were searching and finding that sound on the first EP.  Now, we think, it’s the perfect time to come to America.

Is it common for Brazilian rock bands to create music with English lyrics?

It’s common but the majority of the bands are not singing in English.  There are a lot of good bands that do sing in English in Brazil, and a few have toured the world, like Sepultura. … For us it’s very natural.  Since the beginning we’ve performed in English and continue to write [in the language].

With all the different kinds of music found in Brazil, how did four young musicians end up playing a kind of music that has been described as “space groove rock?”

We’re four individuals from different backgrounds.  The sum of these backgrounds make the sound.  [Each one of us] likes a variety of bands.  But [as a group] we like some bands we all agree are awesome. 

To get our sound, the first thing is [everybody] brings what they have to the studio.  We play together and compose together and the sound will become one of Wannabe Jalva’s songs.

Like the name of the new EP – Collecture – describes a collective experience.

Collecture is a mix of two words – Collective and Nature.  I think that [describes] the composing and recording of the record.  It was so natural for us and really organic and at the same point was a collective environment.  We were together, sitting in front of each other, every day for six months doing that EP.

Did the first EP introduce you to U.S. music fans or did people learn about you through word of mouth?

I think our online promotion was a key point to get the band’s music to America. We got nice reviews of our singles and our video for “Miracles.”

And you had a song, “Follow It,” played on “CSI New York.”  Did that help make inroads in the U.S.?

That was a mix of an awkward and an exciting moment.  We’ve got a company here that is placing our songs in America.  I was sitting in a bar in Porto Allegro and a girl came to me and said, “That’s really nice.  I heard your song on CSI New York.’”

And I said, “What?”  My friends that were with me were like, “No, man.  You heard it on ‘CSI Rio de Janeiro.’  The girl’s crazy. Probably drunk.”

On the next day I was sitting in the band room and Tiago called me and said, “A guy here says our song is in ‘CSI New York.’  Do you know anything about it?”

I said, “No, man.  I don’t know what’s happening.”

Then he bought the episode on iTunes, watched it and called me, saying, “Man!  That’s real.  It’s actually on ‘CSI New York.’  They played a whole minute of it.”

It was a surprise for us.  It was really good to be on this huge television series.

Is America the only country outside of Brazil that the band is concentrating on right now?

We’ve had some airplay and visibility in Europe and Japan with our first EP.  With Collecture, we’re focusing on America and then we’re going to stretch out over the whole world.

The current tour is a somewhat small outing.  Will you be back with a bigger tour in the near future?

We came to America to do this tour.  After that we’re going to tour Brazil, probably a very long tour for the next few months.  Then maybe Europe or we’ll come back to the U.S. in the next year.

How do you like to describe the band’s music?

RR: It’s really hard to label your sound when you’re so into it.  I think the label the blogs have put to it – “Space Groove Rock” – fits well.  For me, it’s just a label.  We love to play good music.

You and Tiago both play bass as well as guitar.  How does that work out?

We met each other as three guitar players. Someone had to play the bass.  So we split it – “You play bass on this song, and I’ll play it on the next song.” Felipe also played bass but he got out of it. Clever guy (laughs).

What kind of venues work best for Wannabe Jalva?

I think with the right sound engineer and P.A. it sounds great wherever we play.  I personally like to play small places [where] and you feel the crowd close to you.  When we play stadiums, it’s really good because you have this huge sound coming from your guitar and amp.

What kind of venues are you playing when headlining in Brazil?

It depends.  We’ve played some small venues.  We’ve played some big festivals – Lollapalooza Brazil – and we opened for Pearl Jam in a stadium.  Most of the dates are in medium and small venues. … It’s pointless if you’re playing to a million people and everybody isn’t paying attention. … I think our sound fits well for a big crowd.

Are there any destinations on this U.S. tour that you’re looking forward to playing?

I’m really looking forward to playing California.  We have two gigs there – San Francisco and Los Angeles.  I have a lot of friends [in California] and I’ve made some nice contacts there.  I think the whole tour will be good.  I like the Chicago and Kansas City dates.  We’re really looking forward to making music.

Where do you hope Wannabe Jalva will be in five years?

I really wish that our band continues to grow, continues to make better music and make more albums.  The whole process is really intense but the end of it is really rewarding.

Upcoming Wannabe Jalva gigs:

Nov. 1 – Chicago, Ill., Elbo Room
Nov. 3 – Kansas City, Mo., The Riot Room
Nov. 5 – San Francisco, Calif., Make Out Room
Nov. 7 – Hollywood, Calif., 3 Clubs 

But it doesn’t stop here.  Check out the band’s website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, YouTube channel, Instagram home and SoundCloud page for more information.