‘I can’t talk about (Carlos) Paredes without sitting up straight in my chair’. We could start this text in many ways, but this simple sentence by Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance) says almost everything. Carlos Paredes is unreachable. His Portuguese guitar has become ingrained in national culture and his legacy transcends genres and borders. In the year that marks the centenary of his birth, Ben Chasny and Norberto Lobo are joining forces for a series of concerts in his honour. Far from wanting to interpret Paredes, they celebrate his influence and spirit. Between Chasny’s six strings and Lobo’s six, the twelve strings of the master Paredes are evoked in a tour that will pass through Braga, Coimbra, Espinho, Faro, Lisbon and São Miguel (Azores).
Ben Chasny is responsible for introducing an entire international generation to Carlos Paredes. He dedicated Lisbon to him, the song that closes School of the Flower (2005), and engineered the cross-border reissue of the albums Guitarra Portuguesa (1967) and Movimento Perpétuo (1971) by Drag City in 2011. Guitarist for Comets on Fire and Rangda, it is under the mantle of Six Organs of Admittance that he has built up a long and prolific discography with over thirty releases. A key figure in experimental music, his innovative guitar work brings together the strumming tradition of folk, noise and folk, defining new canons of the genre.
More than just a great admirer, Norberto Lobo has been described as having a bit of Paredes in him. His debut album, Mudar de Bina (2007) is dedicated to the eternal Portuguese guitarist. Since his debut, Norberto has been tirelessly searching for new ways to explore the guitar. Whether solo, in collaboration with João Lobo or Bruno Pernadas or as a member of Montanhas Azuis and Fumo Ninja, he never stops experimenting and reinventing. And the result is clear to see: he is one of the most respected guitarists of his generation.
co-production
gnration
culturgest – fundação caixa geral de depósitos
academia de espinho
convento são francisco
teatro das figuras
festival tremor
support portuguese republic – culture / general direction of the arts. rtcp – network of portuguese theatres and cinemas
