Kid Abelha

Kid Abelha & os Abóboras Selvagens are one of the most important groups of Brazilian rock. The group was formed in 1981 by bassist Carlos Leoni and saxophonist George Israel, who were studying at Rio's PUC. Leoni called his buddy, drummer Carlos Beni, and asked Paula Toller, another student at the university, to try some songs as a vocalist. Guitarist Beto Martins and keyboardist Richard Owens completed the band. The name, clearly inspired by Kid Creole & the Coconuts, was an on-the-spot solution for their first radio performance. In the early '80s, during the rise of Brazilian rock, the Rádio Fluminense FM known as Maldita (literally, god-damned), propelled the dissemination of rock in Rio, opening generous spaces to amateur bands of the moment. In 1982, the band recorded a demo with new wave songs like "Vida de Cão é Chato Pra Cachorro" and "Distração." The tape was well received at Maldita and opened the doors for shows at the Circo Voador, an alternative space also enthusiastic about Brazilian rock. They opened there on November 13, 1982. In December of the same year, they were invited to EMI/Odeon's release party for the Rolling Stones' Still Life. After another show at the Circo, their two songs were included on the WEA compilation Rock Voador. Soon after came their first single, "Pintura Intima" and "Por Que Não Eu?" Extrapolating the underground scene that Brazilian rock was restricted to in that period, the single reached commercial radios around the country, selling 100,000 copies -- the first gold single of the new style. During 1983, the group performed many shows in Rio and opened in São Paulo. In 1984, another single, "Como Eu Quero," went gold, yielding a contract for their first LP. Seu Espião, released in May, sold 150,000 copies with the group's new...