With origins in punk, the band has stood by its original sound that blends traditional folk, bluegrass, country and Celtic music
We could say that The Leprechaun is the new incarnation of the punk rock band with the same name formed in 2009. But no. The new The Leprechaun is much more.
Reformulated in 2012, from the first line-up remained the musicians Eric Fontes (bass), Fernando Zornoff (drums) and Rafael Schardosim, who switched the guitar for banjo! Yup! That's it! They also started to listen to Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash and radically changed their sound. Called a girl to sing - Fabiana Santos - included two guitarists, Bruno Stankevicius and Paulo Sampaio, plus a violinist, Andrew Nathanael. The result of all this? An acoustic folk with punk energy like you never heard!
Caught the attention of the public and media since its debut, "The Years Are Just Packed". How could a group come together into one package the beauty and subtlety of folk played with the energy and urgency of punk? Not forgetting the wonderful arrangements full of references in bluegrass, country and Celtic music.
The band has captivated many fans since then. Inside and outside Brazil. Their comprehensive sound still allows them to participate in different festivals. From intimate folk events to big festivals in celebration of the power of Mjöldir, the hammer of Thor!
"Long Road" is the title of the band's second album. Recently released by the Brazilian label Hearts Bleed Blue (the same of bands like Blind Pigs, Bullet Bane, Dance Of Days, Bidê ou Balde and Zumbis do Espaço), the album brings 12 tracks and was recorded in a farm on the countryside of Sao Paulo.
Punk or Folk. Country or Celtic. Doesn't matter, actually. The music itself must be bigger than any label. And The Leprechaun follows this philosophy without forgetting its roots.
"Our history has developed naturally," says bassist Eric Fontes. "Today we do not miss the guitars to give more power to the sound, and the fact that we sound more energetic does not prevent us to create a quieter sound. I would say that simplicity is the punk feature that most appears in our sound today, in the way we could rummage a song with dozens of arrangements of lines, but the perfect music needs to have a simple and efficient base melody. And there is no better school to teach you this than punk rock".
Besides being able to purchase the physical edition on digipack through the Hearts Bleed Blue site - www.hbbstore.com - "Long Road" is entirety available for listening on Soundcloud.
Listen: https://soundcloud.com/lpnpage/sets/long-road
