Mavka: you will still hear

By Gisele Federicce

The sound of a quartet from Sorocaba with a mythological name – Mavka – should soon reach your ears. And that's not because there's a famous member or a big manager responsible for their promotion, but because the band produces music worthy of the attention of those interested in work that emerges from a garage. Officially formed in September, the band debuted on stage in January of this year, in the members' hometown in the interior of São Paulo. In the capital, they have already performed at Tapas, on Rua Augusta, at Casa Dissenso, in Pinheiros, and at Livraria da Esquina, in Barra Funda.

The EP released in April, “Mavka”, features four tracks, the most notable being Dylan’s Song, composed by Bea Rodrigues, who also wrote Child. The song, of course, is a tribute to the musician Bob Dylan. “It’s a reference to the kind of sound he made, but the lyrics portray a period in my life,” says Bea. The 24-year-old bassist and vocalist is already in her second band – she previously participated in Madeleine K, now defunct – and runs Mavka alongside her band “7 Leões”, from São Paulo.

The 20-year-old drummer Victor VB – known as “Gringo” because he's from Chicago – is Bea's songwriting partner and responsible for the other two lyrics on the album: Aside and Ribbons. The other members are keyboardist Duda Caciatori, 20, who confesses in an interview with the blog Floga-se that she first played the instrument because of Mavka, and guitarist Pedro Yue, 25, whose head is the main source of the band's melodies.

Mavka's influences include Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Hole, Silversun Pickups, as well as jazz and experimental rock. But it all really started with a song from Pedro's old band, which had never been released, and which they decided to use as a basis for the beginning of their own identity. The songwriting process is done remotely and with a dose of technology – since Bea Rodrigues lives and works in São Paulo and can only travel at least every 15 days. Therefore, she receives Pedro's riffs by email, listens to them at home, and arrives at rehearsal with a ready-made melody.

A new album is already on its way and should probably be released in November. "Two songs are already finished, and the others will be different from those on the EP," says the vocalist. The group's motto is to produce their own work. If a label offers to release the new album, for example, that would be their only objective: promotion. Next Saturday, the band will perform in the North Zone of São Paulo, at... Isis Rock Bar.

Watch the videos and get to know Child and Ribbons. To listen to the other songs from the EP, go to [link/website/platform]. official band website.