Interview with Marcelo Martins of Plexus by Jen

First off, I have to say your web site kicks ass...who designed it?
Thank you! The web site was designed by Mauro YBarros, he's very well known local designer. We hired him to design our logo and the cover for the CD but we liked it so much that he did everything for us: T-shirts, the site, flyers and etc. It was great because he didn't charge us for it since he also liked very much all the stuff he did for us. We were so pleased and relieved because we had some trouble with a couple of designers before him, including Derek Riggs. So, Mauro YBarros was really the best man for the job!
Where are you guys from?
We are from a state called Bahia, which is located in the Northeastern part of Brazil. Our city is called Salvador.
How is the music scene in Brazil?
There are some great bands here. Our scene is very rich, specially the scene in our city. There are some very professional bands here and they're very hard working people. There are many heavy metal fans and they're growing each day. Brazil is one of the biggest consumers of heavy metal music. Iron Maiden sells like bananas here. We have two major problems in metal scene in Brazil: 1. Great part of the labels sucks. They are not very professional. 2. We don't have many great producers in Brazil. So, the very best Brazilian record still sounds like shit if you compare to a European or American record.
On average, how many kids come to see a metal show?
There aren't many big venues in our city. We usually play in bars and their capacity is 400 people maximum. Sometimes we have gigs of international bands here and it's possible to have around 1000 people, but it's very uncommon. On average there are 100 - 150 people in a metal show.
How did the band get started?
We started playing Maiden covers in a band called Steel Maiden. We played for one year and then we decided to create our own band. We got tired of playing Hallowed be thy name every single gig!! :) Plexus born in March 2000.
How many releases do you have out currently?
Only one. :)
You are getting ready to release a new CD, tell us about that, when you recorded it, how many songs are on it, etc...
The CD is called Departure. It has 5 songs because it's supposed to be a promo CD, but we did it with a special box (similar to a digi-pack) and we're selling it for a very low price. We tried to be very professional on this record. We hired a producer (Martin Mendonça, who worked with Malefactor and Headhunter D.C.), a designer (Mauro YBarros) and we record in the best studio we have in our city. The result was good. We liked it very much.
Who are some of the bands you have played with?
We've played with Drearylands, Malefactor, Carnified, Megacover and other underground bands from our city.
You recently went through a line up change. What happened with that?
Ricardo de Abreu, our guitarist left the band because he didn't share the same musical tastes with us. We want it heavy, ultra heavy. We're writing the songs for the next CD and we wanted everyone to be happy with it. He wasn't. So he left the band.
Are you guys signed to any labels right now?
No. Not yet. We've received some propositions and we're analyzing them. We're still sending the CD to the labels.
For someone who never heard you, how can you describe your music for them?
Imagine Megadeth's intricated riffs. Play them a little bit faster. Then, put in some Maiden melodies with guitar duets. Mix it. Make it a little heavier. That's Plexus.
Do you have any big shows or tours coming up?
We're doing a big show on August 4th. It will be our first gig since the recording of Departure and we're working hard on it. We're renting the best stuff available. Lights, sounds, engineers and etc. We also ask Mauro to do the flyer for the gig.
Have you ever played in the US and if not, are there any plans on you guys coming out here?
We've never played there. But of course we do want. We're ready. It'll be a dream to play with some American bands like Iced Earth and Nevermore. They're fantastic!!
Do you think bands like Sepultura and Overdosed helped the music scene in Brazil?
Of course. Every band that plays with professionalism and cares for their work helps our music scene. Sepultura is a phenomenon. They're very big worldwide. They're the most famous Brazilian band. I think that they are even bigger outside Brazil. Angra helped too because they've shown that we can also do melodic metal. Brazil can do metal music as good as any other country.
Last words?
Thank you very much! Hope metal gets stronger in the states. Please visit our web site at:
http://www.plexusband.com.br/