Brazil 2001: GODDAM SUNSHINE MUSIC – Secret Demos, 1997
PERSONNEL:
Bill Roper: Bass, vocals
Larry Taube: Drums, vocals
Bernard Yin: Guitar, vocals
Performed and recorded by Brazil 2001 in early 1997
All songs original except for Immigrant Song – Page/Plant
Recorded by Mike “Gus” Agostinelli at Explosive Studio 12
TRACK LISTING:
1. Tahiti 96
2. Muchacha No. 3
3. Banana
4. Immigrant Song
5. William
6. Muchacha No. 3 [instro.]
“Tahiti 96” kicks off this tropical delight with a full-on Dick Dale-style speed surf assault, blowing the grass roof clean off and setting the stage for great flaming coconuts of bikini-pop, tanning-oil punk and tiki-psych. In short: This tape is KILLER.
So, who were these guys? This LA Times review of the band’s 1996 debut CD, Fist Full Of Sand, names veteran SoCal axe slinger Bernard Yin, he of El Vez, Medicine, Pansy Division and The Fuzztones, among others. A click over to Discogs fills out the personnel.
This demo was recorded between Fist Full Of Sand and the 1999 follow-up, Tropical Diseases, on which all of these songs appear.
“Bright, fresh and more than a bit zany, Brazil 2001 is the best on the beach this year.” — Demo Universe, 1997
4 thoughts on “Brazil 2001: GODDAM SUNSHINE MUSIC – Secret Demos, 1997”
Jim, Thanks for digging up this collection! This was a fun-as-hell band to be in. Tahiti 96 was named after a big swell from Tahiti in 1996 and wound up being licensed for a surf-themed movie or two. Some of the songs have survived in one way or another. Par Avion, my current surf-flavored project, plays Tahiti. I eventually worked a crazy version of the Immigrant Song with Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction) who suggesting a reference to the Get Smart theme at the end. That’s a limited edition vinyl tidbit – almost all gone although I found a copy of it in a record store in Belgium in 2013 while on a European tour as a member of the Insect Surfers. Crazy eh? Dan Shulman of Garbage was also on that record. Google “Monk With Gun”. Later on, The MiGs, a high energy instro band that had a revolving cast also slayed that piece of music with Jimmy Paxson and Jamie Danesh really doing some damage. I digress. Of Brazil 2001’s former members, Bill Roper has long been involved with the gaming industry and Larry “Lorenzo” Taube continues to play drums. He and I are actually meeting soon to possibly collaborate on some film and TV music. My current live activities revolve around Par Avion, WTFUKUSHIMA (with Fur Dixon of the Cramps) and an April tour with the Fuzztones in Spain.
Thanks again!
– Bernard Jan. 4, 2017
Thanks for the background, Bernard!
Amazing to find this in the dark but wonderful recesses of the internet! This was such an energetic and damn fun band to be a part of – and I am still pretty blown away with how much sound we generated as a 3-piece.
I’m still in the video games industry (year 26) and still making music with my weird beer-swilling folk band The Poxy Boggards. Our 12th album comes out this year (coronavirus be damned) and in a strange bit of cosmic synergy I wrote a song for our last album called Open Your Bananas From the Bottom. Some fruit just can’t be musically delved enough, it seems.
Thanks for the update, Bill! Great to hear you’re still making music. Share a link when the album comes out.