Forro in the Dark makes people dance like they forgot they could. They sweat, stomp, roll their eyes into the backs of their heads and don’t stop for hours. In its most known form, popularized by Luis Gonzaga, Forro is played by a trio. The instruments are the zabumba (a bass-y drum played with a mallet), the triangle (like you played in elementary school), and the accordion (like an accordion). Of course, no tradition is an island. Forro has sprouted many branches. Initially Forro in the Dark was rooted in the more traditional versions of the genre, but after playing so frequently at on the Lower East Side, and with many members of the band going on the road with artists ranging from Enrique Iglesias to Tom Waits and Beck, the band took a different approach. They shed the accordion and grew into a percussion-driven, guitar-, wind- and vocal-accented band. Without adding electronics or removing the essential emotion of the music, Forro in the Dark updated a genre that was entertaining people in Brazil over a hundred years ago. They brought it up to a form that can make today’s jazz aficionados and techno-loving clubgoers step out onto the dancefloor together. Tonight, Forro in the Dark celebrates the release of Bonfires of Sao Joao, their beautiful, dance-inspiring debut on Nublu Records, which features with guest appearances by David Byrne, Bebel Gilberto and Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori.Forro in the Dark is Mauro Refosco on Zabumba and Vocals; Gilmar Gomes on Percussion and Vocals; Davi Vieira on Percussion and Vocals; Guilherme Monteiro on Guitar and Vocals; Jorge Continentino on Pifano, Baritone Sax and Vocals; and Smokey Hormel on Baritone Guitar, Slide Guitar and Vocals.
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