What is new at Os Haxixins headquarters?

We are recording a single for the label 13 O'Clock Records (Texas - USA), some songs from the early days of the band that we didn't have the opportunity of recording before. And we are finishing around 12 new originals for the second album on Groovie Records, recording all those at the Berlin Bar of course.

How did your summer Eurotour go? Any interesting stories? Are you excited about the Argentina tour?

We had the pleasure of seeing Holand and playing the great Primitive Festival - a lot of crazies looking like they came from ancient past, like our friends Les Responsables and Hangee V. Sharing the stage and drinking backstage with the guys from the Fleshtones was also great. We had some serious problem with our now ex-bass player (Caio Sergio) who lost himself after a gig and didn't find his way back, forcing us to continue the tour with just three of us, having to set equipment and instruments in a different way from usual to cover the lack of lows. About the Argentinian tour we are really excited, we'll meet our garage brothers from Los Peyotes, even a jam between the bands is due. I think is gonna be really crazy!

What is the life of a Brazilian garage band like? Is it easy to get gigs, find vintage instruments etc?

The life is crazy! Each member has his day job to keep things going and so. After the record release and the MTV videos is a bit easier to find concerts, before that it was only gigs on friend's clubs, which aren't many. Some trouble, now and then, made some venues close their doors to us. "if you don't want trouble, don't open a rock'n'roll club, go open a fish market" (Os Haxixixins)

When are you planning a second LP?

I believe early 2010 our second album will be done and it will be out on Groovie Records.

Your video for Depois de um LSD looks great! Who did that and when?

We were called by a friend that works at MTV Brazil called Leitão. He knew the band for a while, had the record and he knows some oldies stuff. We just had to give him some references and the result is what you see! Total psychedelia. It was recorded at the MTV studios. Now just to tell a horror story of those that often happens with Os Haxixins, the first day when we arrived at the studio to shoot the video, the studio got robbed! Crazy how those things always happen! And ah! before people start to think, it wasn't us who planned the robbery hahahaha.

I haven't seen you live, but the experience must be fantastic! Are you always using a light show, is it important for you and how do you do it?

Whenever is possible we like to play under psychedelic lightning. In the beginning we had a slide projector with which we made manually bubbles with soap. It got broke and couldn't find another one. Today some clubs have digital projection that gets a close effect. But the ideal is to do manually like in the 60's, with light projectors and a lotta paint.

Is the artwork on your records, posters etc important to you? Who does all these great designs?

That's also very important to us, joining what you can hear with what you can see is great. The record covers art is done by Mauamor (Groovie Records) and the pictures are by our great friend Raphael Enes, craziness partner and a brother that follows us since the days in his apartment doing mind experiments.

What are you listening to right now?

Well, after you discover rarities and gems of the garage 60's other things go staying behind, but generally Os Haxixins dig a lot of blues and jazz for night outs to get things running fast we like to hear Racionas MC's (rap) and Tim Maia (Brasilian soul singer)

What do Os Haxixins do when not playing with the band?

We always meet to drink, talk bullshit, since we all live close to each other. Sports like Basketball and Football also attract us, we have our girlfriends and for cultural moments we like cinema and reading.

Has Psychedelic music influenced your life apart from your music?

Beyond music and beyond somewhere we don't know where is.

Are there more Brazilian garage/psych bands? Is there a scene?

For garage we have the Fuzzfaces which we like to go see, you can find tracks on myspace. On the psychedelic side we have older bands like the Skywalkers and new ones like Os Farpas. Bands like Hitchcocks, As Cobras Malditas and Radiophonicos are also cool to watch.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Well, you can find us at www.myspace.com/oshaxixins. That's that!

TRANSLATED BY JONAS MORBACH (BLACKNEEDELS/BERLIN)