Firebug

SP passes easily through most of the vintage Jamaican styles of the 60's and early 70's: the frantic trance that is ska, the lyricism of rocksteady, the depths of the one-drop to the psychedelic heights of dub. But when it comes to styles, Jamaica is their specialty: here in Brazil, with all the popularity reggae enjoys (Brazil is the world's second-largest Reggae market), most of Jamaican music remains unknown.

Apart from exceptions such as the small city of São Luis on the northern coast (home to many productions with Jamaican artists) and the growing number of weekly reggae parties in the not small cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador a vast majority of Jamaican styles have yet to be explored. This is where SP comes in. You hear U.S. surf and country, and production styles that owe much to the early recordings of Brazil's Os Mutantes.

The group, called in Brasil's largest daily Folha de São Paulo the "Dream Team" of Jamaican stylists, merge the classic timbres with more modern sonorities. Through this they have arrived at their sound, as consistent as it is unique.

Initially composed of two Brazilians and one relocated American – singer/songwriter/guitarist Felipe Machado, drummer Rodrigo Cerqueira (formerly of BR's Skuba and Seattle based Easy Big Fella) and bassist/producer Victor Rice – they quickly filled out the ranks to create a live band that has been performing since 2003.

Their new album, Outra Coisa (2009 – Radiola Records/Grover), is sung in Portuguese, English and Spanish, and it has very special guests: singer Mimi Maura from Puerto Rico, The Slackers' vocalist/trombonist Glen Pine, Chris Murray and The Skatalites horns Cedric Brooks and Kevin Batchelor.

It is no overstatement to say that is poised to become one of the great successes in Jamaican-Brazilian music for the years to come.

After releasing two albums – self titled debut (2003 - Radiola Records), On The Move (2006 – Deckdisc / Grover Records / Jump Up) – supporting acts such as The Slackers and The Skatalites, also backing vocal artists such as Chris Murray and Pauline Black, a 28 gig thru 9 European countries (Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovenia and Hungary, Dec/'06-Jan/'07) the group now gets ready to release their third record, Outra Coisa (2009, Radiola Records).