Shout at the Diabo

We figured out long ago that country & western music is actually just hick goth. All that death and wandering alone in the dark night? Please. But the United States isn't alone in the crossover appeal of its traditional music. Although fuzzed-out screaming guitars layered with arena reverb are far from the customary Portuguese folk music setup, they sound right at home in the music of Porquinho Diabo, a solo project of Christopher Anthony Matthias Da Rosa, aka "Dos" for short. Old fado weepers get the shoegaze treatment, while Depeche Mode is introduced to the 12-string guitarra Portuguesa, and the result is beautiful, deep, glossy indie rock with a slightly old-world feel. The mix is a stripped-down version of Da Rosa's other band, Judith and Holofernes, which produces its own "fadocore" songs, while Porquinho Diabo ("little pig devil") concentrates on reinterpretations of the Pixies, Carlos Ramos, and Alfred Marceneiro. Da Rosa's voice suits his vision perfectly, being equal parts emo sissy and brokenhearted Lisbon fisherman. An eponymous, self-produced EP is, according to the PD site, "22 minutes and 23 seconds of historical reinterpretation." Porquinho Diabo opens for Jeffrey Luck Lucas.
Fri., Sept. 28, 10 p.m., 2007