World Environment Day (Dia do Meio Ambiente), June 5th, will be celebrated in Rio Claro, Brazil on July 5th with the Bando Balaio de Paia playing folkloric music. Soridema, an environmental organization which celebrated World Water Day (March 22) in 2004 with a One World Beat event, is organizing a festive event which is part of numerous other activities taking place globally during that time. In Brazil (in Portuguese) see www.meioambiente.usp.br. For 2004 activities see www.unep.org/wed/2004 and www.unep.org/wed/2005 (2005). Please contact Harold Fowler of Soridema for exact details: soridema@excite.com .
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On March 12th, starting at 2:30pm at the Cafe Uranus in Sao Paolo, Brazil, the K.RAM.K band will be performing in an event called "Cara Feia pra Espantar os Maus Espiritos" ("Ugly Face to Frighten Off Bad Spirits"), which is also the name of their latest CD. The concert, taking place at the end of the World Social Forum meeting (so there will be a "new world inside us", as the band says), will feature a mix of music, poetry, dance, drama, fine arts, and capoeira. The band, which takes its name from the word "Carranca" (pronounced "kah-hum-kah") or "prow figures"--wooden sculptures in the shape of "monsters", set on the boats of Brazilian ships since the 19th century to frighten bad spirits away from the waters and ensure smooth sailing--will be performing music which they regard as being "strong", like the Carrances' facial expressions. In this way, they hope to frighten off all bad spirits (depression, anger, violence, war, injustice) and create a sense of harmony and peace.

Their music--a mix of Brazilian (bossa nova, repente, samba, maracatu) and World Rhythm influences (jazz, pop, reggae, ethnic styles from around the world, rap, classical, funk)--reflects the varied ethnicities of band members. The audience is invited to participate, in a style of interaction K.RAM.K. describes as "Misturalismo", where participants are encouraged to play instruments, dance, and engage all of their senses in the experience. MP3 and video clips, as well as lyrics and more info about the band, can be found at www.k-ram-k.com.br. The group also has a foundation, in keeping with their own artistic and personal commitment to social issues. They believe that arts are a transformative experience, and therefore are developing artistic education projects for children and young people from poor areas, in hopes that these youth will develop new ideas and plans which will change their own lives, that of the country, and also affect the world. The band donates 5% of its income to social and cultural actions, and gives workshops and concerts to support its foundation.

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