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Interview:Indayara Moyano e Estela Homem (Infect)
by Ricardo Tibiu (tibiu@karasukiller.com | www.chiveta.wordpress.com)
originally published in DOLL (Japan) #257
2008/12

Infecting the world!
Some bands are active over a long period and still are not really remembered. But the opposite also happens, and the girls from Infect, a Brazilian band coming from São Paulo, are exactly the case. Formed in 1998, after a few releases and only five years on the road, in 2003 they decided to end the band. In spite of that, the followers inside and outside Brazil didn’t stop growing, and the “Discography” CD (2008), recently released through 625, helped the band infect the world. We talked to founding members Indayara Moyano (former vocalist) and Estela Homem (former drummer), who told us a little about the band’s history.

What has driven you to start Infect, and what were the main influences?
Indayara: I was already friends with Estela, who played with Dominatrix at the time. She spent some time in England studying and we kept in touch, as soon as she got back we thought about starting a band, because of the lack of female bands at the time and also to be able to express our feelings. Tatiana, Bianca and Juliana shared these ideas and the will as well. The cool thing about Infect is that each of us has their own influences. I can say that mine always were the punks: Olho Seco, Cólera, Lärm, Spitboy, Heresy, Vice Squad, Detestation, Bikini Kill, Ulster, Grinders, Mercenárias, and more.
Estela: We wanted to have a band that played fast and loud hardcore. At the time, the girl bands were all “soft” – I used to call them “lalala” – and the girls simply didn’t play any other kind of music. Of course there was the political side, the will to complain, but the way we sounded mattered a lot too. Our influences were 80s American Hardcore (Circle Jerks, SSD, 7 Seconds, Minor Threat etc), European hardcore bands like Heresy, Lärm, Seein' Red and others. Generic punk rock such as the Ramones and the Clash, and many other things. We used to listen to many different genres, old and new bands. Always!

Before Infect, did you play in other bands?
Indayara: I was the lead singer in Menstruação Anárquica when I was 15 years old, then I had another band called Anti S with the people from my city.
Estela: I played with Dominatrix, Thee Butchers’ Orchestra and others that didn’t weren’t as prominent as those. Indayara sang with Menstruação Anárquica, Tatiana played with TPM and after Infect she had a million bands like No Violence, I Shot Cyrus, As Mercedes and more. Bianca and Juliana had never had bands, but they are still playing now.

You used the term “pintocore” [something like “peniscore”] to label your sound. What would be the best definition for Infect’s music?
Indayara: This whole “pintocore” thing was a joke related to some of the sectarian bands of that time. What was going on was spontaneous in my opinion, vomiting whatever didn’t please us, showing through songs what we wanted to change.
Estela: That one exactly! (laughs). It’s like I put on our MySpace profile: “Angry (punk) Women On A Bad Day”.

Infect has shared the stage with various bands, besides splits. Which bands would you highlight?
Indayara: I really liked playing with Riistetyt, Ratos de Porão, with Ariel from Restos de Nada, with Cólera and Discarga, which I love to this day. It was a very cool time.
Estela: I can speak for myself, you know? I really liked meeting and playing with the guys from What Happens Next?, Catharsis, MDC, Força Macabra and from Brazil, it was cool playing with everybody. Of course there’s a sense of responsibility, an honor and a pleasure to have shared the stage with the pioneers in Brazil’s most traditional punk rock bands, if I can put it that way. Ratos de Porão, Cólera, Condutores de Cadáver, Restos de Nada, Invasores de Cérebros and more. We played in many punk festivals that were awesome, I loved them! And playing with friends was always good. I always liked playing with Discarga.

For you, what’s the outcome of these five years on the road?
Indayara: Punk is very strong and will always be, hardcore besides being a little elitist has also shown itself different lately. I’m from a time when punk was different from hardcore for most of the people involved. I always believed things evolve together. Punk is the father of hardcore, and in my head there’s no separation. I’m glad I was part of history.
Estela: Wow! Those were excellent years! We traveled, released recordings – among EPs, CDs, 7", 12", demo  tapes –, we met a lot of people, had the opportunity to do things and be in places the maybe without the band we’d never have met, done or been to.

Tell the Japanese readers what were and are your project you had or have after Infect was over.
Indayara: I sang a few songs with Merda, screamed a little with Os Pedrero, appeared on the Mukeka Di Rato/Vivisick vinyl, but it didn’t happen, after Infect I didn’t have the guts to face any project. I started promoting shows and producing videos, I always think about getting back, maybe in a few years. I had a cameo as an actress/screamer in “Encarnação Do Demônio” [Embodiment of Evil], the new movie from Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe). It’s a very interesting gore mix, go watch it!
Estela: I’m not currently in any band, I just play with friends for fun. Tatiana was in As Mercedes and she’s always involved with many bands, I don’t even know. Juliana has/had War Inside and she still plays in bands, but I don’t know the names. Bianca plays in Arma Laranja and I heard she intends to start a new project. Indayara is not in any band but she has been promoting many shows.

Infect’s lyrics talked about social inequality and were filled with political criticism, as well as criticism relating to machismo, homophobia and even relating to some attitudes within the hardcore scene itself. Do you think these lyrics are still up to date?
Indayara: Like I said before, I think things have changed a lot, but we still have some prejudicious roots, within any scene. I think these themes will always be up to date, things don’t change completely, what happens in my opinion is that when you put out an idea you make people reflect about it and with that, walk towards change. Many things still have to change, but I believe we are in the right way.
Estela: I believe so. Maybe one or two don’t make much sense to us anymore because we’ve changed, we’re older and our concepts change according to the information that we receive. I think everybody has a puzzle to solve in their lives and as the years pass, we receive more and more pieces. I think there are lyrics that don’t affect us so much anymore, but they surely make sense to someone else. Each person has their own path to tread and what is good for you might not be good for me, and vice-versa.

Even though Brazil has, taking proportions into considerations, few female bands, some of them such as Mercenárias, Dominatrix, TPM, Infect and Bulimia have thrived and managed to stand out, conquering a faithful audience and leaving their names in the history of Brazilian underground/punk. What are the main difficulties faced by a female band in a sexist country like Brazil?
Indayara: I think it’s actually machismo, guys look at a bunch of girls wanting to play and they can’t display the real intent. We have even suffered some physical attacks (laughs). What’s good is that the band was already prepared to face this kind of situation and this has never affected our goal, which was to play and say “fuck off”, even to those stupid guys who understood nothing about the punk attitude and thought they were hardcore.
Estela: Everything you can think of! The lack of respect and the doubtful looks came from everyone, from the guy who sells the gear at the instrument shop to the guy working the board at the club, who doesn’t listen to you and doesn’t do what you ask him to. We have had many tense moments with the band. We have faced hostile audiences who felt somehow offended by the fact we were women, but we surely met the most wonderful audiences in unusual places as well.

625 Thrash has recently release a CD with the band’s discography, have you already had any kind of response to it?
Indayara:
Yes, there has been some, a lot of people are talking about it, including Doll Magazine in Japan!
Estela: Yes! Yes! People have never stopped writing me. And actually, there’s people all around the world who think the band is still active, even when the cover on the “Discography” CD reads “ Infect RIP 1998-2003”, people are not convinced! Even before the record was out, people were already talking about it. There are people who bought it through Ebullition (www.ebullition.com) and wrote to tell me about it, but they actually gave me the news about the release, because they had the album before me! (laughs).

Kenji, from Doll told me that in Japan many people still like Infect. What do you think is the reason for that?
Estela:
I have no idea! It’s not only there. There are many Americans that write me and this is really picturesque because we sang in Portuguese and people think Americans “only” like bands that sing in English! A lot of people from Indonesia, Malaysia and Asia in general are into the band. This is very cool and surprising too. Why they like it... I don’t know!
Indayara: I don’t know either, I know that when Vivisick came to Brazil I photographed the tour and I was really happy when Yuki told me he knew Infect, it was a thrill! Vivisick is an awesome band, the guys are really sweet and I loved meeting them. I have always had respect and admiration for the Japanese culture. I don’t know how to explain, I really like the creativity and the extreme way Japanese do things, everything they do is perfect. Japanese hardcore is unbelievable.

What do you know about Japan?
Indayara:
I know the guys from Vivisick! I’d like to take this opportunity to say hello to these dear friends. I really enjoy Japanese psycho such as The Saddle Kick, Spiderz, Cracks, the famous 5678’s, the samurai stories, the geishas, the wonderful and extreme world of Yakuza. Well, I love how the food is colorful, the perfection of the details, everything is delicate and happy. Japan feels like a familiar place for me. Aaaaah, let’s not forget the best gore movie I’ve ever seen, “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”, thank you Tsukamoto Shinya, you’re hardcore! (laughs).
Estela: I know more about Japan than other Asian countries. When I was little I used to study in a “Japanese” school, the majority of students were from the immense Japanese community in São Paulo. I believe I have many habits that came from that. I studied in that school from ages 1 to 6. I have many friends of Japanese descent. I go to Liberdade (São Paulo’s Japanese district), and I eat Japanese food at least once a week, but not fish, because I’ve been a vegetarian for thirteen years. I like the movies, the culture, well, I think I know a little bit.

To wrap things up, thank you all for your attention and I’d like to ask you to leave a message to Japanese who still like the band!
Indayara:
Arigato, taihem tanoshikatta dessu
Ga suki dessujapan
Issohoni eigani iki mashoo ka – Encarnação do Demônio!
Wow, thanks for listening to Infect, I’m a fan of all the extreme madness that goes on there! Cheers!
Estela: Thank you so much for liking us! I’m really happy to know that, I feel honored! Cheers!

Contatcs:
www.myspace.com/infectspbrazil
www.xinfectx.cjb.net

Related links:
www.625thrash.com

Discography:
“Demo Ensaio” demo-tape (1999 / Pintocore Records / Brazil)
"Sendo Fogo" demo-tape (2000 / Pintocore Records / Brazil)
“Infect” 7" vinyl (2000 / Cospe Fogo / Brazil)
“Infect & Discarga Split CD” (2000 / SevenEight Life / Brazil)
“Estrépito” 7" (2001 / Commitment / The Netherlands)
“Infect & Wrecker Split CD” (2002 / KillYouForaDollar / USA)
“Indelével” Full length, vinyl 12" and CD (SevenEightlife / Brazil / 625 / USA)