Frederico 7: The Journey to Exotico Americano
Frederico 7, the Pan-American and Austin-based soul band, brings the master touch to pop and funk on new album Exotico Americano.
Written and photographed by Brian Couser
Growing up in Brazil and living in Argentina and Mexico sent Frederico Geib on a winding journey through cultures and communities, across borders, and landed him in Austin, Texas. The restless, searching energy of his youth is reflected in his newest album Exotico Americano. The voices on Exotico speak of being American in the grandest sense, with his music encompassing the entire continent while carrying joy, loss, love, and the powerful wanderlust to cover each mood and memory, rhythm, and emotion. Funk and West African tempos lay under the shifting and probing songs, mixing pop and rock melodies with innovative song structures to bring the varied styles together. That versatility is the core of this peek into dance halls, street corners, and late night romantic rendezvous which are navigated throughout the album.
Geib became interested in the classic pop of Brazil and Mexico, and West African rhythms, after moving to Austin. His early bands were punk and rock music, a striking contrast with his recent, sophisticated folk pop and dance-oriented projects. Here in Austin, he found mentors who convinced him to reconnect with his roots and bring the music of his youth back into his creative process.
In the Austin Latin funk revival scene of the 2000s, led by Grupo Fantasma, Geib connected with a community which rewarded experimentation, celebrated the attractive pop melodies of Latin America, and fused them with American Funk to create an irresistible, cultural and musical combination.
He is wearing a "Hope for People Everywhere" shirt at his Half Note Bar show. It is a fitting message for his journey from rock rebel to mentor and educator. His music moves from slow cumbia chug to flying Jimi Hendrix rendered in Portuguese, building on the intricacies of each style with his band and giving audiences a street party without borders. His early projects featured Geib as a songwriter and lyricist. The first musical language Geib mastered was songwriting, fronting different bands and with local musicians who taught him to play guitar. He mastered guitar, which he now teaches at the Mexican American Cultural Center.
When he sings, “We are all exotico Americanos / we are all exotico Americans” on the title track, he embraces immigrants and wanderers everywhere. You can feel he has earned the right to say “we are all immigrants,” with his history in uniting different Americas within his music and in his life.
Frederico 7 is a project which fuses the Latin music of popular culture with African rhythms and American culture touchstones. Geib revitalizes and reimagines cultural songs for our moment in America. He weaves the strands of each layer with the care of a master craftsman, adding pause and contemplation to the compositions. He makes his case for a music which welcomes everyone to celebrate it and themselves as part of the grand Exotico Americano.