Every year in July, Rock Day is celebrated, specifically on the 13th. Tributes, celebrations, and commemorations take place throughout the days, and the Wikimetal has brought you an exclusive interview to honor this date.
Charles Gama is the vocalist and guitarist of one of the leading names in metal in recent years, Black Pantera . Having recently released the album PERPÉTUO (2024) , the trio addresses a number of important themes to be highlighted in current Brazilian society.
In an exclusive interview with the website, the musician talked about rock in Brazil, the importance of Rock Day, and more.
Check out the full interview:
Wikimetal: If you had to choose a single album to represent rock, which would it be?
Charles Gama: Look, that's a tough question, but we have to simplify, right? Be direct. There are several albums I love, several classics, but I think that because of the change this album brought, the renewal of the instrument and the new vision within rock 'n' roll, and a heavy blues, I'd definitely go with Jimi Hendrix 's Electric Ladyland . A fantastic album, 1968, Hendrix practically reinvented the guitar there. From then on, everything was different. Jimi Hendrix, Electric Ladyland .
WM: What is your view of rock music in Brazil?
CG: I see rock 'n' roll in Brazil as big, powerful, and strong. The difference we constantly see is that nowadays rock 'n' roll doesn't dominate television, television programs. It's not on most radio stations. We have few rock radio stations in Brazil, but we have great things happening in the underground, huge things. The underground audience is sincere, honest, engaged, and always present at events.
It's a struggle, we know that many things have changed in recent years, in recent decades, involving Brazilian rock 'n' roll, but it has more to do with the media. Because the strength of Brazilian rock 'n' roll is there. And it's strong, it's powerful.
Every city, every state you go to, there are people making music, really awesome people making music. We need more engagement. I think that's the… The real issue with bands is more engagement, that people have more opportunities to own a good instrument too. But within that, within our Brazil, rock 'n' roll exists, it's strong, it's powerful, especially coming from the underground. Look for underground bands, there's a lot of cool stuff happening there, cool festivals, cool bands, and diverse bands.
WM: What does July 13th mean to you?
CG: July 13th has a lot of significance, right? Many people still don't know why July 13th is Rock 'n' Roll Day. We know it comes from Live Aid (...) And it has also become a necessary date for us to celebrate Rock 'n' Roll Day. I think every day is Rock 'n' Roll Day. July 14th, 15th, January 1st, December 30th, every day is Rock 'n' Roll Day, every day is rock. But we know that this date is specific. The clubs know, the bands know. Everyone wants to be playing on July 13th, it's very special. Even bands that are inactive sometimes, when an event comes up, want to play on July 13th, because they know it has great importance.
It's a day of great ascension for rock 'n' roll worldwide. And it's important to have this day. (...) And it's also a day of great renewal, because on the 13th we get to see new bands, we get to see old bands again. It has become our date and it's very important that we always have this July 13th for us. I've also had this gigantic excitement for July 13th since I was a kid, even before I was playing, I already knew about this date. And I think it has become necessary every year for us who love it so much, the lovers of rock 'n' roll. It's very important and necessary.
WM: When did you realize you wanted a career in rock music?
CG: I've always seen myself in rock 'n' roll. From the moment I saw the first bands, heard the first chords, I fell in love with the style, with the fury on stage, you know?
So, it all happened super naturally, but actually, it's always been that way. I always had this desire to have a career in rock 'n' roll and I dreamed of a big career too, of touring, traveling the world, having fans, selling CDs, seeing my artwork on CD inserts. So it started early on, I was already planning, already designing album covers even without having a band.
So this passion, this desire to also play rock 'n' roll, started with the first bands we saw, the first VHS tapes of bands like Guns N ' Roses , like Nirvana , then more bands came along, Metallica and so on. And when we saw Living Colour , Bad Brains , Devotos , we knew for sure that's what we wanted. So it started very early and it's great that it continues to this day. We're making music. That's it. We're making rock.
Wikimetal readers on our Instagram about what rock means to him and what he would like to see more of in Brazilian rock today. Check out his answer:
