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The band, along with the event organizers and Wikimetal, made a symbolic donation of over 1000 toys to cancer patients

by Juninho

The association of Rock N' Roll with the old stereotype of irresponsibility and abuse is definitely outdated today. Beyond the undeniable good behavior of the audience at major events related to the genre ( see more on this topic here ), artists have increasingly shown their human side, so that the most important names do not usually shy away from their respective social responsibilities.

That's exactly what Brazil's biggest independent band, Velhas Virgens, demonstrated with their traditional CarnaVelhas project on February 7th at the Med Pholia event against childhood cancer, organized by the Oswaldo Cruz Academic Athletic Association (AAAOC – USP Medicine) and which had the participation, support, and promotion of Wikimetal.

Since March 2014, the project has been meticulously planned by AAAOC through student Lucas Ranzoni and has had the institutional support of the Faculty of Medicine of USP (FMUSP), the Hospital das Clínicas of FMUSP, the Children's Institute of HCFMUSP, the Children's Oncology Hospital ITACI, the University Hospital of USP, InCor-HCFMUSP, the Pró-Sangue Foundation, the Association of Volunteers of HCFMUSP and the Doctors of Joy.

For the first time in that region, costumes, confetti, and glitter mingled with black t-shirts, black leather, combat boots, and long-haired people, and everything went as usual with rockers and headbangers: without any record of violent incidents, robberies, or thefts

Paulão de Carvalho (vocals), Alexandre Cavalo (guitar), Tuca Paiva (bass), Juju Kosso (vocals), Simon Brown (drums), and Felipe Camilo (guitar), along with the Bateria Opção Primeira de Pinheiros, led a special matinee filled with carnival marches combined with the band's traditional rock sound. The event, which took place on the Oscar Freire Street viaduct in São Paulo, next to the ITACI Hospital, had as its main objective the collection of toys for pediatric patients at the participating hospitals.

At 2 PM the band was already on site and, together with the event organizers and Wikimetal, visited the ITACI Hospital, making a symbolic delivery of donations to hospitalized patients. At exactly 3 PM, Rafael Masini (Wikimetal) took over the microphone on the sound truck set up especially for CarnaVelhas and announced the start of the show to more than 5,000 people, according to official estimates from the Pinheiros sub-prefecture.

Until 5:30 PM, the audience, which contributed by donating around a thousand toys, truly shook the imposing reinforced concrete structure located on Sumaré Avenue. For the first time in that area, costumes, confetti, and glitter mingled with black t-shirts, black leather, combat boots, and long-haired people who came to support the band, many of them accompanied by their families. And everything happened as usual with rockers and headbangers:

There were no official records of violent incidents, robberies, or thefts in the area designated for Med Pholia, a program fighting childhood cancer.

The association of Rock N' Roll with the old stereotype of irresponsibility and excess is definitely outdated today

The entire repertoire consisted of songs from the three albums of the CarnaVelhas Project. These are extremely humorous carnival marches, some with the classic "double entendre" of the style, and seasoned with plenty of rock n' roll. There are also some good reinterpretations of hits by renowned samba artists such as Bezerra da Silva, who have always been an inspiration for the band. Highlights include the songs " Marcha Do Diabo ," " Praia De Paulista," and "Hino dos Solteiros," which were sung in unison by the audience.

It's impossible not to mention the captivating stage presence of vocalist Paulão de Carvalho, certainly one of the greatest showmen in the current Brazilian rock scene, who made it seem like an easy task to lead the crowd in front of him. At the end of the show, Paulão literally jumped into the arms of the audience! Juju Kosso, as always, drew sighs from the men in attendance; Alexandre Cavalo showed his versatility with stringed instruments, alternating between guitars, cavaquinho, and ukulele; and Felipe Camilo, the newest member of the band, was super comfortable throughout the show, demonstrating great chemistry with the rest of the musicians.

"Within the cordoned-off area of ​​the parade, where the children were playing safely, the consumption of alcoholic beverages was prohibited."

Finally, Velhas Virgens and Bateria Opção Primeira de Pinheiros, led by maestro Toninho, closed the show playing together and were crowned with a refreshing rain that relieved the intense heat for the entire audience. Fortunately, the Med Pholia organization against childhood cancer distributed free mineral water throughout the event, and there were no reports of any need for medical attention due to hypotension. Within the cordoned-off area of ​​the parade, where the children present played safely, the consumption of alcoholic beverages was prohibited.

Rock and metal artists have increasingly shown their human side and rarely shy away from their respective social responsibilities

According to the president of AAAOC, Diego Vinicius Santinelli Pestana, this was the first time the institution had the opportunity to hold the event next to the children's oncology hospital, with structure and security provided by the Pinheiros Subprefecture, the Military Police, and the Traffic Engineering Company of the city of São Paulo.

“It is essential to demonstrate our responsibility as future doctors to society in this scenario where serious public institutions have placed great trust in our organization. We have been planning this event since March 2014 and we are very happy with the excellent result. We secured many donations for the hospital and successfully showed that it is possible to combine joy and social responsibility ,” said Diego.

The event was part of yet another of the numerous social actions promoted by AAAOC, an institution with over 85 years of history that benefits a large number of patients at the HCFMUSP complex with sports and physical rehabilitation programs.

The band Velhas Virgens did not charge any fee nor make any demands to participate in the event. The organizers publicly thank Wikimetal and Velhas Virgens for their participation and support of the social project.

Hugs to all!

Juninho

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José Donizeti Costa Junior (Juninho) is a medical doctor graduated from the USP Faculty of Medicine, specializing in Nuclear Medicine and pursuing a postgraduate degree in Radiology at the USP Hospital das Clínicas. He has followed Wikimetal since its inception and regularly contributes texts to the “Scream For Me Wikibrothers” section. Born in Avaré-SP, he began studying music at the age of 10. He is currently the vocalist for the band UNDERPATH. He enjoys listening to various musical styles, as long as the sound quality is good: “There are two types of music, good and bad!”

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