Introduction
Agua Trip began in the Autumn of 2000, when Bill and Lindsey met at a Party for French majors from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. After a few months of jamming together, Bill and Lindsey recorded 17 songs, thus creating their first collection of recorded demos entitled Baseado. This tongue–in–cheek, impromptu production — recorded in 5 weekends — was the eye–opening experience that led to the formation of the band Agua Trip.
By the end of 2001, the band was up and running. Bill and Lindsey chose the name “Agua Trip” because it captured the spirit of their genre–defying music: a voyage of constant change, music that changes and moves like water — with hints of multiculturalism (thus the bilingual title).
They began playing parties and cafes in the greater Nashville area. By the summer of 2002, they decided to move to New York, where they joined forces with New York musicians and played an extensive list of venues. It wasn’t long before they acquired a diverse following.
In addition to traditional music venues, Agua Trip’s appearances include annual benefits such as “STOMP – Equity against AIDS” in 2003 and 2004, and modern dance fundraisers for Joyce SOHO and Isabel Gotskowsky and Friends in 2005, 2006, and 2007. More recently, Agua Trip has teamed up with CONNECT a local NYC–based non–profit organization dedicated to the prevention and elimination of family and gender violence. They have also performed at Barnard College / Columbia University on multiple occasions and a variety of social events. Agua Trip has also been a mainstay at PANGEA Restaurant where they performed regularly since 2005.
From the very beginning, Agua Trip has welcomed a wide array of genres into their repertoire, from Beatle–ish pop and Marley–esque reggae to Mexican corridos and Quebecois folksongs. They have created their own genre: an alternative, world–influenced pot–pourri that cannot be compared to one single artist, but rather to a combination of artists.
Agua Trip is more than a band – it is a creative project that invites collaboration. Bill and Lindsey, as the stable core of the group, are always inviting other artists to perform with them live or on record. They have enjoyed making music with a long list of artists including James Guastaferro, Jacob Gossett, Dan Weiner, Mark Katsaounis, Morgan Henderson, Russell de Moose, Andrew Cooper, Aaron Coleman, Roberto Carrasco, Chris Johnson, Ginger Burden Boise, Kyla Barkin, Tanya Barach, Roxane Carrasco, and many more.
Perhaps owing to its rhythmic–yet–fluid quality, their music has been well received in the modern dance community and has been used for dance instruction and choreography. As musical artists, they are always in search of new collaborations with other artists and media (film, dance, theater, comedy, visual arts, and whatever new media arise).
Bill and Lindsey are also co–creators of The Moveable Feast, “a pARTy on the move” which showcases a select mixture of artists including dancers, painters, sculptors, comedians, musicians, poets, writers, and more. The Moveable Feast has met with very enthusiastic praise from both the participating artists and the guests, who comment on its warm, inclusive and inviting vibe as well as its wide range of artistic genre and talent.
The Albums: Breakfast Translations and Genetics
Agua Trip’s New York experience has culminated in the creation of two lengthy and flavorful albums: Breakfast Translations in 2005 and Genetics in 2008. Together, Bill and Lindsey wrote, recorded, and produced the albums by themselves – with some contributions from other artists sprinkled in and post–production by Mike Boise at Boise Audio and Union Street Sound. Together, Breakfast Translations and Genetics offer a delicious menu of 35 original and very unique songs.
The Reception of Breakfast Translations (2005)
Since the release of Breakfast Translations, Agua Trip has been compared to John Lennon, Manu Chao, The Police, Elliot Smith, The Beatles, Bill Withers, Peter Gabriel, The Jayhawks, Bare Naked Ladies, Burt Bacharach, Jack L, Simon and Garfunkel, Michael Franks, CSNY, Antonio Jobim, Belle and Sebastian, The Pixies, Frank Zappa, Eno, Beta Band, and Starland Vocal Band. And the comparisons keep on coming.
Happily, the response to BT has been overwhelmingly positive. The feedback is remarkable in that it spans generations and tastes; children, teens, young adults and their parents appreciate it together. Listeners spread the album to friends as if they are spreading a treasured secret. Much of the feedback refers to Breakfast Translations’ value and its long–lasting growth on the listener. Some responses:
“(It) gives me inspiration to write my own stuff more! Love the originality, every great band that’s ever been has had a certain originality, and you guys got it! bravo! great work!” Garageband review by Vinylyon
“Breakfast Translations is a winner! The songs linger in my head and help me de–stress. And coming from a restaurant owner, that’s quite an achievement.” Stephen Shanaghan, Restauranteur
“There’s nothing like the smooth stream–of–conciousness that is Agua Trip. Is it reggae? Is it rock? Who cares!?! It’s just good. I can’t wait to do a remix.” Prof. Rockwell, DJ
“I first played the album with full intention of cleaning my loft while it played. Instead I found myself in a chair next to the stereo staring at a speaker. Once the last song played I moved to the sofa for round 2.” Michele Garza, Au Pair
“I LOVE BREAKFAST TRANSLATIONS. This music is delicious” smart lyrics and smooth beats I can’t get enough. Each listen is better than the one before.” Sydney Brooks, Grad Student of Education
“I just stumbled across your page and wanted to say that you are really great, very inspiring. I don’t think I have ever heard something exactly like what you guys play. Keep up the good work. I’ll be telling everyone I know about you.” Kirina, Jazz Student, Myspace
“I bought your CD from iTunes and it is wonderful! Ryan, Photographer
“Everytime I hear one of your songs. It becomes my favourite.” Parker, A band from Toronto
Owing to its availability on numerous Internet distribution channels, Breakfast Translations has received feedback from audiences worldwide. Some of the media outlets that have embraced it are the Global Fink Sessions (Internet radio, UK), Voice of Culture (CD review and Internet radio rotation, Germany) and NYCONTAP (CD review, USA). The album was also acknowledged on the musician–based site Garageband.com, where When the Furious Leaves and Slave won several awards:
When the Furious Leaves: Twice “Track of the Day”, and #2 for “Best Lyrics”
Slave: “Best Drums”, “Best Programming”, “Best Beat”, and “Grooviest Rhythm”
The Recording and Release of Genetics (2008)
In September of 2006, Bill and Lindsey had a jam session that resulted in the first song of this album, The Conversation’s Growing. At first, they didn’t have a title for it, so they used the first word that caught their eye: “Genetics”. Soon, they began to use this as the title of their next album, realizing that nothing else could be more appropriate. In fact, Genetics, the album, has turned out to be a veritable showcase of Agua Trip’s musical evolution over the last seven years.
The 20 song album includes 7 Agua Trip “standards” from 2001 (Get Over It, In the Sand, Can’t Help Myself, and Sooner or Later) and 2003 (Ubatuba, Eating Philosophy, and Good Morning). Five songs were performed more recently at The Moveable Feast in 2006 (Sun and Venus Moonrise) and 2007 (Happy to Change, Fire’s on the Floor, While You’re Here). Since 2007, 4 songs have made their debut at their regular shows at Pangea Restaurant in New York (Dancing Che’s, Accidental Wilderness, Sleep Trips and Falls, and It Rained Today). With the release of Genetics, they are happy to introduce 4 previously unheard songs: I See It All, Overflow, Believe Me When I Sip My Lemonade, and The Conversation’s Growing. They are very excited to unite the past, present, and future in this genetic expression.
After more than a year of weekends and evenings in the studio, Agua Trip will officially released Genetics on November 5, 2008. To celebrate, they threw a party, and everyone was invited. It was also a fundraiser for Agua Trip, to help defray their CD production costs, and for CONNECT. The fundraiser raised over $500 to CONNECT and their cause. You can get more information on the important work of CONNECT at www.connectnyc.org.
In this spirit of collaboration, 20 visual artists were chosen to participate in the Fundraiser. Each artist took a song from Genetics and created a piece inspired by the title and/or the general concept of that song. The media, disciplines and techniques of the art vary from artist to artist, reflecting the musical diversity of the songs from the album. They generously donated their artwork to be auctioned off at the party. Agua Trip also released our first book, designed by Esther L Kim, entitled Genetics: A Visual Songbook, which presents the artwork along with the lyrics for all the songs in the album. The visual songbook is available to purchase or as a free digital download at www.aguatrip.com.
Bill Carrasco is a songwriter and a self–taught musician (guitar, piano, saxophone). While living in Toulouse, France in 1998, he formed his first band called Comfort Zone, a French–Brazilian–Mexican–American band. He plays the guitar left–handed and upside down, which never ceases to confuse observers. Incidentally, he has a Ph.D. in Semiotics and Folklore and an M.A. in Latin American Literature. Read more about Bill on his bio page.
Born and raised in a family of musicians, Lindsey Boise learned to play the trombone, the guitar, the bass, the mandolin, and just about everything else from Tennessee to Quebec. He was part of the Ska–punk scene in Nashville, playing with The Digits and Supersloth. He spent many hours watching his father work in the family recording studio, hoping he would learn something, and has helped produce and engineer several side projects. He has a B.A. in French and German, and an affinity to ancient tongues. Read more about Lindsey on his bio page.
