Bill was born in East L.A. with his twin sister Roxane and raised in L.A., Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, and Arizona. Bill has worked as waiter, bus boy, ticket seller, product promoter, ice cream server, stadium hawker, movie theater guy, olive harvester, caterer, teaching assistant, camera operator, production technician, editor, translator, census worker, mail carrier, high school teacher, college professor, science internship coordinator, special event coordinator, and musician. He has a B.A. in Languages, an M.A in Latin American Literature, a PhD. in Semiotics. He also taught college Spanish, French, and World Literature for 7 years. Bill has lived in California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, Tennessee, France, Spain, and Mexico. He loves to travel whenever possible. In 2001, he began the Agua Trip project with Lindsey Boise and moved to New York in 2002. He is currently preparing to go surfing for the rest of his life. He is also very happy to be sharing his life with Tanya Barach, and to be a father for the first time.

“I first started making music with a saxophone at age 10. When I was 14, I quit the sax and started messing around with an old, out-of-tune piano. I came up with tons of melodies, most of which I forgot. I also learned the lyrics of every single Beatles song and would sing them to myself everywhere I went. A year later, I got my first guitar in Paracho, Mexico and began learning Mexican corridos. Since no one was there to show me the difference, I taught myself to play guitar upside-down and left-handed by looking at the chord diagrams in Mexican songbooks. For years, I wrote melodies in my head until I decided to actually tape record them. It wasn’t until I was 27 that I began to practice playing the guitar seriously. I was living in Toulouse, France, hanging out with my Tahitian neighbors who were part of a reggae band. I would show them some Mexican songs and they would teach me to play Bob Marley.  Suddenly, I realized that I COULD write and play music. From that point on, I started generating a new song almost everyday. Eventually, I accumulated over a hundred cassette tapes full of song ideas! Most of Agua Trip’s repertoire was born in these tapes. Today, instead of cassette tapes, I have a million computer files. I hope I can get all this stuff out some day….”

Birthyear: the Summer of Love, when humans first walk on the moon and Abbey Road is released; when Sesame Street debuts on TV and 250,000 protestors march against the Viet Nam war in Washington, D.C.; the year of the cock and Woodstock.

Influences: John Lennon, The Beatles, Bill Withers, Bob Marley, Paul Simon, The Smiths, The Bee Gees, Violeta Parra, Paul McCartney, Eddie Palmieri, Rafael del Estad, Louis Armstrong, Mercedes Sosa, Stevie Wonder, Tears for Fears, Sublime, Michael Jackson, XTC, Elton John, Georges Brassens, The Cure, Caetano Veloso, Lionel Richie, Gilberto Gil, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, U2, Digable Planets, Lole y Manuel, Depeche Mode, Carole King, Tribe Called Quest, Elis Regina, The Police, Sting, José Alfredo Jimenez, Snoop Dog, Manu Chao,  Echo and the Bunnymen, Mexican Folk Music, George Gershwin, Hector Lavoe, Ben Harper, Joao Gilberto, Willie Colon, Prince, Cindy Lauper, Celia Cruz, Blondie, Tracy Chapman, Culture, Nirvana, Billy Joel, Billie Holiday, The Doors, James Brown, Carol King, Wham!, George Michaels, Midnight Star, New Order, DOA, Los Manolos, Camarón, Queen, Stan Getz, Sergent Garcia, Dr. Dre, Modern English,  Broadway musicals, and every song I ever liked.

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.

[first draft]

Thunder struck the evaporation and he quivered. Was that really how it happened? Yes, that’s the imprint at least. Making music had never been so self-negating. It reminded him of being born on September 14 in Inverness, Florida. His life, a blur of warm blues and humid reds, buzzing greens and sleeping purples. Eleven years in Vermont, eleven in Tennessee, the rest, so far, in New York. Numbers traveling alongside his name, up and down at different rhythms, welling up from various occupations: house painter, landscaper, fast-food cook, ice cream boy, bike builder, office and research assistant, teacher, musician, street canvasser, popcorn vendor, photographer, web designer. Whispers and secrets dipped into Latin, Old Greek, French and German. Rumors of his B.A. And music. Guitars and yells with Supersloth; trombone, singing and toasting with The Dig-its; guitar and theatrics under strobe lights with BGP; and anonymous mandolin tracks in the family studio. Trips to the Saguenay, the Oresund and a hasty ride on the Seine. Thunder struck the blurred mist and he shook. The nights fly by, bronze waves ricochet off his eardrums and resonate.

[Second draft, the first personal version]

My father has been a professional bass player and audio engineer during my entire life, and my mother never stopped singing, and dancing. My father built me my first guitar, an electric, circa my sixth birthday. It was shaped like a teardrop, like the guitar in The Jets. The strings hurt my fingers and I gave up after learning maybe two chords, happy to leave it under my bed and play outside with the lightning bugs and my brother, Corey. My next instrument was the trombone, which I began learning in fifth grade, played for four years and retired. I know it sounds cliché, but I had found rock & roll, got a bad attitude and was expelled from band class. So I started to play the bass at 14, then brought the old guitar out from under the bed (yes it was still there), and at 15 I co-founded my first band, Supersloth, with Garrett Pittler on bass and Corey, my brother, on drums. We played anywhere youth could play in Nashville; basically at parties and the landmark Lucy’s Record Shop. The next band was the Dig-its, a six-piece ska-punk band that had accumulated a good-sized following in the Nashville area. For the Dig-its I brought my trombone out of retirement and performed as a member of their horn section, occasionally singing backup. The Dig-its fell apart unceremoniously as we all went away to college and to the workforce. I entered Austin Peay State University, directed my attention to studying and lounging around, and I forgot about making music until I found myself captivated by a new instrument. At that time I had an insatiable love for Irish reels and airs and their French-Canadian offspring, but knew nothing of what instruments were used. So when I was first shown a G chord on a mandolin in a friend’s music shop, I was instantly enthralled by the sound. It reminded me of a magic I felt in Irish, Canadian, Bluegrass, Gipsy, Klesmer, and Italian music. That was about a year before my meeting with Bill Carrasco and the start of our Agua Trip project and the first draft of my bio. With Agua Trip I use all my past musical experiences as well as experiment with new instruments, hoping with all of it to etch new and intriguing sonic designs. I just never want to stop learning and changing and Agua Trip is where I do that for now.

I have also had the pleasure of working with Tones from the Underground, Sarah Smith, Unavoidable Delay and Roberto Carrasco in New York City as well as working with Mike Posillico on a short audio play. I had the pleasure of co-creating and co-producing The Moveable Feast, a nomadic art-party, with Ginger Burden, Kyla Barkin, and Bill Carrasco. I currently work as a freelance web designer, and am always experimenting with blending my loves of graphical art, words, logic, philosophy, sound, music and moving image.

I am inspired daily by the imagination of my wife Ginger. I can only hope to be as musical a soul as she is, and look forward to learning from her. You can hear her singing on several songs on Genetics, including “Sleep Trips and Falls”. We hope to record more together in the future.

Birthyear: Smallpox was eradicated; post-it notes were introduced; the world saw the first long-distance solar-powered flight; the median household income was $17,710 and the federal debt $909.1 billion; Jean-Paul Sartre died from edema of the lungs and John Lennon from five bullets.

Influences: Bob Marley, The Police, The Beatles, Peter Tosh, Peter Mulvey, Outkast, the Epochs, Citizen Cope, King Django, Tony Rice, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Cake, La Volée d’Castors, Rancid, Nick Drake, King Tubby, Cypress Hill, David Grisman, The Fugees, old slow-tempo fiddle tunes, Burning Spear, Jimi Hendrix, Sublime, Sam Bush, Tones from the Underground, Julio Jaramillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Israel Vibrations, The Suicide Machines, Alice in Chains, soundtrack to the Last of the Mohicans, Bob Dylan, Sufjan Stevens, Eric Clapton, Rage Against the Machine, Wyclef Jean, Caetano Veloso, Elvis Costello, Ben Harper, Nat King Cole, The Clash, Tom Petty, Beausoleil, Tryo