Brazilian-American Band, ADDED COLOR Discuss New Music, Biggest Inspirations and More!

The Brazilian/American Brooklyn-based rock band Added Color recently announced their newest release, ‘Psycho.’ They kicked off their international/US tour in support  of it on May 13th.

“’Psycho’ marks a very important time for our band. As a group, it’s the strongest, most united we’ve ever been and musically, it solidifies an identity we’ve been building for the last 3 years,” says Kiko Freiberg, Guitarist/Vocals for Added Color.

The EP embraces individuality, self-acceptance, and standing up for others. In addition to the EP, Added Color has released a music video to accompany their first single. The new project was produced entirely by Added Color and recorded by Grammy-nominated engineer Luiznho Mazzei, whose past credits include Capital Inicial and Jota Quest.

Connect with Added Color Here:

Website: www.addedcolorpress.com

Facebook: facebook.com/addedcolor

Twitter: @added_color

Instagram: @addedcolor

YouTube: youtube.com/addedcolor

Learn more about Added Color in follow All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! What are some words you would use to describe 2016? What were some of the highlights for the band? What are you all most excited about for 2017?

Thanks for having us! 2016 was all about solidifying who we are as a band and really finding our sound. We toured a lot and did pre-production on the songs we were writing whenever we were back in Brooklyn. We wrote about 30 songs last year and chose 7 of them to take on the road.

2017 has been about putting the new work out there. We toured a bit in the beginning of the year, and are in the middle of a Morocco and USA summer tour right now. We are tracking more new music in the early fall and are excited to play around all year.

How did Added Color first form? How did you come up with your band name? What other names were you considering?

Daniel and I (Kiko) are brothers and have been playing together our whole lives. I met Tim playing gypsy jazz and Danny responded to an ad on Craigslist.

Added Color is about celebrating diversity and uniqueness, and adding color to a “normal” scenario. Everyone should be able to be who they are and not justify it to anybody. Just cut the bullshit.

As a band, people try to throw you in a box. They want to decide a genre for you, and know who you sound like before they hear you. We aren’t really down with wasting our time with that.

For band names, we considered Mr. Industry (a name of an upcoming song) and Big Affair, but when Tim thought of Added Color and it was obvious for us.

I’m curious to know how your sound has been influenced by your Brazilian and American backgrounds?

Dan and I grew up listening to rock music. Its huge in Brazil. I remember rocking out to Sepultura and thinking “man those guys really have something different. They bring so much of Brazil in their rhythms.” We started thinking about how to incorporate Brazilian sounds in our music in our own way.

A lot of it is unconscious too. When you grow up around Carnaval and so much rhythm in general, it stays with you forever.

Let’s talk about your newest EP, “Psycho.” What was it like making this collection? Did anything surprise you about the process at all?

We tracked half of the EP in the US and half in Brazil when we went down there to play Palco do Rock festival in Salvador. We probably wrote 20 songs, tracked 9 and these 5 were the ones we carried over to the EP.

What songs on “Psycho” are you particularly proud of? How do you all go about putting a song together, beginning to end?

We are proud of the whole EP, since it was funneled down pretty hard and each song is very different/has a different story to tell. “Our Secret” and “Psycho” tend to be the crowd favorites. Each song is also written differently, but we all do it together and have equal input. Sometimes someone brings in an idea and we build on it, and sometimes it just comes from a jam.

How has your international/U.S tour been going so far? What have been some favorite stops. What venues are you excited to play at next?

It’s been awesome. We are currently in Morocco setting up for a show. Some of the smaller towns have never had a rock band before, so it’s amazing to see people’s reactions. Our first show was in a disputed territory in the Western Sahara. That said, people move the same way as they do in the US and the shows have been packed every night.

We are also excited to get back on the road in the US and play back home.

Where do you think you are all happiest- on stage performing, in the studio recording or elsewhere?

Onstage performing. Every night is different and we get to throw down with different people and feed off the crowd. It’s where I feel the most comfortable in life.

Who are you all listening to these days?

Been listening to a lot of Royal Blood, Highly Suspect, QOTSA and some other bands that are pushing the scene forward. Very into a newer band called Tigercub.

What artists have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future?

If I could pick a band to open for it would probably be QOTSA. Would also love to work with Omar Rodriquez Lopez, as he’s been one of my biggest influences as a guitarist.

At the end of the day, what do you hope your fans take away from your music? What do you hope is the message of your songs?

Be yourself, accept people’s differences, and cut the bullshit. We want people to celebrate who they are and let it all out. ALL are welcome in our crew as long as they respect everyone else.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourselves and your music?

Check us out and let us know what you think.  If you are in a band or a solo artist, send us your music. We love listening to new stuff and spend a lot of time in the van.

Thanks,

Brad