Official statement about Andre Matos Band and Symfonia

After a period of a lot of work, the vocalist Andre Matos speaks to the public to share the news concerning Andre Matos Solo, the future of the band and his project with the new band Symfonia.
Before the recordings of the album “Mentalize” in 2009, Andre Matos and Band were concluding in Brazil and abroad, the concerts for the Time To be Free tour. “Mentalize was conceived in a record time. We did one tour right after the other and had several concerts and festivals until the end of 2010”, mentions the vocalist.

In the meantime, the bassist Luis Mariutti went on a hiatus for an indefinite period for personal and professional reasons. According to Andre Matos, “after long talks, we agreed in finding together a replacement, Bruno Ladislau, who joined the band and completed the concerts schedule perfectly.” During the memorable concert for Furia Festival in last October, both musicians shared the stage as a sign of fraternization.

Recently, the keyboardist Fabio Ribeiro also shared his new career plans and his intention of dedicating himself exclusively to his own projects.

Andre Matos clarifies: “At the moment I’d like to make it clear to everyone, regarding all the rumors about the end of Andre Matos Solo: the band will just not cease to exist. I’ve always insisted on this aspect.” And he adds: “The recent events were friendly ones. I can understand that personal or professional issues are determinant when it comes to making a decision… and also on the quest of your own dreams, which must be lived”. “There was never any kind of exclusivity among the musicians in the band, they all have their parallel projects and they’re free to dedicate to them. If those projects become a priority, they have a complete freedom of choice. ” says the artist.

As for the next steps: “We are making plans for the first and second semesters of 2011 and we will announce news when the time is right. As for the other members, they are still in the band. The questions concerning the line-up were immediately solved and we’re ready to move on with our work.”

About Symfonia, Andre Matos tells: “Everything started as a project... Timo Tolkki and I have met over 12 years ago. We’ve been admiring each other, musically speaking, since we toured together.”

Andre Matos is currently living in Europe, with frequent visits to Brazil. “That was probably the determinant factor so that we could meet after over a decade and start composing together… The material evolved into a dimension beyond what we had imagined. The band’s line-up is also surprising. During the last months we’ve been dedicating ourselves to the composing and recording of Symfonia’s debut album. After its release, we will tour all over the world.”

He also makes it clear that Andre Matos Solo and Symfonia will coexist: “It’s a simple matter of schedules’ organization, whether it’s about the tours or recordings. There will be moments where I’ll be more involved with one or the other, besides possible participations in other projects, which is what I’ve been doing throughout my whole career. I don’t consider any of them as being self-excludent. ”

To conclude, Andre Mates salutes his friends and fans: “I hope the current moment has become clearer. I foresee a great year for all of us, during which we’re going to meet, for sure, in one place or another of this planet!”

Andre Matos Assessoria de Imprensa, feb. 2011. - whiplash.net