Keepers Of The Flame: Gonçalo Troçolo (Twice)

On the second edition of Keepers Of The Flame (LRS' feature about Lisbon record shop managers), we speak to Gonçalo Troçolo, owner of Twice, one of the cosiest record shops in Lisbon. Gonçalo gave us the pleasure to share his thoughts about his passion for music and the perks of being in this business.
What's the importance of music in your life?
A bit like air - necessary. Always. And in the best quality possible!

What's your favourite music genre?
Mainly music! I listen to very diverse things.

Vinyl or CD? Why?
As in the answer above: music, mainly. Vinyl as a whole - its artwork, its sound, its history, its collectability - [but also] the other media for their functionality.

What's the album of your life?
Kraftwerk's “The Man Machine”. I believe it was the record that made me take, once and for all, the plunge into music... to this day!

Why sell records? What brought you to this business?
Sheer pleasure. Being in touch with people who share the same tastes, sharing experiences, as well as discovering records and persons.

Is the customer always right or are there exceptions to the rule?
He's not always right. Not in any way. He only has the advantage to present himself as "customer".

Can one still make money selling records? Do you recommend this line of work to anyone?
I don't have any certainties, particularly because as a physical shop I'm in it recently. But yeah, I think that you can make money and that there's money to be made, [but] you have to really love [the business] and know how to measure your personal taste against the need to make a profit. If you can't find that balance than I wouldn't recommend it.

What is the most valuable record you've sold? And the most curious one?
[The most valuable record] is yet to come! As for the most curious, well... a somewhat lost album from a Québécois band [sold] to a Québécois couple who bet that I wouldn't have anything from their country!

Tell me an interesting episode that has taken place in your shop.
Interesting? Well, from what I can recall, and this was recently, having a crowded shop - which means about 8 people - at 11.30pm in a friendly chat, listening to music and losing track of time! You have to love it, right?



Have you enjoyed this article? Then take a look at the previous edition of Keepers Of The Flame with Jorge Dias from Louie Louie.

Next week's Live Music suggestions: 28th September to 4th October

Now that the rain has given us some time off, it seems we'll finally be able to enjoy Lisbon without the need of an umbrella! Feel free to check out our live music suggestions for next week:

28/9, Sunday
Joana Amendoeira & Bruno Fonseca [fado]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

29/9, Monday
Raíz [fado/tango/world]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00
Messer Chups + Screaming Mad Wolves [psychobilly/surf/garage]
Stairway Club [Cascais] -> location of the venue
23:00 - € 7.00

30/9, Tuesday
Luz Casal [pop/rock]
Centro Cultural de Belém -> location of the venue
21:00 - from € 25.00 to € 50.00
Clash Trio – Francisco Andrade & Vasco Pimentel & João Lencastre [jazz/experimental]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00
The Mighty Terns [pop/rock/electronica]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 8.00

2/10, Thursday
"Out.Fest 2014" w/Peter Brötzmann & Steve Noble + Norberto Lobo [jazz/experimental/acoustic guitar]
Be Jazz Café [Barreiro] -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 8.00
Los Tones + Tiger Picnic [garage rock/punk]
Sabotage Club (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:30 - € 5.00

3/10, Friday
"Out.Fest 2014" w/ Dean Blunt + Fennesz + Peter Evans Quintet [soul/electronica/jazz/experimental]
Casa da Cultura [Barreiro] -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 12.00
Hexis + Rainmaker [hardcore/black metal/punk]
Stairway Club [Cascais] -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 5.00
Ferro Gaita + Michel Montrond [funaná/pop/world]
Coliseu dos Recreios (near Rossio) -> location of the venue
21:00 - € 25.00

4/10, Saturday
"Out.Fest 2014" w/ The Ex + Faust + Magik Markers + Putas Bêbadas [post-punk/noise-rock/improv/experimental]
Grupo Desportivo Ferroviários Do Barreiro [Barreiro] -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 12.00
Manifesto [punk/rock/acoustic]
Biblioteca Municipal Orlando Ribeiro (near Telheiras) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 5.00
Amen Dunes + Modernos [indie/pop/folk/experimental]
Galeria Zé dos Bois (in Bairro Alto) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 8.00

Next week's Live Music suggestions: 21st to 27th September

And the rain is back, even before the official end of Summer! We're still praying for a few days of sunny weather, but for now you can settle for the usual hot nights in Lisbon, with great live music to enjoy! Take a look at our suggestions for next week:

21/9, Sunday
Cristina Andrade & Jon Luz [fado/world]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

22/9, Monday
Ana Roque & Bruno Fonseca [fado/world]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

23/9, Tuesday
Alcione [MPB/samba/pop]
Teatro Tivoli (on Av. Liberdade) -> location of the venue
21:30 - from € 15.00 to € 60.00
Paulo Bandeira Trio [jazz]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

25/9, Thursday
Alma Nua [MPB/jazz/spoken word]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00
The Dirty Coal Train [garage rock/rock n' roll]
Lounge (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
23:00 - free admission
Messfits + Feeding Vultures [punk]
Sabotage Club (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 3.00

26/9, Friday
Half Note [jazz/soul/pop]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 5.00
Tocha Pestana [pop/rock/electronica]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
24:00 - € 7.00 / € 10.00 including CD
The Walks [alt.rock/rock n'roll]
Sabotage Club (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:30 - € 5.00
Trash Kit + Afonso Simões + Raw Forest [indie/post-punk/experimental]
Galeria Zé dos Bois (in Bairro Alto) -> location of the venue
23:00 - € 5.00

27/9, Saturday
OG Trio [soul/pop]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 5.00
Capitão Fausto [psych/alt.rock]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
24:00 - € 8.90
Black Leather + Volcano Skin [indie/alt.rock/electronica]
Sabotage Club (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:30 - € 5.00
Steve Gunn & Mike Cooper [folk/blues/acoustic guitar]
Teatro Municipal Maria Matos (near Roma) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 14.00
Lisboa String Trio [jazz/fado/neo-classical]
Teatro Municipal São Luiz (near Baixa-Chiado) -> location of the venue
23:30 - € 10.00

Next week's Live Music suggestions: 14th to 20th September

Summer is basically over, and life returns to its regular routine. Nevertheless, it's because of YOU, dear record-collecting visitor, that we publish our live music suggestions every week! And what a week - check it out:

14/9, Sunday
Orquestra de Câmara Portuguesa [classical]
Centro Cultural de Belém -> location of the venue
17:00 - from € 5.00 to € 15.00
Ana Sofia & Tiago Morna & Tiago Tomé [fado]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

15/9, Monday
Liliana Silva & Miguel Costa [fado/jazz]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

16/9, Tuesday
Carlos Barretto/Lokomotiv [jazz]
Culturgest (near Campo Pequeno) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00
Ricardo Toscano & Bruno Santos [jazz]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

17/9, Wednesday
Kufuki [electronica/world/experimental]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
23:00 - € 3.00

18/9, Thursday
Men Eater + Hills Have Eyes [post-metal/hardcore]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 6.00
Filipe da Graça e o Deserto Branco + Shibazqi [indie/rock]
Sabotage Club (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:30 - € 5.00
Rashad Becker + Ondness [electronica/experimental]
Galeria Zé dos Bois (in Bairro Alto) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 8.00

19/9, Friday
"Festival Caixa Alfama '14" w/ Ana Bacalhau + Ana Laíns + Ana Maria + Ana Moura & António Zambujo + Carmo Moniz Pereira + Cláudia Picado + Cuca Roseta + Gisela João + Gonçalo Salgueiro + Lenita Gentil + Pedro Moutinho + Ricardo Ribeiro + Sara Correia [fado]
Various venues on the Alfama parish -> more information here
20:30 - € 35.00 both days
"Festival NOVA Música" w/ Fachada + Os Capitães da Areia + D'Alva + Sequin + Modernos [indie/pop/alt.rock]
Universidade Nova campus (near Campolide) -> location of the venue
19:00 - € 5.00
Zorra [post-rock/jazz/experimental]
Centro Cultural de Belém -> location of the venue
21:00 - from € 11.00 to € 13.50
The Quartet of Woah! + Dreamweapon [psych/prog/stoner/rock]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
24:00 - € 6.00
Million Dollar Lips [indie/electronica/pop]
Sabotage Club (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:30 - € 5.00

20/9, Saturday
Danger Danger + Hot Stuff [hard rock]
Casino Estoril [Estoril] -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 28.00
"Festival Caixa Alfama '14" w/ Anita Guerreiro + Carminho + Filipa Cardoso + Jorge Fernando + Katia Guerreiro + Marco Rodrigues + Maria da Nazaré + Maria Armanda + Maria Ana Bobone [fado]
Various venues on the Alfama parish -> more information here
20:30 - € 35.00 both days
Killimanjaro + 10000 Russos + Zanibar Aliens [psych/stoner/alt.rock]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
23:30 - € 6.00
Katabatic + Juseph + Catacombe [post-metal/math-rock/post-rock]
Sabotage Club (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:30 - € 5.00
Peixe:Avião + Filho da Mãe & Jibóia: live soundtracks for silent movies [indie/rock/experimental/soundtrack]
Teatro Municipal Maria Matos (near Roma) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 12.00
Rita Redshoes [indie/pop]
Teatro Municipal São Luiz (near Baixa-Chiado) -> location of the venue
21:00 - from € 8.00 to € 12.00
Lust for Youth + Bispo [indie/electronica]
Galeria Zé dos Bois (in Bairro Alto) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 8.00

Next week's Live Music suggestions: 7th to 13th September

As the last weeks of Summer unfurl, it seems that the best was saved for last - temperature-wise, as Lisbon is always hot in terms of music events. Take a look at our suggestions for next week (and if you're a psych-head, don't forget this here festival)!

7/9, Sunday
"Festa do Avante!" w/ Buraka Som Sistema + Camané + Mind da Gap [pop/electronica/fado/hip hop]
Quinta da Atalaia [Amora] -> location of the venue
14:00 - € 21.00 (3-day pass) until 4th Sep. / € 32.00 at the door
"LISB/ON #JardimSonoro" w/ Roy Ayers Band + Greg Wilson + Tiger & Woods + Rodrigo Leão + Mirror People + Sensible Soccers + Thunder & Co. [funk/electronica/dance/indie]
Parque Eduardo VII (near Marquês de Pombal) -> location of the venue
13:00 - € 25.00 each day / € 40.00 both days
Ana Figueiredo & Múcio Sá [fado/jazz]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

8/9, Monday
Fado-Enredo [fado/MPB/world]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

9/9, Tuesday
Samuel Lercher Trio [jazz]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

10/9, Wednesday
André Fernandes [jazz]
Culturgest (near Campo Pequeno) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 12.00
"Noise a Go-Go" w/ Putnam Was The Bastard + Archagathus + Rudolfo + Sixbrewbantha [grindcore/noise]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 5.00

11/9, Thursday
Richie Campbell [pop/reggae]
Casino Estoril [Estoril] -> location of the venue
22:30 - free admission
On Dixie [jazz/swing/dixieland]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00
Sleepy Sun [indie/psych rock]
MusicBox (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:30 - € 6.00
"Reverence Festival Opening Party" w/ Ringo Deathstarr + NAAM + The Telescopes + Stone Dead [psych/stoner/experimental]
Sabotage Club (near Cais do Sodré) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 15.00

12/9, Friday
Silvia Nazário & Claudio Kumar [jazz/MPB]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 5.00
"Bye Bye Summer Fest" w/ Adrenalized + Rebels in Packages + Suspeitos do Costume + Rés-do-Chão + Punkrácios [punk/rock]
Stairway Club [Cascais] -> location of the venue
21:30 - € 5.00

13/9, Saturday
Sérgio Godinho + A Naifa [pop/singer-songwriter/indie/fado]
Parque Central (Amadora) -> location of the venue
21:00 - free admission
Caixa de Pandora [neo-classical/soundtrack]
Duetos da Sé (near Sé de Lisboa) -> location of the venue
22:00 - € 5.00
"Artilharia Pesada 2" w/ Holocausto Canibal + Mata-Ratos + Cruz de Ferro + Deadlyforce + Mass Disorder + Toxic Room [death metal/grindcore/punk]
República da Música (near Alvalade) -> location of the venue
17:00 - € 12.00 presale / € 15.00 at the door

Masters of Sound: Stephen Lawrie (The Telescopes)

Lisbon Record Shops has completed a year and a month by now, and to commemorate the occasion, we've joined forces with Reverence Valada to bring you our new feature: Masters of Sound, where we interview artists/bands that push the music envelope further.
Opening this new chapter, we have Stephen Lawrie from cult shoegaze/experimental band The Telescopes answering our questions about his 25-year old career. In this interview, Stephen unveils his views about noise in music, the shoegaze scene and the role of third parties in his band, as well as giving us hints about his upcoming gigs in Portugal.
Picture: © Gaëlle Beri 2011
First things first: what drove your attention to music during your childhood/teen years?
I needed a creative outlet that drawing and painting couldn’t provide, it wasn’t enough. Discovering i could paint with sound, without anyone telling me that I was holding the brush the wrong way, was a revelation.

How did you discover that noise could be a good thing, creatively speaking?
Songs like [The Beatles'] "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Helter Skelter" fascinated me as a child. And the freakout section of my generation. I saw the catharsis in it. By the time I heard The Velvet Underground in my teens, they made perfect sense to me. None of the bands I played in prior to The Telescopes understood that kind of expression and were freaked out by the kind of things I was doing, so I started my own group. Which was mostly imagined at first. I had a lot of bad experiences that I desperately needed to get out of my system. Annihilation, of the senses in particular, gave me the outlet I needed. It made me feel instantly better and I liked what I saw in the music that came from it. I could recognise the humanity in it.

What was it like to start a band in a period of time full of talented peers? Was it inspiring or challenging? Did you fed on that energy?
It was liberating. All of a sudden there were hundreds of bands that all had Velvets records. It was as revolutionary as punk, but as one journalist wrote about us, it was more a revolution of the psyche than the sidewalk. So the music was much better. The whole DIY fanzine culture, squat gigs, independent labels, were all about empowerment. They held up big signs that said you can do it as well. Things we inherited from punk, and put to more use in my opinion. It was less of a joke.

What about the music business? You've worked with a lot of labels by now, from Cheree to Creation and a whole lot of small indies afterwards, ultimately creating your own (Antenna / Static Charge). Now that you have experience from both sides of the matter, what's your view of things? Have you made peace with any bad experiences from the past or has the biz changed completely?
It’s still basically the same, doing all you can, within a budget. I have more of an idea of what labels are up against now. The more information you have, the more creatively you can navigate your way through any obstacles that present themselves. Although it can take crashing on the rocks a good few times before clarity reaches.

Do you miss that 90's media frenzy of interest for new indie/alt.rock bands? Was it in any way better than making your music quietly available to fans through live gigs and the internet?
I don’t really miss anything that has gone before. I have the memory.

The Telescopes have evolved from a more song-based approach to drone/noise experiments. Have you grown more interested in sound than in song?
I became more interested in loosening the parameters of song, opening up the framework, allowing them to breathe more readily, which led to pure improvisation on the Infinite Suns album and a few other singles from around that time. I feel the new LP HARM is a step towards a firmer sense of song, bringing with it ideas I have gathered along the way, maintaining room for improvisation. I have two albums worth of material almost completed and ready to release, all of which most people would recognise as having more of a traditional structure. The interest in sound and texture has been there all the way through. It’s audible on all of the records.

By the way, HARM is a great freakout piece! Will it be released in any physical format? Are you playing it live?
We’ll be playing both of the tracks live. It is out on vinyl courtesy of Neon Sigh Records. i find CDs wasteful and throwaway. Since the advent of downloads they don’t sell as well and people only load them onto their machines and forget about the disc anyway. I prefer small runs of vinyl as a physical output.

What about those new albums?
There are two new albums on the way, a split single with Deadly Cradle Death from China, another split single on Fuzz Club Records and an EP on the Dream Machine label.

Even though you've been the main songwriter from the beginning, in the last decade or so The Telescopes have been basically your solo project with rotating personnel. Do you find the input of other people essential in your work or do you prefer to have it your own way?
I’ve been the only songwriter all the way through The Telescopes, with the exception of purely improvised recordings I made with Bridget Hayden, such as Infinite Suns and Another Whip. If The Telescopes have ever been my solo project, then it has always been my solo project. More so on the first records, which were all written and arranged almost completely by myself, but credited to The Telescopes. I usually have a good idea of what I want, which develops during the writing process, but sometimes I leave holes for people to fill. within certain paramaters, so I credit them as arrangers as well as musicians. Having it my own way is not essential, but I do have to be happy with what is coming out of the speakers in the final mix or the whole thing gets trashed. Or reinterpreted at a later date. Sometimes other people’s input is essential, other times it gets in the way.

How do you evaluate those first 2 records today? I know that you've revisited Taste live with One Unique Signal, but does it feel like the work of a different band or just another side of the same coin?
The Telescopes house has many rooms. I gave myself that freedom when I made the second album so different to the first. I have always considered psych to be the thread that runs throughout The Telescopes' music, but the [term] has been hijacked in recent years and has become compromised, so it has lost its sense of infinity. The Telescopes are about so much more.

What about Portugal? Is it your first time here? Do you have any expectations about the gigs or your stay?
We played in Cartaxo and Porto last year with two Portuguese musicians in the group, André Pedro Pita Groz sat in on the drums with us and Sandro Oliveira played the bass. They were amazing. We had one brief rehearsal together beforehand. Nick Allport from Reverence Valada and all the folks from the Cartaxo Sessions collective took us to see Fado singers while we were over. And Jorge Coelho, who booked the show in porto, took us to see the city there. It was a brief visit but we crammed in as much as possible and had a great time. We’re very much looking forward to coming back again.

Can we expect some of the old classics in your shows or will it be a more experimental affair?
We’ll be playing past, present and future material. Everything we’ve ever done has been experimental. Even with songs like "The Perfect Needle" or "Flying". sometimes it’s more apparent than others, but it’s always there.


Don't miss The Telescopes live in Sabotage Club on September the 11th, and on the Reverence festival in Valada the following day.