Boca do Rio started as a bossa nova trio in 1999 bringing the Brazilian swing to jazz clubs and live music lounges across the Bay Area. Originally hailing from the San Francisco Mission, Boca do Rio is a Brazilian-American samba-funk explosion. Born of the mixing of waters of Brazil and the San Francisco Bay, Boca do Rio has created psychedelic samba – music that developed through the rhythm of living and working between the Americas. After a decade performing all original material during the heyday of San Francisco’s live music scene, Boca do Rio has evolved into a multi-layered electro-funk party boat with a sound that is fluid and edgy, adaptable and free.

 

Boca do Rio started flowing when Kevin Welch from Vivendo de Pao  and Alex Calatayud from Entre Nos formed a musical partnership in the late nineties that would redefine Brazilian music in the Bay Area. The electro-whiz kid, Jacob Aginsky, soon joined the group adding a mystical element. 

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Alex Calatayuyd, a native son of Goiania, Brazil, ignites the fire and passion of his land and people. Samba and the Brazilian musical language has been a part of his life since he was kid, when he accompanied his father on gigs in the local bars with a pandeiro in hand (a Brazilian tambourine). In his hands beat the pulse of a nation -- his signature groove is a distilled drop of Brazil so pure and true that masters far and wide call on him for his unique swing. When he first arrived to Calironia, he formed a blockbuster group with his brothers, Entre Nos. The band went on to great success spreading the gospel of Brazilian pagode and sambas, opening up for Olodum and Fundo de Quintal. After living in California for nearly 30 years, Alex developed a style that is a uniquely syncretic blend of the Americas – funky and fresh, heavy and deep.

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Kevin Welch, Boca's founder, composer, guitarist, and vocalist, has a rich personal and musical history that became entwined with Brazil during an extended ecological research trip in the Amazon. There he became transformed by the spirit of the people sharing in the rhythms of daily life and reflecting this joy in the sambas. Welch then landed in California to cultivate the inspirations that were planted in Brazil and began creating a community that spanned the Americas. In 1995 he started the innovative group Vivendo de Pão, which became a mainstay on San Francisco’s club and festival scene and opened for touring acts like Gal Costa, Macy Gray, Poncho Sanchez, Sergio Mendes, and Los Van Van.

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The musical collaboration was founded in deep respect for past traditions, steeped in the sambas and choros that echoed through the Brazilian favelas, while always evolving forward to create an organic sound that is decidedly modern and funky.