On october 14, 2003, Campo Grande was receiving Zeca Baleiro and, in that same occasion, part of the musical future from Mato Grosso do Sul state was beginning. It was the debut of Guga Borba and Guilherme Cruz, already known local musicians, as Filho dos Livres. The responsibility of doing a debut show opening up for such an important brazilian music name coincided with another challenge taken by the musicians and composers when choosing the name Filho dos livres for their duo: to be a loyal realizing project according to their demands on quality, but above all a truthful and free (livres) musical project.
With two cds that sold out their first editions, the Filho dos Livres duo fits on that class of artists which popularity walks hand in hand with quality and success. Long time friends and musical partners, Guga Borba (acoustic guitar, 10 string viola and vocals) and Guilherme Cruz (guitars, 10 string viola, 12 string acoustic guitar and vocals), make true the dream of doing free music, with peculiar sonority and lyrics.
Their first cd “Tradições distorcidas” (Distorted traditions) establishes a new period on the contemporary music from Mato Grosso do Sul state: new and young sonorities, but in straight communication with those that formed the state´s musical identity. Right away their music was among the most executed on local radio stations, a new situation in the state. The top played artists were, by that time, mostly national and international.
With the intention of supplying their fans needs, Filho dos Livres released their second cd in December 2005, “Meu carnaval numa outra estaçao de Natal” (a play of words with their songs names meaning something like “My carnival on another Christmas season”). With eleven originals from the first album plus six additional tracks: two unreleased songs and four live acoustic versions, their music then starts to get air play outside the state line and puts the duo’s music in several radio stations all over Brazil.
On their first two albums, the Filho dos Livres duo presented songs mixing up artistic references from the mid-west of Brazil with their rock influences, an audacious, pioneer project that puts together local influences, folk, grunge and intimate atmosphere lyrics, connecting several musical references with a modern romanticism that found response by their public, always singing along the duo´s music at the shows. Keeping fidelity to the proposal that took place when their project’s name was chosen, on their third album, "República dos livres pensamentos" (Free thoughts republic), Guga and Guilherme, free of any musical formalism, add rhythms, instruments, themes and humor to the formulas that had already proven to please their public.
After several musical movements that related and had influences in a productively way on their music, Filho dos Livres invent and, with the album República dos livres pensamentos, set the modern musicality for the Mato Grosso do Sul state, in a project magnetized by influences to the Mid-West of Brazil musical past.
Some of the memorable moments of Filho dos Livres are: Bonito winter festival (2004); South America festival (2006), in Corumbá, event that presented musical attractions such as Lulu Santos, Liliana Herrero, Renato Borghetti, Puerto Candelária, Generacion, among other important musical names; four consecutive days, in September 2006, at first place on Terra mp3 page, a national download reference for new bands; and audience record shows at Helena Meirelles arena, in their home town, in October 2005, and with the Estação Cultura project (2006), TV broadcasted live to the entire state. They have been also at important TV shows such as Som do Mato (TVE/MS, live, nationally, 2005) and Atualidades (RMTV, affiliated with the largest Brazilian TV network, Globo TV).
The trajectory of Guga and Guilherme
Guga and Guilherme have been working together for over 14 years and are respected by the fidelity they represent, by the mastery of their instruments, poetry and melodies, and also for the history of three great bands that lapidate the personality of these artists: Inverno Russo; Belladona, released nationally by Warner records in 1997; and Naip, band that were in the road to the entire mid-west of Brazil till 2003, sharing the stage with important musical names such as: Raimundos, Ira, Jota Quest, Nando Reis, Supla, Planet Hemp and Peter Fonda & The Renegate Posse.
In this duo’s trajectory, some of the songs known by the public and executed in several local and national radio stations are: the version of “Senhorita”, that were in the top of local and also in the Paraíba river valley radio stations for several months with Belladona, and, later on, with Naip (that played their last show for 40 thousand people, broadcasted live to the entire mid-west of Brazil in the 2003 new year´s evening show for the local Globo TV station); “Meu Carnaval”, “Não dá pra te esquecer” and “Alguem como você é”, success in the mid-west, with air playing for all over Brazil; “Amor de índio” a version of a Beto Guedes and Ronaldo Bastos (known brazilian composers from the “Clube da Esquina”) song, with air playing in the south of Brazil and “Vem me ver”, that figures nowadays as one of the top request songs in radio stations on the northwest of Rio de Janeiro state, with also night club air time in Bariloche, Argentina.
Guilherme Cruz is a graduated guitar player and audio engineer (Musicians Institute- Los Angeles/CA), producer and engineer for several local projects as: Olho de Gato, Jerry Espíndola, Bêbados Habilidosos, O Bando do Velho Jack, among others, participating not just as a producer but also as a player for these and other local and national projects such as Tihuana and Sandy e Jr.
Guga Borba is a cultural marketing producer and a graphical designer. Idealizer of projects, events and festivals, such as Ecorock 2001, Ecorock 2002, Bônus Track, a local rock collectanea . As a stage producer worked together with national and international names such as: América Contemporânea, Liliana Herrero, Tetê Espíndola, Mario Zan, Lecy Brandão, Tarancón e escola de samba Vila Isabel; he is also known as one of the best rock singers in Mato Grosso do Sul state.
