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We Are Harlot just finished their second performance ever and it was in front of thousands of screaming fans at Rocklahoma. Not bad for their second show right? This is a band 3 years in the making and they have definitely created quite a stir as everyone anxiously awaits their new music. We Are Harlot just released their first single, Denial and has had everyone talking. If you don’t have it yet, make sure you head over to their website: weareharlot.com and get your FREE DOWNLOAD. It is the perfect summer song for you to crank up loud. Anyway, in the past we have featured Jeff George several times, he was our Day 1 of 12 Days of Guitarists and we have featured our Interview with Jeff George here, Interview with Brian Weaver, bassist and now it is time to get to know the man behind the drums, Bruno Agra.

We are pleased to bring you our interview with Bruno Agra here:

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Music Junkie Press: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. Congratulations on your We Are Harlot shows at Rock on the Range and Rocklahoma, we heard they were both great sets! Now you are off to perform in Vegas, can you tell us about that upcoming show and what fans might expect?

Thank you so much. Yes they were both INSANE gigs, super fun, our audience had a blast and so did we. We decided to start small ha ha! We played in front of 35,000 at ROTR and 40,000 at Rocklahoma. It’s like when Mick Taylor joined the Stones and his first gig was at Hyde Park for 60,000 people. Not really but…, yeah we definitely went through the grinder.

When your band has been building up this huge hype and everyone in the industry’s been talking about you for 3 years is one thing; the other is to live up to that hype; and on top of that you have 35,000 kids screaming,

first gig….

I mean, it was really really intense but we all handled it pretty well imo. We are lucky to work with the best people on the planet. I can say first hand that Harlot is a family, not just the band but everyone involved. And we are so thankful that every single person that works with us were there to see our first show at ROTR. It was a life changing event, very powerful. We decided to go onstage and salute all the fans for being there before we started playing. Like a big “Thank You”. It was a cathartic, purifying moment. HUGE. As soon as we kicked with Denial it was ON!!!

Now we’ll play for the 700 fans that are coming to see us and Pretty Reckless in Vegas and it’s going to be as wild as it gets. And we got a BIG surprise for the fans for this gig.

Music Junkie Press: That sounds absolutely amazing! With doing back to back festivals in the past couple weeks, that is a lot of road traveled, what were some of your highlights?

I mean it was ABSOLUTELY insane. If I wrote the highlights here there would be 2 ways to go: 1st) everyone would think we are lying; or 2nd) our lawyer would get a ton of extra work. “The Dirt” or “Walk This Way”, it’s all in there. We are not reinventing the wheel.

Music Junkie Press: Well we don’t want to spill any secrets out so we will continue on. How old were you when you started playing drums? Have drums always been what you wanted to play or do you play any other instruments?

When I was 5 years old I wanted to be a professional dancer. I loved to dance, and rhythm has always been my thing, specially coming from Brazil. Brazil, particularly RIO, where I am from, is the land of rhythm and PARTY, hands down. That’s where Carnival’s at, do I have to say anything else? So, I was very fortunate to be raised in such culturally rich environment where you can see so much; absorb so much. So drums was really an extension of my personality. I used to get thrown out of classes everyday at school for drumming with my pens. My pens, not my penis ha! I was a really good student cause I had A grades, but terrible at the same time. I used to raise hell at school, I had so much energy that the teachers wanted my parents to drug me, like take me to a specialist. I mean I am ADD to the MAX. So, cutting the story short, after I asked my mom for a drumset, and tried every single blackmail strategy a kid can pull off she gave me an acoustic guitar. I was kinda disappointed at first, but I learned to play very very quick, then I moved on to electric guitar. Some kids in my neighborhood were into rock too, so I just found a drummer and a bass player and we started playing right away – Ramones, Maiden, Metallica. That’s when I thought: “Holy F* man, that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life”. But then I started playing my drummer’s drumkit and I was better than him ha ha I had never had any lessons or anything but I mean, I could straight up play. Whatever song I had playing in my head I could immediately translate to the drumkit. So I said: “F* it! I’m gonna sell my guitar and amp and buy a drumkit”. My parents didn’t even know, I got someone to take me to this real dodgy place in Rio where they were selling this drumset for 100 bucks, including cymbals. That’s all I had, so it worked. From there I was officially a “drummer” even though I play guitar to this day. I graduated school when I was 16 and went straight to Computer Engineering school. It was fun for a moment – tons of hot chicks, drinking, drugs, all the good stuff, but it wasn’t my thing. Not to mention that I was already touring with my band, so I missed 70% of the classes. So I ended up dropping out of Computer Engineering and locked myself in my room for 6 months straight and learned how to read music and play piano by myself. I went completely nuts, I went vegan too for that period of time. I studied every composer I could find, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Wagner, Sibelius, Debussy, Shostakovich, Villa-Lobos, etc…I went deep into classical music and in 6 months I got a scholarship at the best Classical Composition School in Rio and my teacher was (is, he is still alive) one of the greatest Brazilian Composers ever. This guy taught composition everywhere in the world, won the most important prizes, I mean, a total badass. So I studied classical music for 5 years straight and got my Bachelor degree in Composition. So yeah, my main instruments are Drums, Guitar and Piano.

Music Junkie Press: That is so great that you started young and how you were self taught We often receive many letters from young musicians who play drums and have switched over to bass or guitar because of complaints about their loud drumming. What advice would you give to young musicians who are stuck in that position and want to continue with their passion for drumming?

My advise: “NEVER GIVE A F* about anyone or anything. Be a selfish bastard and do what you love and be happy.” I had to go to court 3 times because of neighbors when I was underage, I got into a fistfight with one of my old neighbors once because he wouldn’t let me play. Hey if you are reading this – never give up playing drums for anything. Don’t feel sorry if everyone else wants to have a boring life. Play as loud as possible. Be happy.

Music Junkie Press: That is the best advise ever! What is your gear rundown ? kit, sticks, pedals, etc?

I play Tama Dums and Hardware – they’ve supported me from day one so I couldn’t be happier. It’s such an honor to be part of the Tama family. At the moment I’m playing a Superstar Hyperdrive, cause I love the deep bass drum 20″ x 22″ (+ 7″ x 12″ rack and 14″ x 16″ floor) + SLP 14″x6.5″ Black Brass snare. It’s a very edgy kit, great for live. Very snappy.

When we recorded the first 5 songs I tracked everything with a Starclassic Bubinga Birch. I played a 18″x24″ BD, 10″ x 13″ rack and 14″x14″; 14″x16″ and 16″ x 18″ floors.

We are going to finish the record soon – the other 8, 9 songs we haven’t tracked yet – and I’m planning on playing the same kit – the Starclassic Bubinga Birch. It’s just got that monster sound, that round attack and very warm rich resonance. Tune it right and you are in heaven. I love it.

I play 3A Vic Firth sticks and Remo Drumheads. And Tama Iron Cobra pedals/hardware.

Music Junkie Press: Who were some of the most influential musicians for you growing up?

Being quarter English (My mum is half English) I grew up listening to The Who, The Beatles, Stones, and tons of brazilian music like Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, etc. If you ask me that’s as good as it gets. My favorite drummers are Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and John Bonham. I mean I could list you so many musicians/bands/composers I am influenced by I would have to write for a whole year…so let’s leave it at that.

Music Junkie Press: Can you tell us what was your first concert you went to?

My first concert was Megadeth – Countdown To Extinction tour. I was just a kid, I could NOT believe what I was seeing. Those guys looked like GODS onstage and they were playing the craziest music I’d ever heard right in front of me. What a line-up too, Mustaine, Menza, Ellefson and Friedman. Friedman – holy s* that guy can play. The choice of notes, it’s just mind blowing.

Music Junkie Press: If we could peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might we be most surprised at finding in there?

My iPod constantly changes. Every week I add new artists and bands that I’ve never heard, underground electronic, indie, pop, you name it. Some highlights over the past weeks: I love the new Foster The People record, it’s incredible. Really blew me away, cause I didn’t see it coming at all. The new Young The Giant is a great record too, very versatile and very musical. There’s a new band I just found not long ago called Walking Papers, they are BADASS. Love their album. I mean, there’s so much talent and good music out there. Besides Rock n’ Roll, I love old school funk, disco, motown, soul…Jackson 5, Prince, Sly and The Family Stone, Tim Maia, Kool And The Gang. Music that makes you wanna put a hawaiian shirt on and grab a Margarita.

Music Junkie Press: It is great to see the versatility in your love of music. I wish more would would follow that lead. When you are not making music or travelling, what are some of your favorite things to do?

I love to go to Starbucks or Coffee Bean – sit down, have a coffee and creep.

Music Junkie Press: After Vegas, what is in store for We Are Harlot, summer tour?

Well during summer we’ll probably be in the studio finishing our record to be honest. There will be a promo tour for the album and a big fall tour. The album comes out in the first week of September. That’s what’s in the pocket for now. There are much more details to it but I can’t say anything ha ha.., sorry I’m the bad guy. You guys will know very soon. Hang in there Harlot Army! We love you and we won’t let you down.

Music Junkie Press: We will be ready! If you could put together your dream lineup, what three bands would you like We Are Harlot to play with?

The Big Four. Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Foo Fighters and We Are Harlot. Quick and Easy.

Music Junkie Press: That would the tour of the century! What are three things that you can tell us about you that you think people don’t already know?

1) I’m a total art geek. I love art in general – painters, plastic artists, indie movies, shorts, anything that gives me inspiration to go beyond the “wake up, take a shit, brush your teeth” kinda thing. You know, all the weird stuff that all that weird people like, I’m one of them.

2) I’ve composed some classical pieces, Symphony, String Quartets, Duos, Trios, Sonatas, Experimental Tape Music, Soundtracks for shorts, plays, etc. I mean it’s a little collection of pieces that have never been played, well, some of them. I’ve never really pursued the classical music world as my main thing, but I’m sure I will at some point when I’m old and senile. I’ll have a huge room with a piano made of Brazilian Bamboo and the temperature in the room will be 103 degrees constantly, 98% humidity. I’ll be eating pollen all day getting all crazy. And of course I’ll have 3 jaguars prowling around. And just noisy weird music blasting constantly. The mail guy will hate me, ha!

3) I love leopard print stuff and cats. My cats are the best: Monkey and Bowie. Monkey is a Maine Coon and Bowie is a “whatever”, calico with maine coon, I don’t know; she just looks crazy. I post pictures of them all the time on Instagram. They are the cutest.

Music Junkie Press: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?

Yes, I want to sincerely thank everyone out there that supported us throughout this crazy journey. You guys don’t know how much we’ve been through to put this together and I can say that every message, tweet, or like you guys send us we check every single one of them and it means the world to us. The Harlot Army is growing fast and you guys are kicking so much ass it’s not even funny. You guys make us wake up every morning and give our very best; we give all we’ve got, every second. We love our fans and we’ll never let them down. Hang tight, the Harlot Train just started rolling…

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The new single Denial is now available at www.weareharlot.com. It is a free download with an email sign up. YES, it was worth the wait, Rock n Roll vocals, precision drumming, rousing bass, smoking guitars and sweet ass solo! These four guys have done a great job, congratulations guys! And Harlot Domination has begun! Check out the song here:

Hope you head out to Las Vegas, NV for their show on May 28th at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel. They will be performing with The Pretty Reckless! Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on the latest We Are Harlot news. I will leave you with our interview with 3/4 of We Are Harlot at NAMM 2014.

~ Marisol

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