Homem de duas cabeças

CHAPÉU DE FERRO [Iron hat]
Variations through "hino dos mineiros"

CHAPEU DE FERRO

Beirã

SPIDER RAG

Tango manco

Champanhe

António Bexiga [Tó-Zé Bexiga] Viola campaniça
André Lourenço Bass

Musibéria

Champanhe

Luísa E Vladimir

O velho e a chuva [The old man and the rain]

Variations through "Moda dos ensaiados"

O Velho E A Chuva

A sound journey through the latitudes of the viola campaniça, between tradition and experimentation, with mandatory delay on the borderlines between music, instrument, and skin.
RAIA is a solo project of Portuguese musician António Bexiga [Tó-Zé Bexiga] frequently in open dialogue with other visual and performance art forms.

Viola campaniça is one of the Portuguese violas.  It usually has 5 double strings (can have 12 strings, 2 of which are triple). This viola was traditionally used to accompany the typical singing forms of the Alentejo region (south of Portugal)  and also to play traditional ball tunes.  The instrument almost disappeared back in the '80s of the 20th century. It was then that many actions took place, spreading mostly from  Castro Verde (Baixo Alentejo) to nationwide in terms of players and luthiers. António Bexiga [Tó-Zé Bexiga] played and studied traditional repertoires and techniques. At the same time,  being a compulsive composer and experimentation addict, his work led him to explore the viola campaniça in many other music styles, from roots/rock/fusion to experimental acoustic and acoustic/electronic. 
António played and recorded his viola campaniça in Europe, America, Africa, and Asia. He has several works in video/cinema, theater, contemporary dance, performance, puppet theater, circus, and cabaret. Believing in the intersection of arts, António developed several projects mixing his viola with cuisine or carpentry, to name these two. He was an active member in Portuguese power folk bands like Uxu Kalhus and No Mazurka Band; founder of Há Lobos sem ser na serra, Bicho do Mato, among others. He recently recorded with Kepa Junkera for Ath Thurda, Omiri (Alentejo Vol. 1), Celina da Piedade, António Caixeiro, Daniel Catarino, O Gajo, Um Corpo Estranho, Saturnia, and Cantadores de Paris.

Despite being a solo project,  most of the time, RAIA has two heads and four arms. António Bexiga: Viola campaniça, percussions, voices, live loops. Cristina Viana (visual artist): Live illustration

RAIA

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