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They
started
in
the
now
distant
year
of
1997,
taking
their
name
from
a
seminal
Tom
Waits
album
and
they
were
instantly
recognized
by
the
Portuguese
musical
press
and
alternative
radio
as
one
of
the
brightest
hopes
of
Portuguese
new
music.
Apart
from
the
4
founders
(Carlos
Santos,
Frederico
Cunha,
Paulo
Romão
and
Pedro
Temporão)
they
also
enlisted
one
Englishman
(Matt
Howden
on
the
violin,
usual
member
of
band
SIEBEN)
and
one
German
(Roland
Popp
that
recently
decided
to
return
to
his
homeland).
RAINDOGS
music
had
its
own
idea
of
how
to
look
at
the
interaction
between
words
and
songs,
creating
a
brand
of
alternative
romance
that
Portuguese
modern
music
often
lacked.
Some
of
the
songs
on
the
debut
album
"From
Today"
immediately
became
live
classics
in
the
intense
tours
the
group
did
to
promote
it,
both
in
bigger
venues
like
"Aula
Magna"
in
Lisbon
or
small
cave
clubs
like
"Meia
Cave"
in
Oporto.
Previous
to
the
release
of
"From
Today"
Raindogs
were
invited
by
DJ
Nuno
Calado
to
write
and
perform
the
generic
music
to
his
radio
show
"Indiegente"
and
months
before
the
departure
of
lyricist
and
vocalist
Popp,
there
was
the
release
of
a
live
album
called
"Memories
of
a
portable
DAT".
Throughout
2001
Raindogs
started
to
rehearse
with
new
vocalist
Carlos
Gonçalves
who
also
decided
to
write
the
words
to
the
songs
that
would
fit
in
this
new
release
"Life
After
Vegas",
a
title
that
is
metaphorical
regarding
Carlos’
idea
that
the
past
should
be
left
alone
and
the
group
should
make
a
qualitative
jump,
not
resting
in
the
laurels
they
earned
in
previous
years.
Carlos
was
vocalist
in
the
seminal
pop/rock
group
Corpo
Diplomático,
a
man
of
many
travels
and
many
journey
notes.
For
him,
it
was
particularly
important,
the
long
period
he
lived
in
Louisiana
and
Georgia,
where
he
saw
great
musicians
performing
in
the
streets
to
get
a
few
dimes.
Talented
people
that
for
the
time
being
don't
have
their
names
in
The
American
Songbooks,
but
can
be
there
all
of
a
sudden.
He
had
a
curious
observation
on
how
he
likes
to
deal
with
life..."I
don't
like
life
passing
on
me,
I
like
to
live
it
to
the
fullest!"
"Life
After
Vegas"
was
again
produced
by
Chris
Eckman
(of
the
Walkabouts)
and
had
(again)
the
vital
musical
contribution
of
violinist
Matt
Howden.
The
songs
are
full
of
emotions,
affections
and
day
to
day
observations,
an
adventure
in
the
company
of
people
who
know
there
is
always
another
life
begging
to
be
lived.
This
is
the
new
effort
from
a
band
called
THE
RAINDOGS!
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