Raleigh County, WV (WOAY) – This past Sunday saw a new band take the stage in Beckley, rocking the crowd with metal music and more.
Newswatch anchor Tygra de Mello attended her first-ever concert to catch the band and chat.
I had to ask what brought Added Color, a band based in New York that originated in Brazil, to the Mountain State.
Kiko Soares, Added Color’s singer, said, “You know, I feel like so many bands, for some reason, head south, but West Virginia has some of the most passionate fans we’ve ever had. Any time we can come to West Virginia, we make it happen. So we absolutely love it.”
However, the stereotype is that West Virginia only loves country music.
Kiko continued, “I think anywhere you go there, there’s going to be a stereotype of what people like, but you’re always going to find your pockets. What’s amazing about it is that everywhere you go, you realize that people are not that different from each other. You know, there’s different cultures, subgenres and all these things, but people just want to throw down, have a good time. Everywhere we’ve gone, from Morocco, Brazil, all over the U. S., you know, metalheads and rock people are kind of like the same and uniquely different at the same time.”
And of course, wild and wonderful West Virginia has enchanted these three with its charm.
Tim Haggerty, Added Color’s guitarist, said, “We love it. I mean, we’ve been here so many times and every time we come, I think we leave with a story that I can take home and tell everyone. And it’s just such a great time. And we meet so many talented people here, and they are always so nice, and they invite us in, and it’s just like a really cool experience to be states like it in that regard. And you also have the natural beauty surrounding us that’s like hard to beat.”
Dan Soares, Kiko’s brother and drummer for Added Color, also chimed in.
“I just like the people here. They are so down to earth and chill. The nature also doesn’t hurt, but to me it’s mostly the memories I have for people. I mean, because like Tim said, we had a lot of pretty crazy stories here and it’s got to be really cool people.”
And of course, I had asked them if they had any advice for any musicians out there into any genre of music.
“Go deep within yourself, go deep. You just tell your story. You’re not the only person that’s going to want to hear about it.” Kiko said.
Dan also shared some advice, “I always say that when you’re writing music, you are the most important, but pretty much the only audience that matters. You know, I want to write music that I want to listen to and enjoy, and if you’re scared to follow music, you have every reason to be scared because it’s really difficult and it takes a lot of improvising and, you know, it’s uncomfortable and it’s unpredictable. But if you have the feeling that we have that you can’t live without it, just do it.”
Tim then told me, “As long as you like the art you’re making, you always have an audience. You got one person even if that’s like, that’s yourself.”
Dan grabbed the microphone to share one last piece of wisdom. “It’s great now that our shows are popping off way more. But when we started, it was very much we’d play for three, four people. And we’d say this every single night. You know, sometimes you drive 6 hours to get somewhere, and you’re like, well, three people showed up to play for the people that are there, not for the people that aren’t there.”
Rocking the night away in Raleigh County, I am Tygra de Mello, Newswatch.
