Four of these talented artists are Steve Andrews, Analisa Meier, and Chrys and Roger Faróia. They each have their own story, but they’re interwoven by this town, which was able to hide them from each other for years.

“I first wanted to be a rock star when I was in my late teens,” Steve Andrews told The Portugal News. “Bob Dylan inspired me. My Careers teacher wasn’t happy with that, he didn’t think it was a ‘proper job.’” Steve, known also as the bard of Ely, originates from Wales, where he was born and raised. He spent 25 years living in the suburb of Ely, just outside of Cardiff, where he studied and worked in journalism while pursuing his music. “I have been looking for my big break for a very long time. High points so far include having had my songs released on vinyl LPs and Eps back in the 1990s,” as well as playing at the likes of Glastonbury and Green Man and being featured on Britain’s Got Talent. He moved to Quinta do Conde in the Summer of 2014.

Rogério, or Roger, meanwhile, felt that music held meaning for him from an early age. “I remember singing, trying to accompany the songs I heard on vinyl and being fixated on television, watching a program that existed at the time, holding onto a children’s plastic guitar,” he reminisced. He formed his first band with some friends and family at age 14, holding two concerts where they covered songs. “But I always preferred rock and metal, and even then, I had the ambition to make original songs. The years passed and the guitar took a back seat in my life,” but when he was 27, he became a father and introduced his son to music. This awakened his desire to pursue his own music, and he went back to the guitar after 15 years. Roger moved to Quinta do Conde in 2004.

Chrys, Roger’s son, grew up around music. “At the start my father taught me how to play guitar play guitar.,” having been only eight years old at the time. He joined the school band when he was 12 and joined the Conservatório Regional de Setúbal to deepen his music understanding even further. Since then, Chrys has had a couple of successful projects like SILENT MODE and MUSAPHONIA, for which he’s the drummer.

Analisa Meier since her years as a child had always had music as a dream through being involved in the local band schools and garage bands with friends right here in Quinta do Conde. “I’ve always breathed music, it’s what makes me move.” Analisa has lived in this area for nearly 29 years now.

“It is true that there are many artists, but unfortunately most are not properly recognised,” Roger stated. Steve, in the meantime, often wasn’t “aware of the other artists here,” meeting others by chance. “They didn’t influence my work or inspired me at all,” Chrys admitted, “because all the artists are hidden, we can’t communicate with them, you need something, a festival, some type of Artists’ gathering, to make the community grow bigger.”

More action needed

That isn’t to say there’s nothing going on in this town. The Zbigens festival, for example, is where Steve, Chrys and Roger all met, as Chrys’s band Silent Mode was playing on stage. However, the musicians agree that more could be done.

“My opinion is that the general mentality is formatted for the most basic,” Roger said, “and in that sense the due interest in the arts in general is not shown. I’m not saying that artistic events are not held in the village, there are few but not enough. Quinta do Conde has many artists, many young people. In my view they could be encouraged towards the arts, as the arts move the world, but unfortunately there is no incentive or support from the local and municipal authorities.”

Analisa however, despite the lack of public backing for music from authorities, still finds great inspiration from the people around her in Quinta do Conde. “I believe that every person that crosses paths with us will leave their mark and teach us lessons. It’s in these reflections of life that I’m inspired to write.” She also mentioned Nature as an important element in her reflection. “I go on walks in the forest behind my home daily and it’s in nature that I find many answers regarding who I am and who we all are as collective members of society.”

She’s often joined by Steve Andrews on these walks. The two are neighbours, which is how they met. “I met Ana when I was looking for one of my cats that had gone missing,” Steve revealed. “I was calling at my neighbours’ houses to ask if they had seen the animal. I discovered that Ana was a singer and songwriter like me.” She also introduced him to the Verdelho Studio, where he ended up recording two songs.

Support

“Living with so many artistic people is without a doubt a great fortune, we support each other and inspire each other mutually,” Ana said. “By sharing the same passion, our dream grows quicker and easier.” Ana has always had many friends since her teenage years who are local to the area, such as Duarte Reis, who has a project called Impuzzle, and Yuri, who’s a guitarist.

At the moment, she wants to continue to develop her compositions. “I’m a singer-songwriter, and so I want to write more music, to record others in a studio and launch more singles to digital platforms.”


Roger, meanwhile, aims to take his band MUSAPHONIA to new heights. They’re a five-piece, including Roger and his son, who specialise in a mix of rock, pop, metal, fado and classic which they call symphonic metal.

Chrys will also be working on his own band, Silent Mode, as well as a solo project called INFINITUM MORTEM. “I’m seeking to create a Jazz quartet,” he also revealed, “because that’s the other style I love, and because I love making new music and can’t stop it.”


Steve is currently working on a project raising awareness towards the challenges facing our oceans. He already has two songs, including ‘Where Does All The Plastic Go?’, whose stories will be included in a book on the topic. “I am hoping to inspire a massive ‘Ocean Aid’-style concert. I’m thinking Lisbon would be ideal for this because the city hosts very prestigious marine conservation events like the World Ocean Summit, at which I was a delegate. A marine conservation festival or concert would be fantastic publicity for marine conservation organisations and charities, fantastic publicity for any bands and singers that were on the bill, and fantastic publicity for Lisbon.” He’s also writing a memoir about his career and musical experiences.

“I love to share what I feel about the world in this form,” Ana concludes, “like if I was having a conversation in a universal language, in which even if you don’t understand what I’m saying, you feel the love I have through my music.”

Author

Star in the 2015 music video for the hit single “Headlights” by German musician, DJ and record producer Robin Schulz featuring American singer-songwriter Ilsey. Also a journalist.

Jay Bodsworth