Raimundos is a Brazilian band that mixes the Northeastern rhythms of forró with hardcore rock. Their songs' lyrics are very much indebted to a kind of humor that makes explicit references to sex and they also use a lot of double entendre. With that formula, the band acquired a broad fan base and had high TV exposure, becoming an important part of the projects of MTV Brasil. They have sold more than a million copies of their albums.nn Formed in Brasília (Federal District) in 1987 by a group of friends, they performed for the first time at a New Year's Eve party the next year. In 1993 they recorded their first demo tape, which was well-received by the alternative audiences, yielding invitations to perform on MTV Brasil and and festivals like the Junta Tribo (Campinas, São Paulo), when they became nationally famous, and the M2000 Summer Concerts (Santos, São Paulo), where they played for 80,000 people, being acknowledged as the fest's Revelation Band. In 1994 they released their first solo album, Raimundos, which got a gold record and exploded in the radios with "Selim." Lavô Tá Novo, the second album (already released by WEA in 1995) also was a success, having the hits "Eu Quero Ver o Oco," "O Pão da Minha Prima," and "I Saw You Saying." In that period their tours also became international. But unfortunately the tour of the third album, Lapadas do Povo, was marked by a disaster that caused the death of eight of the band's fans. Canceling all gigs scheduled, Raimundos would only return to the stage two months later. Looking for a lighter and humorous feel to counterpoint the sad happening, the band released Só no Forevis in 1999. On the brink of its release, the initial 100,000 copies of the album were stolen and they had to wait for another week. The song "Mulher de Fases" boomed in the radio and at MTV Brasil (where the band won the principal award of the year, the Escolha da Audiência in the VMB 1999), bringing them maximum exposure on TV and a platinum record for over 500,000 copies sold. The band was then invited to produce a rendition of a Fábio Jr. song to be used as the opening theme for the MTV Brasil program 20 e Poucos Anos. They were also chosen to interpret "Give My Bullet Back" for the Brazilian soundtrack of Mission Impossible II. In 2000, they were selected to open MTV Brasil's new live project, MTV Ao Vivo, in which recorded live shows by consecrated bands would be released in CD and DVD, also as a TV special. Released in October 2000, MTV ao Vivo Raimundos had three hits, "Deixa Eu Falar," "20 e Poucos Anos," and "Reggae do Manêro," and already sold more than 500,000 copies. ~ Alvaro Neder