Brazil '66

Depending on what part of the world you're from, Tropicália — a multi-disciplinary Brazilian counterculture movement of the '60s — might have spawned the greatest pop music of the twentieth century or not even have left a blip on your cultural radar. But in more recent years, familiar artists such as David Byrne, Kurt Cobain and Beck have all grasped the excitement generated by the major musical players of Tropicalismo, including Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé and Gilberto Gil, and Brazilian super-group Os Mutantes (Portuguese for "The Mutants"), whose politicized psychedelic rock was stoked by a reaction to their country's then-strict military regime.

Christopher Dunn, author of Brutality Garden, a book about Tropicália, delves into the genre tonight at the last concert/lecture in the Rock Your Mind series hosted by the Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar, 404 South Upham Street in Lakewood. Dunn will speak at 6:30 p.m.; then, after a break, Sputnik Picnic will take the stage to perform the music of Os Mutantes at 8 p.m. Admission is $4 for the lecture and $6 for the concert ($2 and $3 for Lab members); call 303-934-1777 or go to www.belmarlab.org.
Sat., May 19