Sharing life’s moments with loved ones is crucial. Sometimes, though, we get so used to doing things together that we forget to appreciate their significance. Let’s not be those people.
I’m Leo. I write for Coromind magazine and I bang on drums. Music plays a big role in my life and, over the past decade, I’ve rocked many stages alongside Mr. Stewart Pedley, aka Stu. While we’ve been tearing it up in a punk band called Corrosive Moses since 2020, Stu and I have a deeper connection that goes way back.
Stu’s a true Kiwi, growing up in Feilding and spending most of his days in bustling Wellington. When we crossed paths back in 2014, both of us had just landed in Whitianga. I remember catching one of his solo gigs at a local cafe where I was bartending. “Hey man, loving your vibe. I’m a drummer,” I said, secretly hoping for a jam sesh to get me out of the monotony of lime cutting and cocktail shaking. Stu chuckled, thinking, “Yeah, right, everyone’s a (wannabe) drummer”, but still, he invited me up on stage. We jammed to ‘Ziggy Stardust’ by David Bowie, and we could feel the chemistry between us.
Stu’s dad is a drummer too. He used to groove in one of those bands that played everything under the sun to get the crowd moving. Little Stu was always there, carrying the gear and soaking in the vibes. It’s no wonder he inherited that knack for energising a crowd.
I’m from Brazil, where music fills the air. As a child, I remember my mom tinkering on the piano. But it was a school concert that my sister and her friends performed in that sealed the deal for me. Standing next to the drummer, feeling the rhythm pulse through me, I knew I had to drum too. And adding chaos to my noisy kid repertoire? Easy!
As Stu and I bonded, we realised we had a lot in common. We’d dabbled in different music styles, jammed with incredible talents, and were always up for discovering new beats. While we loved jamming with others, there was something special about our duo sessions. Stu’s guitar skills meshed perfectly with my rhythm, creating something unique every time we played.
Stu was a regular busker at spots like the Whitianga wharf and Coroglen market, and one day he roped me in. Armed with my snare drum, while Stu carried his beautiful metal resonator guitar and a little bag of harmonicas, we discovered we could play well with minimal gear – no amps, no loops, no shoes. Soon, I added a small kick drum to the percussion mix, and that was my signature move – easy to carry, even easier to play.
Stu had a knack for picking up New Orleans tunes and bluegrass jams which were mostly unfamiliar to me so, making use of my background in Brazilian and Latin rhythms, I would whip up beats to match. The covers were sounding great, with their own twist on the original versions, and we realised we should be composing our own tunes. Stu is a master storyteller and songwriter. He observes people around him and listens to their life stories, which inspires him to create memorable characters, making Let’s Go Descarrego! lyrics even more special.
Our sets were electric. By the end, I’d be pounding away, hitting on anything I could find, while Stu worked his guitar like a wizard, playing it against mic stands, beer bottles, pot plants, or anything else that could produce a crazy sound. The crowd would be dancing like there’s no tomorrow, eyes closed, lost in the music. It never ceased to amaze me how Kiwi music lovers could go from tranquil to wild in the blink of an eye. So I’d joke with Stu about it, loving how the audience would shake and move as we played harder, almost resembling those folks from the late-night Brazilian exorcism sessions on TV.
“Exorcism? Brilliant! How do you say that word in Portuguese?” Stu asked, intrigued. “Exorcismo, but we use descarrego as slang,” I explained. And just like that, Let’s Go Descarrego! was born. Sure, not everyone can pronounce it, but once they get the meaning, laughter ensues. Most of the time …
Let’s Go Descarrego! has achieved some remarkable feats over the years; from recording an EP with the legendary NZ music producer Dave Rhodes to headlining at Bay Jam and gracing the stages of numerous town halls and music venues in the Coromandel, as well as iconic spots like the Ding Dong Lounge and the Depot in Auckland. We also had the honour of performing at Tuia 2019, which celebrated 250 years since the first encounters between Māori and Europeans in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our song ‘Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys’ even ranked 45th on the Top 100 Coromandel Kiwi Countdown at CFM (Coromandel’s CFM), earning a spot on their playlist.
You can listen to our EP, ‘The Depot – Let’s Go Descarrego!’ on all major audio platforms such as Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, and many others.
Follow us for more information about upcoming gigs and releases:
Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
Stu and I have also participated in a few ALTBAYS podcasts, together with some great guests, so make sure to check those out too:
Episode #131 – Stewart Pedley featuring Fabian Roberts and Leo Magri
Episode #161 – Andrew Fagan (The Mockers) featuring Stewart Pedley and Leo Magri
Episode #180 – Jam Night (Stu Pedley, Leo Magri, Fabian Roberts, and Roimata Taimana)
Episode #199 – Corrosive Moses (Gabriel Johnston, Stewart Pedley, Leo Magri, and Roimata Taimana)
Episode #239 – Let’s Go Descarrego! featuring Roimata Taimana
Words by Leonardo Magri
Photos by Azrie Azizi
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