Sacrilidge, Satisfaction, Social revolution, the Sixties and Fado
I was stumbling around the internet trying to quiet the hunger of my musical addiction when I came across a strange version of the Rolling Stones "Satisfaction," by Carlos Bastos. Carlos Bastos is a Portuguese Fado singer who in the sixties began to combine the traditional melancholic sounds of Fado with the ephemeral rhythms and lyrics of pop. His album, "All That Fado" , is a collection of covers from the likes of Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. At first glance, the idea seems kind of gimmicky, a attempt to make a quick buck of the backs of musical giants. But listening to songs like "Satisfaction" covered by Bastos, one starts to build an appreciation for this peculiar bridge between 60's pop and Fado. Bastos takes the Stones classic and wrings every drop of desperation out of the tune, creating something original and much more nefarious. Bastos received a bit of a mixed response from the general public. From the guardians of Fado the reaction was a bit stronger. To hear Fado sung in English was akin to sacrilege and he was denounced as a musical heretic.
Satisfaction from J. Sprig on Vimeo.
Ultimately music acts on it's audience through the the basic physics of sound, moving the air an arousing sensations in our bodies.
Very simply, sound is the vibration of any substance. The substance can be air, water, wood, or any other material. When these substances vibrate, or rapidly move back and forth, they produce sound that our ears gather and these vibrations allow us to interpret them. Physiologically music works the same way it does on me as it does on another person. But emotionally we have very different responses. A song can have one affect on me and a completely different affect on someone else. Sometimes a song can meaning beyond it's tones.
"Grândola, Vila Morena" is a Portuguese song by Zeca Afonso, that tells the story of fraternity and brotherhood shared among the people of Grândola, a town in the Alentejo. Salazar, and his "Estado Novo" regime considered the song to be Communist, and banned it from being played or broadcast. On April 25, 1974, at 12:20 a.m. the song was broadcast on Portuguese radio as a signal to start the revolution that peacefully overthrew the regime; it thus became commonly associated with the Carnation Revolution and the beginning of democratic rule in Portugal.
Dostoevksi said that taking a new step is what people fear most. Usually the first steps toward any revolutionary change are forced. There must be an accompanying frustration, sense of defeat, and complete failure to see a future, that letting go of the past and chancing the future becomes the only option. Other times change comes from the combination of generations brushing up against each other in an awkward cultural tango of clashing social attitudes and sometimes just a bit of insanity is all it takes. Being that We Hate Tourism Tours was born from a combination of all of the above, we always admire and salute those kindred spirits with which we share the same rebellious DNA.
Purveyor of Travelling Lifestyles
Caxias in, well Caxias and Paço D'arcos in the town of Oeiras are the closest spots to Lisbon and accessible via public transport. Guincho beach in Cascais is favored amongst travelers. Find true southern hospitality on the south end of the 25th of april bridge, hit up breaks like 'Cova' or Praia do Barba. You'd better watch for us locals! Just kidding. Paddle out with some of our Surfing Bros by clicking on their bus. 
In northern regions of the country you can hear bagpipes and see 
Recent dance and music in Portugal have been adopted from its youngest generation and melting pot of cultures. New musical genres are seen as a cultural movement, rather than mere dance. The newest and worst is the '
One of my favorite cheap and tasty local spots is Frutalmeidas. A fruit and salad-fusion cafe. Sounds crazy. Well, now with two locations in Lisbon, this once ma and pa joint has expanded to include their grandsons and the food is G double O, D, GOOD. The speciality of Frutalmeidas is the Portuguese delicacy known as 'pasteis de massa tenra.' Known to non-Portuguese as the satisfying; beefpattie, or empanada. In Portugal it is refined and eloquently rendered. Watch out McDonalds this health conscious cafe has its own version of the 1€ menu. Choose from a variety of 6 different cold and fresh juices. Ranging from 1,20 to 1,50 a glass.
With names like Tit's and Cock's, who doesnt love birds? Within the urban sprawl of Lisbon, you will probably see one type. The pigeon. The most well known pigeon is the Dodo bird. Unlike rats, we walk by them unconsciously. But, in mid-May my friends and I were enjoying 'almoço' and a few brews, only to be surrounded by a gang of our fellow city dwellers. It was then we decided to organize against them/use our wi-fi and find out exactly where these mutant spawn come from. Apparently, they grow to maturity at a record pace and one female pigeon can birth 30 eggs 
a year. Ironically however, only until they are the first to sample our lunch, foul on our head, our car, or dry clean only silk, do we want them dead!
Ironically for the pigeons, they probably were sacrificed to this scientific method, by choking on left over fish bones, or poisoned by old alcohol. Not to say us humans are killing them, but most of us have probably wanted at least one dead, sometime in our lives. In America the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, which was the most abundant bird on the planet, happened in the early 1900's. The last one lived a long and happy life in captivity, her name was Martha. The over abundance of the urban Rock Pigeon should be seen as the pigeons call to arms. In-sighting visions of Alfred Hitchcock movies, not to mention pandemic salmonella poisonings and avian flu. Such issues spell the extinction of humanity and should not be taken lightly. So the next time you see a pigeon, remember Martha & the Dodo. We have killed them off before and if they continue to foul our dry cleaning or corner us at cafés, we will do it again. How much does 
By this time of the night/morning, you shouldnt care about the atmosphere, as long as they are selling alcohol and playing music that keeps your legs moving. Expect to pay two euros a beer and five euro for cocktails at these places you hope your mom doesnt catch you in. If you've managed not to loose your diginty and it is seven in the morning, make your way along the riverside west of the same train station to clubs with an average 12 euro cover, even during the week. Dont forget your sunglasses, your smoke crusted eyes will be happy you didnt!
