The first solo album Mário Falcão is an up-and-coming singer songwriter from the independent music scene in Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul. He started performing in 1984 while still working on his journalism degree. Besides doing solo performances, he was also a member of the Mantra Rudráksha Orchestra from 1997 to 1999 and even released a CD with that orchestra. He also had guest appearances in other releases, such as in Carlos Patrício's 1995 Subvertendo and Zé da Terreira's 2002 Quem Tem Boca É Pra Cantar. In 2004, he released his first solo album, Mário Falcão. The work was well received and won two Prêmio Açorianos in 2005: Best Songwriter and Best MPB Album. For this first release, we have a basic quartet of talented musicians performing original compositions by Falcão. The main musicians are Mário Falcão (guitars, voice), Karlo Kulpa (violin, keyboards), Alexandre Vieira (bass) and Nenê Pereira (drums). This formation makes Falcão's arrangements stand out with a new, solid sound. The use of violin in these arrangements sets the music apart on its own. It truly gives Falcão's music its unique sound. In addition to these musicians, Falcão also has some special guest appearances, such as Zé Ramos (guitar), Felipe Gomes (percussion), Clóvis Boca Freire and Zé Natálio (bass), Ricardo Arenhaldt (drums), Michel Dorfman (piano), Amauri Iablonowski (sax), Leandro Rodrigues (accordion), Zé da Terreira and Débora Dreyer (voice). ( By Egídio Leitão in http://musicabrasileira.org )