Brazilian musician and songwriter Rod Krieger releases the music video for “The Cowboy” on October 14, his reinterpretation of the song by Arnaldo Baptista. The composition was already part of Arnaldo’s repertoire with Patrulha do Espaço in the late 1970s and was later recorded for his second solo album, “Singin’ Alone,” released in 1982. In his new version, Rod draws from these two different moments of the same song to build his own interpretation. The track is part of “Arnaldo Baptista 7.8 – Canções Inesquecíveis Revisitadas,” a project that brought together more than 60 artists to create new interpretations of the solo work of one of the founding members of Os Mutantes.
Now, “The Cowboy” gains a new audiovisual dimension in a music video directed by Yan Gabriel, shot in black and white in Bairro Peixoto, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro.
Watch the official video for “The Cowboy” via the YouTube player below:
The idea of bringing the song closer to cinematic language was present from the beginning of the project. Already familiar with Rod’s work, Yan proposed shooting in black and white, while their shared interest in European cinema became a starting point for developing the video. “We talked for a while and quickly realized that we were speaking the same language,” Rod says.
The structure of “The Cowboy” itself helped shape the narrative. The composition opens with a long instrumental riff, moves through a shift midway through the song and eventually returns to its original motif. The music video follows a similarly open movement: Rod walks through the neighborhood to buy a drink, and from this simple action, the situation unfolds in front of the camera. “We decided I would go out for a walk – in this case, to a small neighborhood market – and just let things happen. It ended up becoming a kind of organized carelessness,” he explains.
The choice of Bairro Peixoto, a small area within Copacabana, also helped create the atmosphere the director and musician were looking for. “It is a quieter area in the middle of the chaos, and it worked perfectly as a location. The idea was to create a darker, more bucolic atmosphere, which really suits the neighborhood,” Rod says.
Rod’s connection to “The Cowboy” is also rooted in his longstanding relationship with Arnaldo Baptista’s work. He first discovered Arnaldo’s music as a teenager and, over time, came to regard him as his favorite artist. Years later, that admiration developed into a personal relationship, also built around their shared musical interests.
“When I first got in touch, both Arnaldo and his partner welcomed me very warmly, and we ended up building a very strong bond because of our shared cultural interests – Gibson guitars, analog equipment, and our love for Cream and Jack Bruce,” he says.
That relationship led to a particularly meaningful moment in 2016, when Rod was invited, at Arnaldo’s own request, to close a series of his shows in São Paulo by performing his repertoire. For the concert, Rod specifically chose songs that were not included on Lóki? (1974). “We opened the show with ‘The Cowboy,’ and I remember him in the front row singing along throughout the entire concert. It was magical. I always knew that if I ever recorded one of his songs, this one would be a strong candidate,” he recalls.
On the new recording, Rod handles bass, vocals and music production, joined by Caio Barreiro on electric guitar, acoustic guitar and viola caipira; João Nogueira on piano, Hammond and synths; and Kelder Paiva on drums. The reinterpretation is part of Arnaldo Baptista 7.8, a project dedicated exclusively to the artist’s solo career and built around versions that place his work in dialogue with each performer’s own musical identity.
— About Rod Krieger —
Rod Krieger is a musician, producer and songwriter who spent 13 years as the bassist for Cachorro Grande. Since 2018, he has pursued a solo career, blending Space Rock with Electronic beats in his original work.
His first single, “Louvado Seja Deus,” features Arnaldo Baptista, a founding member of Os Mutantes. His debut solo album, “A Elasticidade do Tempo,” was released in March 2020 while the artist was living in Portugal, where he spent five years.
In 2022, he co-produced Mbaraeté (Café8 Music / Natura Musical), an album by Indigenous songwriter and music producer Owerá. The following year, he formed Os Quebra Coco, an instrumental power trio.
In 2024, Rod released “A Assembleia Extraordinária,” an album conceived in the small village of Sobral do Parelhão, in western Portugal. On the record, he worked as a musician, producer, songwriter and audio engineer, creating the album largely on his own, with contributions from João Nogueira on keyboards, João Mello on flute and Fabio Kidesh on sitar and tambura. Following its release, he performed a series of shows in Portugal and, after returning to Brazil, also toured the album there.
Last July, we had the pleasure of hosting the exclusive premiere of Rod Krieger‘s “Sessão Maquinaria” live experience, accompanied by an Exclusive Q&A with PRJ, you can find it here: [Exclusive Premiere] Rod Krieger unveils the “Sessão Maquinaria” live experience with Q&A for PRJ