A Banca

Lore & Background

Following the break-up of Charlie Brown Jr. caused by the death of vocalist Chorão due to a cocaine overdose on March 6, 2013, the remaining members—guitarists Thiago Castanho and Marcão, drummer Bruno Graveto, and vocalist/guitarist Champignon—formed a new project. They named it 'A Banca' in allusion to a Brazilian street slang referring to a gathering of friends, and coincidentally also the name of a Charlie Brown Jr. song. The only member not originally from Charlie Brown Jr. was bassist Helena 'Lena' Papini.

The band's first rehearsal was watched and approved by Chorão's son. They made their official debut on Serginho Groisman's variety show Altas Horas on April 11, 2013. In May they announced the nationwide Chorão Eterno Tour, covering Charlie Brown Jr.'s greatest hits and playing new compositions. In August they released the single 'O Novo Passo', chosen by Rolling Stone Brasil as one of the best Brazilian songs of the year. The band played its final show in São Vicente in late August, and in early September Champignon announced that their first full-length album was scheduled for early 2014.

Despite apparent success, A Banca was overshadowed by controversy. A portion of Charlie Brown Jr. fans criticized Champignon for 'not respecting Chorão's death' and 'not mourning it properly', dismissing him as a 'cash-grabber', a 'traitor', and a 'Judas'. Champignon always vehemently denied such claims, but constant criticism led him to sink into major depression.

Reader's Guide

A Banca's significance lies in its brief existence as a direct continuation of Charlie Brown Jr.'s musical legacy after the death of its iconic frontman. The band's formation by nearly all surviving members of Charlie Brown Jr. made it a natural successor, but its legacy is inextricably tied to the controversy and tragedy that surrounded it. The intense fan backlash against Champignon, who had been a core member of Charlie Brown Jr., highlights the fraught dynamics of tribute projects and public mourning in Brazilian rock culture. The band's single 'O Novo Passo' received critical acclaim, suggesting artistic potential that was never realized. Champignon's suicide just months after the band's debut underscores the severe personal toll of public criticism. The subsequent formation of D'Chapas and Bula by remaining members shows that the creative impulse survived, but A Banca itself remains a cautionary tale about the pressures of legacy and grief in the music industry. Its story is a stark reminder of how quickly a tribute can become a source of further tragedy.

Did You Know?

• A Banca's name is also the title of a Charlie Brown Jr. song from their 2000 album Nadando com os Tubarões.
• Champignon committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a .380 ACP pistol on September 9, 2013.
• After A Banca ended, remaining members formed two separate projects: D'Chapas and Bula.

Origins & Formation

After the devastating loss of vocalist Chorão in March 2013, the surviving members of Charlie Brown Jr. — guitarists Thiago Castanho and Marcão, drummer Bruno Graveto, and bassist Champignon — chose to channel their grief into a new creative endeavor. They assembled a group they called A Banca, a term rooted in Brazilian street slang that evokes the image of friends gathering around a shared moment. The name also carried a layered resonance, as it matched the title of a track on Charlie Brown Jr.'s 2000 album Nadando com os Tubarões. The project was conceived as a spiritual successor to the original band and a living tribute to both the group's legacy and Chorão's memory. One notable detail: bassist Helena "Lena" Papini was the sole member not previously part of Charlie Brown Jr., bringing a fresh voice to the lineup. The band's very first rehearsal was observed and approved by Chorão's son, a gesture that underscored the personal, familial weight behind the project's creation.

The Brief Run & Musical Output

A Banca's public life was remarkably compressed. Their official debut came on April 11, 2013, when they performed on Serginho Groisman's variety show Altas Horas. Just weeks later, in May, they announced the Chorão Eterno Tour, a nationwide run in which they performed Charlie Brown Jr. greatest hits alongside newly written material. By August, they had released the single "O Novo Passo," which Rolling Stone Brasil selected as one of the best Brazilian songs of that year. The band played its final concert in São Vicente in late August 2013. In early September, vocalist Champignon announced that a debut full-length album was planned for early 2014. Yet the project never reached that milestone. From formation to final show, A Banca existed for barely six months, leaving behind a single released track, a tour, and an album that would never materialize. Their discography, as it stands, consists of that one single — a hauntingly thin record for a band that carried so much emotional weight.

Controversy & Tragedy

From the moment A Banca announced itself, a faction of Charlie Brown Jr. fans turned hostile toward the project. The criticism fell disproportionately on Champignon, who was accused of exploiting Chorão's death for commercial gain. Fans branded him a "cash-grabber," a "traitor," and a "Judas," arguing that he had not honored the vocalist's memory with proper mourning. Champignon consistently and forcefully rejected these accusations, insisting the band was a genuine act of remembrance. Yet the relentless barrage of hostility took a severe psychological toll. The constant public attacks pushed him into a deep depression. On September 9, 2013, less than two months after the band's last show, Champignon ended his own life by shooting himself in the head with a .380 ACP pistol. His death effectively dissolved A Banca overnight, transforming what had been a tribute to one musician's passing into a second, far more personal tragedy for the people who had loved him.

Aftermath & Legacy

The dissolution of A Banca scattered its surviving members into new musical ventures. By 2014, Castanho aside, the remaining members joined forces with vocalist Ivan Sader to form D'Chapas. In a parallel development, Pinguim Ruas — another former Charlie Brown Jr. member — teamed up with Papini and Marcão to create the band Bula, in which Papini remained until late 2019. These subsequent projects suggest that the creative bonds forged during A Banca's brief existence continued to shape the musicians' trajectories. A Banca itself endures as a poignant footnote in Brazilian rock history: a band that existed for roughly six months, released a single, and was cut short by tragedy. Its name — "The Stand," a colloquial term for friends gathering — captures the essence of what it was: a small, intimate circle attempting to keep a shared memory alive. That it could not survive the weight of that memory makes its story all the more affecting.

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