The joyous energy of the Rio de Janeiro carnaval comes to the US! Monobloco is a “bloco”, or street band, that parades during carnaval in Rio de Janeiro and is also a professional touring band. The group became popular by creating powerful cover versions of Brazilian hits, stepping outside of the samba genre. Classics by Tim Maia, Jorge Benjor, Alceu Valença, and many others were transformed into samba anthems and attracted fans from a whole new generation. During the world-famous Rio de Janeiro carnaval Monobloco has its own parade, which today attracts over half a million people to the streets to dance and sing. The group’s popularity soon led to the creation of a professional touring band, which has performed extensively around Brazil and internationally, including at the London Olympics in 2012. The group has also released several live and studio albums including the 2010 release called “10”, which was nominated for a Latin GRAMMY for Best Samba/Pagode album.