Steve Bootland, Canadian
With 46 years spent on the planet, many of them on the road, music agent Steve Bootland chose to live in Portugal after he unravelled the secrets of a country “full of treasures.”
It has been five years since he swapped London for Lisbon. In the past there was a brief visit to the Algarve and the day his wife and two daughters returned from a holiday in Portugal with the feeling that they should move to this corner of Europe a.s.a.p. Whatever the reason, Steve agreed and, a few months later, when he visited the country he already had a detailed plan which involved “reading every book I could about Portugal and taking Portuguese lessons.” For the man who is currently promoting the finest Portuguese bands abroad, the best way to explain his curiosity about the country (apart from the friendliness of the people, the weather and the food) was the joy that his English friends conveyed when returning from their holidays in Portugal. “It seemed that nobody wanted to share the treasures that they discovered. I had to come here to find out for myself. “
Portuguese music
He was born and raised in Ottawa, Canada; however, in the 23 years he lived in England he discovered his own treasure: music. In London, he embarked on an adventure as a roadie for a number of bands, and then he worked as an instrument technician, stage manager and tour manager on various tours, in addition to forming a small record label. All this know-how is now being channelled into the passion he feels for various types of Portuguese music via two projects, the Portugal Music Scene platform and Awal (Artists Without A Label) Portugal. The objective of the former is to promote artists and make each project more appealing to the eyes (and ears) of the various world markets. Awal is a company that distributes Portuguese music, from small labels and independent bands, via digital stores.
Costa Azul
Now well settled in Setúbal, Steve recalls how amazed he was the first time he visited the town’s fish market: “I couldn’t believe the colour and texture of the fish.” Being by the sea, surrounded by the immense blue sky, is just one of the reasons that led him to choose this place to live. Others include the peace he feels when he spots a school of dolphins playing in the River Sado. Or the incredible beauty of the Arrábida mountains, “with the very blue sea ahead, stretching out into the distance.” “It’s rare to find such calm and stunningly beautiful places near large towns.”
In terms of the rest of the country, this permanent tourist, or accidental resident, recalls the trip between Coimbra and Viseu (“a marvellous landscape of lakes, hills and vineyards”) and train ride to Abrantes, which made him want to visit the region’s castles. He has a particular take on the Portuguese word “saudade” (longing): “Because of the environment around me, it’s difficult to spend a week without feeling it. There’s always something beautiful to see and it makes me feel that way. With a longing for I know not what.”
by Manuel Simões
