Interview with Avant-Garde
http://www.avant-garde.org.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/avantgarde1994
Nattsol: Hello, Alessio. Without much originality from my side, I’d love you to start with a few words about yourself.
A: Hi! Well, there is not too much to say… I’m just a guy in love with music. I play guitar since I was 12 (now I’m 35), I bought my first record at 9 (it was “Rio” by Duran Duran) and I’ve become a collector…
I started listening to goth and post-punk in 1987. My first love were The Cure, Joy Division and Bauhaus… At the moment I have no “favourite band”, but I like most of all the old post-punk stuff and other Italian bands: Echoes of Silence, Date at Midnight, Bohemien just to name a few.
Nattsol: Avant-Garde can’t be called a new band and it is exactly one of a few bands which can be called “very Italian”, not only due to language you sing. In your opinion, does Italian post-punk (or goth or whatever, I mean the music of the scene you’re in) has own national voice? What are its features?
A: Avant-Garde is a project born in 1994. I just wanted to play classic post-punk/goth music with newest features, without losing the original feelings. I think you’re right when you say that’s a “very Italian” band. I believe it’s up to an attitude close to the bands of the 80’s like Diaframma and Litfiba, but with more English feeling. Well, it’s not easy to explain. We didn’t want to be similar to these bands, but our roots were there, and still probably are. :) I think all the Italian gothic or post-punk bands must thank the band I mentioned above, also the ones who pretend to be like any other “extreme” foreign artist. Listen to them and you’ll fine the most important features of the Italian New Wave.
Nattsol: How have you started getting into the scene, as a listener and as a musician? What was the atmosphere in these times? And in addition to the previous question, what things of the scene inspired you then? Was there a “national/foreign” separation for you?
A: I went to a goth club in Rome for the first time in 1989. I wanted to play that music so dark and moody, but I didn’t meet boys or girls who were just right to me. I was in a more oriented rock band and I was unhappy. There was a strange atmosphere because at the end of the 80’s and in the early 90’s people started looking for a different music. Not many ones went to goth parties and a lot of bands weren’t playing anymore or released bad records, but I was young and everything was amazing to me! Everybody split Italian and foreign music, probably because we all wanted to live in Germany or in the UK, not in Italy. AHAHAH!
Nattsol: Hahah, like in Russia, people think that foreign is always better. So could you tell a bit detailed, what was the atmosphere then and why it was so. I read that Bohemien told that they broke up then because of the total decline of the scene, while Scarph of Il Giardino Violetto tells about squattings and self organization experiments. What’s your own approach to it?
A: Well, Bohemien and Il Giardino Violetto were part of the first goth generation. I’m 10 years younger then them, so when they thought everything was turning bad it was fresh and new to me. I spent a lot of money buying records ‘cause I wanted to get everything from the gothic scene, I mean musically. I went to parties to discover new bands. Then I tried to re-create with my guitar and effects the sounds I heard but most of all, I tried to make them mine, playing them in my own way and put them in my songs.
Nattsol: Tell me, please, about Avant-Garde’s early years. What was the line-up, how have you met each other, which purposes have you seen for the band, first going on stage, first fans and so on.
A: We started a long time ago as a duo. Me (vocals and guitars) and Riccardo Agolino on bass together with a drum-machine nick named “Giuseppe”. Riccardo left after the first demo and Mariano Iantorno joined Avant-Garde. We met each other in a bus going to a Cure concert in 1995. Some months later we were playing together. The beginning wasn’t exciting, we just played in very small clubs not dedicated to post-punk. Things changed when we played for the first time in a goth club (Krypta Gothic Night) and then we had been booked for “The Ascension of the Gods” Festival here in Italy. We were very young and it was wonderful to see our name be-sided to Rosetta Stone, Ordo Rosario Equilibrio, Still Patient or Judith. It was the “real start” probably.
Some magazines wrote good words about us, so we understood we could do something more.
We recorded the songs for the first single in 1998, but it was released only in 1999. After that Mariano suddenly changed his musical tastes becoming a fan of Industrial and Techno music.
It was the end of it all.
Nattsol: Could you tell about the band’s early demos? Is that possible to find them somewhere now?
A: Our demos are not longer available. The tapes went lost a few years ago… Those recordings were bad sounding and a little bit naive. BTW some tracks from those tapes have been re-recorded and released on our first EP (Pioveva and Onirica Paura). Amnesia, the ghost track on our first CD “Cyanure”, was originally on our first demo…
Nattsol: The first single band’s “official” release is dated 1999, when the band existed already for five years. Why it took so long?
A: Well, probably because it wasn’t “easy” to play goth in Italy in the 90’s. No serious record label wanted goth bands to sign and the ones addicted to that music were too little to spend money for a “real” release. Our first EP was self produced, even if Krylon Records is mentioned. It was just a trick to obtain the copyright control on the recordings.
Nattsol: So in 2002 the band became a one man project, and it seems that the things went faster then. Tell me about that period, please.
A: I must thank Gianmarco Bellumori, owner of the Wolf Recording Studios. He helped me in recording, releasing and promoting “Cyanure”. In 2001 I though Avant-Garde was just an idea in my mind, nothing else, but Gianmarco wanted me in his own studios to create those songs…
Nattsol: And so, 2004. The first band’s album. What was it for you? What songs are there (I mean some conception, personal meaning or so). I’ve heard many one-man recorded albums, and I could never say that “Cyanure” was recorded by one person, so professional it seems. Tell me also about the recording process, please.
A: I think of “Cyanure” as of a collection of the songs I wrote between 2000 and 2003. When I listen to it, it sounds a little bit strange to me. :)The songs are about the bad pressure created by the modern lifestyle and time as a cage. I think it could be considered as a concept album because the word “tempo” (time in Italian) is often mentioned.
The recordings of the album took very long time, about two years. I was on vocals, guitars, bass and programming. I wrote every single note. Me and Gianmarco spent every week-end in recording and mixing those songs. I can say that I’m proud of it!
Nattsol: So you got the new line-up for the band with two members. Can I ask a bit more about them and about the circumstances in which you met each other?
A: I met them clubbing… Alessandro Conte (the bass player) is my best friend now. We share a lot of things and we really have the same musical tastes. Antonio Mauro (2nd guitar) joined us in December 2005. They were the right ones to create the music you can hear on “D’inverno” and “Iron in flesh”. I say “they were” because probably the line up for our next record could be different. Please don’t ask me more. :)
Nattsol: Ok, but another thing. So, you haven’t got a real drummer. Is it love to drum-machine or you just haven’t found a right person for it?
A: I choose a drum-machine because I’m a big fan of The Sisters of Mercy. I needed those cold sounds that only with a drum-machine you can create.
By the way, we are changing a lot of things. We played a couple of gigs here in Rome with a real drummer. With a drummer our sound became very powerful. I think we’ll have a real drummer for our next record.
Nattsol: The renewed line-up gave you the opportunity to return on stage, and you play enough shows since then. Can you tell me about them? Which were the most exciting? May be you also can remember some remarkable moments or curious situations?
A: We’ve been traveling all across Italy and seldom we play outside our Country. And we had to share the stage with many great bands such as Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, And Also The Trees, Cinema Strange, Mark Burgess, White Rose Movement just to name a few. I have nice memories of And Also The Trees and Red Lorry Yellow Lorry because they are two of my favourite bands ever! It was simply amazing to share the stage with them. Also the gig with Cinema Strange was very funny. We robbed them their bottles of gin and vodka and got drunk! We played a real psychedelic set AH AH AH!!!
Nattsol: Tell me also about your abroad shows.
A: Playing outside Italy is amazing! We were in Belgium, Romania and England and we have gigs booked for 2010. Usually we share the stage with other bands in small festivals. In Brussels we played with Spiritual Front and in London with Joy Disaster.
It’s wonderful to meet people whom I’ve known through the web. We’d really like to play in Russia… Can you help us? :)
Nattsol: Will do my best. So well, after the limited edition EP “D’inverno”, you released the second album, called “Iron in Flesh”. First of all, why “Iron in Flesh”? What did you want to say by that, and why the title is in English (the first time in the band’s history)?
A: “Iron in flesh” it’s a metaphor for “pain”. A terrible pain generated by losing a friend we really love… yet. The title is in English, yes, but there is not a reason why. Probably just because it sounds better and less stupid that “Ferro nella carne”.
Nattsol: This question is similar to a one about the previous album: could you represent “Iron in Flesh” to a reader in your own words. All these interesting things a listener, in your opinion, should know (also + whom it’s dedicated to).
A: Many songs talks about voluntary isolation and pain. I think a listener can feel the sad anger we were living while we were writing and recordings these songs. The album is dedicated to our friend Paolo (a.k.a. Paul Tired), and every single note we still play is for him yet.
Nattsol: Let’s now drop a small promotion to your label, “In The Night time Records”. How has it happened that the band was signed?
A: ITNT Records is a record label which releases only Italian post-punk/gothic bands such as Bohemien, Echoes of Silence, Date at Midnight, Le Vene di Lucretia, Other Voices. They also re-released great bands from the past like Il Giardino Violetto. I think ITNT is one of the most important European “goth” labels now. Carlo, ITNT owner, does his job with love and passion and I think this is very important when you are in business with a very uncommercial kind of music like post-punk and gothic are.
Nattsol: What are your lyrics about? Why do you use Italian only when your English is also very well? And why do you call instrumental tracks in English?
A: My lyrics are just my internal mirror… I look inside myself and try to express what I’m feeling inside and what I am inside. I never write any word just to fill a musical period. I’d prefer silence! I use Italian just because it’s my Mother Tongue, and I find it wonderful. I don’t think my English is good enough to write all the things I want. Probably writing in English could help us in being more popular, but I play music to express myself. I really don’t care about showing-off. As I said above, there is no reason why instrumental tracks are called in English…
Nattsol: Where do you take inspiration except music? In cultural and non-cultural things.
A: Architecure, visual arts, nature, autumn and winter…
Nattsol: Avant-Garde is that word which actually can have many meanings. What is it for you in musical and non-musical world?
A: I took that name from a French anarchist magazine of the XIX century. In 1994 I had a certain interest in politics and anarchy. I found the name Avant-Garde while I was studying the life of M.A. Bakunin. Honesty, I think Avant-Garde has lost all the meaning it had; why you should use this word today everything is absolutely normal?
Nattsol: You’ve played with many bands of the scene. What does it mean for you, – to be a part of “goth” scene? And who’re your friends there?
A: I got inside 20 years ago, and I’m still in it… Probably it means too much for me. :)
I played with The Reptile House, Electric Co. and now I’m also in Exercise One, a tribute band to Joy Division. Well, I still love clubbing and I try to not miss any gig.
Many of my friends are engaged in other bands too: I think to Luciano and Alex of Bohemien, Pasquale and Daniele of Date at Midnight, Gian Paolo and Carlo of Echoes of Silence; there is a deep respect between all the roman bands and I think we have created something which can be called “Roman Gothic Scene of the XXI century”.
Nattsol: What’s your opinion about modern “goth”/post-punk tendencies and about the endless musical repetitions of many contemporary bands?
A: I just think it’s easy today to create a band and get so many fans. You just need a nice myspace page, a cool look and choose some artist to imitate… We need musicians and artists who have something to say, not dolls…
Nattsol: You’re absolutely right, really. But do you have an idea how to achieve that? Or it’s better to say what should be done for this, – a revolution, total decline or something else…. Do you see it as your purpose or that’s not for you to try to change it?
A: I think no revolution is needed and no-one can change anything. We’re just talking about music. I’d just like that anyone wanted to play do that in his/her own way. If your own attitude is goth, you’ll naturally play goth, and if you are a good musician, well you’ll play good goth stuff. And if you’ll play good goth stuff people will discover you, one way or the other… But no-one needs a big audience to create art.
Nattsol: What are your activities or hobbies besides the music?
A: Well, music is my life and it’s in 90% of my activities. I’m also a DJ in one of the most important parties here in Rome, called Subbacultha. I love musical instruments and guitars in particular: I read books about guitar companies and I study their history.
I always find time to visit exhibitions and museums. I love the art of De Chirico, Dalì and Michele Cascella and most of the XIX and XX centuries. I also like the XX century history. What else… Traveling and… ahem… soccer. I support A.S. Roma.:)
Nattsol: Fine. If compare two albums, the sound may seem more “strict” in the second one. And, according to the web information, you’re going to record some new songs. So what kind of music your listeners should be ready to listen to then?
A: I don’t know yet. We have 12 new songs to complete. I’d like to change something; we are introducing a real drummer to get a more powerful sound and probably we’ll use synths and keyboards. I think it’s too soon to say something but we try to make something different and even less commercial than before. Just wait….
Nattsol: But I hope, your “label” guitar sound will be kept? (By the way, how do you achieve it, if it’s not a secret?) Can you promise at least that? J
A: Yes, absolutely! Avant-Garde will always be a guitar band! There is not any secret about my sound: just a good guitar (Fender Jazzmaster or Gibson Les Paul Custom), good stompboxes and a Fender tube amp.
Well, I spent hours, days, months, years studying the guitar style of Robert Smith, Wayne Hussey, Daniel Ash, Billy Duffy, Johnny Marr, etc. etc.
Nattsol: So well, thanks for the interview, and the final words are yours.
A: Nothing left but THANK YOU! I must thank you Nattsol and all the ones at Grave Jibes for your interest in Avant-Garde… I’m really glad you had spent your time for this…
We hope to see you there in Russia soon… Cheers!
Questions:
Pall ‘Nattsol’ Zarutskiy
‘Grave Jibes Fanzine’
