mit Luana Caraffa und Dani Macchi vom 20. Dezember 2011 via Mail
Die beiden Belladonna-Mitglieder Luana Caraffa und Dani Macchi sprechen in diesem Mail-Interview über das von ihnen im Jahr 2005 begründete oder besser gesagt benannte Genre des Rock noir, den anstehenden Release ihrer nächsten Scheibe und über die Geschichte der Band mit ihren wichtigsten Stationen. Außerdem kündigen die beiden auch schon einige der Specials für die diesjährige Tourneé an!
Das Genre des Rock noir hatte schon mit Bands wie den 1983 gegründeten Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds seine ersten Wurzeln und Einflüsse, doch erst von Belladonna bekam das Genre seinen eigenen und poetisch klingenden Namen. Bis heute hat der Rock noir durch andere Bands bereits eine Weiterentwicklung zum so genannten Punk noir durchgemacht.
Im Zuge des Interviews wird aber auch deutlich, dass es nach Ansicht der Band keine wirklich ausgeprägte italienische Rockszene gibt, was vielleicht der Grund dafür sein mag, dass diese für uns doch etwas fremd klingende Musik in unseren Gefilden noch nicht wirklich angekommen ist. Mal sehen, ob sich das mit der anstehenden Tour der Band ändern wird ...
Für weitere Infos zum noch jungen Genre und zur Band könnt ihr gerne auch die Website von Belladonna besuchen: www.belladonna.tv
Alex: How are you doing and how is the band doing right now?
Luana & Dani: Everything is going great in Belladonnaland, thanks!! We've just finished mixing the acoustic demos of 8 new BELLADONNA songs… they already sound very noir, dirty, gritty… deep and dark… and we already cannot wait to hear how fabulous they will sound like with the full noirpower of the band.
Alex: You describe your musical style as Rock noir, can you tell us something about the main aspects of this music? How would you define this genre?
Luana & Dani: The term Rock noir seemed to us the most appropriate in order to describe our music wich is more aligned with suspense and mystery rather than grotesque horror and demonic atmosphere as in the Gothic music for example. Pyromantic, Misterotic, Visionoir are probably the right words to describe the combination of ingredients that blend in the Rock Noir experience.
Alex: What have been the very first reactions of others to this new genre? Was there any change in the feedback of your listeners over the last couple of years?
Luana & Dani: The first reaction to it has left us speechless: many have not only loved it but they even used to describe their music!! And over the last few years it even grew into a bona fide genre and this fills our hearts with pure joy!
Alex: In general, how is the current development in the italian rock scene? Do you feel like fulfilling some kind of pioneering task in your country?
Luana & Dani: It is sad to admit that in our country a real rock scene has never existed and we actually don't know if it will exist eventually...so it is hard - “hard” it's just an euphemism - to have a specific role in what does not really exist.
Alex: You announced a European tour for 2012. What are your expectations?
Luana & Dani: We are thrilled about meeting all our fans in cities where we have never played before ... we expect to experience life at its fullest!!
Alex: Are there any specials on this tour planned for the fans?
Luana & Dani: We’ll do a selection of the songs that grace our 3 albums, there’ll be lots of jams and improvised moments – as there always are with BELLADONNA – and we’ll throw in the covers of one or two famous songs totally re-arranged and Belladonna-ized!
Alex: Your latest album “And There Was Light“ has been released in March 2011. What has been the feedback by the fans and how would you personally describe the album?
Luana & Dani: The feedback from our friends and fans has been beyond our expectations!! Personally we would describe our new album as a sort of journey through different shades of light...
Alex: Has there been anything special about the production?
Luana & Dani: The actual recording has been ripe of many special, magical moments, recording is the art of conjuring up your inner soul and if there’s no magic in the air that just does not happen.
Alex: What are the differences between your latest record and its predecessor “The Noir Album“?
Luana & Dani: The differences between the two works are like the differences between two photos of the same face, captured at different times ... but we used the same approach to record it: no click, no computer manipulation, and above all we played together while recording it as if we were in the '70s.
Alex: What can you tell us about the next record? Is it already in process?
Luana & Dani: Yes it is already in process and everything will be revealed in due time ... we can only say it will be full of surprises!!
Alex: In general, how would you describe your songwriting process?
Luana & Dani: Between me and Dani (the two Belladonna 'songwriters') there is a strange alchemy... we just need to be together to write new songs and sometimes it seems as if they are somewhere in the universe and that we only activate the right antennaes that are able to capture them!
Alex: Let´s talk a little bit about band history! What made you choose 'Belladonna' as a name?
Luana & Dani: We loved the ambiguity of the name, BELLADONNA can be a cure, an hallucinatory drug and a poison according to the dose you intake, and we loved how this word could mean such radically different things. We love ambiguity and double meanings, they are one of the main ingredients of our lyrics, so we felt it was a most apt name. Plus it sounds Italian and we loved that too.
Alex: What would you personally say has been your greatest success with the band so far?
Luana & Dani: Our biggest success was surely to reach people all over the world without any pressure on them by the media... our history has spawned from the amazing word of mouth that has always been bestowed upon us on the social networks. We were and still are a 100% self-produced band!
Alex: Currently, a lot of bands have a quite hard time to get their concert halls sold out, especially in rock and metal music. How do you make people come and watch you live on stage?
Luana & Dani: Well, we spend a lot of time talking with all our fans personally on all the social networks, it’s something we’ve always loved doing, it’s our own way of thanking and being close to all the people that are moved by our music. But we’re not really bothered or worried by how big or popular we are or can be, or by how many people turn up at our shows, the word of mouth around our music has always worked wonders and we feel it’s the best way to reach people’s hearts with our music.
Alex: Generally, what’s up next for the band? What can the fans expect from Belladonna in the future?
Luana & Dani: This is a really good question! Our path seems to have been guided by some strange astral design, so we think that our fans expect us to be the first ones to be amazed by what will happen... as it has always happened!:-)
Alex: Do you have any final words for the fans out there?
Luana & Dani: Thanks to you all for reading this interview! Follow us on our fb www.facebook.com/belladonnaband and feel free to drop us a line!! We always reply to everybody!
Alex: Thanks for taking the time for this interview and all the best for your future!
Moderation: Alexander Kipke
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