Taking Rock Noir to London
There are so many bands out there nowadays: good and bad bands, underground and commercial bands, one hit wonders and evergreens, classic and trendy. But how many do you know who actually INVENTED a new genre?
Belladonna, the “pyromantic” creators of what is now known as Rock Noir, did just that. Actually, not “just” that. They promoted themselves, released their own albums, became the biggest Italian rock phenomenon in recent years next to Lacuna Coil, played festivals and legendary venues in the States and shared a stage with the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Duff McKagan, and still, they always find time for their fans, the so-called “Belladonna family.”
Refreshingly down to earth, although conscious of their value and proud of their achievements, Dani and Luana enthusiastically answer our questions and invite us all to experience their “mysterotique” live show upstairs at the Garage, London, on November 26th. Here’s a bit more about Belladonna in their own words for you, and remember, tickets are going fast so don’t miss out!
Altsounds: When asking a band to define their music, the most common answer is that they don’t sound like anything else, nobody wants to be labelled. But Belladonna did more than that. They created a label, “Rock Noir,” which now has its own page on Wikipedia mentioning you as the creators and several international bands following suit! Would you like to explain to our readers what Rock Noir is and how it was born?
Belladonna: When writing songs me and Luana have always consciously refrained from writing anything that even remotely reminded us of anybody, so a while after we had put the band together we found ourselves with this whole catalogue of songs that sounded pretty unique to whoever heard them. They were definitely rock songs, and the noir aspect in the vibe and lyrics was so strong that we thought that “rock noir” aptly described it. We would have never in a billion years imagined that one day it would have become a bona fide musical genre!
Altsounds: Born on MySpace and quickly become the most played Italian band with Lacuna Coil and N.1 unsigned band on the popular networking site, you are the internet tale come true. But I know for a fact that it wasn’t just a matter of creating a profile, you guys have worked hard for this. Would you like to tell any young aspiring musicians online what it really takes?
Belladonna: Well, first of all, almost all of our time is devoted to perfecting our craft. Writing, performing and recording our music. Then of course if anyone contacts us through the web we always answer them personally – we always have and always will. We receive literally tons of e-mails so it does take time but it’s an awesome joy, not a chore at all.
If you love music you are bound to spend all your time making it better and better and connecting with anyone that loves it. It’s only natural so I’d say that if you really love music you just need to act naturally. If you don’t love music and you are in it only to satisfy some sad hunger for notoriety than it’s a totally different story, and for these people I would truly have no advice to give.
Altsounds: Luana, when I saw you guys at Erotica 2007 you seemed a bit intimidated at first, but soon you were owning the stage, playing with the models and having a hell of a time like you had been doing that your whole life. Still, it was I think your first time facing such a huge audience. How useful was that experience for your stage presence?
Belladonna: Well it’s like anything, inevitably the more you do it the better you become. Again, it’s only natural and it’s what I meant when I was talking about perfecting your chosen craft. We just hope we’ll forever be learning new things about our music and therefore about ourselves, that’s what we think that life should actually be all about.
Altsounds: You’ve been recording material in the States with Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of A Down, Skunk Anansie, Johnny Cash). How did that feel, and what happened to that material?
Belladonna: Sylvia is an awesome producer and her studio in Northern California is unbelievable. We had a great time there and made some great music. Most of it ended up on our second CD “The Noir Album”.
Altsounds: Two tracks from your first album “Metaphysical Attraction” were nominated in the ballot for the 2008 Grammy Awards as Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a duo or group with vocals. How many bottles of champagne did you open that day?
Belladonna: Well it was more like cheap spumante, actually! We were truly amazed when we heard the news, and we did not believe it until we actually downloaded the ballot pdf from the Grammy website – and even then it took a few days for it to sink in.
It was an incredible honour for us, one we’ll always treasure.
Altsounds: This year you played some landmark US venues like the Key Club and SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. What was most fun, California or Texas?
Belladonna: Hey, during that one trip we managed to see Steel Panther live in both LA (where we opened for them) and Austin (where they had Tori Amos, of all people, opening for them!) so we can safely say that we had equally awesome fun in both cities! Playing live in the USA is a real thrill for us and as clichéd as it sounds we truly cannot wait to go back.
Altsounds: You also played with some big names like Guns’n’Roses Duff McKagan (Loaded) and Nine Inch Nails. When did you feel most star struck?
Belladonna: We would not feel star struck when meeting any fellow musician - unless it was Jimmy Page! We all love music but we do not idolize the people that create it, and we think it’s the last thing they’d want, anyway. But I must say that to have Duff welcoming us, when we returned backstage right after finishing our opening slot, clapping his hands and telling us many awesome things about our music was a true honour. He’s a diamond guy, a true bona fide rock’n’roller. We love him.
Altsounds: There’s a new album out, “The Noir Album,” published in the UK last month. This is your space to sell it out! It shouldn’t be too hard selling something noir on this rainy foggy island...
Belladonna: Well, we are only musicians, and we are not really in the business of selling records. We put the album out and we know from experience that whoever sees us live or finds us online eventually downloads it from somewhere like e-Mule or Rapidshare, and we have no problem with that. We let our fans download our songs very often from our official websites so to us it’s only normal. The only thing I’d love to say is this. If you like our music get in touch, drop us a line on MySpace, Facebook or Twitter and let us know. That always means a lot to us!
Altsounds: You had offers from several labels but decided to produce “The Noir Album” yourself, can you explain why?
Belladonna: Let’s just say that we treasure our freedom, and we’d rather stay single until we find our perfect match – then we’d happily get married!
Altsounds: Where can we find “The Noir Album” here in the UK?
Belladonna: In most record stores: it’s distributed by Code7 and if you cannot find it you can easily order it from your favourite store. It’s also on iTunes, of course.
Altsounds: This month you’re playing at the Garage, is this your first headlining show in London, and do you have any more planned?
Belladonna: We are planning to come back in April for a full UK club tour – that will be a true thrill!
Altsounds: You and Lacuna Coil finally put Italy back on the international rock map. What made the difference between you two and all the others who tried and got no joy?
Belladonna: We don’t know them personally that well – even though we of course know their music very well. We hold them in the highest regard and have nothing but total admiration for them – but from the little we know about them personally we can safely say that we both share a deep love for music and for doing music. A love so deep that it makes the sacrifice of having to deal with the grim realities of the music business in order to keep on doing music totally worthwhile.
Altsounds: Rather than just doing video clips, in 2005 you produced short movie “Black Swan” including three songs from your first album. Can you tell us the reasons for this choice?
Belladonna: We had a story to tell and we choose to tell it through a short film. We loved the experience and we are totally looking forward to repeating it one day.
Altsounds: Can we expect a similar video production for “The Noir Album”?
Belladonna: We have already shot a video for “Till Death Do Us Part,” the first single off “The Noir Album,” a little noir thing that features Luana at her most sensual, noir self.
Altsounds: You have a very tight relationship with your fan base and loyal followers who travel to see you. Do you keep a personal line with them as much as you can?
Belladonna: Yes, absolutely. We are proud to have become close personal friends with many of them; we call ourselves The Belladonna Family since that’s exactly how it feels like to us, a family-like awesome feeling of togetherness… something we treasure very dearly.
Altsounds: What will you remember 2009 for?
Belladonna: “The Noir Album” entering the iTunes charts here in Italy and our USA shows.
Altsounds: What’s in the pipeline for 2010?
Belladonna: We are right now writing new songs for our next album which we plan to record in the summer. They are sounding truly amazing, and quite different from what we’ve done so far, even though they are still totally rock noir. They are actually more rock and more noir, if anything! And in 2010 we plan to do as many live shows as we can.
Altsounds: How does it feel to be able to make a living out of rock’n’roll?
Belladonna: We feel privileged and honoured of being able to live for our music full time, it truly makes our life totally intense, insane and colourful. When you follow your star, your life becomes an extraordinary experience, regardless of whether you eventually reach it or not.
Altsounds: Anything else you would like to tell our readers? This is your free Altsounds space, you can talk about global warming, your next album or propose to your girlfriend/boyfriend...
Belladonna: We are still searching for those angels with unbroken wings…
Thanks guys, and see you at the Garage!
Find out more about Belladonna here:
MySpace: Facebook: Twitter: Wikipedia: Find out more about Rock Noir here:
Belladonna, the “pyromantic” creators of what is now known as Rock Noir, did just that. Actually, not “just” that. They promoted themselves, released their own albums, became the biggest Italian rock phenomenon in recent years next to Lacuna Coil, played festivals and legendary venues in the States and shared a stage with the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Duff McKagan, and still, they always find time for their fans, the so-called “Belladonna family.”
Refreshingly down to earth, although conscious of their value and proud of their achievements, Dani and Luana enthusiastically answer our questions and invite us all to experience their “mysterotique” live show upstairs at the Garage, London, on November 26th. Here’s a bit more about Belladonna in their own words for you, and remember, tickets are going fast so don’t miss out!
Altsounds: When asking a band to define their music, the most common answer is that they don’t sound like anything else, nobody wants to be labelled. But Belladonna did more than that. They created a label, “Rock Noir,” which now has its own page on Wikipedia mentioning you as the creators and several international bands following suit! Would you like to explain to our readers what Rock Noir is and how it was born?
Belladonna: When writing songs me and Luana have always consciously refrained from writing anything that even remotely reminded us of anybody, so a while after we had put the band together we found ourselves with this whole catalogue of songs that sounded pretty unique to whoever heard them. They were definitely rock songs, and the noir aspect in the vibe and lyrics was so strong that we thought that “rock noir” aptly described it. We would have never in a billion years imagined that one day it would have become a bona fide musical genre!
Altsounds: Born on MySpace and quickly become the most played Italian band with Lacuna Coil and N.1 unsigned band on the popular networking site, you are the internet tale come true. But I know for a fact that it wasn’t just a matter of creating a profile, you guys have worked hard for this. Would you like to tell any young aspiring musicians online what it really takes?
Belladonna: Well, first of all, almost all of our time is devoted to perfecting our craft. Writing, performing and recording our music. Then of course if anyone contacts us through the web we always answer them personally – we always have and always will. We receive literally tons of e-mails so it does take time but it’s an awesome joy, not a chore at all.
If you love music you are bound to spend all your time making it better and better and connecting with anyone that loves it. It’s only natural so I’d say that if you really love music you just need to act naturally. If you don’t love music and you are in it only to satisfy some sad hunger for notoriety than it’s a totally different story, and for these people I would truly have no advice to give.
Altsounds: Luana, when I saw you guys at Erotica 2007 you seemed a bit intimidated at first, but soon you were owning the stage, playing with the models and having a hell of a time like you had been doing that your whole life. Still, it was I think your first time facing such a huge audience. How useful was that experience for your stage presence?
Belladonna: Well it’s like anything, inevitably the more you do it the better you become. Again, it’s only natural and it’s what I meant when I was talking about perfecting your chosen craft. We just hope we’ll forever be learning new things about our music and therefore about ourselves, that’s what we think that life should actually be all about.
Altsounds: You’ve been recording material in the States with Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of A Down, Skunk Anansie, Johnny Cash). How did that feel, and what happened to that material?
Belladonna: Sylvia is an awesome producer and her studio in Northern California is unbelievable. We had a great time there and made some great music. Most of it ended up on our second CD “The Noir Album”.
Altsounds: Two tracks from your first album “Metaphysical Attraction” were nominated in the ballot for the 2008 Grammy Awards as Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a duo or group with vocals. How many bottles of champagne did you open that day?
Belladonna: Well it was more like cheap spumante, actually! We were truly amazed when we heard the news, and we did not believe it until we actually downloaded the ballot pdf from the Grammy website – and even then it took a few days for it to sink in.
It was an incredible honour for us, one we’ll always treasure.
Altsounds: This year you played some landmark US venues like the Key Club and SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. What was most fun, California or Texas?
Belladonna: Hey, during that one trip we managed to see Steel Panther live in both LA (where we opened for them) and Austin (where they had Tori Amos, of all people, opening for them!) so we can safely say that we had equally awesome fun in both cities! Playing live in the USA is a real thrill for us and as clichéd as it sounds we truly cannot wait to go back.
Altsounds: You also played with some big names like Guns’n’Roses Duff McKagan (Loaded) and Nine Inch Nails. When did you feel most star struck?
Belladonna: We would not feel star struck when meeting any fellow musician - unless it was Jimmy Page! We all love music but we do not idolize the people that create it, and we think it’s the last thing they’d want, anyway. But I must say that to have Duff welcoming us, when we returned backstage right after finishing our opening slot, clapping his hands and telling us many awesome things about our music was a true honour. He’s a diamond guy, a true bona fide rock’n’roller. We love him.
Altsounds: There’s a new album out, “The Noir Album,” published in the UK last month. This is your space to sell it out! It shouldn’t be too hard selling something noir on this rainy foggy island...
Belladonna: Well, we are only musicians, and we are not really in the business of selling records. We put the album out and we know from experience that whoever sees us live or finds us online eventually downloads it from somewhere like e-Mule or Rapidshare, and we have no problem with that. We let our fans download our songs very often from our official websites so to us it’s only normal. The only thing I’d love to say is this. If you like our music get in touch, drop us a line on MySpace, Facebook or Twitter and let us know. That always means a lot to us!
Altsounds: You had offers from several labels but decided to produce “The Noir Album” yourself, can you explain why?
Belladonna: Let’s just say that we treasure our freedom, and we’d rather stay single until we find our perfect match – then we’d happily get married!
Altsounds: Where can we find “The Noir Album” here in the UK?
Belladonna: In most record stores: it’s distributed by Code7 and if you cannot find it you can easily order it from your favourite store. It’s also on iTunes, of course.
Altsounds: This month you’re playing at the Garage, is this your first headlining show in London, and do you have any more planned?
Belladonna: We are planning to come back in April for a full UK club tour – that will be a true thrill!
Altsounds: You and Lacuna Coil finally put Italy back on the international rock map. What made the difference between you two and all the others who tried and got no joy?
Belladonna: We don’t know them personally that well – even though we of course know their music very well. We hold them in the highest regard and have nothing but total admiration for them – but from the little we know about them personally we can safely say that we both share a deep love for music and for doing music. A love so deep that it makes the sacrifice of having to deal with the grim realities of the music business in order to keep on doing music totally worthwhile.
Altsounds: Rather than just doing video clips, in 2005 you produced short movie “Black Swan” including three songs from your first album. Can you tell us the reasons for this choice?
Belladonna: We had a story to tell and we choose to tell it through a short film. We loved the experience and we are totally looking forward to repeating it one day.
Altsounds: Can we expect a similar video production for “The Noir Album”?
Belladonna: We have already shot a video for “Till Death Do Us Part,” the first single off “The Noir Album,” a little noir thing that features Luana at her most sensual, noir self.
Altsounds: You have a very tight relationship with your fan base and loyal followers who travel to see you. Do you keep a personal line with them as much as you can?
Belladonna: Yes, absolutely. We are proud to have become close personal friends with many of them; we call ourselves The Belladonna Family since that’s exactly how it feels like to us, a family-like awesome feeling of togetherness… something we treasure very dearly.
Altsounds: What will you remember 2009 for?
Belladonna: “The Noir Album” entering the iTunes charts here in Italy and our USA shows.
Altsounds: What’s in the pipeline for 2010?
Belladonna: We are right now writing new songs for our next album which we plan to record in the summer. They are sounding truly amazing, and quite different from what we’ve done so far, even though they are still totally rock noir. They are actually more rock and more noir, if anything! And in 2010 we plan to do as many live shows as we can.
Altsounds: How does it feel to be able to make a living out of rock’n’roll?
Belladonna: We feel privileged and honoured of being able to live for our music full time, it truly makes our life totally intense, insane and colourful. When you follow your star, your life becomes an extraordinary experience, regardless of whether you eventually reach it or not.
Altsounds: Anything else you would like to tell our readers? This is your free Altsounds space, you can talk about global warming, your next album or propose to your girlfriend/boyfriend...
Belladonna: We are still searching for those angels with unbroken wings…
Thanks guys, and see you at the Garage!
Find out more about Belladonna here:
MySpace: Facebook: Twitter: Wikipedia: Find out more about Rock Noir here:
Rock_noir
