THE HACIENDA: top "brit pop" band from Florence, Italy
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE BAND.
THE HACIENDA ARE A FIVE PIECE BAND BASED IN FLORENCE. WHICH IS AN "ARTISTIC" TOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF ITALY. THE LINE UP CONSISTS OF ALESSANDRO, GUITAR AND VOCALS, ANDREA, BASS AND BACKING VOCALS. LEONARDO, DRUMS. FRANCESCO, KEYBOARD, VALERIO, GUITAR.
THE BAND - "WHEN WE STARTED TO PLAY AS A BAND SOME YEARS AGO WE WERE ALL INTO BRITISH SOUNDS. SO WE WANTED TO GIVE OURSELVES A NAME THAT WAS REMINISCENT OF THE SCENE IN ENGLAND. I DECIDED ON THE HACIENDA, WHICH HAS AN IMPORTANT MEANING IN THE UK SCENE. ALSO, TO MOST PEOPLE IN ITALY IT SIMPLY SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING SPANISH, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS COOL TOO. "
1 - WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS NEW ALBUM OUT SOON?
"THE NEW ALBUM, OUT IN JANUARY ON BLACK CANDY RECORDS, (ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INDIE RECORD LABELS IN ITALY) IS CALLED "PICKING PENNIES OFF THE FLOOR". OUR FIRST RELEASE, "CONVERSATION LESS EP" PROBABLY INCLUDES MORE FAST SONGS. WITH PICKING PENNIES WE INTRODUCED A NEW WAY TO ARRANGE THE SONGS, AND ALSO PLAYED INSTRUMENTS THAT WE HAD NEVER USED BEFORE SUCH AS ORGANS, TRUMPETS VIBRAPHONES, AND A RHODES PIANO. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM BECAUSE IT HAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT MOMENTS SUCH AS ACOUSTIC SONGS, AND SONGS THAT SHOW US IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAY FROM BEFORE. I THINK DANNY MAHON FROM MANCHESTER IS CURRENTLY ONE OF THE BEST SONGWRITERS IN THE UK. SO WE'RE SO PLEASED THAT HE WANTED TO COLLABORATE WITH US ON THE NEW ALBUM, ADDING VOCALS TO A TRACK CALLED "NOVA".
2 - WHAT DOES THE WORD "STYLE" MEAN TO YOU?...
"IF I THINK ABOUT STYLE, I THINK OF ALL THE 60'S UK BANDS. I THINK OF THE YOUNG PAUL WELLER, OASIS AT KNEBWORTH IN 1996. "STYLE" IS ALSO ABOUT CLOTHES, HAIRCUT, AND MUSIC. IT'S A BIT LIKE WEARING A UNIFORM. THERE'S A STRONG ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE WAY WE LOOK AND THE MUSIC WE PLAY..."
3 - FAVOURITE CLOTHES SHOPS?
"THERE'S AN AMAZING CLOTHES SHOP IN FLORENCE CALLED JULESEJIM. THEY SELL LOADS OF 60'S STYLE MOD CLOTHES, WHICH ARE MY CUP OF TEA. THERE'S ANOTHER SUPERCOOL SHOP IN FLORENCE CALLED MANHATTAN (THREE STROKE PRODUCTIONS OFFICIAL DEALER...), AND AT THE TOP OF OUR LIST WE ADD "POP CAFĂ" IN OLDHAM STREET, MANCHESTER. THERE'S ALSO MENDOZA IN LONDONS BRICK LANE."
5 - ANY PLANS FOR 2011?
"WE'RE TOTALLY BUZZ'IN FOR THE NEW YEAR. WITH THE NEW ALBUM COMING OUT IN EARLY JANUARY, WHICH WILL ALSO BE RELEASED ON VINYL AS WELL. PLUS A EUROPEAN TOUR WITH LOADS OF DATES IN THE UK IN APRIL AND MAY."
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