interview with BURNING BLACK
Have any of you played in other bands? Yes, I play with the italian band "Arcana Opera"
How is it that you started playing music? When I was 17 a friend of mine lent me the album "Iron Maiden" and that was the beginning!
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you? I'm Eric Antonello, guitarist of Burning Black and Arcana Opera. Borned the 9th of September 1983
Where are you from? Italy, Venice
How is it that you started playing music? When I was 17 a friend of mine lent me the album "Iron Maiden" and that was the beginning!
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you? I'm Eric Antonello, guitarist of Burning Black and Arcana Opera. Borned the 9th of September 1983
Where are you from? Italy, Venice
What year did the band form? Burning Black formed in 2003, Arcana Opera formed in 2013
What's your style of genre? Burning Black is a pure Heavy Metal band like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and so on. Arcana Opera is a Noir-Folk metal band, almost entirely sang in italian, with many influences like power, heavy, hard rock and many others!
What inspires you? In this specific period of my life I'm trying to abstract myself from this society's common mindset. I use to think about universe, religion and philosophy and everything can bring your thoughts to a different level. This is my starting point when I compose music.
How often and where do you reherse? Weekly. Sometimes everyday and sometimes twice a day.
How have you developed since you started with the music? I've studied with many teachers and I've graduated at the Lizard Guitar Academy in Padua. Now I'm still studying especially jazz music.
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? I'm a web developer, I'm really involved in technology.
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? I'd prefer not to rely on a booking agency to plan gigs, but we have to. Booking agencies are usually not the best option for a musician. Nowaday the market is in a real big crisis and this, sadly, forces people not to be honest the most of times.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? I've released every album with labels and I think this is still the best way to distribute music.
What made you decide to make this music? The chance to play on nice venues, the chance to meet every night new people, the chance to express myself in a very personal way.
What are your songs about? Tons of arguments. Too many :)
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? In Burning Black is Dan Ainlay, the singer, in Arcana Opera is still the singer, Alexander Wyrd.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Two different approaches. With Burning Black we use to start with the music, with Arcana Opera we use to start with the lyrics. For my personal project I compose starting from a generic melody.
Do you compose in a certain enviroment? In front of a pc, usually.
Have you done any covers live? A lot!
What language do you sing in? English and Italian
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We use to vary
Do you have a regular place you play live often? Yes
What was your first gig like? A public park, a sort of school festival
What was your latest gig? In a club, a really nice crowd!
Have you had to cancel a gig? No, never.
Where have you played live this year? Almost all northen Italy
Where do you plan to gig the comming year? Hopefully around Europe
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? As soon as I started playing with Burning Black in 2009. We sell t-shirts, cd's, pins, lighters, etc.
Where can people buy your merchandise?
At the gig or online on our websites:
www.burningblack.com
www.arcanaopera.com
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? Is something impossible to stop. Who makes music should change his way of thinking and the business model on which has ever relied on and trying to take advantage from this situation.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? Music has generally lost value and the interest of people to music has decreased a lot.
What do you think of my work? Is something SPECIAL. We musicians really appreciate it.
How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? Could give to my music, my bandmates and me a chance to reach other countries and other people.
Do you have any role models or idols? Everybody has success is a model for me. Nowadays my only idol is the guitarist Kiko Loureiro.
Why do you think that they exist? Thanks to their own forces, thanks to the period they lived and thanks to the help of who believed in them. A lot of important things for a rising artist.
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? Both give a lot of inspiration. New bands can show you what people like now and how to be catchy right now. Old bands give you the fundamentals which are necessary.
What have been your biggest obstacles? Everytime is finding the right people in the right place at the right moment.
What advice would you give other bands or artists? Don't think just about music. Think about EVERYTHING is around it. Your image, your approach with other people. Be kind and be honest.
Do you have any new material? I'm composing the fourth album with Burning Black, the third one with Arcana Opera and I'm writing music for a brand new metal project.
What are your web sites?
www.burningblack.com
www.arcanaopera.com
and my personal website, down for maintainance: www.ericantonello.com
How can people reach you? Facebook
What are your plans for the future? Ton of music, gigs and getting married
What's your style of genre? Burning Black is a pure Heavy Metal band like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and so on. Arcana Opera is a Noir-Folk metal band, almost entirely sang in italian, with many influences like power, heavy, hard rock and many others!
What inspires you? In this specific period of my life I'm trying to abstract myself from this society's common mindset. I use to think about universe, religion and philosophy and everything can bring your thoughts to a different level. This is my starting point when I compose music.
How often and where do you reherse? Weekly. Sometimes everyday and sometimes twice a day.
How have you developed since you started with the music? I've studied with many teachers and I've graduated at the Lizard Guitar Academy in Padua. Now I'm still studying especially jazz music.
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? I'm a web developer, I'm really involved in technology.
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? I'd prefer not to rely on a booking agency to plan gigs, but we have to. Booking agencies are usually not the best option for a musician. Nowaday the market is in a real big crisis and this, sadly, forces people not to be honest the most of times.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? I've released every album with labels and I think this is still the best way to distribute music.
What made you decide to make this music? The chance to play on nice venues, the chance to meet every night new people, the chance to express myself in a very personal way.
What are your songs about? Tons of arguments. Too many :)
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? In Burning Black is Dan Ainlay, the singer, in Arcana Opera is still the singer, Alexander Wyrd.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Two different approaches. With Burning Black we use to start with the music, with Arcana Opera we use to start with the lyrics. For my personal project I compose starting from a generic melody.
Do you compose in a certain enviroment? In front of a pc, usually.
Have you done any covers live? A lot!
What language do you sing in? English and Italian
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We use to vary
Do you have a regular place you play live often? Yes
What was your first gig like? A public park, a sort of school festival
What was your latest gig? In a club, a really nice crowd!
Have you had to cancel a gig? No, never.
Where have you played live this year? Almost all northen Italy
Where do you plan to gig the comming year? Hopefully around Europe
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? As soon as I started playing with Burning Black in 2009. We sell t-shirts, cd's, pins, lighters, etc.
Where can people buy your merchandise?
At the gig or online on our websites:
www.burningblack.com
www.arcanaopera.com
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? Is something impossible to stop. Who makes music should change his way of thinking and the business model on which has ever relied on and trying to take advantage from this situation.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? Music has generally lost value and the interest of people to music has decreased a lot.
What do you think of my work? Is something SPECIAL. We musicians really appreciate it.
How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? Could give to my music, my bandmates and me a chance to reach other countries and other people.
Do you have any role models or idols? Everybody has success is a model for me. Nowadays my only idol is the guitarist Kiko Loureiro.
Why do you think that they exist? Thanks to their own forces, thanks to the period they lived and thanks to the help of who believed in them. A lot of important things for a rising artist.
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? Both give a lot of inspiration. New bands can show you what people like now and how to be catchy right now. Old bands give you the fundamentals which are necessary.
What have been your biggest obstacles? Everytime is finding the right people in the right place at the right moment.
What advice would you give other bands or artists? Don't think just about music. Think about EVERYTHING is around it. Your image, your approach with other people. Be kind and be honest.
Do you have any new material? I'm composing the fourth album with Burning Black, the third one with Arcana Opera and I'm writing music for a brand new metal project.
What are your web sites?
www.burningblack.com
www.arcanaopera.com
and my personal website, down for maintainance: www.ericantonello.com
How can people reach you? Facebook
What are your plans for the future? Ton of music, gigs and getting married