interview with Roma Amor
Have any of you played in other bands? Yes, we all have always played in other projects: Mr Candela more in new wave-punk bands and Euski more in song-writing and folk projects.
How is it that you started playing music? Music has always been part of our lives, as passionate and attentive listeners and as hungry seekers within the music world. We have found mates to play and share music with, unforgettable experiences.
What are your names? / Who plays what? We’re Mr Candela at the accordion, bass and other little instruments, Euski at the vocals, guitar and chord organ. This is the kernel of the band. We often collaborate with a guitarist and mandolinist called Roberto Zabberoni who plays guitar solo, mandolin and harmonica, even if we have some other collaborators who sometimes play with us.
Have you had other previous members? At the very beginning we were in five: there was a percussionist, a guitarist and an accordionist. The two of us were the ones who continued the Roma Amor project.
Did you make music even when you were young? Yes, as far as we remember. Mr Candela started as a bassist and singer, Euski has always been into the vocal path, including different types of studies and experiments linked with the voice as a means to convey her inner being.
Where are you from? We’re Italian, from the regions of Lombardia and Romagna.
What year did the band form? In 2008.
What's your style of genre? Noir folk with a bit of drama style, gravitating around all the aspects of love. Something belonging in a way to the Italian and French songwriting of the Sixties, or something to the old cabaret songs.
What inspires you? The urge to play. There are some artists who are recurrent in our musical passions, such as Jacques Brel, Marc Almond, Boris Vian, Charles Aznavour, Milva, Bowie, fado music…
How often and where do you rehearse? Very often. Any time. Mainly at home.
How have you developed since you started with the music? We have experimented different instruments and sounds, as well as different collaborations with other artists, who have always given us several inputs and inspirations.
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? Cinema is the interest we have in common, together with art. Mr Candela is also very much into poetry and Euski into folk studies and oral art.
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? We have never had any booking agencies. As we are independent, we like to meet new people who are really interested in our music. We are well aware that this way we haven’t got many gigs to play, but we prefer to share our music when it’s time to, and with the people who want to meet us and share some time together, with music and passion to share.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? We have a main label, OLD EUROPA CAFE. We’ve issued our stuff with OEC since 2008 (4 albums, plus the new one which is going to be out in a very short time, in collaboration with WROTYCZ RECORDS), one 10 inch vinyl with HAURUCK SPQR in 2012, one album for KLANGGALERIE in 2014.
What are your songs about? Love is the main theme of our songs, in its several aspects and side effects: nostalgia, vengeance, romance, loss and….for the crazy
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? Both of us.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? We don’t follow any specific rules…when it happens that you dream of a motif, you write a draft of the music and then you are inspired to write the lyrics depending on the images you make in your head. Sometimes you write a sort of a poem and then you dream of the music you think fits in.
Do you compose in a certain environment? No, any time, any place, anyhow.
Have you done any covers live?
Yes, we have often ended our concert with Jacques Brel’s covers “Amsterdam”, or “Next (Au suivant) in English. We also performed other
covers, such as “Mother fist” by Marc Almond; “Les amants de Saint Jean” or “Albergo a ore (Les amants d’un jour) by Edit Piaf…in our last album which is being issued now is called “Liebelei” by Rolf Bauer, a German song of the Sixties, but we sang it in Italian, closer to the version of the Italian singer Milva.
What language do you sing in? Italian, French, English, something in Spanish, in German and also in the dialect of the Italian region Romagna!
What ages are most of your concert attendants? We are surprisingly embracing different generations…
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We vary depending on the location. When we travel far, mainly abroad, it is usually more common that we are in a duo, and we think of something that is perfect for two. When we are with the electric guitarist and with the drummer, we have other playlists, when we are in the right place for a good acoustic trio, we think of the songs we think could be the right ones. We are fond of certain songs that we like to have always with us, though.
Do you have a regular place you play live often? No, we usually don’t.
What was your first gig like? As a duo, it was very scary but unforgettable! Fantastic and deep feelings. It was in in Italy almost 10 years ago. The thing is, we always go very into the mood of the gig and we live very strong emotions every time. One of the things that make us continue…
What was your latest gig? Our latest gig abroad was in Tel Aviv, in Italy was near Ravenna, at 6 in the morning by the seaside during the dawn!
Have you had to cancel a gig? Once, for very bad weather and snow, long time ago.
Do you have any new material? A new album will be shortly issued: it’s called “Miraggio” and it deals with visions, poetry, it’s something geographically and mentally exotic, with intimate and sometimes cryptic lyrics.
How can people reach? https://www.facebook.com/romaamorofficialpage/ [email protected]
