Punk rock outfit the Minnies give us an insight into the Italian music scene and their music.
The Minnies have been playing together for a long, long time, notching up five albums released so far and with a new one coming out just after the summer, in everything they do, they're punk rock with an Italian touch.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before?
We play simple punk rock songs, with lyrics in Italian. There used to be a time when our music was fast all the time, but we also like bands like The Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr. and Husker Du that were able to play heavy stuff, but using very melodic chords. Now we play both fast and slow songs, always trying to maintain the same intensity and a sense of melody in our lyrics. Also, the fact that we sing in Italian helps us to match our feelings with the music. There is no question that Italian is a poetic language.
So, how did you get together?
When we started, we didn't know each other very well, but we all knew that we wanted to form a band. The good thing with Minnies and punk rock in general is that music is the main thing, but not the only thing... Being in a band also means being part of a scene, making new friends show after show, and not just being good players!
Who are your musical influences?
A lot of old bands like The Clash, The Smiths, Descendents, Bad Religion... A mix between punk and pop stuff, plus some great Italian musicians like Paolo Conte, Luigi Tenco and hundreds of unknown bands we have played with all around Europe...
What subjects do you tackle in your lyrics?
I think that everyone has their own point of view about life, love and politcs... Well, if you want to listen to a Minnies song it means that I have to tell you something about me, and - if possible - something interesting! Otherwise it's better to keep silent.
Your music is available through Movement (available on PLAYSTATION Store); how are the Internet and downloads changing the face of the music industry?
It seems that every artist nowadays is able to be popular just because they can spread their music through the web. I think that for a band like Minnies the opportunity to increase our popularity has always come (and always will) through playing shows, doing tours, getting in touch with other people face to face. It doesn't mean that we don't like Internet, but we don't want to focus our minds only on that, like a lot of other bands do.
What do you think of the general perception of music from your country?
There's a lack of curiosity about independent music. People just listen to the music that is broadcast by TV and Radio, and most of the time that music is poor. But the good thing is that if you don't want to be part of the rat race this helps you to play good music. There's nothing as sad as an indie wannabee-popular band...
Are you touring this year or will you be doing any festivals?
We've just finished our first full length in five years. After two EP's and a lot of tours, it's time to hit the road again for us, after the summer... Before we need to graduate, we want to be punks with degrees before our winter tour!
Minnies's Movement videos can be downloaded from PLAYSTATION Store. More about Minnies can be found on their MySpace page, myspace.com/minnies.
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