Last Minute to Jaffna interview
> 1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the release of the new album in January?
Dano: Hi! Nothing really different from normal band life happened. We had some shows, played some festivals and wrote new stuff.
> 2.During the beginning of the year you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Dano: First of all let me say it’s not a properly new album, it’s more like a record of us covering ourselves: some of the tracks in it appeared on Volume I, our first studio album, and the others are going to appear on Volume II, our second one which will be released hopefully during next winter. We normally play them with electric guitars and distorted amplifiers, but for this record we wanted to try something new: we used acoustic guitars and some odd instruments such as electric viola or french horn, trying to build new atmospheres and we’re really satisfied with the result. The tracks still sound heavy, but in another way: they sound so different from the original recordings but they’re still the same, it’s like achieving the same result but working in a different way. From an author’s point of view this is really rewarding.
> 3.On the new album everything was acoustic but your older material was in a heavier direction, what was the decision to go all acoustic with the newer album?
Dano: We’ve always had the idea of playing unplugged version of our tracks, but it remained just an idea till we had the chance to open a gig of Scott Kelly from Neurosis. He was doing a solo show – just him and his acoustic guitar – so we decided to finally try to rearrange some tracks and play them unplugged. We liked it, our friends liked it, the people attending the show liked it so we felt we had to record them, like exploring the dark side of our moon.
> 4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Valerio: Generally the lyrics never come alone, they’re mostly thoughts and images that emerge during the writing phase. Often they are helpful to complete or add more to the atmosphere that a guitar can give. Personally, I do not think that our lyrics are exhaustive themselves, but I wish they were the sketches or the frames on which everyone can complete the picture with his own feelings and senses. Of course, we are not interested in inspirig serenity and joy to the listener.
> 5.The current album was the first recording to be released in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time?
Dano: After the touring to promote Volume I we dealt with some line up problems: our former bass player quit and we couldn’t find a steady one till last year. Meanwhile we didn’t stop at all, recording two records, playing some cool shows and even writing new stuff for future releases.
> 6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‘Last Minute To Jaffna’?
Dano: This is a recurrent question, so Jaffna is a city in Sri Lanka which was devastated by the 2004 tsunami. When we started to play together, some months after that tragic event, we choose that name because it somehow reminded the relentless power of nature, and we wanted to play similarly powerful music.
> 7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Dano: I never attended a show of us, so I might not be the best person to ask this, but I guess we have a pretty intense live show, no matter if we play acoustic or “electric”. There are many different atmospheres going on when we play, and we try to do our best to make the people attending our shows feel emotions.
We played tons of shows and it’s difficult to choose among them, anyway I’d pick the one opening for Isis (playing with one of my favourite bands was really awesome) and also last month we had a great weekend with Celeste. It was fun to play electric again after a long time and we really enjoyed it.
We played tons of shows and it’s difficult to choose among them, anyway I’d pick the one opening for Isis (playing with one of my favourite bands was really awesome) and also last month we had a great weekend with Celeste. It was fun to play electric again after a long time and we really enjoyed it.
> 8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Dano: Sure, in september we’re going to play at an important festival held in our hometown Torino, located in the chapel of a former cemetery where the people sentenced to death were buried. That place is also told to be haunted by ghosts, and is a killer location for a show! Beside that we have many shows planned for this next fall and next year we’ll hopefully tour a lot to promote Volume II
> 9.the new album was released on Bare teeth Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Dano: I’ve always had the idea of founding a label, so when we were about to release Volume III I felt like the time had come. It’s a pretty DIY label, I’m not interested in getting rich with records, I just want to release the music I like. It’s not easy at all, primary because money is always running low, but when you have the finished records in your hands it feels great.
> 10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of psychedelic and metal?
Dano: We’re getting quite good feedback considering we never toured out of Europe. We sold some records in the US and even in Australia, but the funniest thing is that we seem to have lots of fans in Sri Lanka because of our name..
> 11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Dano: Volume II is going to be heavier and more atmospheric at the same time, while the newer stuff is even more different. I’d say it’s more refined and focused
> 12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Dano: We really have different musical backgrounds, but we all grew in the 90s so I think bands like Melvins, Faith No More or Deftones are clearly common influences; apart from that I’d say bands like Isis, Breach or Cult Of Luna had a big impact on our music.
About the bands who made records which most impressed me recently I’d say Oranssi Pazuzu, Baptists and Young Widows.
About the bands who made records which most impressed me recently I’d say Oranssi Pazuzu, Baptists and Young Widows.
> 13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Dano: All of us really enjoy cooking (and eating!).
> 14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Dano: Thanks a lot to you for this interview and your nice review, and to all the people who spent their time reading this, hope to see you all down the road!
