Interviews: Gramma Vedetta

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Stoner Metal band Gramma Vedetta from the UK. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

The name came out from a theory we developed when we noticed that in all the small towns across the world, elder ladies entertain themselves watching the world leaning from their windows. The Gramma Vedetta theory says that all those old ladies, full of wisdom accumulated during their entire life, are part of a hyper-society that controls and watch the universe keeping the balance between the good and the evil. Gramma Vedetta is the name of the council that rules over this hyper society as well the name of the starship where the council lives. Vedetta in Italian means ‘Lookout’

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

We didn’t choose this genre it came out naturally as a mix of our personal background. This is so dispersed that have also difficult to define our genre. We are not 100% grunge, we’re not 100% stoner, we’re not 100% hard rock.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

No, really, even if me (Dan - Guitar Vocal) and Basetta (Bass) are from the same region, we met for the first time in London through a common friend when I was looking to form a band. Dan (Drum) enter the band recently. We met him through an ad.

4. Each band member favourite band?

Me (guitar / vocal): Rush

Basetta (bass): Jinjer

Dan (drums): Sonic Youth

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Our lyrics describe our daily life experiences, good or bad, immersed in a sci-fi landscape. This allows us to colour them and bring them to higher levels. Musically we get inspired by sad melodies, the heaviness of loud amps and the interplay between us.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last gig was at The Unicorn, Camden London on the 13th of March. We were on the edge of the lockdown. 6. Where would you like to act We would like to have a spot on the DesertFest. We’re working hard to gain it.

7. Whom would you like to feature with?

Monster Magnet

8. Whom not?

We always enjoy sharing the stage with other bands but of course, if you put us on a show with folk rock band and cover band, we say “No thanks”

9. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Yes, it happened to me and the reason was that I was giving that show more importance than it had. Stage fright can be paralyzing and make your show bad. The trick is: think that people are there to have fun, and they want to see an entertainer having fun. So relax, enjoy yourself and your performance.

10. What bands have inspired you the most?

We belong from the same era, as we became musicians during the 90s and we listened to the new music of that time (grunge, metal, stoner) but also the music that inspired those bands. So to name a few: Black Sabbath, Rush, Kyuss, Alice in Chains, Led Zeppelin, Melvins, Sonic Youth, Nirvana And more “recent”: QOTSA, Muse, Clutch

11. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Once we were asked in the middle of our set if we could play a song from the band “In Extremo”

12. What do you think of your fans?

We think our fans base is made up of people that are very similar to us. Full-time workers, Teenagers of the 90s, little bit nerdy and with a true love for music in every single aspect.

13. What do you think of our site?

We liked it a lot, especially because it writes about so different genres. It’s a great magazine well designed and easy to read. It’s a pleasure being interviewed by you.

14. Something add?

We can’t wait for this crisis to be over and being able to continue with all the band-related things we had to put on standby. We were writing the full length, we were working on a video and we had a juicy live show schedule we had to cancel. We invite your readers to connect with us through our social profiles or through the mailing list. Stay home, stay safe.