Interviews: Bad Bones

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band, Bad Bones from Italy. 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?

Steve: our moniker has a long story: a friends band called DB Killers had a concert to do but little repertoire, so they asked me, lele and mekk to do some covers before them, we were not a band yet, we played in different bands, mekk had never been a singer, had never thought of do it, but anyway we accepted the proposal and we did two rehearsals, in those two rehearsals something magical happened and we wrote 6 original songs, 5 of which were included in our first album. when we played those songs live, the response was exciting, but when they asked us what the band was called, we realized we hadn't thought of the name, so I replied "Sin City" which was the title of the movie I had seen the night before. the following week we were in the rehearsal room and I was reading the lyrics of the songs to the band, Lele looked at me and said: "hey! you put all your skeletons in the closet in these songs" and I spontaneously said to him "Bad Bones! that's the name !!" it was perfect for us!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Lele: the band was formed with the aim of doing covers before a friend's band, it was supposed to be something impromptu, not a real band with the aim of doing tours and records, so we didn't ask ourselves the problem of genre, all the songs were born very quickly, and we liked them that way: simple, direct and powerful! our punk soul was liberated and it was wonderful to experience that freedom it gave you from the point of view of the approach to composition! it's not us who chose the genre, but it was the music that came out that made us understand which direction to take.

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

Steve: Lele and I are brothers, we started playing together as kids, then we split up, I ended up playing metal for almost 15 years and lele changed several bands in the more garage/grunge genre. I first met Mekk when he was a kid and played in a Dream Theater cover band, years later I met him in a musical instrument store, he had changed, he had long hair, boots, and that worn rocker air that still has! We ended up talking about music, with my band at the time, Anthenora, we were looking for a guitarist and so he joined the band, when we formed Bad Bones we were still in Anthenora together and Lele played in Mirsie. But in an instant, during that first rehearsal, we realized that the only thing we really wanted was to finally have our own band!

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Mekk: I love Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin but also Malmsteen, Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice in Chains, and Celtic Frost. Lele loves Kiss, Iron Maiden, Guns'n'Roses, Motley Crue but also Nirvana and Pearl Jam and in Italy on all Matia Bazar, Steve is a huge fan of Iron Maiden, Motorhead, AC/DC, but also Therapy? and Faith No More.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Steve: our songs are produced instantly, like a pizza: you prepare the base, season it with the ingredients you want, put it in the oven and it's ready. We can even write 3/4 songs in one evening, then in the following days we listen to them and if they are valid we keep them, otherwise, we start from scratch. the lyrics are born together with the song, they are then refined and put in order, but the melody and the meter arrive together with everything else. what can I say, there isn't something in particular that inspires us, we play and let ourselves be carried away by the sound, and everything else follows as a consequence.

6. Where was your last gig?

Mekk: our last show before entering the studio to record "Hasta el Final!" it was in Konstanz in Germany, at the Backstage Club, a club that we particularly love, I like to think that the beautiful vibes of that evening shaped the sound of the album.

7. Where would you like to act?

Lele: Over the years we have been lucky enough to play halfway around the world, from the States to Russia, through half of Europe, playing in historic clubs such as the Whiskey a go in West Hollywood, we are happy to take our music everywhere, but if I had to choose a country among those we have not visited I would say Japan.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Steve: I had the immense good fortune to share the stage with Nicko mc Brain, drummer of Iron Maiden, for 5 tours between 2002 and 2005, it was great to play with him and from this point of view, I personally realized my childhood dream. But if I had the choice, the best would be to collaborate with Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters.

9. Whom not?

Mekk: there are no people we wouldn't collaborate with, music is exchange, and fun and we are also open to artists even if they make genres completely different from ours, we are not a band that says no, even just out of curiosity to see what comes out.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Lele: we are lucky not to take ourselves too seriously and at the same time we are very sure of ourselves as a band. we're not afraid of making mistakes, we just want to have fun on stage, that's the important thing, our Punk soul always saves us. I remember the first time we played at the Whiskey a go go, we were incredulous and excited to find ourselves there, a glorious venue, where all the biggest rock bands have played, from the Doors to Van Halen to G'n'R, we were the dressing room to decide the set list and Mekk insists on inserting a new song, never played live and, above all, without the lyrics of the verses. I told him, what are you singing, you don't have the words, and he replied that he would sing in fake English, that the song was too good not to play at the Whiskey and so it was. Final result? people enjoyed the show thinking we were from Texas and that song (and that story) was soo good that gave the title to our second album "A Family Affair". I feel like saying to beginners, don't take yourself too seriously, and have fun playing, the stage is your friend!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Steve: when I write a song I always have the Beatles in mind, that simple but still effective way of writing: verse, bridge, chorus, and then The Ramones, Motorhead, and AC/DC for the power and rhythmic sense, for the riffs that hit hard. They seem like distant worlds but they have the same musical root i.e. the rock'n'roll of the origins, Lemmy, Johhny Ramone, and Angus grew up with that music! We feel very connected to this artistic vision.

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

Lele: The craziest thing happened in Russia, at the end of a concert the club manager was so happy with the evening that he took a Kalashnikov and asked us to go out with him to fire a few shots to celebrate the sold out! if you don't try to shoot a Kalashnikov you can't say you've been to Russia! It was a wonderful night!

13. What do you think of your fans?

Mekk: our rock'n'roll is based on a sense of belonging, our fans are our family in the world, they help and support us on tours, not only by coming to concerts and buying merchandising but also by hosting us and giving us contacts to book shows, many of them have become brothers and great friends, and our tour is an excuse to reunite the family from Los Angeles to Moscow (when possible) and expand it at each stop.

14. What do you think of our site?

Steve: I really like your site and above all the fact that you give space to underground bands. For us, who don't have the big means of Sony or Universal, it's very important to find visibility on sites like this and to promote our music.

15. Something to add?

Lele: thank you so much for the interview and the space you gave us! Stay tuned to our social pages @badbonesband on Facebook and @badbones_official on Instagram for all the news and concerts! countdown to March 17th! release date of our sixth album "Hasta el Final!"