8-IS
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 7th February 2011.
Italian band 8-Is have a brand new album out, so we thought we'd catch up with front man Marcello Catalano Malcoun to find out what makes him tick...
Hi Marcello, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Marcello: Hi Jon! Nice to meet you! Everything's cool, hope you are too!
What’s the history behind 8-IS? How did the band form, and what’s the background of the various members?
Marcello: Well, that's a very "American" history... In March 2009 a colleague, drummer Franco Casini, got a foreign business man to listen to a CD in which I sang for a Journey tribute band. The man liked my voice so much he decided to produce me. At that time I had no band and, as Franco was playing drums in a Europe cover band with all great musicians, I convinced them to record the album. I had need of four musicians that they had gotten used to playing together in harmony, and they were perfect.
Who were the early influences? Do you all have similar listening tastes?
Marcello: Yes, of course I wanted musicians with the same early influences as me. I wanted to create an honest album , not a commercial one! We all have similar listening tastes. I'm talking about AOR 80's bands such as Survivor, Boston, Chicago, Journey, Foreigner, Bad English, The Eagles and so on...
Did you know what sort of sound 8-IS was destined to have at the start, or has it developed a lot since you began?
Marcello: I grow up listening to the bands I just mentioned and I've been a professional singer for 20 years . For new album "Frame of us" I wrote brand new songs but also re-arranged some old songs I wrote years ago. We definitely wanted a 1980s sound all along.
How would you actually describe your sound to somebody who hadn’t heard you before?
Marcello: If there's somebody who loves 1980s AOR melodic songs, "Frame of us" is the right album!
How did the band’s name come about? What’s the meaning behind it?
Marcello: As you could imagine "8-IS" is just another way of saying Eighties. Very simple, very straight forwards.
You have a new album called “Frame Of Us” out. How long did it take to write and record? Was the process enjoyable, hard work, or a combination thereof?
Marcello: "Frame of us" is the first 8-IS album. It took two months to record and almost the same amount of time to be mixed and mastered.
The studio sessions were great fun. The engineer who recorded the album, Mauro Munzi at Acme Studios, is a very good friend and a great drummer too. Marco De Angelis, who mixed the album, is also a very good friend of mine and a fantastic professional. We have all known each other a long time and it's been very enjoyable working together.
How do you go about writing your songs? Talk us through the construction of a typical track...
Marcello: I'm a vocalist and composer. I write many songs, some in Italian too. I think the melody is the most important thing in a song. When you meet someone you first look into his eyes to understand a little of him. Melody is a song's eyes.
My opinion is that during the last 20 years musicians have been giving more importance to the virtuosity rather than to the melody. The result has been: many good musicians, few good songs.
When I write a song I try to sing something that could immediately touch me, excite me, and is easy to understand. Those who buy and listen to music are not all musicians!
Where do you look for your lyrical and musical writing ideas?
Marcello: Everywhere I go I have with me my cell phone with which I can record everything that passes through my mind.
It depends on how I feel. Hard days make me write songs like "The Final Curtain", happy days songs like "Fallin' In Your Eyes". When I'm in love (unfortunately very rarely) I compose "On And On"...
Is there a story/theme running through the songs, or is it more a collection of standalone moments?
Marcello: It's a collection of standalone moments, of feelings sometimes shared with other musicians.
Do you do anything special or unusual in the studio to get your sound?
Marcello: I try not to laugh too much. It destroys my vocal chords!!!! ( L.O.L.)
Before recording I try to sleep sufficiently, I drink a lot of water, I don't smoke (I have never smoked in my life) and I eat 2 hours before singing.
What pieces of equipment (or recording gizmos) couldn’t you live without?
Marcello: A piano. I need to play it and sing every time to feel good.
Are there any particular tracks you rate highly, or is it all brilliant?
Marcello: I personally love "If You Turn Around". "Back To You" is a very personal song dedicated to Morocco, the place where I grow up when I was a child with my mom who was the Consul of Italy.
Do you enjoy the whole studio/creative experience, or do you prefer getting up on the live stage?
Marcello: You can't be a good musician and feel complete if you don't enjoy both. Studio is reflection, live is instinct. You need both, in life and in show business.
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Marcello: Well, I think fans do not want to be tricked. You have to be honest on stage and be able to do live what you did on your album. The live sound also has to be the same as the one you hear when you listen to the album.
What have been the highlights and lowlights of your musical lives so far?
Marcello: Well, I've been very lucky. I have done so many things. I'm a stuntman too!
I had the chance to share the stage with Carl Anderson during the 2000 Jesus Christ Superstar tour in which I played the role of Hannas and Jesus. Carl ( R.I.P.) had been the best and only Judas (watch the movie) of all time. I've been a musical performer for many years. Theatre teaches you more than anything else.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Marcello: Nothing else, thanks. I love talking about my album and you gave me the chance to do it in an exhaustive way. Thanks.
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Marcello: Actually I'm writing new songs for the next album.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Marcello: Yes, thanks. For professional and personal reasons the line up of the band who helped me record "Frame Of Us" has been changed. Actually I'm preparing the live show with four new great musicians. A great new band!!!!!
Thanks for your time...
Marcello: Thank you for the opportunity! Stay tuned. Marcello "Malcoun" Catalano.
Thanks again to Marcello for his time.
