LA PIOVRA interview 2006

Interview conducted via email with guitar player Marco during dec. '06. Originally featured in PM#5.

Perro: Since you've never answered to the LADM interview I sent you a couple of years ago, now you are forced to let me know why the hell did you break up so early? You were supposed to release a full length, touring etc...damn it, I still consider LADM one of the best italian bands from the '00s!! Is there any chance to bring it back to life?

Marco: No way...we are all busy with many other projects, we live in different places and now we have also different ideas...

Perro: Well, at least there's La Piovra now that seems to follow more or less the same direction...do you see any kind of connection between them?

Marco: I hope you are the last person that asks me that question!! The biggest connection is that both Alberto and I, we used to play in LADM and Marco had played with us in the last days just before we broke up. Some La Piovra tunes I wrote were rehearsed also by LADM and were supposed to be in the lp. I think La Piovra has a more punk rock feeling, less direct and simple and also less influenced by old school hc comparred to LADM.

Perro: La Piovra (which means "The Octopus") is definitely an original and weird name for a punk/hc band. How did you come up with it? Does it have something to do with mafia?

Marco: We came up with the name while we were having a break during rehearsal...we wanted an italian word followed by "boys", so it was "la piovra boys"...then it simply turned into "La Piovra". Of course we are involved with mafia but also with la piovra as an animal. Not to mention that the octopus is always the classic sea monster used in adventure/ pirates movies that we all love so much...

Perro: In your early days you described La Piovra as a mix of Life's Halt and Elvis Presley. After hearing a few samples I can only agree with that brilliant description since there's more than a r'n'r vibe in your dc fueled hc. How would you describe it today?

Marco: Let's call it hc/punk dressed with a good dose of rock, sometimes it's more 60s' garage and the others 70s' hard rock.

Perro: If I remember well, you had a serious car accident while you were on the way for recording your first studio session...

Marco: Yes, during our first long studio session our car was hitten in the back by another car. Half of the instruments were destroyed, as well as our necks. Luckily we got some money from it. Anyhow, that session was endless! Thanx to the car crash, a lost DAT and various health problems, we were thinking to stop La Piovra...

Perro: Your first release is going to be a one sided 12" on Youth Attack! How did you get in touch with them? You told me it's going to be a very deluxe release...

Marco: The 12" officially came out during early november. I simply sent the tracks to Mr. McCoy who immediately wrote back and offered us to put something out. In the classic Youth Attack tradition, it's a very deluxe edition: 4 colours artwork, no labels on the lp and one side is screen printed. First press on tan wax with gold ink, second press on clear wax with black ink. Both drawings are tentacles, of course.

Perro: There's also a 7" on Punk Before Profits...

Marco: The 7" has just been released for the american tour we just did during december, 1000 copies pressed. There's a limited tour edition as well as a mailorder one.

Perro: You just did a US tour during december. How was it?

Marco: The tour was great, even better than I expected. Our 12" was released just a month before we arrived, so a lot of people didn't know us but lot of people came to see us and bought the 12" and the new 7". We played with tons of excellent bands, including Government Warning, Cloak Dagger, Double Negative and Dustheads. We also played a couple of time with xBrainiax, we already met their drummer Lucas during the Ohuzaru tour (he was in Threatener). Awesome band, and nice people as well! We've been lucky even with the weather: we avoided snow and the 20th of Dicember I was in New York wearing a jeans jacket! If I could, I'll go on another tour tomorrow, ehehehe!

 
Perro: Talking about your other band Ohuzaru, are you still active or is dead again?

Marco: Now Ohuzaru aren't my main goal since La Piovra has maximum priority at this moment and it would be hard to keep both active. Anyhow, Ohuzaru are not dead but just have gone on hybernation...

Perro: We first got in touch thanks to the passion that we share about japanese hc, which is not something very popular here. Is there any cool new jap band that you would suggest us?

Marco: well...to tell the truth lately I've put aside my passion for japanese hardcore, there are not so many good bands around...I'm still a big fan of Jellyroll Rockheads, early Razor's Edge, Sprouts and some old bands like Gauze and Deathside but I'm not into new bands that are doing the old school thing (except for Crude, Etae and few others).

Perro: I know you have a huge records collection. Do you have any super rare records that everyone want to steal from your collection? What are your all time fave lps and 7"s?

Marco: The best 7" ever is Koro "700 club" without any doubt , I'll never be tired of it. Unfortunately I don't own the original, I have only the bootleg and the official reprint on Sorry State. I own lots of records but I don't consider myself a true collectionist, I don't think I've payed more than 60 € for a rare record that I love...

Perro: Sometimes I'm scared when I think that almost all punks think and look in the same way and have all the same ideas ect...I mean, isn't it just becoming another subculture with its own rules where people just conform with passivity to  the "punk law" without thinking too much about it? Don't you think a bit more of individuality would be welcomed?

Marco: I think you are right, it seems that a lot of people don't have enough time to think and choose by themselves what's wrong and what's right, they simply let their punk friend condition them. Just think how many vegetarian/ vegan we have in the scene and how many stop to be in that way when they drop out.

Perro: What's your worst nightmare?

Marco: Being buried alive...I dream it frequently and I'm quite disturbed by this...

Perro: What are you doing in your daily routine apart from music?

Marco: I'm a supply teacher in the elementary school and during summertime I work for Biennale di Venezia. These are the only jobs that allow me to go on tour a couple of times a year! Bigli is a joiner, Fede is still studying, Mattia is an electrician and -marco is always working in different factories.

Perro: Other plans for the future?

Marco: Doing a lp and playing around as much as we can! There are lots of places to visit all around the globe and tons of great people to meet.

Perro: Thanx for your time Marco, hope you've enjoyed answering my boring questions. Conclude with some words of wisdom.

Marco: Thanx Raffa for the interview, this time we did it! See ya around. To get in touch: slyactions@hotmail.com or www.myspace.com/lapiovra