THE NEXT BIG THING! CASTAWAYS ROAMING

Tell me about the story of the band!
Our project started almost four years ago, a bit ‘by chance, but especially for the strong need to express our inner world. We already knew, we were playing in local bands active in our area, groups rather different in genres and proposed style. But talking, and deepening the attendance, it is even more emerged the desire to see us in a different way than what we had done so far, that does not put in first place to follow fashions or genres designed desk. At the heart of our project one thing was immediately clear: have a message to send, something to say, profound. This for us is still the fundamental point that pushes us in the rehearsal room every week to create new music. Given this, it turned to define how we wanted to accompany what our band wanted to communicate and transmit. The sound has been refined over time, trial and error, taking apart the various ideas, and put them together as in a contaminated crazy puzzle. As time passed, we realized that words and music were inseparable, important to form a single cohesive and accurate. And to do this, we’ve had the need to take the necessary time. We weren’t still in those years, we played much, we were confronted with people close to us and insiders, and we’re closed in the rehearsal room to get out of it only when we were sure to get our hands on what we wanted. And now we are here. What we now hear on the CD, in our view represents ourselves in its entirety.

What did you do in the last six months?
In the last six months we have focused primarily on our CD recording. When we thought the time was right to do it and the songs were ready, we looked around and we chose to work with Andrea Maglia, a talented producer who plays in the Italian band Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti. The choice was the right one! Among us there was immediately feeling; Andrea is a great producer, gave us many valuable tips and work during recording and post-production was incredible. We are proud of what we have created and what our band is today.

Why have you chosen this name for your band?
The name of our band wants to represent who we are and the deeper meaning of our musical production. We feel “Castaways” because we do not have a clear direction, we set ourselves no limits, we experience both as regards the musical parts both for the topics covered in our lyrics. We try to investigate the deeper and hidden side of our inner life. And to do that, we wander and “roam” aimlessly in search of our real identity, as people and as musicians.

How important is the look/appearance for your band?
We strongly believe that the appearance of a band should never be underestimated. But the look is not to be simply the desire to follow a particular fashion and should not hide what the band really is or means. At the center there are the music, the message that a band wants to share, and as a result is the style, which must necessarily be linked to the overall picture that we want to give of ourselves. Personally, our music production is quite aggressive and melancholy, so we try to create, even in the live show, a setting of this kind, and we dress accordingly to that general mood.

Tell us about the new LP “The Middle End”. Are you fully satisfied with it?
The recording represents ourselves in total way. We are really happy about it, it is what we wanted and so we took the right time to create it. It took us a bit ‘of time, it is true, but before there was an important background to be consolidated. The direction to take, the harmony, the right sound that expressed what we say in the songs. Both during processing of the record and before, we tried to bring attention to the details: the arrangements, the vocal parts, the lyrics. In our view, in “The Middle End” it feels this care. Or at least it would be so. Speaking of sound, it is a rough hard recording, angry, that wants to give a slap in the face to those who listen, that wants to describe the deep moods of our stomach. But at the same time, it wants to do it with the melancholy and the the realization that even when you shout something, you might not even be heard. The melody has its importance, especially in forming these inner scenarios, but at the same time, there are strong riffs that are part of our musical world. Then, we would like the listeners did a personal impression of the entire recording, and perhaps sharing the opinions with us. Basically we believe music is this, and in each of us different sounds and styles can awaken different emotions and moods; is the true power of music, in fact.

Which is the highest point of the LP?
It ‘s hard to choose a precise point in the recording. We believe that, in general, there are many moments of adrenaline alternating with other melancholy, desperate rage ones. This is the real strength of the recording, which can be heard from beginning to end. We really like to say that at the core of our music there are also the lyrics. So it is. The lyrics and words for us are fundamental and should be closely linked to sound, in a whole that has the ability to create a very specific soundscape. We tried to deal never trivial issues, it was natural, and the tension fell on the choice of words and concepts equally sought after. In the lyrics we talk about anxiety, loneliness, defeat. But there is also a great desire for revenge, which led him to not passively accept daily events, but to react to these with force and decision, with ravenous desire. We are interested in talking about this with the words. And through these, in our view, you can get to really understand what a band wants to say and give to those who listen. Commercial products with lyrics and music that just seem to come from an assembly line doesn’t represent our vision of music, they kill the creativity and the care that so many groups put into their work.

How would you define your sound?
Strong, angry, powerful, yet melodic, melancholy, thoughtful, empathetic. We hope that all of this comes out from our recording.

Alternative rock. Describe for me this word! And what do you think, is a good compromise to describe your style?
The alternative rock today is a large cauldron in which many bands are inserted. And after all, perhaps, this remains: a label stuck to him from other musicians and professionals. Personally we started working on our project not having a clear idea of the kind we undertook, we tried so much and at the end we found our direction. Certainly, in us you can hear echoes of what we would call themselves “alternative rock”, but more than on the definitions we like to focus on what we want to say, of what We bring forth, for better or for worse, to our listeners. It ‘also important to the way we say things, the sound, which was born by himself, unconsciously, when we started to play. Our musical tastes are well reflected in the record, however, we would like to make music in a “Castaways way”, rather than “similar to …”, although this is still inevitable, somehow. What drives a band to approach “alternative rock”? Perhaps the name itself is the reason. This genre allows you to take the liberty to roam and experience. The challenge, in our view, it is also this. Ultimately, our style is hybrid, contaminated by various kinds of music, not perfectly definable in a few words

Which bands have influenced your style?
The sources from which to draw inspiration are many and varied. As we have said, each of us comes from different musical styles. In our journey, we have tried to combine as much as possible these influences, and with work and passion it came naturally, without force. Surely we start from the grunge. In our adolescence we consumed over and over the Nirvana and Pearl Jam records, and related groups. From them we took the destructive rage, the sense of emptiness and fear of a generation with no reference points. Even the alternative rock genre of late 90’s and early millennium inspired (Deftones, for example) Also bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead gave us great insipration, both musically and as regards the drafting of the lyrics. For the vocal line, we take many styles of emo, the real one, mid 90s, stars and stripes: The Get Up Kids in first place. For the melodies, we look at the band more “hybrid” and “pop rock”, such as My Chemical Romance and Paramore. We think that also the italian alternative/indie find space inside our own compositions.; but what we would like to say is that we are the Castaways Roaming, and we want to be strongly ourselves. When we compose our own music we get not around a table and say “okay, now we do a song that looks like …”; our music comes naturally to us, without force or special investigations. And that’s the beauty, what keeps us original and true to the root.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
…a place where we can really be ourselves, where every aspect of life is linked with the art, the music, the beauty of the world, with deep feelings inside of us. And with a stage always available, with equipment already mounted, ready for “plug and play”.

What song is in your head right now?
Alessandro (vocals and bass): “Close to home” – The Get Up Kids
Santo (guitar and choirs): “Gold in the air of summer” – Kings of Convenience
Simone (drums): “The ghost of you” – My Chemical Romance
…but many other songs are quickly passed through our heads now as we were writing these!

What do you think about your local music scene?
We believe that the Italian local music scene is still alive. But it is not always easy to find clubs willing to get you playing here. We must deal with these difficulties and not to be discouraged. No one said to be the easiest thing in the world. The music industry and has in it people who want to live with this work, and then think with quite specific market logic. But too often, unfortunately, many folks forget the band, which are the necessary element without which nothing could be created. We would not do any kind of controversy, but in our opinion the mere logic of revenues is the death of art as the music. We are not so naive, money is an unavoidable aspect, but who wants to produce a band or call some guys playing in a club, must consider the effort that a local band do to try to be known. Fortunately, there are still people and clubs who think this way, and that’s where we like to propose, and is always there that we have played and will play. The underground is alive and well, and it must not be afraid or stop, but keep trying.
We believe that all together we can form a virtuous network, that’s how we move.

What is the most embarrassing situation you’ve ever been with Castaways Roaming?
Oh well! There was an awkward situation once. We were playing in a club in our area, but according to manager our volumes were too high. We are not interested in this, and we kept playing as if nothing had happened. At one point, everything goes out: instruments, lights, music. It was the club’s manager that had detached the electrical current to make us stop playing. Needless to say, when the light came back, we removed everything and we left without saying a word, but pretending our cache. Music needs the right volume, pussy!

Have you got a good reason to be in Behind Magazine?
We think we are a band that has a message to share, something to say, an inner world that wants to come out forcefully. We believe in what we do, and what interests us most is to create union, art, connections. We believe that anyone who thinks that way needs spaces like yours. So Behind Magazine, host ourselves on your pages and you will not regret!

More on: https://www.facebook.com/CastawaysRoaming/