Interview with Motel Transylvania

1)What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

I approached music as a child my father was a musician and I have always "breathed" creativity and art since early childhood. I couldn't imagine my life without music, I probably couldn't (or wouldn't) live without it. Music has always been a friend/enemy to tell everything to, someone who is always there, even when everyone else leaves.

2)What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

Much of my writing comes from travelling, long night journeys are a very strong source of inspiration. Finding myself in new places with different cultures leads me to ask myself many questions which I often pour onto paper.

3)How long has your band been around?

The band has been on the scene for almost 10 years. 10 long and intense years of changes, research and sacrifices. But now we are here, we have found what we can call our sound, our new skin or simply a new beginning.

4)Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We live in Italy in a small town on the Ligurian coast. Let's say that this city had very little influence on the path of the project. The provincial mentality is very restrictive for us, we are not comfort zone people, the world is too vast and varied to live behind the veil of Maya.

5)How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Well, I would really like to give you an answer that is somehow poetic, sophisticated or interesting but, as I was telling you, the project was born completely for fun. I was alone in my room, listening to Transylvania 90210 by Wednesday 13 and nothing, I picked up some improvised instruments, recorded a track and uploaded it to YouTube using the name Motel Transylvania. So no, no poetry this time.

6)Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Every show was memorable in some way, from the small pub to the big festival. However, I can tell you that seeing friends leave Italy to follow us to Malta, Germany or around Europe is one of the things that remain most indelible. The live dimension is absolutely our natural habitat, feeling the contact with the audience, breaking the wall between stage and fans is always something that makes every show truly special as if it were the first.

7)What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

It would be very difficult to tell you just one venue, I could say that festivals in general are the stages we like the most. I could mention festivals like Dark Malta, Burning Pants, Black Mountain and so on, but the list would be truly endless. As for the stages we would like to play in future, I can undoubtedly mention M'era Luna and Amphi but, clearly, there is no stage where we wouldn't like to bring our music

8)If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

This is really difficult, each of us has very different idols and bands of inspiration, so I don't feel like giving you any names. However, we would like a Line Up made up of people with whom we can share good vibes, experiences and something beautiful together on the same level.

9)What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Give yourself a goal and experience it as if it were a sphere made of glass. Pay attention to every detail, every moment beyond what is happening around you. If you want something, deserve it and take it with your own strength, no one will ever give you anything. And last but not least, don't be an asshole to others.

10)If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

Don't waste your time, follow the advice I gave to the young boy above.

11)Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Without a doubt "Rise And Fall", there is all of me in that song. In every word there is a sleepless night, in every scream an unspoken word and in every note a bag of memories as heavy as stones.

12)Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

"Generation Lost" is not just the title track of the new album, it is a real Mantra, it is pure energy, hundreds of voices that become one, it is something that goes beyond time and the generational concept as we perceive it. "Generation Lost" is our keystone to make every barrier that divides us from our people collapse

13)What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

The compositional part comes mainly from Fish and Taison (bass and guitar), they take care of the musical part and the preparation of the pre-productions, subsequently we work on the rhythm section. We always try to create a strong contrast between a solid, compact sound and wide-ranging melodic lines. Each song is born from different research, combinations and, obviously, the contribution of the musical background of each member of the project.

14)What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Awareness, finding and rediscovering the most unconscious part of ourselves. Give yourself a chance, a chance to make mistakes, to get involved and make up for the mistakes you've made. It is a message of realistic and disenchanted conscious hope

15)Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Well, we spend more time arguing than playing, we are like overly apprehensive parents of an equally clumsy child. We are people with different opinions, backgrounds and personalities, it is normal to argue and clash. But you love your family even when things are difficult.

16)What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We have lots of dates planned around Europe and we will play our first show in England. In the meantime we have already started working on some new tracks and some little surprises for our fans.