Imagine Pearl Jam playing Nirvana while listening to the Doors. Here, you got the sound of Overdose: rattling guitar, drums and bass ubiquitous multi-faceted, recalling the trio of Aberdeen, Eddie Wedder voice to young, all refined and embellished with rounds to spare keyboard that sometimes give a cut sixties, others a prog, while others play the role, in an original way, of a second guitar. Thus the slap given by distortions alternates to the caress of the keys whites and blacks, alternation also reflected in the genre. The fact Overdose (name to pronounce Italian imperative!) pointing straight to the heart, with a direct style that can suggest songs to be angry and violent, atmospheric melancholy rock ballads, sometimes all within the same piece. It’s here that we see the greatest influence of the progressive genre: in addition to the presence of the keyboard, witness the songs from the structure much more complex and longer than the classic Seattle Sound. Which, I would say, shows that grunge is not dead, but is only matured. Define alternative rock is something that still can be restrictive.
THE INTERVIEW
When and how did this group? The group was formed in late 2006 by the need to create new music. At first there were only Stefano and Lorenzo, then in January 2007 joined Nicola, and finally in September arrived Alessandro.
CD / demo / ep assets? In December 2007 we recorded our first demo, containing 7 pieces, while in 2009 we recorded our first ep, 4 pieces. Our goal was to sell at least 100 copies of this EP for the price of 2 euros, to self-finance a second recording of other 4 pieces, in order to gain a cd from 8 or 9 songs.
Concerts assets? Since the band is complete, by two years, thirty concerts.
In your songs is very strong component grunge or even punk. How did the idea of the keyboard? Alessandro arrived that the group was already firmly in place, but the songs were still in their raw state. We needed a work arrangement. It was not easy for the keyboard in this genre, we made sleepless nights trying to find the right combination! Now we’re to the point that this instrument is essential to our music, and is perhaps the element that makes it so special and so “our”.
What is your music, from musical point of view and that of texts? Musically we aim to free expression. From the perspective of the texts we always start from our experienced, the experiences we shared in these years together, or from situations that we happen to observe in everyday. Only on one occasion we wrote a policy document, with regard to the theory “plot” of the attack on the Twin Towers, “but this is an isolated case: we think that politics and music should remain two separate domains.
We talk about the situation in the area of Monza and Brianza …Quite a disaster …a rubbish…
What do you mean? Until a few years ago in our area there was a movement of groups and a much more active solidarity, almost a brotherhood, which over time has been lost. Unfortunately. Now that applies the culture of fun and money, and not the “culture if culture”, the groups care only about appearance and not to play. They are, therefore, any group “playing hard to get” and not playing in a room if not to their liking, otherwise only a cover band.
How do you find the dates for the live shows? We go door to door, so to speak. We introduce ourselves in a room, leave the demo if requested and we agree on a date. Hardly we use other knowledge. For a genre like ours is not easy find places to play, but acting in this way has, in most cases, produced results.
Can you think of the possible solutions to this problem? Yes, the solution would be simply a change in the music scene, namely to provide more facilities and more tools to help groups that offer original parts.
by Ilaria Dambrosio
Translation by Stef (forgive my mistakes!)
NA – GREEN – BESTAND – MAYBE
