Loosely tied to punk ideology and hardcore scene of all kinds, DIY ethic has gained popularity across all musical genres and there are literally thousands of bands that call themselves DIY punk / hardcore rebels, mostly because of the evolution of the Web and its tools that make promotion and booking much easier. Not every band with a DIY in their bio description note stays socially and politically aware though. What’s extremely ecouraging is that are still a lot of artists that I meet along the way that are constantly trying to provide the tools and knowledge needed for the listeners to understand how world works, and how to look critically at what you find on the Internet and on television. CARNERO, a relatively new band with some friends/family ties to RAEIN and LA QUIETE, is one of such artists and I am stoked to give you my interview with the band, telling their story, describing their local scene and dropping a couple of lines on politics. read the full piece below.
Hi Gianmaria! Thanks so much for reaching out with your amazing band and taking some time with my webzine! Italy is probably one of the top most featured countries in my Interviews section. I really need to browse it and pop out the real figure, but with the total number of 500+ interviews conducted over the last couple of years, there are at least 40 bands from Italy (not to mention dozens of them featured in other sections of my blog). How do you position CARNERO in your national and local punk scenes? Tell me about a bit about your background, experience and CARNERO’s place within Italian hardcore punk territories.
Hi Karol! First off, thanks for the kind words.
Italy always had an awesome punk scene, especially our town Forlì.
CARNERO have been around only for a while but we generated quite a bit of attention nationally, since we all play or have played in other bands that toured all over Italy.
We are already setting up a lot of shows for the upcoming autumn and it feels great.
As I said it just feels fine to fit in this huge Italian hardcore “scene” lately. Lots of people are getting back to DIY ethic, booking shows all over Italy. You can see this in our town,but also in Venice or Turin.
What other bands have you been part of? Is CARNERO your only active project now?
Enrico, our singer plays guitar in LETORMENTA, and played in ILMALE and ROID (te latter with Michele from RAEIN singing).
Both Damiano and Marco play in ABATON, and I play in LAMBS, DEMENTIA SENEX and fill in on bass for ABATON when their bass player isn’t around. CARNERO is definitely not our only active band, ahaha.
(Also, ABATON and LAMBS are currently searching for shows for their EU tour scheduled for next October, hit us up if you can help us out!)
How do you have time for other activities when you give so much to your bands? Unless you’re living off of music, how do you balance your music-related work and your family and “normal” day jobs?
Gianmaria: Well,I have to admit that I’m pretty lucky,since I’m just 17 years old and I’m still attending school,so I can just put all my effort in my bands and in music in general. With no job,the hardest part for me is finding money to fund tours and albums, but I always work out something.
Enrico: For me it has always been hard to balance.I have various jobs that keep my busy most of the day,especially in summer, since I’m also a farmer. In spite of this, I’ve always been able to dovetail everything, even if until now I’ve never toured for more than 4 days in a row and I never had more than 2 active bands at the same time. CARNERO may just be the right band to have fun and play everywhere with! A small note: WORK FUCKING SUCKS!
Ha! DIY, huh? Do you have a specific goal for this band? Concept and lyrics-wise, do you have some kind of a mission, or at least a coherent, core story to tell through your recordings?
Gianmaria: I’d say that our main goal as of now is to play as much as possible, have fun and let out all the negativity we absorb everyday. The music sounds genuinely pissed because we have something to say I guess.
Lyrics for the first EP were written by the old singer Silvio, and they are basically about the social issues going on in Italy… Politicians are liars, the church still controls pretty much everyone, a country that was famous for its food culture is now swallowed by consumerism. It isn’t really a concept, but the themes all revolve around that. Italian citizens are slaves.
There are thousands of young people complaining about their domestic politicians, but only a few decide to actually act and at least try to make a change around them. Why don’t you set up a party and put up a leader for the government? How can you REALLY change a society if not through big impactful politics?
Enrico: I have a strong anarchic background, so I don’t really recognize the authority of anyone over me, being him a politician or any other kind of person. I stand for balance and equality in interpersonal relationships.
Institutional politics are based on supremacy, both in a republic and in a dictatorship and the only basic difference is the hidden use of violence rather than it being used openly. Personally, I could never be a politician or part of a party, simply because I don’t recognize their authority. They are just strangers to me.
Anyhow, I have to deal with those institutions because I was born and raised inside this society, and if I want to keep on living a certain kind of life along with my family I have to live by (some of) these rules.This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t destroy them right now if I had the chance.
What’s the alternative to the current rotten system then?
Enrico: Sadly,there are very little alternatives, because this kind of hegemonic, occidental global society doesn’t allow the developement of others. There are few possibilities, like small independent communities or small, isolated villages in agricultural contexts. This is clearly the only way to achieve long term sustainability.
Does it mean you’re planning to leave the city at some point?
Enrico: Actually it’s pretty much the opposite! I tried leaving the country side, but in around 6 months I realized that being a farmer I couldn’t leave the places I love and that make me feel good, so I moved back there. That’s just where I belong, the city has got nothing for me.
Ok guys, so what are your next steps with the band. Tell me about your recording and touring plans.
Gianmaria: As of now we’re writing for the next release. So far we have 3 songs ready, and we all like them a lot. We’re also booking shows in Italy for the next season and we’re planning to tour Europe in June 2016!
Great! Thanks a lot for your first update for IDIOTEQ and be sure to let me know about your future endevours! The last words are yours. Cheers from Poland!
Gianmaria: Thanks for your interest and your time! We enjoyed this interview a lot and dig the way IDIOTEQ works! Take care and hear you soon, hopefully it won’t take long till our next update!
