Five Ways To Nowhere

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Five Ways To Nowhere is a powerful blend of loud guitars, aggressive and groovy riffs, a scratchy voice with catchy melodies all driven by a lethal rhythm section.

Interview conducted on Dec. 06, 2020

By Dan Locke

Their music is a mix of Hard Rock and Metal that creates an explosive and melodic sound in the wake of bands like Halestorm, Guano Apes, Papa Roach and others.

Fabio Brunetti -Drums
Dario Orlando -Guitar
Matteo “Teo” Lassandro-Guitar
Charlotte S-Vocals
Silvia “Sixbass” Casetta-Bass

What is your upbringing?

Matteo “Teo” Lassandro: I raised up in Torino, Italy in a middle-class family. My parents and my sister weren’t music lovers, but I was fascinated by some records my grandfather had in his collection. There were Beatles and Rolling Stones albums and I fell in love with those sounds.

How did you discover music?

My grandfather’s collection was the very first step, but I was amazed by a band a schoolmate suggested me. I still remember that day: I was 14 and my friend Giuliano gave me his Walkman and he told me “Man, you gotta listen to this!”. It was Motley Crue’s “Doctor Feelgood”. My friend was right. That album is a killer and I said: “That’s what I wanna do!”

How did you start to write music?

I started playing guitar at 14 (right after have listened to Motley Crue for the first time). In the beginning, I tried to replicate guitar riffs I loved, so I took some music lessons and practiced a lot. After a year I founded my first band asking to some schoolmates to join: we weren’t good at all, but we had a lot of fun. We started playing some covers (like Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, Kiss, and Ramones) and we spent a lot of time together, jamming. One day I was playing some riffs I heard on the radio when I accidentally changed some notes and somehow, I created a new riff. So, I called Davide (my singer back then) and I told him “Man, I wrote a riff! It’s so cool, please come here! It will blow your mind!”. That’s how I started to write music…by coincidence!

Describe your music?

Rock N Roll is what I love. I grew up listen to Rock N Roll and I had a Rock N Roll attitude in almost all aspects of my life. So, I played in Rock bands as well! 🙂 FIVE WAYS TO NOWHERE is my actual band and we are playing together since 2015. I like describing ourselves as a powerful blend of loud guitars, aggressive and groovy riffs, a scratchy voice with catchy melodies, all driven by a lethal rhythm section. Our music is a mix of Hard Rock and Metal that creates an explosive and melodic sound in the wake of bands like Halestorm, Guano Apes and Papa Roach.

How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?

My first guitar was a black Squier Stratocaster: my father bought it for me for my 14th birthday. I still remember that guitar. It had the best sound in the world for me back then. I had no amp, so I used to plug it into my home stereo using a small distortion pedal. It was the best feeling I could ever imagine. Unfortunately, I don’t have it any

What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?

Today I play a Gibson Flying V Cherry. I bought it in March 2001 and it still sounds great, man! Over the years, I customized it: I changed the bridge pickup (now I use a DiMarzio X2N), the bridge and the tailpiece (I put on a Schaller Tune-o-Matic), the tuning keys (I use some custom-made skulls tuning keys. So cool!). I also use, for a couple of years, a very cool custom fingerboard protector by Neck Illusions.

How did you form your band?

FIVE WAYS TO NOWHERE were born when me, Charlotte (our singer) and Dario Orlando (our former lead guitarist) decided to put on a new band. We played together in another band before (actually I joined them when their rhythm guitarist quit), but the band split up. It was the time to start over again! We needed a drummer, so Dario suggested us Fabio Brunetti (our actual drummer): Dario met Fabio about a year before and he told us “He’s a killer! We need him!”. He was damn right. Fabio is a super talented drummer and he brings the right power to our rhythm section. We still missed a bass player, so I thought about an old friend of mine…a girl who I played with some years before: Silvia Casetta. She wasn’t only a good bassist, but she had the “looks that kill!”. Unfortunately, Silvia had to quit in 2016 due to some serious health issues, so Davide “DAVY” Rocco joined us. Davide is another old friend of mine: he was actually the first “choice” for our band, but back in 2015 he wasn’t available, so we asked Silvia. I love the way Davide plays: he’s a true rocker like me. Joey, our lead guitarist, is a “new entry”: he joined our band this year when we had to slit ways with Dario. Joey is a natural talent and a rock n roll addicted. He’s exactly what we needed

How did your band get its name?

Oh man…it was a nightmare! 🙂 We discussed a lot in order to find the name we all liked. I remember probably 100 names we came up with in April/May 2015: we still have the same WhatsApp band chat and I remember that we wrote all proposals there. We wanted a name that could describe what we wanted to be and to do. So, the word FIVE was chosen because we’re five people. WAYS TO NOWHERE wants to describe a kind of trip we’re doing together: we all want the same, but we don’t know how we’ll get it. It’s a continuous journey…

What was your first performance at like?

My very first public performance was in 1993. I was 17 and I played with my first band at a school party. I remember that we played only covers, but even if I was literally terrified and we weren’t good, people loved the show! I still have the “original” VHS of that show as my father recorded it with a small video camera: it’s a little embarrassing as I look like a statue staring to the fretboard all the time, but it’s a cool memory anyway!

What makes a good songwriter?

To be a good songwriter you need to write a song that people want to listen over and over. That’s my personal opinion. For me, it’s amazing when people you don’t know sing your songs during the show. That means that you “touched” them, it’s so damn cool.

Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, BMI or ASCAP?

Yes, I do. I belong to SIAE (which is the Italian association of songwriters). Even if a lot of people complain about this association, I always had a love/hate relationship with them. We had the possibility to receive royalties for our live shows and for the records we sold, so…it’s fair enough for me

What was the title of your first original song?

Did you record it? My first original song was called “Lacrime di rabbia” (tears of rage in English). Yes, I wrote my first song in Italian even if I only listened to foreign bands. For some reason, it was easier to write lyrics in my native language. We recorded that song in a small studio here in Torino, my hometown. I still have it on DAT, but I’d need to transfer it on a mp3 at least 🙂

Charlotte- What is the Psycho Store?

Charlotte: Psycho-Store is my clothing company I started in 2008. The idea was to develop clothing and accessories sale on the web and on the road. As ideas are not enough, Psycho-Store went online and, in the meanwhile, it started a collaboration with the most important metal, goth, rock, alternative, and body-art European events agencies with the aim of developing its work in an alternative and a little bit crazy environment…taking a walk on the psycho-side. Over the years, Psycho-Store had the possibility to be well-known all-around Europe, being part of the most important “Open Air” and “Indoor” festivals, tattoo conventions, and other exclusive events, private and not. And so on…from Slovenia to England, from Belgium to Austria, from France to the Czech Republic through The Netherlands and Germany…Psycho-Store staff (so, me and Teo) has traveled thousands of miles because you know…” It’s a long way to the top if you wanna Rock N Roll”. Psycho-Store fits non-conformist people and those who have an attitude and know how to use it! Check out our website: https://www.psycho-store.com

How was it to do a Kim Carnes cover (Bette Davis Eyes)?

The idea came from our producer back in 2015. He suggested us this song as there were no rock/hard rock covers yet. We love the Kim Carnes version, so we worked on arrangements with guitars and the result was really interesting, both in our and in our producer’s opinions.

Has anyone on Kim Carnes team hear it?

I sent our version to Bill Cuomo (the producer of Kim Carnes’s super hit) and I was happy to receive a reply from him! I mean, receiving a good feedback from a multiplatinum producer is a cool thing, isn’t’ it? 🙂

One of the first video your band did was Obsessed.

Can you tell me what it was like to make that video? You’re right! “Obsessed” was the first video we shot in 2015. We wanted essentially a playback/live video, so without any “story”. Just a right to your face music video which could give you the idea of our music. I think we got to the point. The video was directed by Andrea Monda, a young but very talented video maker. We shot at “Tritolo” a cool rock club outside Torino which, unfortunately, doesn’t exist anymore…

Tell me about “Bite Hard”?

‘Bite Hard’ is our first full length and it’s been released digitally worldwide on March 13th, 2020. It’s been published by SoE Records, the German label we are working with since 2018. This album is the result of a quite long way we made together as a band: some songs, in fact, were written some time ago while others are more recent, so you can hear the different sounds we experienced over the last years. We’re very proud of it as it’s a kind of mix of hard rock and metal: that’s one of the reasons why we call ourselves an hi-fueled rock n roll band. The digital version contains 9 songs (while the digipack version includes our cover of “Bette Davis Eyes”) and it’s a journey between hard rock and metal. On this album all lead guitars were recorded by Dario Orlando (our guitarist from 2015 until 2019). I particularly love the album cover: it’s a draw realized by Davide Sesia, an amazing artist from Torino. I think it perfectly gives the idea of the album content. If you love heavy rock riffs with a female scratchy vocal, you have to listen to “Bite Hard”!

What is your favorite track on the album?

I personally think that ‘Slowmotional’, ‘Over The Line’ and ‘Wildstyle’ are the highlights of our album for different reasons. ‘Slowmotional’ was a kind of bet for us as it’s a song with very heavy riffs in the intro and verse parts, but when the chorus kicks in, the feeling changes into a melodic and catchy sound. I have to say that we had some doubts when we were writing the song as, in the beginning, it sounded a bit weird, but after working on all arrangements, we’ve been amazed of the final result. When I wrote the main riff for ‘Over The Line’ I was thinking about some Backyard Babies stuff, so I wanted a fast and straight riff which can lead to a powerful chorus. When we were in the studio with our producer Mark Raptor, we decided to work on the verse arrangements and we found a very cool clean guitar sound which gives, in my opinion, good dynamics and emotions. ‘Wildstyle’ is one of the oldest songs we have: it was written by Dario Orlando (our ex-guitarist) and Charlotte Esse and it was clear, since the early days, that it would be a kind of anthem for our band. I also love playing this song live as it’s the last of our setlist and it always gives me an injection of adrenaline for the end of our show.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

Actually, we’re not touring at all, unfortunately. The Covid-19 pandemic had a huge impact on us (as for all artists, of course), so we were forced to cancel all shows scheduled for this year. Talking about “normal times”, we’re quite a healthy rock band: of course, we like to party after our shows, but we’re focused on music and we want to give our best performance to the public during all shows, so we have to take of ourselves.

What are you’re feeling about streaming music?

Let’s face it, today all artists have to deal with streams. It’s a part of the game. Personally, I listen to a lot of music on Spotify and on YouTube, so I like these platforms. I discovered so many new bands this way, so my hope is that people that cannot see our band live, can listen and love our music anyway.

Digital vs. vinyl?

I love vinyl’s and I have a quite big collection, but I also have many CDs. You know, I’m 44, so I am a part of the “old school” 🙂 Getting back on track, digital is something artists have to offer. Today if you buy a new car, there’s no cd player…if you buy a computer, there’s no cd player…so music has to be available on a digital format too. On the other side, vinyl are becoming popular again, which is good thing because, in my opinion, they’re way too cool.

What song from the past is in your mind right now?

Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you? There’s one song which is on my side every day. It’s “Kickstart my heart” from Motley Crue and I literally mean it by saying “on my side” as I have a tattoo on my left arm with the music sheet of this song. This tune means a lot to me: this is the song my schoolmate told me to listen to when I was 14 and this is the song that pushed me to start playing guitar. When I feel down, that’s the song I listen to. It gives me the strength to go ahead. It’s pure adrenaline (as it was for Nikki Sixx!)

Both Pfizer and BioNTech have conclude Phase 3 Study of the Coronavirus vaccine. With the vaccine it takes two shots. How many people do you think will take it and how many will forget to take the second shot?

I’m really happy that these companies finally found the Coronavirus vaccine! I really hope that everybody will take it as I don’t want to see other people die because of this damn virus. On the other hand, I’m sure that some people won’t take it because they’re afraid of it, but in my opinion, who decides to take the first shot will take the second one too.

Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?

Well…it already affected it! This year has been a nightmare for the music biz with no summer festivals, a few shows, many tours canceled or postponed…I think that music business never faced a year like this before. As the global emergency is not solved yet, probably we’ll live with the consequences for some months more, but I wanna be positive, so I’m expecting a better situation for the second half of next year.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?

I played guitar a lot! I also recorded some demos for the band in my home studio. I hate wasting time, so even if I was forced to stay home, I tried to be productive. I worked hard to renew our website (www.fivewaystonowhere.com) and our YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/fivewaystonowhere). I also created a couple of new graphics for our merchandise, as well, so…I think my quarantine was “cool” at the end!

At the beginning of the lockdown Joey went out on his balcony and did a show for his neighbors. Did his neighbors enjoy it?

They loved it! Actually, he did several shows, like 2 or 3 every week. He had this super cool idea and people freaked out! The coolest part of this story is that his neighbors don’t listen to rock or metal music, but they loved his shows anyway! Can you imagine a rocker going out on his balcony with a studded face mask to play some loud music using a skate guitar? 🙂 He also decided to put these shows live on Facebook and YouTube and it was a success even there! Joey’s mom shot all live videos (becoming the “Cameramom”) and people from all the world watched those videos! So damn cool, isn’t it?

Joey you are doing a weekly video for your fans. How is that coming?

I decided to bring back a live web show I did about 10 years ago. It’s called “Joey’s Garage”. 10 years ago, we didn’t have the same technology we have today, so even if the show was cool, there were some “bugs” due to the technology we could afford back then. So, I said to myself “it’s time to bring back the glory!”. That’s what I did. I called Mr. Orgasm (which was my partner in crime 10 years ago), Teo (which is not only my bandmate, but he worked as a speaker in a local radio station for a long time), and a couple of other friends. I can say that I’m pretty satisfied with what we’re doing now. Our web show goes live online every Wednesday at 9 pm CET on Facebook (www.facebook.com/joeysgaragetv), on YouTube (www.youtube.com/joeytassello), and on Twitch (www.twitch.tv/joeysgarage). It’s all in Italian, for the moment, but there will be subtitles in the future as well! Our show is like a “crazy container” when you open it, you can find Rock N Roll, funny news, videogames, crazy stuff from the internet…everyone has his own space, but I’m the boss (haha). It’s a kind of web show totally new on the web, so I suggest all readers to watch it. Oh, I have a question for you: do you know what Metallica and Apple have in common? They both were born in a garage. Like us 🙂

Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

I finally had some time for reading. I know that it probably shouldn’t be considered as a hobby as we should read more, but I don’t have much free time normally. During this pandemic I had to stay home a lot, so, after a while, I realized that I needed to read something. So, I bought some new books. I’m not a geek at all, so I bought rockstars biographies! I really enjoyed “Lonely Boy” by Steve Jones and “It’s so easy (and other lies)” by Duff McKagan. I do recommend these books folks!

95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and using their computers to do streaming of programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?

I love Netflix even if I don’t watch that much TV. I love some comedy shows like “The Big Bang Theory”, but I also like action movies (especially those with Jason Statham).

Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses. The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will include [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only. How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?

I think that Facebook made a very big mistake deciding to put on these restrictions. It’s completely senseless. Facebook, as the other social media, is made up of contents created by their users, so why putting these restrictions? I think many artists (and I think we’ll be one of them) will move their main content to other platforms (like Twitch, for example) and Facebook will become less popular.

How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?

That’s a million-dollar question! Well, we’re trying to record new videos and we’d like to do more live streaming shows. Promotion is always a key, so we are focusing on it too. We’re thinking about some giveaways on social media and we are working on a new kind of “merch sale” on the web, but I cannot reveal any further details about it. You guys: keep an eye on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/fivewaystonowhere) and on our Instagram (www.instagram.com/fivewaystonowhereband). You will see something cool during next week’s 😉

Is pay to play still a thing?

Now pay to play also means things like the playlist on the internet? In my personal view, “pay to play” was never a thing. I perfectly know that it’s a common thing, but it simply doesn’t work for me. If a band wants to deal with it, it’s ok, but I have a different vision. I’m still convinced that you can be the opening act of a bigger band without paying “a slot”. Probably we’ve been lucky as well till now, but if your band is cool and you can build up a strong fanbase, booking agencies or club owners will call you anyway. Basing on that, I have the same point of view on the playlists: no sense to pay just to be featured in a playlist. The aim should be to be featured in editorial playlists. There’s another catch you should consider. Let me give you an example: I will create a playlist including some big and small bands. Then I’ll buy some (fake) followers investing, let’s say, 1000 Euros. At that point, I’ll start promoting my “cool playlist” on social media investing another 1000 Euros. I’m sure that I’ll receive hundreds of emails from bands which would like to include in my playlist. If I ask for a monthly fee, I will probably get back the money I invested in less than a week, but what will those bands get back? Absolutely nothing…because my playlist is fake. Probably this system is already “common”, I don’t know. But there are too “dark spaces” on the internet. Artists have to be careful before spending money on these “easy ways” to gain views…

What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

Is it already possible? In case, I’m in! 🙂 I think it’s a cool thing, but before giving you a better reply, I should test this technology!

You were ready to play at the Hardrock Lounge at the end of Oct. Do you see it being reschedule?

Yes, our show at Hardrock Lounge (as well as other 50 shows) will be rescheduled for next year. At this moment I’m waiting before going ahead with the booking. We already canceled, rescheduled then canceled again too many shows due to Covid-19, so I prefer to wait a bit in order to see how the situation will evolve. As I’m managing the band booking, I don’t have to rush. I’m in contact with all club owners and with all promoters we work with, so, as soon as I see a “light”, I’ll get back straight to work on booking (which means hours and hours on my laptop to write emails…tough job, but someone has to do it!)

If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?