La Faida
Interview March 31, 2022
By Dan Locke
La Faida is an Italian hard rock band, born in The Whisky a GoGo in Los Angeles in 2020. Band members are Ivan Grave on vocals, Lexy Riot on bass, Max Power and JJ Riot on guitars and Scar on drums. They worked with Pietro Foresti (Best Rock Producer 2016 Award) in quality of producer of their first single, released in 2022, entitled “Malamore”, distributed by Universal Music Italia. In December 2021 they shared the stage with Strana Officina on their Italian tour, in Rome, Naples and Matera.
Etichetta: Universal Music Italia
Ivan Grave – Vocals
Lexy Riot – Bass
Max Power – Guitar
JJ Riot – Guitar
Scar – Drums
What is your upbringing?
Ivan Grave: We grew up listening to hard rock, from Bon Jovi to Guns N Roses, and all that kind of music has certainly influenced us, from rock to punk, from Motorhead to Led Zeppelin
How did you discover music?
– I accidentally found a Bon Jovi cassette, and from there it was pure love
How did you start to write music?
– We make music to express ourselves, to take revenge, through music, for all the hatred, prejudices, exploitation that we have experienced on our skin and that every day other people live on their skin, we sing for those who have no voice
How did your band form?
– We met at Whiskey in Gogo, Los Angeles. I played with my band, the guys with their band and it was love at first sight. We didn’t even need to talk, just seeing each other.
How did you get your bands name?
– La Faida, in Italian, means avenging the offenses suffered. We want to do it through music.
Describe your music.
– We are a hard rock band in Italian with no frills, with a punk attitude, with lyrics influenced by punk, rap and songwriters. We are five guys who need to express themselves through music.
Ivan what happened to your solo project?
– We had twenty dates and a tour in Russia, then the pandemic made all this impossible and we broke up.
What was your first performance as a band like?
– Our first live was in Salerno, at Periferica Konnection. A unique heat, we had a lot of fun, and we were able to vent everything that until now had only been done in the rehearsal room. An absurd debut!
What makes a good songwriter?
– First of all, know what you are talking about. The truth always pays. Then be in line with the music, with the atmosphere that the music produces. Then the style comes automatically, but surely the first thing is to be true, honest and credible.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
– The title was No saints without sinners and I recorded it!
What is the process of writing your music?
– I write thoughts that then become songs, or the melody comes first and then the music, or the music first and then the melody. We are in total synergy, and whatever you do, in the end, works for us.
Tell me about the making of your new video “Malamore”?
– We shot the video clip in Sarno. Produced and directed by Studio Nubes, we recorded everything in one day and we are happy with the result. The video expresses a fundamental concept: prejudices and hatred hinder love, they are born. It is up to us to tear the veil and return to love and embrace each other.
Any new music coming out?
– We have about twenty songs ready, surely more will come out!
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
– There is nothing wrong with streaming itself, it is the way it is handled that absolutely needs to be revised
Digital vs. vinyl?
– We cannot answer this if we don’t talk about the way in which music is listened to today and music is listened to yesterday. Vinyl needs time, care to be listened to, digital music is a musical fast food. Either we must go back to a less chaotic, less wearing life, or vinyl will remain for only the elite
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
– Sweet Child O Mine was the mermaid that opened my eyes!
How was it to share the stage with Strana Officiana?
– It was absolutely magnificent! Absolutely to be redone, hopefully soon!
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
– Due to Covid I lost my job and was about to give up everything. We have been able to take the positive from the situation, and the Feud was founded in a pandemic, but it is really difficult. We find a lot of difficulties for live shows and in my opinion it has seriously impacted the business.
Do you think that Covid-19 has been a plus to an artist career?
– For some reasons yes, for others absolutely not. If we look at us, I will say yes because we have found the strength to go on, but in general I would say no, because it stays inside the house, and we like to see and meet our people.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
– We founded La Faida!
How do you stay healthy during the lockdown?
– Writing, composing and throwing all the shit out of us!
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
– We threw ourselves totally on the project, because for us it is fundamental
Recently the virus has come back with the Delta outbreak, then you Omicron, which as cause many people in the industry to worry about the future of live music.
How would you like live shows to be held and still keep you and fans safe?
– This is an hard question. We do not have the adequate skills to say in these cases what is better or not to do, but surely all the prevention rules must be respected and selfishness must give way to responsibility!
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
– Unfortunately, it still exists.
The show Star Trek introduced people to the holodeck: an immersive, realistic 3D holographic projection of a complete environment that you could interact with.
Today holograms are already being used in a variety of way, such as medical systems, education, art, security and defense
Performers like Tupac, Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Buddy Holly, Ronnie James Dio
, Marylin Monroe, and Whitney Houston have done it already. The band ABBA just announced that they will be doing a comeback together after nearly 40 years as holograms on their next tour. With ABBA it was with the help of George Lucas
If the cost was down to the point you could do it also, would you be willing to do Holographic concerts in our living room?
– Absolutely not, we still love reality.
If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
– We wouldn’t know how to give you an answer, for music that’s really what really matters
What is your happy place?
– The stage, the recording studio, the rehearsal room.
Tell me about this Ranking from MRadio Monited Pass?
– We are delighted! This is an absurd result, first in the standings and then second, in the general standings then we went to fifteenth position. We are very satisfied!
Do you think you would be willing to sale your back catalog if someone like Universal is will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs?
– I think it’s really too early to talk about this!
What do you think what that could mean to independent artist?
– Which always depends on the situation you are in. For us it is a great pleasure to be in Universal Music Italia, and we are happy that a major has noticed a band that talks about such issues! Being down major is definitely an important showcase, but it’s the band that has to work every day!
Do you think this platform could became a force in the future of streaming music?
– We decide our destiny, all together! If we can bring out the best, then I would say yes! It’s always a question of how you organize and do things!
Anything you would like to say in closing.
– Guys, don’t give up on your dreams, don’t give in to the prejudices, hatred and resentment of a certain type of society! Diversity is wealth, and all together we can really change things!
