DANTE is a rock n roll band from Colombia, South America. We are influenced by classic rock n roll, literature and high/low art. The entire band took some time to talk about themselves and their musical trait as well as their latest release.
1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in DANTE, and how long the band has been together.
Alexx: Hey!! Im Alexx. I play rhythm guitar and the band is been around 4 years.
Kami: I'm Kami. The vocalist & I've been in the band for 4 years.
Gonzo: Hey, Im Gonzo, and I play lead guitar in Dante. I´ve been in the band for about 4 years.
2. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there?Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Gonzo: We´re proudly based in Bogota the capital of Colombia in South America. We love this cold and cruel city. The music scene here is strong in shitty music. Rock N Roll is strong in the underground, so its really hard getting commercial support. There are some pretty good bands down here. My favorite are the blues-rock ones.
3. Do you think not being from a big city like LA or NY influences your sound?
Alexx: Bogota isn't that different from LA or NY. Its been a great influence on our gloomy dark sound because it's a cold and dangerous city. You could compare it to NYC in the 70s.
4. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Kami: We deal with both personal themes & universal themes. We try to mix crude reality with magic realism of sorts. There's always a magic, mystical element to our songs even if they're about driving & partying or something like that. Most of the Rorschach Manifesto songs talk about our nonconformism with the information storm we're living in, the cult of celebrities, and such...although others become much more cryptic & mysterious.
5. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Alexx: Yeah! Kami is the one who is in charge of the song writing! He always takes stuff from norse mythology, folk stories around the world and pop culture/problems. Usually we come up with a main riff, work it together to have a basic structure and with that, Kami uses it to write the lyrics.
6. So can you tell me about the song and video for Swamp Thing, what made you want to take the horror route?
Alexx: Well we've always liked films ! & our close friend & director of the video director Jorge jaramillo is a horror film fan and when he heard the song he told us what his idea of a video would be, we thought it was pretty amazing and decide it to go for it!
7. This song comes off your debut release, The Rorschach Manifesto, can you tell me about this release.
Gonzo: The rorschach manifesto is the consolidation of a number of songs that where worked during a long period of time. It includes songs that were written like when the band had just started as songs written a month before the album was recorded. Because of this, it talks about a lot of things and shows an evolution of the band in terms of sound and interpretation. Its our debut album and we've worked everything DIY way so it was tough to get it out independently but fortunately thanks to technology its on iTunes.
8. Is there any story or concept behind the The Rorschach Manifesto title?
Kami: we had been reading political & artistic manifestos while planning the release of this album, and since its our debut album we thought it was appropriate to make it our manifesto , or better said our personal statement of the things we're about and what our deal is.
9. Select two songs from The Rorschach Manifesto and what inspired the lyrics.
Kami: Swamp Thing was inspired by David lynch & Johnny Cash...movie like atmospheres of highways in the night where you don't know where you're going or where they're taking you. Its a bit mysterious in the sense that you're not quite sure who's speaking or what's going on yet there's this willingness to go wherever it might take you. Its that tingling sensation of risk. The moment before the storm.
Liquid Cocaine was inspired by cold dark nights in Bogota, and "bad girls" . The type of girl you know is going to hurt you yet you can't let go off be it because of her sexual innuendo or because of that strange charisma that that kind of people usually have. It leads you to self destruct, yet you're willing to go through it.
10. Who produced The Rorschach Manifesto and what was it like working with them?
Alexx: The Rorschach Manifesto was produced by Sylvia Massy at the radio star studios in Weed, California! Working with her was a great experience due to all the stuff she's done before and the awesome equipment she has at the studio. She was incredibly kind to give us the opportunity & believing in us we will never forget it.
11. Who did the cover art for The Rorschach Manifesto and how much input did you have on it?
Alexx: Jorge Jaramillo did the cover art for the album. We basically told him what we wanted and he made it happen.
12. Aside from this release do you guys have any new music in the works?
Gonzo: We have a lot of new music in the works. It´s pretty interesting, because we´ve been trying to keep evolving. We´re experimenting with new sounds, still attached to the old ones. Trying to give it a touch of spaghetti western/blues/surf/punk/ rocknroll.
13. Have you or would you consider recording an all acoustic release?
Gonzo: We have not considered it. It could be tricky, because our strength is the energy, and the raw power. Some of our new songs have acoustic stuff here and there, but I don´t know, an all acoustic release would be really hard. Maybe interesting.
14. What are the plans you have lined up for the rest of this year?
Kami: Gonzo & me are heading to LA this coming week for a while. We're planning a possible tour around that area later this year and we're hoping to record our new album this summer as well. We know we have some last gigs of the Manifesto tour lined up for May & June but we'll see if more dates are added up!15. Any final words of wisdom?
Gonzo: Rock N Roll!
Kami: Keep true to yourselves & don't let the swamp things bite yer asses ; )
Alexx: Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream. I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been, to sit with elders of the gentle race
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