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Legnano (MI), May 14, 2005.
Four young men from Varese armed, among other things, with a banjo and a Wurlitzer. Presenting their new “Whatever You Bring We Sing” from the stage at Jail, due out in June via Homesleep (just like their 2002 debut, "Town And Country"), they offer us precious music that draws from the best North American folk tradition and reinterprets it with the quirky freshness of those barely in their twenties.
At the end of the chat, my esteemed colleague barry and I head backstage to meet Matteo Gambacorta, the group's charming spokesperson, for an enjoyable chat that we try to synthesize into the famous 5 questions.
You seem very in sync on stage, I imagine you are great friends: how did the Midwest start?
Yes, we've known each other since high school, we had some shared experience in various small bands, and then, thanks to our shared passion for folk, we came together, and after a while, we made a demo that, luckily for us, Homesleep liked. And now we really enjoy working with them.
It mustn't be easy to find friends in Italy who share such a passion... you are indeed quite a unique case on the Italian scene.
Well, yes, perhaps Franklin Delano can be likened to folk, albeit with a very different style (more sunny and "dreamy" Midwest, more nocturnal and "post-rock," their label mates, just to avoid labeling, ed.). On the other hand, there is to consider that these days the spread of music, like anything else, is much more extensive. I myself, as a kid, began to admire American folk and psychedelia from the '60s-'70s thanks only to my parents' records, whereas today the possibilities are greater. From Varese, I can discover an underground German artist, a Canadian can hear what we do, and so on. The exchange of cultures and sensitivities is much easier than it was a decade ago, and I think this is good for both listeners and emerging artists; look at, for example, our very talented Jennifer Gentle, who signed with a label like SubPop.
From this live preview, the album seems to continue the line of "Town And Country," with obviously a greater awareness of your means. I'd say you can be satisfied with the new work.
Yes, we are, very much. We really worked hard on the arrangements, and I think something even more particular came out than the first one. The problem with live performances is that we can't reproduce these arrangements. The sounds on the album are almost exclusively acoustic, but live, it's probably too early for us to render them at their best. For example, in Warmed By The Coming Season, there are strings, but on stage, there are four of us, and we have to forego them (nonetheless, the performance of the piece, the slowest on the album, was really intense and effective, ed.).
Speaking of arrangements, how does one of your songs come to life?
Generally, I or someone else brings an idea of melody and structure, and then we always work on the arrangements together.
Who are your favorite musicians? Who would you like to work with?
There are many... if I have to name one, I'd say Califone, who might be our biggest influence, there's no denying it. We also greatly appreciated Mark Linkous, especially his first album.
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