Posted on December 2, 2009 - by Mark Zonda

Oliver Ackermann: Italo Disco is fucking amazing!

We already talked about them on this blog, we even had a detailed live report, still we felt it wasn’t enough, and decided to try and ask Oliver an interview for A Place To Bury Strangers. And we did it! Oliver Ackermann was even crazy enough to respond to some questions ’bout Italo Disco, since I’m promoting a new musical genre (just in case you know) called Neo-Italo inviting modern bands moonlighting with undercover names to make new modern italo indie disco songs for a further VOL.1 Collection (you can find all the informations HERE). But let’s get back to the interview! Here’s Oliver Ackermann from A Place To Bury Strangers.Mark Zonda: A Place To Bury Strangers”, how did your music journey began? Was it hard to get noticed?

Oliver: It all started just writing songs in NY when I moved there is 2003. The other members have changed through the years but we have always just focused on making music that we wanted to hear. It wasn’t hard to get noticed but it just took a really long time, but we weren’t really even trying for that, again we were just focusing on the music.

Mark Zonda: Did you chose that name only to sound tough or is there a deeper meaning?

Oliver: It is from an Aleister Crowley poem entitled Aceldama and was chosen because the poem is amazing.

Mark Zonda: Pixies, Jesus & Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, who had the greatest influence on your music?

Oliver: Sonic Youth at the time when I started playing guitar was one of my biggest inspirations and I think that has carried through with my writing styles ever since.

Mark Zonda: Your extensive tour is touching every corner of Europe. What’s stopping your minds from going insane?

Oliver: You don’t know us very well, we have lost our minds.

Mark Zonda: Were the band excited to sign for Rough Trade?

Oliver: Yes I love Rough Trade and have been a fan since I was a kid.

Mark Zonda: What’s your position toward Italo Disco?

Oliver: Italo Disco is fucking amazing!

Mark Zonda: “A Place To Bury Strangers” Vs “The Pains Of Beins Pure At Hear”. Who’s got the best album covers?

Oliver: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart!

Mark Zonda: Talking about covers, have you thought at a Cure cover? Just in case… which song would you pic?

Oliver: I don’t really play cover songs too often but if I were to do a Cure song I would play “Its Not You”.

Mark Zonda: Are you still the loudest band in NY? I can’t hear you…

Oliver: I don’t know I’ve never seen us live.

Mark Zonda: And now the final secred. What about Oliver guitars setup?

Oliver: Custom modified Jaguars through the Armageddon, then Control System, then a six position Filter, then Space Cave splitting to 4 custom Fender Twin Reverbs. All modded and customized by me – Death By Audio.

Here’s the dates of the rest of the European tour:

A place to bury strangers – “The light”

Let it ring on...

• Indietracks 2010 (Pt.3) (0)
• Indietracks 2010 (Pt.2) (0)
• Indietracks 2010 (Pt.1) (0)
• A Place to bury audience (0)
• Sylvia Paradiso neo italo beat (0)