Posted on May 24, 2011 - by Mark Zonda

Vermillion Sands

First time I’ve stumbled on “Vermillion Sands” was a live performance on a YouTube Video. I didn’t ever recall the name, but since I’m really into garage rock and fuzz guitars I was positively impressed by the band.

Quite some time passed by, and I found myself crossing the path of this independent Italian band while they were opening Dum Dum Girls at Covo Club in Bologna. That’s were I got totally impressed by the band and I decided I HAD to interview’em. Here’s what you get.

Mark Zonda: Vermillion Sands. Introduce yourselves to our readers…

Anna: We are a band from Treviso, we started playing together 3 years ago. At first, just me (Anna) and Nene were in the band, after our first 7” was released Caio and Krano joined in. After 3 years together many things happened and many things changed. We are about to record our second album, and this is all I can say so far!

Mark Zonda: Are there many bands in Treviso and which other Italian bands would you suggest to our readers?

Anna: There are a bunch of good bands around Treviso and Venice, I’m referring particularly to Father Murphy, the Mojomatics and the Hormonas. And in Italy we have a lot of good bands as well: Miss Chain & The Broken Heels, The Love Boat, our fellow band the Movie Star Junkies, and Capputtini ‘i Lignu, just to name.

Mark Zonda: Were you aware that Vermillion Sands was also the name of a prog-rock band from Japan? Which kind of music do you usually listen too?

Anna:Yes, we were aware of the fact, even though the spelling is different: we decided to add an “L” to Vermilion. As everybody can notice our music is far from theirs. Sometimes I wonder how they reacted to the fact that we’ve chosen the same name, I think they didn’t really like it, ahah. Our music background is different. I grew up listening to 60s music; when I was sixteen I thought that period was the best period ever, I used to hate the 80s viscerally, but little by little I started to change my mind and now The Gun Club are one of my favorite bands, and this says it all.

Mark Zonda: How it ended that you had the chance to share the stage with Dum Dum Girls? Did that experience brought new listeners to your band?

Anna: Dee Dee from Dum Dum  Girls wrote me an e-mail saying that she really loved our band and she invited us to support their European tour. It was really nice to be with them, and I think that this experience got more people to know the Vermillion Sands. We had trouble with some promoters but eventually everything was fine.

Mark Zonda: Talking ’bout touring and troubles… which was your worst or funny live experience?

Anna:Personally, I think our worst show was the first we did. It was the first time I ever played in public, and we practiced together just once the day before. You can guess how nervous I was… But it was really fun, the Nasties played with us, and they totally supported me.

Mark Zonda: Is it hard to play indie music in English in Italy?

Anna: No, I don’t think is difficult. We just do what we really like. I can’t imagine Vermillion Sands’ songs in Italian, and with this I’m not saying that I don’t like Italian music. Even though I have to admit that contemporary Italian music is not really our cup of tea, and this is why we are happy to be part of another circuit, that is less local and more international. And this helps us to meet more friends, listen to many bands from Europe and USA, and sometimes we even start new projects with them.

Mark Zonda: I really love your song “In the Wood”. It owns some kind of Tarantino Movie alike feeling. The feeling in the singing is totally surprising, especially for the marked parts on the “oos”. How did this song came alive and in which kind of movie would you like to appear?

Anna: Nice question. Many people told us that our music could be part of a Tarantino movie, when we went to Portugal I heard it many times, it was even written in the newspaper!  I wrote that song one night, I was really pissed, it was one of those nights in which the only thing you want is to stay away from every human being, and this is why I fancied about going into the woods by my self. If I could choose a director I would totally go for Aki Kaurismaki, don’t you think Vemillion Sands would be perfect for him?

Mark Zonda: Koji Wakamatsu wouldn’t be bad as well.

Anna: Naahh!!!

Mark Zonda: Final message to past and future fans?

Anna:  My message is to keep listening to music and to buy a lot of records!

Vermillion Sands – Wake Me When I Die

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