Push to Fire Interview: Elle Milano Elle Milano is a band, a three piece now based in Brighton but formed at Leicester De Montfort University in the winter of 2004. The following interview was conducted via the power of email in April 2008 by Rachel Wade. Thanks to Kelly R for organising this for us.
Hello Elle Milano, it’s lovely to (virtually) meet you! Please introduce yourself/yourselves and describe your position(s) in the group… Hi, yea this is nice isn’t it? I’m James; I play the drums and sing, an unstoppable combo. You’ve been compared to a range of bands, though at the same time you don’t really sound like any of them. Are there any on the list though who you feel you do share a similar sound or style with? Yea a few pop up every now and then that we actually agree with, like Blur and Nirvana (the ones we like!). I guess the album sound is so eclectic it doesn’t fit into any current scene that easily so people are having a hard time comparing us to other bands. I’m not sure whether that’s a good or a bad thing yet, I’ll keep you posted. I have reviewed your new single ‘Meanwhile In Hollywood’ - it’s rather wonderful, well done. What would you say about it if you had to review it yourselves? Two words: “Shit Sandwich”. Naa not really, “Great Sandwich” You’re touring with the wonderful Untitled Musical Project - what do you think of them? We love them, their live show is scary and it’s a total assault on the senses and I like that.
Do you have any expectations or apprehensions about the tour? what’s the point. This however is all dependent on people coming to our gigs to see us… I think that’s our main apprehension! Oh, and also to eat healthy and keep off the overpriced yet delicious Ginsters pasty range. What is it about Phil Collins’ ‘Easy Lover’ that has had such an influence on you? Every now and then there’s a song that comes on and I have to stop what I’m doing and air drum, even if I’m driving the van. If a song has that much power over me then it deserves respect. I’m making sure I get some Collins-esque drum fills into the new songs we’re doing. Big news! Have there been any other bands, events, memories, etc. that have influenced the band and your music? Yea definitely, it’s hard to be specific because everything we go through (music and life experiences) gets absorbed and then spat out in our own way. I suppose that’s how art works really. Having said that, our next ‘project’ is going to be a lot more focused in its sound and influences. For the sake of this interview I shall say the most inspirational event in recent years was the ‘Take That’ reunion.
Which came first - Fall Out Boy’s ‘Thnks Fr Th Mmrs’ or your track ‘My Brother, The Astronaut’? Oh our song came first for sure, we’d have changed it if we’d known. Damn you Fall Out Boy! How many times have you had to answer the above question before? This is my first time You’re on many people’s list of ‘ones to watch’ for 2008, but which bands are on your list? I’ve got a feeling ‘Ramhammer’ and ‘DJ Funkyballs’ are gonna make it big this year. If you haven’t heard of them check out their myspace sites at: myspace.com/ramfuckinghammer and myspace.com/djfunkyballsmcbigballs What’s your view on music downloads and the apparent ‘death of the record label’? I could write an essay on this but I’ll hold back. From our point of view, downloads help as it means more people are hearing our music and therefore might come see us live/support us/ or god forbid actually part with money for our music. Bands will still need major labels to get them exposure and ensure that no-one can escape which ever act they chose to rise to the top. The NME is funded by major label money through advertising so it’s completely in their interests to feature those bands. It will be a miracle if the NME ever pick up on Elle Milano as we don’t have ‘the money’ behind us and therefore they won’t sell as many magazines… sorry, I digressed. Basically, I think Record Labels are here to stay; their just going to take money from elsewhere such as live revenue and merch as this is still a very lucrative area.
What do Elle Milano bring to the music industry that other bands don’t? Culinary skills How does the Elle Milano onstage compare with the Elle Milano offstage? When you’re on tour and your playing gig after gig, you’re constantly drinking beer /energy drinks, are constantly in enclosed spaces with the same people and you start running away with the fairies and become the same person on and off stage. I think we all get a bit of the red mist from time to time and you come off stage and can’t quite remember what just happened. How would you describe your live show? The live front is the bit where you can keep developing and try new things which is nice so you don’t tire of the songs. The current vibe of the shows would be “rocking”; I’ve been watching the live Muse DVD recently which is pretty inspiring and as a result I’m trying to get Adam to pull more rock poses and strut around the stage on the riffs. I think it’s important to remember that this is a form of ‘entertainment’ and we are putting on a show. What do you think it takes for a band to become successful? I used to think it was good songs and a good live show but now I’m not so sure. A good marketing campaign and a lot of day time radio play. Do you have any personal aspirations for the band? Yea, I think there’s a list of reasons every band forms in the first place from playing festivals to traveling the world and we definitely want to accomplish all that! Ultimately I suppose my goal is to achieve enough success to allow us to keep making music and stay away from the real world! If Elle Milano could achieve one thing, what would you like it to be? Glastonbury headline slot, with fireworks and rotating drum kit. That or a music video starring Tom Hanks.
Elle Milano will be releasing ‘Meanwhile in Hollywood’ the first single from their debut album ‘Acres of Dead Space Cadets’ on the 31st March 2008. The album is released on the 14th April 2008. For more info about the band check out www.myspace.com/ellemilano.