| 1.
How did the band get started? How did you meet and how long have you
been together? Luca Cerardi: Well, we started in 1995. All of us were class mates and we started to think to play music in december 1993 when we saw our friend play drums in a band during a party at the school. We were shocked with it because we never thought in our life what was music... we liked it so much and we thought...could we play?? Ok we answered and in a few minutes we decided to try. Many problems cames up and for 1994 nothing changed. I only rented drums for the summer and I started to hit something but, alone was very hard, so, in September I gave back the drums to the music store. In December we talked again together and we thought to start seriously and try to play and try to learn with a teacher, so in 1995, February Merendine Atomiche born. It was a mix of five school mates. We listened to heavy metal at this time and we started with classic covers of bands as Pearl Jam, Nirvana or AC/DC. From that moment our band became a way of life. That band now is a far memory. Only me (drums) and the singer still play. In early years we found many problems with line up. None played for music or because they believe in a dream, but everyone had a stupid idea about music, and above all, many of them didn't believe in this dream...only the singer keep trust in me and today we are here. So our friendship born in 1992 and today it is still strong. The rest of the band came after, David, on guitar in 1998, Dario on bass in 1999 and Luca on guitar 2001. Now we can say we found the really strong line up. We produced together the first album and we are working on the future believing more than before in our dream. 2. How would you describe your music? Luca Cerardi: Ok, my music is first of all, energy. We want to give to people energy. You know, when I started to play and listen to music we were in the beginning of 90's. That was the moment of "Vulgar Dispaly of Power", "Black album" or Guns 'n' Roses...the type of musician was a bad guy with a fucking black shirt, jeans, a guitar in his hand and played loud heavy metal. We grew with that image and with the energy they gave us as song as "Fucking Hostile" or "Rise" or "Sad But True" or all the songs of old Metallica's album like "Dyers Eve". That was music that gave us energy...and we want to keep alive that sensation. I mean, when I think to my music I want it to be as I imaged in the past...and it's a run! You know, you have to feel full of energy, ready for the life, so full about your emotions. I imagine myself on a highway with a motorbike or running through a forest, or kicking asses. My music must give energy and positive ideas. Life is hard but at the same time it's under our control. If we want better things we can get it, if we have a dream, we have to fight. It doesn't matters if you get or not, you have to fight for it. Only like this can you be satisfied with your life. So my music is energy, it's running, it's jumping, it's adrenalin. 3. What are your biggest influences? Luca Cerardi: Well, I think all the thrash metal style. 80's and 90's. We lived the 90's when we were 18 years old but obviosly the 80's was really alive in that period. So, we are born with Pantera, old Machine head, Sepultura, Annihilator, but with strange influences of Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Overkill. All thrash metal. Now that we grow we also have different influences that could be rock, or hard rock, or blues but usually these are the kind of genres we like. Thrash, hard rock, blues. 4. What influence do you think your bands has in music and metal today? Luca Cerardi: Well, I don't know. I can say that here in Italy we are one of the biggest thrash metal bands and one of the few who always played what we want. I mean, here, if you want to participate on the biggest event you must play a kind of music that business want...and in these years in Europe power metal rules. We never accepted this cause we like thrash metal. Sure, the old one is gone but the influences still alive and we took that, and we worked it over with our style. I think with our music we want to send a messagge that never is gone, but always is still alive and we are here ready to go. We also want to give a messagge to the young fans that heavy metal is a way to scream our difficulties in our life but it doesen't mean that we have to pass time always talking about death but we can bring our music and transform it into energy for ourselves and "fight" for what we want. I mean I wanna give to fans a positive message. My kind of metal is nothing new. But why we have alot to search for something new? I know that in the world, many people still like thrash and the new way of it...why must we delete it? It's stupid. Everytime some big band plays here the stadium are always full...why? So I think we want to say to people to always believe in your dream, follow your mind and your heart and never fall down. 5. What made you want to be in the band? And if you weren’t in the band what would you be doing now? Luca Cerardi: Personally I spent a lot of energy for this dream. Maybe too much or maybe not. I don't know. I only know how to play and to always go on. I lost many things and for this, and I wanna continue and still believe it. Now it's more than eight years we've play thrash metal. We made many things but always thanks to our sacrifices. We loved this life, and we love music, so it's hard but I'm really happy and I'd redo everything if I had to go back. I don't know if I wasn't in a band what could do now. Sure, I just be a doctor. and now again I need six months to finish the University...maybe I could just be married, with work and with a family, but the band delayed the school and for this I delayed the possible marrage and the possible family. Music changed my life and was love at first sight when I saw it for the first time with a man on drums. I hope that something gets back to me for these many sacrifices. But just hope is not enough so, let's go to work. 6. Are any band members in side projects? If so what are they, and explain a little about them. Luca Cerardi: No, none , none of us play in side project. Many times we thought that Merendine Atomiche was a big project, the most impossible because we came from the field of north east Italy. Heavy metal since 10 years ago was totally unknown, so the mentality was old and to think to become a great metal band was to be in a utopia. To change this way, all of our energies must stay only in Merendine Atomiche projects and so we still think this. It's not easy for us and we have to fight everyday. So, for many years we played wherever and it's not possible to have another band. We have not time...I mean, we play together and practice two or three times a week. and the rest of the days are on the road. We made km and km from north to south and when we're back, there's no time for sleep cause is time to go to school for me or to go to work for the rest of the band. It's impossible to have another project. To few time...we need a day of 36 hours!! 7. How would you feel if a band took their sound from yours and became very well known? Luca Cerardi: Well, many times it's not important if you are a great musician or if for 10 years that you did the best to have a chance. Many times it's important where you live, the friends you know...many people told us that if we born 10 years before and in the USA we probably would be different now...but this is only a stupid thing....we born here and 10 years after, so this is what we have and this is the road to follow and to fight. Sure I will not accept and I'll do the best to have my rights. One thing is to be influenced by a band and that I can accept. I'm always influenced by many bands. Another things is to steel music and use your friendship or the city you live to gain success. In that case I can become really a bad guy and fight till my rights come back, not for money, not for success, but for the respect of the work who people made for years and for the time they lost in their life for that project. 8. What current bands do you like or respect? Luca Cerardi: Metallica. wow...what I'm saying? Hehehe, Yes I really have a great respect for this band. Living as a musician I understand how different the view on who can have a fan and a musician in the same situation. Living with instruments in your hands is so different than listening to cds. It's the easiest. So I can understand all the steps Metallica made in the past. I mean, played for 10 years, always the same songs for 300 live shows a year...shit...you hate it after a while! don't ya?? You would like to take a pause, you need to search another way...and they did with Load and Reload...so more, a band is five people, and everyone of them as a soul, a life and many things can happened who hurt to change somethings. We are not machines and so, I can understand Metallica. For now they are back. "Saint anger" is an album that is good for now. But shit, how do you think a big label put in the market something that cannot sell? Metallica playing fuckin thrash in many ways in the same time, don't you listen the double bass drum of Lars? Too heavy. I like it, and in the European shows, they play all the songs from the past. Really killer shows. I don't know how important this was back with the experience of Jason's split or James' recovery but I think too much, anyway I respect Metallica. I respect all the bands around the world who play music cause they love it, cause they feel it in their heart and they stay always with feet on the ground. It doesn't matter where you can go, always remember your roots. Unfortunately many bands didn't do that, and for a stupid thing like to feel as a rock star...this is not the right way. (for me) So, I like and appreciate all the bands who play for music and for fan and enjoy doing it. The rest for me doesn't deserve respect. The bands I like are many, but in this period I listened many times to Annihilator. Their albums are really great, so I also like Pantera, Annihilator, Metallica, Overkill, Testament etc... 9. How many demos/albums do you have? Tell me about them!! Luca Cerardi: Well I don't know, albums in cds I think 40/50, in cassette another 30, I don't know, demos I think someone. Working as a musicain many times we have demos from other bands or you trade it with other etc, etc. But none hit me in particular. 10. What demo/album do you like the best? Luca Cerardi: Well about demo I don't know. Actually, they never came in my mind, so none. About albumz I have four masterpieces to bring with me always: "Master of Puppets" Metallica, "Vulgar Display of Power" Pantera, "Rust in Peace" Megadeth, "King of the Kill" Annihilator...oh...."The Gathering" Testament and "Beautiful Looser" Bob Seger!!!!! 11. What is the meaning behind the songs? Luca Cerardi: Behind our songs? Well, sure, always believe in your dream and fight to get it. Respect the others and make the best to gain it. Don't be a looser...and for a looser I mean someone who choose th wrong way to get his dream...you can't arrive to gain your dream but if you fought with courage and passion is not important, cause you did the best in the right way. You can be a winner also if you loose but you can be a big looser with a victory...it depends how you gain the victory. 12. What are the bands favorite songs? Luca Cerardi: About our music, all. We love them all because it means something different to everyone born in a particular period, so all of them are great. About other bands, we are really different...I don't know... 13. What does the future hold for the band? Luca Cerardi: I don't know, we are working over the promotion of new album "Walk Across Fire". We hope to spread as much as we can on this album and we really hope that our label confirm us the tour in America and Europe for 2004. This is our first target, after we will see what could happened. 14. If you could play with any band who would it be and why? Luca Cerardi: Metallica for what they mean for us. We were born with them, playing with them would be the best thing in our life. Pantera for their strength on stage. They are killer, so great! Annihilator for their great music and for a special person who is Jeff Waters. 15. Who writes the majority of the music? Luca Cerardi: I'm the writer. I like to write what I feel inside and I use to do it when I have something to say. I take paper and I write it down!! 16. Who has been the favorite band you've played with and why? Luca Cerardi: I think when we collaborated with Jeff Waters in the song on new album "Game Over" was unbelivable to receive their answer and have the chance to have him in our album. A great emotion, one of the best musician will play on my cd...I was really happy! 17. Where did you get the band name from? Luca Cerardi: It's simple. In Italy we have a kind of snack for the children for school. Usally we have a break in the morning between lessons, so we have this snack called "merendine" cause they are little and eat fast. So, we choose this thing who remind us when we were young, because they are a little thing, sweet and it reminds the people to something small and funny and we mix with the worst thing as in an atomic bomb. The meaning is that everyone of us with courage and believing can do what they want so you can be born little, funny and sweet as could be merendine but if you want, you can be strong as a atomic bomb, it's just up to you. 18. Describe what the band is like live? Luca Cerardi: Killer! Haha. We like so much to play live, and above all when we have many fans who screm with us. Usually we play pretty far from our hometown, so we take our fucking track and we depart. Many km or miles for you. Just find the club, prepare the instruments....eat ! And after that, play a big concert. We like to headbang our head, scream with our fans, jump, play, and give all of our energy to them. 19. If you are gonna do any kind of video what would be in it? Luca Cerardi: We did it this time and we kind of took some things we thought were important. We recorded in our hometown and we explained our thought in that video, so cheak it out "Blood for Glory"!! 20. Are there any touring plans made; if so tell me about them? Luca Cerardi: Well, we are playing around Italy now to spread the word of our cd, but we just played in Europe in early 2003. Now what we want is to play in America and for this we are working over the tour with our label. Nothing is confirmed now but we hope, really much, that it could come true. Its our first target and dream. If everything going good we will departe from Canada the 2nd March 2004 and we play in Canada, USA, Mexico and Brazil. After back in Europe. But now its early to say. We are also in contact with other many great names, but again is early to say something. The only thing we can say is we are working again really hard and we hope that something good could happend in this future. For any news about the tour check the site : www.merendineatomiche.com 21. Where do you think the band will be 20 years from now? Luca Cerardi: Ahah, 20 years are really many!!! I will be 47 years old!!! Ahaha, I don't know where we could be but I hope for first that the friendship between us will be alive and we can meet together again for drinking and eating, so this is the first thing. I hope the band is still alive and maybe seeing back and reminding how many things we made...but first of all, I hope to be always together as friends. |
