OVO interview is up 3/16/2011

 

OVO



1. I know very little about this Duo of Chaos and Power . How did OVO come to be?

We started in 2001, and have toured as much as we can ever since. We've always been a bit out of every scene, being initially identified with the improv-noise style, and lately more and more with the heavy scene. And we played a lot of squats on tour in Europe, because that's where we come from, but I guess it didn't help to spread our word into a more official music scene. Anyway, here we are. A big Italian guy and a small Italian girl, bringing noise to town.  
 

2. Is it very difficult being a duo live and creating such a massive and experimental sound?

We need a lot of help and complicity from the sound man! We use our instruments improperly, and this confuses a lot of sound men...
 

3  You were working with RI Noise/ Hardcore Doom label Load and now working with  Supernatural Cat how did you come to leave the one and sign with the other?

Load is a great label and Ben is a great guy, but over the past few years he had to slow down the label for personal reasons. Also, a European label is easier for us at the moment. It's easier to get the records without annoying tolls and customs problems, and we can communicate faster. We talk with the Supernatural Cat crew daily, following every step of the record, it's great. And it's a step toward the heavy metal audience, which is more reactive to our music, lately.
 

4. The Vocals in OVO sound like Torment pure and simple . I've read there are no effects on them . This must be torture on your throat especially live?

Actually, for the first time we used effects on a couple of songs for this album. But it's the first time, and anyway there's no effect live. She has no problems, apparently, it's the way she sings and it comes naturally. Great, isn't it?
 

5. You  seem to perform with all different genres of music. Do you find the more experimental or more extreme crowds with a better response to you shows?

We love to play and listen to different music styles, and so we love to play with all kinds of bands. As I said, lately we have better responses from the most open-minded metal audiences. But we still love noise! 
 

6. If the members of OVO were to explain the sound how would the both of you do so?

We have no idea, really. It's what comes out from our souls and guts, but we don't know how to explain it.
 

7. You seem to mix visual with the music.. Do you feel a mix of both is needed esp live to give OVO an edge in 2011?

When we started, we had no idea about the whole masked scene in the US; we didn't know Load Records at all... it was just what we came up with. Stefania started to perform masked in 1997, with her female band ALLUN. It's a very important part of being on stage for her. When you perform, you become someone or something else. It's always been like that, since the Greek theatre.
 

8. What are some of your favorite bands to tour or perform with?

Recently we performed with Nadja and Thrones and it was very good. We toured a lot with Rollerball, a band from Portland, Oregon, and they became our American family. Among the bands we always like to play with, I'd like to mention Ludicra, Lightning Bolt, White Mice, Zu, Vialka, Zenigeva. We toured the US with Subarachnoid Space, but they split. We wish Melynda all the best for her new projects. 
 

9. Is there a running theme in OVO songs or just a collection on nightmare and madness?

There are themes that influence the music, but Stefania's lyrics have no real meanings. For example, the last album Cor Cordium is about Shelley's grave in Rome. The previous one, CroceVia, is about the themes of the cross.
 

10. Would you ever think about expanding members for live show or is it the duo that makes it all the more special?

We were an open band at the beginning, then, after a bad experience, we became a duo. And being a duo definitely makes it special.
 

11. What are your thoughts on the Indie music scene in 21st Century? had it lost its magic from 90s and early 00's or is it something that now you really need to dig into to find the really interesting bands?

There will always be good music around. But everything changed since the 90's, we have to accept it. Indie means something very different now. And the ways to look for good music changed too. We always have to be able to surf these natural changes, instead of refuse them. There's a lot of interesting music out there.
 

12. thanks for the interview  any closing thoughts here?

Thank you, we'll be on tour in the US after summer, see you there!
 

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