For those of you not familiar with the name RISING WIND then you soon may be. This young band from Italy plays with a swagger and a passion that belies their youth. To see them live is something I recommend to everyone and if you don’t end up smiling from ear to ear or banging your head till it aches then there just may be something wrong with you…
Mark Rockpit caught up with them at the Stone Garden Hotel, venue for this years Rock N America ‘Garden of Evil’ after-parties after they warmed up the crowd for none other than the master himself, George Lynch (of Dokken and Lynch Mob fame). I could see the guys all watching from the other side of the stage from me!
WIN A SIGNED RISING WIND EP: Later in the month check out the Competitions page for your chance to win a copy of the BELIEVERS EP Fully signed by the band! Go on check them out… you know you want to.
Mark: First of all thank you for speaking to us again. Shane, who interviewed Lou a while back passed on the EP “Believers” to me, which I thought was great and so I had to catch up with you all here at Rock N America. I must admit though that the EP doesn’t prepare you for how good you guys are ‘live’. You were great. One of the best young live bands I have seen in a long time.
Rising: Thank you very much.
Mark: With this being your first US tour my first question for you all is how have you enjoyed yourselves in America?
Rising: We have had a great time. We love the US and the people and they have been great with us.
Mark: So you are gonna come back?
Rising: For sure we don’t want to go home tonight!
Mark: In the live show tonight you played some Johnny Cash and you played some Avenged Sevenfold…
Rising: You like it?
Mark: I must admit I’m not a huge Johnny Cash fan but if he sounds anything like that tonight I’m going to search out his albums!
Rising: You should check out Volbeat from Denmark! They play a kind of heavy metal and early rockabilly and we love them. We hope Johnny would be happy also with our version.
Mark: I’m pretty sure he would love what you’ve done with it. I loved the Avenged Sevenfold cover too. But your overall sound, when I first heard you live at Rock N America, reminded me of Queensryche and Freddy’s voice really reminds me of Geoff Tate. Are they a big influence?
Rising: Yes someone told me that.
Mark: So Iron Maiden, Queensryche? Who are your main influences?
Rising: Yes Maiden most, definitely.
Mark: I know when you last spoke with us Lou also mentioned a lot of new bands too?
Rising: Yes we love a lot of new stuff, but we try to be ourselves.
Mark: I’ve spoken to so many people here (at RNA) over the last few days and one name seems to be on everyone’s lips and that is Rising Wind. Even some of the other musicians on the roster have said they really enjoyed your show.
Rising: Wow that is great to know.
Mark: So where do you go from here? You’ve played a big festival in the States, gone down a storm, everyone has loved you. Where do you go from there? Do you go back to Italy to regroup? What is the plan?
Rising: We go home, we play a lot of gigs, but maybe we take August off?
At this point interview is interrupted by a chorus of “Italy, Italy” from a group making their way back to their rooms who obviously love the guys. A few seconds later the Promoter for Rock N America, who has just been standing next to me watching George Lynch at the after-party walks past and sees the guys and shouts over “Great job guys, well done”
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Mark: There you go support from high places! The promoter thinks you are great as well that’s gotta say something!
Rising: The first thing we want to do though is to record our first album.
Mark: So those plans are already in motion? Will any of the songs from the EP be on there.
Rising: we still have to choose.
Mark: Do you think your sound will change at all, you have mentioned that to me before and the EP was released a year ago now? Because there is one camp that says you shouldn’t change a thing you have that wonderful Maiden/Power Metal thing going on…
Rising: Perhaps change is the wrong word. Maybe we are just growing up, or evolving. We also know that we have to say things about today and the world we live in: we love bands like Alter Bridge, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Valentine… We don’t cover 80s songs, we live in the present and we learn from the past.
Mark: I think you are right to find your own identity, but maybe the danger of playing a festival like this where we do have primarily eighties bands is that if you change your sound too radically you may alienate some of the fans you have only just found?
Rising: Yes but the change will not be so strong. I mean even if you saw our live shows last year we have already come along way.
Mark: I actually think you will just get stronger you seem to have a real team spirit. Who writes your lyrics?
The band says Freddie, while Freddie disagrees and tells me that it is more of a team effort.
Rising: We write lyrics together, we write music together.
Mark: So what else are you planning for the US? I saw your fellow country-men last year “Sex Department” play the Whisky in LA with “Vains of Jenna”. Do you have designs to do that sort of thing maybe if you come back again?
Rising: Wow we love Vains of Jenna. We hope to do something like that too, it would be cool.
Mark: Maybe next visit?
Rising: For sure, we would love to do that but we need some help from the fans to tell us that they want us back!
Mark: Well you’ve had some wonderful support from Darcy this year getting you over for this and I’m sure based on the reaction it won’t be long till the people demand you come back! You played the after-party tonight effectively supporting George Lynch, who is one of my musical heroes, how was that whole experience?
Rising: It was a dream come true!
Mark: For a group of young guys to come over and play a festival like this must be so inspiring!
Rising: We have no words to describe how great it’s been. We love this place! Beautiful People, beautiful fans.
Mark: What is the first thing you will all do when you get back to Italy?
Rising: Tell everyone about this amazing experience and sleep!
Mark: Any gigs lined up when you get back?
Rising: Yes we have dates in September they are all there on our Website, our MySpace and Facebook.
Mark: So when is the album coming out?
Rising: We are just not sure at the moment we hope soon, but it looks like it may be next summer.
Mark: So it may be out the next time you play Rock N America, We hope that we will be there to see you. And traditionally, finally we always ask everyone we speak to “what is the meaning of life?’ So now that you have been here has that changed at all?
Rising (Lou): I remember! Do what you were born to do and never surrender! Believe in what you do and remember and cherish every moment.
Mark: Thank you guys so much, all the best, safe trip back home and keep in touch with the Rockpit.net!
Rising: Thank you so much.
Mark: And I promise not to tell anyone about the swimming pool story…
