VITA NOVA
Vk said:
I guess I’ve always had to do things the hard way.
And not from any desire to make my life hard….But I think sometimes we’re too ‘hard’ on the hard way. The easy way may be painless in the moment…but you’re going to have a lifetime of living with the often shoddy results of that moment- and to me, that’s a harder option.
For example, I’d rather have fewer friends, for the right reasons, who will be there for me years from now, then have a lot of friends, for the wrong reasons, who will disappear when the fair weather grows cloudy.
I’d rather put time and respect into a lifetime relationship than have quick flings that require no commitment but would inevitably leave me feeling hollow.
And I’d rather make the music that I believe in, in a nontraditional way, that may never make me a star, than treat my gift like a job for the quick buck today and not know the person in the mirror tomorrow.
That’s how I ended up writing music from Hollywood with a person in Milan who I’ve never been on the same continent with.
Making music is a mercurial thing…and for me, it’s hard to make GOOD music with just anybody. There needs to be a connection…a shared sensibility, in one way or another. When I found that in Federico, I knew that a little thing like distance wasn’t going to stop us from collaborating.
Thank God for Skype. Even though the 9-hour time difference is a bitch and a half, it has allowed us to have lengthy discussions about music, our lives, and the people we are behind the songs we write- so we can do the best work possible together.
For years, I’ve been advised, encouraged, pressured, cajoled, even ORDERED by various well-meaning (and not-so-well-meaning) entities to just “stop being so stubborn and sing some commercial pop music so we can all make money”.
Well, it’s a new day.
In it, I’m drowning out the voices of dissent with the new fruits of my stubbornness…And epic fruits they are!
In it, I have a new way of thinking, ignoring the disapproval of people who will never understand what I’m doing…or why.
And in it, I have a new way of working, of creating solutions to challenges that I never had before and realizing that doors open once you stop assuming they’re locked.
So in fact, it’s more than a new day…It’s a Vita Nova.
Here with you!!!
by VK Lynne/Darkzen
I guess I’ve always had to do things the hard way.
And not from any desire to make my life hard….But I think sometimes we’re too ‘hard’ on the hard way. The easy way may be painless in the moment…but you’re going to have a lifetime of living with the often shoddy results of that moment- and to me, that’s a harder option.
For example, I’d rather have fewer friends, for the right reasons, who will be there for me years from now, then have a lot of friends, for the wrong reasons, who will disappear when the fair weather grows cloudy.
I’d rather put time and respect into a lifetime relationship than have quick flings that require no commitment but would inevitably leave me feeling hollow.
And I’d rather make the music that I believe in, in a nontraditional way, that may never make me a star, than treat my gift like a job for the quick buck today and not know the person in the mirror tomorrow.
That’s how I ended up writing music from Hollywood with a person in Milan who I’ve never been on the same continent with.
Making music is a mercurial thing…and for me, it’s hard to make GOOD music with just anybody. There needs to be a connection…a shared sensibility, in one way or another. When I found that in Federico, I knew that a little thing like distance wasn’t going to stop us from collaborating.
Thank God for Skype. Even though the 9-hour time difference is a bitch and a half, it has allowed us to have lengthy discussions about music, our lives, and the people we are behind the songs we write- so we can do the best work possible together.
For years, I’ve been advised, encouraged, pressured, cajoled, even ORDERED by various well-meaning (and not-so-well-meaning) entities to just “stop being so stubborn and sing some commercial pop music so we can all make money”.
Well, it’s a new day.
In it, I’m drowning out the voices of dissent with the new fruits of my stubbornness…And epic fruits they are!
In it, I have a new way of thinking, ignoring the disapproval of people who will never understand what I’m doing…or why.
And in it, I have a new way of working, of creating solutions to challenges that I never had before and realizing that doors open once you stop assuming they’re locked.
So in fact, it’s more than a new day…It’s a Vita Nova.
Interview by Darkzen:
What
was the inspiration to form this group??? for both
(Federico)
I think it's been a very natural decision, once we saw how we could develop our
ideas together. We both like challenges and what we're trying to do is really
unconventional, after all it's only music... There are boundaries only where
you want to see them, especially in this century. The combination of different
roots and different experiences has always given good results in human history,
so why not to try something that could be even unexpected?
(VK)
Exactly. An added benefit was that, for me, this whole process was also a
creative solution to a practical problem. I had these symphonic metal musical
ideas, but was really struggling to find musicians in Los Angeles with a
similar vision. Vita Nova’s formation eliminated the need to limit myself to
collaborators/band members in California…or the US, for that matter!
we
want to prove with this album??
(Federico)
We want to prove that music doesn't know boundaries nor distance. The truth is
that, as I was saying, it's a matter of how you make music and I personally
believe that nowadays a project like Vita Nova is absolutely possible.
Technology helps a lot, of course, it wouldn't be possible to work so easily
from different continents without internet, e-mail, skype...
(VK)
I hope it inspires the industry to start embracing outside-the-box
thinking. On my end, this project is
probably the very last thing people expected of me…But that’s kind of my M.O.;)
In
today’s artistic climate, the ‘music industry model’ has become so different
from what it was for decades, that artists are just trying to find their
footing, and we’re losing the sense of risk-taking that used to be a hallmark
of rock and roll. So I’m happy that we can put Vita Nova out there as some
risky business;).
Vita
Nova conveys that with every song???
(Federico)
All the songs are a series of processes between VK and I, it doesn't really
matter who had the first idea. I mean, we have different roles in the project.
We work as a team, so basically each one of us must be very focused on what
he's working on, but I think this is the real strength of a project of its
kind.
(VK)
Yes. And neither of us is afraid to send the other back to the drawing board.
We have the same vision, and we want it be the best we can produce.
Lisa
Middelhauve involved in this album???
(Federico)
We'd love to work again with her, but for this album we already had so many
requests of featuring and participations... Maybe in the future, who knows?
who
composed the songs for both???
(Federico)
We're open to all the possibilities: for most of the songs, the process starts
with an mp3 recorded by VK, vocals and guitar or only vocals. What I do is to
set up the harmony, give the song a structure and a basic arrangement. Then, VK
normally re-records her vocals and other parts (if the songs requires any
featuring, she writes all the vocal parts). But this is not the rule, we have a
song that I started writing and VK completed with vocals, and basically we both
always suggest changes for what we want to be better.
(VK)
Indeed- and to Federico’s credit, he is always open to whatever wild thing I
throw at him. One of the songs on the EP, Taking on the World…I knew it was
ambitious when I sent it, but he attacked it with enthusiasm. On Skype, he did
raise an eyebrow at me about it; but I knew if anyone could make that insanity
come to life, it was him!:)
the
artwork, which means???
(Federico)
A girl, a mountain, crystalline water. It's the image of a new life: there's a
magic halo over the whole landscape, that sort of halo you can imagine in all
the new situations of life. It reflects also our music, which is introspective
and reflexive.
(VK)
It was done by Josué Galvan in Mexico, which adds another country to our
Benetton advertsiement of a project!
who
are all members of the group???
(Federico)
VK and I decided to base all the "instrumental section" in Italy so
that recordings would have been a little bit easier to manage. Tony Corizia
(bass) comes from the U.S. and now lives in Italy, we work together from
several years and I think he's an incredible bassist, a groove machine. Thomas
D'Alba (drums) is Deva's drummer, so we share both the projects. With me, as
co-producer, also SteelNight Studios' sound engineer Lorenzo Ardoni follows all
the production. I'm very satisfied with this line-up because, once again,
everyone knows very well his own role and it's avery professional team, even if
each one of us is moved by passion for music and much enthusiasm.
which
is the opinion of working with you to Kerstin, Grace, Maxi and lliana??
(Federico)
I must say that these girls are lovely. And most of all, they give the best
they can. The nice thing is that each one of them comes with her own technique,
inflection, feeling. So when I listen to the tracks I immediately recognize the
personal way of singing, that little things you'll have only from that singer:
that vibrato, that pronounce, that softness, that fullness... I still remember
the goosebumps I had while I was listening for the first time to Kerstin Bischof's
recordings of the song "Vita Nova". After her, we had the chance to
work with Maxi Nil, IlianaTsakiraki and Grace Meridan. It's been a surprise to
see how they have all been happy to participate, during their recordings (and
also after) there have been lots of e-mails and messages, they wanted to check
with me how the song was growing up, how their recordings were interacting with
the others. That's simply great, I am very grateful to these singers. I wish I
could tell you the next names but they're still secret at the moment, we'll be
ready to reveal them very soon!
(VK)
Also, this has led to some wonderful friendships for me; we had the original
connections through Eve’s Apple and working on Vita Nova has only made them
stronger.
any
plan to tour Latin America??
(Federico)
It's one of our dreams. Or should I say it's one of our targets? To be honest,
for the moment it's early to think about touring, since we're working on the
first releases and we want to see what reactions we'll receive. The first
impressions are very positive, much more than how I was expecting, so you never
know... But I truly hope for a giant tour in Latin America, sooner or later!
(VK)
TARGETS!! I’m always thinking too far ahead, but it’s part of my charm, lol. I
cannot wait to get this whole diverse crowd together on one stage to perform.
In fact, some of the girls have expressed interest in coming along as well….;)
plan
to do another music video??
(Federico)
We're thinking about it, we have a lot of ideas too. We're now planning a lot
of things, all the Vita Nova project is something that is growing day by day...
I wasn't ready to all this interest from media, fans, people from all over the
world, in so little time! But yes, we're also thinking about a new video!
(VK)
Indeed. Living in Hollywood offers the advantage of having filmmakers all
around me, including my husband who is a director/editor. So much like the
sonic aspects of Vita Nova, visually, anything is possible!
VK
and friends thank you very much for your time!
the
last words are all yours for Rock & Metal World Magazine and FemaleMetal.com its loyal
readers!
(Federico)
Thank you guys, your support is precious! You rock!!
(VK)
Yes; we cannot express enough our appreciation for the people who’ve brought
such an open mind and open heart to this project! And stick
with us- we’ll keep living on the edge if you will!;)
thanks
Darkzen
Epica has renewed their official Webpage: 
