Hi! Can you tell me about MEIFU and your previous musical experiences?
The idea to give birth to the band was raised by Tommy and Genia in late 2018, while they were both playing in the funeral sludge band Vij, to create something different from their main project. Very soon, Edoardo joined the band on the drums. He came from the metal scene, playing black/death with Necromorbid, brutal death with Sickening and doom with Lord Elephant, but he accepted the role and the challenge of playing a music with different elements and purposes than metal. At the end, Mari completed the line-up some months later, bringing her studies about classical and medieval music inside the band.
Why did you choose your band name, how did you form, and what led you to play the genres you do?
Meifu is the realm of the dead in Japanese culture, an unearthly place where spirits and demons live afterlife. We chose something coming from oriental culture, that fascinated us mostly because in oriental cultures we found a less dogmatic approach, everything appears in his duality and with few elements they can build a very complex philosophy system. That's strictly connected with our sound and track's structures, and fits perfectly with the approach we have with the music of the band. For us, the most important thing is to maintain a certain attitude, a common feeling that transcends genres and work to create inspired and thoughtful music for the mind.
Can you tell us about Haunted Dreams?
“Haunted Dreams” is mainly an experiment for us: we were looking for something that sounds different, something that could connect classical stoner/doom riffs with something ethereal. We were looking for spiritual elements that usually are not played in this kind of music. The main theme of the album is the change, the becoming of men and things, and we wanted to express it both lyrically and musically, so that you can hear a kind of metamorphosis during the listening of the songs, reaching different moods for different emotions. As a final result, we think “Haunted Dreams” respect our early purposes.
What kind of feedback are you hoping to receive for your album?
Actually, we don’t know what to expect from people! We did it mainly for our own fun and purpose, but we really hope that who listen to the album, could find inside the tracks the same spirit that animated us during their composition. You should let all your heavy thoughts and deeds of the life outside, and submerge yourself in the hypnotic, mantric pulsations of our songs, looking for hidden paths beyond the rigid reality.
Do you plan to embark on a world tour in the future? Do you think touring the world is an option available to every band, or what does a band need to do to achieve this opportunity?
We would be more than happy to embark on world tours to promote our music! We think a world tour should be an opportunity for every band, because around the world you can confront your art with people from different cultures and approach to music, and this is a good way to have a right feedback about your musical output. Of course, it’s not easy to find time, money and contacts to play around the world, but we hope to find them all and go everywhere to play “Haunted Dreams” as far as possible!
Do you believe in a music scene without money?
Well, that would be awesome, but without money the future of music will be really hard. Without money for art, people who play need to work a lot to live and the time to play and create something new is not sufficient and always lacking. However, it can be said that Meifu were born and raised within Italian squats. The rehearsal room where we create our music is a self-managed one, where you don't pay to play and equipment and spaces are shared. Many of our live shows take place inside squats, places where no one earns money, where at most we get a reimbursement for travel expenses, but we are repaid with curiosity and energy that recharges us every time. That places often are in remote provinces, animated by few people with enormous efforts and passion, and which are a resource for all those people who would otherwise live gray and isolated lives.
Especially Mari, but the others too, have been immersed in the Italian DIY music scene for many years, and we witnessed that it has currently changed a lot: now, it is difficult to self-produce, distros almost no longer exist, DIY co-productions only exist within some musical sub-genres. We admit that we miss that world a lot, but there are people with independent labels who do enormous diffusion work and spaces that continue to organize exciting live shows. We still see a passion circulating, perhaps it has taken different forms, but this is not going to stop.
What are your thoughts on online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free, and if so, why?
We agree with online sharing and we share our music online. It is a good deal mostly for new bands who can show to the world their art. Music, like all the form of culture, should circulate freely, be shared, passed from hand to hand, copied, downloaded, exchanged, discovered by chance. We still actively support file sharing systems and the fact that these communities continue to exist gives us faith in the human being. On the other hand, the best way possible to support an artist and a band today is to send them money for their works, so we believe that everything should be free, but that if you like and dig the music, you should support artists paying for their art. That’s what we do, and that’s the way we would like people do too.
Who are your musical influences? Did you ever imagine your band could become as famous as your favorites?
Well, it’s not easy to list the musical preferences of four different people, but we have some common influences for sure: we all like Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Sleep, Om and psychedelic music, and we all try to melt the reverence for this iconic bands in something personal and new. Besides this, we all have some personal taste and influences that is not present in the others, and the way we try to fit them in the Meifu’s music is our most precious element. Diversity is gold, and we are blessed to be bound in a special connection where we can express all our ideas with no limits. About the fame, a little part of our hearts always hopes to be as famous as our favorite bands..but we know that this is highly improbable!
Have you received formal music education? Do you think it's an important factor?
T: Yes, I studied music but not for a long time. In my opinion, this is an important factor, because music has his own codes, you can use them or not, but if you know them everything comes easier.
M: I studied modern singing for several years, but being a nerd at heart, the somewhat generic and confusing notions that are often used as vocal teaching in the modern repertoire weren't enough for me. At a certain point I landed on ancient and baroque music: I have been studying as a baroque contralto for many years now and my approach has become much more technical and controlled. I learned to read music decently, to transcribe it and to have fun with it, I admit that I really enjoy it. I don't think it's always necessary to study music in a formal way, most of the musicians I know don't write music on sheets and yet they can easily compose tons of wonderful music. For me, however, it was intriguing and useful, it helped me feel more confident in what I do and interpret the musical language more quickly and easily.
How do you balance your music with other obligations such as family, job, etc.?
To be honest, it isn't an easy deal! The work take lots of our energy but we do music for ourselves first and so when we play with the band we try to keep off daily problems and lose ourself in music. Luckily enough, our friends and family support our passion and the time we invest in it, and they are always the first feedback we like to have about our new creations!
How do you deal with mistakes during a performance? Do you get nervous before a performance or competition?
T: I'm nervous when I play a live set but I always enjoyed the time I spend for concerts... mistakes are parts of live shows I think, and there’s nothing I can do with that.
M: My nervousness depends a lot on how prepared I feel. When I started singing, many years ago, I panicked before every concert. Then when you go on stage that magical thing happens: the anxiety disappears and you start having fun. But I only really managed to live it better when I started to feel in control of my body and my voice, and what was happening. I acquired this control with experience, but technique was even more important in that. When you gain some mastery of what you do, your body will go automatically and you can finally enjoy the performance, and the audience notices that and enjoys that with you. For me it was a liberation and obviously I still make mistakes, but I am enormously more relaxed in accepting imperfection. You also have to play together with people who support you and make you feel at ease, with Meifu we get along well, we experience music in a relaxing and non-judgmental way, and this helps a lot.
What's next for your band? Thank you!
Our first mission, now, is to promote “Haunted Dreams” at the best, making interviews, statements and, last but not least, playing around as more as possible. We think that gigs are always the better way to discover and support a band, and we would like to export our music as far as possible. In the meanwhile, we are working on new material, that is growing fast and strong! So be sure to follow us, check our pages and go to our shows when possible! We also want to thank you a lot for the interest and the space on your site, hoping to meet you by person someday! Cheers!