Hi! Can you give a brief history of DEEP VALLEY BLUES, including the music style and the members?
Hi guys! Deep Valley Blues is born in 2016, we are Giando (Bass and Vocals), Umberto (guitars), Alessandro (guitars) and Giorgio (drums). We come from different background and we merged all our styles in a unique entity. Blues and psych rock joined with hard and heavy attitude, but what came out was a heavy blues related to the stoner scene.
Could you provide more detailed information about Sangue e Veleno?
“Sangue Veleno”, is our third album and fourth record. I think that it’s the darkest full length for some ways, for the music and for the lyrics, before we dealt with psychosis and introspection, not light themes, but here is raised to the limit. Despite there is a song that breaks this mournful atmosphere but it’s something momentary.
DEEP VALLEY BLUES has signed with Argonauta Records. Could you tell us more about that?
There was a kind of courtship on our part, every time one of our records was about to come out with them, however, we came close, now we decided to sign with Argonauta. Together with a few other labels they are the only stoner proposition in Italy (not only to tell the truth), there are so many bands under them, the ones we enjoyed the most were Rhino, Eye of the Golem, years ago Tuna de Tierra.
What is the difference between Sangue e Veleno and the band's very first one?
A greater squareness of sound and clarity in goals is the main difference, the EP of the same name was very raw and was born mainly at the instrumental level by one hand, this is not reflected on “Sangue e Veleno” expression of four people at the instrumental level, some similarities in themes coincide. There we had tracks like “Ashes in the Wind” or “Space Orgasm”, which were darker anyway, but the general mood was lighthearted, from there our motto: acid sounds with just the right amount of love and badassery. Here things change, the attitude is the same but the record is a bit more melancholic, equally acid and strong.
What inspires DEEP VALLEY BLUES' music and lyric writing? What do DEEP VALLEY BLUES' lyrics talk about?
For a long period of time we talked about mental illness, psychosis and introspection, using metaphors to give an image of the issue. Sometimes the tones were playful, tributes or chronicles of massacres.
Books, film, comics, poetry and videogames are inspirations, but there is a strong component linked to life experience.
In “Sangue e Veleno” the title track takes inspiration from Berserk and Do Flamingo background in One Piece, but was related to a personal issue with some relatives during a hard period.
“Eternauta” is inspired by the eponymous comic, but tells the story of a friend who died in a car accident and how I would travel the time to avoid her death, there is also a Legacy of Kain reference. “Dove” (that means “where?”) is an irreverent Italian poetry of a hotel barman in which I worked, the same hotel in which there was this mistreated handyman “Von Hell”. “River’s shuffle” is the story of one of the best horror films of the last few years: “Across the river- Oltre il guado” directed by Lorenzo Bianchini. “Poltergeist” is a reminiscence of that introspection of previous records in which I deal with my thoughts, a ghost that haunted my brain.
Do you play live often? Do you enjoy performing abroad?
Not really often, we try to sip some dates especially in our region. We like to play anywhere, especially away from our comfort zone, and fortunately we did it a lot of time.
How often does the band practice and work on new material?
Every week in the rehearsal we practice and write new material, not stopping neither after a new album release.
How did the band come up with the name DEEP VALLEY BLUES? What does it mean to you?
There is this song from our first album “Death Valley Blues” that is also an Uncle Acid song, but then we changed the first word for a relation with our area in Deep South Italy. Could mean a melody that comes from a canyon or simply the blue of the sea at the end of a sandy coast, who knows?
What are the band's plans for the near future?
We hope to play abroad my friend to publicize our new album, maybe at a festival. I think we deserve that after 8 years of sweat and tears.
Do you have a message for Iron Backstage readers?
Thank you Iron Backstage for this interview and for your time!
Guys we are Deep Valley Blues, Sultan of feelings Giorgio, Bazooka Tuft Umberto, The Store Boy Alessandro, I’m Giando the Amantea King, listen our last single “Sangue e Veleno” on every platform, soon will be release the new album for Argonauta Records and is going to be massive!