Steve (guitar) Valerian Swing
What is your name and band/label/etc?
I'm Steve, i play guitar in Valerian Swing, we are from Italy. We released our first record in the US last year thanks to Magic Bullet Records.
What are your top five albums that were released in 2012? (In order 1-5)
- Pg.Lost - Key
- Time Columns - Mana
- Ufomammut - Oro
- Baroness - Yellow and Green
- Sigur Ros - Valtari
What band did you discover in 2012 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
And So I Watch You From Afar from Ireland. I knew the band before but i saw them live for the first time at SXSW in Austin this year. I was so impress by their performance and their attitude on stage, it was one of most intense show that i've seen this year.
How will you remember 2012? (In terms of music)
Musically It has been a great year for our band, probably the best year so far, we were able to tour the US for the first time, play a lot of shows around the world and had the chance to meet a lot of new people that got really involved in our music.
What can we look forward to from you in 2013?
We're working on a new album and we hope to release it in the second half of 2013.
What records are you looking forward to most in 2013?
I hope that some bands that i loved over the last few years will release new material in 2013, to name a few: Adebisi Shank, Native, This Will Destroy You, This Town Needs Guns. And I would say also that i'm looking forward to our new record because i'm really curious in what we can come up with, compare to what we have done in the last few years.
Fundraising sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have made a strong impact on the ability of artists to release music. Do you think this approach is a trend, or will it continue to shape how artists produce their material?
I don't know if it's just a trend but surely is a smart way (especially for small bands) to produce your album without using money from your pocket. The music industry chance dramatically, labels are not important like in the past, and it's hard for them to invest money in a band and have these money back in terms of sales. Fundraising sites could be an answer to all that, but i don't know if i will ever try to do a fundraising campaign with my band, i still have the feeling to ask for charity also if you give something in exchange to the people
