A wall of sound sculpted by fuzz guitars and pulsating bass, where the abstract and the defined merge in an emotional shoegaze, sinuous harmonies, space echo, ethereal voices and electronics. A special meeting in music, that of LILIES ON MARS with the composer and sound designer STEFANO GUZZETTI. A synergy that has recently taken on an important journey in their respective creative worksites, generating in very little time and track by track a new sonic dimension. Both artists, born and raised in the magical island of Sardinia, have released several albums and singles independently, generating interest and respect internationally.
They share the same love for blurry dilated sounds from the 80’s and the 90’s and a very similar approach in terms of writing and producing music. We caught up with the band to talk about their roots and what's next!
1. How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Lilies on Mars is a dreamlike vision, we had this enchanting feeling of being a bit outside of this planet while experimenting with our music back in 2009 and writing the songs of our first album. Stefano Guzzetti is our partner in crime for this new adventure.
2. Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
LISA // We are all coming from different backgrounds. I (Lisa) and Marina were previously guitarist in a metal band. Although our history comes from different genres, I felt in love with music when I first saw the opera Aida of Giacomo Puccini in an old amphitheater in Cagliari, when I was 5 years old. Then I discovered Maestro Ennio Morricone, my structure and passion comes from these amazing composers. Then the natural evolution was something cosmic somehow, that blended together in many genres that I’ve been listening to creating my own vision and connection to something that is above somewhere every time I compose.
STEFANO // Lots of years ago I was the bass player and founding member of Antennah, a group who was into indie rock and gained a good national exposure. At the same time I’ve always been interested in electronic music, and this started a lot of time ago when, at 13, I saw Kraftwerk playing “Pocket calculator” in an Italian TV show. Since back then I was also already programming my home computer, this triggered a passion that still lives nowadays and is a part of my creative process as a composer.
MARINA// I was 12 years old, I was watching MTV and the video of Violet from Hole came up! I was shocked and from that moment I couldn’t see myself without a guitar! So I started to learn on my own, I was the only girl in music in my community in Sardinia at that time, but after not long I met other girls and started to play in a rock band. It was such an exciting time.
3. First concert that you ever went to?
LISA // As said previously I went to an opera as a kid, then my first concert was (always as a kid) a beautiful concerto of an Italian songwriter called Lucio Dalla.
STEFANO // I think my very first concert was in 1987 and it was by a crappy Italian singer called Zucchero. I was brought there by my older brother and his friends. I wanted to die. Luckily I survived all those shitty songs and came home to listen to “Faith” by The Cure to wash my ears.
MARINA// When I joined my first band I found myself pretty soon surrounded by a very flourishing indie scene in my community, so I would go to see gigs of bands of friends of mine in local clubs or festivals. Although the first international big show I ever saw was the legendary Bob Dylan in Cagliari.
4. What's your writing process like?
LISA // It’s intimate and often shared in the same room with Marina, only sometimes when we are apart. We start improvising generally from a sound that is intriguing, no matter which instrument is coming from. Sometimes there are melodies that we dreamed of, stuck in our heads. Same thing happened with Stefano. At first we were all in different places, he sent us beautiful ideas that we developed far away from each other. I will call it a connection process with notes and sounds, then words, then… just our music.
STEFANO // In this project with Lisa and Marina I usually start with a line on my bass, writing the core parts of the arrangement (intro, verses, choruses etc.) then I sit at the computer and start producing the rest.
5. What other artists or songs inspire your music?
STEFANO // Apart from my creative activity as a composer, as I play the bass since I was 16 I’ve always been into indie rock, post punk, new wave etc. Having said that, I love when music is multi layered with guitars, reverbs, etc. I love when music leads you to another place, possibly a dreamy one. The music of Cocteau Twins or This Mortal Coil can be a great example of that. But also a good upbeat track, even with a danceable rhythm, is something I really love to listen to. So the list here could be quite long: Pixies, Lush, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Cranes, Pale Saints, Sugar, Curve, Blonde Redhead etc. And I am not even mentioning classics like New Order, Jesus & Mary Chain etc.
6. What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
LISA // I always felt the mysterious multiple feelings of an extendable pattern. It’a do ut des. It’s another cosmic liaison between us and the crowd. A respectful exchange.
STEFANO // I think live music should have a drive that on the recorded version is impossible to include, given the physical limits of the recording process in itself. Having said that, it should be a nice thing to slightly re-arrange the live version of a song with this added energy in mind.
7. Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?worst shows?
LISA // We are experienced musicians with a respectful background of tours around the world but this is our first project together, we performed this new music 3 times so far. It’s been such a powerful experience every time. We are a four piece live, joined by Silvia Cristofalo on guitar. Playing these songs live is a high dimension.
MARINA // We have been on tour many times and always had a positive experience, honestly even if there might have been bad shows I tend not to concentrate on them, and always come back home with a positive feeling. There is always something to learn even from the bad ones.
8. What's up next for the band?
LISA // Spread this new album coming out on the 31st of January everywhere we can. Tour as much as possible. We are proud of this collaboration, we are full of ideas, we match and it’s a pleasure and an honour to keep it high.
STEFANO // We’re already working on new material. We go along so well that we’re a continuous source of creativity. We can’t wait to share this with all the people out there.
MARINA // Play as many shows as possible and in the meantime create new music for the next record, we are already working on it!
IG LILIES ON MARS - https://www.instagram.com/liliesonmars
FB LILIES ON MARS - https://www.facebook.com/liliesonmarsofficial
IG STEFANO GUZZETTI - https://www.instagram.com/stefanoguzzetti/
FB STEFANO GUZZETTI - https://www.facebook.com/stefanoguzzettiofficial