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L.E.A.R.N.
You Have To Learn...
Interview with Ivan (Bass) made on 15/03/07
LEO: So, how are you fellas doing? What’s the vibe in sunny SICILIA?
Ivan: Everything's fine here, the weather is not so sunny though!
LEO: guess you’ve been asked this many times already but still I need to ask: what does L.E.A.R.N. stand for? I’ve been asking this to myself for a while and I’m sure you can solve my enigma.
Ivan: Well, let's say it's a secret...maybe there's some meaning, maybe not...who knows!
LEO:I know some of you guys already play in some Sicily based bands like Sonny Corleone or Values Intact. But what made you want to form L.E.A.R.N. and play really fast skate punk hc, besides the fact that it kicks ass?
IVAN: There is no real reason, we all like that style of playing and composing lyrics (even the most caustic ones) and just wanted to do it! Anyway, being in a "short, fast n loud" band is huge fun, and I guess that helped the guys feeling more "comfortable" and putting faith and energy in this "new" project!
LEO:Reading the lyrics, watching your artwork, you seem to have a pretty hateful attitude, much Skate & Destroy style. Ain’t that true?
IVAN: Little premise: we strongly believe (and maybe there's not so much people like us) in music as a "media", something you can use to spread messages and views. And not only by writing songs, everything speak for us, artworks included. What you see is what you get.Our style comes from our life, our personal experiences in Palermo, a city basically populated by various kinds of assholes that you constantly want to see dead. We'd like to thank Michele Ink4Riot too for his beautiful artworks, as they exactly represented what we felt!
LEO: Main influences? Is there any italian band (of the past or the present) that you particularly like and think it influenced your sound? Some of your music remind me a lot of DIE, I’m sure you like them.
IVAN: We dont like so much to say "we play just like ..." or "this song came up ... style". Our sound is similar to many other fast/thrashcore bands, american and european (swe-core especially!), but we developed some kind of original and unpredictable way of playing, mainly because we all grew in different bands, playing a ton of different stuff...we're very happy that people like this big "hardcore salad", it makes us so proud! We love Die!, but not only them, a bunch of italian bands too. And what a better chance to invite the italian readers of SYS to pay more attention to the italian bands? We have nothing less than the rest of the world!!!
LEO:Your debut 7”, “First Lesson” has recently been released. Besides the fact that the artwork kicks ass, won’t you give us few more details on it?
IVAN: Thank you so much! Our 7" is the beloved child of a huge co-production between 24 labels from italy, usa, france and sweden! Our decision to choose this system of putting out music was mainly made up on 2 major things: first, we wanted to put out a record in less time possible (6 months after the recording date...but it was hard sometimes as we had to keep contact and coordinate 24 different people in different nations). Second, it was an attitude-bound choice, as DIY is still here 30 years after Crass, and it still carries the fresh and sincere spirit of the "roots". Someone said we did this choice to circumvent the fact no one was interested in our music. Well, we didn’t find one label, we found 24!!! For a grand total of 1000 copies, on black and red vinyls. We'd like these assholes to know too that, thanks to people with a big passion for music and hardcore, we'll soon print a split CD in Brazil with XAmorX (great band guys), and we're making the tape + cd versions of "First Lesson" for Indonesia and Malaysia. Point is: turn on your brain before talking shit just for the sake of it. People love L.E.A.R.N. and L.E.A.R.N. don’t love assholes!!!
LEO: How’s the scene in Sicily? Do you see it coming up strong or it’s still too weak? I was there during the summer before and I noticed that in Palermo the scene is almost split up. You’re few people, but there are many divisions going on and that’s a shame. What do you have to tell me on that?
IVAN: *Sicily's scene has one BIG problem, and it's distance. We have a bunch of awesome bands, but being far from everywhere is a great malus. The same goes for all the people who want to come here, as it's costly and kind of difficult, so bands tend to not include Sicily in their tour plans. About divisions, I don’t know who you know here and with whom you talked and stayed during your trip, but being "ostracized" by the scene is something that happens to some lonely guys that prefer to hide behind their MySpace page and talk shit of everything instead of acting. Palermo scene has always been a mixture of people of radically different lifestyles and ideals (from straight edgers to street punks), and that's something you don’t see exactly everyday! Anyway, if someone is an asshole, he's like that and no other way, no matter what's your style!
LEO:Also as far as shit talking and that whole thing is concerned, I remember to have read on the saveyourscene board that some anymous goes around and talk behind your back, saying that you guys are like a fascist band and that kinda stuff. Wanna tell us about that a little? Found out who these anynomous shit talkers are?
IVAN: This is a "closed case" right now. We found out who was talking behind us, found out why (nothing more than personal problems), and found out another guy who should look himself in a mirror and understand that HE'S a fascist, racist, and not us. Another one for the black list, nothing more.
LEO: By the way Besides bands we already know like Value Intact, do you have others to recommend us?
IVAN: Sure thing. Burst Up (power violence), Feccia Tricolore (hardcore), who released their first record some weeks ago. If you're into thrash metal, absolutely listen to Shock Troopers, "Palermo's Municipal Waste", as we like to call them. F.U.G. are another sure shot for fast hardcore, and if you listen to melodic stuff, Fingerbang (melocore) and The Popsters (pop-punk-rock) may be one of your favourite listening!
LEO: If you had to record a cover song for a tribute album to a band you could choose, which song would you pick up? And from what band? And of course...why?
There's a cover that we particularly like as it was the first song we have played in public, Minor Threat's "Seein' Red". Great song, great lyrics. Anyway, this is a more personal question, so I think every member of the band should give an answer!
Ivan: "New Direction" by Gorilla Biscuits...I was enlightened on first listening, it's still actual after twenty years! Shame it's just a bit too long for us!
Cimino: I'd like to play "Scarysmurf" by Kid Dynamite. One of my fave songs of one of my fave bands...so good!
Alberto: anything by Wretched is fine...just read the lyrics!
Marco: AC/DC - "Highway To Hell"...the title speaks loud in itself, and anyway it's a song about living life in its fullness, without thinking too much!
Piparino: "Guilty Of Being White" by Minor Threat, it was the first track of them I've ever heard!
LEO: Future plans? I know you had a few dates lined up for the next months. And then, what should we expect from L.E.A.R.N. in the future?
IVAN: Yeah, we have some dates scheduled for the upcoming month. And then for the future, beside all the stuff we already talked about, you should expect a split 7" with Common Enemy, amazing band from Reading, Pennsylvania...we're going to enter in the recording studio in the next weeks! Meanwhile, we printed our t-shirts and there still some copies of “First Lesson” 7” available!
LEO: Skate and Destroy or Rollerblade and Enjoy? ;)
IVAN. What about "Soccer and play fast?" :)
LEO: Thanks Guys, see you soon!
IVAN: Thanks to you and SaveYourScene.com!
Ivan: Everything's fine here, the weather is not so sunny though!
LEO: guess you’ve been asked this many times already but still I need to ask: what does L.E.A.R.N. stand for? I’ve been asking this to myself for a while and I’m sure you can solve my enigma.
Ivan: Well, let's say it's a secret...maybe there's some meaning, maybe not...who knows!
LEO:I know some of you guys already play in some Sicily based bands like Sonny Corleone or Values Intact. But what made you want to form L.E.A.R.N. and play really fast skate punk hc, besides the fact that it kicks ass?
IVAN: There is no real reason, we all like that style of playing and composing lyrics (even the most caustic ones) and just wanted to do it! Anyway, being in a "short, fast n loud" band is huge fun, and I guess that helped the guys feeling more "comfortable" and putting faith and energy in this "new" project!
LEO:Reading the lyrics, watching your artwork, you seem to have a pretty hateful attitude, much Skate & Destroy style. Ain’t that true?
IVAN: Little premise: we strongly believe (and maybe there's not so much people like us) in music as a "media", something you can use to spread messages and views. And not only by writing songs, everything speak for us, artworks included. What you see is what you get.Our style comes from our life, our personal experiences in Palermo, a city basically populated by various kinds of assholes that you constantly want to see dead. We'd like to thank Michele Ink4Riot too for his beautiful artworks, as they exactly represented what we felt!
LEO: Main influences? Is there any italian band (of the past or the present) that you particularly like and think it influenced your sound? Some of your music remind me a lot of DIE, I’m sure you like them.
IVAN: We dont like so much to say "we play just like ..." or "this song came up ... style". Our sound is similar to many other fast/thrashcore bands, american and european (swe-core especially!), but we developed some kind of original and unpredictable way of playing, mainly because we all grew in different bands, playing a ton of different stuff...we're very happy that people like this big "hardcore salad", it makes us so proud! We love Die!, but not only them, a bunch of italian bands too. And what a better chance to invite the italian readers of SYS to pay more attention to the italian bands? We have nothing less than the rest of the world!!!
LEO:Your debut 7”, “First Lesson” has recently been released. Besides the fact that the artwork kicks ass, won’t you give us few more details on it?
IVAN: Thank you so much! Our 7" is the beloved child of a huge co-production between 24 labels from italy, usa, france and sweden! Our decision to choose this system of putting out music was mainly made up on 2 major things: first, we wanted to put out a record in less time possible (6 months after the recording date...but it was hard sometimes as we had to keep contact and coordinate 24 different people in different nations). Second, it was an attitude-bound choice, as DIY is still here 30 years after Crass, and it still carries the fresh and sincere spirit of the "roots". Someone said we did this choice to circumvent the fact no one was interested in our music. Well, we didn’t find one label, we found 24!!! For a grand total of 1000 copies, on black and red vinyls. We'd like these assholes to know too that, thanks to people with a big passion for music and hardcore, we'll soon print a split CD in Brazil with XAmorX (great band guys), and we're making the tape + cd versions of "First Lesson" for Indonesia and Malaysia. Point is: turn on your brain before talking shit just for the sake of it. People love L.E.A.R.N. and L.E.A.R.N. don’t love assholes!!!
LEO: How’s the scene in Sicily? Do you see it coming up strong or it’s still too weak? I was there during the summer before and I noticed that in Palermo the scene is almost split up. You’re few people, but there are many divisions going on and that’s a shame. What do you have to tell me on that?
IVAN: *Sicily's scene has one BIG problem, and it's distance. We have a bunch of awesome bands, but being far from everywhere is a great malus. The same goes for all the people who want to come here, as it's costly and kind of difficult, so bands tend to not include Sicily in their tour plans. About divisions, I don’t know who you know here and with whom you talked and stayed during your trip, but being "ostracized" by the scene is something that happens to some lonely guys that prefer to hide behind their MySpace page and talk shit of everything instead of acting. Palermo scene has always been a mixture of people of radically different lifestyles and ideals (from straight edgers to street punks), and that's something you don’t see exactly everyday! Anyway, if someone is an asshole, he's like that and no other way, no matter what's your style!
LEO:Also as far as shit talking and that whole thing is concerned, I remember to have read on the saveyourscene board that some anymous goes around and talk behind your back, saying that you guys are like a fascist band and that kinda stuff. Wanna tell us about that a little? Found out who these anynomous shit talkers are?
IVAN: This is a "closed case" right now. We found out who was talking behind us, found out why (nothing more than personal problems), and found out another guy who should look himself in a mirror and understand that HE'S a fascist, racist, and not us. Another one for the black list, nothing more.
LEO: By the way Besides bands we already know like Value Intact, do you have others to recommend us?
IVAN: Sure thing. Burst Up (power violence), Feccia Tricolore (hardcore), who released their first record some weeks ago. If you're into thrash metal, absolutely listen to Shock Troopers, "Palermo's Municipal Waste", as we like to call them. F.U.G. are another sure shot for fast hardcore, and if you listen to melodic stuff, Fingerbang (melocore) and The Popsters (pop-punk-rock) may be one of your favourite listening!
LEO: If you had to record a cover song for a tribute album to a band you could choose, which song would you pick up? And from what band? And of course...why?
There's a cover that we particularly like as it was the first song we have played in public, Minor Threat's "Seein' Red". Great song, great lyrics. Anyway, this is a more personal question, so I think every member of the band should give an answer!
Ivan: "New Direction" by Gorilla Biscuits...I was enlightened on first listening, it's still actual after twenty years! Shame it's just a bit too long for us!
Cimino: I'd like to play "Scarysmurf" by Kid Dynamite. One of my fave songs of one of my fave bands...so good!
Alberto: anything by Wretched is fine...just read the lyrics!
Marco: AC/DC - "Highway To Hell"...the title speaks loud in itself, and anyway it's a song about living life in its fullness, without thinking too much!
Piparino: "Guilty Of Being White" by Minor Threat, it was the first track of them I've ever heard!
LEO: Future plans? I know you had a few dates lined up for the next months. And then, what should we expect from L.E.A.R.N. in the future?
IVAN: Yeah, we have some dates scheduled for the upcoming month. And then for the future, beside all the stuff we already talked about, you should expect a split 7" with Common Enemy, amazing band from Reading, Pennsylvania...we're going to enter in the recording studio in the next weeks! Meanwhile, we printed our t-shirts and there still some copies of “First Lesson” 7” available!
LEO: Skate and Destroy or Rollerblade and Enjoy? ;)
IVAN. What about "Soccer and play fast?" :)
LEO: Thanks Guys, see you soon!
IVAN: Thanks to you and SaveYourScene.com!
What do you think about it?
Posted by Values x Intact // IP Address: 151.74.131.13
we love them!
Posted by Aldohxc // IP Address: 85.18.14.8
son particolarmente pheeghi!
Posted by carlosdunga // IP Address: 82.59.64.14
"soccer and play fast"! yeah!....
ci si vede il 18!
Posted by LxExAxRxNx // IP Address: 151.74.97.68
Eccovi le date definitive del nostro tour italiano:
4.18.07 FIRENZE @ NEXT EMERSON + Carlos Dunga & 2 Finger In Your Ass
4.19.07 MILANO @ APPRODO CARONTE + Anti Jap Riot & Kentish
4.20.07 MODENA @ SSLA LIBERA
4.21.07 TORINO @ EL PASO + S-Contro, Redrum & Captain Caveman
4.22.07 PADOVA @ CPO GRAMIGNA + Antisexy
4.23.07 BOLOGNA @ LAZZARETTO + Antisexy & Bad Attitude
4.24.07 ROMA @ PIRATERIA + Angry Brigade
4.25.07 REGGIO CALABRIA @ CSOA CARTELLA + RFC
Cercate la data più vicina a voi e veniteci a trovare numerosi!
LxExAxRxNx
