Nude Interview

 Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
TommyBox: we come from different musical experiences. Fabio and Antonio, one of Heimdall and the other from Undertakers (both metal bands), decided to form a group with rock influences and electronic vibrations, involving Nicolas on drums and Sergio (now replaced by Marco Mauss) on keyboards. Their next step was to call me (Tommy Box) as a singer, telling me that they were in love with my singing! What struck me about the boys when we started playing, was their love for the good quality music, they were not  classic metal-headz, but mature listeners of New Wave, Electro, Indie, Punk and Dance, a good mix of sounds that have greatly influenced the style of the Nude '!

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
TB: it is difficult to define a band style if it not belongs to a rising scene or until their album reached considerable success. However, the basic Nude sound features a heavy dose of melancholy rock and a dreamy plot. Many listeners have defined it New electro-rock and this sounds preatty good to us!

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
TB: I write the lyrics of Nude inspired by real life. There are stories of human degradation, drug addiction ... loves suffered. Stories are not only personal but also episodes  told by people or even listened to the bus stop. For example, the  title track "Plastic Planet" is about heroin.It talks about a friend of mine who lived with her boyfriend, both addicted. They used to spray, with their used syringes, colors on a  world shaped plastic chandelier, the drugs effects made them feel artists! "My world today" sadly is related to this topic too. Is the true story of a girl I knew, who did business as a prostitute in a public toilet, near a park just to buy doses for her and her boyfriend, leaving, their starving child alone, waiting for them, under a tree.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
Antonio; we had started to play and compose music and lyrics for our first songs, but we did not have a name for the band. Until one evening at a friend’s house party, we paused (not very sober!) to admire a  beautiful naked woman’ painting.The work title was "Nude" and so we chose it as the group’s name.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Antonio: Well I think, for me, the last concert we did a few months ago at the club Forte la Carnale has been one of our best live act. Definitely the band got the best response from the public, warm, passionate devotee to our sound and to us! In our performances the attitude, has changed ... we are less elaborate,  immediate and spontaneous,  ready-to-rock but without trivializing and belittling our elegance in sound research.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
TB: we hope that our new album will be able to reach the sales of the first one (Cities and Faces), a work that has given us great satisfaction, especially in the Northern Europe market. In the past we have given up on many foreign dates for various problems within the band. In fact, we didn't make an US-Mexican tour suggested and organized by our Mexican label (Art-records that released and distributed the album in the United States and Mexico), caused us so many problems ... but this time things will be different!

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal, indie and goth?
TB: what really has surprised us at beginning, but even today, is that our music is followed by metal, goth and indie listeners. Could be, because we mix different elements in music from which we have been influenced. Probably the Nude sound reflects our taste and our music background. We like, without distinction rock, electronic and dance, done with style for sure, but not jazz please!

8. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?
TB: less than a year ago me and Marco have created an electronic duo called Costume. This project has recorded an album titled "Faberooni" that allowed us to play in many small clubs and get in touch with artists from the U.S. and UK, in particular Steven Jones and Donna Destri. He is a producer and she is a musician-singer with a glorious past in the Manhattan underground scene (CBGB, Ramones,New York Dolls)  and also an important Blondie collaborator. Together we’ ve created various dance remixes of her songs, from which was made the album "Neon Empire State." The work is selling very well especially on the New York scene and allowed us to get in touch with a legend, Angie Bowie (yes the famous David ex-wife!). Instead Fabio and Nicolas continue to pursue with determination their first metal band Heimdall, while Marco continues to work as Mauss and as producer for various bands.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Antonio and TB:very complicated to answer ... now I would say a danceable sound full of atmosphere, a refined dance music created and played by musicians and not  by Dj using a software for PC, bought on Amazon! But in some ways, also, we feel very attracted by the european rock sound that was lost after the arrival of the Nu-Metal, made ​​by pumped and compressed guitars full of distortion. Who knows, we just hope that the music industry will recover from this deep crisis and that people starts again to play instruments by hands, as we do!

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
TB: great influences, on all of us were the punk,metal and gothic period from the early 80's. Sex Gang Childrens, X-mal Deutschland, Cult ... but also pop bands such as Duran Duran, Gary Numan ... John Foxx, Ultravox...a very long list from the past! Today we listen Editors, Interpol, the Mirrors, Kasabian, but also lesser-known bands that unfortunately, like us do not have a high visibility!

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
TB: Nude  have very specific interests ... Nicolas (drums) is a martial arts instructor, in fact, has recently opened a gym of his own. Fabio manages a beautiful and fantastic recording studio, the Sonic Temple, full of analogue machines specialized in rock and metal recordings, a rare thing! Antonio (bass) breeds  snake, spiders and scorpions, also collects special bicycles alternating between his customized  Harley. Marco loves his football team Juventus and never loose a match,  in addition to its passion for vintage sequencer and groovebox. I listen to a lot of music and looking for black leather jackets and jeans, in flea markets, possibly vintage. But the common interest that we have is the love for the music that unites us!

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
TB: Honestly, I'm thinking about how we spent the last year ... the problems that my friends have had, our families, the World ...lost jobs, illness, crisis, money value, the decline of nations such as Greece, Spain ... really, there was a global turmoil that has scared us! All this has affected the melancholy and submissive tone of the album  "Plastic Planet". In fact, the title, represent  just our planet... polluted, devastated, humiliated by the hands of powerful politicians, economists, religious idealists  who harm in the name of humanity, like junkies with color filled syringes, in their hands!