These Go to 11: interviewing Victoria Ford

After a really long hiatus, the interview series are back! And to begin with, one of our most beloved national discoveries, Victoria Ford, answers our questionnaire. These Go to 11! 

Southern musketeers battling for victory

Ireneo Díez, Rafa López & Antonio Tejada, Victoria Ford

Hailing from Alcalá de Guadaíra, Sevilla, they formed in 2007, initially as a trio, then a quartet and now a trio again. After many local gigs, first recognitions arrived in the form of the 12doce award and being listed as one of the emerging national bands in 2010. In 2013 they came out with their debut EP 'Victoria', and after more Festivals, a semifinalist place at Proyecto Demo, radio airplay, and the praise from the Blogosphere. now here's a follow-up in 'Montaña, Guía y Milagros', out this week. Alternative pop with pulse & punch, mystery & manners, solemn synths riding waves of mournful yet expansive laments with guitars bursting like fireworks and lyrics biting with depth. A most promising band you should check out right now. Here we go!

"Su - Per - Sexy - Girl..." admit you danced  that

1. First record that you bought (be honest)
Ire: Fundación Tony Manero 'Looking for la fiesta' in 2001. Incredible but true. There are hits on that album and I was just 10.
Rafa: Robbie Williams, 'Intensive Care' in 2005. Haven't heard it again since the day I bought it. Before streaming life was complicated.
Antonio: Franz Ferdinand, 'Franz Ferdinand' in 2004. From my point of view, is the record that best reflects the spirit of the band.

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)

Ire: First I don't remember, really. Sort of, I recall seeing my father singing Nino Bravo in a karaoke of Sevilla. He nailed it. Nueva Vulcano in Sevilla is the last concert I have attended.
Rafa: First concert was Vetusta Morla in 2008, before they became massive. Last concert was The New Raemon at Nocturama.
Antonio: 2011, Supersubmarina with Full in Sevilla. Didn't go much to concerts before, but now I go to 3 or 4 each month. I even write reviews for a web. There's a lot to see! Last concert was Julieta Venegas, also at Nocturama.

Folks, we have a winner on this question!

3. Guilty pleasure (song/band you shouldn’t like but you do, yes, it’s the embarrassing question)
Ire: ‘Entre tú y mil mares’ by Laura Pausini is a hit. I'm ashamed to admit it, but the chorus is a killer. Yes, the lyric is extremely cheesy, but melodically is very good.
Rafa: Take That. Boy band for fortyish.
Antonio: 'Ecos del rocío', folks. My father is a fan and a bit of me too. 

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)

Ire: I'm not a music collector, honestly. But I have much affection for two things: The 'Alligator' vinyl. That album of The National is a wonder. And my copy of 'Heaven' signed by Mobius Band.
Rafa: There's some, but nothing really worth mentioning. My Telecasater is the only fetish that I have!
Antonio: Exactly the same for me. I have some records, but nothing remarkable. So I choose my amplifier. Ampeg is God.

5. Favorite lyrics (not yours)
Ire: ‘Quiromancia’ by Nueva Vulcano.
Rafa: ‘Tú, Garfunkel’ by The New Raemon.

Antonio: ‘Cornerstone’ by Arctic Monkeys.

Mr. Berninger, out looking for astronauts

6. Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)

Ire: Rufus Wainwright, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene or Dan Snaith of Caribou. But if I had to choose only one it would be Jon Brion, without a doubt.
Rafa: Matt Berninger, Jeff Tweedy and Jonny Buckland.
Antonio: Tom Chaplin and Tim Rice-Oxley.

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)
Ire: Mobius Band, 'Heaven'.

Rafa: 'A rush of Blood to the head', Coldplay.
Antonio: Bon Iver.

Only dinosaurs that never got extincted.

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 
Ire: Solaris, the book.
Rafa: The complete saga of Jurassic Park.
Antonio: ‘The movie 'Her’, masterpiece.

9. Song (of yours) you are most proud of
Ire: ‘Sábana Santa’ or ‘Los hijos de Steven Spielberg’
Rafa: I'll go with ‘Royal Canin’
Antonio: The hit. ‘Los santos que conozcas’

10. What does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
Ire: Do what you always wanted to do without depending on nobody.
Rafa: A band that has to figure out life without much means. Just work and good songs without depending on trends.
Antonio:  Away from the inertia and that has its own style. Whether is music, cinema, painting...

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
Ire: Recording demos with a Yamaha CP-70 at my studio.
Rafa: Touring around a lot with the band and with less hair.
Antonio: Playing at Primavera Sound Festival.

                                                                      Zillion thanks Ire, Rafa & Antonio, thanks Victoria Ford!

"Independientes", 20 years of Spanish indie

Independientes

Are indie lovers and endangered species in Spain? With my deepest regret, I believe so. But despite being few and struggling, we are not alone, and we had a history behind us. That's what Independientes (Independents) shows. And I would add offers, because this documentary, directed by Jose A. Rueda and produced by La Fabriquilla De Creación Audiovisual is available to watch for free on youtube (see below). Excellent idea and proposal to start with, don't you think?

And Independientes has many attractions for the viewer. As an attempt to dissect how the national indie scene was created is clear and up to the point. There's not a lot of digressing and Rueda let the musicians and relevant actors do all the talking, answering his sort of fundamental and broad questions: is there a Spanish indie scene? how it was created? what does it mean being indie today?, etc. It's always a pleasure to hear and see people like Julio Ruiz (Radio 3 will never be thanked enough), Antonio Arias (Lagartija Nick), Nacho Vegas or Antonio Luque (Sr.Chinarro), among others (including half of Los Planetas, Lori Meyers, Maga, etc). Down-to-earth and really wise people. 

Some of the questions, in particular the latest ones that refer on what means being indie are the most controversial and interesting, showing also the singularity of the Spanish case. Take the example of Los Planetas, the most famous and pivotal alternative group in Spain. They signed with a major virtually since the very beginning of their career, but did that affect their music? Or take a more recent case, also used on the film: Vetusta Morla. Their music is (ok, arguably) on the mainstream side, but they opted for self-producing/releasing mechanisms, achieving one of the biggest successes in recent history of Spanish music.

But the modesty of the rockumentary is also a bit of a curse. With barely one hour of film it can't help but feel incomplete. It's all about alternative pop-rock sounds, missing many styles and bands who would have been relevant for the documentary. Some very important labels are also excluded from the film footage when talking about the first steps and the evolution of the independent scene. The same appeals to the present times. Independientes just poses the debate on the Internet and new channels for reaching fans. But there's so much that could have been added on that: small and emerging labels, the music venues, new bands, live music versus selling records, Festivals... Aww, the documentary should/could last seven hours!

Anyway, that sort of last criticism is quite unfair for Independientes, a movie that has to be praised just because of its mere existence. But we do want a second, third and fourth chapter!

SCORE: 6,75/10

Watch the documentary here! (it's in Spanish, sorry)