East London based singer and songwriter Mario Nardi talks about his music in a flood of words, memories and upcoming projects.
When did you start to appreciate music?
“I started drumming when I was 7, trying to imitate my father who was playing the drums in a Sardinian blues band. Growing up listening to the Beatles and 70’s music inspired me to make music and learn guitar and bass. At 14 I fell in love with Nirvana, pulled together my first punk grunge band and started performing live. After five years of grunge music I decided to focus on blues”.
How the move from Italy to the UK influenced your music?
“Moving to the UK was fundamental for both my sound and my lyrics. From 2007 to 2009 I was based in Andover where I worked to mix blues and grunge and performed cover songs live in the south of the country. At that time I was going often to London looking for inspiration and in 2008, during a night out in Camden, I had the opportunity to play live in the capital for the first time. It was such an adrenaline experience that in 2009 I decided to make the big move to London looking for fortune”.
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How did the big move into music happen?
“In London I initially had a hard time and faced all the problems of being a foreigner in a big city. As usual my music helped me to stay positive and turn the difficulties into rhythm and lyrics. One of the songs of my EP – ‘The Stranger Revenge’ – was written as a result of the anxiety I felt in the first months in town. In 2011 I had the fortunate encounter with music producer Brendan Picchio, formerly bassist of the Australian rock band Howling Bells. I bumped into him by chance in a Cafè on Holloway Road and we started chatting about music. He helped me to package professionally my songs and sent a demo to Gary Powell [former drummer of The Libertines] who signed me to his record label 25 Hour Convenience Store. They both gave me precious tips and made me love music even more”.
Can you tell us something about your next musical step?
“I am now working on my debut album and will start to record ten new songs in March. Supported by a full band the sound will evolve in a mix of blues, folk and grunge accompanied by more aggressive lyrics. The new songs have been written thinking about the world in 100 years, a daily war against the society with a nostalgic eye to the past. My intention is to bring my music to as many people as possible performing live across Europe. I am already working on the concept for a music video and on the album cover artwork with my brother Marco, a talented visual artist”.
More about Mario Nardi here: http://www.marionardi.com