Q - Starting off...could you state your name, age, what you did in the band and nicknames if you have any? A - I'm Joe and I'm 25. I played guitar and sang. Q - How did you come up with the name Calibretto? A - It's a hero from a comic book called Battle Chasers. Q - How long have you guys known each other? How long had the band been together? A - Christopher and I have known each other since high school. I was looking for a drummer, so my girlfriend (wife) introduced me to him. Chad had joined the band about two years ago. The band initially started about six years ago and it ended on this Halloween. Q - How would you say that your music and the band itself had evolved from when the band first started? A - Well, Calibretto matured a lot after leaving Tooth and Nail Records. Our best work came out on Standard Recording. On our previous label we were called Calibretto 13. We dropped the number when we joined Standard. We were just starting to make better music and more interesting lyrics. Q - What were your live shows like? I've always heard about the famous Halloween shows. What could people expect to find there? A - We screwed up and goofed off a lot. We didn't take anything seriously when we played live. It tended to piss some people off. Most of the time we had a lot of fun. Our Halloween show is just a big costume party and horror movie viewing, with live music, of course. But, alas, we just celebrated our final one. Q - In the band, were all of the members more like a close-knit family or just business associates with a similar goal? Did you guys hang out aside from practices and shows? A - We were business associates with different goals. That could be one of the reasons we broke up. We hang out sometimes and I think we all enjoy each others company. Q - What relationship did you have or try to have between you and your fans? A -I still always answer the band emails, and we always hung out with the fans after the shows. I think we could've called a lot of them friends. Most of the time, we would get the crowd involved at the shows. We would make fun of them, and they would make fun of us. Q - Was the band trying to portray any kind of message with the music and lyrics? A - Not anymore. When we were on Tooth and Nail I definitely wrote lyrics with a message pertaining to my beliefs; they were a little childish. As Calbretto, I was trying to be more creative in saying what a thought, just with a darker theme. The music has always been cynical, but happy. Pissed off, but not heavy. Q - I know that Calibretto played it's final show on October 30/04, but you have a new project up your sleeve. Tell us about it, and what to expect, musically and lyrically. A - It's called Harley Poe and hopefully it will come out in the next couple of months. They are acoustic punk songs with horror themes. The songs are fun, and the cd will come with a book of poetry and stories of monsters and weirdos. I'm most proud of it and I can't wait for it to be released. The songs are kind of sick and twisted, but at the same time, the music is very happy. Q - What music or artists have inspired you the most or influenced you to write the music you do? A - I don't know. Ever since I was young I've wanted to play and write music, and I've always loved drawing. Lately I've been influenced by a lot of art from Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, and Tim Burton. The bands I'm enjoying right now are the Cramps and the London based Tiger Lillies. I also must give credit to the Violent Femmes. I've always loved them. Q - Which CD's are in your CD player right now? A - The Tiger Lillies - Circus Songs. Q - What bands would you recommend that everyone should hear but have not gained the exposure that they deserve? A - Slim Cessna's Auto Club. Amazing. Q - Do you have any thoughts or advice for people trying to start up a band or already have a young band? A - Nope. But I could probably use some. Q - What do you see yourself doing 5 years from now? A - I guess we'll all find out together--that is if people are still paying attention.
11.09.04