Zvia Talks to Romans: Claudio, Drummer of Starlette

Yes, I am famous too. By association

Starlette is an electrorock band, launched in Rome in 2006.
They will be playing at Felt this Thursday, the 17th of November.  Their drummer is Claudio Delicato, and I talked to him.

Name: Claudio Delicato
Age: 28
Where are you from? Rome.
Which was the last restaurant in which you ate? Margherita, a nice and too expensive pizzeria in Mostacciano (EUR-ish).
Which was the last pub you drank at? Antico Caffe’ del Moro in Trastevere.
What was your first CD? I wish you didn’t ask me. It was Green Man by Mark Owen, the former singer of Take That.
What was your first concert? 883- I have a lot of skeletons in my closet. (Apparently an Italian pop-rock duo active from 1989-2003. We can assume it’s embarrassing to admit).
What was the last song you listened to on your iPod? Way better: The King of Carrot Flowers, Part One by Neutral Milk Hotel, a band I strongly suggest to everyone.
Which bands of today are most innovative and stimulating? In my P.O.V., Tool is the best band out today, simply because they are unique and you can’t find anything like them anywhere else. In Italy, the only good singer in the last few years is Dente.

Which musician, alive/dead, would you want as your BFF? No doubt about that: Fabrizio de Andre’, the best Italian songwriter ever. No one else had his capacity to describe the world in words.
Who is your favorite Italian musician? Bluvertigo, CCCP, Fedeli alla Linea, CSI, and Afterhours, a Starlette favorite.
Who are the other members in your band? Giovanni Calvani (singer, guitarist, and lyricist) Paolo Calvani (keyboardist and electro/dance influencer), and Andrea Zanza (bass guitar, and band’s fashion advisor). I am the drummer, but I also provide backup vocals and contribute to songwriting.
How did you come up with the name? Andrea suggested it. We wanted a non-Italian name, still comprehensible in our language, and with a female component.
How would you describe your music? I would say ‘elettronica cantautoriale”: a mix of rock/pop and electro, mixed with a strong Italian writing-style, lyrically and structurally.
From where does your band get inspiration? As I said, we all love Afterhours. For the electronic aspects, I would say Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, The Whip, and LCD Soundsystem.
Who would you love to open for/play with? Subsonica would be our prime goal in Italy.  But I would prefer to open for foreign bands such as: Moving Units, Does it Offend You, Yeah? Kasbian, and The Presets. 
Which venues do you play in Rome? Mostly in San Lorenzo (Locanda Atlantide, Le Mura, Mads) and Ostiense (Conte Staccio, Sinister Noise, Rising Love). We’ve also played at Piper Club.
Describe the music scene in Rome in 3 words: Conservative, oligarchical, unexpressed.
What would you change, or like to see changed about the music scene in Rome? First and foremost, being a musician is a job, so pay the musician! Roman clubs expect you to set everything up on your own, do your own soundcheck, bring the crowd, AND perform for free. AKA, bastards!
We also need more clubs for live music: There are no more than 5/6 in Rome that play good music and have their own clientele. Unfortunately, the chances to play there are very small.
Concerts should also start earlier. In Rome, we do not have a ‘concert culture.’ If you want to see an underground group perform, you have to travel to the middle of nowhere at 11 PM on a Wednesday night, and then hope to hear your alarm clock the following morning.
It’s just a shame when you compare Rome’s music scene to that of other major European (and non-European) capitals.

You heard it Rome-dwellers! Come out and support Rome’s Starlette, this Thursday night! Don’t let others beat you to saying ‘I used to like Starlette even before they got super famous’!