PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
UK rockers DESERT CLOUDS release their new album ‘Nothing Beyond The Cage’ on 18th January, we asked the guys to introduce themselves:
What is the full band line-up, who plays what?
David Land: Guitar and Vocals,
Val L. Wallace: Guitar and Vocals,
Julius “Little Eagle” Caesar: Bass,
Andrea Orabona: Drums.
How and when did the band form?
Desert Clouds formed in 2008 in Naples, Italy and moved to London in 2010.
When and how did the band really start gelling and solidifying?
Well, due to some line-up changes, since we are in London, Desert Clouds always found the strength to rebuild that mood and motivation that any band must have. It has been a constant improvement as we always tried to keep the good things a leaving band member used to give to the band and enrich them with the features of the new one. David and Val have been together since the foundation and Andrea is part of the band since 2014.
Who are your musical influences?
I could do a big list of artists who influenced Desert Clouds…and that’s what I’m going to do.
We all go from Classical music to Grunge passing by Psychedelic Rock, Blues, Punk and Acoustic. Here we go:
Syd Barrett, Tim Buckley, Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Dirty Three, Leonard Cohen, The Doors, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Joy Division, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Chopin, Sound Garden, De Andre, Black Sabbath…
Where did the name of band come from?
That’s a funny story to tell: The first time we signed for a PR agency, in Italy, we went to their office to sign the contract and hand our CDs down. The agent noticed that CDs was very rough and unprofessional, with no artwork, just a piece of paper with the title on it and obviously he did not appreciate that at all! Then he asked us about the meaning of our band’s name (which was a different one) and none of us could really tell, plus we were also not too happy about it and already thinking to change it but lazy enough not to do it. He was furious and shocked about us being so naive, kicked us out of his office shouting: “Now you provide me a name for this band and you have two weeks to make a proper CD cover”.
Thinking about a few names we came up with Desert Clouds which at that time was the title of one of our songs, of which lyrics were about the inconsistency of certainties, ideals, including religions and ethics. We felt really close to the meaning of the song and we also thought: “Desert Clouds sounds actually cool”. Back to the agency office, we ringed the bell and said: “Hey man, Desert Clouds here”. He said “Who?”
In your opinion, how is your band different from all the other bands out there?
Desert Clouds don’t differ from all those bands that range freely among genres from different eras trying to deliver genuine music and an honest passion towards art and the act of sharing it.
Not like most of the sound alike bands you can hear around nowadays.
Where can we find your social media sites?
On our website www.desertclouds.net you can find all the info and links you need.
