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Interview with the band Anaria – Recent Release “Alone”

 

Randy Stillwater: Who is Anaria and what does your band bring to the table when it comes to sound and meaning?

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: Anaria is a project with roots in European Symphonic Metal, but one that has very much grown in a wider context to contain elements of cinematic music, hard rock, melodic metal, and pop. But we aren’t so concerned with genre or classification; we seek to bring forth an engaging experience that takes our listeners on a journey. We are storytellers.

Dan Spinney: Jess hit the nail on the head, more important than filling a description is creating what comes to mind and bringing it to life.

Randy Stillwater: Is  New England ready to get going again in the music scene?  

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: I feel that things are making a slow return to normal, but don’t imagine a full turnaround until 2022.

Dan Spinney: I hope so, live music around here isn’t nearly what it is in other parts of the country. I hope we can change that.

Randy Stillwater: What inspires you about the scene you have in the area?

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: The variety of musicians and genres in our area often makes for a very interesting mix at shows!

Dan Spinney: The untapped potential.  There isn’t much by way of venues. They’re closing even quicker now due to COVID. Hopefully some new beginnings and communities can come from all of this.

Randy Stillwater: Your new single “Alone” is a great cover. Why did you choose this song?

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: Thank you! We actually gave our fans a choice between four possible cover options. All four were presented as options because we felt each gave us a good opportunity to do something different while still paying homage to the originals. “Alone” won out with our fan base and we were excited it did, especially because Heart is such a big influence of mine!

Randy Stillwater: Did you have a vision as to how you wanted to handle this single to make it Anaria’s?

Sergio Salvucci: We really wanted to bring the soundscape into modernity and increase the energy in the song. We have a passion for intros so we treated the beginning and first verse cinematically and tried to up the energy from there with our rhythm and vocals. We incorporated a lot of “Anaria” styles including orchestrated strings, re-vamped guitar solos, and of course Jess’s voice.

Randy Stillwater: Do you have a preference as a band to creating originals or taking covers and making them you own?

Sergio Salvucci: We vastly prefer originals however, we love so many songs and want to give them the “Anaria” spin, sometimes it’s hard to choose! 

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: I would agree with Sergio. This band was really built on originals but covers are so much fun. I think the importance of covers for us is to help form a connection through something that is already familiar to the listener.

Randy Stillwater: Who all came together to work on this single and will you be working again on the next project?

Sergio Salvucci: From audio to video production, we are completely self-produced. The four of us came together to film and record as well as mix. We of course will be continuing but also hope to hire contractors in the future.

Randy Stillwater: Does “Alone” define your sound musically?

Sergio Salvucci: I don’t think so simply because it’s a cover. Writing and arranging is a big part of what we do and while we re-arranged this song, we of course did not write it. However, we did try to put our sound on the cover and re-interpret it.

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: I would add that while there are pieces of Anaria in our cover of “Alone”, presenting our entire sound in one piece would be pretty impossible. If you listen to our album, “Exile,” you’ll hear why. There is a large variety of sounds and styles that comprise the Anaria sound.

Dan Spinney: Everything we do seems to have its own identity which we like.  There are rarely any fluff songs or pieces that don’t have an intent behind them, even if the intent is unique unto itself.

Randy Stillwater: Will there be an eventual EP? What might your fans expect from it, any surprises to come to your fans at all?

Sergio Salvucci: We have two albums, an EP and an album consisting of a collection of singles available. We are hard at work on our next album with a few singles and acoustic songs as well.

Randy Stillwater: Over the years who have been some of your favorite music acts that have influenced you as musicians?

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: We all have many personal influences as musicians but some bands who have influenced us over the years would include probably what one might expect: Nightwish, Evanescence, Within Temptation… but we also cite influences such as Avenged Sevenfold, Opeth, film composers such as Howard Shore, pop titans such as Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, and more.

Randy Stillwater: As the world becomes “normal” again what are a few things you a ready to get back into outside of music?

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: I’m dying to perform again in general! But I am also a big nerd who loves Renaissance Faires and pop culture/comic book conventions… in costume, because that’s how I roll!

Randy Stillwater: Have you guys talked about shows/tours and if so any dates or special events you want to share with the readers?

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: Yes, we are in talks, but there is nothing official to announce yet. We are planning to be back playing shows in 2022 but are taking the time to really develop a stage show that plays to all the senses of our audience.

Randy Stillwater: How has it been working with The Label Group and what are your plans with them for your future?

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: For years we have talked about working with a company to assist with a lot of the backend processes on the music business side. A friend of ours suggested the Label Group and it’s been great so far. It’s so reassuring to have people on your team who are committed to sharing your art with the world. We are grateful to have the Label Group on our side and look forward to working through many releases with them!

Randy Stillwater: Where can we find out more about Anaria and the best place to follow you would be?

Jessica Jackson-Salvucci: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and our website: www.anaria.org (all social links are on our homepage!)

 

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