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Welcome Siva Noir! Thank You for taking the time to do an interview with me.
Jen: How many are in your group and what are your names?
Lexi: There are four permanent members: Lexi Newman on vocals, Chris Cano on drums, Chris Ridenhour on keys, and Johnny Burke on guitar. We will have a fifth member, a bass player, in the permanent line-up very soon, but we don't want to include him here until it's absolutely set in stone.
Jen: How long have you been together as a group?
Lexi: We are a relatively young group and have only been playing together since November. However, Chris Cano, Chris Ridenhour, and Johnny have known each other for a very long time, and have been playing in bands together for many years. I'm the only real newbie.
Jen: I read somewhere in your blog that one of you were in another band, can you tell me about that and how Siva Noir came about?
Lexi: Cano and Chris' previous band fell apart due to serious internal conflict and failure to really go anywhere because of the lack of a live act. They decided to depart from this situation and start fresh, with longtime friend and member of LA stalwart band The Mansions, Johnny Burke, on guitar. They needed a new frontwoman, and they met me kind of out of the blue. Very fortuitous timing. The rest is history. It was during the stint with the previous band that Cano wrote some of his best music, and we are currently benefiting from that as much of it appears on our forthcoming album.
Jen: Where is your favorite place to perform?
Lexi: Because we are a relatively young band, we haven't played outside of the LA club scene yet. My favorite show was on a Friday night at the Knitting Factory. Great scene. The Mint was also a fun little gig.
Jen: What do you look forward to the most when doing a show?
Lexi: There are studio musicians and then there are performers, and I most certainly fall into the latter category. I love singing live more than anything in the world. So, I guess I look forward to the chance to really blow people away with music and to watch their faces while we're doing it. For me, performing is cathartic. I get my aggression out onstage.
Jen: What is the most crazy/bizarre thing that has happened while performing, or has happened right before/after a show?
Lexi: I really can't say that anything crazy or bizarre has happened as of yet. We play, people have a good time, then we usually go eat a huge meal and go home.
Jen: What's your biggest inspiration?
Lexi: Our music draws from myriad sources; we are inspired by alt-rock from the 90s, 80s new wave, certain classical ideas (Cano is a huge classical music buff). Garbage, Muse, Blondie, Depeche Mode, Concrete Blonde--the list could go on and on. I guess a more generalized (albeit hackneyed) answer would be the intense love of what we do and the desire to reach as many people as possible.
Jen: Who is responsible for the writing the lyrics?
Lexi: Cano has written the music and lyrics for all of the songs appearing on the upcoming album. I'll turn it over to him.
Jen: Are the songs from personal experiences?
Cano: Some are, and some are from the experiences of people close to me. I try to keep my lyrics open enough so that people can read their own interpretations.
Jen: What is your latest album and song? What can you tell us about it?
Cano: Well, we are currently near completion on our first album, tentatively called "The Hunger". I had about 30 songs that were unrecorded when I met Lexi, and with her help we narrowed it down to about 12 songs that we think would form the best collection. This album is very important to me personally because most of these songs were among the first songs I ever wrote. Also, working on this album has brought me together with old friends, new friends, and some other amazing musicians, so the whole process has been incredibly positive.
As for the latest song, we just finished up two new ones called "When Darkness Falls" and "End Times". These songs mean a lot to me because they are the first songs I have finished in which I had Lexi's vocals in mind, and they open up a wide range of possibilities for the future.
Jen: Tell us about the song "Closer"
Cano: Closer is the first song I ever wrote for a female vocalist. I had started a project a few years back with another female singer, and the verse melody came to me one day while I was driving around. The chorus melody was inspired by a piece of music my friend Chris Ridenhour had shown me a few weeks prior, so he also shares credit for the song. This song has been a favorite ever since it was recorded with my previous band, but after I formed Siva Noir with Lexi I knew that I had to re-record it. Lexi has a very strong and nuanced vocal, so she is able to sing the song the way it was intended. We currently have an acoustic version available, but we will be re-recording the full version soon.
Jen: What would you like to tell your fans and new found friends?
Lexi: I guess we just want to offer our sincere thanks for the truly generous influx of support we've seen in the past few months. We are all humbled and honored to be a part of your life in even the smallest of ways. Keep listening; there are many, many good things to come!
Thank you so much for taking the time for this interview.
Have a great week.
~Jen
http://www.myspace.com/interviewswithjen - Interviews with Jen
Melodic clarity and beauty intermingle with epic electro-pop/rock in Siva Noir's self-titled album. In early track, The Hunger, Newman's vocals soar and swell with enough intoxication to give a rise to any Annie Lennox fan. She is accompanied with tight power and raw energy from the band.
In a later track, End Times, pulls out all the stops in a very Muse (Absolution) manner. Its an interesting combination; whereas Newman's vocals come across like a power rock theater - wailed with a Queen-esque fullness, the band drives with layers upon layers and powerful hits.
Imagine Muse and Jellyfish birthing a band, and you get Siva Noir.
- Awaken Music
Discography
"Siva Noir" - Released January 13th, 2009
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Bio
Siva Noir was formed in the winter of 2007 by songwriter/drummer Cano, vocalist Lexi Newman and keyboardist Chris Ridenhour. Cano and Chris had just ended their previous project and were searching for a female vocalist with a powerhouse voice. When Lexi answered their ad they knew they had something, and the trio immediately began recording material for their debut album. By the summer of 2008 the line up was completed by the addition of Kent Hutchison on guitar and Xander Lott on bass. With the line up in place, Siva Noir focused on creating a dynamic live show that would match the intensity of the music. After only a few shows the band was hand picked to perform at a private New Year's Eve birthday party for BCBG founder Max Azria. Their self-titled debut album was released in January of 2009, and the band are currently national finalists in the Emergenza International competition. Siva Noir have also had several of the songs placed in film, and are currently in the studio recording new material and preparing for summer shows.
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