Interview with Raw Power sing Mauro Codeluppi „MP“

AFL: Hey, how are you? On 9th June you will your release your new album. What gives you the power that you’re still on stage and still making music after over 35 years band history with RAW POWER?

Very well thank you and thank you for the interview. Personally I think that the motivations now are exactly the same that were 35 years ago, it is still the same wish to go to see new places, meet new people, and take our music to them, hopefully to make them happy, I would like to think that for those 60 minutes that we are on stage, people have as much fun as we have on stage. That was the idea when we started and that is still the same idea now, once we stop having fun and people enjoying Raw Power, than that will be the time to stop.

AFL: Your new album will have the title INFERNO. INFERNO sound to me very oldschool like older hardcore and punk bands how GBH, D.R.I. CRO-MAGS or SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. Would you agree? How would you describe your new record?

Well you have to remember that I’m old, first of all, then I’m old school too J. I think that we are probably old school everyone keeps saying that so there must some truth in it and I love it anyway. So Inferno, I must admit that I think that the title could sound old style, but you are probably right, it does, and I just love it!. I like the sound of it, the way that you can say it and everybody understand the word and of course that together with the cover that Vince Rancid put together, it’s exactly what I wanted. And being put together in the same category as the bands you mentioned above makes me really happy!. But the concept, the title , the cover might be vintage , old school but the songs I think are something different, I think that the sound is one of the best we’ve ever had and there are some songs in the album that are really good Raw Power songs, in fact I can’ think of one song that doesn’t sound good. All in all I think it is a perfect Raw Power album.

AFL: Why you choose the title INFERNO. What special meaning is behind the album title?

Sorry, as I said before I thought that first of all is a Word that everybody understands and to me it represents very well today’s situation I would say that more Inferno that we are now it would be difficult. How can you describe better than with this word what millions of people are going through every day, as someone once said this truly is for  lot of people Hell on Earth!.

AFL: Do you remember what bands where the drive for your foundation in 1981?

Starting from Iggy and the Stooges, where we got the name from, basically a lot of bands from America, and some from the UK, I could name a few like my all-time favorite, Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, Minor Threat, Cro-Mags, DRI, Agnostic Front, Dead Kennedys, GBH, Discharge, The Exploited, but those are really a few of them, basically anything that we could put our hands on at the beginning of the 80’s influenced the band.

HC History The Beginning Of Everything: #5 with Mauro Codeluppi „MP“ (RAW POWER)

AFL: What do you think about the newer hardcore sound of today? Do you listen do newer hardcore bands? If yes what bands? If no what do you usually listen?

I think that in general the new bands are good , some are very good too, but I’m afraid I’m too attached to the old stuff, it’s stronger than me, I will listen to new bands, enjoy their music , their show, but when I want to listen to some good hardcore/punk , I’m afraid my heart is with the old stuff, I know I shouldn’t but then again, I shouldn’t do a lot of things, but as I said there’s a lot of good strong, powerful fast music out there.

AFL: INFERNO will release on the German based Label DEMONS RUN AMOK ENTERTAINMENT. How came the contact between you and the label and why you choose DRA?

Last year when we decided to work on the new record, I was just looking around for a label that might be interested in Raw Power and luck has it, that DRA got in touch with me and it was one of these things, it was the right place at the right time. We started talking they showed me a lot of things I liked, we agreed basically on most of the things we and they wanted so that was it, no reason to look elsewhere. And I’ll add that they are doing a super job too.

AFL: A couple songs of your new record are Italian and not English. Which lyrics threat the Italian songs?

First of all the reason for having songs in Italian for a change, was exactly that…a change. We (I) have never really sang in Italian (sorry singing is a bit strong, apologies to all the proper singers!) so I thought, why not, at my age I can do what I want, and after all we don’t have a contract or a label that tells us what we can or can’t do so here you are, lyrics in Italian. I think all together there are 4 songs in Italian and I really hope people will like them if they don’t then it will be entirely my fault, the way I sing them, ‘cause the songs are really good.

AFL: Can you tell us the strangest story that happened in the long band history of RAW POWER?

We could be here all day , with some Strange/funny Stories that happened to us, but to me the one that I will always remember is what happened when we were on our first or second tour in America, and  I think it was either Dallas or Baltimore, and anyway as soon as we went on stage people started screaming that a load of Police cars were surrounding the building and sure enough after a few minutes the place was storming with them and on stage I was trying to tell the people to stay calm while kids in the audience were instead shouting to go and fight the police. You have to remember that we were there illegally so if they arrested us it would have been straight on a plane back home. So there we are on stage trying to calm people down when this policeman comes on stages starts pushing us around and then he just helps us to get out of a back door, and just tells us to get the fuck out if we don’t want any trouble, which is exactly what we did, of course we didn’t get paid. We learned later that the promoter was never arrested but used it as an excuse not pays anybody.

AFL: Can you give an insight of the Italian hardcore-punk scene? You get here in Germany even hardly notices and read not much about it.

The best thing happening here in Italy now but it has been happening for the last few years is that bands have finally decided to move their arse and get on the road. Go further than the usual 50 km from home, now we have Italian bands playing all over the world, big bands, small bands unknown bands, they don’t case they get on a van or a plane and off they go. When we started it just didn’t happen and it has been like that until not long ago, now at last they are going out and people love them. Great job.

AFL: If you compare hardcore-punk in the early 80ties with today, what have changed in your opinion? Was really everything better in the beginning?

Nah, I think that the main difference is that back then it was new, it was fresh, it was all together a new experience. As I was saying before I’m stuck in the 80’s, but that is me, there are hundreds of good bands out there doing good music. We were just lucky to be around when it all happened that is all, very lucky!!

AFL: Thanks for the interview. Have you any final words?

I have to thank you for it. What do you want me to say more than I / we are very lucky that there are people out there that still enjoy our music, people that really love us and that is our engine that is the reason why we carry on, we have to carry on. See you at a show, I hope, thank you everybody.

Raw Power will release on 9th June their new album Inferno on Demons Run Amok Entertainment.

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1 Kommentar

  1. Raw Power… Can you think of a tighter HC groove for hard and fast pounding of your brain into musical dust?? I have been listening to RP for 35 years and never lose the excitement that they can move you. Bad ass band and bad ass boys for doing us the BEST!!

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