Years active '06/present Active from 2002 | Website www.hanabofficial.com Record label Rough Trade Records | |
Labels Summer Dawn - Ishtar
Operà Music Members Fab Vitale (vocals)
Alex Ciani (guitars)
Federico Ciani (keyboards)
Francesco Menegat (bass)
Valerio Morrone (drums) Genres Independent music, Rock music | ||
HANA B are an indie rock band. Their name derived from their fascination of Japanese director Takeshi Kitano's most famous film with the similar name, Hana-Bi.
Contents
Ice hana bi alternative rock band
Camera Oscura / Early years
The band started playing extensively Italian venues and festivals, released two demotapes, and in 2006 they released their first full length album, Camera Oscura (released by Opera Music / Venus).
In the same year HANA B won the MEI Best Indie Rock Italian Revelation of the year award. MEI is the most important meeting of all independent record labels in Italy.
In 2007 the band decided to record new material with record producer James Loughrey. During this period they also got acquainted with Davide Rossi, an Italian string performer and producer, who would later on work on HANA B's secon album "Ruin's Hotel".
In the same year the band members decided to reside permanently in London. They played many clubs around UK.
Ruins'Hotel
Ruins' Hotel was recorded in 2008 between the Olympic Studios and the Britannia Row Studios in London, and Opera Country Suit Studio near Turin, in Italy. During an overdubbing session at Brit Row the band met Nick McCabe, guitarist of the Verve, who was then working on the Verve's new album Forth in the premises. This was the beginning of Rossi and McCabe's collaboration which would lead to the project Black Ships. Ruins' Hotel marked a big change on the band's sound, as it became darker and richer. Catchy pop-inspired vocal lines would top powerful mid tempo rhythm section in songs like I Miss You, Out There and the title track Ruins' Hotel. Rossi's string arrangement enhanced the melancholic feel of tracks like the dreamy and 70's inspired A Beautiful Lie, as well as the ballad Turning on the Lights. In songs like Mesmerized (where Sam Herlihy, former singer of Hope of the States and Northwestern, duets with Fabrizio)and Cars (at the edge of the road)(Song about drug abuse and social exclusion), the inner nature of the band comes alive, as smooth acoustic sounds and fierce distorted guitars alternate in a alike the peaceful landscapes and violent scenes alternate in Kitano's movie. A totally new landscape was written in the band's geography by the organ led Flood, where a groovy beat leads the song all the way through.
The album was mixed at Cutting Room (NYC) by Loughrey, and mastered at Sterling Sound (NYC).
Ruins'Hotel was released on 8 March 2010 by Summer Dawn - Ishtar. Artwork by Joe Hollick, photographs by Mark Henderson.
After the release of Ruins' Hotel the band toured extensively Italy, supporting Placebo, during the Italian part of the latter's 'Battle for the Sun Tour'.
After Ruins'Hotel
"Don't Let Me Go", was recorded in September 2010 by James Loughrey, and featured a vocal line by Tamara Schlesinger from the band 6 Day Riot. It was realized in collaboration with Save the Children, and was released on 6 October 2010. All the proceeds were designated to the campaign Every One, to support the activities of the organization.
In 2011 the band decided to take a break, and only in fall 2012 HANA B went back together writing new songs. They recorded their third album in early 2013, and a single is due to be released in June 2013, followed by the album after summer 2013.
Latest activity
In 2011 the band went back writing, but before the new material was ready to be recorded, the members decided to take a break from activity. During 2011 and 2012 each of them followed different projects and paths. Fabrizio spent 18 months in Africa, between Kenya and South Sudan, Federico moved back to Italy to devote himself to his other great passion, while Alessandro, Francesco and Valerio stayed in London, working on parallel projects. During fall 2012 the band, except for Federico, decided to go back to record a new album. In January 2013 Alessandro, Francesco, Valerio and Fabrizio locked themselves in their London home studio, where in one month they wrote and recorded 12 songs. These songs reflect the actual stage of the band’s life. The sound turned brighter, there are hip hop and funk influences, the rhythm section became central in the writing process, and generally the band used drum machines and synths more than ever before. Vocal lines have soul influences, and lyrics are focused on departing and returning, presence and absence, past and future, as well on political and social issues. A lot of the band members’ life in the past two years is in it.