Interview with Well Planned Attack

Well Planned Attack is an Italian band which formed in March 2012 and is made up of four members: Fabio on Guitar & Vocals, Perez on Guitar, Manuel on Bass and Julien on Drums. Their EP is due to come out around spring this year and they released their first song 'Won't Stand Down' on the 20th December 2012 which can be found on Youtube, Spotify and iTunes.

 

 

Here you go, here's our interview with Well Planned Attack

 

1. What other bands influence you?

Julien: The bands that influence us most are Blink 182, Fall Out Boy, Simple Plan and Four Year Strong

 

Fabio: Our sound obviously comes from other pop punk bands, while for the lyrics I also get inspired by rap music. In this period I'm listening to a lot of Huey Mack's stuff

 

2. What are the themes of your upcoming EP, and who would you compare yourselves to in terms of other bands? 

Perez: Our EP is basically a mixture of the pop punk sound and the lyrics that inspire us the most at the time. We get influenced by the bands we like but we always try to write music that sounds new and fresh to the listener. The lyrics are mostly about our everyday life, we are not 16 anymore so it's not all about parties and girls who don't love us back, but we have to deal with the struggles that real life puts infront of you when you're in your 20's, regarding work, life changes and obviously relationships...

 

Manuel: ...and how much my job sucks!

 

3. What are your five favourite pop punk albums?

Manuel: All Time Low - So wrong it's right

Simple Plan - No pads, No helmets...Just balls

Millencolin - Pennybridge Pioneers

 No Use For A Name - Hard rock bottom
Blink 182 - Enema of the state

Fabio: Blink 182 - Selftitled (Can we consider it pop punk?)
Millencolin - Pennybrige Pioneers
The Story So Far - Under soil and dirt
Barely Blind - My life with a giant
Melody Fall - Consider us gone

Perez: Blink 182 - Enema of the state
Vanilla Sky - Waiting for something
Tonight Alive - What are you so scared of?
The Starting Line - Say it like you mean it
Busted - A present for everyone

Julien: There are too many!

4. Do you have any funny band stories from rehearsals etc.?
Julien: Last december we had a photoshoot and the only one of us who had the photographer's number was Manuel. The day before, whilst working, Manuel got a text from Perez and, taking the phone out his pocket, accidently dropped it on the floor. At that point the phone was still working but its display was broken and it was impossible to read anything on it, so he had the brilliant idea to place the phone on the floor and drive over it with a forklift a few times thinking it was the funniest thing ever. The only problem is that the day later we couldn't find the photographer because the only way we could contact him was in the smashed phone! Fortunately in the end it went fine.

5. How did you form Well Planned Attack?
Fabio: I used to play in another pop punk band previously, but we had a few problems with the drummer and we broke up. A few days later I was talking to Perez about the fact I wished there were more people as commited to music as him in my area, in order to start a new band. At that point the idea to start a band came together in our minds.

Perez: I'm very proud about how we started the band, because the strange thing is that me and Julien live 45 minutes away from Manuel's hometown and more than 2 hours away from Fabio's college town. If it was 20 years ago we wouldn't even be a band right now, or even know each other. I knew Fabio from a Blink 182 forum back in 2004. Last year we decided to start this band despite the distance, recording solo demos and sending them to the other members. This is a very unusual method for underground bands, which usually meet with their members in a rehearsal room and write songs together. Julien used to play in my previous band so I asked him if he want to join, then we got in touch with Manuel who liked the demos and decided to join us.

Manuel: I used to play in another band as well, but I soon got tired because it was not my kind of music. Then three dumb guys got in touch with me telling me they were looking for a handsome and virtuoso bass player...so here I am!

Julien: The truth is we found him in a hospice wearing his one-piece pyjamas.

6. How is pop punk perceived in your home country of Italy? Is it as popular as it is in the UK and USA?
Perez: Not really...there's no pop punk on tv or national radio. It used to be popular between 2006 and 2010 but it was just a temporary trend, so like every temporary trend, it ended.

Fabio: Pop punk in Italy is not even half as big as it is in the UK and USA, but I'd say that it is slowly getting bigger and bigger...and I would also say it's getting better and better. There are really good Italian bands, like Notimefor and Vanilla Sky.

7. How did you come up with your band name?
Perez: Fabio came up with the name around May. I liked it since the beginning and although we had other names we kept Well Planned Attack till the end.

Fabio: Yes, the name is my fault. The band name is actually a line from 'Scary' by The Movielife, a pop punk band from the Drive Thru Records era. I guess it doesn't fit us very well given that we aren't good at planning and we always end up delaying stuff, but we promise this won't be the case with our EP.

8. What inspired your album artwork?
Fabio: We still don't have definite artwork for the EP, but I think it'll be funny and colourful...I'd like to include a unicorn too...and a burrito. I love burritos!

9. Who does most of the song writing in the band? Do you find it difficult?
Perez: It's definitely not easy because as I said before, we can't write songs together in the same room. Each member of the band records demos on his PC and sends it to the other members. If it sounds good, we keep working on it in the preproduction and we do the last touches in the studio.

Fabio: I did most of the songwriting for this EP, no wonder I'm the one with the worst grades at college in the band now. Anyway, the most difficult part in writing a song is writing a good chorus. I come up with thousands of intro riffs every day, but when it comes to the chorus I have to rely on my band mates to help.

10. Do you get to spend much time together? Do you get along well?
Perez: Sadly, we can't meet very often because of the distance and because we're all busy with work and studies, but every time we do meet there is always a totally funny atmosphere.

Julien: I wish we could meet more often!

Fabio: Since we live quite far away we can't see each other frequently, but when we do we have the best time. However, we are always keeping one another in contact via technology, for example we have a private group on facebook where we post hundreds of stupid things on a daily basis. We really can't wait to tour and have fun together.

Manuel: I love posting stupid stuff on that facebook group, I just posted a video of some guys losing the engine of the boat they're on in the middle of the sea, I can't stop laughing!

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK WELL PLANNED ATTACK FOR THE INTERVIEW AND IF YOU WANT TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH HOW THEY'RE DOING FOLLOW THEM ON TWITTER OR LIKE THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE