Sugar-coated barbed wire: who's that girl in WeHo?-part 1

 She's a genius! She's creative! She's a rebel! She's a musician! She's a movie-holic AND a musicholic. Welcome to Ventura Street, West Hollywood, where Ellen Page is a punk rocker and Thora Birch is a skater girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://valventura.tumblr.com

 

http://www.myspace.com/fromlamusic

1) FIRST OF ALL LET ME TELL YOU THAT I LOVE YOUR SONGS!! SO..I’D LIKE TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR MAIN MUSICAL INFLUENCES.
Thank you so much I really appreciate it…that means the world to me.
I guess everything around me got into my songs, especially when I was younger, basically it was a cool way to escape from all of that, a way to create my own world and music was and is the most natural way I know.
Musically speaking my family was not into anything in particular…they were and are like whatever about music. Just my brother was the only one that got me into Alanis first album, such a classic, and way before that well it was all about me, since I didn’t have anything like internet I got the chance to first find out some cool acts just right before I turned 7 through some well known Italian magazines and, going backwards, I started humming some melodies that came to my mind since I was not happy with some songs on tv so that’s how it all started. If I should answer right away what really influenced my songs and all, well I’m not quite sure, it’s one of those hard questions…but I can tell you what kept me going on this…just a promise I did to myself and I’m a promise keeper!

2) YOUR FACEBOOK PROFILE SHOWS “WEST HOLLYWOOD” AS YOUR CITY. CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN CALIFORNIA?
Yeah well as right now I’m in Italy but my mind and heart are just right in West Hollywood. It’s so weird how you can so fall for a place (giggles).
Well it all started 3 years ago I was 19 when I left school just right one month before my graduation with no destination ahead, no future at all, a few months later I was in the States so I first went to Lafayette, In to record a 6 song-demo with Mass Giorgini (Anti Flag, The Ataris, Screeching Weasel, Squirtgun) and one year later I went to Venice Beach, CA, not knowing anyone, I rent a place for about one month and 3weeks and then I got to move to West Hollywood and there I met my future manager. I did some local shows, my life was basically spending lots of hours @ Amoeba and Arclight Cinema.. not a good way to cure my cd/vi nyl a nd movie addictio n!It was a blessing to actually get to do that…never got it for granted (giggles). I bought the best records there.
I came back to Italy after 3 months in L.A., and got back there in 2009. I got the chance to produce and mix some local artists and came back again in December 2009! Recently I started to write for a West Hollywood based Website “The Star Celeb”, I review albums and interview artists, one of them was Tamar Kaprelian, She recently played @ Hotel Cafè, I saw lots of shows there as well, and I got the chance to manage an Italian blog all about reviews, interviews and music news “Music Reviews 2.0”,I already reviewed Riccobellis, nasty cats, The Varsity Weirdos and more.
I wouldn’t call L.A. just an experience coz I really want to move there definitely, that’s my place and there’s nothing I can do about it…hopefully by next year I’ll get the chance to finally make it.
 

3) YOU INVENTED THE AWESOME BLOG/RADIO “MIXTAPE FOR YOU”. TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE

Mixtape For You is one of those selfish things that you do if you’re a music lover (giggles). I love to find out new bands and I see that lots of people don’t get that enough so I came up with this blog just to share some bands I love and believe in. Those are the bands that I’d like to work with someday! I know the punk/pop punk music scene right now got killed by the “hardcore emo” scene, and I don’t really like that…Kids have to know emo wouldn’t exist without punk! So yeah I love lots of music styles (‘50s, punk, indie, alternative, screamo, emo, garage) but the one I feel my heart and soul connected to is Punk/Popunk so Mxtp For You is there not to let you and let me forget that first punk music love. If you’ll ever see some indie band on is just coz I really fell for that band and when that happens my cd/vinyl addiction grows more. I’m starting to look for some cool guys that can help me on this blog…so if you’re reading this now just email me at mxtpforyou@gmail.com
http://mixtapeforyou.com/