TOMALO is an Argentinean heavy metal band
that has opened for such greats as "Vince Neil " (Motley
Crue) & "Michael Monroe" (Hanoi Rocks ) in
Argentina. They learned of the far-reaching scope of Thats So Metal and were
anxious to bring their brand of heavy metal to the States through our site.
They have 2 independent edited cds: "TOMALO" (1999) and
"PLAY IT LOUD" (2002); and one covers album only for the internet
named "Optimizer Interactive Covers". The whole Optimizer album
can be downloaded through the following website where you can also check out
the band's bio and pictures... www.tomaloweb.com.ar
Tomalo's first CD is 75% in Spanish and
25% in English. The second one, "PLAY IT LOUD" is recorded 100%
in English.
Read on to see what Tute Tomalo had to tell
us!
1. Please tell us a little bit about
your background, how long you've been playing, and when you were first
inspired to start a band.
HI!! TOMALO WAS BORN IN 1998 AFTER SOME
MEMBERS AND NAME CHANGES. THE GROUP WAS CREATED AND INSPIRED BY
THE FIRST SHOW KISS MADE IN ARGENTINA. AFTER THAT DAY, WE KNEW WHAT WE WANNA DO
WITH OUR LIVES.
OUR DISCOGRAPHY CONSISTS OF 2 EDITED CDS:
"TOMALO" (1999) AND "PLAY IT LOUD" (2002); AND A 3RD
COVER ALBUM ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE INTERNET NAMED "OPTIMIZER
INTERACTIVE COVERS" (2004).
2. How different is the metal scene in
Argentina as compared to other countries?
ARGENTINEAN METAL SCENE IS REALLY DIVERSE...
THERE'S A LOT OF BANDS, A LOT OF GOOD MUSICIANS, FEW "GOOD" PLACES
TO PLAY, FEW PROMOTERS AND LABELS THAT ARE LOOKING FOR NEW TALENT... AND ALL
OF THIS IS BECAUSE THE BAD ECONOMICAL SITUATION WE ARE GETTING THROUGH IN
OUR COUNTRY. THIS MAKES US LOOK FOR FOREIGN MARKETS TO SHOW OUR MUSIC.
3.
What major bands influenced you most?
MAINLY KISS, DEF LEPPARD, FIREHOUSE, POISON.
WE ALSO LIKE MOTLEY, TWISTED SISTER, HELLOWEEN, DREAM THEATER, WASP, GREAT
WHITE, ETC. ANYTHING GOOD.
4. Has Tomalo any plans for playing
the USA or Europe any time soon?
WE WOULD LOVE TO PLAY EITHER IN USA OR EUROPE
!! A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM THERE ASK US THE SAME QUESTION !!
...NOWADAYS WE ARE PROMOTING OUR STUFF IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND WE ARE
WAITING FOR A CONCRETE OFFER EITHER TO MAKE A TOUR OR TO PROMOTE OUR
CDS.
RIGHT NOW, WE ARE GIVING THE FINAL TOUCH TO WHAT WILL BECOME OUR 4TH ALBUM. IT
WILL BE OUT IN THE BEGINNING OF YEAR 2005. WHAT A BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO GET
TO KNOW US THAN THIS!!
5.
When you are not playing your own music, what do you enjoy to listen to?
I ENJOY LISTENING TO HARD ROCK IN GENERAL
(KISS, FIREHOUSE, ETC); POP/ROCK BANDS SUCH AS THE POLICE, GENESIS AND
SOME POWER METAL BANDS SUCH AS GAMMA RAY, HELLOWEEN AND DREAM THEATER.
6. If you could choose any band to
tour with, who would it be?
I'D LOVE TO MEET BLACKY FROM W.A.S.P.
!!! BUT ANY OF THE BANDS THAT I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED AS
INFLUENCES, WOULD BE A DREAM COME TRUE !!! WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
OF OPENING FOR HUGE MUSICIANS SUCH US MICHAEL MONROE (HANOI ROCKS) AND VINCE
NEIL (MOTLEY CRUE).
7. What inspires you most when writing
songs, and who in the band does most of the writing?
I (TUTE) AM THE MAIN SONGWRITER AND
COMPOSER OF TOMALO... I GET INSPIRATION FROM BASIC THINGS THAT MOVE THE
WORLD SUCH AS LIFE, DEATH, LOVE, HATE, ENVY, FALSENESS, HAPINESS,
RELIGION AND ROCK AND ROLL !!!
8. You have opened for some pretty
famous acts in the past, who was your favorite to play with?
WITH MONROE! IT WAS SUCH A
SURPRISE, WE KNEW HIS MUSIC BUT NOT A LOT... AND HE GOT US CRAZY, IT TURNED
OUT TO BE AN AMAZING SHOW !!
WITH VINCE IT WAS DIFFERENT. THERE
WERE 3000 PEOPLE, IT WAS AT THE MISTICAL OBRAS STADIUM WHERE BANDS
SUCH AS KISS, SKID ROW, MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, THE CULT, AMONG OTHERS HAD
PLAYED ... THIS WAS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY. BESIDES, WE LOVE MOTLEY,
WE GOT A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH VINCE'S MUSICIANS AND ALL OF THIS ENDED UP
AS A GREAT MEMORY...
9.
What is the craziest thing that has happened to you while on the road or
performing?
THIS HAPPENED ON ONE OF OUR TOURS AROUND
ARGENTINA, IN MISIONES PROVINCE. WE HAD TO GO TO A LOCAL TV CHANNEL TO
PROMOTE OUR SHOWS. BEFORE STARTING THE INTERVIEW, OUR PROMOTER ADVISED
US THAT THE GUYS THAT HOSTED THE TV PROGRAM WERE A BIT STUPID AND THAT
WE HAD TO CARRY THE SITUATION OURSELVES, IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA.
NOT ONLY DID WE CARRY THE SITUATION, BUT
ALSO WE SHOWED THE AUDIENCE HOW IDIOIC THE HOSTS WERE ON THE
AIR... THIS WAS SO FUNNY THAT EVERY PERSON WE MET, THAT HAS SEEN
THE TV SHOW, GREETED US AND TOLD US HOW COOL WE HAVE BEEN ON THE
TV SHOW... UNFORTUNATELY SOME DAYS LATER WE HEARD THAT ONE OF THE TV HOSTS
WAS FIRED ... OOPS !! ... WE DIDN'T MEAN TO GO THAT FAR!
10. What would you say to American
listeners who aren't familiar with your band? Why should they want to listen
to you?
FIRST OF ALL, YOU CAN DISCOVER A ROCK AND
ROLL BAND WITH A VERY UNIQUE STYLE. YOU CAN LISTEN TO SOMETHING NEW
WITHOUT BEING A COPYCAT OF OUR GREAT INFLUENCES.
WE HAVE A SLOGAN THAT MAY EXPLAIN WHAT I MEAN:
NON STANDARD HARD ROCK.
WELL, BEFORE SAYING GOODBYE, I'D LIKE
TO THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND INVITE ALL OF YOU TO VISIT OUR
WEBSITE www.tomaloweb.com.ar
WHERE YOU WILL FIND A LOT OF TOMALO MP3 AND ALL THE INFO OF THE BAND TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT TOMALO.
Source:
"That So Metal" WebSite from USA.