TURA SATANA

Manhole is not dead.The L.A. quartet is still alive and kicking ,with a brand new name ,album and guitar player.The band formerly known as Manhole is now called Tura Satana ,and is touring Europe in support of their new album ,the excellent Relief Through Release.We met with the whole band some minutes before they are due to join the stage in a little club located in Biella ,Italy ,to talk about the new album ,the californian scene and how much bass player Rico loves the taste of weed....

Relief Through Release has just been released in the U.S.....can you introduce us on the album?
Marcelo (drums) :I dunno if people is aware in the U.S. that Manhole is the same band ,but we basically have the same line-up as we had on the first album although we have a new guitarist.I don't really know what to say about the album....beside that you may check it out...(laugh)
You talked a lot about the production of the new album.You said you weren't happy with the production of your debut album (produced by Ross Robinson)...
Marcelo :In some ways I think it's (Relief Through Release production) better ,but it's hard to say...cuz i got very mixed opinions ,but most of them agree that this is mixed better.
What about the lyrics?Any difference with those on All is Not Well?
Tarrie B. (singer) :The first album was very activist ,cuz i talked a lot about abuse ,the right to choose and stuff like that.Relief Through Release is focused on relationships...love relationships and band relationships as well.
There's a cover of Nirvana's "Negative Creep".What's behind that choice?
Tarrie B. :We covered that song on the last tour ,and we enjoyed playing it live so much that we decided to put it on the album as well.
The artwork for the cover is pretty cool...What's the concept behind it?
Rico (bass player) :That we like to smoke a lot of weed...(laugh)
Tarrie B. :Inerjection from our bass player...I can't do that at the moment but....anyway ,it's an old work inspired by Dante's Purgatorio.It's very cool ,we are all happy with that.
Can you introduce us to the "new guy"? (Brian Harrah ,their new guitar player)
Marcelo :Things are goin' very good with him.
Brian (guitar player) :It's awesome!We all get along really well (laugh).
How did you meet?
Brian :Someone in San Jose ,where I come from ,told me that they were looking for a new guitar player...
Marcelo :Yeah ,a friend of us told us about Brian ,and we called him up.He was really into the band ,so he came down to L.A. ,we played together and it worked.It's kinda weird....
A new band and a new vibe...something that can be a very good thing in the writing process of the new stuff...
Brian :Actually ,we've already started writing new songs.We've got a new track that we're playing on this tour and it's called "The Sycophant".It's the first song that we all wrote together as a group.It's very aggressive and very cool ,it's still Tura Satana but definitely taken to a next level.
You stopped a U.S. tour last month.Why?
Marcelo :Basically it was a label decision ,cuz our album wasn't out yet and they felt like it wasn't the right tour for us to be on at the time..
So...you got any plan of touring the U.S. soon?
Marcelo :We don't have anything booked yet ,but we really wanna do some shows back home as well.I think we may tour in June ,once the European dates are done.
Tarrie B. :We would love to play some festivals like the "Family Values" as well 'cause we are friends of all those people ,but at the end of the day what really matters is money so...we don't know....
You were one of the first bands of the whole "Korn movement" to get signed and to start things out.....How do you feel about that 3 years later ,with this style being so popular and well received everywhere?
Marcelo :Obviously a lot of the bands from our area are starting to get exposion ,and this music is really starting to take off...although it would be very difficult to say that we were one of the first (bands) to start ,cuz there are so many other bands and so many changes goin' on...Anyway ,it's great to see that all those bands are doing really good ,cuz we always try to help each other and there is no competition.
Any new bands to reccomend us?
Marcelo :We've been on tour lately ,so I haven't really seen any new bands beside System of a Down ,Snot and Human Waste Project...
Brian :I personally like Will Haven.I think they are awesome.Another great band is Far....and finally ,I would reccomend what i consider my favourite band right now :Tinfed.They are on tour with the Deftones right now....and they have some metal/punk influences along with dance beats.They have two records out on some small labels ,and i really love that band!
Tarrie B. :There's a band called Kilgore ,they are cool.Another cool band is Jack Off Jill.I like a lot of weird different music and i am obviously into stuff like Snot and System of a Down as well.
Any band you would like to tour with?
Marcelo :I would really like to tour with a band like Tool.
Tarrie B. :There are so many....but i would say Nick Cave ,someone really fucked up and scary.
Brian :Definitely with Tool....but there are so many bands to choose from...i don't really know.Maybe Nine Inch Nails..
I heard you are a massive NIN fan..
Brian :Yeah ,i have been listening to them since i was young...i love 'em!
How was the response of the crowd so far?
Brian :Great!Expecially the show we played two days ago here in Italy ,in Bologna.The kids were flying and jumping everywhere.... (laugh)
What's your view on the promotion of bands and music through the Internet?Do you consider it a sort of real scene or just a method of propaganda?
Marcelo :I don't really know if you can call it a scene.It's a tool to get your music out....expecially cuz there are people from all over the world and so it's a good place to get exposion..
Lynn from Snot sang on "Down"..is it a way to promote new bands or just musical choices?
Marcelo :On the first album with "Down" we wanted Lynn cuz he's a really good singer...and Tarrie wanted to sing with him so..It was something that she wanted to do ,to have some guest vocals.
How do you deal with the fact that people identify Tura Satana with Tarrie B.?
Tarrie B. :I'm the singer ,and I think every singer is the focus of the band.
Marcelo :It's typical of lots of bands.With Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor ,with Marilyn Manson is Marilyn Manson himself...there's very few bands where everyboy gets the same attention from the press.It's usually the frontman who gets the main attention ,cuz he speaks about something in the lyrics.He's usually the vocalist and the representative of the band.It doesn't bother me...
What do you expect from the album?Which are your expectations?
Tarrie B. :I don't know.I really don't know because I don't know what kind of promotion we are gonna get over there.

Later that night Tura Satana went onstage ,showing everybody what they do best :playing live.Old favourites like "Kiss or Kill" were played along with covers and tracks of the new album."Luna" received the warmest reaction ,with the crowd singing ,jumping ,moshing and spitting (yeah!) with Tarrie.True "girl power"!