written by Marko Jakob
Pix666: Hi Mattǝo, I saw you live for the first time in summer 2013 in Berlin with your former band Lost Area. Why did this band break up and what was the reason to start a new band?
Mattǝo: A band is obviously an ensemble of people, minds and visions. Ideally these should all work in synergy but sometimes people just grow apart and that’s what happened with Lost Area. We no longer had the same vision of the band, nor the same expectations or desires. So, honest to our fans and ourselves, we disbanded in the most amicable way and each one of us went his own (pretty successful) way.
At that point I knew already I could not really be happy without making music and, instead of joining someone else’s band, I thought it was about time to start something to call my own, that’s how Hell Boulevard were born.
Pix666: From the release of the first Hell Boulevard single ‘Hangover From Hell’ to the first album ‘Inferno’ more than two years passed. Why did it take so long, you probably knew that the fans were eagerly waiting for an album? It takes time for a newborn to start walking, doesn’t it?
Mattǝo: I did a bit of a test run with ‘Love me’ or ‘5678’ and experimented with different sounds and vibes before finding the one I was looking for. After all I had no pressure from labels or anyone else so I took some time to make sure the album was gonna meet the fans expectations and I’m fairly certain it did for the majority of them.
Pix666: In the meantime a lot has happened, a tour as support for Unzucht, one with Mono Inc. and finally with Lord Of The Lost – also a successful own headliner tour together with Johnny Deathshadow took place. How satisfied are you with the first five years of Hell Boulevard and what are the goals and dreams for the future?
Mattǝo: Let’s just say I finally feel we’re on the right path. Each show the band gets better, the sound gets “bigger” etc. All these live shows gave us a chance to improve ourselves quite a bit in terms of live performances but we still got a lot to learn and a lot to do. So yes, I’m most certainly satisfied with how things are and have been going. Dreams and hopes for the future? Just aiming for a steady growth under every aspect (live shows as well as songwriting and overall sound) and to keep having fun on stage with the guys.
Pix666: You are also very popular and well known as a video director and photographer. How important for you is this job compared to your music career, or is it all equally important to you?
Mattǝo:These two aspects of my life go kinda hand in hand, not by chance some of our clients are also bands we’ve been on tour with. I invest 100% of myself in both music and videos although sometimes it’s really difficult to manage my time between the two but I always try to remind myself how lucky I am doing a “job” that’s so strictly related to my passion for music.
Pix666: You speak a likeable mix of German and English on stage. Where did you learn German? Do you intend to improve your German, because as a musician you are often on the road in Germany?
Mattǝo: First of all: thanks for defining it “likeable”! I’ve been living in the German-speaking part of Switzerland for quite many years by now and that’s how I ended up learning a little German. As of now I’m definitely planning to go to school and learn German properly as it would be a great improvement for my life on and off stage!
Pix666: In September you play three concerts together with your friends from Florian Grey and The Fright. Can the fans hope for some special surprises at these events, maybe duets or special cover versions? Or each band plays two songs, one from each of the other two bands, that would be a special new idea …
Mattǝo: Whenever Hell Boulevard and Florian Grey (as a band or as Mr. Singer himself) are together something weird is simply bound to happen so I can reasonably tell you there’s gonna be quite a few surprises already planned and probably also some spontaneous ones we should all be looking out for. I’m also extremely curious to see how The Fright are gonna influence the general insanity but I’m quite confident they will not disappoint. These are not some shows I would miss if I was you! *grin*
Pix666: We are looking forward to the concerts and wish you and your band much success for the future.
Mattǝo: Thanks and see you on the road real soon!
Hell Boulevard on tour
26.06.2019 Oberhausen
27.09.2019 Hannover
28.09.2019 Leipzig
Tickets are available here: Eventim
