Artist Interview: Festizio's Keane Li

I met Keane Li when I interviewed him for a job. Impressed as much by his resume as his artistic vision, I hired him with the added benefit of getting to watch as his band Festizio refined its sound....post office-sharing, I'm still watching as Festizio has produced two Cds, including the new Hot City, to be released Sunday at Cafe Du Nord.

Keane spoke for the band about Festizio's inspiration and its latest CD.
Q How this new recording different than the last? Both in terms of material and your recording process.

We recorded at Tiny Telephone this time, rather than Hyde Street Studio C. We recorded onto tape and transferred it for mixing in ProTools HD. Last time we went straight into ProTools. We used tape in the mastering process as well, something we didn't do last time, so the overall sound is a lot more robust and warm. On the previous album, we were more traditional alt-rock (two guitars, a bassist, and a drummer). On our new album, our lead guitarist performs on keyboards, synth, and Rhodes, so the overall sound is more ambient and open. We aimed to be a bit more atmospheric and cinematic with our songs.

Q Festizio--how did you name it? How long have you guys been playing together?

Hot City is the name of the first song, about spending a night out. The overall album starts from aggressive and dance to something darker and then finally something more bright and uplifting (sort of like the course of a night). We've been playing about four years. Our bassist recently left so there are just three of us now. We're starting to move into a more electronic, orchestrated sound.

Q Describe your writing process? Do all band members bring material in or do you bring all the songs?

I write all the songs and we come together and arrange it. In the future, since we will be doing more sampling and using electronic sounds, we may change our songwriting process a bit, in that our synth player might bring in a groove and we'll arrange with something that inspires.

Q Who are you currently listening too? Any artist/song obsessing you?

We've always been big Radiohead fans. We're also influenced by Muse and 90s alt-rock like the Smashing Pumpkins. We're also heavily influenced by non-rock genres like hip hop, jazz, and classical music.

Q Where will Festizio go in the next 6 months

We hope to share our new album with as many people as possible, which is why we're giving it away for free. We'll keep touring in support of it while writing some exciting, new songs.

Festizio releases its new album, Hot City, at Café Du Nord on Sunday, 10/17. Also performing are Johnny Hi-Fi and Lion Riding Horses. The concert is a benefit for Recovering Irma, a documentary film about domestic violence.