Oy Fan! The Tide has moved!!

You'll beflushed away in 6 seconds in our new bay. If not, visit
http://www.tinytide.com
and update your bookmarks!! ;)

25 December 2009

CRY

Once upon a long ago I went mad about an anime (japanese cartoons) called "Kodomo No Omocha". Though the show was quite crazy and absurd, I recall an episode for having been particularly sad and touching. I tried as an experiment to write a song about it for a girl, but we never got back to that first rough demo from 1998. Although I came to give it a listen from time to time during the years, since some months ago I found myself even playing it with Clint, my acoustic guitar. And it was good! I was amazed how still good that song was, so I decided to work on another demo. Was it good? Here it is...

Tiny Tide - CRY


Maybe it deserved to be more rocky and energized, but I promised a girl a sad song, and here it is :)

Lyrics:

"And I've been waiting for this moment for so long
But in my heart I always knew that it was wrong
Sometimes the truth is not as good as a good lie
I will not blame you for this life is not that crap
Staying away, stay away, stay away
Crying, crying daughter, even her mother is crying


Now that I know you and I know that you're the one

I look in memories where you are not my past
I don't know how but if your did guess you can

regret a baby from the day of her own birth

Staying away, stay away, stay away
Crying, crying daughter, even her mother is crying
"

24 December 2009

Sweet Tooth For XMAS



Hell yesss. Against any kind of probability,I got the chance to play for once in a lifetime with "The Magic Mushroom", the Christmas Indie Cover Band leaded by A Nice Person playing once a year for Christmas during the seasonal "Chistmas Pop", held at Diagonal in Forlì by AirPop DJSet. It was great! Manuel was in there too (Manuel was actually STEALEN from The Magic Mushroom) and with Frapiccini on bass+guitar I had nothing to worry about than using three fingers to play Osamushi (my Alesis Micron Synth), the glockenspiel (somebody was thinkin I was gone insane and decided to crush an iMac with a stick) and doing some backvocals. The hardest part? I knew I had to play in there 4 hours before playing the songs for the first time! Keep it indie!

Diagonal was really crowded, and the show was really succesful, possibly being the "Walk Away Renee" from Left Banke cover the best song played, having anyway the warmest feedback from the hall when Bando (one of the two AirPop DJs) came on the stage to croone The Smiths classic "Please Please Please"

Thank you Magic Mushroom. It was a real pleasure indeed :)



23 December 2009

Alla vetta!

Salve e ben tornati di nuovo a "I learn Prosciutto", la rubrica in Italiano dedicata a Mic Leffe per introdurlo nel giusto mood che deve accompagnare le sue meravigliose interpretazioni alla batteria (sapere quando non deve fare lo stacchetto di "Daitarn 3" e robe del genere).

Recentemente abbiamo cominciato a provare "TOP", che ho a mia volta tentato (FAIL!) di proporre in versione acustica all'ultimo concerto, con il risultato positivo di avere entusiasmato molto Porlock! (su cui conto per un fantastico tappeto di piano martellante quando la incideremo per l'album tra due anni o giù di lì)

"TOP" è nata da da un giro di chitarra che mi ha mostrato Dendrix. "Zonda, fa qualcosa con questo giro..."

Dal giro di chitarra in MI ho fatto una progressione (o meglio, una regressione) di un tono, e da quel momento in poi la canzone è diventata un'accozzaglia ben riuscita di plagi. L'inciso, che sta fisso in MI per delle ore, l'avevo in testa da parecchio, e mi è sembrato naturale fare evolvere il brano in quella direzione. La mia intenzione era quella di reinterpretare una sorta di jingle pubblicitario anni 80, ma poi è venuta fuori la solita vena Costelliana, che mi ha buttato fuori a calci nel sedere prendendo il possesso della canzone arrivati al ritornello. Nell'inciso ho cercato di tirare fuori combinazioni di note per gli accordi naif, viscerali, non convenzionali, con Charlotte Hatherley ben presente negli ascolti più recenti. Poi chiaramente un amico chitarrista ha spolverato via un po' di magia tirando fuori nomi di accordi irricordabili spiegando anche il perchè stavano bene legati assieme. Una delle mie più grandi paure è quella di non riuscire poi a ricordarmeli di nuovo una volta che la riproveremo live (tipo ora). Il tutto per un inciso che dura neanche 20 secondi.

Il testo? Forse è la cosa che interessa di più a Mic! Ci che cazzo parla "TOP"? Ho cercato di tirare fuori il solito polpettone cosmopolita intellettualoide alla Declan McManus, cercando di incrociare il substrato di un vecchio videogioco chiamato "Top Gear", dove un commmando americano cerca di distruggere una fortezza pseudovietnamita nella giungla, al quanto possa essere sottovalutato l'arrivismo e la brama di potere che puà portare insospettabilmente una persona popolare a trascinare una democrazia in una dittatura, specialmente in tempo di crisi e con la facilità con cui siamo portati a dimenticarci di certe lezioni del passato. (nel "secondo tempo" della canzone sostanzialmente Obama si tarsforma in Hitler)

Non so effettivamente questo giro quanto un delirio del genere possa essere utile a Mic. Vi lascio ad una libera interpretazione del testo.

"Prendere il potere, i soldi, la gloria
e poi prendere una facile via di fuga
Non lasciando traccia dei Berretti Verdi
buttando fuori buona parte dei migliori

Impennando le ruote di una jeep nella giungla
e sventolando le strisce dalla bandiera
Facendo attenzione alle mine dai significati ingannevoli
lasciando il passato sotto la cenere

Perchè ora arriva la follia
un viaggio all'Inferno per due
Lascia fare allo sciacallo
e assicurati che siano tutti sulla jeep
La fortezza rossa
non è mai stata così vicina
La SquadraSpeciale Tiny
Fa irruzione con alcuni VAI VAI

Fino alla cima
Per un giorno sarà io il tuo boss
alla cima
della cima di tutte le cime
Alla cima
Non hai sufficiente credito per fermarmi
Va a piangerne in giro

Alla cima
per un giorno me ne starò senza fare nulla a guardarvi
alla cima
di tutti quanti i nomi
sulla cima
non c'è moneta che mi possa trascinare
di un posto più in basso

I campi da basket mi emozionano quando gioco
Ma i pantaloncini ti vanno un po' stretti quando cresci
I compagni di classe si divertono a pulire le zucche
ma io ho qualche buon seme da piantare in giro

Tempo per un cambio, ed è strano quando il sole acceca
tutte le regole dell'alba
Una grande crisi per grandi coalizioni
E la reginetta della festa viene incoronata

Perchè ora arriva il Nazista
Un olocausto fatto apposta per te
Lascia fare al killer
e assicurati che il re ne sia all'oscuro
La fortezza rossa
E' incatenata dalle trattative
La Squadra Speciale Tiny
Sta seppellendo il Sergente Quint, avete perso!


La vostra memodia vi ingannerà
La vostra memodia vi ingannerà
Probabilmente state solo perdendo del tempo

Perchè ora arriva la hit
La major cinematografica
Sputa missili teleguidati
ma ancora non sei a portata di tiro
Il palazzo presidenziale è diventato un carrarmato imperiale
si allontana nel tramonto
mentre cerchi di sfasciarle quella testa di pietra."


20 December 2009

SHE

"SHE" is the last song of the series I came up to the notorious day I decided to shut the radio off on my way back to home and starting to sing. My voice was surely at top that day... because nowadays I find each of them really hard to sing! I got the melody of that one in my mind FOR MONTHS, and bits of the words too, so it was really quite easy spending my cold friday night writing the lyrics and having the demo finished on saturday 2:00 AM

One of my most "Costellian" songs, lyrics are really simple indeed. Being Top of The Pop they're not so meaningful at all, they just picture the scene of this absent minded girl walking out of her home sleepwalkin in the desert town during the night, forgetting of all day's troubles. Here's the demo and the lyrics anyway. Feedback appreciated as always.

(I swear Fabio... I didn't used Chours, except for a little bit on the acoustig guitar solo :D )

Tiny Tide - "SHE"

"She was a girl with a mind on her own
She wasn'tsure she was wake and alone
Off on the floor was she called by the night
Fading from a curtain on her humble dressing gown
Here she's walking
Sleepwalking

Night birds and shadows are amazed and turn their heads on while the girl keeps on walking

Souls locked in prison are amazed by such a vision
still hey won't do the talking
and the girl keeps on walking
Through the park and the cold rails
Far away from the montains
She's walking
Sleepwalking

Bedtime stories
Will fad out in the morning
but the girl keeps on walking

Moon ground crowling just to see things falling
on the way of her strolling
but the girl keeps on going

She was a girl with a heart sour and kind
She was so tired of a life so untied
She closed her eyes as she laced off high tops
Turning all a sudden she's back from where she started
"

13 December 2009

Mumarcord

Tonight I've been buisy writing a song. This time for another band, called "Le Mulin Blanc". They're into a project called Neo Italo Movement, basically a revival of new songs in an old Italo Disco Style. Guess what? They've been so quick that a first demo is already aviable... here! Here's the lyrics...

"There's no poin denying it
It won't go away
just unfreeze reality
and prepare yourself
keeps coming back
face to face
that dope dudette
in hellish awesome shirt
was she so bad
batcaver out of deck

My My Mumarcord
She's stepping out tonight
to my Mumarcord
No better place to run
dance and remember
never surrender
to failures and romance
at my mumarcords

Fighting crime on nightlife
Was never in my plane
But Hanna is a character
a Secret Squirrel fan
We had a laugh
on flash and lights
those blurry days of freedom
let's celebrate our youth right there
Barbera pours on my

My My Mumarcord
Gather all your friends
to my Mumarcord
Private room access
Drink and remember
Old' time romancer
Excess and brunettes
My My Mumarcord

Slow down broadies over there
Put your corny jokes away
Devilishly clever villains
deserve to escape
it's not too late"

One of the rules of this movement was dealing with the possibility of writing a love song about nightlife. One of my favourite places in Cesena was called Amarcord (it was a pizza house), and I was thinking that the Fellini reference would have been... exquisite! Starting singing the choir on my (my) mind, I began to look for some kind of double maning such as "Mama Hardcore", still I wasn't able to fit it in the metric of the song. So I cheated and I went for an even more incomprehensible "Mumarcord". The Secret Squirrel references were all put in the song to please a DJ friend of mine :)

9 December 2009

Complimentary Us




It was nice playing on Giodì. Why? The place was reeeeeally nice, and all our best and supportive friends where there too! :)

"Needful Things" never went so good, and our first live execution of "Valentine Disco Night" was a blast! I was not too sure 'bout my rushed first presentation for "TOP", but Porlock (he was in the audience with our first drummer Joe Pistocchi) seems to have liked it a lot, along with "Silver Star", another track that is getting better all the time! (Just quoting Beeedols!)

We began a little bit late, so the landlord asked us to rush our way to the finale. I asked to the audience if they prefered "February" or "Mask Me Mask Me Mask Me". Guess what? They went for the latter! "February" is possibly our second most popular track, and I was really proud seing this new song getting more and more popular each time we play it. Good! :)



8 December 2009

XMARS Time!


Once upon not so a long ago, I was guested by Alessandro and Paolo from the Italian radio show Geek Radio for a Christmas special edition 'bout Sweden and Japan celebrating winter holidays.

Alessandro (he still sings in "Le Man Avec Les Lunettes") asked me to collect some artists for a Japanese Christmas pop for the next year. A further edition of Geek Radio wasn't meant to be, still my friends from the band HajimePop was still willing to contribute with a festive song.

So here we are, with this virtual split, our Christmas Gift to you all!


Here's bands' spaces

5 December 2009

Enchantment Under The Cesuola




Possibly best performance ever, just me and Mic Leffe Tiny Tide was sliced in a garage duo, just for one night, and since far to obvious comparsions with other bands started to pop up few days from the concert we decided to mock our own name on "The White Tides". I was so electrified by that idea that I decided to start the show with Chuck, my dark 80's Gretsch. It was a good show indeed, with a lot of covers and friends crowding possibly the most dangerous bar in Cesena, starting to play at 00.00 a.m. Being only a a drum and a guitar gave us space to a lot of ideas and solo moments, starting from the blues intro with harmonica and a psychedelic post-rock aftershow with double drummers and a shoegazian Zonda being pointed as a Michale J Fox on acid at the end of his rock performance on Back To The Future's Enchantment Under The Sea.

Well. Beside that last moment of the show (that lasted quite 20 minutes so far) (there's a bit took from Matt Share) the whole show was filmed by Luca. Thank you Luca!





4 December 2009

(VULP-0002)

Oi there! Watch us as we're promoted as the second band appearing on the american label Vulpiano Records with the maxi single "The Smiths & The Cure". Cheers up for the American Fox!

30 November 2009

The White Tides


"They say there’s a certain kind of rum that you’ll have the chance to taste only in the worst bars in Caracas. Still Caracas is the Latin America’s most expensive City. Strange, isn, it? As strange as Mark Zonda and Mic Leffe playing in a small Italian town after midnight in a small place nearby a river..."

The review follows here on SleepWalKing Magazine...

29 November 2009

Let's rock the Cesuola

Il prossimo appuntamento dal vivo saraà... sarà... domenica prossima!
Domenica 6 Dicembre al Giodì di Cesena (sembra verso le 20.00)
See ya there!

21 November 2009

News From the Heavenly Loom



Tiny Tide, dal vivo
Sabato 28 Novembre
A MEZZANOTTE
Bar Notturno (Ponte Nuovo Cesena)

"Una volta convintosi che non c'era alcun elemento dannoso palese, cominciava a elargire consigli e a correggere il feuilleton"

15 November 2009

A New Tiny Round


LaVigna it’s not a big venue for sure, but what’s fun in playing there it’s its great acoustic, due to the fact that everything in there is surrounded by… wood! I really enjoyed playing with Tiny Tide in there, especially because sounds were great indeed and suitable for an acoustic punk act and me and the mates played at our best, with the exception of my voice, that was quite completely gone.

After a former member who lasted one month and a half in the band crawled over Cling (my acoustic guitar) after 4 rounds of sake, we were thrilled and ready to begin. The “Intro - Kitty Jesus - The Psychopath At The Club - Ginger Genie” sequence is becoming my favourite part of the show! I was really glade to show our fan the live version of “AAA”, that’s actually my favourite song to play so far. I think the best part of the show was when Manuel started to take a seat in the audience playing from their perspective and we started to imitate him, with me jumping over the chair to end the song. After we were unexpectedly called to an encore (the show was quite long) there was even an “aftershow” with the formed sake member at the drums and Dendrix going heavymetal. A sweet night to remember.

CLIPS:
Tiny Tide @ LaVigna 2009 - “Intro - Kitty Jesus - The Psychopath At The Club”
Tiny Tide @ LaVigna 2009 - “The Smiths & The Cure”
Tiny Tide @ LaVigna 2009 - “Mask Me Mask Me Mask Me”
Tiny Tide @ LaVigna 2009 - “A Song for EMI”

Tiny Tide @ LaVigna 2009 - “AAA”
Tiny Tide @ LaVigna 2009 - “Go Ego Go (Lacrosse Cover)”
Tiny Tide @ LaVigna 2009 - “February”

Tiny Tide @ LaVigna 2009 - “Girls From Ronta”


14 November 2009

We Are Pressed

Da non so quale quotidiano locale.

"Cesena. Al Circolo La Vigna di Porta Santi di Cesena va in scena questa sera alle 21 la band dei Tiny Tide, gruppo dedito a un indie pop vissuto spensieratamente. Presentano i più recenti lavori "The Ronta EP" del 2008 e "The Wildheart" del 2009. Una formazione che si è fatta le ossa affiancando dal vivo vari gruppi internazionali e italiani. La loro "Girl from Ronta" è coraggiosa e invoglia al buon umore; un pop trascinante e coinvolgente che dà energia. Il pezzo nel 2008 è entrato in una compilation internazionale edita dalla spagnola Bon Vivants Records. Nel 2009 i Tiny Tide hanno collaborato con Fabio Benni dei Le Man Avec Les Lunettes a una cover, mentre Mark Zonda ha collaborato con l'americana Marilyn Roxie al suo primo ep "Earth".

4 November 2009

Labelling

Tiny Tide backcatalogue (and hopefully forthcoming one) goes to * drrrrumrrroll * Vulpine Records, USA. More details soon...

TS+TC


Facebook is the drug.

Yesterday I was so surprised when a bloke replied to a thread right with "it recalls semantica". It was clearly a chinise whisper for our track The Smiths & The Cure "rings bells on semantic calls". After I pointed out that the early version of that part was "not Belle & Sebastian", I was asked why I haven't left everything to make of pop music my only occupation.

Made me glad! That's why I packed a "TS+TC anthology" just for you!

You can download it... here!

Tiny Tide - TC+TC

Here's the tracklist:

1. The Smiths & the cure (EP Version)
2. The Smiths & the cure (Stars in Coma Edit)
3. The Smiths & the cure (Acoustic 1st demo)
4. The Smiths & the cure (#9 Version)
5. Rain Rain Rain (Roxie Music Cover)

Enjoy and give us feedback!

17 October 2009

Tidin'Up Il Bar Notturno


Next Live:
13 nov 2009La Vigna (Cesena)
28 nov 2009 Bar Notturno (Cesena)


14 October 2009

Sometimes Always



Mattatoio's gig with Santa Dog was for sure the main turning point of our band. Looking back to these videos it's impressive how far we're improved, still that night we became aware of our potential after a couple of very bad gigs of how good we could have been in time, and it was totally unexpected!

Mic Leffe taped some of those unforgettable moments. About two years later, deep in fever, I found the time to edit some of those recordings and tube'em. Here you go


11 October 2009

Rock in The Video

Some time ago I collaborated with a UKian artist calle Phillip Lockwood, aka LeBleu. I made vocals, melody and lyrics for a song called "Rocking The Empire", for the project "The Rise and Fall of... LeBleu!", a concept album on the decadence of civilizations.

Maybe it's because I'm deep in fever today, but since I was partially inspired by "Roma" by Federico Fellini I decided to make a little video about it. Check it out!



25 September 2009

Tiny, Band in the Vigna

"Stavolta però la faccenda va diversamente. E proprio a causa dei sogni ad occhi aperti"


Prossimo live... 13 Novembre @ Vigna (Porta Santi, Cesena)

Be there!

13 September 2009

Intifada nights


"It was promoted as a secret gig, still eventually many people were able to find the place despite all the enigmas. Halfway between Aladdin Sane, Elvis Costello and MGMT, Mark Zonda and Tiny Tide came back with a tight and not so horror rocky show on the stage of Intifada, sharing with the audience the old classics from a debut album that keeps its distances from seeing the light of its debut and the tracks of Tiny Tide last EP: “The Wildheart EP”.

The band kept spending the last month on practicing the new opening part of the show, with a brilliant instrumental introduction in a bright “Credence Clearwater Revival” style, changing in “Kitty Jesus” and “The Psychopath At The Club” with no pauses at all." ...

Last night we played @ Intifada.

Here's a report from SleepWalKing Magazine. Check it out :)




5 September 2009

1 September 2009

Wildy Tiny

Here's Wildheart in his own words on Tiny Tide "The WildHeart EP" last review. You can found it here.

"The "WildHeart" on this review happens to be me: Tiny Tide. The one fact that needs a fix is the fact that on “Do Mean It’s A Mess”, Simona Rovida didn’t record any part, but all the background vocals are Marco’s (and it’s an amazing job!). What can I say? I am flattered by such an amazing review! Apart from "The Smiths And The Cure” that was actually played by humans, all the other songs (all the instruments, including the finger-picked guitars) were played by me on samplers and synthesizers. If they fooled somebody into believing that it was the real thing then… well… I’m happy. Marco wrote some really amazing songs. I am glad if I could help him make them shine.

My favourite? Hard to choose. “Road to Fairies” for the arrangement (modestly speaking) and “Needful Things” because it’s a superb song, one of those songs that make your jaw drop after the first two bars. The arrangement could use a bit more energy but the song is so good that it remains memorable all the same."

Tiny Tiny


"Helmed by one Mark Zonda, Tiny Tide is a pop band from the beautiful Italian city of Cesena. Their illustrious beats flow through the orchestral strings like rivers running through towns. Under their belt, Tiny Tide have released two EPs, The Ronta EP (2008) and the recently released The Wildheart EP. This EP is an electronic experience through the eyes of Wildheart, their arranger. " ...

Hi there everyone! Here's an interesting review of the "WildHeart EP" from "Stop Sleeping, yo!". Check it out :)

22 August 2009

Dall'Ambasciata

Enrico Veronese di Italian Embassy (semplicemente il blog più aggiornato e completo sulla musica indipendente Made in Italy) è stato così carino da segnalare la nostra scanzonata parentesi coveristica estiva.


Grazie Enrico.

Walk Away Renee


I felt in love with "The Left Banke" the very first time I had the chance to take part at a "How Does It Feels To Be Loved" night, by one of the coolest indie clubs in London.

Randomly suggesting songs via Facebook, Fabio Benni from Le Man Avec Les Lunettes felt in love with one of their most popular hits: "Walk Away Renee".

The author of the song wrote it when it was only 16 years old, being inspired by the cute girlfriend of their bass guitar player. The song is dealing with us finding the force of saying goodbye to a happy period of our life. Which could represent the most our feeling of being sad leaving a summer of freedom, sun and fun?

"Walk Away Renee" featured a young still unknown Steven Tyler on choirs. After Macca & Costello, Bowie & Mick Jagger, Dalla & Morandi... here it is Mark and Fabio sharing with you this everlasting classic.

Tiny Tide w/ Fabio Benni - "Walk Away Renee" Virtual 7"

20 August 2009

FIX

Here's a new one for "TenneT". It's called "FIX". It's supposed to be the album opening.
This song started with the melody. The melody started on 1993. I was involved in a sort of role game based on the Star Trek universe, some kind of "real" fictionary Star Fleet Academy. In order to conquer a fictional character I wrote this song, which original Italian lyrics were about tractor beams, distant stars and Romulan weapons.

Year passed (more than 15.... SCARY!) and I tried to blend that melody with an even previous one that I had in mind since... 1988-89 I suppose (the part in which I sing about "Avalon").

The intro was taken from one of the first demo I ever recorded once I had my first polyphonic keyboard, by an Italian brand called "Viscount" (I just 'bought a mixer from them, discovering that they're actually Italians). It was recorded over a tape a friend of mine lent me with their family secretly caught fighting over a very expensive telephone bill. The instrumental track was called "Blacksabbadesse", and was sent right back on the mutual mixtape I gave back to my friend with their family going insane voices on it. Now it has astronauts :)

So "FIX", what it's alla about?

Maybe my friend Dan is right after all. It might be as well my "Pinball Wizard", since "FIX" was the sign a friend of mine had when he played on old penny arcades. He was simply the coolest kid in the block. He knew every single game's trick as a Bible, leading him to play blind any arcade till its final stage living his notorious mysterious sign, "FIX", since nobody was albe to beat his name in the hall of winners, even the ambitious "TOP" (hey! Someone made a song about it!), "WIN" and so on...

This was in the glorious past. The "Parker Lewis" syndrome. What in present days? Life is little bit harsh than a video game, and it kicks. What's up to us? Choose between acceptance and integration or live like some kind of strange lunatic on our imaginary world.

"What you're gonna do in Avalon?"

It's up to you.

Tiny Ride - "FIX" (Demo)

Here's the lyrics

"Fix is
just a name in a machine screen
and circuits
running high scores on a dark board
any single cabinet
hold three letters hard to get
Wonder
who will ever top that perfect best now

Fix will
come again another summer
picking
brand new ace songs from the dance box
Any single that we play
is a a moment meant to stay
listen
it's the sound of our perfect best so

What you're gonna do in Avalon?
Are you gonna play and sing alone?
What you're gonna do ina Avalon?
Are you gonna stay and get along?

Face it
You felt better with your cheat codes to
break it
saving time for second chances
while now moving with no clues
it's the hardest thing to do
Nothing
Looks like how we always thought it should now

Feels like we're trapped in the wrong box
With no supplies at all, but tools
Nobody holds the instructions
to get rid of all the troubles of this clock-work hard to handle, so now..."

16 August 2009

Night Fever?

Not so long time ago a friend of mine asked me to cover a Bee Gees song. I picked "Night Fever", with the intention to bring out a completely new and different song, wondering what it would have been like if Pipettes would have spotted Beck through the crowd deciding to invite him on the stage to do a song. So here it is. I'm not too happy with the result, still the person who asked for the cover is satisfied, and my Indonesian Fandom raised theit thumbs with enthusiasm, so I thought it worth a share. Porlock gave an hand on the keboards. Enough for the chatties. Here's the song:

Tiny Tide - Night Fever (Bee Gees Cover)

Plain Little Game


Recently I startet to collaborate with an American artist called Marilyn Roxie. She's gotta a tooth for vintage keyboards and electronic sounds and experimentations, but - above all - her tracks (mostly instrumental) inspired me working on some musical directions that I really own and I never have the chance to explore (it's not a plain little game trying to beat Brian Eno in its own ground). So a "Plain Little Game" was done! That's the title of the song you'll find on first Marilyn Roxie collaborative EP called "Earth" (a second one called "Water" will be out soon).

You can download EP and song by clicking here.

Hope it's only the first move.

6 August 2009

So less to say

Don't know why... they keep on asking me to do these things. And anytime... I AGREE!
That's me acousting "I Would Say". You can find a smoother electronic version of the song on our last EP, with a terrific solo by Dendrix at the end of it.

4 August 2009

Attention Attention Attention


O così potrebbe apparire agli occhi di un ascoltatore italiano. In realtà in America "A.A.A.", il titolo di questa nuova canzone, sta per America Automobile Association. La canzone chiuderà il secondo album "TenneT", di cui sto ora scrivendo le canzoni (mentre stiamo cercando di terminare le registrazioni di Febrero col gruppo).

Uno di quei casi in cui mi è venuta prima la melodia. Più precisamente quella della parte iniziale. Anche "AAA" fa parte della serata in cui sono stato celebralmente folgorato durante un viaggio in macchina con relativa creazione di ben cinque pezzacci. Non sapevo come proseguire il frammento di canzone a cui avevo pensato. Per tanti mesi ho cercato di proseguirlo con parti basse baritonali alla Bowie quando ha fumato troppe sigarette. Poi, a furia di provare "Do Mean It's A Mess" per la presentazione live del nostro ultimo EP, mi sono ritrovato a che fare con un paio di accordi strani, che ho avuto improvvisamente fretta di inserire nella canzone, accantonando l'idea del contrasto tra falsetti e parti semigutturali. Ora è una cosa molto più lineare e zuccherosa. La fretta e la voglia di scolpire nel marmo questa canzone sono state tali che ho abbandonato temporaneamente "FIX", di cui ho in testa tutta la melodia, ma di cui ancora non ho terminato la scrittura del testo.

Di cosa parla "AAA"? Il concetto è semplice. Il titolo è ispirato da tutte le volte che i ragazzi della mia generazione si sono imbattuti nella classifica di un arcade, buttando un occhio alle ultime postazioni. In genere i risultati piu' bassi erano sempre cose come "AAA", "AAB, "ABC". Gente - quasi sempre alle prime armi - che faceva risultati pessimi e non voleva lasciare traccia di se. O che magari era solo curiosa di provare un gioco facendo durare il suo gettone manco una manciata di secondi.

Mi sono immaginato così il solito ragazzo barra ragazza (immaginate quello che più vi aggrada, io proietto sempre nelle mie canzoni ragazze che esistono solo nelle pagine dei libri e in oscuri istituti psichiatrici) alle prese con uno sconosciuto paesaggio campestre in piena estate, durante una permanenza inaspettata e forzata dopo aver mancanto uno dei pochi treni che passavano dal paesino. Questo per la prima parte. La seconda è più o meno simile. Rispecchia sempre l'idea dell'essere lasciato a piedi, visto che in questo caso è proprio un'autovettura in panne la causa dei problemi del protagonista della canzone. Due spaccati di storia uniti da un ritornello e una sola metafora: un placido grido d'aiuto nel voltarsi indietro e scoprire di essere rimasti da soli.


Ecco un'approsimativa traduzione adattata del testo

"A.A.A.
Il sole splende in alto
Il cielo abbisogna di luce per fare andare le tue giornate
A FUOCO
La corrente si sta ritirando
lasciando piccole tracce
della mia vita con te

Sono arrivato qui quasi per sbaglio
non pensavo proprio a nulla
Non ho potuto fare a meno di fermarmi e provarci
Giusto per passare il tempo

In realtà cercavo solo uno sguardo
a quell'incantevole campagna
guarda la malia della sera che mi fa cieco
mentre ruba la mia corsa

E' stato inaspettato
non sapere cosa fare
Non potevo fare altro che perdere

Dipingono giunchiglie
in una linea senza fine
sfiorato il sogno mi intrappola la sua visione

A.A.A.
Il sole splende in alto
Il cielo abbisogna di luce per fare andare le tue giornate
A FUOCO
La corrente si sta ritirando
lasciando piccole tracce
della mia vita con te

Associazione per il soccorso pubblico
fai presto e ripara la mia macchina
mi sono sempre preso cura di tutto
e ora proprio non vuole partire

Controlla pure la mia assicurazione
dimmi che è tutto in regola
Ho pagato tutto quello che era dovuto
Ora tirami fuori da questa merda

Mi dicono che è fuori servizio
mentre meriterei un soccorso immediato
Mi sento proprio in panne
quindi vedi di arrivare presto

Penso di essermi smarrito
Non so dove trovarti sulle mappe
Ho bisogno di assistenza
Per tornare a seguire la giusta direzione

Ogni piccolo segnale puà essere tortuoso o accidentato
Ma è la strada che fai, la strada che fai..."

19 July 2009

'bout fairies

"The immensely beautiful song Road to Fairies and its fantastically shot video are once again a flag to Tiny Tide's originality and accessibility. I don't know which record companies in Italy are sleeping, but they're so far missing one of the best bands in their country. As always with Tiny Tide, excellence and sensitivity."

The Big Louis Recording Company

16 July 2009

Road to Fairies



A little stupid video I made on Road to Fairies. Thanks to Matt Share, the man behind the camera.

13 July 2009

Say Goodbay To Tacoma

Well. Moz and Michael did it, so why can't I? Guess my American tour is unfortunately postponed due to currently un-resolvable reasons. See ya next-time America :(

From WildHeart to PressedHeart


Today me and Matt Share went to the countryside (and up to the hills!) to shoot a little video. Curious? Meanwhile enjoy this little extra :)

5 July 2009

Plain Little Game


Recently I started collaborating with a little genius Californian girl. Here name is Marilyn Roxie, and she's the new Brian Eno. That's what's happening on our first experiments. Guess every Brian needs his Bowie. Check it out

Mark Zonda & Marilyn Roxie - "Plain Little Game" (Take#2)

Lyrics:


"It's a long long time babe
still we're stuck here once again
Human race can still wait
gotta solve this riddle first

I will conquer your heart
just a step inside your square

In this plain little game
In this plain little game that we play
In this plain little game
In this plain little game that we play

Kings and Queens sure made things
Yeah, now I don't give a damn
It's just you and me dear
They will learn from out mistakes

Gotta make your move, mate
all the apes will do the same

In this plain little game
In this plain little game that we play
In this plain little game
In this plain little game that we play

We're so real
We're so real
We're so real
In this real wicked game

We're so great
We're so great
We're so great
We're so lost and afraid

We're so fake
We're so fake
We're so fake
In this plain little game that we play

Here's my white crown old sir
Hope your present's just the same
It's not rocket science
yet it's hard to understand

both of us are losers
that can't figure out the end


Of this plain little game
It's a plain little game that we play
In this plain little game
In this plain little game that we play"

3 July 2009

Narrative Between Gigs


From SleepWalKing Magazine....

This is Mark Zonda reporting on his band, dears. Two very close gigs, but I swear that Tiny Tide will disappear beyond sun umbrellas and sand dunes of not so far Adriatic Coast beaches (don’t you trust me? You’re probably right). It was more than a simple showcase. This time we had an extensive 1 hour show (and we even cut off songs) opening a new sweet place in Cesena called “Ex-Macello” (any city in Italy has got one).

I was really glad the crowd enjoyed the show, even if we didn’t practiced the old stuff since a lot (we were buisy setting up the new songs) and I misteriously lost my voice on The Smiths And The Cure”… to have it back right in minutes for Road to fairies. Unexplicable! I was also glad we had the chance to finally debut on stage with Osamushi (each instrument of mine has a name), my new Alesis Micron Synth. We played with him for Scrambled Eggs,Joanie don’t you worrieandS♥L (though maybe the latter wasn’t enough good as it deserved to be, withoud Dendrix on acoustic guitar it lost the feeling…). I’ll leave you with some moments of the show. Enjoy it and see you at some sunny beach.

Tiny Tide - “The Psychopath At The Club” (Clip)
Tiny Tide - “Ginger Genie” (Clip)
Tiny Tide - “Tiny Trains” (Clip)
Tiny Tide - “Scrambled Eggs” (Clip)
Tiny Tide - “Joanie don’t u worrie” (Clip)



28 June 2009

Dis Moi Que Tu Ne Pleures Pas


Grazie a Adriano Zoppolato per le foto.

Perchè un po' di nuvoloni ci sono stati proprio in cima al terrazzo del Diagonal, dove stavamo per suonare. Come chi? Mark Zonda e i Tiny Tide, anzi, per l'occasione GC e i Tiny Tide. Le prime ad arrivare sono state proprio "le segreatarie", più deliziose che qualsiasi ragioniera, più intelligenti di qualsiasi velina, rimediate da Dendrix a San Giovanni sono state veramente scaltrissime e hanno portato da subito una sferzosa dose di allegria (ragazzi, se avete a cuore le vendite, investite su delle psicologhe, non su contabili. Qualcuno al governo l'ha capito). Poi è stata la volta dello scontro tra fotografi nello sfondo steam-punk del locale, dove è stato improvvisato un set fotografico post-atomico degno di uno dei tanti Godzilla Vs Gamera. Poi amici, fan, avventori, Robbie che ci ha aiutato ad attaccare palloncini e i manifestini elettorali con Moz, Robert Smith e Mark Zonda in stile Obama e Lorenzo, che si era autoconvinto di credere per disperazione che fosse il mio compleanno. Chiaramente ultimo è arrivato Mic Starr!



Airpop DJSet sublimi. Mic lo abbiamo sistemato su un rialzo, come il suo e-mulo beatlesiano. Il suono era talmente buono che sound-check e tecnici non servivano neanche, tanto il mio nuovo mixer simula qualsiasi ambiente di risonanza, se giravo una manopola il terrazzo del Diago diventava un grotta. C'è il sole anche se fa sera. Meno male. Addirittura un caro amico DJ di Bologna. Anzi, mi sa che non avete capito: BO*LO*GNA! Si può partire.

"Salve. Siamo i Tiny Tide. Qualcuno penserà che è la mia festa di compleanno. E invece è la festa di compleanno del nostro nuovo EP. Si chiama The WildHeart, è pieno di tastiere e cose strane. Oggi ve lo presentiamo in chiave rock."

Stappiamo un Berlucchi, portato dall'amico fotografo Tomaselli. E parte "The Smiths & The Cure". Dicono che abbia avuto molta più presa che la versione in studio. In realtà mi è partito il volume della chitarra a mille e la cosa mi aveva un po' destabilizzato. I brani dopo sono andati meglio :)



A risentirla da fuori (l'unica canzone di cui ho visto una registrazione) "I Would Say" è venuta molto "Conor Oberst". Alle spalle l'ultimo inconveniente tecnico. Non si sentiva il violino di Manuel.

Piccolo tributo a Jako, morto proprio il giorno in cui presentavamo l'EP, introdotto da una battuta su un'altro psicopatico rimodellato dalle plastiche che non ha fortunatamente colto nessuno sugli assoli "Beat It" di Dendrix. Parte "Man in The Mirror", pausa, "Yuriko has come to town". Non so a chi dei vecchi fedeli che a casa hanno una copia di "Feel the Blank" abbia emozionato risentire dal vivo un brano del 1998 mai eseguito dal vivo (non avevo neppure una band). Per quanto mi riguarda è un piacere suonarla, e con il tocco di Manuel e i ragazzi ha perfino assunto delle connotazioni molto Blur. Mic ha tirato fuori una parte di batteria incredibile per l'inciso di questo pezzo. Ma se l'è dimenticata, quindi la sentirete la prossima volta (mercoledì all'Ex-Macello, tipo). Tutto rego sui classiconi, "February" e "Tiny Trains", mentre mi sono divertito molto nella mia pantomima Bowiniana su "Needful Things", dato che non suonavo la chitarra e avevo le mani libere. A mio avviso questa nuova versione fa molto versione beat di "Alice Cooper".


Finalone con "Road to Fairies" (con la coda strumentale suonata in arpeggio da sdraiato mentre Dendrix sfavillava note degne di Prince in Purple Rain) e l'apprezzatissima "Do Mean It's A Mess" (chi ancora penserà che sia sano di mente dopo un'introduzione che parlava di appostamenti sotto il parcheggio del Diagonal e bombe atomiche?), con un piccolo tributo ai Cardigans.

Che dovesse scattare il bis non era una sorpresa: la gente ci aveva già minacciato di morte da settimane nel caso non avessimo fatto "Girls from Ronta". Quello che non mi aspettavo era l'incredibile risposta che ha avuto il brano, come non mai. E' bastato l'attacco di chitarra perchè la gente cominciasse a battere le mani. Mi sono scatenato. Ho intinto le mani nella coca cola ai miei piedi tirandomi tutti i capelli all'indietro e liberandomi degli occhiali, che considerando i salti che ho fatto attorno al microfono è un miracolo che siano scampati illesi. Interminabile. Ogni volta che finiva la riattaccavamo con qualche variazione. Mi sono divertito molto!


Quello che non mi aspettavo è che la gente... chiedesse un altro bis! Cavo della chitarra ormai irrimediabilmente aggomitolato con quello del microfono, microfono pericolosamente in bilico sull'asta, ho rinunciato allo strumento dopo pochi accordi per lasciare suonare "The Psychopath At The Club" i Tiny. Senza occhiali, bagnato, con i cavi scombinati, non ho minimamente preso in considerazione chi mi chiedeva di suonare un'altra canzone!

La festa è proseguita grazie alla meravigliosa disponibilità dei ragazzi del Diagonal e la buona musica degli AirPop, che hanno alternato un indie-pop da antologia a originali e cover di Smiths e Cure. Superlativi, da fare una compilation! Ci hanno fatto rimanere fino a tarda serata, mentre scarabocchiavo cazzate d'autore su fogli strappati di un vecchio RollingStone. Porlock, che è più pazzo di me, ha addirittura cominciato a collezionarli. Speriamo che siano solo i primi di una lunga serie. Ma anche no.

Infine, visto che come avrete capito questo post manca completamente di oggettività, vi lascio con la trascrizione di alcuni SMS che mi sono giunti sul telefonino

"Ti cadono gli occhiali! E' ora di passare alle lenti a contatto"

"Do Mean It's A Mess è quasi Style Council. Dovresti tirare fuori la tua voce alla Paul Weller"

"Nel finale di Ronta potresti mordere le corde della chitarra di Denrdix come Bowie faceva con Ronson"
"Con quel bottiglione di Berlucchi sembrava avessi vinto il Gran Premio"


When You're Wild


Cut+Pasting the article from SleepWalking Magazine...

(Picture by courtesy of Adriano Zoppolato)

That’s it. It’s me reporting on our show. Tiny Tide having a party for “The WildHeart EP” launch at Diagonal. A release party as it was meant to be in the past. Cool friends, theme music, a lot of baloons, poster on the walls, nice food for everyone, wine and beer walking on a big terrace. I didn’e even wanted to play, but a friend of mine (Robbie from AirPop Djset duo) insisted so much that Tiny Tide had a little semi-acoustic presentation of the tracks from the EP in the middle of the event. A pure uninformal showcase.

The theme of the night was “The Smiths OR The Cure? Tiny Tide”, and AirPop found some marvellous covers from both worlds that deliced the guests along with other indie-brit-and-sweden pop pearls. “Tiny Tide” live show was no more than “The WIldHeart EP” played live in an unique energic way, in a compitely revised way instead of all the electronic stuff of their latest work. The band had the misfortune to present their EP the day The King of Pop died, so they payed a little tribute to Michael playing a bit of “Man in the mirror” before starting with the new “Yuriko has come to town”, already heard on Mark Zonda debut “Feel the blank” and now brought to new life in a very Blurrish version. As a singer of the band I didn’t expect people handclapping on our encore (Girls from Ronta)… still not even being called for a second one! (The Psychopath At The Club). Not being able of being objective I’ll leave the last words to the messaged I recieved on my cellphone:

“Your new glasses are sleeping off! It’s time for lens..”

“Do Mean It’s A Mess it’s almost Style Council. Bring out Paul Weller’s voice!”

“At the end of Ronta you should tooth-tear Dendrix guitar’s strings just like Bowie used to do with Ronson…”

“… That Berlucchi bottle made you look like you just won the Grand Prix!”




24 June 2009

Scrambled Eggs 2.0

Since Andrè Brorsson from "Stars In Coma" is a saint, he agreed to collaborate on the mixing and editing of "Tiny Tide" first album. Since that album - called "Febrero", will also have some collaborations in it, we started from "Scrambled Eggs", to start to work together on a track. I was really amazed. E only needed the voice track and the drums of my old demo to build everything else starting from zero... in one hour and an half!! While he played keyboards, guitars and bass, on this demo we've got Porlock and Manuel on violin.

Why we decided to share with you that song? Quite simple! Andrè's computer... crashed! We have to start back to the start, and this mp3 is quite all we've left from those recordings. So take it away, it's....

... Tiny Tide + Stars In Coma - "Scrambled Eggs 2.0"