Vanilla Sky is an
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
pop punkPop punk is a fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. It is typically referred to as a strand of alternative rock that combines power-pop melodies and chord changes with speedy punk tempos and loud guitars...
group formed in 2002. Their first album,
Play It If You Can't Say It, was released November 6 2002. To date they have released 3 albums, and regularly play tours in
mainland EuropeContinental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. Notably, in British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel...
.
Formation and early career
Vanilla sky was formed in February 2002. The band members met in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, intent on starting a new project which would mesh previous experiences with a new
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punkPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
style. They recorded a five-track demo entitled "
Play It If You Can't Say It" and began playing live shows. Their demo sold out within the first two months, catching the attention of the
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
punk-rock scene and emerging indie label
Wynona RecordsWynona Records is an Italian Record Company which only produces pop punk albums.-Artists:* BeerBong* BEDTIME FOR CHARLIE* Digger* Duff* The Jersey Line* Manges* Melody Fall* The Travoltas* Vanilla Sky* The McRackins* Know Margaret* New Hope...
. In 2003, they signed their first record deal with Wynona Records. Their
split CDA split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
, entitled "
Too Loud for You", was released shortly afterwards. It was quickly followed by another split CD entitled "
The Rest Is History". This
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
was released by indie label
Ambience Records, which allowed for distribution and promotion around the world.
Concert tours
In the summer of 2003, the band took a break from recording in order to perform live. After returning home, they re-entered the studio in order to record their first album, "
Waiting for Something". Upon releasing "
Waiting for Something", the band began a six week tour across
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
with
Forty Winks and
The Break. In 2004, the band began touring
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
for a second time to promote their album alongside
MaxeenMaxeen was a three-piece rock band based out of Los Angeles, California, that in its final form consisted of Tom Bailey and Robb Torres . Shannon McMurray, former guitarist, left the band in 2006 to pursue other career goals...
. The tour lasted one and a half months. Shortly afterwards, the band was invited by
The AtarisThe Ataris is a pop punk band originally hailing from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent, Welcome the Night, was released on February 20, 2007.-Kung Fu Records :...
to open their Italian tour. Another European tour followed as the band celebrated the success of their first album.
From June to September 2004, the band played at several open air festivals across
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. They shared the stage as co-headliners with
YellowcardYellowcard is a band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre...
and
Flogging MollyFlogging Molly is a seven-piece American Celtic punk band that formed in Los Angeles, California and is currently signed to SideOneDummy Records.-Early years:...
at the
BolognaBologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of northern Italy...
Independent Days festival. A month later, the band toured Italy for three months.
In response to their growing popularity, the "
Play It If You Can't Say It"
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
was re-issued by Wynona Records in December 2004 with three extra unreleased tracks. It was released throughout
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In January 2005, the band toured
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
including a live performance on national television. Towards the end of the month a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese tour was confirmed. The band returned home from the tour but shortly left Italy to headline the "
Punk is Dead"-tour 2005 in
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
. Immediately afterwards, from March to May, another European tour passing through
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
followed, in addition to a maiden tour of
Great BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
.
Changes
On May 27, 2005, the band's first full length CD was finally released in the USA, distributed by
Capitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States-based record label owned by EMI and located in Los Angeles and New York City as part of Capitol Music Group...
. During the summer the band performed again at several festivals throughout
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, which included the "Rock in Idro" with acts such as
NOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1983 in Los Angeles.The band was formed by vocalist and bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined them shortly afterward. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out...
,
Good CharlotteGood Charlotte is an American Pop Punk band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. They took their name from the children's book called "Good Charlotte: The Girls of Good Day Orphanage," written by Carol Beach York....
,
The OffspringThe Offspring is an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1984. Since its formation, the band's line-up had included Dexter Holland , Noodles , Greg K. , and Ron Welty , who left in 2003...
,
The HivesThe Hives are a Swedish rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival, playing garage punk. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to...
,
My Chemical RomanceMy Chemical Romance is a Grammy-nominated American rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, bassist Mikey Way, guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro and drummer Bob Bryar. Shortly after forming, the band signed to Eyeball Records and released their...
. Following this the band attained the role of support act on
The OffspringThe Offspring is an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1984. Since its formation, the band's line-up had included Dexter Holland , Noodles , Greg K. , and Ron Welty , who left in 2003...
's German tour. Changes sold more than 25,000 copies and over 5,000 copies sold of the
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
reissue were sold. Building on this, Vanilla Sky entered the studio to start recording the
pre-productionPre-production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- Information :In the film industry, pre-production usually only commences once a project has been developed and is greenlit...
of a new album. In the meantime,
Mark HoppusMark Allan Hoppus is an American musician and record producer. Hoppus is one of the founding members of the pop punk band Blink-182 and the alternative rock band +44. He plays bass guitar and provides vocals for both bands. As of late, Hoppus has produced albums for groups like Idiot Pilot, New...
of
Blink-182Blink-182 is an American punk rock band from Poway, California that predominantly plays pop punk music. The band was formed in 1992 as "Blink" with members Tom DeLonge , Mark Hoppus and Scott Raynor . In 1998, midway through a U.S. tour, drummer Travis Barker replaced Raynor...
and
+44+44 may refer to:*+44 , the country calling code for the United Kingdom*+44 , an alternative rock band based in the United States...
noticed the band, thanks to Atticus (a music sponsor company owned by
Blink-182Blink-182 is an American punk rock band from Poway, California that predominantly plays pop punk music. The band was formed in 1992 as "Blink" with members Tom DeLonge , Mark Hoppus and Scott Raynor . In 1998, midway through a U.S. tour, drummer Travis Barker replaced Raynor...
members). He enjoyed the band's new demos and interviewed the
RomanRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
band members live on his personal web podcast (episode #12); along with playing on the demo track, "Nightmare".
After almost a year spent on pre-production writing, arranging and constantly changing the songs the quartet started in early 2006 to record the final version of the album. Unfortunately all the recorded data was accidentally lost forcing the band to re-record the whole album. Later, the band returned to play the
Punk Is Dead Tour 2006 and gaining the chance to support
+44+44 is an alternative rock band formed by Blink-182 members Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker...
in their Italian show. The 15 track album
Changes contains three songs in Italian, breaking from their normal English singing style. The album is a mix of
power popPower pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
and
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. The opening track and first single "
Break It Out" pushed the band in to the mainstream with magazines and tv channels of the continental market taking interest (i.e.:
Rock SoundRock Sound is a British magazine which champions alternative music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
cover,
MTV ItalyMTV, is the Italian version of the popular 24 hour music and youth entertainment channel. Unlike its counterparts elsewhere in Europe, MTV Italia is a national channel available free-to-air on terrestrial television since September 1, 1997 and available on digital terrestrial television since...
TRLTRL primarily refers to the television show Total Request Live.TRL may also refer to:* Tariff Reform League, a British pressure group* Telstra Research Laboratories, an Australian telecommunications research centre...
chart, etc.). This allowed the band to promote the record through a video shoot in
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada. A small portion of the Strip lies in Las Vegas, but most of it is in the unincorporated areas of Paradise and Winchester...
, USA.
For the first time in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, the band launched a video podcast, complete with video episodes uploaded twice a month, regarding band's life, recording sessions and private contents. It is know as
Vanilla Sky Television. They received several offers from the biggest companies in the music business, with the band finally signing with the major label,
Universal RecordsUniversal Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
. The major debut's album was release on June 22, 2007. After just a month, the group joined one of the biggest rock festivals in Europe:
The Frequency Festival in
Salzburg' is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Salzburg's "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its...
,
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
. It was complete with three days of live music and two stages, a sold out event with 40,000 people. The Roman quartet performed to 12,000 people and shared the stage with bands such as
BeatsteaksBeatsteaks are an alternative/punk rock band from Berlin, Germany, formed in 1995.- History :Peter Baumann, Stefan Hircher, Alexander Ross Waag and Bernd Kurtzke founded the Beatsteaks in 1995. Shortly after Arnim Teutoburg-Weiß joined the band as a singer and additional guitarist...
, The Ark,
ToolTool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The current bassist is Justin Chancellor, who has been with the band since 1995...
,
Jimmy Eat WorldJimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, formed in 1993. The band is comprised of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....
and
Fall Out BoyFall Out Boy is an American Grammy-nominated rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist-rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, bassist Pete Wentz and drummer Andy Hurley....
.
"Umbrella"
Towards the end of the summer, Vanilla Sky did more recording and in their practice room they recorded a cover of,
RihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , known as Rihanna, is a Barbadian singer and model. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
hit, "
Umbrella"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by American hip hop artist Jay-Z. The song was written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, and Kuk Harrell, and was produced by Stewart. It was released as the lead single for Rihanna's third studio album, Good...
" in a punk rock style. The band also recorded a low budget video for the song. The song received airplay on numerous radio stations in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
and
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, in addition to this, rock magazine, Kerrang has dedicated a
ring toneA ringtone or ring tone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call or text message. Not literally a tone, the term is most often used today to refer to customizable sounds used on mobile phones.-Background:...
to the cover. On
YouTubeYouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google...
, the video is in 1st place as the most played stream in
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
and 64th all over the world. Additionally,
MTV Pulse asked for and got a one week exclusive of the video, with the song featuring on
TRLTRL primarily refers to the television show Total Request Live.TRL may also refer to:* Tariff Reform League, a British pressure group* Telstra Research Laboratories, an Australian telecommunications research centre...
one week later. Following this, the band began touring again, promoting the album internationally, including a headlining tour in
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
.
Members
Current
- Vincenzo Mario Cristi – Vocals, guitar (2002-present)
- Daniele Brian Autore – Vocals, guitar (2002-present)
Former
- Luca Alessandrelli – Drums (2002-2009)
- Francesco Sarsano – Bass (2002-2009)
Discography
- 2002 - Play It If You Can't Say It
- 2003 - Too Loud for You
- 2003 - The Rest Is History
- 2004 - Waiting for Something
- 2004 - Play It If You Can't Say It
- 2006 - Vanilla Sky - Tour Edition
- 2007 - Changes
Changes is the third album released by Italian band Vanilla Sky. Though it has a track listing of 16 tracks, the last three songs on the CD are alternate versions of previous songs. This album was also re-released with the inclusion of an extra track....
(Universal Music)
- 2007 - Changes
Changes is the third album released by Italian band Vanilla Sky. Though it has a track listing of 16 tracks, the last three songs on the CD are alternate versions of previous songs. This album was also re-released with the inclusion of an extra track....
- Edizione Speciale
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Chart Positions |
Album |
ITA AirplayItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
|
ITAItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
|
BELThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
|
NETThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
|
POLPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
|
| 2004 |
"Distance" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Waiting for Something |
| 2007 |
"Break It Out" |
23 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Changes Changes is the third album released by Italian band Vanilla Sky. Though it has a track listing of 16 tracks, the last three songs on the CD are alternate versions of previous songs. This album was also re-released with the inclusion of an extra track....
|
"Umbrella"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by American hip hop artist Jay-Z. The song was written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, and Kuk Harrell, and was produced by Stewart. It was released as the lead single for Rihanna's third studio album, Good...
" |
5 |
- |
20 |
68 |
62 |
| 2008 |
"Goodbye" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
External links