Interview with Cream Pie

Cream Pie are from Italy, they released an album called "Dirty Job" and they played some dates in the United States back in the Spring. I recently interviewed them to learn more. Everyone in the band chimed on this so they are Rachel O'Neil (voice), Nikki Dick (guitar), Phantom (guitar), Michael Drake (bass) and Brian Kent (drums).

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF YOUR BAND

NIKKI: Everything started in 2004 when I ran in this guy called Joey Florenz and discussed putting together a rock band. After many line up changes and some songs written, finally in 2006 we teamed up with Michael Drake and Brian Kent and Cream Pie was formed. In 2007 we recorded a live demo called Live Crime conteining 4 songs and we went on tour through Italy. In dec 2007 we started to record our self-produced debut album Dirty Job released on march 2008 and featuring 11 songs. In march and april 2008 we've been on tour in the States where we played 8 shows through Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee and where we were invited for a radio live interview in Columbus, Ms. But Joey didn't come with us on tour in the States so we hooked up Rachel O'Neill (voice) and Vito Losito (guitar) in substitution of Joey's double role. After the Usa tour Joey left the band so Rachel joined for good and we teamed up with another guitarist named Phantom.



WHO ARE YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

NIKKI: Well mmm... GnR, Motley Crue, LA Guns, Skid Row, Velvet Revolver, Sex Pistols.....and so many other bands...My fave artits are Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose, Robin Fink, Tom Kiefer, Buckethead, Keith Richards, Slash, Steven Adler, Tommy Lee...I'm sure I'm forgettin' somebody but I really like Micheal Jackson too.

RACHEL: I've been influenced by all the rock's masterpieces such as Sebastian Bach, Axl Rose and Michael Matjevic of Steelheart...but I've put something mine in my attitudes...

PHANTOM: ummm...Guns N Roses, Crue, Stryper, Megadeth, Pantera, X Japan...

BRIAN: Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Ramones

MICHAEL: I'm inspired by bands like Guns N' Roses, Kiss, Wasp and musicians like Malmsteen, Nikki Sixx, Blackie Lawless, etc…



WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

NIKKI: We're are writing lots of new cool songs for another album that we hope to start to pre-produce real soon in the next months. We're also writing a story board for our first video and schedulin' some gigs here in Italy for december and a new American tour on the east and west coast for the next spring in 2009.



WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE TO YOUR "DIRTY JOB" ALBUM SO FAR?

NIKKI: Well there are so many reviews about Dirty Job all over the world and they are all more than positives. We're so glad that people is enjoyin' our work. That means we did it very well. We sold lots of cd's and t-shirts during the American tour so that means people likes our shows too. We're really happy about how the things are goin'



IN WHAT AREAS DO YOU THINK THAT YOU STILL NEED TO IMPROVE?

NIKKI: I think a musician never ends to improve, so we always should try to improve and do everything to improve our live shows too. Is very important to make a good show for the people that come to see us.

BRIAN: I think that a musician everyday can improve himself if he has passion, patience and he does practice, and if you do fix some objectives you have to do everything to catch em up.







WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE SOME OF YOUR BAND'S BEST SONGS? WHY DO YOU LIKE THOSE?

NIKKI: Omg! I really don't know. You know I wrote all the songs on the album so I should like em all! And I do!

RACHEL: I really love the song "Whore". It reminds me about a girl I met...so I really like to perform that song on the stage.PHANTOM: I love Leave In Coma, Whore, Long Leader and Hungry For Mayhem! I really like to play those songs!BRIAN: I really like all the Dirty Job's songs, but I love "Whore" so much!MICHAEL: Everybody in the band put something in the songs that we play. And like in every artist creation there's always something that an artist likes more than the others, for example my favourite "Dirty Job" songs are Hungry for Mayhem, Zip It, and Long Leader.



WHAT WERE SOME OF THE FIRST ALBUMS THAT YOU REALLY GOT INTO?

NIKKI: GnR Appetite for Destruction for sure is the first album I ever heard. Than, Metallica Black Album and Load, Ac/Dc Back in Black and something from Iron Maiden and Nirvana too.PHANTOM: The first album I've listened to is Megadeth's Cryptics Writings, then I ran in Gnr with Appetite For Destruction and it changed my life! BRIAN: Metallica Garage Inc., Korn Freak On A Leash, The Early Days of Led Zeppelin.MICHAEL: The first album I got into is Malmsteen Fire and Ice, then Van Halen and Appetite For Destruction too.



OBVIOUSLY YOU LOVE 1980'S HARD ROCK/GLAM BANDS. WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS SO GOOD ABOUT BANDS FROM THAT TIMES COMPARED TO BANDS FROM OTHER DECADES?

NIKKI: Surely first the songs, than the sound, the attitude and...mmm yeah the girls!BRIAN: I think they've had more attitude, and they were so shameless and loudness!







HAVE YOU HAD ANY LABEL INTEREST YET? HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU TO GET SIGNED AT THIS POINT?

NIKKI: Yep, we have some American labels interested in us and we're in negotiation with em. We'll see what will happen. It's very fuckin' important to get signed at this point cuz well we're workin very very hard to make it happen. We wanna play our music worldwide and we want many people to hear our tunes. We're workin very hard on the songs and on the internet to promote Cream Pie.Our website (WWW. CREAMPIEROCKS. COM) and our myspace (MYSPACE. COM/CREAMPIEBLUE) are full of updates everyday and every minute and we do like to interact with all the people and the fans over there. We already have a large fan bases in the States. Our street teams are workin good over there and now people is startin' street teams in Europe too. We have some fan pages too and the fans are really supportin' us promotin' Cream Pie everywhere in the world. We're also participatin' to this Crue Contest where only one winner band will share the stage with Motley Crue next year and they give so many and more opportunities. So I'd like to thank all the people and the fans that are supportin' us and that are voting for us. Thank you very much!! And I'd invite everybody that is readin' this interview to go on our websites and check out how to vote. It's really easy and it take just a few seconds. It's unitll september 28th so hurry up! Thanx!



WHO HAVE YOU OPENED FOR SO FAR? WHO WOULD YOU LOVE TO OPEN FOR?

NIKKI: We'll get the chance to share the stage with some very good bands soon. But now I can't say anything else;) So stay tuned...

BRIAN: I would like to play one day with Motley Crue, Rolling Stones, and Guns N' Roses. -



HAVE YOU PLAYED MUCH OUTSIDE OF YOUR COUNTRY YET?

NIKKI: Told ya, we've been on tour in the States last spring (we'd like to thank who brought us there and all the people that accomodated us in their own house...you know who yall are!) and we're plannin' to come back there next year. Our idea is to move there soon. More news are comin' soon. Very soon!







DO YOU PLAY ANY COVER SONGS LIVE? IF SO THEN WHAT?

PHANTOM: we're currently playin' Nightrain (GnR), Animal (Wasp), and We Don't Celebrate Sundays (Hardcore Superstar)



PICK THE BAND FROM EACH OF THE FOLLOWING PAIRS THAT YOU PREFER:

- Faster Pussycat or LA Guns

- Guns and Roses or Skid Row

- Motley Crue or KISS

PHANTOM: L.A. Guns - Guns N Roses - Motley Crue

NIKKI: GnR, LA Guns, and Motley Crue

BRIAN: The guitarists same answer

RACHEL: How can I pick one of those??? Anyway... I can try with LA Guns, Skid Row and Motley...

MICHAEL: LA Guns, Guns N' Roses, and Motley Crue



- IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU LIKE TO SAY ABOUT YOUR BAND OR YOUR MUSIC?

NIKKI: I'm so fuckin' excited about the new stuff we're writin'. The new guys (Rachel and Phantom) are doin' very good. And I promise you will be shocked when you will hear the new songs! We really have clear ideas about our future...

RACHEL: I just would like to say that Cream Pie's songs are the best soundtrack to make love, to party or just to getting wild...we are perfect for any use...

PHANTOM: I'd like to say so many things, but I have no time for that...the only thing I can say now is that we believe in rock n roll, we love what we're doing and we're surely doing it f*****g well! trust me!!

BRIAN: We're not the perfect kind of guys that you would pick up for your daughters!!! MICHAEL: We're so determined about our objectives. We're doin everything with all of our abilities. So sign up this name 'cause you'll hear about it so many times!! CREAM PIE!!!



http://www.myspace.com/creampieblue