Bonnaroo 2010 interview: Amos Memon from Fanfarlo

March 10, 7:27 PMNashville Festivals ExaminerChris Griffy

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Fanfarlo will play Bonnaroo 2010 (Press Photo)

While Bonnaroo 2010 isn't short on legendary rock and country performers such as Stevie Wonder, Jeff Beck, and Kris Kristofferson, there are also a lot of newer acts who are vying to be tomorrow's classic artist in a headlining slot.  One band on most observers' shortlist to be one of the breakout acts of Bonnaroo 2010 is London based pop sextet Fanfarlo.  Their debut album Reservoir is garnering a lot of attention from media outlets and they plan to bring their show to Bonnaroo this year.

We spoke with Fanfarlo drummer Amos Memon to discuss the band's status, their sound, and their thoughts on playing a show the size of Bonnaroo.

You guys formed Fanfarlo in 2006, correct? Can you tell us a little bit about how this band came together?

Fanfarlo existed in 2005 when Simon formed Fanfarlo as a recording project in Sweden. I joined after seeing Fanfarlo play a bunch of times in London during 2005 into 2006. All the current members bar Leon were fans of the band. Not to say that Leon wasn't a fan, but he joined by “other” means.

For a band that has been together a relatively short time, you’ve had quite a bit of success, topped off with an upcoming performance in front of a possible 70,000 people at Bonnaroo. Does performing to that size crowd give you any pause?
That's 68,500 more people than we usually play to. I'm thinking we should watch Queen Live at Wembley in 1986 prior to playing Bonnaroo. We'll pause the DVD to highlight moments which we can use at Bonnaroo. Don't expect a Queen cover, though Cathy regularly mentions “Don't Stop Me Now” as a possible candidate.

Your debut album, Reservoir, was produced by Peter Katis, who has produced albums by Jonsi Birgisson and The Swell Season, two bands whose sound you often get compared to. Was it a case of Katis bringing a strong influence into the production or was it a case of you guys choosing a producer you felt most complimented your sound?
It's the latter. We chose Peter Katis for his studio, experience, equipment and location. We wanted to get out of London and its many distractions and have a bit of an adventure whilst recording our album. The Swell Season were the last band to have recorded there before us, while Jónsi asked for our opinion on Peter's studio after hearing Rreservoir and ended up recording his solo album there.

When Reservoir came out, you guys offered it as a download on your official website for $1 for a limited time. What made offering your album at that price point appealing to you guys as a band?
We had self-released Reservoir at the start of 2009 and you could only get it from us at shows or from our website. We knew that we had to make it more accessible to people. In the summer of 2009, we had an idea that offering the album as a $1 download for one month might help to get our album out there. With nothing to lose and without wishing to give it away for free, that's exactly what we did. It was a successful project as we still meet fans who took a chance on us and have come to see us play.

Speaking to someone who has never seen you but might be thinking about catching Fanfarlo’s show at Bonnaroo 2010, what would you tell them to expect from your performance? Any surprises in store?
Bonnaroo will be our first American festival, not counting CMJ and SXSW which are more geared towards showcasing yourself to the assembled music industry, so just expect a happy-to-be-there-and-up-for-it Fanfarlo onstage. Surprises? Now that would be telling.

What day and time are you guys scheduled to perform at Bonnaroo?
All to be confirmed! Keep an eye on http://www.bonnaroo.com

What bands on the Bonnaroo 2010 lineup are you guys most interested in seeing as fans?
Local Natives – we recently met them in Manchester. We were playing in two different venues which were side by side. There's a mutual appreciation of each other's music.

Japandroids – I'm yet to see them. Just curious.

GWAR – Been a while since I last saw GWAR perform. They've had a bit of their thunder stolen by Lordi (Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordi if you've never heard of them).

Neon Indian – I've heard a few tunes by Neon Indian and would like to see how they translate to a stage.

Leon will no doubt watch The National.
Simon's hinted at seeing Here We Go Magic.
Justin may catch the XX again.
Cathy – hmm, maybe Jimmy Cliff?

If you enjoyed this interview with Amos Memon from Fanfarlo, you might want to check out our other Bonnaroo 2010 interviews by clicking here.  We also have a number of other interviews with artists, organizers, and others involved with Bonnaroo 2010.  Click subscribe at the top of the page to get notification of these interviews and all of the other Bonnaroo 2010 coverage.