LIT – Alternative Blogzine

Established in 2003, their unconventional mix of sinister electro, hip-hop and their hedonistic attitude towards sex, drugs and nightlife as its clear centre of discussion have already attracted a considerable fan community – not least of all as a result of their interactive live-shows which are also called up in the thousands on youtube.
While they are not without admiration by the critics, albeit being described – somewhat helplessly – as the new Beastie Boys – “One’s Not Enough”, the second album of these pleasur seeking brothers, has now appeared. On March 13th, they released their second album, called “One’s not enough”. So we asked M Palermo something about his opinions, his background and many more….

Lucy: Hi, guys. First of all, thanks, for taking some time to answer a couple of questions. Could you please introduce yourselves to our readership/ audience.

M Palermo: Hi, we’re Femme Fatality, a (mostly) Electro band from St. Louis, Mo, USA. We’ve been blowin up dance floors since 2003 and our most recent record is called “One’s Not Enough”, which is out now on Stickfigure Recordings.

Lucy: Your brothers, that’s an uncommon band constellation. How did you end up making music together?

M Palermo: Back in 2006, when my previous band partner left, asking my brother Alexander to join seemed like an obvious choice. We had a show in NYC 5 days later, he knew more about the band and had been with us on tour than anyone else I could think of. It worked out well.

Lucy: Are there more siblings?

M Palermo: Yes, we have another brother, who used to play bass in punk bands, but is no longer musically active.

Lucy: Have you ever thought about adding more musicians or should it always remain a family affair?

M Palermo: We’ve had anywhere from 2-6 people on stage with us at a time. Right now we play live as a 3 piece, but this will probably grow to 4 by the time you publish this. We’re a duo in the studio but pretty much anything goes live.

Lucy: Femme Fatality was founded in 2003. Do your musical roots go even further back?

M Palermo: I (M. Palermo) Have been playing in Indie rock and Punk bands since I can remember. Alexander has too…so, yes.

Lucy: What does your family, your friends and acquaintances say about your musical devotion? Do they support you on your musical endeavours?

M Palermo: Yes, we get a lot of support from the people directly involved in our lives.  Our hometown as a whole is a different story. With people around town we’ve become quite infamous for being confrontational. It’s sort of an ugly small town vibe here in St. Louis.

Lucy: Let’s talk you your band name. “Femme Fatality” also translates into something like “Vamp.” According to Wikipedia, the term “Femme fatale” is French and used for an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, manipulating and corrupting them, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. In which way can this knowledge be connected to your band name?

M Palermo: Femme Fatality could be the act of being a Femme Fatale or the death of a Femme Fatale. Back when we started Emo was all that seemed to be in the clubs and we just wanted to be opposite of that scene. Instead of singing about love and heartbreak we chose to write from a homicidal maniac perspective.

Lucy: Your music is truly manifold and shrill at the same time. You guys combine different electronical sounds with Hip-Hop, Rock, Punk and Synthpop. What’s your personal connection to these styles of music? How did you come up with the idea to combine them?

M Palermo: I think it sounds like that because we’re not really Electronic musicians from Electronic backgrounds. I mean, we’re punk guitarist who just sorta stumbled across this project on accident. We do listen to a lot of pop music and hip hop as well, but we like our music dramatic, and fast, especially live…This is just sort the way it comes out.

Lucy: In your opinion, where is the best place for your music: in clubs, on live gigs or at private parties?

M Palermo: Our live show has always been our prized asset. But as far as where to listen to our records, It’s there to get  you pumped up ON THE WAY to the party/club/whatever.

Lucy: What’s your fan base like? Are they goths, punks, hip hoppers or a potpourri of all these?

M Palermo: It’s a mix. A lot of Indie rockers, a lot of girls. We also get the sorta kinds of kids that are into MSI and Kill Hannah and stuff. Oh and, it seems now a lot of people just want to hear anything written by guys in makeup, we fit that mold as well, haha.

Lucy: Your lyrics are about topics like sex, drugs and night life. Do they derive from your personal surroundings, or are they fictitious or just an ironic look at your experience?

M Palermo: Years ago it started almost purley fictitious, but life seems to emulate art more closely than I ever expected. Some of the things that happen to us on the road are right up there on par with some of the crazy shit we write about. Sure, we’ve obviously never really killed anyone,  but songs like Still Alive and One’s Not Enough are 100% honest.

Lucy: During your performances you talk about these topics quite brusque and directly. Has this ever lead to any altercations?

M Palermo: Oh my, I could go on all day. We’ve had a lot of problems with violent Christians. We’ve had quite a few fights at our shows, we’ve also hired members for our backing band who turned out to be ragging junkies. I recall one night our bassist at the time pulled a knife and tried to stab a club owner at our show. Needless to say that guy is not in the band any longer.

Lucy: Is there a message behind your music?

M Palermo: Yes, get the fuck out on the dance floor and party with us.

Lucy: In 2004, so already a year after Femme Fatality started, you released your debut album “Never Had a Daddy.” Why has it taken you so long to release your second album?

M Palermo: In 2005 we had an album written and ready to release. It was deleted off our hard drive and we decided not to remake it. So basically, One’s Not Enough is our third record even though no one will ever hear the second.

Lucy: What’s the meaning behind the album titles “Never Had a Daddy” and “One’s not enough?”

M Palermo: Ever noticed that most Femme Fatales you come in contact with never had a father figure in their lives? That’s where that came from. One’s Not Enough is about living a life of excess. One of anything is never enough when you’re wrapped up in the kind of live style we’ve been living. One girl, one record, on bump, you always want more.

Lucy: Is there a connection between the two releases or are they complete and self-contained?

M Palermo: They’re very different but they do reference each other at times. Again, if the second record wouldn’t have disappeared on us you might be able to follow the evolution a little better.

Lucy: Can you tell us something about the differences between these two albums?

M Palermo: The new one has a lot more guitar. It’s a big more experimental with tempos, and genre crossovers as well.

Lucy: Critics too often compare you to the Beastie Boys. What’s your opinion? Do you believe that there are similarities?

M Palermo: I don’t know, but we’ll take it. We like the Beastie Boys. I think the beastie boys meets The Faint comparison that Spin Magazine put on us was one of the better descriptions.

Lucy: The press release states that you have done some interactive live shows. What does that mean?

M Palermo: For us the show is mostly about the crowd, we try to keep them involved, and on stage. If we can we’ll get them spotlights to fuck around with as well.

Lucy: Do any recordings of those shows exist? If yes, where can we find them?

M Palermo: Youtube? We don’t have a lot of professional recordings of Live shows, we should probably get on that.

Lucy: Now that your second album has been released, are you going to perform any live gigs?

M Palermo: We’re headed out for a while in June. We’ll be booking US tours though the fall and winter as well….and if  things go well with meeting the right people on the other side of the pond we’d love to hit Europe.

Lucy: In general, what are your future plans for Femme Fatality? Are there any plans?

M Palermo: Yeah, we’ve been recording our next record slowly but surely. We don’t want to wait nearly as long this time to get more material out there.

Lucy: Thank you for answering our questions.

M Palermo: thanks you!!

Lucy: Are there any last words you’d like to add?

M Palermo: Dance and Destroy!!

by PromoFabrik (www.promofabrik.de), März 2009