Mariana Bianchini began to stand out in the Argentine underground rock scene starting in 1998, when the group Panza was formed, thanks to his powerful stage presence, his sharp lyrics and his energetic attitude.
Today, 25 years later, she is still active with solo albumsthe band’s occasional meetings with his partner Sergio Alvarez, and also parallel projects like children’s books and parallel jobs with people like Esteban Sehinkman.
Without wanting it, has become an important reference and example for new songwriters, also playing with several of them, such as the talented Cam Beszkin, and working alongside Marilina Bertoldi. Or by participating in the tribute to Almendra at the CCK.
Mariana Bianchini and part of the costume designed for the promotion and show of “Curtihembra”, her new album. Press photo.And just as the first recognition was playing with Panza as the opening act for Living Color, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Stephen Malkmus, the deserved and belated one arrived Gardel Award for Best Alternative Rock Album in 2019 for his album Matryoshka.
The new album
Today, five years after that album, it’s out Curtifemalea sort of conceptual work on the contradiction of the signs of physical decline with the trust, security and firmness that many years of work on and with yourself give you.
“I’ve seen this come up a lot,” he says, “about the signs of the passage of time versus how much technology costs me. It’s the contradiction of feeling very young, but at the same time seeing the beginning of decay. Then this idea of curtifembra like a place where the skin is tanner after many years of rock and the battles are different. You don’t hang on to anyone anymore and bullets don’t enter you like they used to. You have a different attitude towards life and there is also experience; That’s why there’s irony and humor, something I’ve never used before.”
Mariana Bianchini, “front-woman” of Panza since 1998 and also a soloist. Photo Juano Tesone -How were these songs born?
-I had them before the pandemic, and I wanted to record there at the time, but when I had that break I went back to composing, I mean I accumulated about 30 songs. So I had a lot to choose from, then I revised the texts, edited them and worked on them in a writing workshop with Santiago Illach and Alejandra Bargo so that there was a more poetic aspect.
And when we went to record it, it was wonderful, together with Facundo Rodríguez as recording, mixing and mastering engineer. Thanks to the influence of my 16 year old son, I listened to Peter Gabriel and the Talking Heads again, so we searched for other sounds with the drummer.
-All done independently and in the face of adversity, such as the economic crisis.
-Adversity always! You end up doing things to make it cool, because the truth is, everything that goes into putting out a record and playing and everything else has to do with the love you put into it. You do it for yourself, but also to stay young as much as to continue feeling and wanting everything the same. I already know that Santa Claus doesn’t exist, but sometimes we pretend that he does.
-Is spreading an album or a show more difficult than ever?
Mariana Bianchini in the era of her previous album, “Matrioska”. Photo courtesy of Nora Lezano-It’s very important to me that people get to know you. I don’t know if it impacts your ticket sales, but it impacts your career. This makes you able to sustain over time. It is very difficult for you to hit it and eat shrimp on a boat. It can happen, but it’s like winning the lottery. So if you hit her, she has to catch you doing things.
If you do something you really like, you can keep it there for life. Then, whether people go or don’t go, it’s life circumstances. Not everyone will love you. Whoever wants to go, will go.
-The million dollar question: is it easier to rock now?
-I think it’s much easier. There are two things that are good. Technology is more accessible today than when I was young, because most people can have a computer and learn to record even if they don’t have the best microphone.
Another thing is that this generation has something that we had too, which is to believe that we are special and that we deserve to be stars, artists and that people love us. I like. There’s like a culture where you can do that, you’re special. This causes a lot more people to start looking around and being encouraged to do it and record it and edit it, whereas before maybe to record and edit you had to have a label.
a little lonely
-There are many new singer-songwriters, but you’re only halfway between one generation and the next, right?
-Those I know are younger and among the older ones I can only think of Andrea Álvarez who plays rock. There were no girls near us even in Panza’s time. We played and I met Oisin, who were a girl band, but they weren’t there. There was no other “front-woman” and that scene was diluted.
I am 47 years old and the other girls arrived later, both the acoustic ones from the post Cro-Magnon litter and Marilina Bertoldi and Paula Maffia.
Mariana Bianchini sings to Almendra at CCK. Photo courtesy of the National Directorate of Permanent Organizations/Guillermo Mata.-Now there is a new female scene in rock bands.
-Something is happening like in the 90s with the new Argentine rock, with these bands going out, getting together, then going for a beer and then playing again and sharing the musicians. On the other hand, with Panza we have always been half an island and we have never achieved this sensation of movement.
Source: Clarin
