Meet the Real Mind Behind the Musical Project "Spotless Minds of the Vanishing Sun"

When one thinks of who creates music, the term is usually musician. When one thinks of an artist, a person with a paint brush in hand usually is pictured. However, the word artist is given to anyone who creates something by drawing, painting, sculpting or playing music. I would like to introduce a very creative musical artist, Dante Damiani of Spotless Minds of the Vanishing Sun.

He's an extremely talented man whose music, with its complicated beats and rhythms, seems to come from deep within his heart and soul. What he creates is very appealing to the senses and at times can be very spiritual in an earthly manner.

I had the opportunity to chat with Dante about his work.

Mary: I've noticed that sometimes you use your full name, Dante Andrew Rose Damiani.

Dante: Well usually I just go by my first and last name, but I felt that I wanted to put my full name out there a bit. Rose is my confirmation name from my Catholic upbringing. It's also my Grandmothers first name, and I picked it a way to honor her, she was a neat lady.

Mary: Where are you from and currently located?

Dante: I live in Grover Beach California

Mary: Is "Spotless Minds of the Vanishing Sun" the name of the band? Where did you come up with such a name?

Dante: Yes, it's the name I chose for the project. I was on an astronomy kick for a bit. I imagined my mind becoming spotless as I learn more about the world, and living in it. A spotless mind is clear, sober.
The vanishing sun, the days end and at the same time like the future. So it's a little like saying, "from now on I am striving for clarity of mind for my future."

Mary: Are there other members involved in this project or do you do it all?

Dante: Nobody else is in the band, but everyone on earth is invited along for the ride. I'm open to others. I'd like to hang out with everybody if I could, and make music with them!

Mary: Who are your biggest influences?

Dante: I'd say, Janes Addiction. Hey, I can't perform like Dave Navarro but I just love how he plays and I love what Perry Farrel has to say lyrically! I feel like they are studio artists who happen to play really good music. Others include Nitzer ebb, Ministry, NIN and The Butthole Surfers.

Mary: How would you describe your sound?

Dante: I'd say my sound is a mixture of my influences, from blues and country, to new wave industrial. Some have said I should be more focused. Pay more attention to just one style. But the way I see it, the more genres I can mix together and make it sound good; the better. I embrace musical diversity. Different sounds like different kinds of people excite me. I try to capture as much diversity as I can in my music, fusion.

Mary: Wow! So, you play guitars, synths, and do all the mixing and editing yourself. What equipment do you use?

Dante: Well I don't have a lot of stuff. Mainly I use the Synths that came bundled with Garage Band. It's a super fun music editing program. It has 100 or so different synth sounds that I have control over. Lot's of dials and things to adjust the synths, (heh, heh). Many of the sounds are similar to those in popular music created by NIN and Nitzer Ebb. The heavy guitars and heavy synth sounds are my favorite things to play with.

Mary: It sounds like you have fun when you're working. Now, I've listened to your music and some pieces sound very complicated. How long does it take from idea to the final creation?

Dante: It differs, some projects I start and pick up later, others I build up from a drum track and a guitar riff. I've sat for 18 hours messing around with sounds. Other times it all comes together very quickly. I can sit working forever and can't get it right; then it's like magic and takes almost no time at all.

Mary: My favorite piece is Battle in the Clouds. I feel as if I'm lifted up. What is your favorite piece and why?

Dante: Battle in the clouds was my first real complete song using real instrument tracks. I laid down the
guitar parts in like 10 min and fiddled with it. It was magical, just sort of happened, and it's my best one so far. Strange how it happened; my guitar collected dust for six months with broken strings and I couldn't play through the amp because my guitar chord was broken. (Heh, heh.) I never bothered to fix them.

As for me, I like Adulfeda Crater. I still don't know how exactly I made parts of it, everything simply fell into place! I think the synths and the guitars sound real good together. It's not complex and it may be a little repetitive, but it's a heavy sound with some very airy sounding keyboards and heaver lower bass synths, blended with distorted guitars. It has a sort of royal sound to it to me.

The music shows me images in my head. I see the moon. It's so big, and out of this world! It is extremely mystical. I named this piece after a huge crater on the moon. The Adulpheda crater is a huge giant pit. The music brings with it lots of images of conquers and explorers; or in other terms, overcoming great adversity.

Mary: That's deep. How long have you been a musician? Have you had any formal training in music? How did you get started?

I first played a Gibson slide guitar that my friend's dad had. It was one of those guitars that sits on your lap. Then I acquired a vox hurricane guitar. It was terrible but I learned to play some things on it. I remember playing some 12 bar blues on it with some simple solos and I found great joy in that. I fiddled around with it for a few years on and off.

Then I became friends with a kid who had a band and no bass player. He said, "if you buy a bass you're in the band." So I bought one, with a small amp. I loved the bass; I played it all through high school. It was stolen in college and I switched to guitar because it was more fun to play alone. Bass is only fun for me if I have a good drummer.

Mary: From your MySpace page you seem very poetic. Do you consider yourself spiritually motivated? Do you believe music is your destiny?

Dante: I believe in God. I think something out there made us so different from the other life forms here on earth. I'm motivated by a desire to express myself; the desire to know and understand things and work through them, maybe even a little boredom. I want to know the answers to all the big questions. Music inspires my mind, inspires my thoughts.

As far as destiny, I don't think about that too much. My destiny is here and now. I'd like to think my destiny is my music. I wish it was my job and I could create all day long; mess around with real professional gear and think up songs and not have a time limit. But reality has me chasing down my rent. When I'm not working on my music, I maintain a creative level, open to inspiration. Sometimes drawing, and painting, or shooting video and filming things, and taking photographs. Even riding my dirt bike is art to me, as well as my surfing. All these things are quite important to me. Feeling alive is important to me!

Mary: You are a man who enjoys simply "being". Do you ever share your work with others, do you perform live?

Dante: I played live in a punk band many years ago. These days I'm strictly a studio musician. I create all the parts myself. I'm not sure how I'd do it live; perhaps just play one guitar live and play along to a mixed track. Oh, that might be fun but I have stage fright. I get weary on stage and it's even harder for me to let people listen; I worry about what they think. I like MySpace because folks can listen, and I see the play count meter go up with out feeling insecure or anything. I'd rather let people listen with out me having to care if they liked it or whatever. But someday I want to play in front of people and maybe get a band together.

Mary: Do you offer your services/talent for sale?

Dante: No not really. I'd make a CD for someone if they asked. I'd even make a CD with someone! I'd consider anything, it would be great to just be part of something, meet people to jam with or something like that. It is kind of the reason I made the music page to meet people who might want to be a part of a sound similar to what I have created, and bring there own magic to the circle we'd create.

Mary: How can people reach you or purchase your work?

Dante: From myspace, fire me off a message. I'll send you a CD for a donation. I even will donate 30% to Meals on Wheels. If I get bigger I'll have to figure something out... but for now, I can send CDs out myself.

Mary: Thank you Dante, for your time and for giving us a glimpse into your creative being. You are a true artistic musician.

Check out Dante's artistic talents on his MySpace http://www.myspace.com/spotlessmindsofthevanishingsun
Make sure to send him a message if you are a musician! He'd love to chat with you!

"My Mother is the STARGAZER; she was born of great fire and light, amongst the cloud people. She came down to earth to take a physical body and tangible form. She gazes at the stars and keeps them in line, guiding them, with her light! ... She is retiring to Idaho and she passes the torch to me, to continue the fight against the awesome power of the cloud people, and restore order to the galaxy and bring peace to all the creatures of the universe, even little tiny critters, like bugs and things like that, by keeping the stars in line." - Spotless Minds of the Vanishing Sun.