DieAlps!

Today, the band shares their video for “Trust Me” with Ghettoblaster (below). This is what director Palmer Homes had to say about it.

“The video concept really plays with the idea of trust and vulnerability. In this day and age, security is a hard thing to find and we see time and time again that powerful people all around the world exploit this vulnerability as a way to control people. Luring them into a false sense of security that’s never really known until it’s too late. The band really wanted to tell that story in a compelling way and I think this music video does that in a way that hits a little too close to home for all of us.”

Co-vocalist, guitarist Frank Calcaterra had this to say:

“We filmed the video in 14 long hours with some very talented individuals including Palmer Holmes, Javi Fick and his amazing crew, as well as some great friends who were willing to donate their time – notably our lead actress Erin Robbins who killed it at her first ever acting endeavor, and of course our ruthless cult leader Arley Smude. ‘Trust Me’ touches on those who find themselves in powerful positions, yet choose to use it as a means of furthering their own prosperity, rather than for the benefit of humanity.” - Ghettoblaster Magazine

If I’ve received any good songwriting advice these past three years with Atwood Magazine, it’s to write what you know. Songs go the farthest when they come from the heart, which is exactly what makes DieAlps!’s new album Our City so enticing: Whether they’re bemoaning time, stepping into another’s shoes or celebrating life, DieAlps! deliver a euphoric blend of alternative pop/rock songs that hit home hard.

Maybe you can help me out
Trying to find the right words for this
Sleeping neen sleeping until now
‘Cause I almost drowned in this mess
– “Running Into Walls,” DieAlps!

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering DieAlps!’s debut album Our City, out 8/4/2017 via New Granada Records. Fronted by husband and wife Frank Calcaterra and Connie Calcaterra with Jonathan Robbins (drums) and Sarah Modene (keys), DieAlps! have established themselves as one of Tampa, Florida’s premiere indie rock up-and-comers over the past three years. Their new album solidifies this claim, while expanding both their musical breadth, as well as their (for lack of a better word) turf.

“Our City is sort of an attempt to break away from the “swaying waltzy baroque pop” sound of our debut EP,” explains Frank Calcaterra. “DieAlps! lineup has changed drastically since then, and so has our sound. We still utilize some 3/4 time signatures here and there, but it’s no longer a prerequisite.” Rich melodies and pulsing choruses abound on this musically rich, vibrant debut. Calcaterra adds how the band “wanted the album to have a ’90s vibe,” and they faithfully capture that sound. “When it came down to mixing, I found myself referencing everything from Pavement to Yuck, early Radiohead and The Shins.”

And yet, Our City is unmistakably a modern, timeless record. Within the pronounced guitar riffs and emphatic chorus releases are two highly aware lyricists dealing with adulthood and life’s changes, processing recent tragedies at home and abroad, and finding new ways of telling old stories.

With a mix of acoustic ballads, rock anthems, and everything in between, DieAlps! have most certainly debuted with gusto: Listen to the full record through Atwood Magazine’s exclusive stream, and peek inside Our City with Atwood Magazine as DieAlps! provide their personal take on some of the album’s standout songs. - Atwood Magazine

On paper, though, probably the most eminent band was Tampa’s DieAlps!, who arrived on the fresh release of their debut full-length album Our City. Some records are a defining point in a band’s life. And, though still quite young in their creative arc with only two releases under their belt so far, this new album is unquestionably the first lightning bolt moment for DieAlps!. Our City isn’t just an expansion of sound but a crystallization of aesthetic. With it, they’ve become probably the most exciting, complete and upward act on top Florida indie label New Granada Records right now.
The album is radiantly cast in the golden rays of ‘90s melodic indie rock, with echoes of bands like Teenage Fanclub (and, by extension, Yuck), Catherine Wheel, Bettie Serveert and early Radiohead but without being slavish to any one in particular. Most fundamentally, however, their current direction derives its spark and vigor from the greater, more balanced chemistry within the creative core of wife-husband team Connie and Frank Calcaterra. The reaction is a sound of more sweep, muscle and realization. And, here, DieAlps! played like a big, unified front. This is the sound of a band now firing on all pistons. - Orlando Weekly

Tampa, Florida-based indie rock quartet DieAlps!, led by Frank and Cornelia Calcaterra, create inspired and masterful pop music that flirts with heavy narratives including stories of home, life changes, as well as religion, war, violence, and politics.

While churning up panic-inducing subject matter amidst a sea of lush and dreamy instrumentation might seem a bit of a miscalculation, in theory, Our City’s feather-light approach is truly fascinating. Some may find it an inefficient, slacktivist approach while others will laud the record for its ability to perhaps reinvigorate wallowing idealists. But actually saying something while sounding fanciful is part of many an artistic endeavor, right?

That said, there are not-so-subtle notes of ‘90s flavors here — in particular The Shins and Velocity Girl – and it possesses the perfume of woozy baroque pop and rootsy singer/songwriter fare. All in all, the record is as breezy as it is spirited and fits snuggly amidst other exhilarating pop records that wink at the uncomfortable realities of the human experience. - Ghettoblaster Magazine

One thing that aids in this constant shift is the two alternating vocalists, which are similar enough in style to keep the album from being all over the place but provide enough diversity to keep it interesting. They don’t stop trading leads and providing harmonies, adding to the overall waves of sound that this album seems to move in.

Other than the shifts in genre and vocalist, DieAlps! has a classic indie sound: full, bright, and rich, with clear, candy-colored guitar tones that are typical of indie rock. Frantic, thrilling guitar chords are layered over smooth picking, and instead of clashing energies, it falls together to form an intricate picture.

Vocals, sometimes smooth and other times passionate, subtly shift the tone of the album from melancholy to shiny and happy. Pretty lyrics accent these changes, like the opening lines of “Hands Up”, a love song – “You are such a force/and I will always be yours” – compared to lyrics from the bittersweet opening track, “Running Into Walls” – “My friends, where are you now?/now that I’m lonely and old”.

“Mayfly” represents “Our City” well: it begins sounding folky and builds throughout, and before you know it, the song closes out with classic rock-sounding guitar. Everything, both within the album and the song, comes in gentle, lapping ripples of music.

Unfortunately, there’s been a lot of music lately that I haven’t enjoyed. It’s felt cliché and overdone, but one thing that I love about this DieAlps! album is that although it’s a classic indie pop-rock sound, it’s constantly shifting and never reaches a musical stasis. It’s impossible to get bored when the band never stops moving, and when that combines with a smooth, easy sound, “Our City” is helping me close out the summer in the best possible way. - Indietry

The Upshot: Florida baroque pop—imagine that from the Sunshine State!—on a stunningly beautiful debut.

BY JOHN B. MOORE

For decades now, Florida has been churning out bands that owe their careers to distorted guitars and loud amp stacks. It’s spawned a slew of great punk bands and a mess of not-so-great Nü-metal groups. So, it seems surprising then that the Sunshine State could have also nurtured a thoughtful baroque pop group like DieAlps!.

Comprising Cornelia Calcaterra and husband/guitarist, Frank, the Tampa-based band made an at times stunningly beautiful debut album with Our City. Spread across a dozen tracks, there is a strong ‘90s alt/college rock influence felt throughout, recalling everyone from The Sundays to Buffalo Tom.

The record certainly has its quietter moments on songs like “Dwight” and the swooning “Mayfly,” but the band is also just as willing to crank up the volume on songs like “Our City.” The duo trade off vocals throughout, making for a compelling sound.

Tampa may have given the world an unnaturally large number of death metal bands (including Morbid Angel and Assuck), but the city has also offered up the stunningly great DieAlps!, so let’s call it even. - Blurt

Artist page for 2016 Gasparilla Music Festival. - Gasparilla Music Festival

It’s always an enchanting situation when a band’s backstory actually matches its sound both live and on record. It’s especially endearing when the band is DieAlps!.

The three-year-old Bay area quartet led by singer/guitarist Connie Calcaterra, who grew up small town in eastern Austria, where she picked up her first guitar at age 9 and “immersed herself into a classically trained world amid the home of the Viennese Waltz.” She eventually landed on American shores, where she started a band with her husband Frank and a few of their friends.

“Not all of our songs are waltzes,” Connie, 29, said. “But I’ve found that it’s almost impossible to write a bad song in 3/4 (time).” She stresses the idea that compositions are more about the dynamics, and sees rhythm as just another tool to make song’s more interesting.

The band’s debut EP, released last year via Tampa imprint New Granada Records, is splendorous, a five-track baroque period, indie-meets-Chopin jog through songs that Connie, 29, wrote in her bedroom over the half decade between ages 17 and 22. There’s talk of companionship in the face adversity (Riot Command) and brooding, angry meditations on the same subject and at least one cut draped with hook-ready melodies ripe-for-a-sing-along (Walking). It’s a fitting portrait of Connie during that time period, but DieAlps! is already looking forward to recording a full-length debut they would like to release early next year.

“My songwriting style has evolved since then,” Connie said, explaining her band’s goal to craft an album that listeners can experience seamlessly from front to back. A “cohesive piece of art” is what she, Frank, and their bandmates (bassist Doug Nelson, 42, and new drummer Vinnie Cosentino, 34) are shooting for.

“This is our dream project,” she said.

Frank, 33, is even more candid about the sound of the effort, part of which DieAlps! will track at Tampa’s Atomic Audio, where he recently landed an engineering gig. “The album is going to be a 'reevaluated’ version of ourselves,” he said, “very eclectic with some ’90s sound merged with more of a modern flair.” He joked that there would “definitely (be) lots more of Frank on this album.”

That loose, fun-loving element of the band is another staple of their existence. All of the DieAlps! camp are decidedly very un-rock star, extremely approachable and ridiculously friendly. They do, however, all balance day jobs with a very real commitment to the band, and it’s resulted in a couple of the same lineup changes every band experiences.

Cosentino, a Tampa music veteran who played with heavy metal scene staples Palantine and now with new macabre metal outfit Into The Cellar, should provide a solid anchor for new material. His approach is to play the drums “as dynamically as possible without being too busy or detracting from the songs,” and he should fit right in with the vision.

“I used to get very emotional,” Connie said about losing band members to the task of compromising family time with band practice, “but now I know that’s also part of being in a band.”
In the meantime count on her to use those feelings in new material.

“I must have written and already forgotten hundreds of mini-songs over time,” she said, adding that some songs only exist to serve the specific purpose of getting through certain situations. “If listeners can relate to (songs I share), that’s great.”

*****

Members: Cornelia Calcaterra (vocals/guitar), Frank Calcaterra (lead guitar/vocals), Doug Nelson (bass), Vinnie Cosentino (drums)

Recommended if you like: Ra Ra Riot, Rilo Kiley - The Tampa Tribune

Today Ghettoblaster has the pleasure of debuting a new video from DieAlps! for “Rules of Discipline.” It’s a great (and dark!) Krampus-themed video.

We recently caught up with Connie to discuss her own interactions with Krampus.

“For me, Krampus (in the video) stands for feelings of angst and fear, which everyone can relate to. Growing up in Austria, every December 5th Krampus and St. Nikolaus would come to our house.

It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time because Krampus is really scary and growls at you and might even hit you with his birch and kinda makes you think that he will take you away, but you’re also excited because you think if you can convince St. Nikolaus that you’ve been a good kid all year he will give you a bag full of candy, peanuts and mandarins.

We would usually cower on the bench around the kitchen table in the corner furthest away from Krampus. It was really terrifying hearing them taking the stairs up to our house, you could hear the cowbells and chain rattling from Krampus, and growling, and then them stomping into the kitchen. These are childhood memories that are truly imprinted on my mind.

St. Nikolaus would ask: ‘Have you been a good kid this year?’ And me and my brothers would just nod in terror, trying to avoid looking at Krampus, but he would often MAKE us look at him or try to touch us or make us think he’s going to put us in the basket on his back.” - Ghettoblaster Magazine

The debut EP from Central Florida's DieAlps! This band has quickly been garnering fans and attention in the Florida music scene. And now with the release of their self-titled debut EP they're planning on transferring some of that success to other parts of the country and beyond. Recorded by the band in their home studio, this EP presents a band that is decidedly mature and focused. These five songs remind us very much of some of the more precise and rewarding underground pop bands we loved in the mid-1990s when the home recording scene was really beginning to explode. If this is any indication of things to come, you can expect to see and hear a whole lot about this band in the very near future. Kickass pop tracks include "Walking," "Riot Command," and "All Things Shall Come To An End." Top pick. - Babysue

There’s a bunch of videos out there. Some of them are good. Some of them are a cut above. I like to think my picks for Video Of The Day are a cut (or two) above.

I'm absolutely miles beyond tickled pink to bring you not one but TWO premieres from Floridians DieAlps! this lovely summer afternoon!

"Walking" comes from the band's debut EP, set to drop in September on label faves New Granada. To my ears, it's a perfect Friday afternoon song, a little bit sweet, a little bit hazy, and a whole lot addictive. Hints of 90s rock nostalgia mingle with effervescent pop enthusiasm, making for a fizzy, rather enjoyable listen. It's a song you'll feel compelled to listen to repeatedly.

The video itself is evocative of the sound of the song, up close and personal and given to a silly sense of humor. It's a fine song indeed, and serves as a heck of an introduction for those not yet acquainted with the delightful Tampa band.

Make yourself a note to get your mitts on their EP! - Fuzzy Logic