Global Intrigue: An Interview with Monti Fiori

We get a lot of notes passed to us via email and regular mail from all walks of life across this wide, wacky world. A couple of weeks ago this guy named Ben Giladi, a video director from Tel-Aviv, Israel got in touch to share a video he made for an Italian band living in Israel called Monti Fiori. We were confused, and yet stimulated, so we had Ben arrange for his pal Gal Vardi to interview everybody and lay down the facts.

My first encounter with Monti Fiori was surely a strange one. 

After hearing all sorts of rumors about this Italian band living in Israel, I decided to go and get to the bottom of this bizarre story. 

Word had it that Monti Fiori was playing exclusively at a local Italian restaurant down in Jaffa port. I decided I had to hear their story.

While walking down the alleys of the old city, passing a number of touristic gift shops, I heard a vague Tarantella beat that led me straight to Casa del peppe, a sleazy joint where Monti Fiori were playing their weekly set.

VICE: How did you end up here, in Israel?

Monti Fiori: Things got a little complicated back home. We were the house band at this exclusive place called the Bunga Bunga. Let's just say we played the wrong music for the wrong people. Eventually we had to leave the country, and we found ourselves traveling around Europe looking for a place to settle down; then we visited Tel-Aviv. In an odd way it felt quiet and safe around here, but we figured nobody will be interested in our music, so we put the band aside and started working as cooks at different Italian restaurants. Cooking is the only thing we know how to do besides making music.

What was your next step?

We worked very hard for about a year, saving every dime we could. Eventually, we collected enough to record an album that consists of music we wrote during our stay in Israel.

Would you say your music is influenced by your environment?

Our music is inspired by the classics of Italian San Remo Hits (Bobby Solo, Adriano Celentano, Giani Morandi) and film composers like Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone. But the Israeli and Mediterranean colorful culture had a great impact on us and our music as well.

Upon finishing the album, you hooked up with Ben Giladi, a local uprising music video director, who was intrigued by your cultural melting pot. Tell the story of Giladi deciding to collaborate with you, and what the fruits of that collaboration were.

The first video was for a song called "Bella" and was made entirely out of old horror films, mainly due to budget issues, but also as an homage to the Italian masters of film. We had no money left after finishing the album, and so using existing material was a great option. As children, our parents never allowed us to watch these movies, and in that manner, it was some sort of a closure for us.

Shortly after releasing both the album and video, Monti Fiori started playing at larger venues, attracting more audiences and media attention. The band was no longer invisible to the Israeli indie music scene. Despite the language and cultural barrier, how do you think the Israeli crowd embraced you?

I guess the Italian temperament is not so different than the Israeli one. People love coming to our shows because we play joyful, danceable music that gets them on their feet in no time. Apparently, the surprising combination of festive beats, sexy surf rock guitars and the Italian language seems to be quite a crowd pleaser. At the end of the day, we are entertainers, and entertainment has no language, it's global.

Tell me a little bit about the new video.

The new video for the song "Caro Capitano" tells a story in which Monti Fiori are trying to sell a variety of Italian products to an evil advertising firm. Every product has its own commercial, which eventually goes terribly wrong. The whole production is in the spirit of '50s and '60s commercials and has a very vintage, retro vibe to it. It features one of Israel's top female singers (Efrat Gosh) and got plenty of media attention.

Are you planning on ever returning home?

We'll be touring Europe later this year, but Tel Aviv is definitely our home base for the time being. Israel is fantastico! Except for the pizza, mi fa cagier!