[Interview] Exclusive interview with Anne-Claire Rallo

Dear readers, in this article we have the pleasure to bring you an interview with Anne- Claire Rallo, founder member of Nine Skies, founder of Bad Dog Promotions PR, and writer.

Hello, how are you?

Hello Jacopo, I am very well, thank you.

You are a lover of progressive sounds and are very active in this field, where does your passion for these sounds come from?

Passionate about music since my childhood, I have always listened to various musical genres. I still listen to a lot of different music, from classical to metal, but I guess Progressive combines a lot of these styles, adding a “reflexive” part and a different way of approaching things that I particularly like.

Nine Skies have been confirmed in recent years as one of the leading bands in the French Prog scene, what is your role in the band and how would you describe your experience with them?

I first founded this band with my late husband Eric Bouillette. We were quickly joined by our lifelong friend and musical companion Alexandre Lamia, and then the adventure began. I play keyboards, write lyrics, do the artwork (with help from the great Steve Anderson) and manage the band. It’s the best band experience I’ve had so far, and certainly the most important musical project I have.

A new album by the band is about to be released, how would you describe this new work?

‘The Lightmaker’ is due to be released on September 18th, 2023, and is the first album since the passing of Eric. We will dedicated it to him. The album tells the story of Rudy, who is now living his 1001st and final life. It retraces some of his existences through the view of several characters and the introspection of these various incarnations which undoubdtedly encourage reflection on the human condition. So far, Marco Minnemann, Adam Holzman, and Riccardo Romano have been announced as guests on the album. More announcements might follow soon.

Will there be a chance to hear the band live, do you have plans in this regard?

Yes. We have a French mini-tour planned in October 2023, with the support of special guests Wedingoth: October 11 in Péronnas (Les Arts dans l’R), October 12 in Lyon (Rock n’ Eat, with also Grim Circle as a support band), October 13 in Nice (Salle Grappelli, this show will be filmed) and october 13 in Fréjus (Monster’s Art). We will also performed in the UK in 2024, at the Fusion Festival on March 3 and hopefully more dates will be announced soon.

In parallel you founded Bad Dog Promotions, which is very active in the promotion of artists from the modern music scene, how did the idea for this project come about?

In fact, I’ve been promoting my various projects for years. Following health problems a few years ago, I had to stop teaching and decided to finally run my agency, because I really like taking care of artists. Promotion has become an essential aspect for artists these days. Unfortunately, music alone is no longer enough. And with the rise of the internet, there are so many bands and talents available! musicians don’t have time for that, and it’s not their field of activity. Promotion is a time-consuming activity.

You are very active in promoting artists, what genres do you deal with and what kind of artists do you select?

I mostly promote progressive bands, but I also welcome rock and metal to my roster. Most often, my artists are a mixture of these genres.

I know you are a partner of some festivals and events, what are your plans in this regard for 2023?

Due to scheduling obligations, I was unable to attend Fusion Festival (UK) this year, but will be there in 2024. Not sure I will be able to attend all of the partner festivals this year ( like Crescendo (FR) for example), but I will definitely attend Prog en Beauce (FR) and 2 days Prog (Italy).

As a lover of Rock and Prog music, how do you see the future of this genre?

I hope that artists will not be satisfied with the ease of the already done and the miracle recipe, and that we will be surprised by new and innovative things to listen to. It has to be done, if we want to preserve these genres.

You also have another artistic passion, writing, what can you tell us about that?

Yes, writing has always been the easiest way for me to express myself. I have published a few books, quite varied: short novels, poetry, a collective essay on the work of Steven Wilson, etc.

Are there any more books planned for release in the near future?

I’m writing a new volume of short stories, a novel and an essay on philosophy and video games.

I am leaving the last question open so that we can talk about a topic not covered in the previous ones.

I would like to mention a new musical project I’m working on, a side project of Nine Skies called ‘Frant1c’. The album ‘A Brand New World’ will be released in 2023. The story talks about Charlie and Hope who have always spent their lives together. One fine day, Charlie wakes up alone in a completely different and devastated world. He will then goes in search of his soulmate and answers. What is this world? The discoveries and new encounters he will make throughout his adventure to find Hope invite us to reflect on various feelings and questions that are as universal as they are personal to each of us.
I am lucky to have been joined by incredible musicians for this project.

The line-up is:
Anne-Claire Rallo: composition, arrangements, piano, keyboards, guitar
Alexandre Lamia: arrangements, guitar, piano, keyboards, mix, master
Martin Wilson: vocals (Charlie)
Laura Piazzai: vocals (Hope)
Alexis Bietti: bass
Johnny Marter: drums
Eric Bouillette (RIP): arrangements, composition, piano, guitar
Laurent Benhamou: sax on “Where have you been?”
Steve Anderson: artwork
Andy Rowe: special mention

I thank Anne-Claire for the interview and wish her all the best for all her present and
future artistic projects.

Thanks to you and the Progressive Rock Journal for the interview, and I wish you the best
for the future as well.

Links:
Nine Skies: https://linktr.ee/nineskies
Bad Dog Promotions: https://baddogpromo.com/
Frant1c: https://linktr.ee/frant1c
Nine Skies: The Explorer Youtube (1 st single from the forthcoming album):
https://youtu.be/aWANu5TyVB0
Frant1c: Where have you been? (1 st single from the forthcoming album):
https://youtu.be/fKUAdS-crnM