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RockTimes: Hi Carmen, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. First of all: Congratulations to All For One, Wiser Time's second great album!



Carmen Sclafani: Thank you, Markus. It's my pleasure, and I'm very glad that you dig the new album.



RockTimes: Tell us about the writing process when it comes to new songs. Where do you start and how does it all come together? Do you record the tracks 'live in the studio'?



Carmen Sclafani: It really happens in a number of ways. I have a tendency to write a lot...songs, poems, random thoughts or lines, etc. Musically, I just sit with an instrument...usually a guitar…and just play and jam, and try to find a groove or a riff. I'll usually take my time to explore the idea, and get a feel for it. Then I'll write words based on how the music makes me feel. Sometimes the process is reversed, and I'll write music to try and capture a feel for something I wrote. If someone comes to me with a piece of music or lyric, I go through the same process for them, and try to write or play around how they make me feel. As for recording, I try to do it live as much as possible, but sometimes I record a song or piece of music with an engineer and myself just because of a particular situation or convenience, and because I'm fortunate to be able to play a number of instruments.



RockTimes: Wiser Time-music includes Rock, Blues, Soul and even more. How did you get this explosive mix together and which bands/musicians are your favorites?



Carmen Sclafani: Thank you very much. I don't know really how my sound developed. I just listen to others and play as much as possible. I have a very open mind to all styles of music, so perhaps it's just been a natural evolution over the years. My favorites are Led Zeppelin and the Stones. I'm a big fan of Jeff Beck,Eric Clapton, and Miles Davis. CCR and Crosby, Stills and Nash are amazing. Hendrix, Lennon and Dylan. U2 and Foo Fighters are incredible. Ray Charles. I could go on forever.



RockTimes: On "All For One" there's a complete new band line-up. What happened after your debut There And Back Again?



Carmen Sclafani: "TABA" was a real journey for me that evolved over a long period of time in the studio. While I've always performed and wrote music, I consider myself to be an artist more so than a musician. When I decided to record an album, I really didn't have a band. Things really started to transform socially and politically in the world, and I felt a real need to get out and perform and write and record as much as I could, and I wanted to put a band together…which is not as easy as one might think I was paying these guys out of my pocket because they prefer to be hired hands, which is all good, but difficult for me to keep going. I met Steve, and we instantly clicked, so it slowly evolved into a situation where a band was really forming as opposed to me hiring guys. Todd hung in for a while, but now it's evolved into Steve and I as the core and we're really grooving with Jon, and enjoying playing with each other and having friend's sit in from time to time. I think that sometimes things just need to grow into themselves, and this is one of those cases.



RockTimes: On "Free" Todd Lanka is playing the bass and got a songwriting credit. Is he still hanging out and sitting in with you guys or is this one track an outtake/leftover from your first album?



Carmen Sclafani: Wiser Time We're all still friends and always will be. Free was a track that we wrote together at the beginning of "All For One," while jamming in my basement, and it literally came together in about 15 minutes, and I just started singing these lyrics. That was one of the first demos, and I wanted to preserve it.



RockTimes: After the release of your first album there were, at least in germany, some opinions, that Wiser Time is trying to jump on the Black Crowes wagon, meaning that your sound and vocals are almost to close to the BC-one. I personally don't agree with that, though even the name of the band is the title of an old Crowes song. How do you respond to that?



Carmen Sclafani: I understand completely and think that it's a valid point. I think that the name adds more to the comparison than there really is, but am fine with it just the same. While I'm a big fan of the Crows and what they do, the name came from a random thing that has grown to mean something to me now on a personal level. We're both rock n roll bands, and that's just what rock n roll sounds like….the Crows, Stones, Faces, Zep, Humble Pie. I'm not trying to be anyone but myself, and I think that people who really get into my body of work and writing, know that.



RockTimes: A while ago you founded your own label. What was the reason for that and isn't it a lot more work for you now? Does it take time away from the actual 'playing your guitar'?



Carmen Sclafani: That's a great question. It's a tremendous amount of work, but that's ok. I set up a record label basically because the majors just aren't helping us! LOL Really, in today's culture, a person has access to a lot of communication channels…you just need to find a way to get the right exposure or buzz., and if you can find a way and are willing to REALLY tour, you can do it. It takes time away from my writing and playing, but I need to do it, and find a balance.



RockTimes: Can you nowadays make a living with your music or do you still have to go through a day job?



Carmen Sclafani: I wish I was in a position to just focus on music, but I do need to do various things to make a living. Hopefully one day soon that will change



RockTimes: Alright, here is the obvious one. How did it all happen to you? How and when did you start out picking up an instrument? What kind of music was your first love?



Carmen Sclafani: You know, I don't know. It really has been a slow progression. I've always been fortunate to have a "feel" for things. As a young kid I could draw anything or write, and was always really creative. I'd noodle on my parents piano when I was a kid, but first got turned on to the guitar when I was sixteen, after discovering Jimmy Page for really the first time. I've always had a love for rhythm and blues and jazz.



RockTimes: But back to the new album for a while. On "All For One" you have with Rob Clores and CC Coletti, to name just a few, some great guests on the album. How did the connections come together?



Carmen Sclafani: I met them while recording TABA. We all live close to each other and keep in touch. Ironically enough, Rob was playing B3 for the Black Crowes, and just got off the road with them a few weeks before we went into the studio to record the album.



RockTimes: Did you tour a lot after "There and Back again"?



Carmen Sclafani: About 14 months with and without the band, and was able to see some beautiful places. Then we went in to record "All For One".



RockTimes: How are chances for a European and especially a german-tour?



Carmen Sclafani: I'd say very good…it's just a question of when. We're talking with various people to make it happen. The financial stuff is the biggest hurdle, but I'm determined to come over and meet our fans. Europe, and Germany in particular have been really supportive, so we're gonna return the love.



RockTimes: I definitely love the sound of the whole band and especially the one of your guitar! What gear do you use?



Carmen Sclafani: Thank you. I keep the effects to a minimum and try to let the guitar and amp do their thing. I use a combination of things in the studio, but for live gigs it's primarily a Gibson Les Paul 60s Custom and a Fender 52 Tele. I also use a pretty rare model from Gibson called an Artist… that's the guitar in many of the photos that you might be referring to. I primarily use a Marshall JTM 45 head with a 1960s Cabinet, and a Fender Vibroloux.



RockTimes: What are the plans for the near Wiser Time future?



Carmen Sclafani: It's a lot of the same really…tour as much and as often as we can, and continue to build it. We'll continue to write and record.



RockTimes: Alright, Carmen, I wanna leave you some space for this one to say whatever you want to say, I didn't ask, or whatever you think our readers should know about you and Wiser Time! I will build some questions around whatever you wanna say! You don't have to do this, by all means, I just thought it would be a nice way for you to express yourself a little more/closer. Feel free to say whatever you want to say and don't take prisoners! There's no censoring in our mag whatsoever



Carmen Sclafani: I really would just like to thank everyone who has been so supportive and receptive. I'm really fueled by the times that we are living in, and the challenges that we are all facing together in our own ways and in our own cultures. I'm really grateful and inspired by all of you who have allowed me to have a voice in them.



RockTimes: Thank you so much again, Carmen. The entire RockTimes team wishes Wiser Time and yourself all the best for the future! Keep on rockin', man, you know who you are and how it has to be done!! Hope to see you on tour in Germany soon!



Carmen Sclafani: Thank you very much. You're all a class act, and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. Best!!