The Mirrors are a rock quartet formed in 2003 in Milan, Italy. The founding member is Marco Ortensi. We play rock and psychedelic pop with influences from the Seventies, the Eighties and the Nineties. The average age of the band is 24. We are entirely self managed & produced with low budgets and actually searching for partners, investors and collaborators.
From 2003 to 2008 we recorded 6 cds. We have received good reviews on national magazines & journals and our music has received a positive reaction on national radios.
'Time beats only once' was selected as one of the best 12 albums of the year as 'Record of the month' by Rock Sound during summer of 2005. Living mask was aired for 3 months on RadioCoop.
We have played alongside some national and international artists including Andy Fletcher dj (Depeche Mode), Peter Hook dj (Joy Division, New Order), Afterhours, Mauro Pagani, Max Gazzè, Enrico Ruggeri, Velvet, Negramaro, Giovanni Lindo Ferretti (CCCP/CSI), Mauro Ermanno Giovanardi (La Crus), Simone Cristicchi, Teresa De Sio, Raiz, Zelig/Scaldasole, Gatto Panceri, L’Aura.
During 2005 we competed in many national contests. In every contest we have entered we've been ranked among the top ten contestants between thousands in Italy (Progetto Demo, Jestrai Rock, Roxy Bar, Sziget - Road to Budapest, Basificando Vol.2, Destinazione Neapolis, Beto Music Live, Cantiere Sonoro, Rock Contest, The Best of Demo). At Comune di Brescia contest we won a five hundred euro prize awarded by BMG and Yamaha and ranked first in the Rock category thanks to 'Meggy flies with me'.
Within a year of the band forming we ware selected by the Italian actor Giorgio Pasotti (among others worked with Mario Monicelli, Michele Placido, Gabriele Muccino, Martina Stella) for a music project thanks to one of our songs called 'Do you know how I feel inside?'. We have released some of our material as part of national and international compilations (Hope: Love is the Answer, Rumore, Indipendente, Midem '06 & '07, RossoAlice, IPO).
At the end of 2005, Demo on Radio Rai 1 aired a special show about the band.
At the end of this year Edel released the I-Ndipendente compilation, featuring us among the best Italian indie bands of 2005 (So:ho feat. Morgan with Fragole Infinite by Alberto Fortis, Marco Fabi feat. Simone Cristicchi). Great Illusion was the most sold song and the most voted by public of the compilation. We received a price from Giordano Sangiorgi (president Mei) and Paolo Franchini (president Edel/Pmi).
We were selected alongside the best Australian and international emerging artists for TuneTank, a compliation promoted @ Midem '06 in collaboration with Air including Papa Joe Grappa with Sweet Inspirations (Elvis Presley backing singers).
We were selected by Demo with Radio Rai 1 as The Best emerging artists of 2005, who also used our song 'Face the spider' as a jingle for the programme for two months (over 30 airplays). In this period we featured with some national artists (Fiorello, Cristina Donà).
Our album 'The Great Illusion' - in collaboration with Avinash Ganesh (Nirvana by Salvatores, a film with Christopher Lambert) - was released on iTunes Italy by our label Echophonic & Piperine in April. During one week it was the 4th highest selling Rock album and the 26th overall highest seller among artists like David Gilmour, Genesis, David Bowie, U2, Dave Matthews Band, Depeche Mode, Morrisey, The Smiths, Bruce Springsteen, Stereophonic, Ben Harper, Skin, Placebo and many others.
In May we were the only Italian band that played two gigs in Liverpool as part of the IPO Festival 2006. One show was at The Cavern Club and the other at Lennons. Our song IF also features on the IPO compilation Vol.9 including Roger Joseph Manning Jr (collaborated with Ringo Starr, Ziggy Marley, Rita Marie Presley, Morrisey, Jamiroquai, Air, Beck, Blink 182, Corrs, Green day, Jet, Mel c, Suede, Vines). Vivimilano by Corriere della Sera dedicated an article to the band.
If has been judged as one of the best 300 songs of 2006 (between 15'000) from the International Songwriting Competition that included in the jury Robert Smith (The Cure), Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), Frank Black (The Pixies), Chris Hillman (The Byrds), Tom Waits, Steve Vai, Joss Stone.
During 2006 we organized the Piperine Festival in Milan supporting AMREF & Mario Riso by Rezophonic (a project with some of the most interesting Italian artists like Bluvertigo, Verdena, Deasonika, Saturnino, L'Aura, Lacuna Coil, Linea77, Vibrazioni, Tullio de Piscopo, Negrita, Stef Burns, PFM, Negramaro) with the partnership of Demo by Radio Rai 1 and AudioCoop/Mei. The festival featured also Chris Chincilla by Art Brut and involved some of the best indie acts in Italy.
We have recorded our first music video of the song IF directed from Leone Balduzzi by Kosanostra (Planet Funk, Elisa, Morgan/Pagani, Tiromancino, Meg, Mario Venuti).
This video had been shown @ L'Unione fa la Musica to support a new Italian music law with Romano Prodi (Prime Minister of Italy), Paola Maugeri (Mtv), Beppe Carletti (Nomadi), Caterina Caselli, Claudio Bisio, La Crus, Cristicchi, Deasonika.
The video is in the Indipendent Rock VideoStory by All Music Tv, Mei & Kataweb with national artists like Afterhours, Verdena, Carmen Consoli, Velvet and others.
It has also been put on a national DVD in every Italian news stand thanks to RoxyBar by Red Ronnie (with the exclusive interviews with Tara Gandhi, Donovan, Ian Anderson by Jethro Tull, Andrea Griminelli, Patti Smith, Yari & Romina Power).
We have been interviewed on Alice Live Tv. Our music video as been showed for a week alongside the Kooks.
IF video was among the only 6 italian indipendent music videos during 2006 to receive 2 nominations at PVI and PIVI, national video music prices in Italy (major artist were Subsonica, Jovanotti, Nannini).
The international magazine Shots dedicated us some good words about IF music video. The video has been showed at 'O Curt Festival with Loretta Rossi Stuart, Marco Parente, Perturbazione and at Venice Airport Festival with White Rose Movement and The Bluetones.
We won the InSound magazine’s Critique Prize during the DbMusicZone contest organized with the collaboration of Emi Publishing, presented by Diego Spagnoli (Vasco Rossi). We got a double page article on the magazine.
Thanks to 'Channel war' we won the Rosso Alice - Telecom contest organized by H2o Bmg/Sony, presented by Linus e Max Brigante dj. We got a distribution contract for one of our songs and we have been on a compilation with Pink. Tribe Magazine published an interview with the band.
We were selected among 10 best Italian indie bands by Demo with Radio Rai 1 for Lamezia Demo Mei Fest 2006 organized by Ruggero Pegna playing in front of 25’000 people with Teresa De Sio and Raiz by Almanegretta. Rai International Tv recorded the event.
At the end of 2006 we recorded the short film soundtrack 'La farfalla e l'uragano' by Mirko Locatelli & CinemaIndipendente with Mladen Matula photography (Fame Chimica, Tartarughe dal becco d’ascia, Come prima, and between music videos Elio e le storie tese, Neffa, 99 Posse and Piero Pelù).
The perfect nothing is in 'The best of indies in Italy' compilation organized by MEI @ Midem 2007 in Cannes. Cover is an artwork by Malleus.
The official website of the band is between the best 10 national ones at MEI and SonicBoom prices.
The Mirrors worked to some viral commercials with Murat Gonullu (Incognito, Sezen Aksu, Ajda Pekkan, Deasonika) for Burn (Coca-Cola), TIM, Vodafone, Disney and another one for Pago with Cicciotun.
During 2007 we published with our own label Echophonic a split with Volker Hinkel, guitarist/founder member of Fools Garden. Cover painting is a work made by Andy (Bluvertigo) from its artistic factory Flu-On. Drums in My sonic love are produced by Enrico Ferraresi (studio&live with Slash by Guns'n'Roses, Bocelli, Battiato, Morgan, Fossati, Delta V, Grignani, Garbo, Alice).
The whole has been selected by Steve Zuckerman (2 Grammy Awards for the production of Les Paul & Friends with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Sting, founder of GEMS, New York Music & Internet Expo, Platinum Awards) for the humanitarian project Hope: Love is the Answer (to support The Human Rights Action Center, The Garland Appeal, We the World and many others). Between the artists you can find also Robert Fripp by King Crimson, Richie Havens & Joe Cerisano, Christopher Cross.
The whole has been aired in May '07 on CBS Jack Fm 101.1 New York radio to promote Hope: Love is the Answer project.
During '07 & '08 We have been selected as the first and only Italian band to play at the CMW Canadian Music Week in Toronto and at CMJ New York Music Marathon. Gigs have finally sent back to the future by the band to record the new album.
The Mirrors are the first Italian band to approach as featured artist to We7 - the innovative web 2.0 platform founded by Peter Gabriel (Genesis). Between the artists you can find also Paul Weller, Kinks, Happy Mondays, Ocean Colour Scene, Noel Gallagher, Sex Pistols, Interpol, Morrisey, David Bowie, Ramones, Charlatans. Great Illusion passed also the Tastemaker users' selection.
Through has been selected by Andre Doucette (30 Seconds to Mars, My Chemical Romance, Audioslave) for the major Canadian film Shred featuring Tom Green (Saturday Night Live, Road Trip, Charlie's Angels) & Dave England (Jackass) directed by David Mitchell.
The Mirrors as Executive Producers support the 1 Second Film created by Nirvan Mullick to raise money for the Global Fund for Women. It's a project supported also by Tom Green, Kevin Bacon, Ben Harper, Spike Jonze, David LaChapelle, Selma Blair, Steve Buscemi and others.
The Mirrors received 4 nominations and won 2 prices at the Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards '07 as Best International Rock CD Album 'The Great Illusion' and Best International Rock Music Video 'IF'.
New band photos of 2007 are realized by Ivano Cerullo (Rolling Stones, Muse, Rem and many others).
The Mirrors made the soundtrack of the 35mm short film 'Men at work' by Fausto Caviglia (Lato, Atletico Defina) in which there are featured Evan Dando by Lemonheads and Men at work. Sound design by Gabriele D'Amora (Soerba, Morgan).
The Mirrors played at the DigiFestival - Festival della Creatività in Florence. Among other acts there were Andy Fletcher dj (Depeche Mode), Peter Hook dj (Joy Division, New Order), Afterhours, Mauro Pagani, Max Gazzè, Livio Magnini (Bluvertigo), Mario Riso (Rezophonic), Giovanni Lindo Ferretti (CCCP/CSI), Mauro Ermanno Giovanardi (La Crus), Paolo Benvegnù, Giulio Casale, Marina Rei, Paola Turci, Goldie, Brazilian Girls, Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy).
Other personalities at the festival were Roberto Colaninno, Dario Fo, Enrico Letta, Elio Fiorucci, Oliviero Toscani, Domenico Procacci, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Mario Botta, Bruce Perens, Gillo Dorfles, Michele Dall'Ongaro, Massimiliano Fuksas, Marco Lambri, Stefano Massini, Gianni Vattimo. IF music video has been screened during the 4 days of the festival.
anche tu sveglio..io nn posso dormire...la febbrre mi sta facendo impazzire.. tu e murat al party lunedi super happy peccato che io stavo per morire lì.poi che avete fatto ?
