Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I was born in Verona, in the city of Romeo and Juliet. Surely this city and the period in which I lived there, was the most formative. Some childhood atmospheres, habits, wounds, accompany us throughout our lives. It must also be said that all the “Departures”, the “Beginnings”, for me, artistically, have the name Verona. Because that’s where it all started. The music, the first guitar, the first drums. There is also a spiritual bond between me and my city, but this is not the place to talk about it. On the other hand, I can’t say it influenced me musically. It certainly gave me a character, a perspective, but what influenced me most musically was the music itself, which was never missing in our two-room house. It was foreign music, English and American music at the turn of the 60s and 70s. I still fondly remember the colored centers of the vinyls, the bright red of the Pageone, the gaudy orange of CBS… One thing I’ve always wondered is why the graphic designers of the important label didn’t keep the logo small and at the top as it was for the 45s, instead of putting it in the center and large on the 33s. But let’s not digress. My life in the house in Verona was imbued with music, it was a veritable forge of art, where school had very little space and I spent my days listening to music and writing poems and stories or reading…
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Lorenzo Gabanizza”?
A: I don’t make music to increase followers. I’ll be old-fashioned, but I make music to express my aesthetic conviction and spread my message. Can you imagine if Proust had written the “Recherche” thinking about increasing the number of readers? I have a message, it’s up to the public to love it or not. Of course, some advertising dynamics are needed, they are necessary, because without them it’s like playing an electric guitar without an amplifier. And from this perspective, my strategy is to rely on industry experts like Pete Basset and the Quite Great staff, so they can guarantee me a decent presence in social media and online publications or not. My message to anyone about to discover me is simple: listen without prejudice.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: The artist who inspires me the most…? I’m a pantheist…Indeed there are many artists who I consider to be part of the sound, of the musical character that I have built. Surely one of them is Jeff Christie, with whom I collaborate, and then Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. As for inspiration, I don’t have a specific place or circumstance from which to draw it. Anything from the simplest event to the most despicable crime can spark my creativity. Let’s say that life is the sower in the parable, I am the earth and the facts are the seeds: in short, some fall on fertile ground and bear fruit, others on rock and die.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “I don’t want to live without you.”?
A: It’s either a love story or a ghost story, or both, as I’ve often said in other interviews. There is an interesting aspect of the matter. You know when you arrive in the room where your loved one has recently been? If you pay attention you can perceive not only the perfume, but something perceptible, ethereal and personal. The same thing happens to me with the books I love. So this song collects the aura of Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” and takes its cue and life from that aura. I believe that in this song, the most important part, just like in Emily’s book, is the power of feelings which, in relation to our being, have the same incisiveness and the same destructive or salvific power as the natural elements towards the earth.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Alive, honest, deep and unpredictable.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “I don’t want to live without you”?
A: Of course, the recording and production process was not easy. The musicians and engineers were scattered in Italy, England and the USA. Therefore, every time something went wrong according to my point of view, we had to do it all over again, wait for the availability of the musician, etc. I have to sincerely thank Corey Moore, who took care of the mix following my vision in full, and Jeff, who always manages to catch the critical points with his precision and attention. Concerning the writing side, no, no difficulty. This is also an image that I have already used but, I repeat: it was like cutting your veins, the blood doesn’t struggle to get out, it flows freely… but you die of it.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I don’t have a single message, because every single song builds what will be the final image. Therefore, if you have the will and the time to scroll through my production, you will find love, death, reincarnation, sex, religiosity, paganism, in short, everything is part of a fresco of life. My goal is to reach the artist’s Valhalla. It’s to complete this fresco beating the Lady in Black…
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: My biggest dream in terms of musical collaborations was from my childhood Jeff Christie. And I made it. Other artists I really wanted to collaborate with are Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Kate Bush, Neil Diamond. But it’s not essential and, for me, collaboration is not a goal but a means. Surely, the confront with other artists of that caliber is a way to grow, to learn, which is why I would be equally happy to spend even a few moments with these characters, without necessarily sharing the stage; talking to them exchanging ideas and perspectives would enrich me in the same way or perhaps even more than a shared exhibition would.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Do not trust the promises they will make to you, especially if they are very attractive and… prepare bandages and plasters. you will need it.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Same as above.
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