Interview with Rock Artist Lorenzo Gabanizza On New Music

MuzicNotez: What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?

Lorenzo Gabanizza: I was born in Italy. I come from a poor and common family. In this I feel ideally close to many southerners artists — obviously, I’m not going to compare myself to their greatness… I think of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Glen Campbell, and many others. Actually, the Gabanizzas didn’t have a farm and didn’t pick up cotton, but we lived for 5 in a small two-room apartment, with an outside toilet without hot water — some reminiscences of that period are described in my song “Joshua’s wooden cabin”. My first steps in music began when I was 3 years old. At that age, I started singing the hits of the time: Candida, Yellow River, Eloise, San Bernadino… My father tried to reinvent himself year after year and this led him to move a lot, with his family. I can’t recall how many houses we went into. For me, it was not easy, because every time I had to start all over again, school, friendships … loves … The worst part is also that many of my “possessions” were left behind, first toys and then when I grew up, vinyl and books…That’s how I grew up. It would be too long to tell you all the story. We never had much money, so, the only thing I really possessed was my guitar and my poetry, which followed me everywhere like the shell of a turtle. I got tired of all that moving, I wanted to start a life on my own with more stability therefore when I met a Belgian guy who promised Heaven and Earth, I found myself in the same situation described byJeff in his beautiful song, Alabama:
“I had ten cents in my pocket when I left my father’s house With a tombstone in my memory, I headed my wagon south My possessions numbered but a few, when I started my journey Just a shotgun and a bowie knife, and a banjo on my knee”

Well, I had no banjo and no shotgun. I just had a bag on my shoulder with a few clothes, many books and my guitar… Eventually, I discovered that the Belgian guy had no idea of what he was talking about, but I was young and naïve, easy prey for sharks and braggarts… So, what got me into music? How can I answer since I was music from the start and music surrounded me even in my mother’s womb? But if I had to choose a specific moment in which I formalized my craft I guess it should be in 1973. I had in my hands the cover of the 45rpm “Man of many faces” by Christie and looking at Jeff, standing tall on the left side with a light blue leather jacket, I thought: “I want to be like this”, which eventually became: “I want to be a musician.” But I was just giving a name to something that was there from the start.

Website: www.LorenzoGabanizza.it
Facebook.com/Lorenzogabanizzaofficial
Instagram: @lorenzo.gabanizza
Twitter: @gabanizza

MuzicNotez: Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?

Lorenzo Gabanizza: You would need to dedicate to my answer a special number of your magazine. I can say that, aside from Jeff and his band Christie, I was influenced by classical composers, especially scandinavians and russians and 70’s rock, british invasion, Elvis Presley, folkish guys as Donovan or Baez and geniuses like Dylan; great singers like Edith Piaf, Neil Diamond, Chester Bennington and Freddie Mercury. Everything I listen to and like, in a way or another, influences me.

MuzicNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?

Lorenzo Gabanizza: To be listened. Not only with the ear, but also with the heart. I haven’t a message, not one, at least, but one vision which I express through my novels and songs.

MuzicNotez: What’s the latest release of yours? Tell us about it.

Lorenzo Gabanizza: My latest release is “I don’t want to live without you”, which reached #4 in the UK Itunes AC Charts. 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. In this track are involved a terrific bunch of awarded pros… Paul Fenton (drums) who, besides being drummer for the band CHRISTIE, toured with Jethro Tull and was and is drummer for Marc Bolan’s T-Rex. Kev Moore (Bass) who was bass player for Christie, BC Sweet and Saxon. Hale White (Piano) a Nashville talented guy who worked among the others with Pam Tillis, Lorrie Morgan, Collin Raye. Patrick Lyons (Dobro) who works for Colter Wall. Richard Curran (strings) who worked for the great Bert Jansch. John Heinrich (Whistle) who worked with Barry Gibb, Waylon Jennings etc. Mike Casteel (trumpets) who worked for Percy Sledge and Connie Francis. Catherine Ashcroft (Uillean pipes) member of duo “Mochara” with multi instrumentalist Maurice Dickson, Tanner Bayles (Tin whistle). On the background vocals, an amazing Gospel trio: Fortunate.
The mix, was partly done in Italy by my old mate Stefano Bedini and partly in England by a young talented engineer, Corey Moore with whom we established a solid working connection and friendship.

The Mastering has been handled by Grammy awarded Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone. Greg is the one who worked with Bowie, Lennon, Dylan and Steve got his Grammy in 2022 for his work with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett.