Marcello Sperandeo Interview
Q: I’m interested in the transition you made in the arts from drama to music. Do you remember what spoke to you at such a young age to put your focus into music?
A: Well, after picking up guitar seriously during high school, I very quickly discovered I was much better at understanding/playing music than I was at basically anything else I had ever tried my hand at. It even pushed me to go back to playing a lot of piano which i hadn’t really done since my childhood. The fact that I had previously been so into film prior to that I think rubbed off into my music and actually a lot of the stuff I write at home has a very film-score kind of feel. I’d be very interested in doing music for film/video games down the road I think. But anyways, yeah, music spoke to me on a very deep, personal level but also it was the first thing I ever attempted that I felt I was good at, and that’s always a nice feeling.
Q: Your four song EP Ritual is a complete solo endeavor. The creative process for solo musicians with full compositions is always intriguing. Can you tell us about your creative process for the songs on Ritual?
A: I’ve always tracked ideas as I’ve written them. It’s very rare that I’ve fleshed out an entire idea and then recorded it all. Basically, I’ll usually start with a riff or a drum rhythm. It can be something inspired by the vibe of another band I’ve heard, or just something random that pops into my head. I’ve definitely been caught behind the bar at work beatboxing ideas into my iPhone before. I layer all my instrumentation first, doing my best to leave space for vocals to sit, and trying to work out where a solo/breakdown/interlude section might fit if it feels right. Vocals usually come last. I’ll begin with just humming a vocal melody, then write lyrics that fit into that melody. It sounds like a tough puzzle to put together, but for whatever reason, I find that when I’m given tight parameters to work within, I tend to be more creative rather than just saying “Okay, do whatever you want, the possibilities are endless.” That can get a little overwhelming at times.
Q: The lead guitar work is exceptional. Can you divulge some of your secrets for our audience? Any pointers?
A: Wow, thank you! I’ve always put an emphasis on the guitar being as much of a voice as my actual vocals are. I’m not much of a shredder at all, and neither were my idols growing up. David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler and Gary Moore were some massive inspirations for me growing up that shaped what I saw as desirable guitar work. What these guys all had in common was tone, and tasteful playing over speed and technicality. Even the more modern players I look up to like Ian Thornley and Guthrie Govan (whom I had the immense pleasure of meeting), as brilliant and quick as they are, are extremely tasteful in their playing, and you seem to be able to hear feeling in every note and not just a blur of scales being run. My biggest tips would probably be to firstly: Perfect your bends. Like, REALLY get them down. It’s a dead giveaway that will make you sound amateur if your bends are subpar. And b) I know I’m beating a dead horse here, but you have to practice like a motherfucker. No excuses, just DO IT as often and as long as you possibly can. People like to attribute skill to “natural talent” or “a gift” or what have you. This is a terrible misconception that turns many people off of music when they can’t pick it up right away. I can tell you with 100% certainty, I wouldn’t be where I was with my playing if I didn’t spend four plus hours a day after school just plugging away. I’m still striving to improve my playing, focusing on my weak areas and seeking new techniques so I don’t fall into my “old bag of tricks.”
Q: Your lyrics are often open to interpretation wrestling with what seems to be existential themes. Can you give some insight into any specifics?
A: Sure! I find myself gravitating towards writing about things like how we take our lives for granted, and perhaps can’t grasp the true value of our time here, or how some people want to live forever, and yet fall into mundane routines and are content living a passionless, shallow life. Uplifting stuff, right? (*laughs*) No, but really, the aim is never to point fingers at people or tell them how to live their life, but rather to have someone reflect on their own existence and make sure they’re happy with the way they’re spending it. I’ve always been of the mindset that you should find what you’re passionate about in life and then just obsess over it.
With “Fill Your Lungs”, the themes are that of finding yourself… your TRUE self, and having the courage to make changes in your life without trying to constantly justify that things are just “the way they are.” However, the song also is special to me on a personal level since I see it as me literally finding my voice and beginning to sing. I haven’t been singing for very long, and I feel like I’m just recently starting to find my own way vocally and being more confident in that regard. The title track “Ritual” deals more with how some people accept pain and emotional distress (be it due to a toxic relationship, a job, a lifestyle, etc.) as part of their routine, and they find some kind of sick comfort in that familiarity.
Q: Your music can go from near metal to prog to places in between. Where do some of the inspiration musical or otherwise to make this type of cross-genre come from?
A: I only recently discovered (in the past six years or so) that there are in fact some INCREDIBLE new bands out there, you just really have to search for them. Guys like Steven Wilson are, to me, the evolution of Pink Floyd and these other amazing prog artists. The first time I heard bands like Karnivool, Opeth, TesseracT and Porcupine Tree, it just flicked a switch and it was a whole new world for me. So in regards to the “cross-genre” thing, I heard these guys and was like “Wait… you’re allowed to do this in rock?!” I seem to really have a penchant for odd time signatures and polyrhythms and these guys use those tools in very tasteful ways. The groove and the mood has to come first for me, before any flashiness or technical wank. I’ve never wanted to write stuff that was ALWAYS soft or ALWAYS heavy. Things lose impact without dynamics. It can be tough to organically fuse, for example, ambient spacey sounds with crushing breakdowns, but I like to think I find a good balance. I always write for myself, and I compose the songs in a flow I enjoy hearing. I don’t think about wether or not it will be jarring to an audience, because once you start saying things like “Oh no, the listener won’t enjoy that” you compromise and suppress your own sound as an artist. I think if people feel you’re being genuine, they’ll at least appreciate that
Q: 2017 is just getting started. What else can we expect from your solo project this year?
A: Well I’m hoping to get a music video for one of these tunes out this year, and I’m working on turning the tracks from this EP into a full-length release in the near future. I’m also the guitarist/lyricist in a band called Altered Fate and we’re expecting to release our first EP this year as well, so I work on my own stuff in the downtime. I have so many little riffs jotted down and several half-finished song ideas, so oftentimes it’s just a matter of sitting down and really figuring out which ideas to abandon and which ones are worth pursuing
Q: I’m interested in the transition you made in the arts from drama to music. Do you remember what spoke to you at such a young age to put your focus into music?
A: Well, after picking up guitar seriously during high school, I very quickly discovered I was much better at understanding/playing music than I was at basically anything else I had ever tried my hand at. It even pushed me to go back to playing a lot of piano which i hadn’t really done since my childhood. The fact that I had previously been so into film prior to that I think rubbed off into my music and actually a lot of the stuff I write at home has a very film-score kind of feel. I’d be very interested in doing music for film/video games down the road I think. But anyways, yeah, music spoke to me on a very deep, personal level but also it was the first thing I ever attempted that I felt I was good at, and that’s always a nice feeling.
Q: Your four song EP Ritual is a complete solo endeavor. The creative process for solo musicians with full compositions is always intriguing. Can you tell us about your creative process for the songs on Ritual?
A: I’ve always tracked ideas as I’ve written them. It’s very rare that I’ve fleshed out an entire idea and then recorded it all. Basically, I’ll usually start with a riff or a drum rhythm. It can be something inspired by the vibe of another band I’ve heard, or just something random that pops into my head. I’ve definitely been caught behind the bar at work beatboxing ideas into my iPhone before. I layer all my instrumentation first, doing my best to leave space for vocals to sit, and trying to work out where a solo/breakdown/interlude section might fit if it feels right. Vocals usually come last. I’ll begin with just humming a vocal melody, then write lyrics that fit into that melody. It sounds like a tough puzzle to put together, but for whatever reason, I find that when I’m given tight parameters to work within, I tend to be more creative rather than just saying “Okay, do whatever you want, the possibilities are endless.” That can get a little overwhelming at times.
Q: The lead guitar work is exceptional. Can you divulge some of your secrets for our audience? Any pointers?
A: Wow, thank you! I’ve always put an emphasis on the guitar being as much of a voice as my actual vocals are. I’m not much of a shredder at all, and neither were my idols growing up. David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler and Gary Moore were some massive inspirations for me growing up that shaped what I saw as desirable guitar work. What these guys all had in common was tone, and tasteful playing over speed and technicality. Even the more modern players I look up to like Ian Thornley and Guthrie Govan (whom I had the immense pleasure of meeting), as brilliant and quick as they are, are extremely tasteful in their playing, and you seem to be able to hear feeling in every note and not just a blur of scales being run. My biggest tips would probably be to firstly: Perfect your bends. Like, REALLY get them down. It’s a dead giveaway that will make you sound amateur if your bends are subpar. And b) I know I’m beating a dead horse here, but you have to practice like a motherfucker. No excuses, just DO IT as often and as long as you possibly can. People like to attribute skill to “natural talent” or “a gift” or what have you. This is a terrible misconception that turns many people off of music when they can’t pick it up right away. I can tell you with 100% certainty, I wouldn’t be where I was with my playing if I didn’t spend four plus hours a day after school just plugging away. I’m still striving to improve my playing, focusing on my weak areas and seeking new techniques so I don’t fall into my “old bag of tricks.”
Q: Your lyrics are often open to interpretation wrestling with what seems to be existential themes. Can you give some insight into any specifics?
A: Sure! I find myself gravitating towards writing about things like how we take our lives for granted, and perhaps can’t grasp the true value of our time here, or how some people want to live forever, and yet fall into mundane routines and are content living a passionless, shallow life. Uplifting stuff, right? (*laughs*) No, but really, the aim is never to point fingers at people or tell them how to live their life, but rather to have someone reflect on their own existence and make sure they’re happy with the way they’re spending it. I’ve always been of the mindset that you should find what you’re passionate about in life and then just obsess over it.
With “Fill Your Lungs”, the themes are that of finding yourself… your TRUE self, and having the courage to make changes in your life without trying to constantly justify that things are just “the way they are.” However, the song also is special to me on a personal level since I see it as me literally finding my voice and beginning to sing. I haven’t been singing for very long, and I feel like I’m just recently starting to find my own way vocally and being more confident in that regard. The title track “Ritual” deals more with how some people accept pain and emotional distress (be it due to a toxic relationship, a job, a lifestyle, etc.) as part of their routine, and they find some kind of sick comfort in that familiarity.
Q: Your music can go from near metal to prog to places in between. Where do some of the inspiration musical or otherwise to make this type of cross-genre come from?
A: I only recently discovered (in the past six years or so) that there are in fact some INCREDIBLE new bands out there, you just really have to search for them. Guys like Steven Wilson are, to me, the evolution of Pink Floyd and these other amazing prog artists. The first time I heard bands like Karnivool, Opeth, TesseracT and Porcupine Tree, it just flicked a switch and it was a whole new world for me. So in regards to the “cross-genre” thing, I heard these guys and was like “Wait… you’re allowed to do this in rock?!” I seem to really have a penchant for odd time signatures and polyrhythms and these guys use those tools in very tasteful ways. The groove and the mood has to come first for me, before any flashiness or technical wank. I’ve never wanted to write stuff that was ALWAYS soft or ALWAYS heavy. Things lose impact without dynamics. It can be tough to organically fuse, for example, ambient spacey sounds with crushing breakdowns, but I like to think I find a good balance. I always write for myself, and I compose the songs in a flow I enjoy hearing. I don’t think about wether or not it will be jarring to an audience, because once you start saying things like “Oh no, the listener won’t enjoy that” you compromise and suppress your own sound as an artist. I think if people feel you’re being genuine, they’ll at least appreciate that
Q: 2017 is just getting started. What else can we expect from your solo project this year?
A: Well I’m hoping to get a music video for one of these tunes out this year, and I’m working on turning the tracks from this EP into a full-length release in the near future. I’m also the guitarist/lyricist in a band called Altered Fate and we’re expecting to release our first EP this year as well, so I work on my own stuff in the downtime. I have so many little riffs jotted down and several half-finished song ideas, so oftentimes it’s just a matter of sitting down and really figuring out which ideas to abandon and which ones are worth pursuing