Gianluca is the
bands bass player of Italian Progressive Hard Rock band, False Memories.
For those who have never heard False Memories, how
would you describe the band’s sound?
Our sound is a mix of different
influences from goth to metal, from progressive to hard rock. We like to call
it "Dark Rock".
We try to convey emotional music
via carefully structured songs, with a lot of attention to sound and
arrangements. The final result, if we’ve got it right, is a sort of dreamy
landscape which is to be listened to, more than danced. If you know what I
mean.
That’s really cool actually, and what would you say are
the bands main influences?
Like every band, the influences are
many. But if I have to name a few I would say Katatonia, Porcupine Tree and
Pink Floyd.
So tell me about where the name “False Memories” came
from? was it inspired by anything in particular?
A false memory is a psychological
phenomenon. Basically, sometimes our memories are not true, but are somehow
made up by our own mind. Since our perception of reality is built on our memories,
the fact that they may not be true can challenge everything we believe in. We
find this concept fascinating, thus our moniker.
And how did you guys meet?
The band was founded some years ago
by Francesco, who is our guitarist and songwriter. Like many other bands we had
to deal with a lot of line-up changes. Eventually in mid-2019 we came up with
the current one.
Speaking of song writing, you guys are an Italian
band, so why such a focus on English? Is that a popular trend in Italy?
In the metal scene there are many
bands who sing in English, I am quite sure you've already heard about Lacuna
Coil and Rhapsody of Fire. The Italian music mainstream is sung almost entirely
in Italian rather than English, but the world is bigger than Italy and the
world speaks English.
that’s actually really cool. Can you tell me a little
bit about the Italian metal scene?
There are a lot of interesting
bands. Besides the two I have already mentioned, among the less known I would
say my favorites are My Tin Apple from Tuscany, which do an interesting gothic
rock; Destrage which are a sort of hardcore/djent band from Milan and Furor
Gallico, also from Milan, who are a very interesting folk metal band. Of
course, I am now speaking for myself since every band member has their own
musical taste. Mine is folk/black metal actually.
I’ve noticed your English is really good, how did you
learn? and what made you first wanna learn?
At first I learned by listening to
songs that I liked, but then I lived in England for a while, therefore I can
speak the language.
As a musician, what do you think your biggest
struggles have been?
It's very hard if you want to play
your own music, because there are loads of bands who want to do the same thing
and the room is narrow. It's far easier if you just play as a session musician
for some mainstream dude, or as a member of a cover band. I did it when I was
young, but I have no interest in doing that anymore.
I definitely agree, and there are a lot of really good
underground bands right now, and most people are completely unaware.
Also YouTube, which is great in many
ways, in my opinion, is also spoiling the thing. A lot of very talented
musicians just sit in front of a camera showing off their skills instead of
actually playing with actual people.
I agree completely. And speaking of Youtube, you guys
released a video not long ago, can you tell me about that?
We have actually released three
music videos for “Trembling Sky”, “Heavenly”, and “Incomplete Life”. These
three songs are sung by our current singer Rossella and are also present in the
album as bonus tracks, whereas in the others there is still our former singer
Valentina.
In the first two videos there is a
storyline played by some actors, alternated with the band playing; the third
one is a cut of clips taken by an old German silent movie. You can find these
three videos on Rock of Angels Records channel, which is our label, by the way.
Can you tell me about the album as a whole? And was
this latest album with the current line up?
No, this album features a different
singer, which was also the author of the lyrics. She's a very good singer and
we wish her all the best, but we just kind of drifted apart. Our current singer
Rossella also has a great, albeit different, voice; more ethereal Valentina,
more powerful Rossella. Rossella's voice can also be heard in our album since
she's featured in three tracks, those of the video I mentioned before.
The album, although it's no concept
album in the narrow sense, is like a journey through an emotional path,
surrounded by melancholy and reflection. Of course, each song has a different atmosphere,
but I would say that every one of them has its part in the shaping of the albums
atmosphere as a whole.
Can fans of the old songs still look forward to
hearing them live now that you have a new singer?
In our shows we play the whole
album and it will be the case for a while. Nevertheless, we're working on our
new album, so as soon as it’s ready our audience will be hearing even more.
Do you have an estimated release date for the new
album?
Not really. We are working to have
it finished by this summer, but it's too soon to say for sure.
I’m really looking forward to hearing it!
Nice to hear it from you, I can
anticipate that it will be heavier and gloomier than the previous one.
Rossella's influence is strong and she's scary 🙂
To switch the tone of the interview a little bit, I
know a lot of people who listen to your music and really, this style in
general, suffer from depression and/or anxiety. What would you say to a fan was
suffering from one of these?
I would say that anxiety and
depression are no joke, but a music with a vibe like ours can help to cope with
it. It's like to feel a sense of brotherhood. That you're not alone in your
situation. It can help.
And do you have any advice for fans who get bullied
for liking this type of music (or for any other reason)?
Go to the gym, learn how to fight,
and beat the shit out of the bullies.
I know it's often not simple as
that, but the key is confidence. Bullies are basically cowards that built their
confidence upon one's lack of it.
Have you or any of the other members been bullied, or
had to deal with bullies?
I cannot speak for the others, but
I never was, and I am quite sure that our guitarist wasn't either, since he
served in the army.
On a more fun note, do you have any crazy or funny
memories related to the band or a show that you’d like to share?
Nothing crazy, but I would like to
mention a gig we did in Padua, northern Italy. The gig was done in a very weird
location: a barber shop, which is called "Ruvido (means "rough",
"harsh") Barber Rock Club". We played inside the shop and the
audience stayed outside in the street. There were a lot of people and the vibe
was amazing. The shop's owners do this once a month in the context of keeping
the neighborhood alive. They're definitely great people.
That most have been awesome. And Speaking of, I’ve
noticed that False Memories has been gaining a huge following lately
Yes, we've noticed it too, and it's
amazing!
Is there anything in particular that you attribute it
to?
As far as I can tell nothing
particular but the spreading of our material, and of course reviews, interviews
and so forth. The more the people like it, the happier we are.
That’s awesome,
and hopefully this interview can send a few more people your way lol
Ok so, if someone were to meet you in person, what do
you think the main things they would find would be?
Oh, tough question, I think they would
find a 43 years old bass player, quite easygoing and perhaps a little too
talkative.
Cool, and do you wanna wrap this interview up with
some last words to the reader and what they should be looking out for in 2020
from the band?
Well, we're currently working on
our new album, but since its release, keep in touch with our Facebook page herewhere we put as much material as we
can. If you like our music, spread it and we may have the chance to come near
you to pay a playful visit!
All images used with permission.