After recently returning from a decade-long break to release his stunning comeback singles 'Swallowed By The Sun (Love)' and 'Spiders & My Mother' in recent months, British-based Italian artist Marco Spiezia returns once again to offer up his latest outing 'Feelin Set'.
Bringing back more of that bright and sun-kissed direction he is known for, 'Feelin Set' makes for a wonderfully rich and illuminating listen. With his warm and joyous vocal performance layered across a vibrant production from start to finish, he is returning to the fold with one of his most uplifting releases to date here.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has inspired him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Guitar guitar guitar! There was a 12 string acoustic (sooo hard to play) and a classical guitar always lying around the house as my dad would play it every now and then. I picked it up first when (I am told) I was 4 or 5. Just messing around, but apparently I was mesmerised by the instrument. In later years I also played a bit of piano as we had one in the house (mum was trained on it as a child), but the guitar became my go to item for every spare second I had from age 13 onwards, by then especially the electric.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
During my early years (from my earliest memories to my early teens) there was a mix of radio (italian radio at the time) and my parents’ favourite tunes which spread from Gospel type music to the biggest Italian pop artists of their era. Dad was also into rock but as a child I didn’t pay much attention to it.
Lucio Battisti was probably the biggest name I remember, and his self-titled album + “Emozioni” are probably the 2 albums which were on constant rotation in the house. His musical genius for me is unquestionable.. especially if we consider how narrow-minded the Italian music industry was in the late 60’s. He managed to really push the boundaries of acoustic folk mixed with experimental sounds of the time. In the UK that was more common at the time. 2 of his songs which come to mind to explain what I mean are ‘Fiori rosa, Fiori di pesco’. Very melodic song with very interesting dynamics, and ‘Non è Francesca’, clearly an acoustic song, accompanied by live strings, which closes in an unexpected full band collage.
I also loved how his voice wasn’t particularly worked on by today’s standards. It was raw and honest. As I got a bit older I definitely remember loving Motown and classics of the soul genre like Nina Simone, Etta James, Bill Withers, Otis Redding and the likes.
Then when I hit my teenage years I went all out on rock. Started with Hendrix, Zeppelin etc, and ended up with – probably my all time favourite teenage band Rage Against The Machine. Metallica was definitely up there with the top listens, along with (a bit later) Incubus, Reef (our local music heroes in Cornwall) and eventually The Cat Empire which also was a definite late influence.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Ride The Lightning by Metallica
Rage Against The Machine (self titled from 1992)
Make Yourself by Incubus
All 3 are clear visual memories for me. I remember the excitement of buying each one, touching the cover, looking at the inner booklet and placing the CD in the player for the first time, then listening to each album back to back over and over again. Obviously I didn’t buy them all together! Metallica came first as a present which I’d asked for, Rage was my first personal purchase, and I think Incubus may well have been my first ever online purchase (which at the time felt like going to Mars).
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
I love the Beatles (ok most people do) but for some reason Let It Be has a special place in my heart. No idea why, other than maybe there’s some deep childhood memory linked to it. I would not want to have written it myself, but I would love to be able to write something so simple, so powerful and also so widely appreciated over the decades. Music has the power of helping people through the good and the bad times in life, and that’s an intrinsic value I have always highly rated.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
It really happens whenever “it wants to”.
Typically I’ll sit with my guitar doodling for hours (well before I had children! Now there’s a bit less time, but I still try whenever I can, even if it means taking a guitar to the toilet), until I kinda fall into a trance where the guitar plays without me really thinking about what’s happening. That’s when songs start coming out. If I hear something that really moves me then I repeat it over and over until a song is born. I start humming as I play, which is how the melody comes, and normally the lyrics come last.
I have also written songs where the lyrics come first, but I find that in general they don’t come out as well.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Here are a few which I’m enjoying at the mo:
Pesky Brothers
Vulfpek
Royal Blood (went to see them with Muse at Rome stadium recently.. amazing!)
Paolo Nutini (even my 4 year old son goes “Dad can you play Through The Echoes” at the moment!)
The Marcus King Band
The Dip
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
I think opening for Nutini would be cool. He’s not like my idol or anything, but I guess his fans would probably dig enough of my music, considering there are some vague similarities (probably with his earlier works). I think in general it’s better to open for an artist that sounds like you rather than being in front of a larger audience which doesn’t resonate with your style.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Creating music and playing live. If I could I would happily spend half of my life in a studio and the other half on a stage. I have played live extensively for the past 2 decades, from dingy little bars to festivals… and whilst it’s very physically demanding I have always loved every second of it.
And what is the most frustrating part?
The marketing part. 100%! I am ever so thankful for you guys wanting to take interest in what I’m doing… by the way! But in general marketing the music is something I struggle with. I sell by trade (in my day job) but I hate selling myself! So you have a full time job to pay the bills, you spend nights, months, years writing music, then more nights playing live, then your savings recording it and getting it to a (nowadays very high) standard. And when all of this is done…? Well that’s when you start all over again to try and find an audience to your music. It’s insane how much time and money has to go in it, but I guess that this is also the rule of the jungle.. whoever perseveres the most wins.
Frankly I’m not big on social media either. I don’t like writing something just to gain attention. If I have something to say I will, but that doesn’t necessarily happen 4 times a day. I personally know artists who live on music.. They need a full time social team, which to me makes little sense, because what fans read and see is not what the musician necessarily thinks or says. It’s becoming an automated machine and I hate that. At the same time if used wisely, social media can definitely be a great tool to reach wider audiences, so I guess it’s about finding the right personal balance. I’m a people’s person, so I’d much rather go for a beer and have a chat with someone than bend my neck 90 degrees to stare at a screen.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
1. Think about the full scope of what you want to do before you do it
2. Don’t try to sound like your favourite artists. Find your own sound, no matter how long it takes
The first is more about life in general. I think it’s important as you get older to choose your path. If you wanna be a full time musician you need to understand the pro’s and con’s. I didn’t go for that because I didn’t want to be enslaved by music, I wanted to enjoy music, but to do that I needed the luxury of choosing when to do it. Let me be clearer… if you try to make it as an artist and that’s all you have but it doesn’t work out, the only alternative is teaching music or working maybe in a music shop? I mean if you want to remain close to your instrument. I didn’t want to stay trapped like that because I didn’t like any of the options left in case the artist part didn’t’ work out (remember that being a YouTuber didn’t exist when I went to University), so I decided to play it safe, study, get a degree and then a job to pay for what I love the most. I don’t think this is always the right way to go but I am personally happy with the way I handled it.
The second piece of advice was given to me as a young kid with a guitar in his hands and was a MASSIVE thing for me. We all try to emulate our heroes, and that’s normal, but it’s also a 1 way street. Having influences is one thing, copying them is another.
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Marco Spiezia's new single 'Feelin Set' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.