Steel Notes Magazine October "Halloween" Issue 2016 | Page 88
Steel Notes Magazine
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October 2016
When you started your career, it
must not have been so easy to let the
world know you wanted to become a
guitarist full time. Was it hard? Did
you have the support of your family
and friends or did you have to fight
to convince them about your choice?
What was the biggest emotion you
experienced during your musical
career? The place that fascinated
you the most? The most intense
moment as a musician?
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It’s a great feeling every time I play in
concert in a historical place or when I
release an album. I still remember
when I released the first album with
my old band, the Clairvoyants. I held
the final product in my hand, and felt
so proud. Releasing an album is
always special for me. Other moments
that I will always remember are the
call I got from Blaze Bayley’s
manager, to confirm I was gonna play
in his band, or that time Doro called
me to let me know I could replace the
previous guitar player. There have
been other events that deeply changed
me. The first American tour, for
instance, playing as the headliner band
at the Wacken Open Air festival, and
sharing the stage with some of my alltime musical idols.
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Was there a turning point in your
life, the one moment that really
characterized your musical path?
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I have always felt a strong attraction
towards musical instruments, since
when I was a child. Maybe the turning
point was when my parents bought me
my first guitar, I was 10 years old.
Since then I never stopped playing and
always thought being a professional
musician was what I was supposed to
be doing for the rest of my life.
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Music for a living also implies
tradeoffs, compromises. What
would you do again, if you were to
Even though I don’t have a family of
musicians, they have always supported
me over my career. At the beginning it
was not easy to make them understand
that playing the guitar was not
something I wanted to do just for fun,
but for a living. I just kept playing,
with determination and commitment,
and over time my family understood
how important music was in my life.
Eventually my parents ended up being
very proud of my achievements. I also
had plenty of support from fellow
musicians, who believed in me and
always encouraged me to progress.
Photo by Al Pulford
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