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Simone Fiorletta
Interview with Simone Fiorletta
By: Terry Bunch
Date: Aug, 2009

Hello Terry! Well, it's definitely not an album made under the banner of virtuosity, rather it is full of emotions. I like to write thinking about a certain subject and consequently adapt to it the most suitable music, no matter if it's rock-pop or metal or a ballad, the main thing is that listening to the album you can associate each track to its title, and only then I'm sure I've created the exact music.

I've already had the honor and pleasure of working with my dear friend Andrea on the previous album "My Secret Diary". Collaborating with him is both enjoyable and satisfactory: enjoyable because, being good friends we always have a good time together, and it also is satisfactory because the end result fulfills all of my needs and expectations, musically speaking.

At this point I would like to introduce the other members working on this album. Two of them, although in their early twenties, are very skilled: Marco Aiello on the drums and Matteo Raggi as a bass player. Other important guests played an active role in my album, such as the renowned guitar hero Neil Zaza, Mistheria (B. Dickinson and more), Armando Pizzuti and Valerio D'Anna from Moonlight Comedy, and Fabrizio Auri.

As I previously mentioned, I prefer to choose a subject and set it to music. Referring to "When Reality is Nothing", for example, the track titled "Thanks" is to express my gratitude to my parents; "My Brother", as you can easily guess, was inspired by my brother; "Dance In The City" was composed thinking of all of the times you go out purely for enjoyment; "I Believe In You" was written while my girlfriend was preparing for her thesis and I wanted to show her my support; Her life inspired me for another song, named "Loneliness In Your Eyes": I wrote this track when she was having a bad time due to a bereavement.

"Laura"… Well, in this song I imagine what my girlfriend would be like if she was a song; "Oh No, Once Again?" is the follow up of "Brawl in A Saloon" (My Secret Diary), you know the typical saloon fights you see in the comical movies, don't you!? "Ehy…What's Up?" is composed thinking of the times you see one of your friend particularly happy and instinctively say "Hey! What have you been up to?"; Finally, I wrote the song titled "Like a Bird" referring to the birds' flight, which is liberating from everything and everyone, as if in that moment you're living and directing you own dream.

I find it is very different, both in the recording studio and on stage. For example, when M.C. and I are composing, we close ourselves in the rehearsal room, and each one of us suggests some riffs or ideas on which we work on together. Most times it is my drummer Andrea Scala and I that work on the musical aspect, and then the track is finally arranged by us all, together. so this is very different from my solo albums, that I compose entirely by myself, alone in my study. During the recording and mixing phases, with M.C. each one of us carefully works on his part under the supervision of the rest of the group; in my solo works, instead, it's me only that oversees every phase in the making of the album, attentively listening and valuating that everything goes the right way. What's more with "When reality is nothing" I also am my own sound technician, meaning that, with the only exception of the drums, recorded by Sandro Assante at the "BlabLab", I recorded all the other instruments in my own studio, personally working also on the mixing and mastering. So with no hesitation I can say that working as a soloist is much harder than working with a band.

In all honesty I can say that my Flamenco guitar training doesn't influence my style, as it is very different from Flamenco itself.

Little by little I have collected different types of guitars, from Ibanez to Fender, and from there on. Up to a while ago, among those I tended to prefer the Ibanez ones, as I found them more manageable (at least the ones I used to have). Now I feel at ease with any guitar I play.

By the way, I would like to highly recommend an excellent Italian make of which I'm also endorser, it is called "Rash Guitars" (www.rashguitars.it) . This make already having an enormous success here in Italy, and it is set to expand abroad, thanks to the beauty and reliability of its products.

My birthplace and the surrounding towns are not big cities even though they're relatively close to Rome, the capital.

The local youngsters, me included, didn't have much of an opportunity to really explore certain artistic areas, such as music. Only the "audacious" (if I can so-call them...or should I say so-call "us"?) dared to venture further than the local mentality, by collecting the most information possible through magazines and other kinds of material, or even travelling extensively to discover things that in our town were yet to come. And so, some years ago, myself and three musicians/friends decided to open a music school that in which we could teach using a more modern approach...and we did it! Some of us, the majority, entirely dedicate themselves to teaching music, and others, as me, also get ahead with artistic or recording projects

I don't want to disappoint you but I have never played "Guitar Hero" and I'm not very fond of videogames. Sometimes, when I'm at my brother's house, I accept his challenges to play the football game called "Pes08" for the "Xbox", I think…is that what it's called??

I really like bands like Symphony X, Vanden Pas, Dream Theater, and Italian bands like Labyrinth and Vision Divine. There obviously are many other bands I listen to, even of different genres… That only was a small list.

I personally never look back, by this I mean that I try always to be busy. Currently, I am about to finish the new CD with Moonlight Comedy, and I've also started to work on another prog-metal project. By the beginning of the new year I intend to start working on my new solo disc, and bit by bit I'm writing a guitar tutor. I also opened a recording studio and I would like to reach the point to be able to launch the groups I consider valid, so to recommend them to the record labels.

I sincerely thank everyone, including you, for dedicating some of your time to me, and I hope you'll also find the time to listen to my album. I wait for you to write your opinion about my work on my website www.simonefiorletta.it and on my official myspace page www.myspace.com/simonefiorletta!

For More Information about Simone Fiorletta:

www.simonefiorletta.it
www.moonlightcomedy.com
www.lionmusic.com