He Will Rock You

By Sheena Metal  

Whether in Italy , Los Angeles , or on tour, singer/songwriter Luca Spanio is hoping to prove that he is a champion. 

It's hard enough to cultivate your music, then perform, produce, and promote it in your own home town.  But when you're thousands of miles from home--in a different country and on a different continent--the daunting task of making and selling CDs and building a fan base, moves from difficult to near impossible.  But not completely unheard of, as every day, brave souls come to Los Angeles from all around the world and attempt to work their way into rock ‘n' roll stardom.  Sadly, most go home, defeated but a few rise to the top and make a place for themselves in the Entertainment Capital of the World using talent and sheer determination as their tools of success.  Italian singer/songwriter Luca Spanio is one of the lucky ones who's making his music career work in the City of Angels and now taking it on the road. 

Sheena Metal: You are from Italy . How does the music scene in the United States , specifically in Los Angeles , vary from what you're used to at home?

Luca Spanio : Here there is more variety. You have blues clubs, open mic nights every week for acoustic acts, jazz clubs, rock shows, etc. Here you have more music and more places where to play and that makes it more easy to live like a musician.  

SM: What made you decide to come to the USA and why did you pick L.A. ?

LS: I wanted to sing in English and it's hard to do that in Italy , so the 2 options were the United States or London , England . I picked Los Angeles because I wanted to go to a good music school, and I picked Musicians Institute, here in Hollywood . 

SM: Do you write songs in English or in Italian and what is it like to translate the lyrics from one language to another?

LS: When I write a song, I write the music first. Then, I try to focus on what kind of emotion the music gives to me and I put in the lyrics. I don't translate songs. I usually try to write English songs, but then I remember that girls love the Italian sound, so I put a few Italian songs in my shows. [Laughs] 

SM: Is the guitar your first instrument and do you play any others?

LS: Honestly my first instrument is my voice. I can sing anything but I cannot play everything on the guitar. And I also played bass guitar on my CD, piano and a little harmonica. 

SM : What musicians have influenced you throughout your life and why?

LS: My first real influence was Beethoven.  When I heard the fifth symphony, it was like a shock for me--and I'm still listening to him all the time.  I studied classical music in Italy and he is still, by far, my favorite classical composer.  Beethoven's music was so powerful; even with no guitar. Then, I discovered The Beatles--their melodies were cool, The Beatles was my first band I ever loved, the little choir, the structure of the songs. And then Queen came and I started playing guitar and after them all of the 1970's bands like: Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and Deep Purple influenced me in my playing. I've studied jazz too and I really love Django Reinhardt (his music was so innovative), Charlie Parker and George Benson. During my school years here in California , I played with Scott Henderson who is a master of fusion-jazz and I've also met Joe Diorio another master in jazz guitar. 

SM: Part of your show is to perform a set of Queen songs, but you are covering them in a way SO much different from hearing the original band live.  Do die-hard Queen fans ever question the artistic liberties of your arrangements?

LS: Nobody's ever complained. I don't try to sing like Freddie Mercury or try to sound like Queen. I just play my favorite music in my own way. I think that the people who come to my shows already know that it's going to be something different.  

SM: What's the hardest thing about doing a set of songs by a band as loved as Queen?  Do you feel obligated to deliver the goods, so to speak?

LS: Yes. When I see people wearing Queen t-shirts at my shows, or when I see people right in front of me people singing every single word of every single song, it´s very important because those people are the ones that truly know Queen's music, and in my mind I think "Oh, they love Freddie´s voice, are they going like me?” or “Will I sing well enough for them?" But, at the end of the show, they seem to all look happy [and they buy CDs] so I guess they really liked me. [Laughs] 

SM: Any reason why you didn´t try to put together a full electric Queen Tribute band?

LS: A cover band to me must to sounds like the original, and emulating the sound of Freddie Mercury's voice is pretty impossible. What I'm trying to do is not a tribute band or a cover band, it's just a way to create a show where I can sing and play my favorite band's songs mixed with my original ones.  

SM: How is the reaction different for your original songs?

LS: Thankfully, it's not and at the end of my shows they buy my CD with my original songs on it, which is great. Most of the time people come up to me and say, "You did a good job with the Queen tunes and I really liked your original songs, the melody and the lyrics fix really well together." 

SM: It seems that you mostly play solo acoustic show with both your original tunes and the Queen cover set.  Do you prefer energy to a full live band experience?

LS : Honestly, I prefer the full band--you turn on stage and you're connected with the bass player, or you look at the drummer and you know at that point, you have to stop the song. The vibe on stage with other people is something you cannot substitute.  

SM: You just came back from a tour of the San Francisco Bay Area, with a live show almost every day and multiple radio show appearances on top of that.  How do you do with that kind of hectic schedule?

LS : Pretty well. I mean, it is hard staying on the road for ten days, --moving from city to city, going where you don't know anybody and spending most of the time by yourself. But it was an experience that I will do again for sure. 

SM: What do you like about touring and what are your favorite types of venues to play?

LS: I like that you never know who you're going to meet tomorrow night or where you're going to play. Everything is like a big surprise every day. I don't really have favorite venues, but I do like the ones with the big stages. Sometimes even that doesn't really matter. The people in front of me make a venue good. 

SM: What was the best thing about this tour?

LS: Well, I played in four different cities, met so many new people, sold lots of CDs and t-shirts and I actually got paid. I think the best thing about this tour was the tour itself.  Everything was great. 

SM: Is it true you've recorded live tracks from your recent tour?

LS: Yes. On my website (http:// www.lucaspanio.com ) I have the songs from the CD I took on tour. You can also find them on My Space at: http:// www.myspace.com/lucaspanio and http:// www.myspace.com/queenacoustic . Soon, I will put the two radio interviews I did on tour on my websites, as well as some live shows I got the opportunity to record on the Bay Area Tour. 

SM: Do you have another tour lined up?

LS : I have a little tour booked in Las Vegas at the end of the year and I'm planning an east-coast tour for 2009. 

SM : Where do you hope to be career-wise in five years and why?

LS: Wembley Stadium? Yeah, I can say that. [Laughs] I don't know--being a musician nowadays is very hard. Today you're on top and tomorrow you're nobody--and right now I'm working to be on top. 

For upcoming dates, CD info or more information contact: lucaspanio@yahoo.com .  

Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician.  Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners.  Her musicians' assistance program, Music Highway , boasts over 10,000 members.  She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides.  For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com .