What was the defining moment when you knew music would be a central part of your life?
I developed an interest in music since very early ages but it wasn’t until the age of 15 when I picked up my very first guitar and started learning after being captivated by Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour guitar. Back then I knew I wanted to get skilled in guitar.
How did growing up in Buenos Aires shape your musical identity?
Buenos Aires has always been pretty big when it comes to Rock music . When I was a kid Argentine Rock bands sounded on the radio all day long due to very harsh restrictions imposed to English music during the Falklands War era. Especially some very good Progressive Rock bands that were incredibly popular back then, like Seru Giran, Almendra and others. That’s how I became a huge Prog Rock fan.
How has your IT background influenced your approach to composing or producing music?
I would say definitely yes. Mastering a new software application comes natural and that clearly helped me master Logic Pro, which is the DAW I use to, not only mix, but also compose.
As a multi-instrumentalist, how do you determine which instrument to start with when composing a new piece?
It’s always either the piano or the guitar. That’s where I always start and it depends on what instrument I have at hand when I start writing. Many times I started on guitar by laying out some interesting chord progression to later leaving the rhythm guitar totally out of the composition and using keyboards instead. What I can tell you is that I never start on the bass guitar.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process? How do you decide which instruments and arrangements best serve a particular track?
I can split the writing process in two very distinct parts.
- The foundation:
This is basically the chord progression and lyrics (sometime I start with the chord progression and some others with the lyrics) and melody (this always comes last). I tend to add some borrowed chords and key switching to force the melody to be unique. - The arrangement:
Once I have the foundation kind of done I start arranging. This is the part that usually takes more time because I try different options until I find something I like and because some of the music I write has different parts (Petty Life is a clear example) the arrangement can drastically vary from one part to the next one. I let the song guide me and add what it needs, whether it’s an orchestral section like in “Welcome to the Zoo” or a subtle piano like in “Petty Life”.
One thing that you will find in all of my songs is base keyboards and guitars.
What emotions or messages do you aim to convey through your music?
I write about things that matter to me so the lyrics I write tend to be profound. Even though the stories I write are all fiction they all have some real life inspiration. I want the listener to think about the actual meaning of each and everyone.
What’s the story behind the title “Petty Life”? What does it mean to you?
Petty Life came to life out of me being tired of people with double standards. People that pretend to be the best alive. Those same people who would commit all sort of bad things using religion as a justification. These very people who would never go to the front lines but would gladly convince their followers to immolate in their name.
What emotions were you experiencing while writing the single?
I would say frustration was the main emotion behind the whole album. Frustration of the phenomenal brain washing machine the current politics can become. And this is not just in the US, but all over the world and through out the history. That can be clearly appreciated in the song “El Conquistador”, which was intentionally included in Spanish as a soft of way to picture this is a endemic problem that knows no frontiers.
What was the most rewarding moment during the creation of the EP “Petty Life”?
Petty Life was my first true Prog Rock album and that is a thing I will always have in my heart. The fact that I could break the 5 minutes barrier without being repetitive or boring what a huge accomplishment for me.
Also, including an orchestral section in the song “Welcome to the Zoo” was pretty rewarding since it took me quite some study to make it. At the end it fit perfectly well with the whole mood of that song.
Tekin Irengun collaborated with you on this project. How did this partnership come about, and what was the collaborative process like?
Tekin is a phenomenal drummer that happened to get exactly what I was looking for. We met over a Facebook group we both participate in when I was asking for someone who would like to play drums. Petty Life was not the first project we worked together so we both knew what we wanted.
The process of remote collaboration is now pretty easy so I basically send my half cooked songs and give him absolute freedom to create. He does his part and sends it back. I don’t recall any time where I had to ask him to redo any part.
He is just an outstanding drummer and I was lucky enough to cross path with him.
What’s next for you? Any new music in the works?
After Petty Life, I released a new single named “Broken Play (Why)” with very profound lyrics and music.
I am now working on some ideas I have. Time doesn’t play in my favor with my actual job and family duties so it’s taking a bit longer than I like but it’ll come out sooner or later.
Where do you see your music career in the next five years?
I am constantly thinking about new projects to work on. I hope I have more albums in the years to come. Whether my music becomes popular or not is a different story. The type of music I write is well past its days of glory but that won’t discourage me to keep writing about things I think are important and focusing on genre as complex as Prog
Rock.
