ROCKNATION ISSUE 22
E.Z. RIDERS
Interview with Alessandro Alessandrini by Tom Mathers
Your “Experienced Zydeco Riders” release got worldwide press with positive reviews and feedback’s and was awarded by
“RadioIndy.com” site please tell us about that.
Our first album was a kind of natural experience, a very “pure and simple” thing. I took some songs that I had written through the years,
some tunes came out during the rehearsal in very little time. All was very quick and spontaneous. The lyrics of the songs are very easy
stuff. There are blues based guitar riffs and easy harmonies; only a couple of songs like “30 years” and “still blows the wind” are more
introspective. The album was self produced with a very small budget. Despite of all, since the beginning the album surprisingly aroused
a strong interest. The tunes are very catchy, but we would never thought to have so many listeners on the Internet and to be awarded as
one of the best independent bands of that year. What started like a bet had turned into something very good and strong.
On your next release “Long Way From Home” it was added to many Radio Play lists worldwide. Following that you performed
live in New York City and a mini tour around London. Many bands just dream about that, what was that like to perform out of
your country?
It was great! We were trying to perform in the USA because most part of our fan base is from the US; so I sent some mails to many clubs
in New York City and we managed to book a show at “Arlene’s Grocery”, one of the best venues in the lower east side; Michael Stipe
from R.E.M. and Rich Robinson from Black Crowes had also played there. We had a powerful sound; in clubs like that the bands can
play very loud and the audience love it. People was very interested and we had such a good time in NYC. In London we found a very
interesting musical scene too. We shared the stage with many good bands, there was so many live clubs and we could easily book 3
dates in 1 week. It was an important step forward in our career, and we’re working to come back to play in the US and UK as soon as
possible.
You have a new lead singer Ivano Andreozzi in your band how has that changed the bands sound?
Ever since Ivano joined the band, i think we have grown a lot in terms of musicianship and expression. The sound is more complete, also
thanks to his skills with the harmonica. Ivano is one of my best friends and while i was writing the songs for the new album i thought that
for the new tracks we needed a more rough and powerful voice, so i called Ivano asking him if he wanted to try to sit in with us and sing
a couple of songs. Since the first listening it was clear that those songs seemed to be written for him. Not much time later we have taken
back the previous songs adding Ivano’s voice and set three voices arrangements for the most of them. I think that with Ivano in the band
we have risen to a higher level and we can feel clearly that the Group keeps on growing month after month.
If you had to tell someone what your band sounded like, what bands would you mention?
Well, our band has always had a wide range of musical influences. This is one of our trademarks. Listening to our music you can find
Southern rock, you might think about Lynyrd Skynyrd or ZZ Top, but you can also hear a strong Led Zeppelin influence, and of course
I must say Warren Haynes, wich is my favorite artist, Allman Brothers Band, and Gov’t Mule; blues roots are very clear too: I grew up
listening to Johnny Winter, definitely one of my personal guitar heroes. Some tracks of ours also may sound like Grand Funk Railroad.
Your band is from the country Italy, I see you do allot of shows posted no facebook. What is the music scene like there?
It’s pretty hard for a blues rock band in Italy. Most clubs host cover bands or tribute bands, Italian audiences are not very much interested
in listening to original bands or discovering new music. Also The Radio stations only play pop music. But lately I can see young people
much more curious in discovering independent bands, with an increasing interest for original rock acts. Our fan base is growing fast
between the younger guys, and that’s a pride and joy for us. Making our genre of music in Italy is definitely a kind of resistance; but after
years on the road finally we find out that maybe something is changing, we are finding a more and more warm atmosphere at our shows
and more and more people seem to be interested to our music.
What is some of the music you listen to now?
As I said, I’m an Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule fan. I like Derek Trucks very much too; Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. I listen to
classics but I’ve found also interesting Jack White in his solo career. BlackBerry Smoke is another band that I like. Lately I discovered a
very talented guy: Marcus King; he’s got a new album out now and I think that its music is very good indeed.
What plans do you have for 2016?
We got a lot of things goin’ on for 2016. We’re starting the studio recordings for the new album that is expected to be released in April
2016. We got ten new songs and we’re very excited about this new release. We’re planning an event in Milan (Italy), where we will
showcase the new album with a benefit concert and we’ll be recording a video of the show. We’ve got also contacts in Florida, and we’re
working on a mini tour for the next spring/summer in northern Florida, from Jacksonville (FL) to Daytona Beach (FL). It would be great for
us to come back Touring in the US, we really hope to make it happen.
Thank you for taking time for this interview and last words to the fans?
We’d like to thank all our fans for their great support, that means so much for us. Fans &R