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Interview with Falling Giant
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
Every member of Falling Giant got hooked on music by listening to music.
It seems obvious but it is not at all, especially when you understand that listening to a certain type of music you think you are playing it on stage. And that's where the vocation starts.
I personally (Gaetano, frontman of Falling Giant), besides music, I work in the cinema industry, I am an actor.
Yet it was music that brought me closer to the world of acting through my first audition for a musical. But I started dreaming with bands, in the garages.
As well as Luke, the lead guitarist of the band, he was struck by the rock listening to linkin park as a kid, and one of the first songs he learned on guitar was Numb if I'm not mistaken.
We listen, we dream and we project ourselves into the world.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
I go to the theater, watch movies, listen to people, experiences upon experiences give you the fuel to write.
And above all, direct contact with other humans makes you aware of the sensations you have inside and that you can translate into the composition.
How long has your band been around?
We were born in 2017.
In 2018 the real adventure began
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
We all live in Rome, the capital of Italy and perhaps of the world.
The art that is breathed in Rome in every corner inevitably influences creative decisions.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
Our bassist insisted on the name Falling Giant.
I wanted the band to be called Act One, but the sound isn't the best and I accepted the other name, especially when we asked for advice from a guy who sells pizzas and doesn't understand anything about music. He chose Act One, so we decided to call ourselves Falling Giant
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
I could tell when we shared the stage with Lacuna Coil at Rock in Melfi, and the moments shared with them after the concert, but the most memorable live is perhaps the most disastrous one.
We were at a club in Rome, there were very few people and at the same time there was a grotesque fashion show that went on under the stage.
Luke had forgotten the shoulder strap and then Filippo, the rhythm guitarist, gave him his, deciding to play by clinging the guitar to his belt, put on as a shoulder strap.
That was the first time we tried to break in 'Hades' live.
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
The best venue to play in Rome for an independent band is undoubtedly the Traffic Live CLub.
We are at home, and it is a very important place in the rock and metal scene of the Italian capital.
We now aspire to play at festivals.
We dream of the Download Festival, the Rock am Ring, and even the Wacken.
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
I would like to share the stage with Thirty Seconds to Mars, Luke would like to share it with avenged sevenfold.
Filippo most likely with Breaking Benjamin, Sauron (our drummer) with Infant Annihilator and Tucci (Our bassist) with Tool.
Maybe we organize a festival with all these legends (including us of course)
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
I can advise emerging bands and those who dream of this not to give up.
It is a complex road, the doors in the face are daily, but above all those who really have a goal cannot be held back by bandmates who do not have similar aspirations. To do it you have to dream big, otherwise you will remain in the circle of beer bands.
To myself as a young man maybe I would recommend getting involved right away. It would be nice to go back ten years with the awareness of now
If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?
"Speed up your work guys!"
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Our flagship song is Hades.
And it is the song we are most fond of for obvious reasons.
We have surpassed one million views with our single 'Hades'.
But not for the number that is unthinkable (a million people are a lot) but above all because the song has been appreciated by many people all over the world.
This is an indescribable emotion.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
The most catchy is undoubtedly Golden Boys, but as I said before, our audience loves Hades
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
The process of creating a song is never the same. Sometimes we start from a sound, a melody, a riff
Sometimes we start from a story, other times from the need to tell something
In the creation of the songs we are very attached to the contrasting themes.
Life / Death
Love / Hate
We always try to find dark, sensual and elegant ways in composition. As well as in vocal lines and lyrics. We are very erotic in creation
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
Each song has its own story.
Surely the personal search for light is the key to the Falling Giant lyrics.
Arriving at an awareness of oneself inevitably leads each of us to go through dark times, to fight against our own inner demons, and it is a bit the main macro theme of our songs. The search for peace, for the methods to reach it.
Playing with antipodes, with contrasts has always been the research principle.
Inspired by legends, myths, literature, music, religion and philosophy. We are aesthetes, we are hungry for culture and art.
Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?
‘The course of true love never did run smooth’ as Shakespeare said.
There are daily contrasts. We don't have the same view on things, but that's also a bit of the strength of the band.
Having a band is like having a relationship, taken for granted but true.
Despite many disagreements, in the end we always tend to trust each other and give ourselves the chance to make mistakes.
We are always ready to support ourselves despite everything
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
The band is currently in the studio working on their first unreleased album, hoping it will be ready early next year.