{"id":51531,"date":"2016-04-02T03:14:35","date_gmt":"2016-04-02T08:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=51531"},"modified":"2016-04-02T03:14:35","modified_gmt":"2016-04-02T08:14:35","slug":"interview-with-alessandro-del-vecchio-of-resurrection-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2016\/interview-with-alessandro-del-vecchio-of-resurrection-kings\/","title":{"rendered":"Alessandro Del Vecchio of Resurrection Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Alessandro<\/p>\n

Resurrection Kings interview part 2<\/p>\n

One of the busiest musicians and producers on Earth in one, Alessandro Del Vecchio\u2019s had a lot to do with the recent self-titled album by the super-group Resurrection Kings. Hardrock Haven caught up with him to see the content of the record from yet another perspective \u2013 of a co-writer and a producer. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Alessandro \u2013 as a producer, keyboard player, background singer and co-writer of the material you\u2019ve exerted quite an influence upon the Resurrection Kings album, to the point of being named \u201cthe fifth band member.\u201d Do you agree with this statement and feel as an integral part of this band indeed?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: For sure! Well, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m the \u201cfifth band member\u201d\u2026 Maybe in terms of a producer that\u2019s got a heavy hand on the material and on the arrangements and guides a band to the vision \u2013 that\u2019s for sure then. I feel very proud and honored to be the \u201cfifth member\u201d of the band with these kind of guys! (laughs) All in all, it\u2019s all about working as a team. If you work as a team, then everybody can be a band member. It\u2019s like George Martin for The Beatles or Martin Birch for Iron Maiden \u2013 it\u2019s all about being a team player and working as a team.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: How did you hook up with Craig Goldy and in what circumstances have you started working on the material? <\/p>\n

\"AlessandroAlessandro Del Vecchio: The President [of the Frontiers Records] Serafino Perugino put me in touch with Craig because they wanted to do a record with him. The first day was kind of strange\u2026 (laughs) because we started talking about doing something and obviously he didn\u2019t know me and it\u2019s always tough when you send material because it\u2019s like you\u2019re sending something that has to prove what you\u2019re talking about, what people are talking about\u2026 Frontiers was very confident in me and Craig working as a team together, so I got in touch with him. The first thing we did was writing songs together. I guess we wrote something, like, five songs together and that\u2019s where we started from. We wrote these songs and we immediately felt like we were a great working couple. And it\u2019s been like that all through the record, because Craig is very cooperative and supportive and he was the first one to get back always\u2026 before anybody else! It was great working with all the guys, but Craig\u2019s been just amazing. Really amazing.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: In many of his interviews, Craig speaks a lot about how you two got along together. What was it like to collaborate with this guys in general? Did you collaborate anytime before?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: As I told you before, with Craig\u2019s it\u2019s been like those marriages made in heaven\u2026 those matches made in heaven. But generally\u2026 first of all, it was all about the music because we started to write songs and share ideas before anything else. And when the music does the talking, it\u2019s always better because it\u2019s speaking loud about yourself and about the way you can get in touch with a person. That\u2019s how we started \u2013 I\u2019ve worked with Vinny before, but never with Sean, Chas and Craig. So I was like Vinny\u2019s guy, but Vinny wasn\u2019t there at the beginning. So it was like \u201cokay, these are all new guys\u201d. But we really worked great together\u2026 And you know, years ago I used to be really star-struck \u2013 I was like \u201cOh my God, I\u2019m working with my idol, so I cannot do anything wrong\u2026\u201d and I was really super polite and careful with saying something\u2026 But when you work as a producer \u2013 you\u2019re the responsible one. People are paying you because you have to be responsible. So, I\u2019m still star-struck because I\u2019m a fan of these guys but I\u2019m a producer, so I got to work as a producer\u2026 I\u2019m very confident now and I think I got the strong character which helps\u2026 I don\u2019t fear anything. When I work with people, I\u2019m always very respectful but I\u2019m also very confident in what I do. If I\u2019m supposed to be a producer, I\u2019m not supposed to fear. I guess people see that you\u2019re very strong and confident in your talents and you\u2019ve got a vision and you want to accomplish your mission, no matter what\u2026 So that\u2019s what happens when you work with the guys like that. You have to be very respectful and you gotta trust their visions but also you have to make it happen the way you want to make it happen because you want to represent the music and your artistry and your vision.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: As an experienced producer and musician who worked with many different people throughout the years, do you think it\u2019s possible to successfully collaborate with people you don\u2019t get along with personally? <\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Honestly, I think it reflects on the music. If you don\u2019t get along personally with somebody, it\u2019s going to reflect on the music. I want my music and my records to have a very deep, joyful, great, happy feeling and a great, positive vibe\u2026 I\u2019ve done records with people that I didn\u2019t get along with and sometimes it still happens. It never got to the point of being really evident on the recordings, but I gotta say that the records that were difficult \u2013 humanly \u2013 kind of reflected that and the records that were amazing humanly reflected that as well and worked better. That\u2019s why I wanna always have a great experience with people that I make music with.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: What was the songwriting process for the Resurrection Kings album like?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: The songwriting process was very solid and fluent. I was writing songs with these guys in mind and I wrote something like six or seven songs; then I co-wrote songs with Francesco Marras and Nigel Bailey and then Craig came in and he put his stamp on the songs\u2026 It was all very easy, especially that Craig also had songs on his own. Also, we wrote songs together and we had something like two or three songs that didn\u2019t make the album \u2013 maybe we will use them somehow in the future\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo taken At Mates Rehearsal in North Hollywood on 09\/01\/15.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hardrock Haven: While speaking about the songwriting and recording process you went through for Resurrection Kings, Craig often uses the enigmatic term \u201cGoldy-izing\u201d. What do you guys mean by saying this?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: (Laughs) Well, the \u201cGoldy-izing\u201d term means that everything that I was sending Craig, even if I was trying to write or arrange with him in mind, was coming back with such a strong personality. It was sounding so Goldy! I mean, Craig has a very specific sound and style and he\u2019s amazing at what he does. So, everything that I was sending him was coming back with such a strong, deep stamp from him that we were like \u201cOkay, that\u2019s another song\u201d (laughs). <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: According to Craig, demo recordings you prepared were complete with vocal and instrumental lines \u2013 little to develop, so to speak. How different are the final album versions of your songs from your original takes on them?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well\u2026 yes, when I write demos, I always write demos that are complete. I always arrange them as much as I can, even if I leave the freedom to the band to put their stamp on or to do whatever it\u2019s worth to make it sound \u2018theirs\u2019. I wouldn\u2019t say \u201clittle to develop\u201d because if you hear the demos and you hear the final versions, you can hear how they went into the deep foundations of the songs to make them \u2018theirs\u2019 and tried to make them sound, as much as they could, close to their sound and their history. So I wouldn\u2019t say they did little to develop them \u2013 they did the amazing job.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: If I\u2019m not mistaken, some of the songs on the album were written with Craig and the band\u2019s singer Chas West. How do you think those and those written by you complement each other? What do you think about the album\u2019s integrity?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Right! One of the songs \u2013 \u201cLivin\u2019 Out Loud\u201d was one of the first demos that Craig presented and that\u2019s how we chose Chas, because when we heard him on the demo we were like \u201cOkay, that\u2019s the guy that has to sing on the record\u201d. As far as putting together songs from different songwriters is concerned \u2013 it\u2019s easy if you have a vision! And also, if there\u2019s a common writer. In this case, it could be me because there are maybe one or two songs I\u2019m not present in, but overall I was a driving force for the songwriting. To keep the integrity, you have just to keep the vision. You know, if the songs is good \u2013 it\u2019s good, no matter where it comes from, but it has to keep the vision intact.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: While writing for Resurrection Kings \u2013 or any other act \u2013 do you create songs from scratch, or perhaps develop some older ideas of yours that\u2019s been previously shelved for whatever reason?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: When I write, I always write from scratch and I always write for the particular singer or the particular musicians or for the album. I\u2019m in my studio now and looking at my songwriting folder for the new songs I may have \u2013 I don\u2019t know if there are six or five songs there that are unreleased\u2026 I always write for the project and for the singer and for the band, and I don\u2019t use old demos or recycle them. Everything has to be fresh \u2013 that\u2019s how I work. I know a lot of other songwriters who have some ideas for years and then the idea finds the right home; yet I\u2019m not that kind of writer.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: In our 2014 interview, you spoke a lot about the apparent overuse of the love theme in AOR\/Melodic Rock songs. What\u2019s inspired you to write for Resurrection Kings and what were the themes you were eager to develop in your songs?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Well, Resurrection Kings\u2019 \u201cNever Say Goodbye\u201d is a ballad, so it\u2019s a usual theme. But in other songs we really tried to get deeper and keep more like a fantasy-towards-reality vision. Obviously one of my favourite lyrics is \u201cDistant Prayer\u201d because it\u2019s a song about peace and about living in a world where there\u2019s no difference between people, between the rich and the poor. And when the single came out, all the craziness related to the recent happenings in the Middle East, in France\u2026 everything started at the same time. And those lyrics really came alive then because I was talking about how religion can be such an amazing thing for humans but such a stupid matter when it comes to possession, to money, to wars and to fooling somebody else and exploiting somebody\u2026 the speaker, the \u201cyou\u201d\u2026 It\u2019s the same story repeating, but I was talking about how far the concept of prayer is compared to what we pray today. We pray for peace, but we send soldiers to kill the innocent people, prisoners, old people, children and their mothers\u2026 It\u2019s such a crazy world. But also I tried to develop more regular themes like in \u201cWho Do You Run To\u201d which is a song about someone who wants to do something so desperately\u2026 but then they realize that life is a circle, so the message is to never leave something behind you because it may come back and you will eat your own words. Obviously, songs like \u201cPath of Love\u201d is more like a funky tune and it\u2019s more like \u201cOkay, let\u2019s get on a path of love\u201d\u2026 So yes, two or maybe three songs on the album are about love, but apart from \u201cNever Say Goodbye\u201d it\u2019s not a very usual love theme. But there are also songs like \u201cWash Away\u201d which is about forgetting the past and starting from scratch a better life \u2013 which is, I think, a secret of everybody\u2019s happiness. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Which of the songs on Resurrection Kings album you think came out best? Which are your favorites?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: I love \u201cFallin\u2019 For You,\u201d \u201cSilent Wonder,\u201d \u201cDistant Prayer,\u201d \u201cWho Do You Run To\u201d and also \u201cHad Enough.\u201d Especially \u201cHad Enough\u201d that was so different at the beginning but we worked so great as a team \u2013 me, Nigel and Craig \u2013 that we really made such a better tune. It\u2019s crazy \u2013 the demo was so different and so not as good as is the final version now. Obviously I love all the songs, but those I think are my favorites.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Some reviewers point out to the fact the album sounds more \u201cAmerican\u201d and perhaps rawer than your previous big project \u2013 Revolution Saints. Which bands and what kind of sound aesthetics inspired the material?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Honestly, I wasn\u2019t inspired with anything else than Vinny [Appice], Craig [Goldy], Sean [McNabb] and Chas [West]. I wanted to let the players, the musicians and the singer speak as loud as they could all through the record. I didn\u2019t want the record to be sterile, or \u201canother Alessandro Del Vecchio\u2019s record\u201d. I\u2019m not this kind of producer \u2013 I\u2019m serving the music, the players and the band. It\u2019s rawer and more American because that\u2019s the way it\u2019s played, written and recorded, and produced. And it\u2019s so different than Revolution Saints because Revolution Saints set such a different formula and Resurrection Kings is all a different band, different guys, different songs. I always work from the musical point of view and the players\u2019 point of view and the singers\u2019 point of view.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Similarly to some other recent acts put together by Frontiers, Resurrection Kings have this infamous super-group quality to them. Do you think the project will last longer than this particular album and would you like to continue on working with these guys in the future?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: I know there are a lot of super-groups and there\u2019s a lot of discussion going on about the future of super-groups\u2026 There have been so many super-groups in history \u2013 but I wanna say I don\u2019t care. I just care about the quality \u2013 if the record is good, the record is good. If it stands the test of time, we\u2019re gonna do more records. We\u2019ve been talking about that, but we\u2019ll have to see how it\u2019s perceived by people and we also have to consider the sales and the financial side of putting up a record like that. So we hope we\u2019re gonna do that \u2013 obviously I would like to work with them again in the future. While working together, me, Craig and Vinny talked about maybe doing something with me on vocals and that would really be a dream come true! But we have to see what the future\u2019s going to bring us.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Apart from Resurrection Kings we\u2019ve discussed, what else are you up to these days?<\/p>\n

Alessandro Del Vecchio: (Laughs) Yes, I gotta lot to do. I got almost two years ahead booked. Today [which was mid-February] I delivered the new Sunstorm featuring Joe Lynn Turner master and it came out amazingly good! I\u2019m really proud of this. I wrote all the songs but one and it\u2019s such a great record and Joe\u2019s delivering the goods again like he can do (laughs) And Ted Poley\u2019s new record\u2019s coming out, and I just mixed Drive, She Said\u2019s new record Pedal To The Metal and I also played bass on a track. I\u2019m working on a lot of things now \u2013 a new Hardline, a new Edge of Forever. I\u2019m always up to something (laughs). I\u2019m also coming to Poland for another Ronnie James Dio tribute [which is going to be held in Warsaw on May the 19th and followed with a short tour all across Poland] so there\u2019s a lot to do \u2013 as always!<\/p>\n

Visit the band online: http:\/\/www.alessandrodelvecchio.com\/<\/a> – https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ResurrectionKingsMusic\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Sr. Columnist — Resurrection Kings interview part 2 One of the busiest musicians and producers on Earth in one, Alessandro Del Vecchio\u2019s had a lot to do with the recent self-titled […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":51559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13653],"tags":[10410,10273,6180,374,203,12201,8784,2588],"class_list":{"0":"post-51531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcint2016","8":"tag-alessandro-del-vecchio","9":"tag-chas-west","10":"tag-craig-goldy","11":"tag-frontiers-records","12":"tag-interview","13":"tag-resurrection-kings","14":"tag-sean-mcnabb","15":"tag-vinny-appice"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}