Interviews: Road Syndicate

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Rock 'N' Roll band Road Syndicate from Italy. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or come out just like that?

L: I had the name Road Connection, the road is the natural habitat for a rock ’n’ roll band but it was a little too “mob style”, we wanted something more “inclusive”, so Fab suggested changing the name to Road Syndicate.

2. Why did you want to play this genre? 

L: Because this genre is something written in our DNA, due to the music we used to listen to in our lives.

F: Playing Hard Rock was a natural choice for all of us: our favorite musicians played that genre, Ian Paice, Tommy Lee, Eddie Van Halen, Jake E Lee, Jon Bonjovi, John Corabi, Duff McKagan, Billy Sheehan, etc…

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed? 

L: We've known each other for a long time...since we were 15 or 16. Now our job is as musicians but we have always wanted to make music together, among ourselves!

When the opportunity presented itself we took it.

F: We've known each other since we were young kids, back in school. We grew up in the same area of ​​Rome!

We are all employed in the Italian show business and for many years we have joined forces to create an artistic crew to put at the service of other people's musical projects, at the request of management or record labels...

At the beginning of 2018, a small label asked us to make a cover of Do You Love Me, for a compilation dedicated to KISS.

We had so much fun recording it and had a beer to celebrate!

Just after he recorded his vocals, Larry told us he had some good lyrics for possible songs…

We had some demo songs without words.

We said: it's ok, let's make our own band, with our own music, and let's have fun.

Two months later we were already on stage playing our songs and it was May.

In September we already had bookings for a tour.

Road Syndicate is an incredible and fantastic journey but the shocking thing is that it wasn't planned.

We just wanted to have some fun

4. Each band member's favorite band? 

L: We are all fans of Hard Rock, Zep, Purple, Sabs, Free, Bad Company & Thin Lizzy, etc.. Then there are some small differences. For example, I am a die-hard fan of Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Corabi, and Black Crowes!

Fabio, on the other hand, loves Van Halen, Aerosmith, and Leppard, but we both love Ozzy & KISS like crazy!

Cris is in love with Metallica, Iron Maiden and Motley Crue

Giulio loves G&R, and everything Slash and Myles Kennedy make, but also many modern bands like Tool and Korn…

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

L: For me, there is not a single inspiration, sometimes I write about myself, sometimes about what is going around, and sometimes I make up stories.

F: In Road Syndicate we divided the tasks: so the lyrics are Larry's hunting territory.

I, on the other hand, mainly deal with the music and arrangements.

Often, so as not to repeat myself, I prefer to draw inspiration from genres far from Hard Rock...

For example, "Here Comes The Band" has quotes from Glenn Miller while, for "Before The Morning", I took inspiration from the Italian bluesman Pino Daniele and I fished in the melodies of old Italian musical shows inspired by the city of Rome...

6. Where was your last gig? 

L: We did several shows to present the new album, A Shot of R'n'R...

Before taking some time off, we attended a big charity festival that takes place every year, here in Rome!

7. Where would you like to perform? 

L: I’d like to play in some big open-air festival.

F: I have been lucky enough to do many tours around the world in the past.

But I have never performed in the UK or even in the USA…

I would like to finally play in those places.

Sometimes I daydream about it

8. Whom would you like to perform with? 

L: Personally I’d like to share the stage with Dead Daisies, The Hollywood Vampires, and Black Crowes.

F: I also have Dead Daisies, Black Crowes but also Dirty Honey, a band I LOVE, Lenny Kravtiz... and Beth Hart, my favorite female rock singer...

And then, of course, Mr Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss or Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Def Leppard... Iron Maiden...

if it were ever possible...

Do you know what I mean?

Dreaming is free...

9. Whom not? 

F: Your Honor, I cannot answer.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

L: Sometimes I did and the tip is “step on the stage open your heart and enjoy the ride.

F: Never! It didn't happen to me even at twelve years old when I started performing as a classical guitar student. Rather, I have the opposite problem: off stage, I feel out of touch with the world, like a fish out of water. I am not comfortable in real, ordinary life. Apart from my wife, I can only communicate with my bandmates. I'm antisocial… (laugh)

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

L: I think that our biggest influences are from the 70’s rock blues like Rolling Stones to 90’s Rock.

F: It's really true!

We love all Rock Music, from the Beatles up to today.

When creating the band’s style, however, we tried to narrow down our inspirations!

We study the productions of the "Big Ones" a lot, trying to steal the secrets in the records of bands like Whitesnake, Aerosmith, Bonjovi, Europe, Kiss, Def Leppard and so on...

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for? 

F: Ah.. this is a good question... really...So.. A fan, who lives over 100km from our city and is a worker, so he can't come to our concerts.

He asked us to send him live footage from a cell phone.

Once, a girl organized a concert for us in Southern Italy at her expense, hosting us to sleep at her house: her boyfriend wasn't very happy...

The children, music students of Cristiano and me, who are accompanied by their parents who then became our fans.

But, above all, a guy who always came to see us live!

He wanted to organize live shows for us!

We felt like he was a die-hard fan of ours!.

Then we found out he's a major record company and, finally, signed us.

And we are very proud of all this!

13. What do you think of your fans? 

F: We love them.

They are simply fantastic!

They are our reason for existing!

They are our fuel!

During the pandemic, which in Italy saw the closure of live shows with audiences for a year, we did something crazy...

We already had some dates signed, around Italy.

So we got some cameras, a mixer, and a good internet connection.

We went to a church theater and created 5 or 6 Live Streaming Shows, in agreement with the clubs that had hired us, with the support of some Web Radios...

Each show was on Sunday afternoon: the promoter gave the account to attend the show only to those who ordered food and beer by delivery!

Participation was incredible: thousands of views and excellent financial income.

In the meantime, we made an album, VOL II.

When the pandemic ended, we had a big party in a Roman club, playing VOL II in its entirety.

It was January 14, 2022.

There were people who came from every corner of Italy: from Sicily, Calabria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany and Abruzzo...

They traveled thousands of kilometers by train just to be with us!

It was a Liberation Day, a Day of Celebration!

There were over 1000 people, in a club that can accommodate 500, and it was in January.

At that moment we understood that we have a real fan club, "in the flesh", made up of real people, in flesh and blood.

L: we love our fans, for this very reason!

Metalheads are a special audience!

They love anything that is sincere!

They don't like lies!

And we are grateful to them!

We don't use pre-recorded backing tracks, we just play simple R'n'R!

We love each other, mutually!

They are our "hard core" fans.. since the first gig!

And, we are not a Heavy Metal band!

They are fantastic!

We Love Them!

14. What do you think of our site? 

L: Your site is awesome!

F: I love this site, your site!

I often discover new offers through you!

You do a great job!

Thanks very much

15. Something to add?

L: Keep on playin’ and enjoy our music folks

F: Long Live R’n’R!