Welcome to Tune Hear!
This is a weekly series to be hosted by Prepared Guitar. It is my hope that the following information would not only highlight the artist, their techniques, and their musical endeavors, but also cause others to reach for their own goals in a realistic way. It is my hope that this will be an international site where guitarists worldwide would not only have the opportunity to listen but also be motivated and inspired to follow their dreams. With that being said, let’s begin!
Randy Branch
Let me introduce Vito Pesce (a.k.a. The Nihilist Fisherman) from Mola Di Bari (Ba), Italy.
Q: What led you to choose the guitar for your own musical expression?
A: Since I was a child, my grandfather Vito played classical guitar for me and my other cousins. I litterally fell in love with that instrument, so small compared to the grand piano, but capable of magnificent (and sometimes misterious) storytelling.
I personally chose electric guitar instead of other instruments primally for its timbre and sonic characteristics, especially for the infinite ways of manipulating and modulating the instrument's original sound.
Q: Was there a particular guitarist, other musician, movie, art, sound, life event that caused you to hear music differently?
A: There is no doubt about Thelonius Monk's music, that gave me something deeply special, something that words cannot explain; in a few words, his music gives me the strenght to go on searching for my road.
Also Lennie Tristano is a huge influence to me, he was the first to overdub piano tracks and modify their pitch varying the tape speed, an experimental approach that naturally led me to experimental and electronic music.
I'm also a cinema enthusiast and I truly love the visual art of Federico Fellini , also the infinitely magnificent theater works of Carmelo Bene forces me to search and find the various idiomatic/non idiomatic limits of my musical language.
I appreciate a lot the concept behind Jackson Pollock's arts, one of my dreams is to bring the “action painting” performance in music.
I carefully listen to Music with no distinction of genres, and I do the same for all arts and human expressions, tryin' to be as open minded as possible.
Last but not least, I feel to sincerely thanks my guitar teacher: Mr.Vito “Forthyto” Quaranta.
Q: What specifically about that appealed to you?
A: The desire to go further, trying to develop new languages and artistic experiences. I believe that combining and letting spontaneously interact different expressions such as music, graphic art, video visual projections, dance and small “theater pièces” together could be really interesting and challenging, stimulating anyone who is involved.
Q: As you were trying to find your way, were there particular sounds or gear that helped you to achieve your sound?
A: Lately I was listening to a lot of electronic/experimental music, (Vàrese, Stockhausen, Cage, Maderna, Berio) because I was sincerely fascinated by the whole creative process behind their masterpieces.
I had the chance to discover how they wrote their music, thanks to my Jazz Composition Teacher: Mr. Gianni Lenoci.
It was a “small but powerful revolution” for my way of thinking and writing music, a process that I have also tried to apply to the improvised musical language on electric guitar.
Q: Can you give an example of your work where it (pedal or technique) is being utilized?
A: In this little instrumental, I use various effects for every guitar line like modulation reverb, various delays (normal and reverse), and volume swells. Here's how it sounds:
Q: How have you been able to build upon those early experiences to what you’re doing now?
A: I simply tried first as a person and then as a musician, to always learn something interesting from what you're playing. No matter in what musical “genre” or context you're in. There's always something happening around you, and with which you may interact. I feel like music is everywhere. It could sound like an obsession, I know; but for me it's a positive feeling.
Q: Let’s take a moment to highlight some of your current work.
A: In my last ep “SoloSketcheS” I have played various improvised guitar lines for every instrumental, and mixed together. Here's how it sounds:
Q: Is there a sound you’re still trying to achieve or are you satisfied with where you are now sonically?
A: The beauty of the sounds is that they are infinite. Probably I'll never be fully satisfied with the results of my timbrical and sonical research, as a human being I am constantly working on, experimenting and researching different and personal ways of interpreting the instrument itself, making it interact with new and old technologies. So I'm still looking for the “voice” that I have not yet heard.
Q: What can we expect to hear from you in the future?
A: Actually, I'm working on several aspects regarding playing in guitar solo, I'm trying to develop the free form as well I'm building structures and arrangements. I'm digging on how to integrate live looping layer and electronic through the whole live set. I'm searching to achieve sounds and sonic landscapes that I daily hear in mind.
Q: If readers are interested in checking out your work further, where can we direct them?
A: All my recorded music is available for streaming and free download at the following link: http://thenihilistfisherman.bandcamp.com
Thank you very much for your time and participation in Tune Hear.
In closing, one final fun question:
Q: If you had an opportunity to ask any guitar player a question, who would it be and what would you ask?
A: I would invite Mr. Robert Johnson and Mr. Derek Bailey to have a tea, and of course to play the guitar together, it would be interesting......It's one of my recurring dreams.
It has been a pleasure, heartfelt thanks to Mr. Randy Branch and PreparedGuitar for giving me the chance of share my work with you!
All the best!
Vito Pesce
bandcamp
on facebook
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So TUNE HEAR for your sonic journey!!