What is your name?
Gianni Paci.
What is your genre of music?
I play rock and roll music.
Give us a little bio about you.
Well, I’m not quite sure where to start. But I’ve had the great fortune and privilege of making music for quite a while already. I was eleven or twelve years old when I picked up the guitar—it was a Christmas present for my sister, but I took to it after digging it out of the laundry room—and had been writing songs since before that, even. It wasn’t long afterwards that I was doing these crazy things like touring the country and going to Europe with The Butthole Surfers, or recording with Gail Ann Dorsey, who’s worked with David Bowie and Gwen Stefani. Then I had all that stuff come out in Tiger Beat, where they called me “The Cutest Boy You’re Not Crushing On Yet,” which is such an honor. Haha. And then working with Richie Cannata from Billy Joel’s band—that was a great hometown achievement, growing up in Oyster Bay. So that just about brings us to the present, even if that’s a really quick and haphazard telling. But you all can do more digging online if you’d like more details!
You are set to release your new EP “I Tried To Right My Wrongs, But I Made A Left”? tell us more about it.
It’s a really interesting set. I recorded “I Tried To Right My Wrongs, But I Made A Left” in Oyster Bay at Pine Hollow Road Studios, and I played all of the instruments in addition to writing all of the songs top to bottom, like I always do. I think listeners will take to the immediacy of it…there is this crushing kind of energy that comes through in all of that vertically integrated process. The lyrics are important, but then that’s true of all the music I make. I guess I should refine that thought by saying that the lyrics on this record are an important continuation of what’s come before. And of course the title of the EP comes from a line in the closing track, “Honest Thing.”
What was the writing process like?
Writing these songs was cathartic. The first track, “It’s Always A Perfect Journey,” was actually written just days after a very dear friend of mine passed away. That phrase was something she said to me the last time I saw her, which was only days before she passed. So I feel like writing that song was a special kind of channeling, being that her spirit was there, sort of floating around in the ethers. You can hear the tears in my voice if you listen closely. I could have sang it better in a certain way, but then that’s not true: it doesn’t get any better than being able to capture the precise emotional moment as it happens,even if it’s exposed in a way that’s not entirely flattering. I decided to keep that take even if it meant being ultra vulnerable because I believe it’s a special document of the time, place and feeling.
What was the recording process like?
Having the time and freedom to do what I wanted in the studio, being that I produced, recorded and performed everything these time around, really elevated it all for me. It’s like I was just saying about that vocal take on “It’s Always A Perfect Journey.” There are quite a few moments on this EP where things aren’t perfect, but that to me is the whole point of the process. If making music an expression of something from within, then we can only get in the way of what comes through us if we obsess too much over these technical details.
Describe the tracks in two words.
Let me see if I can narrow it down to only two words…haha. Maybe I’ll try a sentence or two for each. “It’s Always A Perfect Journey” sort of feels like a total distillation of my essence—the sound of one’s guard being totally down. “In The Middle Of The Night” is caustic and cutting. “If You Believe It’s Alright” is starry-eyed and hopeful, while “Honest Thing” is more removed in a certain way. It’s like a hazy, dreamy kind of thing, but there is this undercurrent of brooding or foreboding.
You also have a video to your latest single ‘Pine Hollow Road’ out now , what was the video process like?
Yes. “Pine Hollow Road” premiered last month—it was the last single from my previous EP, “Smoked The Wrong Stuff.” The video shoot was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I directed, shot, produced, edited and acted in that video, so I certainly had my hands full! But I am quite proud of the result, and Fiona did an excellent job acting in it as well. I think it really complements the song and adds this wonderfully dense layer of extra meaning.
What is your message you are trying to tell your fans?
What I want listeners to glean from me is all in my music. So the message is wrapped up in these riddles that the songs tell. What is it that you hear coming through
Do you have social media for fans to follow you?
Yes, they are;
Nani and Papa
November 30, 2017 at 1:11 am
Gianni, I read it all. You are a beautiful person, and deserve all good things. We are so proud of all your accomplishments. You are multi-talented and very professional in all you do. Love you , Nani and Papa.