A toxic, sweaty time, the suffocating heat here in Rome just won’t let up, making every single activity feel heavy and nerve-wracking. Even walking is a struggle; I’m sweating just standing still! Shooting a bow is problematic too. It’s already tough on its own, but add sweat dripping down your body and into your eyes, bugs driving you fucking crazy, and the sun beating down on you… long story short, archery becomes a titanic feat, let alone for those doing manual labor in public spaces, I send them my useless solidarity.

Anyway, this Friday, August 7th, I’m supposed to release my new song “State of Grace,” hoping that a lot of people have already gone on vacation and have time to listen to it. In the meantime, today I want to talk to you about other groups that have influenced my musical vision. I’m not a fan of theirs, but a few songs they made helped me and still help me get into certain moods and feel real emotion.

The first artist is Ligabue, specifically the Ligabue of “Buon compleanno Elvis”! Back then he was offering up fresh rock without inventing anything groundbreaking, but they were energetic tracks with a driving rhythm, and cheerful too—or at least they put me in a good mood, which is why I listened to him. It was straightforward rock that let you know right away where it was headed, featuring lyrics that were even “thought-provoking,” if you’ll grant me the term. After the album “Su e giù da un palco,” I didn’t find any more songs that resonated with me and I let him be; it’s normal in an artist’s life to change approaches, just like it’s normal for some old fans to move on.

The second artist is Vasco Rossi! I’ve always liked individual songs of his, never a full album. I started with “C’è chi dice no,” “Vivere,” “Liberi liberi,” “Buoni o cattivi,” and “Il mondo che vorrei.” I would never go to one of his concerts, but he is still an example to look at if you want to understand the pop-rock that works in Italy, especially for the lyrics and the instrumental arrangements, which are always crafted by talented musicians with colossal international experience.

Another band was Litfiba. They were creators of an alternative rock interpreted with huge charisma by their frontman, Piero Pelù—a man who, at the time, was capable of influencing the masses even while putting out niche music. Famous songs like Gioconda, Maudit, El Diablo, Regina di Cuori, Bambino, Fata Morgana, Proibito, Cangaceiro… so many tracks, and perhaps the album “17 Re,” which holds the absolute lifeblood of Litfiba. They made me realize that an intriguing, alternative style of rock could be presented to the masses too!

The last artist is Raf, specifically his album “Collezione Temporanea.” That’s where his biggest hits are, and I like almost every track on it. We’re stepping into pure pop territory here, though there’s an exception: the version of “Siamo soli nell’immenso vuoto che c’è” featuring Giacomo Castellano on guitar, who pulls off a metal solo over a pure pop-rock song with insane results! There’s also a purely pop version of that song… absolute shit! Giacomo Castellano’s contribution to that track was decisive and extraordinary, making the whole thing so much cooler!

And to wrap up, just now an episode came to mind while I was playing “Mafia III.” First off, I really liked this game: it has the classic story of love, awakening, and revenge set in the ’70s. The protagonist is betrayed by his childhood friend in a vile, despicable way, loses his stepfather, and realizes he was used. He blames himself, gets pissed off, and decides to honor his stepfather’s memory by getting revenge. Apart from the story, I had a blast taking on the side quests and various looting spots, where you could burst into private parties or mob gatherings throwing grenades or firing a bazooka. If I remember right, the missions were all pretty diverse, which is essential nowadays when most people suffer from short attention spans.

Anyway, I’m playing, I hijack a pickup truck, and some punk rock starts playing (you should know that depending on the vehicle you drive, there’s a specific genre on the radio). I’m casually driving along, thinking about how to raid an ammo and weapons factory, when a song by FEAR starts playing “The Mouth Don’t Stop” and I hear that the intro is very similar to a riff I used in one of my songs titled “Sisters of the Cage.” Not identical, but similar. Well, I felt sick to my stomach, just like when a girl told me after months of dating that she had a boyfriend—I got that exact same stomach cramp. It took me 3 months to come up with a different riff, and listening back to it now, it wasn’t even that similar because the accents were different. A while back I changed another song too, but that was because its riff was way too similar to a mix between “Busindre Reel” and “Tanzila” by Hevia. If I notice I’ve done something similar to someone else, it’s a matter of respect.

I highly recommend playing Mafia III—it’s a long, captivating game perfect for anyone who devours video games like they’re pork ribs! See you around!