Interview: Road Syndicate (Written)

Road Syndicate are an Italian hard rock and blues band whose latest album ‘A Shot of Rock’n’Roll’ is out now. We spoke to vocalist Lorenzo Cortoni and guitarist Fabio Lanciotti to learn a little bit more about the band.

1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

Hello to all readers. Thank you for this interview.

Fabio: We have been friends since we were young kids, back in school. We grew up living together and we all work in the Italian Show Business, especially in Music. We have been working and collaborating together for many years and we have always promised to write our own music and start the band! As soon as the opportunity presented itself, we took it! And here we are, since 2018!

2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

Fabio: We play Melodic Hard Rock, with a strong touch of Blues.
Lorenzo: I think that our music is the sum up of our different musical background but, at the end of the day, it’s only rock’n’roll.

3. What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.

Fabio: We have a new album out these days, ‘A Shot of Rock’n’Roll’ our third album. The new single, Smilin’ Devil, will be released in September. It will be something special because it is a live version that is much more aggressive than the song included on the album.

4. What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?

Fabio: In Italy the situation is really very complicated! So, as individual musicians, we can tell you that it is a huge success to be able to be a musician as a job. As Road Syndicate, however, we are very happy because in our country we have a large fan base that always follows us and buys our CDs and always comes to our shows! And it is a notable artistic and personal satisfaction!

Lorenzo: The most positive aspect of making music today is the technology that helped us play and write together even during the pandemic.

5. Likewise, what has been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?

Fabio: The most challenging aspect was dealing with the pandemic period. For over a year, here in Italy, it was not possible to perform shows in front of the people. We missed the excitement of the crowd and we also missed the profits!

So we decided to do gigs anyway, performing live streaming. We made a Digital EP during the lockdown and 4 live streaming shows. It was a tiring but truly rewarding experience!

Lorenzo: The enormous amount of technology which causes the flattening of quality in music production is what I don’t like too much.

6. How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?

Lorenzo: It is difficult for old pirates like us to be social but we do our best! We are stage animals.

Fabio: We really don’t pay much attention to the matter because it’s not our job. So we delegated the matter to our Label, to Management Agency and Press Office! It is true, however, that without social networks, we would not have been successful. We sell many copies by post. And people know about us thanks to the Internet. If there had been no Internet, how would we have been known in Latin America, for example?

7. What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?

Fabio: We don’t like the economic policy of streaming sites! Where are our royalties? I know that if I sell copies of the CD I get money. Why don’t I get any money from streaming sites?

8. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?

Lorenzo: To our fans: keep on follow us! We’ll see you on the road!
Fabio: Listen to us! Simply listen to our music! It’s R&R and it’s fun! If you like the band we are here for you!

9. Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?

Both: We are ordinary people, without excesses and addictions! We relax by doing normal things. Going to the cinema, being with our children and wives, being with friends, going for pizza, having a beer at the pub, going on a trip, playing sports… Simple things like ordinary people do. It helps us that we are also very good friends with each other.

10. Where can people find you?

Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon Music | Deezer

I think that’s all for now. See You on the Road (Syndicate)!!!