Interview with Andy Ferro
Lacuna Coil
From Milan, Italy, gothic metal band Lacuna Coil put on their most stunning performance yet at Monster Energy’s Aftershock Festival. Featuring the hypnotic vocal duet of Andrea “Andy” Ferro and Christina Scabbia, Lacuna Coil will revolutionize your view of gothic metal from noise that whiny teenagers listen to, to melodic works of genius.
On March 28th of this year, Lacuna Coil released their seventh studio album, Broken Crown Halo, containing the single “Nothing Stands In Our Way.” Ferro revealed in an interview at Aftershock that the album title and cover were portraying the idea that today everyone is locked into their own “realities” of social media. “Nowadays it’s too much virtual environment and we feel like people should just go out a little bit more,” stresses Ferro. “You need to find a right measure; you need to separate reality from virtual every now and then.”
A balance is key, Ferro explains. He finds that, especially when he is on the road or connecting with fans, social media can prove extremely useful. “My wife was selling our old house and we were buying a new one,” says Ferro. “I had to see the house with a video on the Internet, and I actually bought the house before I saw it in real life. It was the only way we could combine the sale and the buying of a new one without going into some hotels… Technology helped me in this case."
A balance is key, Ferro explains. He finds that, especially when he is on the road or connecting with fans, social media can prove extremely useful. “My wife was selling our old house and we were buying a new one,” says Ferro. “I had to see the house with a video on the Internet, and I actually bought the house before I saw it in real life. It was the only way we could combine the sale and the buying of a new one without going into some hotels… Technology helped me in this case."
Now that the Internet and social medias have become so prominent in connecting with fans, Ferro says he dedicates much of his time to communicating and reaching out.
“We try to reply to everybody who writes us if they ask something that makes sense. It’s important, because it’s the way life is right now, you know? We’ve got a lot of fans who [have been] following us for many years. They come and bring us stuff like food and stuff they cook for us.
“It’s great to see that music has been something deeper than just, ‘Okay, this is the band and I buy the record, and that’s it.’ It’s something almost like a friendship, even if…we can’t talk every day. We see each other once every two years. But still there is a stronger, deeper relationship than just somebody that buys a t-shirt or buys a record. I love that it’s…a big community.”
“We try to reply to everybody who writes us if they ask something that makes sense. It’s important, because it’s the way life is right now, you know? We’ve got a lot of fans who [have been] following us for many years. They come and bring us stuff like food and stuff they cook for us.
“It’s great to see that music has been something deeper than just, ‘Okay, this is the band and I buy the record, and that’s it.’ It’s something almost like a friendship, even if…we can’t talk every day. We see each other once every two years. But still there is a stronger, deeper relationship than just somebody that buys a t-shirt or buys a record. I love that it’s…a big community.”
Being from Italy, touring can often involve being thousands of miles away from home for months at a time. “It is fun to be on the road. But it’s also hard when you have a long tour,” says Ferro. “This one is a month, so it’s not too bad. But the previous one we went on in North America was 105 days. That’s a long time to be away from home.”
Thankfully, his wife and family are very supportive of his career; however, it can still be difficult. “It’s a sacrifice because [my wife] suffers. Every time I leave, she’s very sad.”
Ferro’s wife also serves as an inspiration, as someone he can count on and admire. “She inspires me in life mostly. She has a regular job, so she works every day,” Ferro explains. “You have somebody like me that can have [a] job he loves to do and is passionate with, and comes from a passion. It is harder for her [because she] has a regular job, [and has] to be there in the office all day… She made a big sacrifice for our lives together as well. So I totally admire her, and she’s been totally supportive all the way.”
Thankfully, his wife and family are very supportive of his career; however, it can still be difficult. “It’s a sacrifice because [my wife] suffers. Every time I leave, she’s very sad.”
Ferro’s wife also serves as an inspiration, as someone he can count on and admire. “She inspires me in life mostly. She has a regular job, so she works every day,” Ferro explains. “You have somebody like me that can have [a] job he loves to do and is passionate with, and comes from a passion. It is harder for her [because she] has a regular job, [and has] to be there in the office all day… She made a big sacrifice for our lives together as well. So I totally admire her, and she’s been totally supportive all the way.”
Having a female band member can often lead to unwanted press or undesirable ways of becoming famous. For example, many bands such as The Pretty Reckless and In This Moment have become famous because their front women are attractive and exploit their bodies, not necessarily because their music is good. In cases like The Pretty Reckless, this is especially unfortunate, because their music is absolutely fantastic.
Lacuna Coil clearly makes a point of not showing off Christina for her looks, but instead marketing her beautiful voice, the band’s musical creativity, and the meld of two different voices. This becomes especially clear when watching one of their music videos, which tell stories and enhance the music.
“Christina got more attention from the media, especially when we started, because it was something different,” Ferro says. “Not many women front a metal band. When we did OzzFest in 2004, we were one of the first bands with a female singer, not the only one, but one of [very] few…[We were] very unique when we started, and a lot of the attention focused on her, but we always felt like a band, we always work like a band… We are a family, so we perform our music the way we like it. Christina doesn’t want to be in front all the time even though she is because of the situation.”
Lacuna Coil clearly makes a point of not showing off Christina for her looks, but instead marketing her beautiful voice, the band’s musical creativity, and the meld of two different voices. This becomes especially clear when watching one of their music videos, which tell stories and enhance the music.
“Christina got more attention from the media, especially when we started, because it was something different,” Ferro says. “Not many women front a metal band. When we did OzzFest in 2004, we were one of the first bands with a female singer, not the only one, but one of [very] few…[We were] very unique when we started, and a lot of the attention focused on her, but we always felt like a band, we always work like a band… We are a family, so we perform our music the way we like it. Christina doesn’t want to be in front all the time even though she is because of the situation.”
At Aftershock, Lacuna Coil performed on the side stage, and the crowd absolutely overwhelmed the space, spilling out into the encompassing area. The enthusiasm put forth by every band member was enthralling; it was an amazing experience.
Check out this amazing band, a branch off of the gothic metal genre, aligning itself with other bands such as Within Temptation and Evanescence. Even if you’re not a fan of such bands, Lacuna Coil is worth checking out.
Check out this amazing band, a branch off of the gothic metal genre, aligning itself with other bands such as Within Temptation and Evanescence. Even if you’re not a fan of such bands, Lacuna Coil is worth checking out.
Zoe Adler is a music journalist from Long Beach, California. Besides her website, which is her pride and joy, she works with the GRAMMY Foundation and the Long Beach Independent. Additionally, Ms. Adler is a musician, spending half of her time playing the flute, piccolo, trombone, and marching baritone. She has been with TeenView Music since the very start and hopes to make something of it in the future. |