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You were born in
Uruguay, right?
Yes sir. I was born in
Montevideo, which is the capital
city and holds half of the entire
country’s population. I grew
up there, went to school, played
soccer, football that is, I was
an ok goalkeeper, and I also used
to be a good swimmer. It’s a
beautiful city. Most people
compare it with Paris. It’s
where they held the first World
Cup of Football back in 1930 and
the German ship Admiral Graf Spee
was sunk there in 1939. My
grandfather used to tell me about
that, cause he saw it happening.
I was born during the terrible
dictatorship that covered some
countries during the 70s, where
ideas were forbidden and people
were wanted just because they had
“dangerous” brains. My
dad has had several occupations:
he was a banker for a while,
electrician, he wrote songs and
lyrics for theatre plays. My Mom
is a philosophy teacher and a
painter.
How did you “discover”
Rock’n’roll?
Well, let’s see…through
my mom and my dad. But it was
there for the taking. We would
listen to a lot music, they would
show me songs. I was very little,
and I was very much influenced.
There was a lot of Beatles and
Rolling Stones going on, some
Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan,
Springsteen…all that stuff
was a heavy influence on me, and
contemporary traditional music,
and I wanted to be a singer/performer
since I was very little. A couple
of things turned me on to older
Rock and Roll. One of them was
Roy Orbison. The movie Back To
The Future was very big for me --
the ballroom scene, you know,
when Marty plays Johnny B Good.
Oh man, I watched that TV screen
in astonishment. I started
researching that music era and I
found a lot of stuff and I got
really into it for a long time,
and formed my first band cause I
wanted to perform and be on stage.
I couldn’t really afford the
CDs or records so I would pick up
bits and pieces from here and
there, radio and such.
How was the rockin’ scene in
Uruguay?
What rockin’ scene?
There is no rockin’ scene
really. I was the only rockin’
band there. I mean, there is a
big music scene with bands coming
at you from everywhere, but I
know what you mean by rockin’
scene. You mean Rockabilly, or
early Rock and Roll sounds. There
is a huge Rock and Roll scene,
lots of 60s stuff, garage, lots
of punk, lot of traditional
music, but mostly contemporary
stuff, and something that
developed into what is called
Rock Uruguayo--great bands, very
good quality stuff. Not really
any roots music bands though, but
that’s perfectly fine, cause
they are not needed when the
music scene is so rich and active
with so many different options.
What I mean is, you know,
American roots music doesn’t
come from there, and there are a
lot of different kinds of music
styles you can choose from and it
works just fine. But when a bunch
of guys like us showed up, it was
like: “wow, who are these
guys? And where did they come
from?”. We actually became
quite popular, appearing on TV
and radio and stuff like that.
Things were looking good, but I
left the country when I was 18
years old.
Reading various interviews and
your biography, it seems that
playin’ music is something
you’ve always wanted to do…
Yes, always, since I was very
young.
I guess your parents were very
important to your musical
development as it was your father
who taught you your first guitar
chords…
Yes, he plays guitar, and he
taught me the first basic chords
and techniques. But I wasn’t
into the technique part very much.
The rest I learned on my own. By
that I mean, I learned with
records and watching performers.
I would see a chord that I didn’t
know and would start using it, or
hear it on a record and I would
say “wow, that’s good!”
or “wow, I’d like to
use that chord!”. And not
only the music itself, but also
the attitude and approach towards
the music and what music means to
you. I know how important it is.
I know how music moves the world
and how powerful it is and that
was part of my education.
What can you tell us about your
formative years and the bands you’ve
played with?
I always played in my band.
As time passes, musicians pass as
well, and life gets to them. I
had a 4 piece band with electric
bass in the beginning, and then
it became a 3 piece band when I
realized I could play the rhythm
guitar, the solo parts and sing
at the same time. We played a
lot, and I learned a lot during
those years. Those were
adventurous times….they
still are, but everything was so
new to me back then. Renting
equipment, getting lucky to be
able to move it around, we didn’t
have cars or anything. We used
stand-up bass for a while, but
that was an instrument that was
very hard to find where we were,
unless you wanted a brand new one.
But we couldn’t afford that.
I remember we got one from an
antique store, and it was falling
apart, the neck was bent and
separated from the body and we
had to put a huge screw on there.
It never worked properly, but we
looked cool. You know, we were
young and rowdy, trying to fall
into a certain category…until
we gave up and smashed that thing
up! It was such a pain!…we
moved to electric bass after that.
This was back in the 1990s. Then,
the band went through a period of
stand-up bass, and now we have
electric bass again. The electric
bass fits a lot better with my
style and my songs and it gives
us a wider range of possibilities.
Would you say that coming from
Uruguay gave you influences (even
unconsciously) that for instance
US bands don’t have and
helped you finding you own style?
It helped me think out of the
box a bit more. Because I know
the world is big, and there is a
lot more out there, and I don’t
like being limited to anything or
classified as anything. So, yes,
I think so. And I was heavily
influenced by a lot of
traditional music from where I
grew up, a lot of ideas, and
visions of reality. Those things
influence you just as much. There
is a lot of good music out there.
And I had to really crave the
music, and it was so hard to get,
that that made it a lot more
special for me.
You’ve recorded an album in
Uruguay that was never released.
Why?
Yes, I had been playing for
some time and I had some
recognition and these people
offered me to record an album.
This was back in 1998 or 99. So I
did. It was for a new label, and
they also owned a radio station
called XFM from Montevideo, but
the station changed owners right
then so the stuff was never
released for one reason or
another.
What kind of stuff was it?
It is great stuff. Once in a
while I listen to it, and I like
it. A lot of originals, in
Spanish and English. I would say
50/50. Very well recorded, we
used a lot of studio time, and
didn’t really look at the
clock on the wall. This was
unusual for me so I took
advantage of it. Was it
already The Truly Lover Trio
sound?
Yes, it is the Truly Lover
Trio sound, different sounds, and
different moods. You might get to
hear it one day.
You finally moved to LA, was it
just for music purpose?
Yes, I kinda felt that the
city appealed to me. I came out
here to visit once, and I liked
it. The music scene is big here,
but not very user friendly, you
know.
Your first record shows a real
strong talent, real mature, for
songwriting.
Is this something you’ve
worked on for long?
Oh thank you, that’s a
nice compliment. Yes, I started
writing when I was very young,
but I used to keep everything to
myself.
I still do, but I’m more
open about showing my songs. It’s
a work in progress. Like Bob
Dylan says: “and artist is
always in the process of becoming”.
Its true. I feel like I have
evolved quite a bit, and I still
feel that I am. It’s like
being afraid of showing what you
are wearing unless you think its
somewhat presentable you know? Or
if it means a lot to you, you
kinda want to save it up, you
know?
The first time I heard you, the
thing that really impressed me
was your voice. Man you can
definitely hear some Roy Orbison
in it. How did you discover his
music?
Thank you. Well, I got to
know him when he was with the
Traveling Wilburys. At about the
same time he passed away. And I
watched their video Handle With
Care, and there he was with the
voice of an angel and looking so
mysterious. He totally struck me,
even today, he is still my mentor.
I basically learned from him, the
way to sing and the attitude
towards it. I was never trained
on how to sing. Nobody sings like
Roy Orbison, even today, nobody
does. But I play his music all
the time, and I research his
career.
In terms of songwriting your
songs don’t always have the
basic pattern. Where does that
come from and who are your
favorite songwriters?
Yes, I noticed that as well…
You know, I don’t really try
to do it like that, it just comes
out like that. I just write the
way I feel like writing at the
time. I don’t really go by
any formats, or the usual verse-chorus-verse,
I just sit down and go wherever
the song takes me. Maybe that’s
part of the Roy Orbison influence.
Of course I love his songwriting.
Dylan is a master and I admire
him too. He also defies the rules
of songwriting.
You
used to have a lead guitar
player, then you took the lead
guitar duties. Even if you had to
play lead and rhythm, wouldn’t
you say it helped you to refine
your own sound?
Oh yes. See, that was kind of
a limitation for me because if I
want to put a certain accent on a
certain part that needs it, or do
a certain riff here or there, I
do it. Or if I wanna play a
longer solo here or there, I play
a longer solo. So, that move
certainly helped a lot. See, I
play in a particular style that
fits with my songs in a certain
special way.
Talking about guitars, who are
your favorite guitar players?
There are a few stylists that
I really admire. By “stylists”
I mean people that are unique and
have their own sound that you’ll
recognize next time you hear it.
Same thing happens with the
singers….Guitarists like
Chuck Berry with his double
string solos, Eric Clapton with
his sweet and stabbing licks,
Carl Perkins with his simple but-difficult-at-the-same-time
open strings, George Harrison
with his Beatles riffs and later
on with the slide. You can tell
those guys apart from all the
others. Bo Diddley too. But also,
I like flamenco guitar a lot,
Paco De Lucia for instance, he is
one of the best of all times.
What kind of stuff was in your
record player this last few days?
Oh, I’ve been listening
to Bob Dylan’s new
collection of unreleased tracks,
and there is also a brand new dvd
that came out with it. There are
some things I listen to in a
regular basis besides Roy. I have
a Jerry Lee’s Sun Records
box that I like a lot. Elvis, his
entire career is fabulous. A lot
of stuff I used to listen to when
I was a teenager I still listen
to. I love a British band called
Dire Straits. I listened to some
Eddie Cochran last week. Also a
local band Dawn Shipley and the
Sharpshooters are recording a new
album and I got to hear their new
material.
Could you introduce us the
musicians that play with you,
please?
Yes, of course. John Carlucci
plays electric bass. He’s
been playing for a long time. He
played with a band called The
Speedies and also The Fuzztones
in the early 80s. He is awesome.
Jeff Gerow plays drums. He is a
very popular guy and I’m
glad he is with us. He wears the
best shirts in town.
It seems there’s a story
behind the name “Truly Lover”??
I was in my early teens….maybe
13, and I wrote a little story
that went on and on about a
character by the name of Truly
Lover. He was a mystery man, but
a contemporary knight at the same
time. He was kind and he walked
the streets at night. All my
friends loved the story. They
were all a bit older than me, and
they started calling me Truly
Lover, and the nickname got
around and a bit after that I
formed my first band, or about
the same time. It became The
Truly Lover Band by default, and
I kept the name.
You just have a DVD out “for
fans only” . A word about
that?
There are bunch of new things
out there, new formats and new
capabilities. I thought it could
be a great idea if I put some
rare, behind the scenes footage
and live footage together for the
fans. This is amateur video but
it gives a bit of an inside view
of the band.
A
last word?
Its been great. You are a
great interviewer and its been a
pleasure to be a part of this
great project you have going on!
Best of luck to you!
Listen
to some songs from the newest
album at www.myspace.comtrulylovertrio or
go to their website www.trulylovertrio.com
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