Interview with Los Angeles lead singer Michele Luppi

Frontiers Records recording artists Los Angeles have just released their newest disc, Neverland. This CD is a solid, adult-oriented rock album that boasts some phenomenal playing, killer songwriting and songs that, while AOR oriented, still kick some serious tail. Vocalist Michele Luppi spoke with me from Italy about Los Angeles and their new CD, Neverland.

The name of the band Los Angeles is interesting to say the least and sounds as if there is a story behind it. Where did the name come from and what is the story?
Michele: When I first joined the project Los Angeles I thought it was the name of a series of feature albums; I figured mine was just another brick in the wall. Right after I got a copy of the master, along with the artwork, I realized it was meant to be a concept around me, Fabrizio and the “City Of Angels,” a place where your dreams can become true. I am sure Serafino and Mario (Frontiers records) came up with the idea. We liked it so much we ended up writing most of the lyrics on Neverland about the theme of “what’s really behind the mask.” All the Musicians like us feel lucky to have a chance to make a living with our passion, even though we all have sacrificed half of our souls to Music. Los Angeles is the imaginary place within our minds where all of this happens with no boundaries. Blood, sweat, tears and days spent recording in order to make music the best way we could. The love for what we do got us blind somehow.

Now that your brand new CD, Neverland is complete how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome?
Michele: I feel good. It is not an album that can be related to any particular goal or moment like has happened with every other release I did. It is a kick-ass come back, the natural development of a project that went really well and that deserves to go on as long as possible. I am very proud of some songs we wrote like “City Of Angels” and “Promises” and I am happy that Roberto Priori, my “Studio Buddy” over the last ten years, joined us. Of course, once you discover what the right ingredients are, it becomes much easier to go further the more you progress. Maybe we tried to be more essential this time; I only hope our fans will appreciate our more natural approach on this one. Of course, there are always things I would change but hey, this is a team, it’s not my band. Everybody within the band would record and mix every song in a different way but, frankly, who cares? There are songs that went out very well like “Higher Love” and “Nowhere To Run” which I wrote with Fabrizio and George Lynch).The synergy sometimes may push the result where you did not have the right to imagine.

Every band has its musical influences. What are some of the other bands and artists that have greatly influenced you guys and your music?
Michele: You know, if you achieve to be an artist, satisfy yourself first and dig deeper to discover your soul and put it into music, well, you may have references (especially in the early days) but you want to make sure you don’t “copy and paste” any style, song or voice. I may learn how great singers or bands developed their sounds and see what happens if I apply a concept after I re-elaborate it inside my head. I have learned a lot by correcting mistakes of my students; being an example for many new singers means you have the responsibility to give a reason for every note you sing or play. I may love a band just for a drum sound or a bass line. It is not recognizing patterns that work for you but creating yours by analyzing others you respect and admire. If you respect other people’s work, you borrow the schemes for a while but you make sure you change it so you can call it yours. If this does not happen we all have to call what we do a tribute to the artist we stole something from. It may seem crazy but I try to treat my voice like a keyboard and create my moods and sounds like I used to do in the mid 80’s when I was a keyboard player, turning knobs to get the sound I had in my head. Of course when you do an AOR Album like Neverland some solutions come naturally but you still have the right and the need to be you all the time all the way.

What was the writing process like for this CD? Did you guys all write together? How long did it take?
Michele: Writing songs for Neverland came out very easily. We simply passed to each other files with our ideas; everybody recorded his part on his own, effectively producing his own lines. This way you cannot fool anyone: other member’s asset depends on yours, so you have to do your job very professionally from every point of view. Usually it takes a couple of days for me once I have the chords to figure out how to develop my melodies and lyrics. I do not “give it a try” and “see what happens” but I need to fully conceive the song inside my head before recording one single word. Probably some of us work differently but see, it all depends on the song you are about to create/record. It is like playing soccer, you may have your schemes and tactics but once you are on the field you learn how to adjust your art in order to reach people’s heart and score. To produce a demo it may take a couple of hours but you have to figure out when it’s the right time to sit in your studio for that purpose.

What is it that normally gives you inspiration when writing lyrics and is there a theme or themes behind the writing of this record?
Michele: The theme behind this record and the band name also is the huge need to save this kind of music in every possible way. We do not want to hang on memories but bring a brand-new life to the most beautiful music of all: AOR. We stand for what we believe in and recording an album like Neverland is a privilege for someone who really loves this branch of music/art. We celebrate melody, rock and beauty; there are things you need to preserve, and music is one of them. It’s funny because over the years it became cheaper and cheaper to do so but unfortunately people tend to forget things they love very easily these days.

Even though the songs on Neverland are packed to the gills with huge guitars, intricate rhythms, and complex arrangements, there are still strong songs at the core of it all. When you write do you start building from a simpler frame and then just stack up all of the individual parts and nuances?
Michele: It depends. When you come up with the idea, you need to be essential and, at the same time, to be sure the other members may lay down their part with freedom and fantasy. I usually get a demo with basic tracks… I have to tell you that once I figure out where and how the main melody goes, adding walls of voices is the easiest thing in the world! Sometimes it is better to be essential than to keep adding track after track. A song is like a blank page of paper you choose to fill with the elements you think represent you the most. We’re not all aware we all have the same “free space” available while recording and that using better and more expensive equipment gives you the possibility to fit all the instruments better within the same amount of space. When it comes to a song all that matters is “what” and “how” in this precise order.

What can music fans expect when they pick up a copy of Neverland?
Michele: Well, I may say whatever they’re able to find. There is passion, energy, melody, well-crafted arrangements and a feel that every single member of the band has his own persona. I am sure my vocal approach may be conceived as one of a kind… I only try to use my imagination to create the album I would buy myself. I love every kind of difference that is the point. It takes time and passion to listen to an album though I know some people will “use” our new album in any kind of situations. You may listen to Neverland while driving, working out, making love or something else. The point is, no matter what you do, listen to it and enjoy!

How has MySpace and the internet affected your band and do you think downloading helps or hinders the artists?
Michele: Actually, I think that internet may give us more awareness of what’s going on. We used to believe in everything we read until somebody or something cheated us. Then we started doubting about everything: we stopped using our imagination. I remember when you fell in love with a band you would deeply listen to their albums, learn all the songs and lyrics and go support the band live. Now everybody thinks music is a sort of game anyone can play, more or less it does not matter. People tend to forget that music is a form of art and not just entertainment. Pros do not sell anymore because the fans are players and sellers themselves. New bands cannot tour unless they pay big bucks (because record companies do not pay for that anymore) to bands that gathered a name over the years; the new bands cannot grow in any way. We are consuming dead stars (reunions, Tribute bands…) and the ones that do things differently, trying to be artists, are seen like freaks. Cakes are too few to feed every “so-called artists” and I really hope the ones who play instruments like a play-station game will disappear soon and leave the field to the ones that have the vocation to be real musicians. But, who am I to judge who is worthy or not? I only think we should at least feel we deserve a chance before trying to use it… Music should not be a lottery of dreams for wannabes.

The artwork is quite amazing. How is it tied to the album’s title?
Michele: Yes, I think so too! Nello Dell’Omo did all the artwork and we are all so proud of his contributions. I love the colors and the fact that the city needs to be lifted up toward the sky to reach for the heavens. Listening to music and love are the best ways to disappear for a while and enter to another world made of dreams, beauty and health. We called that place Neverland.

How is the current economic slump affecting your band?
Michele: To avoid the effect of that problem I always do many things at the same time; I perform, I record and I teach. In my spare time, I study. Economic slump or not, if you want to make a living you cannot rely on anyone and gain money and respect on the field. All my activities somehow support each other. I’m sure I’ll never buy a Ferrari but to me, doing what I love and living a decent life represents more than I expected when I was I kid living in a 6,000-soul town. I think the problem is that people do not believe or care about tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is not that far away and we are paying for a lack of intellectual honesty we have lost over the years. The secret is to enjoy what you do, no matter what it is, and do it the best way you can. This way you feel better, everybody would eventually enjoy your contribution and respect you more and, in general, the world would be a better and healthier place. There is a line of a song called “Satellite Blues” by Asia that says,” There’s so much money we could all retire.

In a hundred years from now what will the music history books say about Los Angeles?
Michele: I’m afraid nobody will read in a hundred of years; there will be another way to “instill” concepts in our brains. I hope the next generations will respect the past just like we did with black and white movies, and keep remastering (for example) our songs and, of course, enjoying them. I am sure it takes time to recognize real art; you may compare it to a good bottle of wine. It gets better year after year. If the wine turns to “vinegar,” well, maybe the album wasn’t so worthy.

What is next for Los Angeles?
Michele: I’d like to play live the two Los Angeles records along with Strive, my first solo record. We all hope people will continue to support us so there will be a Los Angeles album in stores every two years or so.  [ END ]