Interview: Fabbro di Chiavi - Light and Heavy

Fabbro di Chiavi, alias Marco Pellizzari, is a guitarist, composer and aerospace engineer born in Asolo (TV) on December 19, 1983. Engaged in contributing to the realization of earth observation and solar system exploration missions, he became passionate about music from an early age, starting from classical guitar studies to later land on the electric. Sources of inspiration and study are international artists (Steve Vai, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia, Joe Pass, Steve Morse, Symphony X) and Italian artists (Banco del mutual Aid, New Trolls, PFM). From 2000 to today he has ranged from rock music, to progressive, to metal playing in tribute bands (Genesis, TOTO, Malmsteen and Van Halen) in Italy and Germany, where he currently lives.

By Kamil Bobin

Discovered via Musosoup

Kamil) Hey Fabbro di Chiavi, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?

A kind of magic! I was almost 5 when I saw it on MTV and the guitars of Bryan May are monumental. Even today, when I hear the tune it blows my mind.

Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.

Well, the good and bad part of it is that being a composer and guitarist is not my main occupation. This indeed gives me the flexibility to write and play music without compromises, but at the same time is a challenge: I have to fight hard against the 24hrs day limit to push forward the project.

Your latest song is 'Light and Heavy'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?

The idea was to make a first statement in the direction my music will have. I wanted to bring in a broad band guitar playing style leveraging the classical studies and the years spent on playing rock and metal music.

The tune goes from the heaviness of the electric to the lightness of the acoustic, from the lightness of the melody to the heaviness of the technical execution.

Indeed, everything was unusual! Being Light and Heavy the first single that I have ever published, I had to go through the whole process from writing to production. In this process it was a pleasure and an absolutely essential aid to have the chance to work with professional musician and engineers (Leonardo Barilaro @thespacepianist, @andrea_giovannoli and Dirk of @acsy.sound)

An unusual thing happened, if it can be defined so: in the process of creating the concept for the tune I newly discovered my love for paper and pencil, in parallel to the production of the music I directed also the artwork finalized by #37graphics. This is something that I will keep doing for the next release; I perceive it as part of the creation.

How do you differ from most other artists?

Well, that’s the challenge. Light and heavy is a first statement, but the key elements of the Fabbro di Chiavi footprint are there: electrical and acoustic/classical guitar fully deployed with big melodies and symphonic landscape. This themes will be developed more and more in the next future.

Where are you from and do you have a stable home or do you prefer travelling?

I am from Montebelluna, a city close to Venice, I have been living in Florence for a while, but since 2012 I am stably on the lake of Constance in South Germany. So I have been a kind of luggage dependent, but I appreciate the stability of the last ten years in a wonderful place.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

Making a new statement on the guitar without being put on the shredders catalog is tough today, but I would be comfortable in belonging to the prog family. That’s where I will drive the car towards.

How do you nurture your own creativity?

Listening, practicing and studying. The experience made in producing light and heavy and more and more with the new material made such that the new ideas , once recovered and structured, have to be reviewed and developed to sound right. Coming back to books and classical studies helped me a lot to keep the momentum in finalizing the job.

If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?

At international level Mr Steve Vai would be my choice and looking at home I would definitely love to open for Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. I am always fascinated by the fireworks on the guitar, but I am a prog-man.

Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?

My ideal collaborations are with people who have the “helicopter view” on what they or we are doing and are able to make out the most of their own creativity to serve the final goal. That’s what I try to keep in mind whether I am playing in a cover band, or collaborating with another artist for new material.

Working together it has to be a pleasure. This has little to do with proficiency on the instrument, but a lot with commitment and communication.

What are your plans for the future?

Currently I am working on an EP (intangible part 1) to be release in the first semester of 2023. It will be a much more pronounced progressive rock effort with respect to Light and Heavy, where the presence of the orchestra will expand and the guitars work is more intense.