Hello,
So, who am I?
Well, I’m just an ordinary human being who loves music… no, who worships music. That’s more like it.
I wanted to be a drummer, but my father wasn’t too keen on the idea of me banging away 24 hours a day, so I started singing instead. Shouting, mostly, in the early days…
My first attempt at recording myself on a backing track was “We Don’t Need Another Hero” by Tina Turner. The Mad Max soundtrack included an instrumental version, so I hung a microphone from the ceiling lamp in the middle of the living room and gave it a try.
Later, the cassette was discovered by a friend of my father. Halfway through the song, he suddenly realized it wasn’t Tina Turner singing… it was me.
My next adventure took place in the home studio of a family friend, where I recorded “Still Got The Blues” by Gary Moore on his Fostex 16-track reel-to-reel machine. After that, I figured I was pretty good at this singing thing, so I started looking for a band.
I joined The Lamia, who had just begun writing their own material after being a Marillion tribute band. Funny how life works…
Many bands followed over the years: Genesis tribute bands, pop cover bands, a Toto tribute band, until eventually I landed in Neverland, a Marillion tribute band dedicated to the Hogarth era.
In 2011, I had the incredible opportunity to sing with Marillion themselves, and later I made several live appearances alongside Steven Rothery.
In 2013, together with my friends Luiz and Gary, I founded Swappers Eleven. In 2020, we released our debut album, From A Distance.
Then, in 2021, I had to put music aside for a while in order to focus on a major house renovation project. While all of that was going on, I still managed to play one last show with Neverland… and then, suddenly, I stopped singing.
As the years went by, I became increasingly convinced that I had had enough of the music business: the live gigs, the rehearsals, the travelling, even the singing itself. I had a German Shepherd to take care of, a busy life, and very little spare time. Music slowly faded into the background.
In November 2025, however, my four-legged angel left this world and crossed the bridge into forever.
Losing Creed left a huge void in my life. It was then that I decided to get back behind the microphone and try to do something constructive with all that emotion.
In January 2026, I started studying and training at home. Getting back to my old range and vocal ability was a nightmare. After four months I still couldn’t do what I used to do, and frustration was growing day after day. More than once I thought it was over and that I should simply quit.
I felt a bit like Rocky in Rocky III when Apollo is trying to train him but he just can’t focus. The Eye of the Tiger… I had lost it somewhere between singing “Quartz” and “Dreaming While You Sleep” many years before. The hunger was gone. The purpose was gone.
But then, in May, something changed.
My vocal cords began to relax and respond again. My breathing improved. Little by little, my voice came back. I kept riding that new wave of positive energy and confidence, and today I can honestly say that not only am I back… I feel better than ever.
So here I am.
Still singing. Still learning. Still chasing those songs that have inspired me all my life.
When I’m not doing that, I enjoy recording my own versions of rock classics—or whatever happens to match my mood at the time.
I hope you’ll come along and share this musical journey with me.
Peace and Love,
Alessandro
x x x
