EMQs with WHO ON EARTH
EMQs with WHO ON EARTH
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hello, my name is Pete Rizzi and I am the bass player and co-founder of Who on Earth. The band started in 2020 when our lead singer, Coosh, and I decided to leave our barroom cover band, Madhaus and form our own original metal band. During that time, we felt (and still do) that the music we grew up with in the 80s and 90s was becoming a lost art. The hooks, guitar solos, and the sing-along chorus were becoming a thing of the past. So, we thought it was a great time to write our own songs in the style of the great genres that we were fortunate to grow up with!
How did you come up with your band name?
Jeez, we went through dozens of name ideas, and they were all taken. I loved the name Who on Earth because it was an open-ended question that signified why we formed in the first place, i.e, who on earth is going to bring back the great rock and metal of the past, without overproduction, auto-tuning, backing tracks, and other nonsense. I was shocked to find that the name was available. It felt like a sign that we really should go for it!
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are from New Jersey in the US, home of Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Skid Row! The metal/rock scene is pretty sad here. There is a lot of alternative music and a ton of cover and tribute bands. Some of our popular rock venues closed up during Covid and never reopened. That is why the band will be traveling all over the US this year. The Midwest and South still have big metal scenes so we are taking our show to them!
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest release will be the full length album ‘It Takes the Village’ on May 8th
Who have been your greatest influences?
My greatest influences are Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and any band that Dio sang in! Tool and Alice in Chains were big influences in my late teens and early 20s.
What first got you into music?
My parents were pretty young when they had me, and I remember looking at the albums that were in our living room. Meatloaf, Billy Joel, The Cars, Cheap Trick. I was just a little kid and I loved it. Led Zeppelin IV was for me back then. Jeez, I was maybe 7 years old. As for playing, I credit Steve Harris. The early Iron Maiden albums were HUGE for me, and it was his playing that made me buy my first bass at the age of 15. And the first song I played with a band was The Trooper! Ha.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
Bruce Dickinson. I would love to write a song and see what melodies/lyrics he would put to it! That would be a dream come true.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
I would love to play Rock in Rio. The Latin American metal fans are so intense and so passionate about metal. They live for it, and I would love to play for them at that iconic festival.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Honestly, nothing funky or weird has been offered…yet. But I hope to have a better answer for this question by the end of the year. Ha.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thank you for all of your support so far, the best is yet to come. We are just getting started and we are thrilled to have you on this ride with us!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Ronnie James Dio. I wish I could have met him, and even though I saw him live many times, it was never enough.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician?
Creating songs, writing lyrics, developing cover art concepts and most of all, playing live. There is still no better connection than playing in front of people. All of the social media tools and tricks in the world will never replace that.
And what do you hate?
The immense competition or white noise of thousands of songs being uploaded every hour! Without a label, it is harder than ever to break out, and the labels pretty much want guaranteed success. The days of finding a solid band with great music and developing or “breaking them” seem to be a thing of the past.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Record labels would go back to developing bands and getting them out on the road.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Iron Maiden’s ‘Piece of Mind’
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
I mean, old vinyl sounded the best on the big speaker stereo systems we all had. But the ability to listen to music through the phone in your car, headphones, earbuds, etc., is amazing. I have access to every song ever written in my back pocket. Playlists, random shuffles…it’s amazing. I think we are lucky to have that technology! I can’t listen to a vinyl when I’m riding my motorcycle!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
We opened for Zebra at a great club here in New Jersey, and the reception we got blew us away. It was the moment we realized we had something because dads were coming up to us with their kids and they were both buying shirts! It was cool, and we get that all of the time. But that was the first.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing? Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
I would be a health coach. I spent many years studying holistic health and did a fair amount of one-on-one and group education before we started Who on Earth. I will go back to it someday. Nothing is more fulfilling than helping people achieve life changes that free them from chronic disease.
Dinner party:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Dickinson, Bill Burr, Pope Leo, Neal DeGrass Tyson.
What’s next for the band?
Well, the album will be out on May 8th and on that same day we start a short tour of the Northeast of the US with Fozzy. We have a bunch of dates with Tantric in June and September, and hope to fill the calendar for the fall soon. Lots of live shows and album promotion with a few more singles and videos planned! And by year’s end, we will start on the next batch of new songs for 2027!
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Website
Spotify
YouTube
There’s a long-standing food-based debate here in the UK. And we’d like your help. So… A Jaffa cake – is it a cake or a biscuit? Discuss!
Honestly, I’ve never had one. If it’s a cake, I’ll eat it. If it’s a biscuit, my wife will eat it! We will defer this debate until our first show in the U.K., which will hopefully be next year!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you very much for your time and your interest in the band. And for helping spread the word about ‘Who on Earth!’ We appreciate you.
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