EMQ’s With Franck Carducci
EMQ’s With Franck Carducci
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with French Musician, Singer, and Songwriter, Franck Carducci. Huge thanks to him for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Franck Carducci, I’m a French musician, singer and songwriter. As a young guy, I was writing my own songs and recording some demos. Regularly, friends would tell me: “Hey, these songs sound good, you should make an album!” and I would always give the same answer: “What for? Nobody knows me and it’s never gonna work!”
Later on, I moved to Amsterdam and joined the local scene there. Then I got to meet one of my childhood heroes, Steve Hackett from Genesis. I opened a gig for him, and we had a long discussion. At some point he said to me: “Your songs sound good, you should record an album!”. So, I fired my usual response to this, but then he replied: “Well, just do it for yourself, that way you can’t be disappointed, if it works you’re happy, if it doesn’t, you’re still happy because you did it for you anyway!”
The next day, I started the recording of my first album “Oddity”. Steve was very supportive in the process, and he apparently enjoyed the album because he then offered to play on the next one, which he did on “Torn Apart” in 2015. So I guess, everything I achieved as a solo artist, I owe it to Steve somehow, I wouldn’t be here without his wise words. We even opened for Sting this year, how cool is that?
How did you come up with your band name?
When I released “ODDITY” in 2011, I didn’t have a band. That’s the reason the artist name was simply “Franck Carducci”. After that I got some gigs offers so I had to form a band. The line-up has changed several times since then, but that’s the life of any band I suppose.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
I’m from France. The Rock scene is pretty weak here. I used to live in Amsterdam, that’s when I started this project, the Rock scene there blossoms like tulips 🙂
What is your latest release?
In 2023, I released an acoustic album as a duo with Mary Reynaud called “NAKED” + a live album with my Fantastic Squad entitled “The Answer Live”. They’re all available on all the platforms.
Who have been your greatest influences?
My musical influences are quite obvious, Pink-Floyd, Led-Zeppelin, Supertramp, Kansas, Billy Joel, Elton John, David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Genesis…
What first got you into music?
I was born in a family full of musicians, so I didn’t really have a choice there! 🙂
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Sir Paul Mc Cartney. He’s the ultimate rock superstar!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
I’d probably go for Glastonbury in the UK …
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
A fluffy stuffed animal… I wasn’t expecting this!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
I’m always so grateful for all the support we receive everywhere we go. So I guess “it’d start with “THANK YOU SO MUCH”
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Elvis… after all he was the king!! 🙂
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love to tour, meet new people every night, but most of all, give them a special moment where they can forget about life for a while. I don’t really “hate” anything except when administrations and government (customs) are trying to prevent indie bands to tour freely…
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I’d slow down the need for short-term profit that is now ruling the business.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“Animals” by Pink-Floyd.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I don’t really have a preference, but I like to hold an object in my hands when I listen to music 😉
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Not sure it was the “best”, but opening a gig for Sting in 2022 is certainly a highlight for me. Especially when he came to me after our show and told me “Wow, you guys are a really tough act to follow!” 🙂
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I guess I’d be cooking Italian dishes somewhere 🙂
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Let me think … Roger Waters because he seems to have interesting conversations, Jack Nicholson because that’d be fun, Bruce Springteen because he’s so inspiring, Quentin Tanrentino because I’m currently reading his book and then Al Pacino.
What’s next for the band?
We’ll be touring the UK in 2024:
FEB-28: LONDON – The BedfordFEB-29 : SWINDON – The Victoria
MAR-01: PORT TALBOT – Seaside Social & Labour Club
MAR-02: STOURPORT – Fusion Festival
MAR-03: SOUTHAMPTON – The 1865
MAR-06: LEICESTER – The Musician
MAR-07: LIVERPOOL – Cavern Club
MAR-08: GLASGOW – Ivory Blacks
MAR-09: NEWCASTLE – Innisfree Sports & Social Club
MAR-10: OUNDLE – Queen Victoria Hall.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
You can visit my website: www.franckcarducci.com
https://www.facebook.com/franckcarducci
Also on Instagram, Spotify, Apple, Bandcamp, and Amazon
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