Brian Riente (1988) is a guitarist, singer and songwriter. A member of Kutso and Flowing Chords, he graduated in Pop Guitar Bachelor at Saint Louis in Rome. He has collaborated in the studio and live with artists such as Noemi, Serena Brancale, Nanowar of Steel, Marillion, Achille Lauro, Ketama126 and the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio. Today he also pursues his solo project.
I started studying music as a child, going through various schools and private teachers. After making a job of it, I felt the need to delve into specific topics and languages. Saint Louis College of Music in Rome seemed like the ideal choice to achieve this goal.
I am the guitarist of the alternative rock band Kutso for almost a decade now, and I have co-written with singer-songwriter Margò and singer at the vocal orchestra Flowing Chords. Currently I have also embarked on a solo project as a singer-songwriter.
After years of playing and singing for others, I felt the need to express myself as an artist. I started writing my own songs, finding my voice and identity through the Roman dialect. I wanted to do a little bit what Pino Daniele did, without making comparisons of course, combining dialect with genres that are distant both culturally and geographically.
How do you manage to be yourself in music? Where do you draw inspiration for your songs from?
For years I tried to write hermetic lyrics and complex music to impress. Then I realized that artistic authenticity comes from simplicity: singing, playing and writing naturally, without forcing things, you just have to listen to yourself. As they say in Rome, ‘talk like you eat’. Discovering this, everything became easier.
If you feel that music is what you really want to do, try to devote all your time and energy to it. Plan Bs may seem reassuring, but sometimes they end up distracting. Do, fail, try again: this is how things happen, And if one day you want to change your ways, you can always do so. But in the meantime, give everything.
I am fascinated by popular culture and how each people use music to tell the story of being human. Every place, every population does it differently, but the result is always a sense of closeness, even among distant cultures. This makes me feel good.
There is no shortage of difficulties. We cannot always do only what we enjoy; sometimes it is necessary to do less rewarding activities to support ourselves financially. It is a merry-go-round of emotions: some situations bring happiness, others frustration. With time, we get used to it, the important thing is not to lose focus on what we really love. Getting to economic balance without getting sick to make two extra ‘pennies’.
School should provide the tools to understand languages, even after the course of study. There is a world out there full of things to discover, and you never stop learning. Saint Louis has been an excellent school in this respect, providing a solid foundation for continuing to explore and understand new languages.
I don’t have a favorite musician and I don’t follow an artist in his or her entirety. I listen to songs that I like and move me, even if they are by complete strangers. I don’t get attached to the artists, but to the songs. I would change my mind every 10 minutes: today I would say Lucio Dalla, Lucio Battisti, Vasco Rossi, Giorgio Gaber, Franco Califano; before long I might say Pat Metheny, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix. This is the most difficult question for a musician to answer!
This one is even more difficult than the other one, help! Can I be a narcissist? I would bring in a piece of my own. “La mejo” Is a loving dedication to all those special people who sometimes forget. In my opinion in Noah’s Ark we need. a song motivational otherwise the situation is tough. I know it sounds presumptuous but If I don’t believe in my own things, who will? If it cannot be done, then I would say “La verità” by Brunori Sas.
