Interview with Roberto Sanguigni
Hi Roberto!
When did you start playing music and how did your passion for music come about?
From an early age I was surrounded and attracted to music (my father played piano). I started playing bass guitar at the age of 16 thanks to a childhood friend of mine who had recently started playing drums and asked me to play together. I had a bass guitar of my father’s in the garage (an Eko from the 70′) and so I started taking lessons in my hometown school; shortly thereafter we formed our first band ranging from Punk to Rock, doing covers of the Ramones, RHCP, Clash, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc.
When did you know you had to be a musician?
When I started doing my first live shows in high school, in school parties, I always liked being on stage and communicating with music, but it seemed like an unattainable dream.
I think I realized that I wanted to do this as a job when I moved to Rome to study at Saint Louis, where I deepened my study of music and began to gain my first work experience by meeting other musicians and fellow students who shared this passion as I did.
Which artists have you had the privilege of playing with and which venues have you enjoyed the most?
One of my first experiences was a play with Sergio Rubini and Paolo Sassanelli, where we set to music popular texts dating back to the early 1900s’ from the Apulian tradition together with pianist/composer Umberto Sangiovanni with his project DauniaOrchestra.
Later, I worked as a session player with pop artists such as Valerio Scanu, Federica Carta, Alessio Bernabei, Alex Wyse and Fulminacci.
As far as venues go, I think the most beautiful were the Vox in Nonantola (a historic live club where Oasis and many, many other artists also played) and then definitely the Cavea of the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, a spectacular location that manages to create a unique bubble of magic.
First a student and now a lecturer at Saint Louis. What got you interested in the world of education?
I discovered a passion for teaching when I first started teaching, the first few years are always a bit of a break-in period where you look for a key and a method to pass on to your students not only knowledge but also a passion for music. Teaching for me has been and still is very challenging. In addition to teaching my students, I find it very constructive and stimulating to compare and learn new things from them as well.
You are Fulminacci’s “starting” bass player. Can you tell us some background on the world of shifting?
I have been playing with Philip since his first concert in 2019. I am really lucky and I owe a lot to this artist who is building a solid path full of great satisfaction. He is one of my favorites in today’s music scene, playing and sharing stage and experiences with him is really amazing. It happens a lot to work with artists in the world of touring, but we often lose touch a little bit when the tours end, and that’s something that never happened with Filippo because a human bond and a beautiful friendship was born as well.
How do you organize a tour? What does the organizational backstage look like?
Each tour has different internal dynamics, but broadly speaking there is always a preparatory phase of the show called “staging,” that is, where both musical and technical rehearsals are done and the show is built by taking care of all the individual details.
The last one I did was actually with Fulminacci, where we did about 10 days in a country villa between Marche and Umbria and literally “locked ourselves in” to rehearse all day long. During this time we got to work on the songs to rearrange them and build the whole show together with the technicians who were supporting us. It was an incredible experience and very formative, it is nice to be able to devote oneself to music h24 without the various commitments one has in daily life by detaching from the city.
Life as a shift worker: pros and cons?
I think the world of Italian shifting has changed a lot over the years, just as, on the other hand, the music and the way of making it has changed. It’s definitely a complex world that has a thousand facets, and it’s not always easy to work in, but when you get on stage you make that connection with the other musicians and the audience that makes you remember that you’re in the right place doing the greatest thing in the world.
It is a difficult job to handle at times, but it is also very dynamic, introducing you to so many places and so many people.
In November 2024 you played at Linecheck in Milan. If you had to choose 3 adjectives to tell us how you experienced this, which ones would you choose and why?
On November 22, 2024 I played at Linecheck in Milan with Cigno, I was already familiar with the festival since it is one of the most beautiful and stimulating festivals for Italian and international underground music. It was very inspiring to get to know and listen to the entire lineup of artists performing on the day and the warm welcome from Dino Lupelli, manager of the festival and the Music Innovation Hub. I really appreciate the work of Dino and all his staff who manage to give voice to emerging and experimental projects away from the major labels.
If I had to define Linecheck in three adjectives I would choose:
- visionary: the festival explores futuristic themes by integrating music, technology and art, thus giving artists a chance to voice new sonic directions. In fact, it offers a variety of musical genres ranging from jazz to electronic giving ways to create synergies for a diverse audience.
- collaborative: linecheck differs from other national festivals in its connection-oriented approach, fostering dialogues between artists, industry professionals and the public. It is a meeting place to create synergies and discover emerging talents.
- diverse: its diverse lineup, spanning genres and cultures, represents the variety and depth of the current music scene, from niche artists to international names; in fact, the festival attracts artists, speakers and visitors from all over the world, creating a multicultural environment and fostering the exchange of different ideas and perspectives.
Who is your favorite musician and why?
There are so many, but the one who most inspired me and got me hooked on music and electric bass was Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In addition to being an incredible bass player with a very distinct flair, he is also a well-rounded musician. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the first bands I played in the living room when I was a kid, so I’m particularly attached to them.
What is your favorite song that you would take to Noah’s Ark?
I would choose a song by Bob Marley, one of my favorite artists that I have always listened to and has never been missing from my playlist: So Much Trouble in the World.