Gab De La Vega is an Italian-born singer-songwriter with a hardcore and punk rock background. He’s embarking on his third acoustic solo tour in Canada, with shows in Ontario, Quebèc, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Here’s an exclusive interview with him.
This is going to be your third tour in Canada. Do you have a special relationship with this Country?
I can say I do. A part of my family is from Canada, specifically from the area of Mississauga and Toronto. They are one of the reasons why I wanted to learn English when I was a kid.
As a musician, I toured Ontario and Quebec for the first time with my good friend Greg Rekus from Winnipeg in 2017. We did shows on the US East Coast before crossing to Canada. I had a great time and it was my very first time doing shows outside of Europe. Many things were different from my previous experiences in Europe, but people were very nice and welcoming. They made my touring experience in Canada very enjoyable. Some things are the same everywhere: people in the underground music world recognize each other, they speak the same language and that’s what I love about touring, whether it is Europe or Canada.
I toured Ontario and Quebec on my own in 2019 and that was also a great experience. Canada knows how to make you feel at home, that’s for sure. I really wanted to be back and I had to wait for years before finally making it!
You’re hitting Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia this time. What are you expecting?
I already had a taste of Ontario and Quebec and I can’t wait to play there. Some shows were booked by people I met on my previous tours and just being able to hang out again makes it already quite special.
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are new territories to me and I don’t really know what to expect, but I’m sure it’s going to be fun. This was my friend Chris Snelgrove’s idea. He offered me to do some shows together and he told me “how about we go all the way to Halifax?” – I just couldn’t say no, I can’t tell if I’ll ever have a chance to explore New Brunswick and Nova Scotia apart from doing it thanks to music, so I gladly accepted the invitation.
I am definitely excited about it all. And I’ll be doing some shows with friends I haven’t seen in a long time, such as Chris Snelgrove, Dead Friend Collective, Fast Eddie and Lee Resistant. Sounds fun!
Your latest album is “Beyond Space And Time”. It came out right before the beginning of the pandemic. There’s a picture of Toronto on the cover and a song called “YYZ” (the code for Toronto Pearson Airport… and one of the most famous songs by legendary Rush, of course). What can you tell us about all this?
I invested so much of myself in “Beyond Space And Time”. The timing was very unfortunate. I got to do 6 full band shows to promote the release and the rest of that year was supposed to be different (for everyone, I guess).
It came out two years ago, but at the same time it still feels kind of new. I haven’t played as many shows as I was supposed to with this album, so I’m playing many songs out of it.
“YYZ” is a song that was inspired by something that happened on a sunny afternoon in Toronto, a few years ago. I was walking downtown, headed some place I can’t really remember, when at some point I got kind of lost. Geographically maybe, but in that very moment I felt like I was actually lost in my life. I had to write a song about it. I decided to call it YYZ as a tribute to Toronto (which is the city that inspired the song) and since Rush’s song YYZ is a banger, I thought it was cool to use the same title.
The artwork of Beyond Space And Time was created by my cousin Jaden, he’s a very talented photographer and videomaker based in Toronto and he also worked on some of my videos.
Are there any Canadian artists or bands you really like?
Oh, plenty! Propagandhi is one my favourite bands. I love City and Colour and I’m totally in love with The Dirty Nil. I’m also a big fan of Arkells and Alexisonfire. Some of these bands are doing shows around the dates I’m in Canada, which is a bummer because I would have loved to see them live. But hey, I’m touring Canada myself, I can’t really complain ahah!
I also like bands such as Belvedere, Comeback Kid, DOA, Tokyo Police Club, Monster Truck, The Flatliners, Pup, The Weakerthans, Metz… there’s a huge list of Canadian bands of all genres that I listen to.
Artists that do something similar to what I do are Greg Rekus, Seth Anderson, Jenn Fiorentino, Eamon McGrath, Rob Moir, Jo Bergeron, The Last Mile, Guilhem… again, this would be a very long list! I’m sure you know most of these but if you missed any, please check them all out immediately.
You released a single last February, “Demons of Tomorrow”. Is there a new album coming?
“Demons of Tomorrow” came out as a single because I really felt I needed to release some new music, something that could capture the energy of the full band live experience.
The song was there and the idea for the video came quite naturally. We really wanted to show what a live show of ours in a small club could look like. The video shooting turned out to be the chance for many of our friends to go back to some sort of live show and they really enjoyed the moment as if it was an actual show and not a video shooting!
As for the song: I think it marks a passage between “Beyond Space and Time” and my next album. The song won’t be featured in it though.
I’ve just finished recording some new material for what is going to be my fourth studio effort. And I’m so excited about it. I know everyone says that, but it’s the best music I’ve ever written and produced. My guitarist and producer Simone Piccinelli and I worked tightly together in the studio and the result is something I can’t wait to share with you all.
I can’t really tell when this new album will come out, but I’m probably going to share a single after the Summer.
In three months you’ll be performing at Frank Turner’s Lost Evenings Festival in Berlin. What can you tell us about this?
This is something I’ve been waiting for for a very long time! Frank himself invited us when we happened to open his show in my hometown Brescia in the summer of 2019. That was our very first full band appearance! The festival was supposed to take place in May 2020.
I’m so grateful for this opportunity and glad that Frank and his amazing staff reconfirmed us on the bill.
Frank is definitely a source of inspiration not just because of his music but also because of the way he acts in the complexity of the music industry. He’s been supporting grassroots music venues in the hardest of times during the pandemic, he cares a lot about his touring family and his fanbase and it is my understanding that he personally picks the opening acts for his tour and for his festival. That’s not unusual but also most of the times someone sitting in an office has more to say than the artists themselves on this kind of matters, which is ok, but also, it probably wouldn’t have left any chance for a DIY project like mine to appear on such an important event. Frank “broke” that rule and I’m very glad he did it.
I can’t seriously wait to be on the Nick Alexander stage in Berlin. Plus, I’m sharing it with my friend Tim Vantol, which is one of the best European artists in my opinion and Guise, Frank’s wife Jess Guise’s band, which I didn’t know until her latest album release and who is making great music. And the whole festival is populated with amazing artists and bands.
Ah… Frank is currently on tour across the US if anyone from there is reading this. He’s doing a “50 states in 50 days” tour, which is impressive, but not for such a tour-machine like him. Go check him out if you are not familiar with his music yet!
Back to your Canadian Tour… is there any particular show you’re really looking forward to?
All of them? I mean… I’m touring Canada for three weeks. That doesn’t happen every day, especially if you’re from Italy! There are different reasons why I’m excited about some of the shows. Ontario: seeing friends and musicians I’ve already met or been in touch with. Quebec: it was a nice experience last time and I’m glad to be back. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are a first time for me. And I’m doing a bunch of these shows with Chris Snelgrove which is the sweetest guy on Earth.
If I had to pick one specifically: I’m playing the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on July 12th. That’s a historical venue in the City and I feel honoured to be able to hit that stage. Tickets are on sale here!
You’re going to tour solo, but you’re also performing full band. Are you planning on coming back with the full band next time?
This project was born as a solo acoustic project and it has been like that for many years. In 2017 I released my very first full band arranged single, “I Want Nothing”. I realized that there was a lot of potential in doing this thing with a backing band.
So I decided to write an album (Beyond Space And Time) that could be performed with a band as well.
But taking a full band on tour to Canada is definitely an expensive venture, which I can’t afford (yet?) – So I’m doing this solo, which is great and it’s much fun. It’s a completely different experience for myself as well as for the public. But I’d love to tour more with the band. That’s actually in the plans, when the new album comes out. We have a show with the amazing Laura Jane Grace from Against Me this Saturday, just before leaving to Canada. But taking the band to Canada will need a bit of planning at least. Never say never though: that’s in my bucket list!
Talking about solo material: you released an acoustic song last October, called “We Could Be Anything”. What is it about?
I wrote the song in 2021. I didn’t really want to write a song about the pandemic. I actually hope there are not going to be songs about it! But I also write about the things I feel and instead of writing about the things that happened, I wanted to write about the things that didn’t happen, the things that weren’t.
The most important things that I missed, which I came to realize were very important, are human relationships. I missed all that comes with social interactions, with closeness, the things we took for granted for a long time and that revealed the very core of who we are as human beings. The song title refers to what we were in the past and what we could potentially be. I missed and I want all of it, living who we are to the fullest!
Any final words for our Canadian readers?
Yes! First of all, you’re all invited to my shows! We’re going to have a good time and please come say hi, I love meeting new people at shows.
Also: thanks to everyone who is making all this possible: my friends and fellow musicians, the promoters, the venue owners and crews, those who are helping me promote my tour (Amplify Music included, of course!) and those who will eventually come to these shows. It means a lot, actually more than I can even express, after these last few years!
See you in the pit! It’s acoustic stuff, so you can mosh or dance or stand still. Do whatever you like and come have a good time!
24.06 – Oshawa, ON – The Atria
25.06 – Kitchener, ON – The Study Room
26.06 – Toronto, ON – TBA
27.06 – Mississauga, ON – St. Louis
28.06 – Niagara Falls, ON – Tap and Crepes House
29.06 – Hamilton, ON – Doors Pub
30.06 – Barrie, ON – The Rec Room
01.07 – Kingston, ON – Musiikki
02.07 – Ottawa, ON – Avant Garde
03.07 – Montreal, QC – Turbo Haus
04.07 – *Secret Show*
05.07 – Thetford Mines, QC – Microbrass. Des Haldes
06.07 – Quebec City, QC – House Show
07.07 – Trois Pistoles, QC – Le Caveau
08.07 – Matane, QC – La Fabrique
09.07 – Shediac, NB – Euston Park
10.07 – Halifax, NS – Sourwood Cider
11.07 – St. Catherines, ON – The Lost Chapter
12.07 – Toronto, ON – The Horseshoe Tavern
13.07 – London, ON – Holy Diver
14.07 – Windsor, ON – Meteor
15.07 – Guelph, ON – TBA
Gab De La Vega:
www.facebook.com/gabdelavegamusic
www.instagram.com/gabdelavegaxvx
www.linktr.ee/gabdelavega
