Interview: Andrea Bignasca
Photo credit: Vanni Gianinazzi
After the first two albums, which sold out in large numbers in Switzerland, and after hundreds of concerts at home and abroad and extensive radio airplay, 'Keep Me From Drowning' released today is the third album by Swiss musician Andrea Bignasca.
In eleven songs, the part-time singer, guitarist and drummer reflects on the theme of sailing and being at sea: strongly influenced by personal experiences that have seen him in a constant back-and-forth between Portugal and Switzerland, Bignasca expresses the feeling of being constantly on the move and presents an extremely varied soundtrack of a road trip, without ever losing sight of the destination.
The album, which was recorded, mixed and mastered by Matteo Magni in autumn 2020, has Andrea Bignasca as its main solo producer, and his fellow musicians also recorded their parts themselves, and then shared the tracks for each song.
This way of working, initially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, gives Bignasca new freedoms, and leads him to arrangements that leave plenty of room for singing. Bignasca even dares to return to playing the drums, his childhood instrument, in 'Nothing On You' and, for the first time, to sing in his mother-tongue Italian in 'Left My Heart At A Rest Stop'. Musically, after his bluesy debut 'Gone' (2015) and the subsequent rocky, grungy 'Murder' (2018), Bignasca has now found a home in the middle.
'Haven', played on a classical guitar, and true to its title radiates security, comfort and a sense of home and therefore serves as the album's centerpiece; along with the album's conclusion 'That Place', accompanied by delicate guitars, and the majestic, almost folk-like title track form the quieter side of 'Keep Me From Drowning'. At the same time, Bignasca presents a whole series of great rock songs: 'Mending Dreams', 'How To Love' and, last but not least, 'Anywhere The Wind Blows' which sounds like a classic of the genre, always wanted but never yet heard.
Here, Bignasca once again impressively demonstrates why he is considered one of Switzerland's best singers. 'Nothing On You' shines with a Royal Blood style riff and the aforementioned 'Left My Heart At A Rest Stop' sounds like a dream with American roots, only to end in a storm of guitars.
'Where Things Grow Mean' and 'Most Times' also feature two blues-influenced pieces, with the latter opening a new door for Bignasca with its use, for the first time, of a drum machine: the programmed drums, combined with a fuzzy, spacey guitar riff, awaken memories of The Kills and their clever mix of retro and zeitgeist. Like 'Stranded', which garnishes the chorus with spherical sounds borrowed from the 80s.
The lyrics of the songs - all written in Lisbon - show, compared to the previous album 'Murder', a calmer and more reflective singer who questions himself and wants to take new paths. The dominant theme and Bignasca's characteristic and expressive voice amalgamate the various influences and make 'Keep Me From Drowning' an extremely varied album that never sounds wrecked or lost.
We had the pleasure of checking in with Andrea and he was kind enough to respond to a few interview questions:
Hi Andrea! Thank you for taking this interview with us! We just listened to 'Keep Me From Drowning' and it's awesome. What can you tell us about your creative process this time around and what's the back story to the title track or the album as a whole?
Thank you for having me and for the kind words!
The music for all the songs came early, while the lyrics came late in the recording process. The ideas for three of the songs are actually quite old: ‘Most Times’, for instance, was added late, and came from a riff idea that I found attached to an old, half-forgotten email to myself as a voice memo.
In terms of content, the songs, the lyrics (all written in Lisbon), but also the melodies, have developed in a different direction and compared to the previous album convey a calmer, albeit still markedly rock listening experience. One of the main topoi of the album is to be found in the imagery of navigation, being at sea, having undertaken a voyage, the back and forth between Portugal and Switzerland (although on a plane rather than a boat) acting as a perfect backdrop.
As for the title track, it’s another of those ‘old’ songs, and with its intensifying structure, from acoustic to full rock band, I think it encapsulates the range of the album in its entirety and thematically it beautifully and simply boils it down to its core essence. It speaks of being lost at sea, and focusing everything on one thing to keep oneself from drowning.
What keeps me from drowning? Singing, and sharing these songs, among other things. This is mirrored in the music, with swells of intensity acting as waves and tides to one’s lost vessel. Also, by starting off with just voice and guitar, and ending up with a collective, full band experience, it beautifully portrays the beneficial quality of shared music.
Who/what motivates you to keep going?
In life, my girlfriend, my family and my friends. In music, playing live and writing songs, two very different rushes, but equally powerful. If you put ‘everything' against playing and writing, a show always skews the scales in its favor, making the ‘everything' worth it.
Do you write only when you feel creative or do you keep a routine regardless?
There’s no routine at all. To me songs come in bunches and clusters, in specific periods of time, when I’m ‘feeling creative’, as you called it. Having said that, I do need to have a guitar in my hands in order to produce something. And the act of picking up a guitar is always a choice, a signal that I’m ready for something new to come out of it. Which means that it is in my control, to a certain extent.
It’s sort of like being a horse tamer: if there’s no horse in sight, you can’t expect to be able to write a song. LOL
As a tried and true rocker, who are some of your notable musical influences? And what you do think about the state of the music industry?
I was raised with Springsteen and Petty by my dad, so their music still feels like home to this day. I then ‘discovered’ many formative bands, such as The Velvet Underground and the Seattle bands.
I tend not to think about the state of the music industry, maybe as a defense mechanism. I also tend not to judge music I don’t like too harshly, because I know what goes into creating music. I do think it might be harder to find music that comes from the heart in the radios, but I don’t think there’s less of it. And I always gravitate towards music that does.
Your songs are often deeply personal, but what is something your fans don't know about you? Not necessarily your dirty little secrets, it could also just be something about what you like to do outside of music or or things in general.
Lately I started watching tutorials on how to build terrariums and aquariums, with no intention whatsoever of actually building one. It just relaxes me, I don’t know what that makes me. Same thing with bushcraft videos. I guess I’m ready for retirement. I thought the same thing after a week of watching the snooker world championship for hours on end last year.
Wow, terrariums, bushcraft, and snooker - didn’t see that coming from Andrea Bignasca! Thanks Andrea for taking time to talk with us.
Have a listen and connect with Andrea Bignasca on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/andreabignasca/
