"I think music is going to come full circle. People are going to wipe the gloss off everything and hear the roots. I think, hopefully sooner than later, we’re going to get back to an era of home, organic projects where people are more statement oriented on how they feel. It’ll be more natural, tempos will fluctuate, some bad notes will sneak in; you’ll have real sentiments. My fear is that things will go in the other direction and become so computer oriented it will get to songs being one chord."

Jimi Fiano: New Blues Experiences

Sweat And Pray (2024), Jimi Fiano’s debut 5-tracks EP, has been a long time coming. The South Florida guitarist spent the better part of the past four decades tearing it up on the road with iconic artists like Bad Co., Foghat, Mitch Ryder and more but, until recently, never took the time to write and record his own material. “I was doing gigs with Albert Castigilia,” Fiano notes, "and he kept pushing me to do a record. I shrugged it off, but then I had some time to think about it and I realized he was right. I should do this! Once I started working on my songwriting, which I’d always done on a more casual scale, I dialed it in and things took off; the songs and ideas just started coming.” While he’s known as a guitarist, Fiano knew he had to step up his vocal game and did so by calling on longtime friend (and someone he’s played with for years) Shaun Murphy to coach him on singing.                                                                          (Photo: Jimi Fiano)

“Shaun made a huge difference in so many ways, and having her involved was a great learning experience.” At the end of the day, Fiano’s guitar is still the star of the show. Every part is there for a reason, there are no unnecessary notes or runs, and it shows. Sweat And Pray works inside and outside the blues boxes, dispensing with the expected cliches, and creates an entirely new blues experience.

Interview by Michael Limnios             Special Thanks: Larry Key (Night Train PR)

How has the music influenced your views of the world? What is the role of music in today’s society?

That's a deep question! Overall, I think people have heavier beliefs when they're younger because their emotions are so much more charged up. And as we get older we can relate to tragedy and love and the elements of the blues and things like that. Basically, my music is about love, blues... and sarcasm; it’s kind of light-hearted.

How do you describe your sound and songbook? Where does your creative drive come from?

I would call it blues-rock. It’s blues with heavy guitar licks, almost like classic rock meets blues. The creative thing, for me, comes from the starting point of a song title. It could be something that happened, a situation, either current or in the past. I’ll start with a title, that gives me a theme and then I’ll elaborate on it. Sometimes I use that to create the chorus as well.

What moment changed your life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

I’d say a huge one was the passing of my older sister. She was the last authority figure in my life I could bounce things off of. Her passing made me become 100% in charge of myself, and that was when I decided to enjoy my life completely and be a full-on songwriter and start my solo career. I’d always been a sideman in bands up to that point, that was the moment that gave me the impetus to strike out on my own.

As for highlights, I’ve been fortunate to play with some amazing musicians. I played and toured in iterations of Foghat and Bad Co., and toured and recorded with Mark Stein from Vanilla Fudge. But the highlights are still going! I’m meeting and playing with fantastic people all the time. I’ve seen some peaks and valleys, but I truly believe the real highlights are yet to come.

"I’d like to think that my music, at least in terms of what I write about, the themes are timeless."

(Photo: Jimi Fiano)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past?

I miss that there was a time when you had to be a lot more creative. You had to get more inventive and intuitive because things couldn’t be fixed – at least as easily as they can now. I miss the time before the conversion from tape to computer because now things can be fixed artificially with the push of a button or a few keystrokes. Back in the day you could hear the mistakes. I like the haphazardness of tape as opposed tot the perfection of computers. I think music is generally more shallow these days and geared to selling records rather than making artistic statements.

What are your hopes and fears for the future of music?

I think music is going to come full circle. People are going to wipe the gloss off everything and hear the roots. I think, hopefully sooner than later, we’re going to get back to an era of home, organic projects where people are more statement oriented on how they feel. It’ll be more natural, tempos will fluctuate, some bad notes will sneak in; you’ll have real sentiments. My fear is that things will go in the other direction and become so computer oriented it will get to songs being one chord.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize music and life are full-on works in progress. Always. You’re never done; that’s an exciting path. People think ‘geez, when am I gonna get this?’ and I’m fully aware that I’m still learning! If you think you’ve got it and you know it all already, you’re in sad shape. The important lesson I’ve learned is when you’re in an intermediate stage and people compliment you it can go to your head, but as you get older you realize there's so much more you can do and so much more you can learn and add to your style and creativity.

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

I’d like to think that my music, at least in terms of what I write about, the themes are timeless. Girls are always gonna cheat on guys, guys are always gonna cheat on girls, people are always not gonna have enough money, they’ll always fall in love and get their hearts broken... everything I sing about is relative stuff. Being broke, fucking up, that’s what life is all about. It’s about loving, losing love, having things and losing things. That’ll never go out of style. Or having humorous things happen and then sharing them; everyone can relate to it.

Jimi Fiano - Home

(Photo: Jimi Fiano)