"I hope that what really matters will never change, the human spirit, the bond we have with the others and ourselves, and that music will always be able to remind us of this power and that it will find its way to strive and be reborn over and over."

Giudi e Quani: The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock & Roll

Giudi e Quani is a band formed in 2016 by Giuditta Cestari (vocals and drums) and Francesco Quanilli (guitar and backing vocals). Giudi and Quani soon joined forces in an essential lineup, fusing the power and purity of rock, the disenchanted gaze of punk and the spirit of soul and blues, creating explosive and engaging live shows, giving rise to an unstoppable live activity in Italy and abroad. In 2019 the band released the self-titled debut album 'Giudi e Quani', while the second studio album 'Out of My Way' is scheduled for January 2024, preceded by the single 'Fool Yourself' (December 2023), the new single by the Italian band Giudi e Quani available in radio rotation and in all digital stores. It anticipates the release of their new album ‘Out of My Way’.

(Giuditta Cestari & Francesco Quanilli / Photo by Gianluca De Santi)

The announcement of the new album comes five years after the previous one, a period incessantly dedicated to concerts in live clubs and festivals in Europe. Maturity has been reached: it’s a two-piece band but you can't believe it when you hear them. Their sound is an extremely varied mix that moves transversally with ease between rock, blues, soul with a punk attitude, equipped with solid rhythm and dynamics. Involvement is guaranteed. The new single 'Fool Yourself' is an invitation to open your eyes and look reality in the face, when you find yourself in a communicative struggle between contradictions and short circuits that fuel illusion and self deception. It's a song that screams at you that there are no winners or losers, but only the courage of your choices.

Interview by Michael Limnios

Special Thanks: Davide Grandi & Lorenz Zadro (AZ Press)

How has the Rock n Roll Counterculture influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

Giudi: In my perception, I think Rock n Roll represents a spirit, it creates the setting for me to be free to be myself, and to accept myself as I am. It allows me to express my emotions at a deeper level, at a level that talks to the source of feelings and life, while on the opposite, society too often chains us to some specific roles that end up being just masks of what others expect you to be.

Quani: The rock n roll culture has completely influenced my way of living. Rock 'n' roll is an attitude, it affects my way of reading the world, of living every day, of using my time, my creativity, my way of seeking well-being and fun. It is both rebellious evasion against what I don't agree with about society, introspection and the search for self-expression. Playing rock n roll is absolutely the thing that makes me feel in the best way possible. It helps to stay awake to what is happening around, to get angry and not remain inert to injustices, it helps to take a position and keeps the intellect vivid. It is a healthy outlet for hatred, it exorcises it and helps to throw it out. It often influences travel destinations, it often happens that you change cities to follow some rock n roll artist that is holding a concert or festival! Often, it's even rock n roll itself that travels towards you.

How do you describe the Giudi e Quani sound and songbook? What characterises your music philosophy? When did the idea of duo Giudi e Quani come about?

Giudi: Giudi e Quani was born out of necessity, out of the urge of facing everyday burdens through a healthy and passionate outlet, which is music to me and more specifically live, honest, soulful, raw music. The sound of the band reflects this intention, being straightforward, quite simple and direct, mixing different types of attitudes and colours, from heavy riffs, to more delicate tones and melodies. Surely rhythm is at the foundation of our style, together with soulful, bluesy choices especially in the vocal lines. Our philosophy when creating songs is to be true to ourselves and to create for the music sake not to please others. We want to transmit this honesty openly, so that who listens can get in touch with his own true emotions and basically feel alive.

Quani: Giudi e Quani was born from the personal need of Giudi and Quani themselves... It was born from the need to play this type of music full of energy together, with whom that is probably the most rock person I know in my city. It happened that sooner or later we got to know each other. The spirit of rock has such a strong need to express itself, that it found the two of us and we allowed it to flow through us, without fear, blocks or constraints, although in this historical period, especially in Italy, there is little talk about rock in general. Our musical philosophy has a purely practical implication. It is based on creating a context of true and free sharing for the people listening to us in that very moment. It is based on the effort to create interaction with others and give maximum value to the live show, the pinnacle of rock expression. We aim for people to take an active role and get excited again.

"The blues expressed a feeling. A suffering. Nowadays I struggle to perceive the same authenticity and intensity in the songs offered. I take refuge in listening to past music, or I look for something similar to it." (Giuditta Cestari & Francesco Quanilli / Photo by Gianluca De Santi)

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

Giudi: I always loved travelling. Since I was a kid I had the luck of seeing different places and experiencing different cultures. Surely they have influenced my identity and my approach to self-expression. Living abroad for some time like in Holland and Australia, has opened my eyes to different worlds and possibilities, allowing myself to experiment with sides of my personality that I wouldn’t have known if I stayed in my hometown forever. I met so many musicians and wonderful people, that created meaningful connections for my musical journey. One of the experiences that I’m the most grateful for is the collaboration with the Machiavelli Orchestra and Whitfield Crane from Ugly Kid Joe, back in 2016, when I joined them on the drums along with other incredibly talented musicians, to perform Ozzy Osbourne’s and Black Sabbath repertoires for a one-night show at Teatro Ristori in Verona. This made me realise how music can create magic, beautiful challenges and bring people together.

Quani: Discovering music and live shows and also identifying myself as a musician has radically changed my life. One of the most significant moments for me was opening concerts for historic Italian progressive rock acts with my band ‘Masons’ when I was a teenager. Playing together with those who were our idols was magic. It was the age of music discovery with unique peaks of emotion. Equally intense was the tragedy of losing our drummer in an accident, an incredible musician, a personality with a unique charisma and a great friend. He was only 20 years old but the conviction with which he decided that music was his life still sticks with me today and has intensely influenced everything.

What do you miss most nowadays from the blues of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future?

Giudi: I have the feeling that music from the past, and especially the blues rooted one, had an honesty and a connection to the true spirit of creativity that nowadays is hard to ignite. The world has changed. I feel we’re struggling against a continuous speeding up of life itself, we are not used to taking the time to reflect on simple things anymore, or to pause to be in the moment, we’re like constantly skipping the present. I hope that what really matters will never change, the human spirit, the bond we have with the others and ourselves, and that music will always be able to remind us of this power and that it will find its way to strive and be reborn over and over.

Quani: The blues expressed a feeling. A suffering. Nowadays I struggle to perceive the same authenticity and intensity in the songs offered. I take refuge in listening to past music, or I look for something similar to it. My fear is that music tends to conform, due to the economic needs of the markets. I fear that it becomes flat and that people lose too much of the ability to listen, the effort of listening. It would be impossible to appreciate certain masterpieces by listening to just 15 seconds of them as if we were on Tik Tok, giving value and attention only to what is immediate and instantaneous. Once upon a time everything was new, people got excited and were more curious. Currently there is a lack of listening education, perhaps because we are bombarded by too many stimuli on our telephone, friend and enemy of our daily lives. I'm afraid that rock will become a niche and that fewer and fewer young people will find it exciting to play instruments and enjoy music.

"Our musical philosophy has a purely practical implication. It is based on creating a context of true and free sharing for the people listening to us in that very moment. It is based on the effort to create interaction with others and give maximum value to the live show, the pinnacle of rock expression. We aim for people to take an active role and get excited again." (Giuditta Cestari on vocals/drums & Francesco Quanilli on guitar/backing vocals / Photo by Gianluca De Santi)

Are there any specific memories or highlights of your career that you would like to tell us about?!

Quani: Other career and life highlights? Playing with Giudi opening for Wolfmother; discovering the music of David Bowie; graduating in Physiotherapy, which marked the beginning of my financial independence, allowing me to set my intentions in life, choosing where to live, what dimension to give to my need for rock, and knowing that it could be channeled; meeting with Giudi and building a band that would return to the origins of the most visceral music, giving voice to a profound need for expression after years of study and experimentation with bizarre and unconventional musical projects. Finally, having a daughter is perhaps the most important highlight linked to my biography.

What is to be a female artist in a Man’s World as James Brown says? What is the status of women in music?

Giudi: I don’t want to generalize and to speak for everyone, I'll speak from my own experience (so far). I think I haven’t thought about it at first, especially when I started playing as a teenager, but I soon realised I was exposing myself in a male-dominated world. It made things more challenging and discouraging at times, I had to be prepared to face judgement and prejudice, especially being a drummer, but it also pushed me to raise my standards and to be strong, no matter what. I think nowadays more than ever women are showing what they can do, and what their unique sensibility can spark, not only in the musical environment, but also in sport and through art in general. This gives me a good positive vibe for the future.

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

Giudi: Music has literally saved my life. It is the tool that allows me to be myself and to give voice to those parts of my identity that don’t easily emerge in everyday life. It makes me feel that I’m not alone. It has such an endless communicative power that I think everyone can learn something from it. Go live and love music.

Quani: I learned to be as humble as possible because in music any goal is temporary, there are talented people everywhere. I have learned to respect and value what I do, giving it the right value when I look at music as a profession. I have learned to have no constraints when looking at music as one’s expression. I've learned to set limits when looking at music as a production. I've learned that the most important thing when playing is intention. Intention is everything.

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(Giuditta Cestari & Francesco Quanilli / Photo by Gianluca De Santi)