When did you decide that a career in music was for you?

I've always loved music. I had the chance to study piano when I was a kid, then I discovered punk rock.
When I realized that I could express myself through my own songs, I started writing. I can't really say I chose a career in music, I might say that music was a powerful tool to express myself and so I chose it. It has become a very important thing in my life and I don't think I could ever live without it.

 

Can you tell me 3 things about yourself that people might not already know?

Let's get personal and authentic. One: I failed twice in high school. I had a turbulent teenage and that didn't really help in school. Luckily for me I found out about music and that became an anchor for me to cling on, and it kept me away from making very poor life choices.
Two: I have a bachelor PhD in Foreign Languages and Cultures (University of Verona).
Three: I am left handed, but I play the guitar as a right handed. How did I go?

 

What has been the best gig you have done to date and why?

Up until last saturday I could have easily said Frank Turner's Lost Evenings Festival in Berlin in 2022. I mean, it kind of is, hard to beat that! But last saturday I played the “Life Burns” release party with my band and it was such an intense show! Lots of people showed up and the energy was to the roof. Definitely hard to pick one right now!
 

What has been your best achievement to date and what would you like to achieve in the future?

 

As a musician, I would say to release four albums as Gab De La Vega. Life Burns is a great achievement. I never thought I could accomplish so much when I first started playing solo shows. I didn't even think about recording music, let alone releasing four albums!
I'd like to take the “Life Burns” tour across the Atlantic and tour the US and Canada with the band. That would be a great achievement for the future. Can anyone help me make it happen?
 

Tell me a story from backstage or after a gig?

 
On my third solo show a was playing a minor stage on a local festival right after Hot Water Music's set. I was a fan of the band, but their singer Chuck Ragan was one of my favourite singer-songwriter in the so called “folk-punk” realm. I met him backstage and told him about my show and told him that I would have played a song of his. I asked me if he wanted to join me. He invited me in his band's green room and gave me his guitar for me to play the song. He said “ok, let's do it”. That was an insane duet: an internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter and little awkward me trying to be on stage on my own on my third solo show! Check out the video on Youtube, I was so nervous I even forgot to introduce the guest star! Ahah! Chuck, what a gentleman you are!
 

What things make you happy and what things annoy you?

 

Spending time with my friends makes me happy. Being trapped in loops of negative thoughts annoys me. The latter can be contrasted by the former, so I'm trying to spend as much time as possible with friends and people who truly care about me.
 

If you run the country for a day what would you change about it and why?

 

Being the Country I'm from run by a very conservative government (Italy), I'd need to make lots of changes. Inequality in all fields of life is one of the biggest problems. The gender gap is in salary is one of the signals of the state of things in this Country, for example. And I would probably do something to make sure that the wealth is distributed in a way that allows people to live with dignity. The pandemic opened up the gap between the rich and the poor even more than before and many people can't live a happy life because of this.
 

How would you answer the question Who is Gab De La Vega and what are the differences between you as a music artist and you away from music ?

 
Gab De La Vega is an italian-born musician who makes music that matters a lot to him. Gab (or Gabriele, which is my actual name) is a guy who loves music and is trying his best with his life, with ups and downs, but always putting his heart in it.
 

If you could collaborate with any other band/singer or musician who would you choose and why?

 

Definitely Frank Turner. He's one of my main inspirations, not just as a musician in the sense of mere playing, songwriting, performing, but also the way he handles his craft, is art, is very inspiring. It would be a great privilege for me to work with him on some music.
 

If you wrote a book about yourself what would it have in it?

 

Lots of crazy tour stories. I'm actually considering writing something like this. I've got the weirdest tales to tell!
 

What has the rest of the year got in store for you?

I've got full band and solo shows lined up in Italy and I'm finalizing some tours abroad, in other European countries. I'd love to go to Canada and the United States with this album, hopefully this year, but maybe next year. It's a lot of work to book tours, so it takes a lot of planning. What I know for sure is that I want to take “Life Burns” wherever I can!