Wandering Vagrant are Italian progressive rock band. The band was formed by Alessandro Rizzuto. After various changes of musicians, the line-up is completed with Christian Bastianoni (guitar), Francesca Trampolini (keyboards), Andrea Paolessi (bass) and Niccolò Franchi (drums). They released their debut album, ‘Get Lost’ two years ago.

“Constant search for truth and an emptiness”

Who’s in Wandering Vagrant and what do you all play? Have you all made any changes to the lineup since you started or is this the original lineup?

Alessandro Rizzuto: Hi Klemen, thank you for having us on It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine! Right now, the formation is the following: Christian Bastianoni on guitar, Francesca Trampolini on keyboards, Andrea Paolessi on bass guitar, and Niccolò Franchi behind the drums. Of course, there’s me as the main vocalist, guitarist, and principal composer of the band. Several changes were made after the recording of our debut album: as a matter of fact, Niccolò and Andrea took over from Marco and Michele, our former drummer and bassist.

What do you consider to be your first real exposure to music?

My first real exposure to music happened many years ago. When I was about 15 years old, I used to spend my free time with some friends of mine, most of them listening to many different kinds of music genres. I started to play guitar but I didn’t consider becoming a vocalist at the time. Suddenly, a friend put on a Tool album, and I started to hum some tunes: after a few seconds, he stated how good my voice tone was and that I should consider taking some singing lessons. After that epiphany, I started to be more into music, with a growing interest in writing and composing my own material.

When and how did you all originally meet?

The first core of Wandering Vagrant was formed by me and Francesca: we met in 2015 after she answered an ad that I had published somewhere (I don’t remember precisely were, haha). After spending several months trying to build a stable line-up, Francesca suggested that Christian be the lead guitarist. The formation was completed with the arrival of Marco Severi as the drummer and Michele Carlini as the bassist. Despite the great effort put in Wandering Vagrant by both the former members, Andrea Paolessi and Niccolò Franchi are first of all friends and then the bassist and the musicians of the band, so the current line-up is the “real” one.

When did you decide that you wanted to start writing and performing your own music?

The decision came to me when I was attending a computer science University course in Perugia, Umbria. I was always fascinated by how to create in the listener feelings and emotions. I’m not so good as a guitarist (Christian is much better than me), but I consider myself a good composer. Of course, there are so many things that I have to improve, but with the current situation, I have plenty of time to invest in my musical skills

What does the name “Wandering Vagrant” refer to?

Actually, the name of the band has no sense. I remember when I was a university student I spent many evenings drinking, smoking, and playing video games with some fellow students. I was impressed by a video game called “Risk of Rain”, which was really entertaining at the time. There was a boss that the player has to defeat during the first levels, called “Wandering Vagrant”: the name for me brings to mind a sense of a, constant search for truth and an emptiness at the same time. So, I told myself: “if I start a band, the name will be Wandering Vagrant”. And so it was.

“I start from an idea, and most of the time not an idea in a musical sense”

What’s the songwriting process like?

Usually, I start from an idea, and most of the time not an idea in a musical sense: a scene from a movie, a book that I’ve read, an experience that I’ve gone through which has impressed me a lot. Then, I play something, and after recording several riffs, I decide which one will be part of the song. These riffs will be part of the “basis” that constitutes the “limits” of the idea. Then, I ask myself: are there some riffs that could fit this idea, this musical picture? Or is it better to be stuck without pushing myself too far from the “limits”? In the end, I write everything on a music sheet, draft in all the other instruments, and send a partial result to my companions for feedback about the song. Finally, each member arranges his or her section, and the song is completed during the rehearsal sessions. In other circumstances, an initial input was given by Christian, and then the idea was developed by me: in the end, the creative process is similar to the one I described previously.

Can you share some further details how your latest album ‘Get Lost’ was recorded and released?

The album was recorded during the summer of 2017. It was a tough moment for me, due to personal events that changed my life radically. So, we had to record the entire album in a couple of months: it was exciting and challenging at the same time, but honestly, I would do things differently if I could go back in time. However, I’m pretty satisfied with the final result and I’m proud of this record. The drum parts were recorded in our rehearsal room, while the guitar and bass parts at Christian’s house. Obviously, we were in a hurry and the recording process did not go as smoothly as I expected: I was out of shape when I recorded my vocal parts, and Francesca’s computer had several problems, returning blue screen and deleting several files of sections that were already recorded. We succeeded after all, and that’s the most important thing.

<a href="https://wanderingvagrant.bandcamp.com/album/get-lost">Get Lost by Wandering Vagrant</a>

How are you coping with the current pandemic?

Currently, the band is trying to rehearse, but it’s impossible due to the social restrictions imposed by the national government. I’m focusing more on composition, but it’s really hard when your head is stuck on some thoughts. Like: will humankind be able to learn from its previous mistakes? Or should we get used to socializing through social media, putting our sexuality, our hopes, and ego on the web while consumerism destroys our planet? Honestly, it’s really hard to produce music or any other artistic endeavor. I know a lot of people who have lost their jobs, and many of them work in the entertainment industry. So: we’re trying to carry on, as all the bands do in this moment

Thank you. Last word is yours.

Please stay safe and be responsible. Sooner or later, this nightmare will come to an end. I would like to dedicate these final lines to all those people who were affected by this pandemic, both economic and health wise: be strong. As the leader of Wandering Vagrant, I would like to say that: we will be back, sooner or later. Cheers! Alessandro Rizzuto

Klemen Breznikar

Wandering Vagrant Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp / SoundCloud / YouTube