This post is one in a series of interviews about Aldo Leopardi and his music. Below, we hear from Curt Sautter, independent record producer and the founder of indie label Delirium Records.
Classic rock has had an impact on a lot of today’s music, but the term gets used in a lot of different ways. Settle the debate. What are we really talking about when we say “classic rock?”
Well, you can think about it in two ways. The first is the sound that came out of the 1960s and 1970s, when members of a lot of the modern era bands were growing up. These are bands influenced by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, among others.
The music that shows this classic rock influence has quality songwriting across multiple levels. The songs don’t just have good harmony or a raging guitar solo or any one particular thing, but they have all of them together.
And the second way to think about classic rock?
Complexity. If there’s a musical spectrum of basic to complex, music before classic rock was a simpler sound with more repetitive choruses. In classic rock, you see bands adding bridges, more complicated layers and patterns of sounds, and more complex ideas.
It isn’t as overwhelming a sound as jazz, but it requires more thought and consideration than what came before it. I hear these types of classic rock influences in Aldo’s music.
What specifically makes you think “classic rock” when you listen to Aldo Leopardi?
I mentioned bands influenced by Led Zeppelin and some of the others. Because of the complexity classic rock has, you may not immediately recognize what’s driving the emotion of a song—like a specific guitar melody or vocal harmony or vocal phrasing—but the more you listen, the more you find them and appreciate them. You’re not just done with it or bored of it after a few listens.
I see this sort of complexity and attention to detail in Aldo’s music. In addition to being technically on-point and rich in vocals, there’s an overall quality and sophistication in the songwriting. It’s going to keep you coming back to the songs to hear elements you might have missed. And if you want to lose yourself in the music, it’s great for listening, too.
Hear Aldo Leopardi for yourself by streaming his songs on Spotify.