Get to know: Lucas Moscardini
Fusing Latin vibes with his own brand of djent inspired prog riffs and lead lines, Lucas Moscardini truly is a player to watch.
His JTC debut sees him tackle and teach the solo from the Vitalism track, “Favela”. And we couldn’t be happier to help him spread his musical message.
Let’s find out more about the man of the moment.
Q: When did you first start playing?
I started messing around with my father's acoustic when I was 9. But when I was 11, my uncle lent me his guitar so I got addicted to music and things started to get a little more serious after that!
Q: You mix up lead and rhythm in your playing, but which do you prefer?
Hard one! Hahaha. That's why we do what some people call "shriffs" which are shred/riff sections. But if I had to choose one I would choose rhythm. Just because it feels SO good to play groovy riffs on stage!
Q: How do you guys approach writing music for Vitalism?
We love to add elements from other genres. On our last EP called "SY" we've used many South American elements and influences to shape the sound! We tend to start with a rough vision of the vibe of the song. Then we usually choose one or two keys for the song we're working so each one of us writes at home some riffs, grooves and chord progressions that fit on the same key. After that, we meet and start combining all our ideas in a way that makes sense for us
Q: What guitars and gear are you using at the moment?
I've been using my Legator Ninja X series and my Legator OD series that I've recently added a pair of EMGs 57-7 and 66-7. I was recording for my new project last week and we've used the OD series with EMGs and I was blown away with the tones we got from it! Live I'm using the Joyo GEM BOX III and in the studio I use Neural DSP plugins.
Q: Who are your biggest influences?
On the guitar front, I have to mention Synyster Gates, Marty Friedman, Steve Vai, Slash, Jimmy Page and Guthrie Govan.
Q: If someone is going to try and discover latin guitarists, where should they start?
If you're coming from a metal background I would definitely have to recommend Kiko Loureiro. He's a true master of the guitar! If you want something more jazzy with a brazillian spice you should check out Pedro Martins and Pipoquinha. (Pipoquinha is a bass player but you will thank me later if you don't know him yet). I also have to mention my dudes Charlie Parra, Luís Kalil and Felix Martin! They're all absolutely killer musicians!
Q: For playing djent, prog metal etc, what would be your number one tip?
Of course the number one tip is to subscribe to my YouTube channel because I've been posting some cool lessons there! Hahaha.
Now seriously: focus on playing as clean as possible, on tempo and make sure to have fun with these riffs!
Q: Who is your favourite JTC artist?
Oh that's a really hard one! It's not possible for me to choose only one because you have the best players out there on your roaster! Hahaha.
So I'll have to mention Mateus Asato, Charlie Parra, Manuel Gardner Fernandes, Guthrie Govan, Charlie Robbins, Kiko Loureiro and Lari Basilio.
Q: Your debut release is here! Why should people get it?
Because I think you'll learn many new approaches on writing solos, applying techniques and on implementing influences from other genres to your playing. I believe that it will inspire people to expand their creativity and to get even more passionate about guitar and music!
Before you go
A huge thanks to Lucas for talking to us. Check out his JTC debut below!