Romano Nervoso Main Man and “Godfather of Spaghetti Rock” Returns with ‘The Witch’ – An Interview with Giac Taylor
We’re excited to present the exclusive video premiere of ‘The Witch’ by Giac Taylor, from his latest album ‘The Last Sicilian Standing,’ out now via Le Cèpe Records/Monomonomaniac.
Fresh from the full-frontal lunacy of Italian/Belgian rockers Romano Nervoso, wild man Giac Taylor is back. He’s releasing a solo “Giallo Stoner” debut for the people, along with a new video for ‘The Witch’.
From local bars and taverns to some of the biggest festivals in Europe, Giac Taylor has stood as the undisputed “Godfather of Spaghetti Rock.” With his charismatic onstage presence and unmistakable style, he is without question, an essential addition to any live music venue.
Across five studio albums with his band Romano Nervoso – as exciting an Italian/Belgian gaggle of ne’er-do-wells you’re likely to find – he tore up the European underground rock scene, full tilt boogie. After turning up the heat and opening for artists such as Johnny Hallyday, Triggerfinger, The Datsuns, The Sonics, and King Khan & The Shrines, the time has finally come for Taylor to take centre stage with the anticipated arrival of his debut album, The Last Sicilian Standing.
Making way for more direct and aggressive compositions, songs like ‘Armchair Warrior’ and ‘May Satan Bless Your Soul’ gives listeners a glimpse into his unmistakable love for fuzz and Giallo cinema. Where firebrand guitars, thumping bass and melodic keys hint at the influence of John Carpenter, forcing The Last Sicilian Standing to quake under the weight of heavy doom riffs, mood swings and an unmistakable lust for life.
“As long as I’m alive rock ‘n’ roll will never die, and I don’t plan on dying in 2025.”
How does it feel to be performing as yourself, ‘solo artist Giac Taylor’, and not as a front man for a band like Romano Nervoso. Is there a stark difference and does it require more confidence or bravado?
Giac Taylor: I always wanted to do a solo project as it’s always been in the back of my mind. I’ve written songs since I was a teenager, so it was the right moment to become Giac Taylor. (Thanks in no small part to the COVID pandemic.) Both jobs are amazing but in very different ways. I see myself in Romano Nervoso as a punk rock entertainer/preacher, whereas on my own I feel as though I’m more of a musician. I’m always confident when it’s about music or live concerts, ’cos it’s the only thing in life that I do right. The big difference between the two projects is the tempo, I can’t sing and play punk rock with Giac Taylor ’cos it’d kill me physically. With Romano Nervoso, the goal is more to provoke or assault the audience in a positive way. With Giac Taylor I want people to listen and to be scared and experience the darker side of my personality.
‘The Last Sicilian Standing’ is your first full-length as Giac Taylor. It’s been described as “Giallo Stoner debut for the people…”. How much of an impact does your record collection or love of ‘genre music’ have on you as a performer and songwriter.
First and foremost, I’m influenced by horror and giallo movies, crime/thriller books, serial killers, UFOs and aliens… then close behind, I’m influenced by stoner and psychedelic music and bands like Kyuss, Black Mountain, Black Sabbath and Fleetwood Mac. So, the influence for writing a song depends on what I saw, read or listened to in the days leading up to that. Sometimes the song is created because of the lyrics (‘The Witch’ or ‘I Hate Drums’) other times it might be because of a riff or a melody ‘(Path of Love’ or ‘Armchair Warrior’). But it always starts with a feeling or a sentiment which for the most part has a very dark side.
What can you tell us about your new song, ‘The Witch’?
For the lyrics it’s a fun fact that I was listening to Cliff Richard’s ‘Devil Woman’. I love this song and basically, he’s singing about a witch, so I found the idea interesting. This song started with the lyrics first, then I created the music and during the creation of the album I listened to a lot of Shellac so the bass/drums from the song ‘The Crow’ got stuck in my head. Naturally and thanks to Steve Albini’s enduring influence I wrote the music.
The video from ‘The Witch’ is filmed as a live session, and you’re currently out on tour. Where does playing live rate in your list of things that you enjoy most as a musician? Do you prefer playing live to recording?
We always record our songs/albums live. I find it unimaginable to do it any other way. I’m not a big fan of new recordings. I’m an old school musician and I grew up seeing bands recording live in the studio, so for me that was always the rule. I tried once to change but I really hated it. Of course, when I record the demos by myself, I must do it like that, but if I have musicians around me, there’s no reason to not record live. We are a live band and that’s how it always will be. We don’t cheat with computers or new technology, what you hear is exactly what we are.
As an artist, what do you need to happen in and around your life to help focus your attention on music?
I’m always focused on music. Every day, 24/7; I’m ready to rock the fuck out. If I don’t play or listen to music, I get bored and become a hellraiser. I really don’t need anything to happen as I’m born ready to spread the word in the name of rock ‘n’ roll. My credo is “Blues is the teacher, Punk is the preacher”. Luckily, my wife, my cats and my family are there to focus me on other important things in life too. Without them I’d be dead already from rock ‘n’ roll exhaustion.
In the press info for your new record, it says a lot of the writing and recording for ‘The Last Sicilian Standing’ was done in confinement, in a very short space of time. Is this usually how you usually write and record?
Giac Taylor started as a solo project during the pandemic with my friend Moorad. We decided to create a concept called “One Week/One Record”. The goal was to create and record an entire album in just one week and that is exactly what we did. I woke up, I wrote songs and then we went straight to the studio to record them all in seven days. I recorded four albums in five months. My current album ‘The Last Sicilian Standing’ was written in one month and recorded in just two days. I always work last minute, that’s when I’m at my strongest and most creative. If I linger too long on a song, I immediately know I’d hate it.
What does the rest of 2025 hold for Giac Taylor?
Last January, we went to record the next album Chunk at The Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree (Desert Sessions, Kyuss, QOTSA, Arctic Monkeys) with Jon Russo and Dave Catching (ex QOTSA, Eagles of Death Metal). We recorded sixteen songs in six days with two of them featuring Steve Mc Bean (Black Mountain). It’s a big next step for Giac Taylor as we hope to release it for the end of the year through a bigger label and we’ll try to hit the US music market. We’ll still play concerts, record songs, shoot live videos like maniacs/workaholics. Just like we’ve always done. But as long as I’m alive rock ‘n’ roll will never die, and I don’t plan on dying in 2025.
‘The Last Sicilian Standing’ is out now on Le Cèpe Records/Monomonomaniac and can be ordered here.
Tour Dates:
21st June – Fête de la Musique – Namur (BE)
28th June – Festival K Hot – Flémalles (BE)
4th July – Les Chariots Furieux Festival – Caudry (FR)
5th July – Week-end au Bord de L’eau Festival – Bracquegnies (BE)
23rd August – Brunssum festival (NL)
2nd October – Freak Out – Bologna (IT)
4th October – Joshua Club – Como (IT)
Giac Taylor Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Bandcamp
Le Cèpe Records Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Bandcamp
Monomonomaniac Instagram / YouTube
