Foreground Music and Realities of the Industry: an Interview with Musicians Ron Gallo and Chiara D’Anzieri

Editors-in-Chief Keylee and Emily sat down with musicians Ron Gallo and Chiara D’Anzieri before they played their final SXSW set at Empire Garage in Austin.

Ron Gallo is a music staple in the alternative scene. If you don’t know him from his solo works, you know him for his works with acts like the Minks and Toy Soldiers. He is currently signed under the Kill Rock Stars label and played multiple shows at South by Southwest 2023, proving to be an immaculate act on the rise. Off Record had the wonderful opportunity to speak to Ron Gallo and artist/producer/bassist/wife Chiara D’Anzieri before their final SXSW performance. 

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ORB: Technically it’s the last day of South by Southwest and you’ve played a number of shows since Wednesday, with this showcase being your last. How has this experience and being in Austin been for y’all?  

Ron Gallo (RG): A Chaotic Blur – Nonstop, Inhumane, fun, exciting, exhausting, full spectrum, human experience. (looks at Chiara) What do you think, love? 

Chiara D’Anzieri (CD): We’re so tired. 

ORB: While you have been here, have y’all been able to see any shows yourself or any cool things around town? 

RG: No shows and rarely been able to do anything cool.  

CD: There is a favorite area that we like to go to all the time, though. 

RG: I feel like that’s the only real ritual we have is going to South Congress, specifically Sailor Joe’s coffee because it’s really the only thing that we’re familiar with, so we always get breakfast tacos and coffee. That has been our big event, aside from rest and playing, no other leisure activity (laughs) which is fine. 

ORB: Maybe Next Time. Are y’all thinking about doing another South by Southwest in the near future? 

RG: After this, I don’t know. We did this in 2018, and we did twice as many shows as we did this year. We just had the new record come out, so it made sense to come down and just grind it. We would come back maybe in a different capacity, not like such a grind because it gets to the point where it starts to take its toll. 

ORB: Now we are living post-pandemic, and everything has changed. How has it been performing before and after this state, making sure that you were active during the live music pause? 

RG: It’s interesting to think about. The way things were before, and you realize how much you took for granted and the simple things were taken away. It puts a lot of things in their perspective. Touring in the heart of the pandemic was pretty rough – cancellations and just a lot more risk for a lot less reward and people buying tickets but not showing up and just a lot of a lot of challenges in addition to the already challenges that exist with touring. Now, being [here] is the first semblance of normalcy that we’ve had. I’m just relieved that it still exists. This week has shown us that we can go back to doing what we used to do, it’s not gone forever and it’s still possible. 

ORB: During the pandemic, you launched your blog called “Really Nice,” accompanied with the digital music festival called Really Nice Fest. Can you talk a little more about that?  

RG: Really Nice started when we were back in Chiara’s hometown in Italy for a few months and I wanted to create an outlet outside of music. I started the website, and then a few months later, we entered the pandemic. Because of this, I wanted to get creative about what to do at that time and so I started “digital festival,” which ran for 9 weeks. We did jazz mornings, DJ sets and live music performances until the whole thing fizzled out. I think people got tired of watching things on their phone, and so it naturally ran its course. Really Nice still exists, but it’s mostly for clothing designs at this point. I’ll just throw up a new shirt or something every few months. It still flows, I’ll do interviews and other stuff with people, but it’s not really consistent.  

ORB: You’ve played with multiple acts before including Toy Soldiers and then started doing solo stuff. How has your songwriting and music making techniques changed since you released your debut album in 2014? 

I feel like I’m a late bloomer, and It took me a long time to figure out my voice, skill set, and what I’m supposed to do. I still experiment and try all kinds of different things constantly, but I think the biggest thing is knowing my path – what I’m supposed to do with music took me a long time to figure out. It’s like self-discovery through music, the longer you do it, the more you figure out who you are and what you’re about. I see it as a kind of parallel to being alive. 

ORB: You recently released your latest album called Foreground Music, where you’ve been exploring a variety of genres. Your debut album sounds very different from the new album, what kinds of things did you discover on your path that defines the sounds you have now? 

RG: The big thing with this record was trusting myself to record. I’ve always had to rely on other people for that, and this time, I decided that I’m going to buy the stuff, set up our home studio and be able to work here properly. The other cool thing about this process is Chiara’s involvement, she played a huge part in this. We co-wrote the track “Anything but This” in the same room, which I’ve never done before. She co-produced the entire record, and solely produced the track “Big Truck Energy,” which was new territory for me, too. The biggest thing for me was (looks at Chiara) you. She and I were at home, trusting and believing in each other about what we can do.  

CD: There’s always a big thing I want to say when people ask this kind of question. There’s not a lot of men out there that allow women in the recording process. I’m very animated about this because I have to go through so much just to be recognized as a female producer. I still don’t get recognized – every time I show up to a venue, people are always like “Ugh, look, it’s just the wife playing bass.” He always stands up for me. Even if it wasn’t my husband, I would still commend him for understanding that we can probably do it better. We need more women behind the scenes. 

RG: And then when she gets up to play, everyone who was skeptical are shocked.  

CD: Some people come up to me afterwards and apologize because they thought I sucked. F*ck that. In the end, women can do anything as men can.  

ORB: That’s so true, and we totally understand those conflicts being women in the music journalism sphere. Do you guys feel like your partnership has helped create the sound you have now?  

RG: Definitely, that’s another huge role that Chiara has played in this. I’ve jumped around and experimented so much; I think she really shined a light on what started this project. She pointed out what I was good at and told me not to neglect certain elements. I went into this record taking a lot of that into account and Chiara helped me refine my way in that sense. 

ORB: Do y’all have any life lessons from being a musician that you would not have learned otherwise in the industry?  

RG: The most valuable thing that I can say is… as simple and as dumb as it is… this is it – just living moment by moment and a lot of it does connect to music as well. When you’re traveling and you’re touring, it’s easy to get lost in the hustle and the bustle. It’s all just a collection of moments in terms of being there. You can do a lot of really cool stuff and not be there for it. I’ve gone through that both in life and in music, like when we’re just so exhausted, burnt out and miserable to the point that you aren’t taking in the miraculous experience. You can be in a foreign country playing a festival with a bunch of people, these kinds of moments are beautiful once in a lifetime things, and you can’t miss those. 

CD: I fully share the sentiment. I’m still not quite there, even today I was like “I’m so tired, I don’t feel great, this sucks” but then I thought about it again and it wasn’t really true. Sometimes I just need a reminder. 

RG: Well, that’s what’s great about performing. It’s such an easy way to get into the moment. When we play, we don’t think about anything else, and that’s the best.  

ORB: That’s how we feel now as well. It’s been a long week, but having a fun conversation with y’all brings us in the moment and shows that we can push through the exhaustion.  

CD: Exactly! 

RG: When you get back to the hotel, that’s the time to let exhaustion get the best of you. 

ORB: Did y’all have any dreams to do something other than music? To pursue your other hobbies or passions? 

RG: I wanted to be a secret agent when I was a kid. Otherwise, not really. I’ve had a lot of different jobs throughout my life. Everything was very short lived because I just can’t do anything that I don’t feel passionate about. I started playing music when I was in high school, like around 16 and I never thought about anything else. I might change moving forward because I don’t think touring and playing forever is a reality, but I definitely want to do something creative.   

CD: For me, I started conservatory when I was very little, I was in the orchestra for a while when I was 9. There has always been one thing that I wanted to do for a brief moment in my life, I thought I wanted to be a doctor until I realized that I couldn’t do it. I don’t have the guts to do this, I also cry too much. I later realized that I am on this planet to play instruments. 

ORB: Before we wrap up, we want to ask a fun little question. This goes for both of y’all and it could be together or separately. What is your dream collaboration?  

CD: I know mine, but I don’t know if I should say it.  

RG: Ah just say it! 

ORB: It could be OFF THE RECORD. (everyone laughs) 

CD: Since I was a teenager… I’ve always wanted to work with {redacted}, especially {redacted} Ron always tells me that it’ll be a bonus if I ever got to meet them. {redacted} is my forever crush!  

RG: For me, the first person that always comes to my mind is Tyler, the Creator. I would rather do a collaboration that comes from his creative brain, but also I think it’d be cool to do something NOT with someone that’s in the same genre of music I make. 

ORB: It was so great to chat with both of you. Do you have anything else you want to add for our readers or your fans? 

RG: Listen to the new record Foreground Music because I think it is probably about the experience a lot of us have shared over the last few years.  

CD: And if you’re a woman in the industry, just keep going.

Listen to Foreground Music by Ron Gallo on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Bandcamp. 

(NOTE: ALL OF OFF RECORD BLOG INTERVIEWS ARE MINIMALLY EDITED FOR LENGTH)