2023 Author: Gabrielle Mercer | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 12:25
Drew Sarich, Vini Gomes, Sasha Di Capri and Filippo Strocchi give insights into the Acoustic Night project, their favorite songs, their friendship and more!
The four thoroughbred musicians Drew Sarich, Vini Gomes, Sasha die Capri and Filippo Strocchi are best friends away from the musical stage. Not long ago they were on stage together in the successful productions Tanz der Vampire and Jesus Christ Superstar, now the four of them are showing their musical skills in their own concert. Acoustic Night - pure vocal power
Your fans know you primarily from musicals. How did the idea of an acoustic night come about?
It's true, many people know us from the musical field, last season we stood on stage together in two productions. Apart from this stage, we are also very good friends in private who just like to make music together. Our music tastes are similar, so it is fun to make music together and try new things. The three of us (Drew, Vini and Sasha) have often played small-scale concerts, Filippo has just joined us and is just a great fit for us. We complement and inspire each other, have a lot of fun together, we want to share that with our fans. Since we mostly work all over the world, we wanted to use the time together to spend an evening with our fans.
There was already the first Acoustic Night in a smaller setting in May. The tickets were sold in an unbelievable 7 minutes - the success proves the idea! And the fans are thrilled! How stressful it was during your engagement (Drew, Vini and Filippo were in Tanz der Vampire at the time and were on stage almost every evening) to rehearse for the concert, to select song lists and at the same time to rehearse and To perform gigs? And to always be there for the many fans at the stage door after the shows?
Oh yes, it was a very intense time. We didn't have much time for rehearsals, usually we sat down and rehearsed immediately after the shows and discussed the selection of songs, sometimes we met and rehearsed on our days off. We have known each other for a long time and so well, it was just fun playing together and preparing for the concert.
Our fans are just amazing and so nice, many of them were very often at the stage door and some of them waited a long time for us - they deserve our attention! And to be completely honest - this is no stress! We love being in contact with our fans, chatting with them and feeling their enthusiasm - that's great, that makes the job really perfect!
Which songs do you have with you? And why did you choose this song?
At our concert we sing our favorite songs that everyone has chosen for themselves because they mean something to them. And we also write our own songs that we present. One or the other song, the way we interpret it, will surely surprise - we look forward to it!
What kind of music do you like to listen to privately?
We are rockers at heart, this is the genre we hear the most. But everyone has their own style that they prefer. Drew, for example, listens to a lot of 80's and 90's punk but also The Beatles, Filippo goes more towards metal bands and Sasha loves 80's hard rock and blues.
Vini: I like 70's classic rock but also grunge. But we are very versatile, also when it comes to our own compositions, and we also try other genres from time to time. As with everyone, it always depends on the mood you are in - soul, blues, country or pop, there is a little bit of everything. That's why the selection of songs at our concert will be a fine mix.
You come from all over the world - you, Vini, from Brazil, Drew from the USA, Filippo is Italian and Sasha is from Germany. How did you "find" each other or from where and for how long have you already known each other?
Vini: Drew and Sasha have known each other for many years and have already done several concerts and shows together. Sasha and I met in Hamburg. When Drew was also in Hamburg in Rocky, we played a few gigs together. We are all musicians, we like the rock music style, and we always work together on projects. Filippo joined them in Vienna, and at Jesus Christ Superstar in the Ronacher we all four stood together on stage for the first time. And then the thought occurred to us, why not do what we love to do - play together! So the idea for a concert of our own with our own songs and pieces that we particularly appreciate was born.
What do you particularly like about Vienna? Drew has been living in Vienna with his family for a long time, how about you, Vini, Filippo, Sasha - what is the attraction of the city for you?
The boys agree: Above all, it's the story that you can find and see on every corner, a little journey through the past, as Sasha describes it so beautifully, who calls the Hofburg one of his favorite places.
And for a break, Drew has the best tips: I like going to Das Wiener in the 7th district. Excellent cuisine and really fantastic service. My absolute favorite bar is Das Kleine Café on Franziskanerplatz. And I love the Hafenkneipe on the Danube Canal - it's summer in Vienna! Everyone chills there right by the river - just great!
Can you tell us something about new projects?
Drew: I'm currently working on my new album, Hunting For Heaven. I'm looking forward to it, it's a step into the light and different from my last two albums, which were full of melancholy and darkness. The premiere concert on November 27th is already sold out, that's just great - I'm happy to be able to present the new songs to the fans!
In September Ann (Ann Mandrella, Drew's wife) and I play The Last 5 Years again on the theater couch. And then I'm happy to be back on stage as Vivaldi.
Sasha: Among many other projects, the most important thing at the moment is the musical that I'm writing with Vini. It's such a great feeling to get closer and closer to completion! Whenever we are working on something that we think is going to be really good, we are happy like little boys, we shine like children in front of the Christmas tree. We're really looking forward to seeing our own piece on stage, it's going to be a real experience - and hopefully the audience will fall in love with it too.
Vini: The new musical will be something very special, I can't wait to finally present it to the audience. My current project The Marvin Rd. Is particularly close to my heart. Marle (Marle Martens, musical actress) and I are currently recording our own songs. They are stories from our lives, experiences, things that concern us - you have to hear and feel them, they will be great songs! I appreciate Marle so much, she's a great singer and so inspiring - and our voices go really well together;)
Filippo: My new project is going to be very exciting, and I can finally reveal it - I'll be playing as lead singer with a large jazz orchestra in Rome, I'm really looking forward to it! And I'll take on the role of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever in Ingolstadt.
Drew can currently be seen in Blutsbrüder in Brunn am Gebirge until August 11th.
Filippo and Sasha will also be rocking Rock of Ages in Amstetten until August 11th.
Vini is working flat out on new projects, including The Marvin Rd., A new song project with Marle Martens.
And there is still some news to come! Stay tuned;)