| Review Fix chats with Massimo Lusardi, musician, restaurateur and entrepreneur, who discusses Gasoline Tequila’s new single and video, “Sonder.†Review Fix: What makes this song special Massimo Lusardi: Something we all, for once, share. Sonder speaks to a time we all went through, worldwide, and it especially resonates with the New Yorkers who never left. It’s an ode to the desolate streets of Manhattan during the height of the pandemic, and a poignant tribute to the enduring spirit that has kept New Yorkers hopeful and connected. But it’s also something much bigger. Personally, it was how it was created, the first time I played it “publiclyâ€, on my balcony during the 7 pm cheer, and the reaction it received from far-flung and invisible strangers, across rooftops and out of windows. That’s a feeling I will never forget, nor get to relive again. It was recorded raw, with basic equipment, quite literally in my bedroom. It’s a bare-bones expression, and I think you feel it. Review Fix: How was the video filmed? Was it tougher because of COVID? Lusardi: It was pieced together from old works and new, the majority of it filmed on an iPhone while walking the New York City streets. There is so much to capture here on any ordinary stroll in New York City, so when you walk out in the midst of a pandemic, it’s like seeing that movie star, without hair and makeup, tearstained and at her most vulnerable. It’s hard to be unaffected by that. Review Fix: How do you feel about the end product? Lusardi: Proud, humbled and grateful. My future self is grateful. I documented something so powerful, and so personal, I don’t think it’s even fully soaked in yet because we are still in it. But there will be a point, 10 years down the line, 20 and then 30, when this will be the history we lived through, and I created something I can listen to and watch that will take you right back there, and believe in a city all over again, with hindsight being – no pun intended – 2020. Review Fix: How does the video bring out the finer points of the song? Lusardi: It puts very sobering visuals to the notes I think we all felt. It is a reminder of how real this was, how terrifying and tragic. It is also a humbling glimpse of change, and how anything can happen at any given time. I think it helps you process what It is that you are feeling. Review Fix: What are your goals for the video? Lusardi: Just to touch people. To resonate with them and help them understand and feel understood. I think that’s a pretty huge goal. Review Fix: What’s next? Lusardi: This is quite a busy year for me. I’ll be opening up a new restaurant very soon called Uva Next Door, a follow up to the original Uva, as well as a new bar. Musically, my next release will be a full album called The Bonnie Situation which will of course include Sonder. Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add? Lusardi: To borrow a line from the late John Lennon: Everything will be OK in the end. If it’s not OK, it’s not the end. |
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