Andrei Cerbu
Interview conducted on November 16, 2021
By Dan Locke
Andrei Cerbu, is a Romanian guitar player! As you will see, I have variety of musical styles, from Rock’n’Roll to Blues, to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, and all the audios and the videos are made by me! I hope you will enjoy and please share my work with your friends! Thank you very much!
You are a guitarist, session player, audio/video editor. What is your upbringing?
Well, I started playing guitar at 7 years old. My father showed me guitar gods like Gary Moore, Slash, Bonamassa, BB King and asked me if I want to be like them. Of course, that I said yes. For my other skills, I realized that my chances to become like them nowadays is to exist on the internet. I had to learn everything by myself, from tutorials, but after many trials and error, I was able to make what I do today.
How did you start to write music?
You can’t just make covers; you have to show the world who you really are.
At the age of 10, you were on Romania Got Talent. What was your biggest take from the show?
The most important outcome from that show were the new connections made with all the biggest and most important musicians around Romania, plus becoming a member of the legendary Romanian band Phoenix and touring with them the whole Romania for a year.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
My first guitar was a ¾ Ibanez, and of course I still have it hanging on my wall.
What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?
Hard to tell, I love for example all my Prestige guitars (one of them I also customized to make an “The Iron Cross” guitar), my Gibson Historic 59 and my Fender Stratocaster from ’74. Can’t choose my favorite one from these, I love them the same.
You have many different projects in the past. And you have a few moving followers. Tell me about your newest project Soul Bliss?
Soul Bliss, now named Shut Up & Kiss Me!, was inspired from the film “Sister Act I”, where all those females sang so beautifully and I wanted to create a project like that too here.
How did your band form?
“The Iron Cross” was formed because of my wish to play and compose heavy metal music, and “The Voodoo Child” because I wanted to play hard-blues.
How did you get your bands name?
“The Iron Cross” name was inspired from the name of James Hetfield’s guitar. At some point I also owned a guitar like his. “The Voodoo Child”, as many will think, was inspired from Jimi Hendrix’s song.
Describe your music.
My music is a combination of old blues, hard rock, and sometimes even heavy metal This is what I listen to every day and what I enjoy the most from music. I try hard to catch the listener in my music so that when the song ends, they will think that it passed 3 seconds from the beginning to the end.
You have been also doing opera, correct?
Sort of, I had a video where I played opera.
What was your first performance at like?
I was so young, like 8 years old, on a big stage at Petran Music School, where I started to study guitar. I felt like I was having a walk in the park. After I started to grow the emotions before every gig came.
What makes a good songwriter?
A good songwriter from my point of view is the one who learns from the past, takes what is best from it, give it a refreshment (put his feelings, point of views etc.), and then create. No one is creating the music, other people did that in the past, but to give it a new shape and make it enjoyable by everyone, that is what a songwriter do.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
Haha, the first song was I think made for a girl that I liked some times ago, don’t remember anything now about it.
What is the process of writing your music?
First of all, I need to know what I want to compose. I want to create an atmosphere in my songs, not just play random stuff. I shut down the lights and play, and play, until an idea pops out. Then I note it and start to work on it, add some lyrics, to see where I go.
How do you pick what songs to do video for?
I listen to music and imagine what singer’s voice works with that song. That is all.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
One on the best ideas. I have my Spotify running all day, I really live this app and also the idea of streaming music. As long as the royalties are paid to the musicians, everything is great.
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag. Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
Symbols get new meanings every day. It is not important if people forget that # is a notation in music, for each of us symbol mean something else.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Both. The warm sound of the vinyl (analog) and the exact precision and ease that the digital offers make a great combo. But I will always choose a vinyl.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
A song that I really love is “While Your Lips Are Still Red”, by Nightwish. It gives me chills only by thinking about it. It’s a love story, for sure, but the words are so metaphorical and the music so calm, and then so intense, that this song is a masterpiece that I always love listening to it.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future? Do you think that Covid-19 has been a plus to an artist career?
I feel that Covid only made artists find new ways of making music and deliver it to our fans. Nightwish, for example, made a full live show on the internet with greenscreen. I was blown away. Yes, Covid had a really big impact on music, especially on the live music unfortunately, but because of the technologies we have at our hands, we will be able to continue playing live.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Developing my studio and growing this business.
How was it to work with Brian May?
Yes, during the quarantine he made a video playing “Hammer to Fall” and I answered to the challenge. It was fun for sure!
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
As hobbies, I have computer science, painting, and discovering new stuff every day.
In the past if a musician stopped doing music, they find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
Now I study at the University of Computer Science, so I have a plan B.
What is your happy place?
Family and friends.
How was the Suceava Blues Festival?
A great moment after so much time not playing live. It felt like flying.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Rock on and stay safe!
