With The Dreamboats, Gianmarco “Johnny” Fiacconi’s fantastic drumming skills and vision have helped the group grow into a wildly energetic time-capsule music experience that provides nonstop ’50s and ’60s songs and styles. Outside of the band, Fiacconi has taken to social media to share advice and tips from his multi-decade career in music, to his 40,000-plus followers on his Instagram. He recently started The Johnny Fiacconi Podcast, providing longer-form conversations about music business strategies on Spotify and YouTube.
What was the first concert you attended?
Three Doors Down (you know, “Kryptonite”!) when I was 13 years old. It was at a venue called The Warehouse in Toronto, Canada, which sadly no longer exists. I went with three other guys from my hockey team. We didn’t know anything about concerts, so it said “DOORS AT 6 P.M.” and we showed up at 6 p.m. Three opening acts later, and we FINALLY saw Three Doors Down at 10 p.m. In those days, people could smoke cigarettes inside of clubs, so we came back that night reeking of smoke. We felt so cool.
What was the first album you owned?
A LEGENDARY album in Canada called Big Shiny Tunes 2. It was a compilation album that was released annually by MuchMusic (Canada’s equivalent of MTV), and it included all of the best current alternative/rock hits, with a certain percentage of the songs being from Canadian bands. If you were into rock music in the late ’90s in Canada, you definitely owned a Big Shiny Tunes CD … and it was highly likely that it was Big Shiny Tunes 2. Update: I just looked it up, according to Wikipedia, “Despite being out of print, Big Shiny Tunes 2 is still the fourth-best-selling album ever in Canada of the Nielsen SoundScan era as of 2020.”
What bands are you listening to right now?
I’m always listening to oldies music—’50s, ’60s and early ’70s are my go-to most of the time. I have this mega playlist that I’m constantly adding to and putting on shuffle. In terms of modern bands, I’m really into Improvement Movement—one of the tightest bands I’ve seen in a LONG time, with intricately catchy songs; Thee Sinseers out of East L.A., with a very old school sound, great for cruising; and I’m currently revisiting a Canadian favorite band of mine called Sloan. They’re one of those bands where everyone in the band writes their own songs, they switch instruments during the show, and they’re heavily influenced by the Beatles, which is right up my alley!
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I’ve never really been into the trend of recorded band music that sounds flawless and perfect (eg., extreme AutoTune, tons of layers, MIDI instruments, etc.). I mean, it works for pop, electronic music and certain genres, but I’ve always felt like the best recordings of bands sound the most raw and real, and I truly believe that as AI continues to create more and more “perfect music,” humans should lean more into creating things in a raw way—bands recording in the same room at the same time kind of thing, and capturing the soul of a group of people playing together.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
The Beatles during peak Beatlemania would be amazing to see! After years of performing in clubs, they were just on top of their game at that time, as both young songwriters and performers. They could do no wrong! Where’s the time machine!?
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Creed …
What’s your favorite music venue?
The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. It’s a legendary Canadian music venue and one of the oldest in the city of Toronto. It’s the kind of place where you walk in, and you can just sense that some serious musical history has gone down in there. Many world-class bands and acts have performed there, and it’s a main “circuit” venue for touring bands at a mid-level. You can go there on any given night, and you know that the music will be top notch—either a cool local band bill, or some hot up and coming touring act. It has a solid reputation as being a springboard for top Canadian and international touring acts.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
I’ve never been a big lyric person, but a song lyric that pops in my head frequently is from the song “The Middle Road” by the band The Sheepdogs: “… At least I don’t walk the middle road.”
What band or artist changed your life? How?
The Beatles definitely changed my life. I was exposed to their music at a very pivotal young age where everything leaves an impression on you. My parents always had the Beatles playing on road trips, at the house, etc., and then when I was a little older and we got our first CD burner, I would copy Beatles CDs off of my brother, and just stare off into the ceiling of my bedroom listening to Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper, Revolver, Rubber Soul … like ACTIVELY listening to these albums—picking out instruments, taking out one ear bud to hear the hard-panned bass and drum track on the left, and then taking out the other ear bud to hear the isolated vocals and guitars on the right. Experiencing the Beatles’ music on my own directly influenced my style when I started learning to play the drums, the guitar and the bass guitar. I just defaulted to feeling like musical parts had to be melodic and catchy, and fun to play. I am so grateful that I was exposed to the Beatles at an early age and that they make up the foundation of my performing and musical taste.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I would ask Paul McCartney what he thinks his life would have been like if he didn’t meet John Lennon that day in Liverpool after John’s gig with The Quarrymen. I mean, I’m sure Paul would have still pursued music, but would he have excelled in the same way without that equal force pushing him, competing with him, bonding with him?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Sleepwalk” by Santo and Johnny, with someone yelling “JOHNNYYYYYY!!” at the end.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Sgt. Pepper.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
Lie down on your bed; put headphones on; close your eyes; and listen to “Friday Morning” by Khruangbin.