THE AXEMEN SERIES : Sirius / Obscura Qalma.

 

 
 

1. Tell us your name and the band you play for. 
A: I’m Sirius, singer and guitarist of Obscura Qalma.

2. Who made you want to take the guitar?

 A: I started playing the piano when I was a child and later discovered Made in Europe by Deep Purple. I listened to it endlessly, I remember I couldn’t tell the difference between Hammond and guitars’ sound. From there on, my path gained more gain.

3. Are you self-taught or have you taken lessons?

  

A: I played a couple of years by myself, and then graduated from Conservatory of Music B. Marcello in Venice in Renaissance and Baroque stringed instruments.

4. Can you read music, can you read the card? 

A: Be able to read music is very important, be it German tablature, MIDI or a .txt file it doesn't matter. Having a visual impression of the music you are playing during a performance is key to understand the nuances you can achieve.

5. Do you feel like you have your own sound/tone? 

    

A: I haven't managed to get the sound I want for our guitars yet. We play a genre full of gain  but, yet, I would always like an MT-2 sound.

6. Tell us about your guitar (brand, model, year, color).

 A: I'm so fond of my guitar that I've been thinking about changing it for years, but I can't find a valid alternative. It's a custom Jackson WRMG from 2008 tuned in Drop-A with Ernie Ball on Cobalt. It is perfect for both live and studio performance and has a really aggressive yet not obvious shape.

7. What about the pickups? Passive or active? Tell us about them. 

A: EMG-81 and EMG-85 standard Humbuckers, with the addition of an always-active EMG PA-2 to reinforce neck one during solos.

8. We enter amplification. Same drill: brand, model, speakers, etc. 

A: For years I’ve been in love with the MT-2, but then I switched to ENGL for its brilliant and abysmal sound. I currently use many simulators and plug-ins in my studio demoing songs: my favorite is the UAD ENGL Savage, of course, combined with Ignite Amps Libra for cabinets.

9. Do you have a pedalboard? Tell us about that bad boy.

    

A: I don't use pedals anymore. I used to like them, but they are restrictive live. I don’t wanna be worried about pedals while I’m doing my best playing and singing.  When I'm studying songs by other musicians I always create a track in Cubase and I get the effects with synchronized automations. I use the same dynamic live with a RCF-M18 mixer, I create my own track. I activate the effects that I programmed wherever I want, letting myself experience the concert without thoughts.

10. Now tell us about your Dream Rig in detail ... 
       

A: I am currently working on an all-in-one live automation project to focus on the performance. I see the effects as a tool to convey a message.