A Dirty Dozen with NANDO FERNANDES from BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER – June 2021

According to a recent press release: “We have loved seeing all the great feedback for the upcoming self-titled debut album from Brother Against Brother, which features co-lead vocalists Nando Fernandes and Renan Zonta (Electric Mob). The band has just released a third single, ‘Deadly Sins’. Awesome melodic metal! Conceived by Serafino Perugino, President and A&R director of Frontiers Music Srl, Brother Against Brother is meant to showcase these two amazing vocalists to a larger global audience outside of their homeland of Brazil. Nando Fernandes is one of the most established, popular rock/metal singers in Brazil and he is paired here with one of the hottest vocal talents of the new wave of hard rock bands from the Frontiers label, Renan Zonta of Electric Mob. Together, they are on fire on this magnificent melodic metal album written for them by none other than Alessandro Del Vecchio (JORN, Revolution Saints, Edge Of Forever).” We get Nando to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

The interesting thing is that these are two Brazilian vocalists telling, in a modern way, a very famous biblical story, about Moses and Ramses, where through the songs you learn many lessons about what to do or not to do in relation to the relationship between two brothers, especially when there is power, greed, betrayal and selfishness involved in this relationship.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I grew up in a musical environment, where although there are no musicians in my family, good music was always appreciated. My childhood and adolescence were chasing a ball, with the dream of being a football player, something very common here in Brazil, but, at 20, the opportunity arose to take on the vocals of a garage band and that’s where it all started in the year of 1988.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

In fact, what made me wake up about this possibility was the fact that I have 4 older brothers who have always listened to rock music. I remember like it was today, they were happy to have managed to buy Vol. 4 of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, and that always made me sing along with the albums. Another important album, though from the 80s, was Iron Maiden’s Piece of Mind.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

I have many voices that influenced throughout my career, but I can tell you the 5 most important ones during my beginning, they were: Ian Gillan, Ronnie James Dio, Glenn Hughes, Bruce Dickinson and David Coverdale. Bonus – Paul Rodgers, Ray Gillen, Jeff Scott Soto and Robert Plant! LOL

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

It would definitely be Tony Iommi, to be able to sing something made together with the creator of the greatest riffs in heavy metal history would really be a dream.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

As a real thing, everything I’ve recorded so far has always been with a lot of passion and respect, regardless of style, from Blues to Heavy Metal. I don’t like it when people think that in Brazil there is only samba or bossa nova, in fact I’m proud of those rhythms, but the rock and heavy metal made here are very powerful, like anywhere else in the world. About comparisons, many people think my voice is similar to Master Dio’s, and that just makes me happy.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Unfortunately this hasn’t happened yet, as the Brother Against Brother project was composed entirely by our producer and keyboardist, Alessando Del Vecchio, but I hope that for future works this routine will be applied and, in this matter, I will definitely pilot the stove to ensure a good diet. haha

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

It was on two occasions, the first when I first heard the band Greta Van Fleet, and the second when I heard a Croatian vocalist named Dino Jelusick, who has one of the most amazing voices in rock/heavy today.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

In my case, as a composer, the best part is being able to help people through my lyrics, for example, here in Brazil I have a band called Sinistra, with bassist Luís Mariutti (ex Angra and Shaman), guitarist Edu Ardanuy (ex Dr Sin) and drummer Rafael Rosa (ex André Matos solo), we sing in Portuguese and talk about impactful subjects that make people think a lot about their lives and behaviors, another factor is being able to travel and meet fans. If I wasn’t a musician, I would definitely like to be a football player or a race car driver.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

About the dream question, I believe it would be about the future of rock and heavy metal around the world! And the answer would be that: I hope that the new generation continues with this legacy, that regardless of the emergence of new musical trends, that our rock and heavy music will always be reborn through young people who will perpetuate what started in the 60s and continues with strength total until today, mainly by our great idols, who are still on the front lines. What about the boring question! I believe that no question is tiring, I am always very proud to answer on every subject, even a thousand times.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I don’t think so, because even in the worst moments, we manage to find good things, which teach us not to make mistakes again, what is done is not how to be changed and my mistakes and successes are the elements that say what I am today, and I like the person I have become through my experiences.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

This question is very difficult to answer, as there are some albums that I would like to be in the recording session, but without being part of it, because I believe they are flawless works. But as I need to mention just one, it would be Whitesnake’s album Ready an’ Willing, because this album was and is, in its vocal part, as fuel to never let me think about abandoning the boat!

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