Migraine’s New Album: Beyond the Everyday Life Routine — An interview by Turel Caccese
Italian version here 🇮🇹 : L’angolo del Turello (60 min Video Podcast)
Radio Version (Support the radio):
Welcome back to Turello’s Corner or better to call it with it’ s real name L’Angolo del Turello!
I’m Andrea Turel Caccese, and today we’re embarking on a sonic journey to discover a band born in a small province in southern Italy. What started as a purely cathartic need for expression and release eventually evolved into a true generational phenomenon.
Migraine was formed in the city of San Vito dei Normanni, in Puglia, Italy, with lyrics that explore the monotony and routine of an unfulfilling life, the search for ways to escape an increasingly alienating reality, and the deep yearning for something more.
The band consists of Vinnie Brown on guitar and vocals, Alex Pagano on bass, and Jordan Rech on drums. Today, we’re excited to speak with Vinnie and Alex about their new album, their live performances, and how music has been a life-saving force for them.
With one English album already released in 2021, a self-titled debut, we’ll also explore their upcoming album in italian lyrics Un’Abitudine (“A Habit”), set to be released in February 2025. Along the way, we’ll listen to some tracks from the new album, a few classics, and even some of their personal favorite songs.
Joining me today are Vinnie and Alex, who will take us through the band’s origins and share the story of how it all began.
Transcription (with media)
#1
Turel: How did Migraine come to be?
Alex: Migraine basically started with Jordan and me. We had been jamming for a couple of years, but honestly, it wasn’t going anywhere. Then, on January 4, 2021, we sent Vinnie a message on Messenger, something like, “Do you feel like playing with us?”
Vinnie: “And unfortunately… I accepted the invitation! Haha!”
Alex: And that’s how the band was born. So, it all started with a simple message on Messenger. From there, we immediately began making music together. It’s strange how a band can come to life from a message. Maybe that’s one of the few positive things about social media.
#2
Turel: And what inspired the sound of Migraine?
Vinnie: Well, with Alex, I always liked the idea of forming a stoner rock band, something similar to Queens of the Stone Age. It also fits with how we create riffs because most of them come from Alex and his basslines. Then Jordan brings in the rhythm, and I follow them with the guitar.
Being a former bassist myself before becoming a guitarist, I tend to complement Alex’s bass riffs. Usually, that’s how it goes, but not always — sometimes, I’ll start with an arpeggio or a unique chord progression, and Alex will build around that.
For example, on our 2022 album Migraine, tracks like Last Shot and Autumn Dance are great examples of bass-driven compositions. On the other hand, I wrote Fentanyl with the guitar because it has more of a bluesy vibe.
The project was initially inspired by stoner rock, drawing influence from Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss. For the composition, we also dug into projects from 10 years ago. For example, Files and Nails was something I wrote back in 2012 or 2011. We created a mix of ideas, even revisiting tracks like Migraine, which was written around 2011 or 2012.
#3
Turel: Speaking of which, Migraine is the name of your band, but how did you come up with it? And what other names did you consider before settling on this one?
Vinnie: The name came from a Protective cover we use during live shows, with a logo featuring a drawing of a brain being squeezed by two hands, which represents the concept of a “migraine.” It just felt fitting.
We actually considered changing the name. Some of my ideas were “Mad Spencer” or “Bad Spencer,” which I thought sounded pretty cool.
But Jordan said, “I already spent money on the cover,” so we ended up sticking with “Migraine.” Still, “Bad Spencer” would have been awesome!
#4
Turel: You guys released your first album with English lyrics. How was it received, and why did you decide to sing in English at the time?
Vinnie: Writing in English is much easier than writing in Italian. In fact, the new album in Italian took about a year to complete. I used a website called Fiverr, where I found a guy known as “Magritte.” He helped me come up with ideas for the lyrics, and then, together with Simone, we refined, adjusted, and set everything to music.
Singing in English is just simpler. Honestly, I think the lyrics on the first album are pretty basic, mainly because it was all a bit rushed.
Alex: As always.
Vinnie: I wanted to write in a style similar to Kurt Cobain, with repetitive and straightforward lyrics. English allows for a simpler and more direct writing style, whereas Italian has a rougher, more cacophonic terminology.
#5
Turel: In the English album, there are some strong criticisms of social media. For example, in the song “Migraine,” the chorus says, “I wanna be online for myself.” What message do you want to convey to people in 2024?
Vinnie: Yeah, the meaning behind “Migraine,” as well as the new song “Andromeda,” isn’t really about being anti-social media. The idea of social media, in itself, is fantastic and incredibly useful. You can reconnect with people, like long-lost siblings, or even start a band, as we did with a simple message on Messenger. You can do so many great things with it.
The issue for us musicians is that we’re constantly in a state of self-promotion. Numbers seem to matter more than quality or substance. As we say in Andromeda, “I can live without you, but it feels weird to post a photo of me eating.” I mean, who cares about the photo? Without social media, you wouldn’t even think about taking a picture of your plate to show it to your friends at the bar, would you?
Vinnie: The utility of social media is amazing, but the dynamics surrounding it are what scare us. Influencers, YouTube, consumerism — it’s all overwhelming. When I was a teenager, things were different. We’d meet up without texting or calling, maybe send an SMS once a week, and it still felt meaningful. But now, even when you’re in the same house, you send each other reels and posts. These dynamics are terrifying.
And then there are the haters, which we address in the song “Migraine.” We got our first hater when the first album came out — a keyboard warrior who probably hadn’t even listened to the song but still had something to say. We handled it peacefully by sending them a little kiss.
Alex: Honestly, it made us happy.
Vinnie: If you have a hater, it means something’s working. And as the lyrics of the song say: “Kill them all, with your love!”
#6
Turel: The new album is called “Un’Abitudine” (“A Habit”). What is this habit you are talking about?
Vinnie: I think it’s the contrast between the boredom of doing the same things over and over, as described in the song’s verses, and the chorus, where it bursts out and says: “But I want so much more than this!” Whether it’s waking up in the morning, going to work, spending two hours at the bar with friends, going back home, sleeping, and returning to work — that’s the habit. Smoking, drinking, as we mention in the verses. You smoke too much, drink too much, and then you feel dizzy, and it all seems to become normal, etc. But in the chorus, you explode, get angry, and say, “I want so much more than this!”
Making this album was our “I want so much more than this!” moment.
We’ve just sent the new album to print (and even reprinted the old one in limited cardboard editions). On the CD artwork, we wrote: “Migraine: I want so much more than a habit.” That’s the real title. This album is all about wanting more than just a habit.
Musically, we experimented a bit with psychedelic sounds and 2000s alternative rock. The single “Era,” which just came out, vaguely resembles the Stone Temple Pilots with post-grunge and alternative rock echoes. These are genres that completely deviate from our previous album.
#7
Turel: What are your live shows like?
Vinnie: They’re much more powerful than the album. You really have to imagine the songs being played live when you listen to them. There are tracks that don’t quite hit the same when you’re sitting in your car or on your couch. But during a live show, they make you want to jump!
Alex: People appreciate us more live than on the album. During a LIVE, we’re louder, more aggressive, and people love it. They often say, “I’ve listened to the album, yeah, it’s good, but LIVE? Damn!”
Vinnie: Recently, we’ve started doing Instagram livestreams during our rehearsal sessions to engage with our fans a bit more.
#8
Turel: I’ve noticed that both your previous album and this one include some interesting instrumental interludes. Have you ever thought about expressing yourselves solely through instrumentals, like creating a fully instrumental album or even a soundtrack?
Vinnie: I’d love to, but it’s a very complex thing to do. You’d need the right equipment and people with solid ideas, maybe a talented director or videomaker with a great video. Personally, I’d be incredibly inspired by that.
Alex: We could give it a shot, you know.
Vinnie: For example, the instrumental track “The Heat of Summer” has the same foundation as “Dieci Gocce.” That’s because the song started as an instrumental. It began with a bass riff from Alex, and then Jordan and I added our parts. I liked the riff so much that I decided to write lyrics for it. Alex created the framework for the lyrics, and I modified it a bit.
The song reflects something we both experienced, though at different times in our lives. We went through similar periods of anxiety and depression, but they were also creative times, and I drew inspiration from them.
In the album’s tracklist, “The Heat of Summer” is the fifth track, right in the middle. That’s because the situation we wrote about happened in the summer, in June, when I wrote the lyrics. We both saw ourselves in it. There’s a kind of weight that comes with summer — especially in southern Italy, where the intense heat can make you feel anxious.
Turel: Ah, so the “Dieci Gocce” (“Ten Drops”) are drops of sweat!
Vinnie: Exactly!
Alex: The interesting part is how the song came to be. We were playing “Marlboro,” another new track from the album, and we were discussing: “Hey guys, why don’t we come up with an intro for Marlboro?” In my musical ignorance, I use a lot of effects like Whammy, Fuzz, Overdrive, and so on. Then I came up with these notes. When Vinnie heard them, he said, “No, this isn’t just an intro — this has to become a full song.”
We eventually connected it to “Winter Sadness” and created a transition between the two tracks. And so it became its own piece.
Vinnie: In “The Heat of Summer,” there’s an escalation of anger, and the guitar almost destroys itself — a kind of bit crash, you could say. I thought about adding a huge explosion at the end, but we decided against it…
#9
Turel: You have songs titled “10 Gocce”, “Marlboro”, “Fentanyl”, and “Last Shot”. I wanted to ask: given that you’ve had some experiences, what is your relationship with hard and soft drugs?
Alex: Right now, I have zero relationship with them because in the past, I did take “10 gocce,” you know? So, I decided to take a break because I wanted to be more conscious of what I was doing. In the past, some drugs would lead me to depression, which is the opposite of the reason people usually take them.
Vinnie: Let’s just say none of the three of us use anything at the moment. Sure, we’ve all had our experiences in the past, but none of us have ever been excessive with it. For me, I wouldn’t say I have a problem, but alcohol is kind of my little escape from the everyday routine — two or three beers in the evening, nothing more. Or before a live show, I might have a Brancamenta, both for the show and for my voice. None of us have issues with addiction, except maybe cigarettes — Alex and I are definitely hooked on those.
Alex: Jordan is the prince — he doesn’t drink or smoke.
#10
Turel: I like the fact that your first album opens with “Last Shot,” and the second album cover features a bar. Things have evolved a bit, don’t you think?
Vinnie: In fact, the album starts with the track “Aria Numero 8,” which is a big nod to The Simpsons and Barney Gumble. It references the episode Homer’s Barbershop Quartet (Season 5, Episode 1), where Barney, as part of The Be Sharps, wants to take music to new horizons. That’s exactly what this intro represents. But instead of Barney’s burp…
Turel: It’s you guys!
Vinnie: It’s absolute chaos.
Turel: Can you explain the lyrics of that intro?
Vinnie: Alex wrote it, so he should explain it.
Alex: No, Vinnie, you do it. I’ll get too emotional.
Vinnie: Oh, come on!
Alex: The meaning is a bit general. It’s about people who come into your life, cause trouble, and then leave. “You paint canvases and chaos, you shatter, and then you go, I don’t trust you.” It’s like saying, “You’ve been a pain, now leave.”
I worked on it with Bento the Recording Studio engineer. The lyrics tie into Vinnie’s vocals, which have this desperate scream from beginning to end. It’s about telling someone to get out of your life. And then there’s a sense of release, of letting go. At one point, I wanted to take it even further, but Vinnie said, “No, no, it works like this. Let’s stop here.”
Vinnie: You have to imagine it as the intro to our live shows. We open our live sets with total chaos. We start the album the way a song should end, and we start the live show the way it should finish.
#11
Turel: This album isn’t just based on your influences from Queens of the Stone Age. Over time, you’ve probably absorbed many more influences. You’re listeners first and musicians second. What have you discovered in the past couple of years that’s excited you and made its way into your music?
Alex: The three of us listen to completely different things. Vinnie listens to certain bands and genres, Jordan has his own preferences, and I change my music based on my mood. I can go from a Frank Carter song to a Radiohead track in two minutes.
Vinnie: Same here. With social media and Spotify, I listen to a lot of playlists and discover amazing bands. Two songs I really loved recently are Ghosts by Scarlet House and Rodeo by TV Dog — they’re incredible.
Alex: I recently discovered this band that’s been around for a while, led by Jack White: The Dead Weather. I love the concept of the group — each member has their own projects running in parallel. They blend genres and experiences to create acidic sounds and unique rhythms. I adore them.
#12
Turel: I’d like to know, guys, if there’s at least one or two songs that, at some point in your past, completely changed your life. Like, you were just going through the motions, following your habits, and then this song came along and completely scrambled your brain.
Alex: For me, I’ll tell you straight away: there are two songs. The most important is Impressioni di Settembre by PFM. When I was a kid, my dad used to play vinyl records, and listening to Impressioni di Settembre always moves me so much. It’s not just about remembering — it makes me feel good. When Marlene Kuntz did their version, I was thrilled because they did an incredible job. Just thinking about the Marlene Kuntz version gives me goosebumps.
The second is Mexicola by Queens of the Stone Age. That’s when chaos entered my brain. Early Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stone Age — it’s all part of the Desert Rock Sessions.
Vinnie: For me, it’s less about individual songs and more about albums. Back in the day, albums were like one continuous track. For me, it was Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix. When I was a kid, that was the album that made me want to start playing music. My brother and I would connect our dad’s karaoke machine at home — not for microphones, but for a guitar and bass — to play Hendrix tracks.
Then during my teenage years, the album that completely changed my perspective on music was OK Computer by Radiohead. You have to listen to it in one go; you can’t talk about it in terms of individual tracks. The first time I heard OK Computer, I thought: “Where the hell did these guys come from? They’re aliens!”
#13
Turel: Last question, guys: why should I listen to your album?
Alex: Because we’re beautiful.
Turel: Hahaha!
Vinnie: Because it’s amazing, it’s fantastic, and we spent a ton of money on it! You’ve got to give it a chance — that’s why. Plus, you’ve got to support small bands, the ones who do everything themselves and work their asses off. Sometimes we play live shows and don’t even get paid. We juggle home, family, workSupport small bands and the work of people who do it just for the glory, not for the money. The expenses are huge, so supporting the band means supporting the next album. Buying the album is like saying, “Let’s make another one!” because it gives us the funds for printing, studio time, PR, and all that stuff.
Turel: I’ll add one more thing: why should you listen to Migraine’s new album? Because this album tells a story — this time in their native language, with the clarity needed to express it — of a historical period that reflects the aftermath of the pandemic. It’s about returning to a normality that no one likes anymore, one that has become a kind of static state that makes you want to escape.
The Migraine album, in my opinion, is about explaining not the escape itself, but why we feel the need to escape. And maybe the third album will finally be about what happens after something explodes. You need to listen to this album to find out how the third part ends.
Vinnie: You should write that review for us — we love it, and we’ll use it!
Turel: Okay, guys, thanks again. I wish you a great evening, and I hope to catch up with you soon.
- — — -
End: Migraine has created an album that speaks clearly and directly to adult life and how to survive it. This new album, along with the previous one, continues a narrative about resilience — choosing to react instead of giving in. It reminds us that, while we can’t change the past, we can keep moving forward, stronger and more aware than ever before.
Turello’s Corner — L’angolo del Turello is written by Andrea Turel Caccese
This episode was produced for NAR Nucleus Accumbens Radio, Every Friday live at De Nieuwe Vorst in Tilburg, The Netherlands.
English translation and Video Animation: Andrea Turel Caccese and Chat GPT
Video opening by Alessandro Morese
To contact the radio: contact@naradio.nl
To contact Turello : www.turelcaccese.com
