Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlo Barbacci.
Carlo, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Lima, Perú on august of 1994.
My childhood was very regular at a first glance, but i really grew up conflicted. I believed i “had it all” but still i had a big emptiness inside, emptiness that led me to a particularly difficult youth.
I started playing my grandma’s guitar when i was maybe 11 or 12 years old. I had difficulties because i am a lefty but i had to learn to play right-handed. My first guitar teacher told me it’s better if i do that. Lefty guitars are not so common.
Only class in school i did decently at was music. Some of my memories include getting banned from classes such as religion, among others. I remember my mom having to beg the school principal to not expel me for bad conduct. I’m ashamed to say i was a little bully. Thankfully at around age 13 as i started getting involved with all kinds of communities through music, i learned that it’s okay to be nice to other people! I have to give a shoutout to my therapist Oscar. Who was with me for over 10 years. Both Psychoanalysis and music really changed me as a person. Friends that know me since childhood would say I’ve come a long way.
You see, I always admired the work ethic when it comes to my family, but it wasn’t easy growing up with artistic inclinations around them. These are successful business people with conservative values. As much as i care for them, it’s been my life’s mission to pave my own way and re-educate myself. In some ways, i’ve been my own parent.
A couple of years later, at around age 15 i started playing in bands. I played in a Beatles cover band that was named best Beatle band of south america. It was cool because we didn’t dress as the Beatles or tried to imitate them. I particularly loved that about that band. My first touring experiences were with them. We did some south america shows and also UK.
My first real girlfriend. I like to say she was the love of my life but ironically she was also the person i made the most mistakes with, Is daughter of artists. I remember going to her house for the first time and thinking “so you can actually give yourself to art and have a house” i instantly wrote a letter
To my dad telling him i can’t work at his motorcycle store anymore. It was very emotional. But finally i decided to pursue music full time wether i’m accepted or not, successful or not.
Eventually, i fell into a really bad depression in Lima. One morning i just couldn’t go back to college. Miami was not really My choice. But because of having some Family here it just made sense to start again here. I dropped out of music school half way through the career to study audio in miami.
At this point i had done many records as a songwriter but nothing that i was proud of. I always felt Misunderstood by people i’d record with. I don’t blame them though, i had a lot to learn. I thought That if i studied audio i could learn to produce something that sounds good by myself.
As soon as i arrived to miami, i started performing at open mics, wherever i could. Eventually i put a name to my act, i decided to call it Mold!
I met Ryan Haft who’s been the engineer and co-producer of the band pretty much since its inception.
I remember going to my first miami rock show at gramps. It was Las Nubes, Zeta, and Palomino Blond. I was mindblown, i remember thinking “i wanna play with these bands”. By the way, it took me like a year to find the cool bands here. For an entire year i thought there was no good rock n roll in Miami.
Mold! has given me some of the most memorable experiences of
My life, as well as some of the most heart breaking. I took the project very seriously for about 7 years. We achieved things! Got the record deal, played festivals, toured like hell, It was exciting times. The music scenes of everywhere we went really approved of us and we were able to tour and break even. Sadly, the band is tamporarily in a slower pace now due to constantly switching members. Every band is a family, so imagine the feeling of switching family members every couple of months. Also, bands get payed so little to play! It maybe happens 2-3 times a year that we get payed decently for a show. I heard Dj’s get Payed like more than twice the amount a band gets payed for a show! And a band is at least 3 people! That’s crazy to me. Haha. I love dj’s though. Just saying, pay the bands more or we will be bound to disappear <3
All in all, mold! Is still kicking. We have an album on the works. And i have a wonderful team of people that play the songs with me. Sirena, Nestor, and then theres Crow and Frankie, each jumping on drums whenever either is available. Love u homies. We are hoping to release album and tour in 2027.
Currently i am very busy with Homicide Jenny. Which is a band that happened out of nowhere, but i’m really happy it did. Life really throws surprises sometimes. This is Dani, Sylvia, Cat and me. I always wanted to participate in raise women’s voices through music and i finally got the chance to be a part of something meaningful again. There was some failed attempts to have a band like this one. But this time it’s working! We have a record coming this year! All original songs by Homicide Jenny. Produced by me, mixed and co-produced by Ryan Haft, and mastered by Dan Coutant. I speak for the whole band when i say thanks to the miami scene for embracing us and what we stand for. We are fully booked this year already, and we haven’t even released a song yet.
All of this is said so i can Answer your Question: i got to where i am today through mistakes, earned wisdom, perseverance, love, passion, heartbreak. It all adds In the end.
However, my bigger mission is to remain a positive force to the music scene. Always to serve my projects with my heart out. And always try to work with people that understand me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Let me tell ya, It’s never a smooth road for the artist.
I would compare the art road to the sisyphus road.
I don’t believe artists choose to be artists, i believe art chooses us, and it becomes our obligation to serve self expression, we fight to keep it alive no matter the reward. If any at all.
Here’s where i draw the immigrant card: the hardest struggle is being an immigrant with no real support system here, which makes me an easy target for gossip. I’ve had to constantly
Be clearing my name from accusations that are absolutely ridiculous. I’ve ran into a lot of envy in people. Which is a hard thing to say for anyone. But i’m just good at spotting envy. And when i spot it, i fight it. The toll this has taken on my mental health has been almost unbearable, but i come out stronger every time.
Another big struggle has been not having a team. In Perú i can start a band with my friends and we can all be a team. Here i have always had to hire musicians which led me to lose money for a long time. There’s been a member or two that proposed being a team, but it still didn’t work out because of other personal issues that arise.
I’ve met some amazing people in my years living here, but i’ve always had a lot of trouble fitting in groups. I always felt like i’m better at one on one situations. So i guess a big struggle has been the “salsa dancing” with my loneliness. Which i think it’s also connected to me migrating here at a later age than average.
Homicide Jenny is my first USA band where we are all equal. It only took me 8 years of struggles to find it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Well so far i’ve already been talking about what i do, i song write, record, produce, sometimes mix songs. I specialize in production and songwriting. I believe i’m mostly known for my work with bands.
On the side, i work on live sound and also i work in a studio that is free if you are still in highschool. But i can work with any kind of client that wants to make real music.
What am i the most proud of? The last album i’ve worked on is the debut album of Homicide Jenny. That’s what i’m the most proud of currently.
Something i see in myself that i don’t see in other people is the drive, perseverance, willingness to never stop giving my 100% i’ve been called a workaholic a couple of times. I don’t think i am though. I feel great doing what i do, so i might as well keep going.
I deeply believe in obsessing over a music project. I don’t think there’s any other way. I think of artists as soldiers. Our guitar, or piano, or brush, is our weapon. And we are all fighting for survival in a world that doesn’t seem to allow us to exist. I can’t stop creating or i will disappear.
Maybe what sets me apart is that i will die for this.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Nothing. No surprises here. I have nothing to hide.
People do get surprised about my work ethic. I work very fast and efficient. And i never stop.
Image Credits
I sent you guys the photo files with each photographer name as the name of the file!
