Aldo Nova bought his home, not far from Montreal back in the early 90s. But unlike most prospective house-buyers, he was on the search for something specifically tailor-made for making music.
“It’s 2700 square feet in Montreal,” he tells me over Zoom from his impressive studio. “This studio got built in 91. I bought the house because it was secluded, but that wasn’t the main reason. I was looking for a house that had enough size in the basement and that had nothing in it. So when I looked at the house for the first time, it was completely bare. There was nothing in the basement but a couple of posts and some plywood. So I was able to have a company actually build me a real studio that was isolated, with brick walls and sound booths and everything. So over the years it’s evolved, but this is what I call my analog studio. And the analog studio basically is all old gear, all old analog stuff, old analog console, my old Memorymoog.”
Teenage Aldo Nova discovered guitar players like Hendrix, Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. “I would go out and buy their current record. I mean, I bought Band Of Gypsys from Jimi Hendrix when it came out, you know what I mean? I had that and they were stars, they were rock stars. You could look up and say I wanna be like him or I wanna be like him. So you wanted to be a better musician. You aspired to be something great. You aspired to be at that level, which is why, by the time I was 15, I was already playing extremely well.”
His music career began forty years ago with his 1982 double-platinum top ten self-titled debut, Aldo Nova, and its definitive Hot 100 smash single “Fantasy.” On the heels of the platinum-selling Subject…Aldo Nova and Twitch, Aldo emerged as a trusted collaborator for some of the biggest stars in the world.
He co-wrote the song “Mr. Big Time” for the soundtrack of the movie, “Armageddon,” and worked closely with Jon on his soundtrack album for the film, “Young Guns 2,” writing the signature riff from Jon Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory.” Bon Jovi returned the favour by collaborating on ALDO’s 1991 Blood on the Bricks.
Working closely with Céline Dion, he penned “A New Day Has Come,” “Your Light,” “I Can’t Fight the Feeling,” and “You and I,” even garnered a GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Album of the Year” for co-writing and producing 3 songs from her diamond-selling album Falling Into You. Not to mention, his discography also includes writing songs for everyone from Faith Hill, Carole King, and Clay Aiken to Garou and Blue Öyster Cult.
Nova says he’s proud to be from Montreal but, despite so much success, he still feels a little ignored here. “For a hometown guy that was born here, raised here, successful around the world that still lives here, it’s surprising that they wouldn’t give me more encouragement. Montreal is just my town. I could live anywhere if I want to, but I always come here. This is my home. I mean, it’s an incredible city. It’s musically diverse. It’s just like rich with the arts. You know what I mean?”
Forty years to the day after releasing his debut album, Aldo Nova just released a brand new 10-song EP titled THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EDDIE GAGE. The songs mark the first chapter of his larger-than-life rock opera. The musical journey of THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EDDIE GAGE began in 2008, when ALDO started to assemble what would become 25 songs. Throughout the work, ALDO distills his often-unbelievable musical journey into the allegory of the rock opera, which he wrote, produced, arranged, engineered, and mixed entirely. The recording includes a 40-piece orchestra, a full gospel choir, Lee Levin on drums and mastering from the legendary Bob Ludwig.
Three weeks later he released the triple-disc ALDO NOVA 2.0 RELOADED which features 2.0 versions of nine classic songs from ALDO’s catalogue, plus another disc with no lead vocal track and a third disc with no lead guitar track so fans can either sing along or play along with him.
During our interview, we talk with Aldo Nova about his incredible journey in the music industry, including the highs, the lows, the album he asked to be erased from the internet and how he’s a fan of 2Pac. After turning 65 years old he says “I’m reborn.”
Watch the full interview below:
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EDDIE GAGE & ALDO NOVA 2.0 RELOADED are out now.
