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By Anthony Santoro  Musician and author Robert Dominic Gennari doesn’t do thing by halves. When he had the idea to write a new concept-rock album, he didn’t just come up with a 12-track record, played by a 4-piece band. Rather, he opted for a 60 piece orchestra with a 100-voice choir and created not only an album, but a novel, a film, a website and a whole universe.
When you consider that, in making the album, he called upon components of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the likes of Craig Parker (a.k.a. Haldir in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings) I suppose you could say he thought outside the square he lived in. The result of his toil is the brand new album, Jenarium: Rise of the New Sun (www.jenarium.com) – a mythological concept album that Robert describes as an “electro-rock symphony”. Certainly, concept albums can sometimes conjure images of the 1980s, tight leggings and long hair...but Rise of the New Sun is an exception – a very big exception to that rule – and proof that, to achieve your dreams, you can’t just go with the flow. Although first a musician (he is more than competent in instruments ranging from the saxophone and keyboard to drums and guitar), Robert is no stranger to literature – his bookcase is testament to that. To say he is well-read is something of an understatement; Robert has read every Tolkien book published and is well versed in the ancient languages of Greek and Latin. To write and create the Jenarium mythology he even studied the sciences of palaeontology and taxonomy. There is a misconception of artists out there in the wider community. This is the conception that until one is ‘well known’ they haven’t made it. In so many ways and on so many levels, this isn’t true. There are little goldmines of talent everywhere. What sells and what is passed off as ‘popular’ are the realms of the marketing gurus in their ivory towers. What you don’t see behind the walls of success they build in front of such artists as, say, Lady Gaga, is the years of personal hard work behind her and the crests and troughs of her success. Rarely, we find out about the person she was at the beginning, before she was "popular". But, in Robert we find a person who, with a little luck added to his intense determination, an example of such a goldmine.  That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to interview him – he is the bud that’s about to flower, the gem that’s just about to be ‘discovered’. If you don’t believe me, just check out some of his tracks (http://www.jenarium.com/senthome.html); the pounding beats are raw, remarkably original and, rather than merely paint the details, Robert’s music smacks out the imagery of the story it tells. It’s like listening to a boxing match while standing in the ring, dodging the punches.
But, although original, Robert unashamedly admits his influences. “Some artists inspire you, some artists influence you,” he says, leaning forward, staring out intensely from under a furrowed brow. “Trent Reznor (www.nin.com) influenced me. His music has a strong structure. He didn’t do the verse-chorus-verse thing – he really mixed it up. In my music, I didn’t stick to a formula – I substituted vox and synthetics for specific instruments like bass and other traditional instruments”. Robert’s route to the release of his first musical tracks in December 2009 is a story every writer would do well to take a leaf from. Much like a writer’s road to publication consists first of writing, editing, sending out manuscripts to publishers and a lot of waiting and ‘holding one’s breath’, a musician would record songs and send out demos to venues and music labels, play as many live gigs in pubs and clubs as they could get and, hopefully, with a bit of luck, they would be spotted or their manager would get them in front of a recording agent. But, in comparison, Robert’s approach was a very different one, one that saw him employ all of this abilities to first record the album, master it and, finally release it. What’s different is that Robert did it all off his own bat. He didn’t wait for an industry head to give him the nod – he just went ahead, with his big idea under his arm, and did it. The result is the crisp new album Jenarium: Rise of the New Sun, due for official release in mid 2010. Much like Reznor, his chief influence, Robert’s plan was to create a musical composition that he was in charge of and in which he could create his own new sounds free from interference by managers or industry experts. Calling on the experience of his long affiliation with the recording industry (one that spans more than a decade) he began the journey of creating his musical mythology. In the process, Robert taught himself how to play other instruments outside of his repertoire and met with visionary music teacher Duncan Lorien (www.dlorien.com & www.understandingmusicseminar.com.au) who helped Robert cultivate and refine the musical fundamentals of his cutting edge album. But remember, Rise of the New Sun was a concept album. And according to Robert, just the idea of this was tough for some people to swallow. “It was met with so much antagonism within the industry and even with some of my friends. A lot of people found it so hard to accept. Why are you doing that? You know? But for me that was absurd. So, in the end, what I did was just keep the right information; I took notice of only the encouraging and valuable support that people gave.” He ignored the criticisms and, just as well; if he had have taken it aboard, he might not have completed his music. But, why did Robert go at it alone? “I worked out early on that there was something about the arts and music that had a very positive and bright side to it. But, there was also an area affected by darker external forces – where musicians and artists, or their work, gets invalidated. Where they get unnecessary objections to their good efforts and hard work. It can be quite destructive because with humanities and arts, there’s no wrong or right – it’s art. What's important is what's real for the artist. How can someone tell you your work is no good, or bad... So, I worked out that I wanted to do things alone. Eventually this moved forward into some amazing sounds.” According to Robert, not everyone you meet is always praising of your hard works and the fruits of your labour; from Robert’s experience, there are always a few “nay sayers” who like to take the wind out of your sales. But, in the face of this, Robert persisted – he kept his eye on his dream. I asked Robert why he decided to use so many different mediums – electronic, music, text, et al – to write his mythology. “I wanted to take people away into a fantasy world. I wanted to use as many forms as I could to make it complete”. And, now nearing the end of it all, Robert is in the very fortunate position of having gained the experience that goes hand-in-glove with working so hard to accomplish a big goal. Most importantly, he did it himself and, by default, proven that well-worn saying: anything is possible, if you put your mind to it. “I believe there’s a resurgence in the arts. These days if you have a good pc, an internet connection and a great idea, there’s nothing keeping you down. The main thing that’s kept my head above water was to not get too caught up in the administrational side of it. You don’t need a publisher or an agent nowadays. It’s not necessary to follow the traditional routes. If you’re interested in producing a particular type of album in a particular genre, you can. But, you have to be professional in the field you’re in. You have to get as much information as you can, read a lot, write a lot, and practice a lot. You have to be as proficient on the guitar or your chosen instrument as possible.” According to Robert, the sky is the limit and it’s very hard to disbelieve him. Robert Dominic Gennari was voted Australia’s Best Up-and-Coming Rock Metal Drummer for 1997. He is an accomplished musician, children’s music teacher and an instructor in Gracie Jujitsu. Robert’s EP (pre-release for Rise of the New Sun album) Ex-Nemesis Rising is out now (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jenarium). Look out for Jenarium: Rise of the New Sun in mid-2010 on www.jenarium.com Also, follow Robert and the Jenarium experience at:
MySpace: http://au.myspace.com/jenarium
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/JENARIUM/34736313956
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp6CudoMe90
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