By Fernando Alcantara
Sun managing editor
Many junior colleges have hosted some great talents such as Walt Disney, James Cameron, Tom Hanks, and Morgan Freeman. Golden West College currently has a student by the name of Giancarlo Floridia who is hoping to make that list of success stories.
Floridia is a 30-year old student who is a single father of two children. He works on campus in the Outreach Center and is a member of the EOPS and Care programs.
Floridia is a member of a band called “Faithsedge.” The bands genre is a heavy metal 80’s style that has flavors of the melodic harmonies of Bon Jovi or Journey.
Giancarlo Floridia’s story is not unlike most. Having discovered his love for singing at an early age, thanks to a karaoke-machine, Floridia spent his childhood mimicking the vocals of his favorite heavy-metal bands.
Unfortunately, those close to him would not believe in him nor provide the support that creative individuals need. Floridia’s father was disappointed in him for chasing his dreams.
At the age of 14, Floridia went to Florida to live with his mother where he would meet his future wife and mother of his two children, Chris and Faith. Faith provided the inspiration for the name of Floridia’s band, Faithsedge.
“The name is along the lines of Queensryche, and has that feel,” Floridia says of the band’s name. “‘Faith’ is my daughter’s name, and ‘edge’ gives that feeling that the music has that hard edge. It just fits.”
What is inspiring about Floridia is his unrelenting pursuit and sacrifice for the love of his music.
Despite circumstances in the industry that caused the eventual split with his wife; circumstances that had him leaving the music industry, he has returned more determined than ever.
“It’s all about sacrifice,” he tells me. “I rented a room in Garden Grove for eight months while I was recording this album and slept on the floor.”
In sacrificing comfort, Floridia was able to toil away at what he loved most: writing and singing songs with his favorite producer, Fabrizio Grossi.
Grossi is a world-famous producer who has worked with numerous big-name artists and bands like Alice Cooper, members of The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Paul Stanley of KISS. He is also the bass-player on Faithsedge’s upcoming album.
Grossi, whom Floridia regards as the father figure he had needed all his life, is nothing but supportive and nurturing in Floridia’s development as a musician.
Faithsedge’s debut album is three weeks from completion at which time Floridia and Grossi will shop it around Europe and Asia where the market for such heavy-metal projects are in high demand.
To stay up to date with Faithsedge and Giancarlo Floridia you can visit his website at www.giancarlofloridia.com.
I’m in the process of learning guitar myself. Music is like an unspoken language to me so far. Growing up i never really enjoyed music to much till maybe jr highschool. The music that i was expose to prior to that was all old ethnic Vietnamese music that my dad would listen to in the tape player of his old oldmsobile cutlass. Anyways i hope your story is one that will be on TV one day and bringing with it a humble story and beginning. Proud to have you here as a fellow student at Golden West College. Keep it up =]
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