By Will Yannacoulias
An immediately infectious blend of 70’s rock swagger and the groovy moodiness of 90’s grunge and alternative rock, “Do I Really Care” is the debut single from Left My Hands, the solo project from Saskatoon guitarist Anthony Allegretto. A young veteran of several local bands and an occasional session player, Allegretto has ambitiously taken the next creative step, writing, recording and releasing his own songs. NSMZ spoke with Allegretto about the single, his inspiration and his musical plans for the future.
“The single was recorded in June of 2021, written in two days before the recording date” Allegretto shared. “Matt Stinn at Rainy Day Recording really helped make it more cohesive. He produced it in a way which made it come alive, and each part became more meaningful.” Allegretto played guitar and sang on the track, with Stinn lending backing vocals, bass and organ and Zakk Strelioff filling in on drums. Allegretto praised his collaborators, saying “They’re great friends. I’m blessed to know such great musicians and will always go to them if I need a hand laying down some great tracks.”
The decision to release the single and set out on his own has been inspired by changes and opportunities in Allegretto’s personal life, he shared. “In the last 6 months a lot changed for me, some really great musical opportunities came my way and really have pushed and challenged me to step my game up both musically and mentally -for many years I was too afraid to take it seriously and share my music.”
“With the lyrics and the tension in the music, I think there was a bit of foreshadowing going on” Allegretto offered, discussing the song’s lyrical themes of walking away and moving on. “‘Do I Really Care’ feels like the soundtrack to my life after some personal things had come crashing down, as if I wrote the song to help me get through things later on.”
Allegretto is continuing to write and record, with an eye toward growing Left My Hands into a set band. “There are full intentions of creating new music and getting it out on as many stages as possible” he hinted. “Do I Really Care” is available on all streaming services.