Meet Alex “Gio” Giordano of Squared

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex “Gio” Giordano.

Squared (formally known as Alex Squared) formed in Payson, AZ in the summer of 2013. Two guys named Alex Simmons and Alex “Gio” Giordano shared a love for punk rock music, practical jokes, and a desire to perform. It was the same year that they recruited their drummer Steven “Meatbag” Lendrum. Once these three started constructing songs they knew they needed a bassist so they asked for help from longtime best friend and musician Jordan “Jeigh Fly” Fleischaker. The four of them powered through shows all over Arizona. Momentum was gaining along with popularity as they dropped their 1st album titled “Drainage” recorded at Cosmic Soup Recording in 2015. The band never slowed down until there was an obvious problem within the members. By the time Drainage was released lead guitar player Alex Simmons was badly addicted to shooting up Heroin.

The band held interventions, tried tough love, and even offered Simmons a place to try and recover. None of this seemed to work. Simmons’ father reached out from Utah to help his son get clean. He offered him a bus ticket and an incredible job opportunity in Utah that Simmons could not refuse. Towards the end of 2015, Simmons packed his bags and left his music career behind to pursue a healthy drug-free life in Utah. Nobody in the band was upset as they all cared more about his personal health and safety over the music. Still going by Alex Squared the guys decided that Simmons couldn’t be replaced so they stayed at a three-piece with Gio on guitar/vocals Jeigh Fly on bass and Meatbag on drums. The momentum kept growing for these guys and by Christmas in 2015 they decided to put out a D.I.Y. punk EP completely recorded mixed and mastered by the band with very little help from Cosmic Soup Recording. This EP is titled “Those Days EP” and features a track that actually touches on the Simmons situation titled “the Riff”.

Unfortunately the band after the release of just their 2nd project, the guys struggled a little with direction and dedication. Jeigh Fly also left his position for an undeniable job opportunity. All that was left was Gio and Meatbag. Quickly Gio reached out to his cousin Michael “Mu’ham” Abdoo to join on lead guitar and vocals. Mu’ham joined immediately and fit perfectly. His songwriting complemented that of Gio’s and Meatbag’s they were finally getting back to business. Meatbag scored the gifted bassist Austin “Phat Kat” Brazeau who could slap a bass like no one’s business. By the summer of 2016, the band was right where they left off by making waves in the Arizona punk scene, playing festival shows like Pot of Gold, and working on their classic album “the Lead Balloon”. The band rose to new heights and submitted themselves as some of the top dogs in AZ. Unfortunately due to creative differences, Phat Kat left the band and Gio, Meatbag, and Mu’ham were left as a three-piece yet again. Mu’ham switched from lead guitar to the bass and by 2017 the band seem to have not missed a step borlette the lineup change affect them. The band kept playing the same high-profile shows and jamming all over Arizona.

By the winter of 2017, they released their fourth album titled “Mexican Fishing Tricks” which was an omage to Alex Simmons because he came up with that album name idea when he was still in the band. It wasn’t until they were set to go on tour for their fourth album when family emergencies and the birth of his 3rd child forced Mu’ham to make his departure from the band as well. As it seemed to be the regular situation for the band it was once again back to just Gio and Meatbag. By the beginning of 2018 things were not great. The guys were down two members and got bombarded by the death of their good friend and musical colleague Billie Russell (lead singer/guitars of Contradiktion). Alex Squared and Contradiktion had a chemistry like no other two bands. They played shows together regularly and seemed to try and one up each other each album in a friendly manner. To say the very least the death of their friend impacted them very roughly. Although not once did they ever think about putting the band away.

After some grieving Gio and Meatbag formulated a plot. Before too long Meatbag decided to call friend and music companion Dave the bassist for the band FoL (First or Last). Dave immediately decided to join and help out. Gio and Meatbag also received a phone call from Tyler Silva lead singer/guitar of Rundown Roommates who was interested in joining the band on guitar since his band was taking a small break. This all made so much sense and seemed so serendipitous that Gio and Meatbag both decided right then and there to let Alex Squared die and continue on as Squared. The very last song released as Alex Squared can be found on a compilation called “Never Forget Billie Russell” and it’s a cover of Contradiktion’s “American Violence”. Squared is currently working on their 1st album as “Squared” the boys are demoing it at Cosmic Soup Recording and they plan on heading out to California to finish mixing and mastering the record with Dave Klein of Agent Orange. Squared plans to carry the passion and “never give up” attitude of Alex Squared but plans on letting all the negativity and dragging forces die with the old name. Squared vows to make the best music they can and bring as much energy as possible with them to live performances. You can catch them at a venue near you soon.

Great, 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?
The biggest thing we ever struggled with was finding members that were as dedicated to this band as myself and Meatbag. – Gio

Squared – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from others?
Our stage presence and musical content helps us stand out from other punk rock bands. Although you can hear influences in our music we have been complimented all over the board for our songwriting abilities and the subject matter of our songs. Not to mention the insane amount of fun our audience has at our shows.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It is hard to imagine where we will be in the next 5 to 10 years because the music industry itself is going through such a big change it isn’t about album sales or topping charts anymore it’s a new digital age about downloads and streams. I just hope we can either capitalize on the digital era or at the very least stay relevant.

Contact Info:

• Website: Squaredsux.bandcamp.com
• Instagram: Squaredsux
• Facebook: Facebook.com/squaredsux
• Twitter: @squaredpunk

Image Credit:
Alex Giordano

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