Lorenzo Guevarra’s ‘As Well As I Do’ Inspirations Playlist

Sydney artist Lorenzo Guevarra has recently released his debut single, a gorgeous indie folk track titled ‘As Well As I Do’. Guevarra, while never having released any studio recordings before now, has a long history of live performance through busking, Rooftop Sessions, and multiple Sofar Sounds performances! A charming song built up of warm acoustic strings, twinkling chimes, and Lorenzo’s gentle and velvety vocals, this debut release positions Lorenzo as a real indie folk treasure in the making.

Inspired by artists such as Passenger and Damien Rice, Lorenzo leaned into the styles of many of his musical influences while working on ‘As Well As I Do’. Here, he tells us a little more about some of the tracks he drew creative power from throughout this process, whether through the song or artist’s style, or just in the general ways that their music inspires him to be creative in his own journey. Read on for ten of Lorenzo’s top picks:

1. I Don’t Want To Change You – Damien Rice
   There’s so much I could say about Damien and how he’s influenced my life but this track in particular stands out because he speaks of a love that deepened for an ex-lover in the aftermath of their relationship.

To be able to examine this individual and the bond they shared and conclude that he wouldn’t change a thing about her is a compassionate gesture that I find really sweet. It’s a level of maturity a strive for… maybe one day.

2. Flume – Bon Iver

Justin Vernon’s opening track to the “For Emma Forever Ago” record served as the opening track to my obsession with the ‘indie-folk’ genre. His production style was minimalist by necessity and although I was very privileged to have abundant resources at The Rooftop, I wanted to emulate the barebones approach that Vernon took for his debut album.

3. I Loved You Then (And I Love You Still) – Woodlock

Woodlock were one of the bands I used to see busking around the streets of Sydney when I was younger. This is song was released more recently (2021) and shares a similar sentiment as “As Well As I Do”. Rather than love dying, it transforms or blooms into something even more beautiful.

4. Words – Passenger

I wish I could load this playlist with more Passenger, haha! He really has a knack for painting a scene with words that I’ve been analysing for the longest time. 

It’s as if my brain immediately starts directing its own cinematic music video whenever I listen to a new song he releases. He really is special.

5. Homesick – Kings of Convenience

Erik & Erlend were born to make music together. This track comprises of only vocals and guitars and its depth stems from the synergy created between both parties. I paid close attention to their vocal harmonies when tracking the second verse of “As Well As I Do”.

6. Leuven – Southey

I’ve always held this track with such reverence because of how it immediately transported me to Leuven upon hearing it. I have never been to the city itself (or even seen photos), but because the atmosphere was so perfect, I could “hear” to snow fall on my shoulders. This song is production at its finest. I thought to myself, “I had to get this guy to work on my stuff”.

7. Arms – The Paper Kites

This is one of my favourite tracks from a dynamics standpoint. If you listen closely, every layer is subtly introduced as the song progresses. There’s something to look forward to from start to finish. Nothing flashy, just pure musicianship.

8. Winter Song – The Head & The Heart

This track actually represents a pillar in my finger-picking journey. I remember being a teenager trying to work out the song’s right-hand patterns and ridiculous stretched out chord shapes. 

Although “As Well As I Do” didn’t draw its technicalities from this track, the challenges it presented at the time would have lead to my overall development as a songwriter, particularly on guitar.

9. Michigan – The Milk Carton Kids

I saw Kenneth & Joey play at the Sydney Recital Hall last year and it was a surreal experience. It’s easy to forget that they carried the show with two unplugged acoustic guitars because they covered such a wide dynamic range. Every song seemed carefully hand-carved and delicately delivered. 

Because this album was quite literally acoustic guitar driven, Kenneth (who also engineered the record) had to squeeze as much character out of the instrument. We definitely took a page out of his book as we recorded our acoustic guitar in stereo and gave it as much presence as we could.

10. Chelsea Hotel #2 – Leonard Cohen

Without Leonard, there would be no Lorenzo. His charm, his charisma, and most importantly, his honesty inspired me to partake in the art of “truth-telling.” He is the standard to which I hold myself to and the reason I climb “The Tower of Song”.

This track is quite special as it’s quite sentimental for a man who claimed not to be. The song recalls a casual relationship he had with Janis Joplin back at the Chelsea and much like his other songs, is written like a letter. I loved his gentle, almost conversational tone on the vocal. I tried to deliver “As Well As I Do” in a similar way: addressed with intent.