“I hear a song, my own or from others, and I say ‘I want to play that’,” Lorenzo said. 

“Then I dive deep into it and look into my bag of music and bring in something like some funk or some reggae.

“I definitely don’t choose on purpose, I hear a melody and think it would be nice to play in a certain manner.” 

When he performs in Bega in early 2019, he will encompass a huge range of styles including originals, traditional flamenco as well as reinterpret songs people love, such as hits by The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Henry Mancini. 

“Why I call it the Roller Coaster Guitar Show is because it has ups and downs, lefts and rights, and it’s totally refreshing. All my music is a consequence of who I am, where I’ve been and who I’ve been with,” he said. 

A passion for music began at a very young age. Born in Wollongong, he immersed himself in a diverse musical landscape while still a child and would go to his friends’ houses – such as those from Italy or Lebanon – to learn about music from their heritages.  

“One of the beautiful things about Australia is people bring over their traditions,” he said. 

“Most of the ethnic communities, like the Greeks or the Italians, have brought over traditions that don’t exist anywhere else anymore, because back home they have evolved. I have revived four or five old traditional flamenco styles you don’t hear anymore.” 

It was in Spain, where he spent 38 years of his life, where he embraced flamenco. In that country, he said, the objective of life is to make sure everyone clearly understands your emotions.

“So everyone is always expressing themselves to the limit, and it feels great!” he said. 

Lorenzo recalled the first time music truly spoke to him was after his pet mice gave birth when he was a child.

“I didn’t know what it was, as I went to a Catholic school and no-one told me about reproduction,” he laughed.

“So I thought they came from heaven!

“I wished I had a way I could express myself to show the beauty of what happened. I tried with words and I couldn’t do it as well.

“The fact is music is the only way for me to express sincere, human emotion.

“Everyone can understand it, it’s a universal emotion. So it’s something very humble to express the music of life.” 

Lorenzo will perform at Funhouse Studio, 3 Hill St, Bega on Sunday, January 6 from 6.30pm. 

Tickets are $25/$20/$12.