From Pickle Jars to Profound Artistic Awakenings—Fernando Santomaggio Debuts Möbius Dick

By Joanie Cox Henry

Image from the personal archives of Fernando Santomaggio.

For 20 years, Fernando Santomaggio has been a fixture in the South Florida music scene, with his bold bass lines and magnetic stage presence anchoring countless live performances while his original compositions remained locked away in his home studio. That changes now with the release of Möbius Dick, an eight-track collection that chronicles not just his evolution as a songwriter, but his journey from technical curiosity to emotional vulnerability.

The album title itself embodies Santomaggio's playful approach—a clever nod to Melville's classic novel, while also conveying deeper artistic implications, as he takes the bold step of finally releasing his own original melodies and lyrics. It's this balance between levity and profundity that defines both the man and his music.

The Recording Revelation of Fernando Santomaggio

Santomaggio's path to songwriting began with an almost accidental discovery. "Years and years ago, my parents had this old stereo that had two tape decks," he recalls. "And once I figured out that you could play the two cassettes simultaneously, it's like, ‘Oh, wait, I can record one tape, and then record something else on the other and then play them together.’ And like, I was kind of amazed by that."

Born To Rock: From his earliest memories, Fernando Santomaggio felt connected to music.

This fascination with the recording process became his primary motivation. "My compulsion to write songs has more to do with the fact that I've always been intrigued by the recording process," Santomaggio explains. "Most of my impetus to actually start writing songs had to do more with needing something to record so that I could learn how to be better at using the software."

The songs on Möbius Dick are arranged chronologically, serving as both artistic statement and technical diary. "I arranged them in order to kind of showcase my journey,” he adds. “And how I got a little bit better each time actually recording stuff."

From Silly to Serious

Early in his songwriting journey, Santomaggio deliberately avoided emotional exposure. "I never really wanted to, you know, put my heart on my sleeve, as it were,” Santomaggio reveals. “You know, so I always kind of wrote more silly stuff. I was trying to be funny because if you're too serious, then you open yourself up to scrutiny. You open yourself up to criticism."

However, the COVID-19 pandemic marked a pivotal shift for Fernando Santomaggio. His instrumental piece "Weather The Storm" became the bridge between his frivolous past and the earnest present. "Lockdown was really when I started to explore the idea of writing serious stuff that actually conveys emotion," he reflects. "I was stuck at home, and I'm like, 'Oh, you know what? I never play that nylon string.' So I pulled that guitar off the stand and I kind of started fooling around with it on the patio outside."

Image by Linda B. Correa

The Art of Vague Vulnerability

When it comes to lyrics, Santomaggio employs what he calls "plausible deniability"—a protective mechanism that allows emotional expression while maintaining personal distance. "I make it vague enough so that it doesn't necessarily have to be about anything about me or anything in my life,” he informs. “Then maybe I'm just talking about a feeling, any emotion, an entity.”

This approach extends to his most emotionally complex track, "Love Isn't Real"—a song that isn't quite what its title suggests. "I almost feel bad because, like, you know what? I don't feel that way [about love] at all,” he shares. “In fact, the little twist in the song confirms that love is the only thing worth living for."

The song explores love's often paradoxical nature. "It's not real in the sense that it doesn't exist in three dimensions. It doesn't have mass... but it's an incredibly powerful thing,” Santomaggio describes. “It's a powerful force."

The Pickle Epiphany

Image By Joanie Cox Henry

Perhaps the most endearing origin story comes from "The Thing You Used To Love," which began with a mundane refrigerator encounter. "I opened the fridge and I saw some pickles, and I was like, ‘There's pickles there, but I knew they were so old that they would be all like, you know, flaccid and flabby and shit like that," Santomaggio laughs. "I kind of thought to myself, 'Man, you used to love pickles. What the hell?' And I was kind of like, 'Oh, you know, the thing you used to love.'"

From this simple moment came a broader meditation on how life's pleasures can sour over time—including his complicated relationship with the music industry itself. "I love playing music, but the gigging scene—it wears you down sometimes,” he mentions.

But with time and age comes courage and wisdom, and after blowing out the candles on his 50th fan-shaped birthday cake in May, he finally felt it was time to send his original songs out into the world like ships upon the sea. 

Creative Consumption and Release

But perhaps what’s even more fascinating is Fernando Santomaggio's relationship with his finished work. Once a song is complete, he experiences a kind of creative amnesia.

Image by Susie Fineberg

"When I'm in the midst of creating a song or when there's an idea in my head that's bothering me, I kind of become consumed by it," he adds. "Once I’ve developed it, finished recording it and mixed it, I almost want to like put it behind and close that chapter."

The result is striking. "I would have to go back and relearn every single one of those songs because after I do them, I just stop,” he says. “Just like that, I shut down, and I'm like, ‘Okay, that's done.’"

This process reflects his approach to creativity itself—not as a sustainable practice but as an urgent response to internal pressure. "It's almost frustrating or painful—like a mosquito buzzing in my ear,” he says. “You have to do something to make that buzzing go away."

Sailing Into The Future

As Möbius Dick enters the world, Santomaggio hopes to inspire others sitting on their own collections. "What I hope people take from it is the same thing that I have taken from other people who have put their work out into the world,” Santomaggio states. “Maybe it can inspire somebody else to say, 'Hey, I've got these songs lying around for 20 years. Maybe I'll put them out too.'"

He's candid about his expectations. "There's much more chance of my soul being crushed and my heart being broken," he acknowledges, but adds, "Maybe some of the criticism I get will actually be useful...There's always a chance that, you know, you might learn something."

For an artist who spent two decades perfecting his craft in private, Fernando Santomaggio's public debut represents more than just eight songs—it's a defiant reminder that the world does, in fact, need your genuine, original artistry, and today just might be the perfect day to stop dreaming and actually do something about it. Möbius Dick is the aural treasure you’ve been waiting to dive into this summer. 

Möbius Dick is available now on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Fernandosantomaggio.com.

Fernando Santomaggio: A Look Back At The Earliest Years.

[All images from the artist's personal archives].