Paolo Baltaro

Founder of the label Banksville Records in 1996. As producer he worked with Jazz Bigbox (Banksville Records), Even Vast (Black Lotus), Gabriel Delta (Banksville Records), McAllan (Ariston), Arcansiel (Musea), Roulette Cinese (Toast Records), Società Anonima Decostruzionismi Organici (Btf-Ams), Mhmm (Banksville), Sorella Maldestra (Banksville) and Terry Dene. Paolo went back on stage with Arcansiel, jazz-prog-rock band as producer, singer and songwriter on the occasion of their fourth album Swimming in The Sand (Musea), that gathers their best songs (plus an unpublished work), all re-recorded in 2003. In 2010 he releases Swimming in The Sand, his soloist album, as singer and composer, playing all instruments, for Musea records, recorded in Manchester and London. He is also the drummer of Sorella Maldestra, one of the first punk Italian bands of the eighties and producer of their second album, Maltempo (Banksville Records. With the experimental jazz combo Società Anonima Decostruzionismi Organici he was awarded awarded as winner of the 12th “Tribute to Demetrio Stratos”, the "Darwin award for Italian non-conventional music" in 2008 and, as producer, he was awarded as winner of the 2010 edition of the Prog Award as best producer of the year for Weather Underground.

Società Anonima Decostruzionismi Organici

The S.A.D.O. (Società Anonima Decostruzionismi Organici, Anonymous Society of Organic Deconstructionisms) band took shape in 1994 in Italy, from the Arcansiel group (Gianni Opezzo, Paolo Baltaro and Sandro Marinoni), with Diego Marzi on percussion. In the same year, they recorded the songs that would be included in Implosioni, their first album. One year later, in 1995, they recorded Teratoarchetipia, followed by La Differanza in 2002. In the meantime, the group went on tour in Italy and Europe. In 2007, with Boris Savoldelli on vocals, Luigi Ranghino on piano, and Andrea Beccaro on drums joining in, they recorded Holzwege (released by AMS) and carried out a live sound deconstruction in seven movements based on the seven propositions from the "Tractatus Logico Philosophicus" by Ludwig Wittgenstein. In 2008, they brought on stage "Un Imprescindibile Momento di Cultura Italiana" (An Indispensable Moment of Italian Culture), a show based on deconstructing classical songs from the 20th-century Italian pop music repertoire. From the original shooting of the show, taking place at "Le Pétit Theatre des Officine Sonore" in Vercelli, they later drew the homonymous discographic release. Each concert is conceived as a single pièce, with a strong presence of the extemporaneous component, combined with rigorous and elaborate written parts. The S.A.D.O. have attended several musical and cultural events, the last one being the "Musica e Letteratura" meeting, organized by the Faculty of Philosophy of the Università del Piemonte Orientale (Italy). Most noteworthily, in 2008 they were awarded as winners of the twelfth edition of the "Omaggio Demetrio Stratos" and the "Premio Darwin musiche italiane non convenzionali". In 2010, the fashion designer Rui Leonardes[9] used their song "Aristotele's Tantalium Condenser" (from the Holzwege album) as the soundtrack for his 2010 collection show during the London Fashion Week (The Bathhouse) in London. In 2011 they were awarded as winners of the 2010 edition of the Prog Award as BEST 2010 PRODUCTION for Weather Underground. The song CHAOS part 1 is the soundtrack of "Ciao Dott. Charcot" by Anita Pantin, presented at Latino Videoart Festival of New York 2011

Sorella Maldestra

Well known leading punk-rock band which in between the seventies and the eighties who dominated the punk scene in Italy. Their first record (Cadavere, 1979) produced by the historical label Harpo’s Bazar is mentioned today as a must in any Punk Rock catalogue and in major publications by influential critics.
Sorella Maldestra came up with a brand new record, with new ideas and verve, featuring the same original line up, but the bass player, Vittorio Ranghino and the drummer Paolo Baltaro, acting as producer as well.
The outcome is Maltempo, a record not at all out of line with the past, profiting on the musicians’ experiences in several projects in which they have been involved..

Fabrizio Consoli

Since the 80′s FC was a highly sought after session musician that played, toured and recorded with many artists at the forefront of the Italian Music Scene, artists such as Eugenio Finardi, Alice, PFM, C. De Andrè, Mauro Pagani, O Fado, “La Notte Delle Chitarre” and many others… From the 90′s until the present day, FC’s career as a professional musician and artist, has seen him record and publish several records, win the 1994 San Remo Giovani Award for young “up and coming artists”, which allowed him to take part in the 45th “Festival della Canzone Italiana”- the main music festival devoted to the Italian song, on stage at the Ariston Theater in San Remo- in February 1995. FC has written hit songs (for famous artists including “Dirotta Su Cuba” and Eugenio Finardi), produced and performed “Forgive Us” (a project featuring the voice of John Paul II on lead vocals), and in the meantime he has also won important prices (like the 2004 Ciampi Award for song writers), written soundtracks and even performed live in a theatrical comedy …
However, FC’s first passion is as a singer songwriter and live performer.
In June 2007 after performing at the Muenchen Festival for Italian songwriters, the German label Sieben-Punkt, published FC’s original track “Una Rosa”, taken from his latest work, “MUSICA PER BALLARE”, a refined “crossover” blending jazz, french chansonniers, original scores with a longing for South American flavours which results in a fascinating concert rich in “chiaroscuro”, bittersweet, auto-ironic and minimalist histories, a gallery of colourful experiences that we can all relate to and produce deep emotions…

Arcansiel

ARCANSIEL is an Italian Progressive rock band, which has released three albums between 1988 and 1994: "Four Daisies", "Still Searching" & "Normality Of Perversion". Published today on the Musea label, "Swimming In The Sand - The Best-Of 1988-2004" can be considered as a compilation, except for the fact that the musicians have re-recorded the selected tracks. This makes a big difference ! This music is a particular mix of influences, MARILLION's neo Progressive seems to be the major component of it. Yet, they haven't forgotten about the Seventies and symphonism, so much appreciated by Italian music lovers. The shadow of GENESIS is sometimes very present, as well as the blend of the traditional Progressive rock music featured by PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI and BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO. The excellent and very charismatic singer Paolo BALTARO offers some remarkably intensive interpretations. As far as the music is concerned, it alternates between direct melodies and complex instrumental developments, and is particularly fond of flute, saxophone or violin parts. We can also note the presence of an epic song lasting 20 minutes, which is remarkable in this field. Thanks to this new sound which is true to its music, ARCANSIEL is just waiting to be rediscovered.

Gabriel Delta

A guitarist, singer, composer and band leader, Gabriel Delta was seduced by B. B. King's blues music when he was a young man in Buenos Aires.
In 1988, he stood out in the competitive Argentinian music scene thanks to a painstaking alchemy of sounds merging elements deriving from the golden era of guitar blues (besides B. B. King, Albert and Freddie King were two more masters of the instrument for him) with the inventiveness of be-bop, funky expressionism and rhythm & blues. Yet, Gabriel has never betrayed his Latin roots, alternating the use of English and his mother tongue in his songs and incorporating into his repertoire the Memphis and Chicago music scenes with the pop and folk ones typical of his land. After successfully experimenting with this formula in Latin America, his approach would also pay off in a new phase of his career. After moving to Italy in 2003, he became a European protagonist and citizen with the group Gabriel Delta & The Hurricanes. In the course of his career spanning two continents and including North America, Gabriel Delta has shared stages, sessions and festivals with the leading exponents of contemporary blues music, including B. B. King, James Cotton, Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges, Taj Mahal, Roy Rogers, Kenny Neal, Larry Mc Cray, Melvin Taylor, the Blues Brothers Band and Watermelon Slim among many others. An expert and versatile musician, Gabriel Delta perfectly knows the dynamics of electric blues, but is at his best in softer and acoustic roots music episodes, as shown in the CD "Roots" (2005) and “Kusiwan” (2007), recorded in Vercelli and mastered in Buenos Aires. In the language of the Quechua population native of Argentina, “Kusiwan” is an invitation to live one's life happily and with determination in any circumstance; a philosophically bluesy approach which perfectly suits the musician's personality also when he chooses to express himself beyond the familiar twelve-bar structure. In his inventive and original songs that have now become blues standards, Gabriel Delta states he belongs to a shared musical world where globalization is not necessarily synonymous with conformism. "Only With My Soul" is his personal and heartfelt declaration of love to blues: the singer acknowledges he was born much further south than Mississippi, but reveals (and this could be achieved uttering no words) that his credentials to play as he does reside in his soul.

Toxic Poison

I Toxic Poison nascono nell'Agosto 2000. Lo stile del gruppo ,in partenza, è un mix tra trhash metal e nù-metal. Nel 2002 viene pubblicato il promo autoprodotto NOTHING'S FOREVER contenente 8 brani. Nel Marzo 2002 la band realizza il suo primo video "Rebellion Song" trasmesso in rotazione da ROCK TV. A Giugno dello stesso anno vincono la rassegna nazionale TENDENZE 2002 , alla presenza di 4000 persone. La promozione di "Nothing's Forever" vede il gruppo impegnato in numerosi concerti nei più importanti locali del nord e centro Italia, accompagnando ,inoltre, come special guest il tour italiano dei LACUNA COIL. All'inizio del 2003 il brano "Hate" viene pubblicato sulla compilation Americana "THE HARDER, THE BETTER: VOLUME 4" edita dalla label TURKEY VULTURE RECORDS. Grazie a questa compilation i Toxic Poison ricevono l’interesse del produttore americano Billy Milano. Il resto dell'anno viene impegnato per la composizione di un nuovo progetto. Progetto che vede la luce nel dicembre 2004 per BANKSVILLE RECORDS dal titolo "COLD HATE HOT BLOOD”e arriva vendere oltre 2000 copie. Dal 2005 al 2007 il gruppo è impegnato in un’intensa attività live .Nel 2008 i Toxic Poison si ritrovano con una nuova formazione: ad ALO (guitar) e TEO (bass e vocal), membri originari della band, si aggiungono PIT (drum) e Marco (vocal) dando vita ad un nuovo progetto musicale che prende una piega più Hard rock ( con diverse influenze).

Giovanni Battista Franco

Dark, intimate '80 style italian pop on vinyl. Gibì Franco, one of the most deep and dramatic songrwriters ever. His voice, warm and emotional is skillfully merged to the music, stricly '70. Recorded in 1991 and re issued in 2009 for worldwide distribution.
Gibì's frankness gives "Ragazzo del '67" a timelessness that should appeal to his fans and lovers of hiss genre,

Mhmm

“DO NOT DISTURB”, the new record of MHMM, is defined from the creators themselves as a ‘Blues Core’ record, with the intention of re-defining the typical language of rock-blues with their personal style. Mhmm Blues Band consists of: Paolo Baltaro, Gianni Opezzo, Sandro Marinoni e Boris Savoldelli, whom have already been together in the Arcansiel (4 records, Contempo Records, Mellow Records and Musea) and in the Sado (Btf – Ams Records).
The record sees many guests as Kiko Cioccoloni, Roger Balfour, Barbara Rubin, Luigi Ranghino and Mitch Maloney. Recorded between Vercelli (Kmp Castle Studios) and London (KinkyMalinky Studios) ‘Do Not Disturb’ has been produced by Paolo Baltaro and arranged by Paolo Baltaro and Gianni Opezzo. Songs are preceded by the voice of Londoner Roger Balfour, who leads the listener to the idea of a concept album set in a smoky bar between whiskey and beer, where he describes occasional customers from behind his bar.
‘Do Not Disturb’ is produced by the new label Banksville Records which taps into both the traditional and the multimedia markets. For the release of the record Banksville uses the innovative Rewave System, which consists of a box with a high-quality 150 gr. LP and a CD at the price of the optical support only. The CD, sealed in the box along the LP, is the copy of the master used for the transfer on the vinyl support without any kind of post-production, making possible to have a faithful digital version of the vinyl, picking up the interest of audiophiles also. Recording sessions have been processed via a selection of outboards rigorously vintage and Hi-End. Then the material has been reversed in a high-speed reel to reel recorder in order to give kind of ‘analog warmth’ to the CD

Cesare Bardelli

Cesare Bardelli, the youngest of three brothers, was born on December 25, 1910 in Sampierdarena, Genova (due to the fact that at the time, his father was train-station master in that city) but Cesare for long generations from both mother and father was from Pisa the "Leaning Tower Fame" in Italy, therefore always very proud to consider himself a "Pisano". From his father Alfredo, he inherited the love for "Bel Canto". His father was a semi-professional tenor and would bring 6 year-old Cesare on holidays at local churches and weddings to sing arias from his own favourite operas with the hope of hard study and an eventual operatic career for his son. Cesare at the time, had a pleasant tenor-voice and therefore started studying very young music and voice at first with Maestri Barsanti and Pizzi and afterwards in Milano with the famous baritone Carlo Tagliabue. In New York his voice teacher was the unforgettable Daniele Serra. In 1937 Cesare Bardelli made an auspicious debut in Alessandria (Piemonte) in Aida (Amonasro) and immediately the same year at Alessandria Egypt in both Aida (Amonasro) and Tosca (Scarpia),role destined to be his "Cavallo di Battaglia"(Battle-Horse). Bardelli sang Scarpia in Tosca almost 1000 times during his 43 year career gaining the fame as "The World's Greatest Scarpia " in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca after Antonio Scotti. In 1979, still in great voice, Cesare decided to retire from the stage and was asked by many young singers to give voice-lessons in his New York City Studio. Among his many outstanding pupils, he also gave voice-lessons to the famous Hollywood movie-actor Paul Sorvino (father of Mira Sorvino). He then moved with his wife Lina to Vercelli, Italy where their only daughter Vera still lives with her family. In 1980, Prof. Joseph Robbone asked Cesare Bardelli to be part of the "Società del Quartetto" of Vercelli as voice-teacher and also invited him to become Member of the Board for the "Concorso Internazionale di Musica G.B.Viotti of Vercelli". Cesare Bardelli passed away in Milano on December 23, 2000 - 2 days before his 90th Birthday.

Black Monday

I Black Monday nascono a Vercelli nel 2005. Da subito la band si dedica alla composizione di pezzi propri, orientati verso il genere nu metal-core, in cui si concentrano maggiormente le influenze dei membri. Queste influenze, unite ad un background piuttosto vario, che va dal death metal, al grunge, al rock, permettono la realizzazione di pezzi prevalentemente caratterizzati da un sound metal core, in cui non è però raro trovare aperture funky o parti più melodiche, anche di solo basso o batteria, dove anche la linea vocale, in cui di solito si ha una prevalenza di scream, si addolcisce o sconfina nel rap (esempi di questo si hanno in pezzi come Can’t Explain, Adrenaline o Dementia Mundi). Nell’estate del 2006, la band si dedica alla registrazione del suo primo demo, “21”, presso lo “Studio A” di Crova (VC). Il demo contiene tre dei 10 pezzi fino a quel momento composti (E.T.I., Antipolitical Propaganda, Can’t Explain). “Antipolitical Propaganda” è stata inclusa da Acrilic Fruits Editing in una compilation undergruond che verrà distribuita durante i maggiori festival europei, come il Wacken Open Air ed il Gods of Metal. Terminate le registrazioni, iniziano le esibizioni live.
La band si fa notare immediatamente per l'impatto violnto e carico di energia delle sue performance live e suonerà in tutta Italia per 3 anni senza soste,collaborando con moltissime band dell'underground metal quali Head in Pollution,Arcadia, Infection Code e Land of Hate.Dall'inizio del 2009 la band subisce un cambio di line up che porta i tre fondatori della band, Daniel Fasano (batteria),Valeria Molina (basso) e Mattia Ferrari (chitarra), ad essere affiancati da Fabio-Marco Ferragatta,già voce degli ETB e da Michele Nocentini frontman degli Arcadia.La rinnovata composizione della band porta alla stesura dei brani che compongo il nuovo ep in uscita per Banksville records.Il tiro metal-core rimane immutato e le voci dei due nuovi cantanti portano a soluzioni più incisive sia nelle parti ritmiche che in quelle melodiche. L'ultimo lavoro in studio è "TEETH FOR THE CANNIBAL", uscito nel dicembre 2010 per BANKSVILLE RECORDS , registrato e mixato da Mattia Ferrari e Paolo Baltaro. Attualmente i 4 sono al lavoro sui pezzi nuovi, che per ora sono cinque, che danno una spinta maggiore al sound della band, più maturo e violento.

Sandro Marinoni

One of the most charming tenor saxophone sounds.
A fascinating and personal style,  member of the Italian Frames Music Collective:
Frames is an experimental collective from Italy started in 2007 by Stefano Roncarolo, a young and virtuoso italian bass player, and Sandro Marinoni, trombone, flute and tenor saxophone player. Many remarkable artists from around the world have worked and still working with the team: russian pianist Andrey Kutov, italian pianist and keyboardist Roberto Padovan, great avantgard singer Boris Savoldelli, japanese artist Kenji Siratori, italian singer and producer Paolo Baltaro, italian sound engineer Francesco Perugini, argentine percussionist Humberto Luis Schenone and more.