"A Glorious Return"


Interview with Leonardo Bonetti, Bass, Synthesizer and Voice of this legendary dark progressive band

By Sergio Vilar

Many thanks to grant interview Leonardo. Could you make a review of the history of Arpia for those that ignore it.
Arpia was born in 1984, and the occasion has been partly casual, more precisely a concert for the party of Carnival. From a joke, therefore, everything was born: in the one year-old turn we had already composed original passages after a long indicative discussion on what we wanted to do. Here, this has been clear since immediately: we didn't
not at all have intention to monkey famous groups neither almost to try a phantom success, has rather to say that having as only objective the free expression of ourselves, didn't have any hope to be able to publish a some job of ours. Our intention to the beginnings was simply of to give voice spontaneously to what we discovered inside of us and to do this we spoke, we reunited, we played, without there pits solution of continuity: this way of illusion is born, product impregnated of philosophy, with some nihilism, existentialism, a lot of decadent literature installed on a music from the dark tonalities and from the rhythms strongly. It goes out in cassette in the 1987 solo for the encouragement and the constant stimulus of whom it was there near and that it thought it deserved of to be published. 

After one year (1988) it already goes out “Resurrezione e Metamorphosis” fruit of an ambitious project, a long suite (hard more than 40 minutes) on a hermetic text and onirico that it is developed in a continuous becoming, in hold relationship with the musical structures. Live in the meantime they begin theatrical experimentations, for which we try to more resumptions to overcome the classical model of the concert, to land to shows that foresee the intervention of actors, scenographies, mimes. 

The absolute lyricism of “Resurrezione...” it was not able to this point to have other evolutionary tappes, therefore the following phase, of transition toward more direct sounds and you make a will more adherent to the reality, is developed in a briefer job from the titolo “Bianco Zero” (1990). 

Immediately after the first disc it goes out, a EP 33 turns in vinyl with alone two passages, “Idolo e Crine” and “Ragazzo Rosso” for the BTT Records. This last passage will be published in the 1995 buttocks in the first CD for the label Pick Up Records from the title “Liberazione”. This phase is marked from the introduction of the sinths
and from the consequent change of the relationships between use of the riffs and harmonic structures. “Liberazione” is a concept hinged on the reconstruction of a well precise historical period: the years that go from the partisan struggle at the end of the First Republic. The everything is not seen in the optics of the official history,
but through the circumstances of the common persons that have been spectators or that for an accidental case it have escaped to one of these appointments with the history. 

In the last years the evolution toward solutions rhythmicses and sonority more instinctive and less attenuate door to
a widening of the group with collaborations that they see the intervention of Paola Feraiorni to the voice and of Tonino De Sisinno to the percussions. At the same time the job of the group him incentra on a widening of the harmonic bases of the compositions, with a freeeest use of the interlacements between guitars, sinth and voices.
The result of all this with the recent exit of “Terramare” is concretized for Lizard Records and Andromeda Relix. 

Which the initial idea that you had was when you began to create your music? What type of sounds did you look for the band? 
The group was born around to a creative project and the initial phase you/he/she has been marked from a discussion and from a comparison very deepened, is from the musical point of view that from that of the contents. In fact ours first jobs are marked by a radical reflection on some philosophical and existential themes and our music it cannot be understood without taking in consideration this aspect. Musically we have grown to the beginnings of the eighties
with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal: the Maiden of “Iron Maiden” and “Killers” in first place, but also with the echis of the progressive of the Van Der Graaf Generator and with the monumental psichedelia of the Pink Floyd of “The Wall”. You our sonorities, therefore, are daughters of a certain sound between dark, psichedelia and metal.

Which would you say that it is the fundamental component in the music of Arpia, it formulates it basic? 
I believe that the fundamental element that is at the base of our project is an emotional and philosophical element leading, that doesn't come before the music, but that it takes body in it as in an indissoluble relationship. An exists "cone of shade" in us that he expresses and it is behaved according to the inside rules of a musical feeling.

I should admit them that I was impressed with "Terramare", it is really a magnificent album that possesses songs of an absolute beauty. Please, I wanted them to comment us like it was being given the evolution of the album. For example, the conception of the original idea, the elaboration of the songs and, for mainly, the meaning of the disc in their entirety. 
“Terramare” is a disc on the Eros and on the relationships between sensuality and life. This approach races on a thread that departs from far: more precisely from the poetry Italian medieval of the origins in the popular form of the contrasts. On this line in fact it is developed a run that crosses all our job, with compositions that take back Two hundred more famous Italian poetries and others that rehandle them and they integrate them with texts of our composition.

Was something that got me a lot the attention the lyrics... What type of situations did they inspire them? 
Naturally they are very important. The poetic vocation is one of the bases of Arpia. Our feeling of the word is influenced strongly by the mystery of the interpretative multiplication. Each text that derives from an expressive urgency, is always inextinguishable, it produces sense to every reading. 
Then the word is rationality, thought, system of ideas that they produce dialectical and interpretations of the world, and this is for us a very interesting aspect. 
Finally the word is music. The ancient poetry was sung and accompanied by tools to rope. Just as that giullaresca of “Cielo d'Alcamo” that we have musicalized in “Rosa”. 
The inspiration that has driven the composition of the texts is naturally then tied up to the concept of the disc to which I made reference in the preceding answer.

If has a song of "Terramare" which would be to highlight and reason? 
Perhaps the most interesting passage of the album, from the point of view of the ideation and the composition, and “Luminosa”. In fact they are present in this song you wait entirely new for Arpia. From now on all, from the
musical point of view, the passage departs with a suggestive ambient underlined from I harp him of the guitar that is untied up to flow in a more electric musical context; of here it takes the movements a second part from the echoes medieval or Renaissance interpreted however in a key timbric typically rock. The text follows and interprets this structure with a first rich part of sinesthesic and unusual approaches to meet in a low language and with inflexions drawn by the spoken one; finally it is opened to the readjustment of a poetry of Guido Cavalcanti (one of the maximum poets of Two hundred Italian) marked by a bright style and magnificent.

Did reason decide to call it "Terramare" that message is behind the same one? 
The title “Terramare” points out the coordinates of our job all horizontal and material, in which the erotic dynamics represents in all their facets a ferment irrational and vital eternal. 

The divine or transcendent element is excluded if not in your references more humanized proper of the ancient myth.

Which the main differences that you see between the new disc and the previous material of the band are? 
Fundamentally, from a musical point of view, I believe that “Terramare” is differentiated by the rest of our production for a tendency to open to harmonic and musical sceneries more launchings, but this I believe is due to the concept
that is at the base of the disk. In the first jobs in fact it prevailed necessity to express in way what were the thematic of our philosophical world, existential anguish, the conscience of his own difference. In “Terramare” it prevails a form instead conflicting, opposed of opening toward the other. The solipsism of the debuts is old but the new dimension is uncomfortable and difficult. From the formal point of view in fact traditional harmonic approaches cohabit together with sharp rhythmic joinings and of sonorous atmosphere. The disc is very more heterogeneous, more eclectic than the precedents.

How do you appreciate the disc now, to little of having been published? 
I have to say that the disk has surprised because we didn't wait for there so so many appreciations. Ourselves therefore we now have an idea or a feeling different towards “Terramare”: it frightens there and it exalts us at the same time because it forces us to a great awareness and responsibility.

According to your point of view, which is the biggest virtue that possesses the album? 
As I said first his quality more great I believe has tied to a great harmonic opening, sight the tendency of the group to express being used obsessive iterations and claustrophobic forms.

After so many years, how was this time the experience of arriving to the recording study with Arpia? 
It has been difficult to record this disc, above all because the demands of the sound forced there to make some footstep in more toward a different sonorous search from our precedents jobs.

Was it arduous to arm the band and to arrive to the possibility of recording the disc? 
Yes, it has been difficult, because it is less and less easy to meet and to organize his own time. The disc has forced us to a hard job and either the arrangement either the recording have hocked there for at least three years.

What goals have you noticed to reach in this new stage of the band? 
The objectives have always moved in before, but we can say that with “Terramare” Arpia it has widened his possibilities of communication and expression. This seems to promise well for the future to me.

Well Leonardo, thank you for your time and interest to answer these questions. Something more than you mean like to finish?  
I want everything from now on to thank you and the whole editing of Nucleus for the occasion that you have given
us of to explain better our music and our project; we believe a lot in the critical activity of the specialized magazines and in their ability to follow the artists in their musical search. Finally a thanks goes to all those people that, despite
the long period of silence, I have not forgotten of us and you have stimulated there and encouraged to continue our project
 

www.arpia.info

Nucleus interview: 13/12/06