Born in Genova in the mid 1960s, Giorgio Neri is a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer whose influences range from Orme and Osanna to Zeppelin and Yes, from Gong and Tangerine Dream to Vivaldi and Bach. He was once a member of the band Agarthi Sound Factory but decided that for an album this personal, it needed to be a solo work. While Neri plays almost everything on the album it does not sound like some of those one-man, one-dimensional album, but instead feels like a full band with a wide range of styles and variety. He described the album to me as a "personal spiritual journey" and that "Logos" is in its very essence, a prayer. [Jim Russell]
I caught up with him for this interview.
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Your biography has been covered in your
ProgArchives profile so let's bypass the biography details. But
please tell us more about your previous band Agarthi Sound Factory.
Agarthi was the band that i formed
16 years ago,i played guitars,Alessio Panni drums,Bruno Bregliano
bass, Luca Ciatto keys and Giuseppe Alvaro on vocals. After four years
and one demo with five songs the band stopped.Some years ago we
decided to play together once more, Bruno Alessio and I with a new
vocal,Luca Longo,and a new guitar player Matteo Farina, start to play a
new project,called Agarthi Sound Factory, in witch we play a lot of
old stuff and new composition for a show abaut the death on
workplace…Now we have an album ready for a label…we looking for a
label.
In A.S.F. I feel more free in musical
terms,because in this way I play a lot of
instruments, keys, guitars, loopstation, sequencer and foot controller…and
the music is more heavy and free …than my own project Logos. Now the
G.C.Neri Band use 4/5 of Agarthi Sound Factory.
Which bands were you influenced by ?
Led Zeppelin for the power and the
sense of english folk,YES for the elegance and long
suites, Gong, Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, for the sense of infinity
space in music, Zappa, Bach, and Italian Le Orme and P.F.M. and i love Devil
Doll.
But everything can influence me on my
music.
Please give us your long or brief
thoughts on your only album Logos released last year. How would you
describe the music ?
My album Logos is for me a prayer,and
i put on it my musical view,is not prog,folk,hard rock or psycadelic
rock but is all of that together,my personal view on music.
For me this is the sense of prog…For
me my album is art…far to the prog clichè.
How is your writing and creative
processes ?
Inspiration come to me in different
way, play along with a drum machine, or sit on piano looking for
different mood, the music that I listen give to me some ideas,in the
same way one sound can involve me to start a composition…and the
books …
I love record everything old stuff, new
project, and from the archives comes out something that live again.
What is the latest update and your
plans for the rest of this year and next year ?
In this period i work on my new album, a
Logos sequel, will be a great album, and in the same time i rehearsal
with G.C. Neri band on Logos live version and new stuff,from new
album.
I looking for a manager for live
activity.
I work on my new album in the same way
of Logos, play all instruments with some guests…
Thank you to Giorgio for this interview
His PA profile is here and his homepage here
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Giorgio C. Neri
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