Atom Sounds Music News

Like many other bands, “The River” springs from a shared passion for music. Davide Leone (voice/guitar/piano) and Andrea Cignarelli (electric guitar), both from Trani on the south-east coast of Italy, spent many an evening talking about their musical inspirations (mainly British groups) and aspirations and exchanging albums. As their friendship grew so did the idea of forming a rock group of their own. The long and arduous task of completing the line-up finally came to an end when two young musicians, Massimiliano Di Lauro (bass) and Tommaso Sgarangella (drums), both with plenty of experience both live and in the studio, joined the band. The initial enthusiasm led them to compose numerous tracks, eight of which were recorded in November 2007 in a three-day recording session in their hometown and became part of their first demo “The River”. On the strength of their local popularity, obtained thanks to the demo and to a series of concerts and radio interviews in the local area, The River started to gain recognition on a national level, coming third in the “Contaminazione 2007” contest in Bisceglie, reaching the semifinals (together with nine other groups from an original 800 groups from all over Italy) in the “RockContest” in Florence, obtaining a prize as ‘revelation band’ in the 2008 “Italian Wave” contest, and winning another prize for the best track in the Prove di Rock” in Salerno. A year has passed since the initial formation of the band and without doubt “The River” is flowing well: they have shared the stage with artists such as The Niro, Les Fauves, A Toys Orchestra, Project Komakino (UK) and Violet (UK) and have even attracted the attention of EMI with their single “Don’t Give Back”.

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The “UnderScore” came to life in the spring of 2003 when Pasquale (bass and vocals) and Antonio (former guitarist) decided to set up a cover band. The duo were soon joined by Diego (drums) and Carlo (keyboards) and before long, in the summer of 2004, the group gave up cover songs and started to write their own material, coming out with its first demo in 2005. In April 2006 Antonio left the band and after a number of unsuccessful experiences with other guitarists, the band decided to experiment with a new, melodic and distinctive, guitar-free sound. The experiment proved successful and the sound was at once captured and used to great effect on the four-track “Children On Birthday” EP.

Listen & Links @ IMIsound

The “UnderScore” came to life in the spring of 2003 when Pasquale (bass and vocals) and Antonio (former guitarist) decided to set up a cover band. The duo were soon joined by Diego (drums) and Carlo (keyboards) and before long, in the summer of 2004, the group gave up cover songs and started to write their own material, coming out with its first demo in 2005. In April 2006 Antonio left the band and after a number of unsuccessful experiences with other guitarists, the band decided to experiment with a new, melodic and distinctive, guitar-free sound. The experiment proved successful and the sound was at once captured and used to great effect on the four-track “Children On Birthday” EP.

Listen & Links @ IMIsound

This intimate journey into the enchanting world of Monica Marengo (stage name: Monica Shannon) is a perfect testimony to the heights of technical and creative professionalism to which an independent artist can aspire today. Gifted with a sensual voice and thoughts to share, and backed up by an organized and well-equipped technical team, Monica has no difficulty in pinning her heart on her sleeve regarding human existence, human relationships and global issues, and in letting her thoughts be known to the world at large. Her lyrics slide smoothly on a musical background dominated by piano, keyboards and rhythms that provides depth, breadth and variety to each track without ever entering into competition with the voice and message of the artist herself. The Celtic (Irish) influences are evident from the opening tracks and openly declared in the choice of stage name and the artist’s decision to sing almost exclusively in English, but the Mediterranean influences do not pass unnoticed in the musical arrangement of the tracks and in the artist’s warm and endearing accent. The album “Beyond 9” draws on Monica’s personal experiences and the experiences of those who are close to her in her daily life and is, in the artist’s own words, a sort of concept album based on the four elements: earth, air, water and fire. Nonetheless, as far as the listener is concerned it remains, above all, a delicate foray into the private thoughts of a sensitive soul concerned for man, the future of the world and its precarious inhabitants.

Listen & Links @ IMIsound