Born in Roma, Italy (4/26/54) from a half-sicilian
family, SANDRO OLIVA stepped into the six-strings-and-a-pick world
in 1966.
He started very soon to compose experimental pieces
for two tape recorders and a very primitive electronic equipement. The
same year he joined the first of a bunch of very obscure beat combos.
In 1968 he was introduced to the music of Frank Zappa. Two years later he attended
a composition course.
After having exposed himself to the dangerous influence
of contemporary avant-garde music and free-jazz, S.O. put together
his "FUNGO! (Insieme Musicale Abnorme)" in 1973.
The band, a bizarre mixture of Free Jazz & Satyrical
Rock'n'Roll with coreographies, playied in Italy and abroad, released a
single, appeared in TV shows and in a movie, achieved an under-underground
"cult" status and finally broke up in 1981, leaving a big bunch
of bills to pay and an equally big amount of unreleased recordings.
In the Eighties OLIVA
formed the"BLUE
PAMPURIO's" and released two albums.
Excellent reviews (though both the music and the
lirycs are not easy), TV appearences (JEANS2, DOC, etc.)
and many concerts all over the country made S.O. a cult figure of
the Italian Underground scene in the '80s.
In 1990 S.O. won an award from FARE MUSICA
music magazine as best independent musician of the year.VIDEOMUSIC
TV channel (the Italian MTV) broadcasted a live 40 minutes show.
The two following years were for the building-up
of his "CUCURBITACEA SAPIENS RECORDING STUDIO", where
he started the recording sessions for his third album.
Many musicians from all over the world playied in
the CD, including 5 former members of the MOTHERS of INVENTION.
A few months later he joined the GRANDMOTHERS
(the band formed by some of those former Zappa's band members).
With the GRANDMOTHERS he made two european tours
and a live CD.
A third 5 months tour ended in London, Xmas '94.
In '95 and '96 OLIVA played with many italian
and american musicians (Riccardo Fassi, Tommy Mars, Eugene Chadbourne).
In the last two years has also started the recordings
of many different new projects.
The first to be released will be "HEAVY LIGHTNINGS"
for Muffin Productions, Austin, Texas. In February a beefed-up GRANDMOTHERS group will tour Europe,
just before the release of their newest CD.
In spring a tour with the "BLUE PAMPURIO's " and two releases for his new "OBVIOUS
MUSIC Productions": the live "JUNK FOOD" CD with
Jimmy Carl Black and the ballet "SERGIO's HAREM"
(..not to mention the upgrading of his guitar collection
and his 32 track recording studio.....).
Discography:
PUSHER! / S-S-SURF (7"-
80 Venezuela)
ARIA MALSANA (LP
- 87 Spittle Rec./ Italy)
LIVING WITH (1
song on compil. "PUNTOZERO 8" - 92 Toast / Italy)
WHO THE FUCK IS SANDRO OLIVA ?!? (CD - 94 Muffin Rec./ Germany)
CICCIO (1 song on compilation
"ASSORTED MUFFINS" - CD '97 - Muffin Productions / USA)
SOON OUT:
S.Oliva & the Blue Pampurio's: HEAVY LIGHTNINGS
- CD '98 - Muffin Productions / USA
S.Oliva & Jimmy Carl Black: JUNK FOOD Live - CD '98 - Obvious Music / Italy
S.Oliva: SERGIO's HAREM -
CD '98 - Obvious Music / Italy
with "the Grandmothers":
WHO COULD IMAGINE?(CD
- 94 Munich Rec./ Holland) co-produced with Don Preston
out soon:
NECESSITY IS.... - spring'98 -
Filmography:
ECCE BOMBO
di Nanni Moretti, Italia '78
the Band:
SANDRO OLIVA: Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
SIMON J.SIMON: Organ,Synthesyzers,Bg.Vcls MAURO ANDREONI: Piano, Synthesyzers STEVE B.RONEY: Drums, Bg.Vcls
NICK GALLE: Bass, Bg.Vcls BOB MONEY: Tenor Sax
Born in Roma, Italy (4/26/54) from a half-sicilian
family, SANDRO OLIVA stepped into the six-strings-and-a-pick world
in 1966.
