CT - Will the absence of the violin player influence the overall sound of the band?
AP - I don’t think so. Periferia Del Mondo is a band created by the same five persons who play today, in fact our first album “In ogni luogo, in ogni tempo” was recorded without the violin. We was very happy when our friend, violin player Alberto D’Annibale played with us (and now we are more happy because he has became father of a little baby called Livia) but its absence does not influence our sound. We’ve already played many songs of “Un milione di voci” without violin and people was totally satisfied of the overall sound.
Max Tommasi - Of course yes, but I would not be able to say if it is worst or better, or just…different.
CB - Since the beginning of this year we had the time to digest this absence and, however, without one person in the band we have much money in our singular cachet (ah ah ah).
CT - Does the band members work with other projects, make film music, or participate in studio sessions for others?
AP - All the members (but luckily not me) of Periferia Del Mondo have jobs that don’t involve music, so it’s very difficult for them to play in other bands apart from PDM. I have the occasion to play in different projects:
Since 1999, I play with Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. In november was issued “No Palco”, the first album in which I play with this historic rock band. I also play with an etno-jazz trio called EOS together with composer and guitarist Massimo Alviti (you can hear him in my song “Cercando la via” on “Un milione di voci” of PDM) and Andrea Piccioni (he is the percussionist in Rodolfo Maltese’s project Indaco). We’ll make an album this year. I have played in others bands album like “Poco mossi gli altri bacini” of Avion Travel (winner at 50th edition of Sanremo Festival), and in new albums of rock bands Taproban and Museo Kabikoff. I have also played in some film soundtracks, you can hear me playing on “Caterina va in città” (a film for cinemas by Carlo Virzì with Sergio Castellitto and Margherita Buy) and “La omicidi” a new fiction for television that will be seen in May on RAI, by Riccardo Milani and with Massimo Ghini. When I have some time off I also play with various orchestras or jazz bands or chamber music group.
CT - What is the ordinary day in the life of a musician from Periferia del Mondo?
AP - As I have already said all of us have different jobs: I have the lucky to work with music 24 hours a day; drummer Tony Zito is a goldsmith, he has an his own jeweller’s shop where he makes his own jewels, and he is a real artist; bass player Claudio Braico is a nurse in a Rome hospital, while guitar player Max G.B. Tommasi and keyboard player Bruno Vegliante are computer programmers in two different firms of Rome. One or two times a week we meet in our studio to create the new songs of Periferia Del Mondo.
CT - Regarding the current progressive rock scene in Italy, is there space for so many bands to perform in this circuit?
AP - This is a very big problem because there is not too much room for progressive rock bands in Italy. Some years ago there was a Festival called “Progressivamente” but it was cancelled for various reasons, the most important being, imo, the little interest of people for prog rock. But passion makes miracles and every years new bands and new albums are born; they rarely achieve a commercial success as it was in the 70’s, but I think that is important to keep in life this loving kind of music.
Bruno Vegliante - We have to consider that progressive rock is out of music business today so it’s normal that there is no space for bands who play this kind of music.
MT - I would say that so many bands should give it up… and start playing original music instead of pale copies of something that cannot be recreated at all. In case someone didn’t noticed it… seventies are gone… I think we should have a deep respect for a past we all love, let me say, fondly… but the past can’t be repeated, nor this is desirable at all, imho. That’s why so many bands, especially in the so-called progressive underground circuit, sound all exactly the same… and they don’t sound good at all. I call this a sort of cultural self-limitation, which is a very close concept to self-destruction.
CT - Will we expect a new studio album in the near future?
AP - I hope that in the next year we can issue our third album called simply “Periferia Del Mondo”. An album that I think will be more personal and with a lot of musical ideas in the spirit of PDM. I can tell you for sure that there will not be special guests on this album. It will only be the five of us and our music.
MT - Yes, but I don’t know how near… it will be very difficult to place a label on it… it will just be a rock album, with the usual jazzy feeling we like to spread here and there…
Tony Zito - We are already working to new material and we feel good to make another album to carry on our musical project… however not only in the prog rock way.
CT - Do you plan to work with other progressive rock artists of the 70's in the near future?
MT - I think our aim should be to work with new artists of contemporary music scene, progressive or not. It is a pleasure to work with people like Francesco Di Giacomo and so, but I have to repeat myself… seventies are gone.
Notwithstanding these considerations, we are trying to plan and perform some happenings with Patrizio Fariselli Jazz Trio.
CB - We are now working with an international artist that isn’t much known: his name is John Jowitt.
AP - In May we are planning to make a little tour with Patrizio Fariselli Jazz Trio. We met the historic keyboard player of Area and we agreed to split the concert in two halfs, one performed by PDM and the other by Patrizio and his trio, plus a final session all together to play one or two songs of Area. Obviously we hope to record this concerts (we always try to record our concerts) because we are preparing our first Live Album with the best takes. So we hope that also Gouveia Art Rock Festival will be a “good take” for us… and I think so.
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