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Gattimatti
(Mad Cats)….yeah!
They were my very first band, untill the recently formed live
orchestra: at the very beginning we called Mr.FatMax
& the Squids, then Digos Boogie.
Later finally Gattimatti. What may I say: whatever
conditions and along with the most variable musicians and performers,
Gattimatti were always been able to lead the situation, performing
the highest spectacular rockabilly show available on the italian
music market, believe me palls!
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| 1991
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Mr. FatMax & The Squids
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No doubt any kind of success has strictly related to the people,
one-of-a-kind musicians, which supported with their ability,
professional skills and personal enthusiasm, keeping in shape
the Gattimatti project through the years.
I wish to thanks them all. God bless they are all right here:
Andrea
Zani (guit/voc), Umberto ( il Reverendo) Cozzula (Bass/Voc),
Michele "Rulla" Lelli, (drums) Gianni (Rublo)
Cerone (drums), Paolo Pizziolo (Double Bass/Voc) Umberto
Bartolini (Drums), Roberto (i'Bob) Alinari (drums/Voc),
Steve Tadros (Piano/Guit/Voc), Lorenzo Rossi, (Bass/Voc),
Filippo Graziadei (Paino/Guit/Voc), Tizzy Bonfanti (drums/Voc),
Marcelo "Colo" Ferraro (double Bass) ,Frankie
Mason (double Bass), Marcelo"Tanito" Giorgione
(Drums), Piero Borri (drums), last but not least, all
the horn section
from the great FunkOff
band, leads by Nick "sax" Cipriani, Andrea
"sax" Pasi, the "Boccia" (baritone sax) and Baby Face
(trumphet), so as all the other guys which cooperated,
evenly as a joke, to the realization of the last Gattimatti's
record and the Orchestra first hit single, giving birth
to that stunning release that is The Max Panconi Orchestra.
Let's make some recalls.
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Band formed 1991 as Digos Boogie and istantly broke the lead
of the Florence and Tuscany's highlights as one of the finest
Rockabilly stage music show.
What would be later re-named Gattimatti featured for the way
to
look for and to keep the original soundlikeness of old rock'nroll
classics (hits from Elvis
Presley, Chuck
Berry, Eddie
Cochran, Gene
Vincent, ecc.) and for the dareness that spread
performing StrayCats
hits, to come straigth to Britain, with The Beatles along with
a "punkabilly" rewiew
of
The
Clash.
From 1992 to 94 the band performed under the spotlights of the
most famous clubs in the north and center Italy, starting to
play some own songs. In 1995, Gattimatti finally got into the
TV's show Trofeo Roxy
Bar play-off section, which allowed to play a jam
session along with Bobby
Solo, the show's main resident guest.
By jan.1997, Gattimatti performed live downtown Florence, in
a mainstream club.
At the same time Controradio,
a top Florence's radio broadcast, gave to the band
a profict pubblicity.
The first chance was to come into Ernesto de Pascale,
a very well-known guy in the world on rock'n'roll in
Italy as well as a top talent-scout and Dennis
and the Jet's production manager, and start a fine cooperation:
the band was
on stage at the De Pascale's event
"Il
popolo del Blues" as so as many other
shows.
By jul.97 Gattimatti had the honour to get the invitation
fron the Elvis
fan club of Italy and BMG to perform live
at the Gala show for the new Elvis
CD's press launch.
Few days after the band took a special credit for his
knockdown performance at
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| 1999
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the Pelago's festival "On the road festival".
In 1998 their own version of "Train kept a rollin"
tracked the "Il
popolo del blues" (Polygram) compilation,
mainstream spotlight on the US music through italian records
market. Again, "On the road festival" wanted them
back in july.
That summer, with the precious aid of the agency Agenzia Arci
eventi, Gattimatti gained a 5 dates tour in Sardinia, with outstanding
success.
The tour doubled the year after, with 9 dates in the most famous
holiday sites, growing success consequently.
Spring
2000 Gattimatti played at the 1° may live show in
Piazza Navona, Rome, in front of 100,000 people crowd!
The live performance tracked in the 1 may compilation
CD (elikonia records, Sony) was their smashing version
of The
Clash hit "Should I stay or should I
go". The song was introduced by Max with his battlescream
"Do you wanna messing around?", starting a genial
intro that only the good old Eddie
Cochran could ever do, merging into a powerfull
riff that finally involved
all the 100.000 crowd, and they all
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Spring
2002 The last concert |
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went nuts…..
Gattimatti kept gaining and personalizing their sound through
the years, thanks to the wise use of old fine "vintage"
instruments, which provide most faithfull sound to that old
Sun
Studios pattern that is part of the world music
ahead from over 30 years.
Gattimatti years: a funny time, plentifull of hard moments
as well….but most of all unbeliaveable messy stuff!
Any meaning you can guess about.
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