MAGNET ARTICLE #8: UZEDA

“Displace One Note, And There Would Be Diminishment. Displace One Phrase, And The Structure Would Fall.”
—Antonio Salieri In Milos Forman’s Film Amadeus

Uzeda is my favorite rock band. This Sicilian supergroup brilliantly combine elements of punk rock, experimental noise and ancient Mediterranean rhythm. Every element works together in bracing harmony or deliberate discord, each band member functioning in true democracy. There are the influences of “Big Black, the Fall, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Paco de Lucia, Can, Tangerine Dream, Thelonius Monk, Billie Holiday and Robert Johnson” (from guitarist Agostino Tillota in an interview). This all makes sense when you hear their songs. There’s a sense of this music being created now, unique and unprecedented. And the sense of it being connected to a perfect moment, ancient, timeless. Raffaele Gulisano’s angular and percussive bass lines work in powerful tandem with Davide Oliveri’s intricate drums. Agostino’s indescribable static-blitz (metallic-spiderbite?) guitar sound fuses with the soaring vocals (and urgent whispers) of Giovanna Cacciola so well that it all seems to be coming from one body. All gushing aside, they just rule. I traveled with them on tour several times (as friend and roadie), and every night was full of such passion and rage that you’d think they’d eventually have an off night. But they never relented. They continued with incredible precision, and that’s such a part of their mission. They strive. They aspire. And they constantly offer this commitment to other bands, running an independent record store and arranging tours for fellow bands throughout Europe. They also offer this spirit to everyone they meet, as if the extreme raging and dissonance onstage frees them to conduct themselves with grace. It’s a clear, unselfish generosity that I’ve seen them share hundreds of times. These ideas are presented in their sound, in the poetic lyrics and their communal vision. They have a large discography, much of it recorded by Steve Albini (a longtime supporter and ally to the band). Albini has also recorded their other band, Bellini, which has an equally impressive collection of albums.