Stefano Melani - Spettri

Enjoying a quick picnic before an evening concert near Reggio Emilia circa: 1973.

Circa: 1972.

I WAS BORN IN FLORENCE IN OCTOBER OF 1955. I GREW UP WITH MY GRANDMA AS MY PARENTS WERE WORKING ALL DAY AND SHE MADE SURE BY THE AGE OF 7 FOR ME TO START PIANO LESSONS! MY GRANPA USED TO PLAY CLARINET AND MUSIC WAS IN THE FAMILY. INITIALLY I HATED IT, LOTS OF EXERCISES AND MUSIC THEORY, NO FUN AT ALL! I REMEMBER I USED TO HIDE THE MUSIC BOOKS AND MAKE ALL SORTS OF EXCUSES, HOWEVER SHE’D GRAB ME AND FORCE TO GO! THAT WAS THE SYSTEM IN THOSE DAYS… NO FUZZ JUST INSIST TILL YOU OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES… THAT’S HOW I STARTED WITH CLASSICAL PIANO AND STARTED GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH BEETHOVEN, MOZART BACH ETC.

Monks, or ghosts? With the legendary “Billo” Palanti on drums.

Specter at a masked party carnival at the legendary Space Electronics in Florence circa: 1975.

MUSIC WAS ALSO PART OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AT THAT TIME, AND THEY WOULD TAKE US TWICE OR THREE TIMES A YEAR, TO CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERTS. THANK GOD SHE DID FORCE ME, AS BY THE AGE OF 10, MY PARENTS GAVE ME MY FIRST ORGAN (A FARFISA) AND WITH A SCHOOL MATE PLAYING GUITAR WE STARTED HAVING FUN TOGETHER. WE JUST BOUGHT OUR FIRST 45’S OF THE BEATLES, BEACH BOYS AND OTHERS. I REMEMBER WATCHING “HARD DAY’S NIGHT” AT A LOCAL CINEMA AND GETTING OUT TOTALLY SHOCKED AND FASCINATED! AT SAME TIME I STARTED PLAYING THE HARMONIUM IN THE LOCAL CHURCH AT WEDDINGS, OR OTHER OCCASIONS. FORMING A BAND WAS THE COOL THING TO DO IN THOSE DAYS, MY NEIGHBORHOOD WAS A GOOD PLACE IN THAT RESPECT AS MANY “BEAT” BANDS WERE ACTIVE.

Circa: 1972.

Raffaele Ponticiello and Stefano Melani circa: 1975.

Stefano Melani & Vincenzo Ponticiello circa: 1975.

A COUPLE OF THEM WERE REHEARSING AT THE LOCAL CHURCH AND WE USED TO GO WATCH THEM PLAYING. SO FROM 10 TO 13TH WHILE STILL STUDYING CLASSIC PIANO MY ATTENTION STARTED BEING CAUGHT MORE AND MORE TO THE NEW WAVE OF MUSIC COMING FROM UK AND USA. THE ELDER GUYS BANDS WERE MOSTLY PLAYING BLUES, ROCK N ROLL BUT ALSO  THE NEW ROCK STYLES SUCH AS HENDRIX, CREAM,TRAFFIC AND MANY OTHERS. SOON AT THE AGE OF 14 I WAS CALLED TO JOIN A LOCAL BAND NAMED “THE 4 MONKS” AND STARTED GIGGING IN LOCAL DANCING CLUBS. THAT WAS A BIG CHANGE, I HAD TO STOP READING MUSIC AND LEARN HOW TO PLAY CHORDS AND PHRASES WITHOUT A MUSIC SHEET IN FRONT OF ME.

Spectrum-guitar and Spectrum-vocalist in the middle of the Beat epic.

Spectrum guitarist (Below).

Spectrum Organist.

WE WERE PLAYING WHATEVER WAS FASHIONABLE IN THOSE DAYS, FROM TONY RENIS TO “GOING HOME” BY TEN YEARS AFTER HOWEVER ALMOST ALL WAS MUSIC FOR POWER TRIOS AND ORGAN WAS JUST NOT SO IMPORTANT. SO THE FIRST SONG THAT FINALLY MADE ME HAPPY WAS “GIPSY” BY URIAH HEEP- LOVED THAT INTRO AND THE ORGAN SOLOS, SO I CHANGED THE ORGAN FROM FARFISA. MY PARENTS BOUGHT ME A USED STAR-MASTER BAUER WHICH I USED WITH AN AMPLIFIER FOR GUITAR THAT HAD A DISTORSION BUTTON ON IT!  LOVED THAT DISTORTED SOUND THAT FINALLY GAVE ME THE CHANCE TO SOUND MORE LIKE A GUITAR!

UNFORTUNATELY MY DAD PASSED AWAY SUDDENLY FOR A HEART FAILURE WHILE WE WERE PLAYING A GIG. THAT WAS SEPTEMBER 1970- SO THE BAND DISSOLVED ALSO BECAUSE SOON AFTER THAT THE DRUMMER WHOM WAS OLDER HAD TO JOING THE ARMY. IN EARLY 71, ONCE OF THE TOP BANDS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WAS LOOKING FOR A KEYBOARD PLAYER. THAT WAS SPETTRI AND THEY WERE TOGETHER WITH ANOTHER BAND (CALIFFI), THE TOP BAND AROUND FLORENCE. ALL MEMBERS WERE OLDER THAN ME, THE 2 BROTHERS UGO AND LELLO (VOX AND GUITAR)LIVED IN THE STREET NEXT TO MINE.

The Volkswagen van from the 60’s and 70’s and Giorgio Di Ruvo in the forground.

THEIR BROTHER VINCENZO OF MY SAME AGE, WAS ALREADY MY FRIEND. VINCENZO TOLD THEM ABOUT ME, SO ONE DAY LELLO CAME TO MY HOUSE AND ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO TRY AND JOING THE BAND AND OF COURSE I SAID YES! THEY USED TO COME TO MY HOUSE WERE I HAD THE PIANO AND LELLO WOULD TEACH ME THE CHORDS OF THE SONGS AND WE WOULD REHEARS THERE FOR HOURS- JUST GUITAR AND PIANO- THEN GO TO THE PLACE WERE THEY WERE PLAYING AND JOIN WITH DRUMS AND BASS PLAYERS- GIORGIO AND BEPPE. I DID’NT SAY MUCH. JUST LISTEN AND LEARN! 

Very young ghosts… A rare and precious paranormal image from the early 60’s.

Vincenzo Ponticiello.

THEY WERE OLDER AND KNEW WHAT TO DO- I JUST REMEMBER TAKING MY MUSIC BOOK AND WRITING DOWN CHORDS AND NOTES… SPETTRI FORMED IN THE MID 60’S. UGO IS A FANATIC OF ELVIS SOON PLAGED LELLO  HE WAS ALSO  VERY MUCH INTO HORROR MOVIES, SO AFTER WATCHING ALL CHRISTOPER LEE’S MOVIES HE CAME UP WITH THE NAME OF THE BAND. THE BILLBOARDS WERE SHOWING THEIR 4 FACES IN A GHOST TYPE NAME AND THEY WERE GOING AROUND WITH A VOLKSWAGEN BUS WITH THEIR NAME ON IT.

Personal exhibition of the painter Ferida circa: December of 78. Notice the painting?

THEY WERE QUITE FAMOUS IN FLORENCE FOR THEIR LIVE PERFORMANCES. THEY USED TO ARRIVE TO THE CLUBS IN CLOSED IN COFFINS AND PLAY HEAVY BEAT AND BLUES… WE WERE GIGGING INITIALLY EVERY WEEKEND IN CLUBS ALL AORUND OUR COUNTY- AND THEM ALSO MID WEEK SO  THE MONEY WAS GOOD SO I COULD SUPPORT MY MOTHER AND GRANDMA AND STILL SAVE SOME. WE WERE PLAYING FROM  ELVIS TO BURT BACHARAT AND ALL I DID WAS TO LEARN FROM LELLO THE WAY HE WAS PLAYING AND IMPROVISING. THAT’S HOW I LEARNED TO PLAY THE ORGAN MORE LIKE AN ELECTRIC GUITAR… TOGETHER WITH HIM I DISCOVERED SPIRITS, KEENY BURREL, JOHNNY WINTER, JOHN MAYALL AND MANY OTHERS. BEPPE THE BASS PLAYER WAS A FAN OF BLACK SABBATH AND IRON BUTTERFLY.

Raffaele Ponticiello circa: 1972.

AT SAME TIME TOGETHER WITH VINCENZO WE WERE GOING EVERY WEEK TO THE LOCAL RECORD STORE. GRAB THE LAST ROCK ALBUM AND SIT AND LISTEN TO IT AND BUY!  THAT’S HOW FROM URIAH HEEP I DISCOVERED BRIAN AUGER, JOHN LORD AND DEEP PURPLE, KEITH EMERSON WITH KNIVES AND ELP, PINK FLOYD AND KING CRIMSON. WE WOULD GO TO CONCERTS WHENEVER AVAILABLE, SMALL AND BIG- FROM THE MORE FAMOUS ITALIAN BANDS SUCH AS BMS/PFM/BATTIATO ETC. TO THE BIG NAMES THAT WERE COMING TO ITALY- JETHRO TULL, SANTANA, ELP ETC, BUT NOT ONLY ROCK  ALSO ORNETTE COLEMAN, CECIL TAYLOR, SUN RA ARKESTRA AMONG OTHERS.

FORTUNATELY THERE WAS A CLUB IN FLORENCE NAMED “SPACE ELECTRONICS”  WERE ALL BANDS WERE COMING, FROM BRIAN AUGER TO RORY GALLAGHER, FROM CANNED HEATS TO PENTANGLE- I CANT NAME ONLY ONE RECORD THAT MADE A HUDGE IMPRESSION ON ME, HOWEVER I BELIEVE TARKUS BY ELP HAS BEEN THE ONE TOGETHER WITH IN THE COURT OF CRIMSON KING. ME AND VINCENZO WOULD SPEND HOURS AND HOURS LISTENING TO THESE… SO IN EARLY 72 BEPPE THE ORIGINAL BASS PLAYER QUIT THE BAND AND VINCENZO JOINED.

Stefano Melani circa: 1972.

Vincenzo Ponticiello and Stefano Melani.

WE WERE THE YOUNG ONES, SO WE BROUGHT IN OUR INFLUENCES AND WHILE KEEPING ON PLAYING IN CLUBS FOR MONEY WE DECIDED TO COME UP WITH OUR OWN MUSIC. WITH THE SPARE MONEY I BOUGHT MY FIRST HAMMOND L100, WHICH I STILL HAVE AND HAVE USED IN THE 2973 LP. THOSE WERE THE YEARS OF GLOBAL YOUTH REBELLION FOR A MORE PEACEFUL WORLD- THE VIETNAM WAR WAS THE FUEL THAT LEAD TO THE PROTESTS ACROSS ALL WORLD AND EVERYONE WAS LOOKING AT WAYS TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. SO UGO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF TELLING THE STORY OF A YOUNG MAN WHO’S DEBATED IF THERE CAN BE SOME GOOD IN MANKIND AND ASKING THIS QUESTION TO THE AFTERLIFE SPIRITS, THE ANSWER HE RECEIVES DRIVES HIM CRAZY AS MAN WOULD HAVE TO DESTROY THE CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM OF LIFE AND CONCENTRATE ON BEING RATHER THAN HAVING TO CHANGE THE WORLD THAT’S HOW SPETTRI ALBUM WAS BORN.

MUSIC WAS COMPOSED AS A SOUNDTRACK ON THE STORY IN A WEEK AND RECORDED LIVE ON A 2 TRACK REVOX TAPE RECORDER. AS SOON AS DONE, WE WERE INVITED TO PERFORM IN  A NATIONAL CONTEST AND THAT’S HOW WE GOT IN TOUCH WITH A MAJOR ITALY PRODUCER AND INVITED TO RECORD OUR SUITE IN MILAN IN A BIG STUDIO. THEY HAD AN 8 TRACKS RECORDER AND WE FINISHED THE RECORDING IN 3 DAYS- CERTAIN THAT THE PRODUCER WOULD FIND THE DISTRIBUTION FOR THE ALBUM. UNFORTUNATELY FEW MONTHS AFTER HE CALLED US UP AND TOLD US THE ALBUM WOULD NOT BE PUBLISHED AS THE CONTENT “ AFTERLIFE SPIRITS ETC.” WOULD  BE NOT WELL RECEIVED BY THE CATHOLIC DOMINANT MAJOR LABELS. SO WE KEPT ON PERFORMING LIVE IN MANY “AVANT-GARDE MUSIC” FESTIVALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BUT WE NEVER WERE ABLE TO FIND A LABEL FOR IT.

SLOWLY THIS PERIOD PASSED AWAY. WE NEEDED MONEY TO PAY FOR INSTRUMENTS AND FAMILIES. (I WAS STILL PAYING FOR THE HAMMOND AND ALSO BOUGHT MY FIRST SYNTH- A ARP ODYSSEY) SO HERE WE GO, BACK PLAYING MORE HIT TUNES IN CLUBS… THE RECORDING WAS LEFT IN THE ORIGINAL 2 TRACKS TAPE IN THE BASEMENT WHERE WE USED TO REHEARSE. IN 1980 THINGS GOT TO AN HALT-  THE BAND DECIDED IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE, SO BACK TO ROCK N ROLL UGO AND LELLO’S ROOTS- AND HERE WE GO “DENNIS AND THE JETS” A ROCKABILLY BAND WAS BORN. GOODBYE HAMMOND AND SYNTH, ONLY PIANO-  BUT THIS IS ANOTHER STORY… WELL, THINGS WENT ON AND ON WITH DENNIS AND THE JETS, TILL ONE DAY IN 2010 ONE OF OUR FRIENDS ASKED ABOUT THAT OLD TAPE AND TOLD US TO GIVE IT TO HIM TO PUT IT ON A CD BEFORE IT RUSTED OUT… WELL THAT CD ARRIVED IN THE HANDS OF A RADIO DJ SPECIALIZED IN PROG MUSIC… FROM THERE IT WAS SENT TO BLACK WIDOW IN GENOVA- AND AFTER THAT WE RECEIVED A CALL SAYING THAT THEY WANTED TO PUBLISH IT!

The band’s most recently release, “2973 La Nemica dei Ricordi” on Black Widow Rcords. 2015.

WHAT A SURPRISE… AFTER 40 YEARS… WE COULD NT BELIEVE IT, SO BACK TO THE HAMMOND… WE HAD TO RE LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT! AND BELIEVE ME IT WAS NOT EASY AT THE BEGINNING BUT AS SOON AS BACK INTO THAT WORLD NOTES STARTED TO POUR OUT AGAIN AND IT WAS A REAL PLEASURE… THE RECORD CAME OUT AND HAD WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED FROM MANY PROG LOVERS ACROSS THE WORLD SO WE DECIDED TO WRITE THE 2ND ALBUM- BUT IN DOING SO I DECIDED TO RECORD IT LIVE BUT USING THE SAME EQUIPMENT WE WOULD HAVE USED IF ONLY ONE YEAR AFTER THE FIRST ALBUM.

THAT’S WHY WE CALLED “2973 LA NEMICA DEI RICORDI” THE CONTINUATION OF THE FIRST STORY BUT 1000 AND ONE YEARS AFTER… SO WE RECORDED LIVE IN 10 DAYS AT THE LARIONE 10 STUDIO IN FLORENCE- USING A COMPLETE AAA PROCESS. ALL MICS WENT INTO AN ANALOG MIXER FROM THERE TO A 24 TRACKS ANALOG RECORDER AND FROM THERE MIXED ON 2 TRACKS TAPE FOR THE LP. AT THE SAME TIME FROM MIXER TO PRO TOOLS AND DIGITAL MIX FOR THE CD, SO THE VYINIL WAS PRINTED IN FULL AAA SYSTEM WHILE THE CD IS ADD. THAT’S BASICALLY THE STORY OF CHAPTER 1 AND 2 OF SPETTRI ALBUMS.

BOTH ALBUMS WERE WRITTEN AS CONCEPTS WE WROTE A STORY AND COMPOSED THE MUSIC AND LYRICS AS A SOUND TRACK. IN THE FIRST ALBUM LELLO AND MYSELF WROTE MOST OF THE MUSIC AND UGO THE LYRICS IN 2973 I WORTE MOST OF THE MUSIC AND VINCENZO THE LYRICS. ALL SONGS ARE THAN ARRANGED LIVE BY THE BAND IN PREPRODUCTION- AS I SAID 2973 WAS RECORDED IN 10 DAYS, 5 OF WHICH SPENT ACTUALLY PLAYING WHILE THE OTHER 5 HANDLING ISSUES WITH TAPES AND ALL THE THINGS THAT USE TO GO WRONG IN THE ANALOG LIVE WORLD. THE ALBUM GOT GREAT REVIEWS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND WE WERE ENTHUSIASTIC TO SEE IT WAS SO WELL RECEIVED WE HAVE BEEN LABELLED AS “HEAVY PROG”… IN JAPAN THEY WROTE “KC MEETS DEEP PURPLE”…

SO 3 YEARS AGO WE STARTED THINKING ABOT THE 3RD CHAPTER OF THE STORY. WE CAME OUT WITH THE STORYBOARD I WROTE THE MUSIC AND VINCENZO THE LYRICS. THIS TIME WE SAID LETS DO IT WITH THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES. USING SAME GEAR BUT DOING IT MORE CALMLY AT HOME ON A COMPUTER. WE RECORDED DRUMS,BASS LIVE AND SOME GUITAR TRACKS, FEW KEYBOARDS AND THAN TRAGEDY HAPPENED. VINCENZO HAS PASSED AWAY APRIL ’20 OF COVID. EVERYTHING COLLAPSED, PERSONALLY AND MUSICALLY. WE HAD SPENT 50 YEARS TOGETHER, SO ALL STOPPED. AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF, I HAVE JUST STARTED RE LISTENING TO THE RECORDINGS… AND YES THE PLAN IS TO FINISH SPETTRI NBR 3 ALBUM AND PUBLISH IT- SO STAY TUNED FOR MORE TO COME.

Dakota Brown