Duncan
Fletcher talks with Tobia Poltronieri, founding member of Italian
psych-collective C+C=Maxigross, about their new album and
self-curated festival.
“Since
we were kids we organised illegal parties in the hills, in basements
and in the mountains… After many years we decided to do our real
thing, Lessinia Psych Fest was born in 2014 in a garden of a friend's
house in the mountains. Jennifer Gentle and Miles Cooper Seaton from
Akron/Family were the headliners. We met Miles at that festival, he
was touring Italy by himself at the time. Now he lives in Verona with
us… Just to make you understand that the vibe here is REALLY GOOD!…
Finally the festival is growing! Next year you’re invited, and your
readers too!”
Anyone
craving a unique boutique festival experience is advised to accept
this invitation from Tobia Poltronieri, founding member of
C+C=Maxigross, an ever mutating collective who organise their own
festival each July in the mountains near Verona. The band (whose name
is taken from a local cash and carry) have a sound that mixes the
organic mushroomy goodness of the early '70s, with the playful
wide-eyed wonder of contemporaries such as The Flaming Lips, Devendra
Banhart and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Their willingness
to experiment and improvise, coupled with state-of-the-art pop
production marks them out as standard bearers for 21st
century freak-folk.
Their
recently released 2nd LP Fluttarn is titled in
Cimbrian, an arcane local language found only in the Lessinia hills.
Fluttarn translates as "to flutter, to fly about or fly
away". “For us Lessinia is pure magic and mystery”, say
Tobia, “and one of these strange sides is this ancient and almost
dead language, “Cimbro”, from the German people who came here in
the Middle Ages. Sadly almost nobody’s talking in this language
today.”
The
language may be in danger but the beauty of their homeland remains a
more permanent inspiration - “Only people from Verona go there…
sad cos it's definitely worth a look! These mountains are amazing,
gentle pre-Alps, wonderful and magic! This place has been the shelter
for our relaxation and creativity, where to go when we want to escape
the city and its hustle and bustle. With our label, Vaggimal records,
we started to record other bands in our studio in the mountains, we
spent a lot of time there, creating and exploring music, letting the
good vibes take over.”
Aside
from the hills the band cite their prime influence as Os Mutantes,
one that extends beyond music - “Their music is amazing! Crazy,
free, colourful, unexpected, melodic and groovy. Our vibes! But also
the context where they grew up: a nation under a dictator, far from
the Anglo-American scene they loved (from Haight-Ashbury to Swingin’
London, you know better than me)... Starting from Brazil, they
created their own world, so strong and unique that still now has lots
to say. It’s the thing we like to do: mix cultures and inspirations
to create something new. I mean, we’re a free form band from the
north of Italy, singing in English, playing crazy psych vibes and
always travelling Europe with different musicians and artists... At
least we try to do our thing! Then we will see... Bat Macumba!”
Fluttarn
is out now on Trovarobato/Vaggimal Records.
