Consorzio Acqua Potabile

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Consorzio Acqua Potabile is a band from Italy that never released anything during the 70's and was discovered in the 90's by the small Kaliphonia label. A 1977 recorded live CD was released and the band reunited with four of the five original members for a nice brand new album. After this, other CD's have followed in 1998 and 2003.
I got in touch with the band and Maurizio Venegoni (with English translations by his son Gabriele...... thank you !) answered my questions.
#################################################

Consorzio
Acqua Potabile were formed in the 1970s but did not released anything
before 1992. Did any of the Consorzio Acqua Potabile members have
backgrounds from other bands and which bands were you influenced by?

All
the members of the first nucleus were friends and we used to meet
each other under the stage of the bands that had influenced our
background like Banco, PFM, Orme, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Van Der Graaf
and Gentle Giant being so young at that time

You
did a rock opera in the 1970s called Gerbrand which was performed,
but never released on an album. Please tell us more about this rock
opera. Has any of this stuff found it's way to other albums ?

At
that time it’was so hard to make an album. It was too expensive for
us and it was so hard to find a producer really interested in this
kind of project. Gerbrand was a rock opera tour in north of Italy
with dancers, lights and slides show,movies and original live music
around a fairy tale written by us. Unfortunately nobody recorded
anything of these theater tour and now the only memory is the
re-edicted track on Fafnir compilation CD from 1993.

Please
tell us more about what you were up to between the 1970s and the
release of your first album. You also had some other breaks between
1992 and 1998 and from 2003 to this date. Please tell us more about
these breaks.

We
played actively until 1980. From here the live music totally changed
in Italy, so we changed too through different changes like the move
of our kind of music to pop and then disco music. We recorded also
the official theme of our football team of Inter Milano. We also
played in different time a particular version inspired from the
british invasion (Howard Jones) in Italian version although now we’re
not proud of it. The real stop of our breaks was from 1984 to 1989
when it revive the pleasure to hear and play the Italian prog music
from 70s (especially thanks to all Japanese friends). From 1990 we
didn’t stop to write and play our music till now.

Please
give me your (long or brief) thoughts and lowdowns on your first
album Nei Gorghy del Tempo from 1992

A
lot of the track of Nei Gorghi were born in 70s (look to the CD Sala
Borsa Live ’77) and had been a magic pleasure play it another time
with a great vocalist (Paul Rosette) and with another great musician
like Riki Roattino on bass and electric guitar.

Please
give me your (long or brief) thoughts and lowdowns on your second
album Robin Delle Stelle from 1998

A
new part of our path started with the writing of Robin Delle Stelle
that ,as you know, it is inspired from a comic of the 70s , very
known at that time and also now in South America, where it born as
its original version. Maybe is for this reason that Robin Delle
Stelle stills to be loved in those parts of the world. New and young
musicians arrived from the near town of Biella, and they had helped
us in this new adventure.

And
the same for the third album Il Bianco Regno Di Dooha from 2003  

Bianco
Regno is a story completely created by us around this fantastic reign
that is present everywhere and everytime when arrive the first snow.
It was a story written many years before and it ahs been a great
pleasure to bring it in music with the new team.

The
live album Sala Borsa Live 77 from 1993 is recorded back in 1977.
Please tell us more about this album.  

The
Sala Borsa Live meant a point of no return: the prog music era was
definitely finished and on that album I found and feel the melancholy
for the end of the prog era for the most of Italian group, that it
those years were our friend.

My
italian is not good so I am not sure if Consorzio Acqua Potabile is
still alive. Please enlighten us about your status now and what are
you personally up to these days ?  

Like
I’ve explained you I’m so in late in this answer because we’re
recording in these months a greatest hits of our story, completely
played with vintage instrument on request from a Japanese producer
friend , to preapare ourself to a little tour of concert on Japan for
the next 2011. We have recorded for the French Musea and Finnish
Colossus about an hour of new songs for their project like Odissea,
Seven Samurai and Inferno. So if you want to take a look on those,
search them or write me. I believe that these are interesting things,
for the strictly vintage sounds (moog,mellotron,Hammond) and for the
structure.

How
was the writing and creative processes in your band ?  

We
have always written in two people: at the beginning me and Romolo
Bollea and today me,Massimo Gorlezza and all the other members.

All
your album has this lovely old Italian sound which reminds me why the
likes of Banco and PFM was so good. But how would you describe your
music and which bands would you compare your music with ?

I’ve
always loved Banco with which I lived the best music years of my life
for the inspiration,suggestion and musically and hystorical
sensibility . For this reason I describe our music very insipired by
Banco over all.Also Orme and PFM remains always in my heart.

What
is your experiences with the music industry and the many festival and
gigs promoters in Italy ?

Today
all is left to the random, friendly contact but not business and for
money. Last summer we played at festival with Fish and it was a
special experience for the friendly condivision of the stage: no
stars, no soubrettes, only never ending lovers of this dream music.
Without the international organization that brought us to play in
different countries (USA,Spain,France,Belgique over all), in Italy we
would have played not so much.

What
is your five favorite Italian prog rock albums ?

Absolutely
“Io sono nato libero” from Banco, “Maxophone” from Maxophone,
and “Forse le lucciole non si amano più” from Locanda Delle
Fate.  

Anything
you want to add to this interview ?  

I
just want to thank you for your patience of the waiting, for your
friendly interest and for your love for this kind of music that help
us to continue to make it.

Thank you to Maurizio Venegoni for this interview

Their PA profile is here and homepage here

Edited by toroddfuglesteg - December 28 2010 at 17:00

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toroddfuglesteg Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Retired Joined: March 04 2008 Location: Retirement Home Status: Offline Points: 3658	Topic: Consorzio Acqua Potabile Posted: December 28 2010 at 16:48
	Consorzio Acqua Potabile is a band from Italy that never released anything during the 70's and was discovered in the 90's by the small Kaliphonia label. A 1977 recorded live CD was released and the band reunited with four of the five original members for a nice brand new album. After this, other CD's have followed in 1998 and 2003. I got in touch with the band and Maurizio Venegoni (with English translations by his son Gabriele...... thank you !) answered my questions. ################################################# Consorzio Acqua Potabile were formed in the 1970s but did not released anything before 1992. Did any of the Consorzio Acqua Potabile members have backgrounds from other bands and which bands were you influenced by? All the members of the first nucleus were friends and we used to meet each other under the stage of the bands that had influenced our background like Banco, PFM, Orme, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Van Der Graaf and Gentle Giant being so young at that time You did a rock opera in the 1970s called Gerbrand which was performed, but never released on an album. Please tell us more about this rock opera. Has any of this stuff found it's way to other albums ? At that time it’was so hard to make an album. It was too expensive for us and it was so hard to find a producer really interested in this kind of project. Gerbrand was a rock opera tour in north of Italy with dancers, lights and slides show,movies and original live music around a fairy tale written by us. Unfortunately nobody recorded anything of these theater tour and now the only memory is the re-edicted track on Fafnir compilation CD from 1993. Please tell us more about what you were up to between the 1970s and the release of your first album. You also had some other breaks between 1992 and 1998 and from 2003 to this date. Please tell us more about these breaks. We played actively until 1980. From here the live music totally changed in Italy, so we changed too through different changes like the move of our kind of music to pop and then disco music. We recorded also the official theme of our football team of Inter Milano. We also played in different time a particular version inspired from the british invasion (Howard Jones) in Italian version although now we’re not proud of it. The real stop of our breaks was from 1984 to 1989 when it revive the pleasure to hear and play the Italian prog music from 70s (especially thanks to all Japanese friends). From 1990 we didn’t stop to write and play our music till now. Please give me your (long or brief) thoughts and lowdowns on your first album Nei Gorghy del Tempo from 1992 A lot of the track of Nei Gorghi were born in 70s (look to the CD Sala Borsa Live ’77) and had been a magic pleasure play it another time with a great vocalist (Paul Rosette) and with another great musician like Riki Roattino on bass and electric guitar. Please give me your (long or brief) thoughts and lowdowns on your second album Robin Delle Stelle from 1998 A new part of our path started with the writing of Robin Delle Stelle that ,as you know, it is inspired from a comic of the 70s , very known at that time and also now in South America, where it born as its original version. Maybe is for this reason that Robin Delle Stelle stills to be loved in those parts of the world. New and young musicians arrived from the near town of Biella, and they had helped us in this new adventure. And the same for the third album Il Bianco Regno Di Dooha from 2003 Bianco Regno is a story completely created by us around this fantastic reign that is present everywhere and everytime when arrive the first snow. It was a story written many years before and it ahs been a great pleasure to bring it in music with the new team. The live album Sala Borsa Live 77 from 1993 is recorded back in 1977. Please tell us more about this album. The Sala Borsa Live meant a point of no return: the prog music era was definitely finished and on that album I found and feel the melancholy for the end of the prog era for the most of Italian group, that it those years were our friend. My italian is not good so I am not sure if Consorzio Acqua Potabile is still alive. Please enlighten us about your status now and what are you personally up to these days ? Like I’ve explained you I’m so in late in this answer because we’re recording in these months a greatest hits of our story, completely played with vintage instrument on request from a Japanese producer friend , to preapare ourself to a little tour of concert on Japan for the next 2011. We have recorded for the French Musea and Finnish Colossus about an hour of new songs for their project like Odissea, Seven Samurai and Inferno. So if you want to take a look on those, search them or write me. I believe that these are interesting things, for the strictly vintage sounds (moog,mellotron,Hammond) and for the structure. How was the writing and creative processes in your band ? We have always written in two people: at the beginning me and Romolo Bollea and today me,Massimo Gorlezza and all the other members. All your album has this lovely old Italian sound which reminds me why the likes of Banco and PFM was so good. But how would you describe your music and which bands would you compare your music with ? I’ve always loved Banco with which I lived the best music years of my life for the inspiration,suggestion and musically and hystorical sensibility . For this reason I describe our music very insipired by Banco over all.Also Orme and PFM remains always in my heart. What is your experiences with the music industry and the many festival and gigs promoters in Italy ? Today all is left to the random, friendly contact but not business and for money. Last summer we played at festival with Fish and it was a special experience for the friendly condivision of the stage: no stars, no soubrettes, only never ending lovers of this dream music. Without the international organization that brought us to play in different countries (USA,Spain,France,Belgique over all), in Italy we would have played not so much. What is your five favorite Italian prog rock albums ? Absolutely “Io sono nato libero” from Banco, “Maxophone” from Maxophone, and “Forse le lucciole non si amano più” from Locanda Delle Fate. Anything you want to add to this interview ? I just want to thank you for your patience of the waiting, for your friendly interest and for your love for this kind of music that help us to continue to make it. Thank you to Maurizio Venegoni for this interview Their PA profile is here and homepage here Edited by toroddfuglesteg - December 28 2010 at 17:00

memowakeman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 19 2005 Location: Mexico City Status: Offline Points: 13032	Posted: December 29 2010 at 14:43
	Interesting, I actually didn't know the band were rooted in the 70s. Nice interview.
	Follow me on twitter @memowakeman

Andrea Cortese Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 05 2005 Status: Offline Points: 4411	Posted: January 03 2011 at 16:54
	Great work!! I have Robin delle Stelle (excellent album... maybe too long...). I'd like to have more but it's not easy to find any of their other records. Edited by Andrea Cortese - January 03 2011 at 16:55