After four years of interruption, partly caused by the pandemic stop, “Lievito” has returned to Latina, a multicultural festival set between the significant dates of April 25th and May 1st, which brings together under the same roof – with the artistic direction of director Renato Chiocca – cinema, theatre, books, painting, poetry, science, debates, performances, music, exploiting a series of location located in the center of the city, where you can breathe a different atmosphere for a week. Among the protagonists of the musical section of the program of the IX edition of “Lievito” is the Sicilian singer-songwriter Carmelo Pipitone, returning to Latina after a few months, hosted in the Geena space, a comfortable venue in the capital where he has been possible to associate with drinks & food excellent entertainment options.
Filippo Muscaritoli, Roman author and singer-songwriter, will kick off the evening, alone on stage, accompanied only by his guitar to propose an acoustic set capable of highlighting a songwriting intimate and refined. Second opening act it is that of Juri, also on stage in perfect solitude. A musician of little alignment, who with electric guitar and a large selection of effects sets up (it is appropriate to say) with great care two full-bodied instrumental pieces that move in a post-rock direction, towards imaginary places in which the sound material finds everything the space it requires. The first performance is a destructured blues, largely improvised on the spot, the second, “Cut”, is instead a composition present in his first album, “Estetica”, dating back to 2019.
Then it internship it's all for Carmelo Pipitone, voice and amplified acoustic guitar, accompanied by the excellent guitarist Max Codeluppi, who will stand out during the set for his ability to juggle different stylistic registers, moving between shoegaze nuances and more classically rock digressions, creating caressing carpets over which sudden bursts of noise often emerge. This tour is designed to present to the public the songs from Pipitone's third solo album, “Piedi in acqua”, released last January, songs which in the live dimension take on an even more lively and engaging connotation.
The show starts with “Come tutti”, taken from the solo debut of the ex-leader of Marta sui Tubi, “Cornucopia”, and then leaves room for ten of the thirteen songs contained in “Piedi in acqua”. Carmelo's voice at times approaches the baritone register of Mark Lanegan, at other times it is positioned close to an ideal crossroads between Capossela and Benvegnù, alternating deeply melodic acoustic textures with eclectic, angry swerves, not without some grunge streaks (not to be missed at a certain point an arpeggio that wants to be a tribute to Nirvana), intertwining his own songwriting within constructions that can also reach a certain complexity, even bordering on progressive.
Other times Carmelo lets the roots and influences of his own land emerge, through passages that seek folk themes and the use of Sicilian dialect. But there is always a vigor that vibrates under the skin, even in the most intimate situations, in those rarefied atmospheres rendered with artisanal meticulousness. Pipitone is also good at capturing attention, at any moment, not only through his unquestionable technical skills, but also by always closing the songs at the right time, in a couple of cases even unexpectedly, avoiding inserting any element that may not be strictly necessary.
It is Carmelo's second artistic life, the times of Marta sui Tubi appear very distant today, and the musician from Marsala feels even more free to experiment in new directions; Marta sui Tubi came one step away from mass success, but Pipitone regrets nothing, on the contrary, he looks forward without nostalgia, strong in a consolidated authority also through the experiences gained with Ork and Dunk, two other highly esteemed bands on the independent circuit .
To close the set Pipitone invites his friend Juri (who plays at home, being a resident of the Lazio capital) on stage for a long psych-noise jam during which the three guitarists (Codeluppi is always there too) let themselves go to the magic of improvisation. The audience appreciates and applauds with conviction. Pipitone thus takes his leave, demonstrating once again that he has found the right recipe for a prodigious balance between tradition and contemporaneity.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM