Andrea Algieri, lead singer of Mbrascatu, is announcing the release of their second album, Tempo. They will be hosting a special release event at Mississippi Studios in Portland on January 2, 2015. Andrea has come a long way since his humble beginnings in the small town of Luzzi, Calabria.
“It’s a nice place to live,” he says. “There is not a lot to do but it is a town with great characteristics.”
Growing up, Andrea spent Sundays and holidays with his large family. His Uncle Umile would break into song at the end of every meal and Umile’s son Tonino would join in with his guitar.
This sparked Andrea’s love of music. He knew from an early age that he would follow a musical path. Tonino worked at a radio station in town and Andrea was itching to help his older cousin. After several refusals, Tonino finally gave in with one condition – that he not touch anything.
Andrea has fond memories of the radio station. Two of the most vivid are handing off the vinyls to his cousin and taking requests from listeners. Requests arrived by hand-written notes because telephones were still not commonplace in Luzzi in the 1980’s.
“Many times it was children who would bring the requests in on paper with dedications to loved ones.”
His grandfather, nicknamed Mbrascatu, gave Andrea his first guitar. He loved the guitar but did not take to serious music study. He found that he had a natural ability to play by ear. When he turned 14, he put his guitar to the test by starting a band with a group of friends. They called themselves the Moonlovers.
“From that time on,” recalls Andrea, “I never stopped playing.”
At age 19, he moved to Florence and enrolled at Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze to study set design for theater. This got him a position designing sets for a soap opera in Mexico. After a year in Mexico, it was time to go back to Florence to fulfill his civic duty to his country. At that point in time, young men in Italy had two choices; they could enlist in the military or do ten months obligatory civil service. Andrea chose civil service, working at Mensa dei Poveri, a shelter for the homeless, all the while continuing to play guitar.
“I also worked with handicapped children and adults,” he says. “This was a very intense time in my life.”
It was during this time that Andrea met his wife Susan. After living in Florence for seven years, they made the decision to move to the states, settling in Susan’s hometown of Ithaca, New York. Even though they had planned to open an Italian restaurant, Andrea realized his passion was still music and he wouldn’t be happy as a restaurant owner. He was ready to move back to Florence until Susan’s sister contacted them. She suggested they move to Portland where she was living. Arriving in Portland, Andrea and Susan found living arrangements for artists and musicians.
“We liked Portland. It is not too big, and not too small,” says Andrea, “And everyone was so nice, I began to make friends right away.”
It wasn’t long before Andrea formed the band, Mbrascatu.
In Portland, Andrea immediately connected with a drummer and the duo began playing open mics and small concerts at local establishments. When he first moved to the states, Andrea wasn’t sure how fans would respond to Italian lyrics. While living in New York this question was answered loudly when he entered and won an open mic competition run by a local television studio. Portland followed suit – fans were hooked.
One of Andrea’s inspirations for his work is Vinicio Capossela, an eclectic and talented Italian musician.
“I saw him play in San Francisco once, the fans went crazy, and they loved him.” Mbrascatu also takes an eclectic approach to their work combining traditional music with influences of rock, modern, and psychedelic components.
“Every band member is a great musician,” professes Andrea, “We keep an open mind, focus on the music, and try to keep it interesting for people.”
He asserts that their new release, Tempo, goes one step further than Mbrascatu’s first album.
“It’s a great sound, the first album was excellent, but this one has an added maturity. It’s more collaborative. We work so well together as a band that at times it’s as if we’re on cruise control. Every band member adds a depth and a different dimension to the group.”
Mbrascatu has a mission. “We want people to know that music from Italy is more than, O’ Sole Mio,” Andrea says. “While we love that song and all those traditional Italian songs, our music offers a different perspective through the lens of my Italian upbringing and the experiences and backgrounds of the talented musicians that make up our group.”
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