Italian Indie Sensation -Levante- Announces US Debut

Italy, Summer '13 and the country's airwaves are dominated by the sound of an indie-pop anthem from an unsuspecting rising star. The song "Alfonso" by Levante, a 26 year old singer-songwriter still working as a café barista, has unintentionally tapped into the mood not only of her own generation, but of a nation in crisis and understandably unenthusiastic about the typical Latin-Dance beach fare on offer. The video, which features the artist as a frustrated protagonist in a high-fashion party shouting out the song's hook Che vita di merda, becomes a YouTube sensation in Italy approaching 2 million views — numbers typically unrealized by all but homegrown superstars — and becomes a powerful social media meme. Levante's debut album "Manuale Distruzione" (Destruction Manual) enters in the Top 10 of the Italian charts in March 2014 and within one year the indie sensation is supporting headlining heroes Negramaro on their summer soccer stadium tour.

Born Claudia Lagona, Levante's spends her time between Italy's two hottest music scenes in Catania and Torino. Turning to songwriting as a teenager to ease the pain of her father's death and her family's relocation from Sicily to the industrial North, Levante found solace in a range of female muses from fellow Sicilian singer-songwriter Carmen Consoli to all-time Italian diva Mina, alongside revered American artists Tori Amos and Janis Joplin. After a stint in Leeds to develop her English writing style, Levante returned to Turin shifting back to the Italian language with a fully mature sound featuring direct lyrics of everyday life — love, pain, friendship, joy — and signing to leading independent INRI label which is based in the city.

Like a hot wind blowing in from the east, Levante will make her US debut at SXSW, the world's leading music industry event, taking place March 17 – 21, 2015 in Austin, TX. Showcase dates follow on Monday March 23 in Los Angeles at Genghis Cohen, the storied Hollywood hotspot which launched the careers of singer-songwriters such as Sara Bareilles, and on Wednesday March 25 at The Standard, East Village in New York. Levante's StandardSounds appearance is part of the Annie O Music Series which has previously featured acts from the New York and international music scenes such as Moby, Joan as Police Woman and Jovanotti.

LEVANTE - Alfonso (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
http://youtu.be/jIQdHRs0EeI

Album Stream MANUALE DISTRUZIONE:
https://soundcloud.com/metatrongroup/sets/levante/s-JiWqc

Comments

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

Alessandro Gassmann: Born to Act

Alessandro Gassmannin his directorial debut "Razzabastarda" Alessandro Gassmann is the son of the iconic Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He was born in 1965 and grew up around cinema royalty. He made his cinema debut in 1982 at the age of 17 in his father's autobiographical film, "Di padre in figlio." He went on to study his craft under his father's direction at the Theatre Workshop of Florence. Vittorio Gassman was very active in theater and seemed just as comfortable on stage as he did in front of the camera. Known for his powerful interpretations of Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradiso," it is no surprise that he nurtured his son's acting aspirations on stage before he launched his career in television and film. One of Gassmann's strong qualities, which he undoubtedly inherited from his father is his incredible range and ease in going from genre to genre. He can play ...

Ornella Muti: Five decades of Acting and Still Going Strong

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with “La Moglie più bella” (The Most Beautiful Wife). Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, “Sole nella pelle” (Sun on the Skin), in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies, with its political climate, breathtaking seaside, and the styles and cars of that time. Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and captures the innocence and beauty of first love. Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with "Flash Gordon." She played the role of Princess Aura. She’s appeared in two other American films, including “Oscar,” directed by John Landis and starring Don Ameche, Chazz Palminteri, and Sylvester Stallone. In 1992, she w...

The Extraordinary Career and Legacy of Dino De Laurentiis

Producer Dino De Laurentiis was one of the most prolific filmmakers ever, having produced or co-produced more than 600 films during a career that spanned seven decades. His legacy continues not only through the work of his children and grandchildren but also through a new generation of filmmakers in his Italian hometown. De Laurentiis was born in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius on Aug. 8, 1919, in the city of Torre Annunziata, located just minutes from the ruins of Pompeii. As a child, he worked at a local pasta factory owned and operated by his father. That experience had a profound effect on him, shaping a lifelong passion for food and an appreciation for business. At the age of 17, he decided to leave home for the big city. He arrived in Rome and enrolled in the prestigious film school, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. After attending the school for about a year, he managed to produce one film in 1940, The Last Combat , before having to leave Rome temporarily for m...

Isabella Ferrari- the Damsel and the Thinker

Isabella Ferrari is a versatile actress whose trademark pouty lips and intense, melancholy eyes have been gracing Italian screens for more than three decades. Born in Piacenza on March 31, 1964, Ferrari has perfected the art of playing contrasting roles like the damsel in distress and the complicated, intellectual. Influenced by Italian auteur cinema, which encompasses the neo-realistic approach to filmmaking, she delivers powerful performances with each role she tackles. Ferrari's small screen debut goes back to 1981 in Gianni Boncompagni's television program, "Under the Stars." Two years later, she made her big screen debut in the summer comedy, "Il ras del quartiere." Diego Abatantuono, the star of the Oscar winning film, "Mediterraneo," co-wrote and starred in the film, which put Isabella Ferrari on the map and she hasn't stopped working since. Open Roads 2005: Isabella Ferrari, Antonio Monda and Renato De Maria With doz...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog