Banda Bassotti was formed in 1988, by a group of politically active musicians who began to sympathize with the Nicaraguan, Salvadorean, Palestinian, and Basque people fights. This group of friends supports the Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional with solidarity initiatives by creating some work brigades. From 1984 to 1987 they took part to a three months brigade with the building cooperative XXV Aprile, to build some students houses and a school. From 1987 to 1989 the group creates a rock-band which begins to stir in the squats and in the demonstrations. The Banda Bassotti together with other comrades establishes the project Gridalo Forte No fascism! No racism! A documentation centre against fascism and racial prejudice.
From 1990 to 1991 they organize an antiracist festival with the same title who took place in Rome on 1991 May 3rd and 4th. European antiracist bands took part into such festival with concerts, videos and meetings. From this documentation centre, after two years the label Gridalo Forte Records is created. From this documentation centre the project Balla e Difendi arises, always in 1991, where the Banda Bassotti, took part to, together with other roman bands, such as: Red House, Filo da Torcere, AK 47. In this record, produced by the Gridalo Forte Records independent label, took part the most active bands of the left roman antagonist scene. "Figli della stessa rabbia" the first Banda Bassotti cd follows the success of such initiative and it is produced by the same label. This cd obtained a great success of both audience and critics and acted as an ingagements band multiplier: from a roman dimension to a national, and then an international one.
Without abandoning their roots, the BB obtained appreciation in Spain and especially in the Basque Country, where they performed in several concerts together with some independist left bands. During the recording of "Bella Ciao" together with the GANG, it raised the idea to play in Salvador for the FMNL. The occasion to realize such idea comes out few months later in march 1994, for the first political elections after 11 years of civil war in Salvador. The Banda Bassotti played with the Negu Gorriak in San Salvador central square at the end of the campaign with an audience of 50.000 people. They performed in 4 concerts in less than a week.
In June 1995 the band moved to Euskadi for 15 days in the IZ studio, on the mountains and with Kaki Arkarazo –sound technician and Negu Gorriak guitarist- they recorded "Avanzo di Cantiere" produced by Gridalo Forte Records label. Fermin Muguruza took part to the traditional song "Carabina 30-30" This cd is sold also in Euskadi and Spain, published by Gora Herriak Records a branch of the International Basque label Esan Ozenki. The record has been presented in several concerts in Italy and all over Spain: Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Santiago De Compostela, Saragoza, Gasteiz, Oiartzun. The Banda Bassotti played with the Negu Gorriak in summer 1995 in Bilbao Gaz Square at the town party with an audience of 10.000 people. After a while the Banda Bassotti took part to a Hitz Egin demonstration for the freedom of expression, a big concert to raising funds for the Negu Gorriak trial against the civil guard General Galindo. The song reported is Ustalkerria. They raised 200.000.000 liras for the defence, about 12.000 people took part to it and 15 bands played, there were all Basque bands and the Banda Bassotti represented the international sympathy.
In the mid 1996 the band decided to stop because of great energies spent and the obvious difficulties to go on both with the band and to work in the yard.
In February 2001 Negu Gorriak -who broke in the same time of of the Banda Bassotti- decided to keep the promise to get back together to play in a concert to celebrate the end of the legal prosecution of Colonel Galindo against their song Ustalkerria when the Negu Gorriak won the trial. The agreement stated that also the Banda Bassotti should have to rejoin nad play with the Basque band. The Banda Bassotti decided to increase the instruments of the band with the brass section: Sandokan to the tombone -singer of the Ramiccia and trombone of the International Fermin Muguruza Dub Manifest and of the Radici nel Cemento- and Stefano Cecchi to the trumpet -trumpet of the bands International Fermin Muguruza Dub Manifest and Radici nel Cemento-. They rearranged their songs and left for Bilbao.
Concerts in February should have been two but they were three, due to the great demand of tickets (30.000). Seizing this opportunity the Banda Bassotti organized two concerts in Rome on 15th and 17th March 2001. The first concert is in support of the people reported for the demonstration against the nazi Haider arrival in Rome, while the second took place in the Social Centre "Villaggio Globale" with an audience of 9.000 people. The great success of these occasional concerts was the input to find new energies and the Banda Bassotti started to reorganize its future as a band. They started again to play and they received great demands from Italy and Spain.
In May 2001 a double live cd has been published by the label Gridalo Forte Records with the title "Un altro giorno d’amore" recorded at the Villaggio Globale and mixed in the Euskadi Garate Studio by Kaki Arkarazo. The video is the live concert of May 17th as well. Fermin Muguruza took part to roman concerts singing "La Linea del Frente" and "Zu Trapartu Arte" the two most famous songs by Fermin Muguruza’s first band: the Kortatu. After a while they shoot the video of "Carabina 30-30" and Maurizio Gregori -Ramiccia’s saxophonist- joined the band.
In summer 2001 the Banda bassotti is on tour again in Italy, Spain and the Basque Country until September when they played at the Independent Day Festival with Manu Chao, Africa Unite, and so on. Without forgetting their attitude, the Banda Bassotti and their label organized a concert in Rome to support the partisan Walter Dall’Olmo and his family. After that they performed in Italy and Spain and in November 2001, during their first seven concerts tour, they had a total audience of about 30.000 people.
In their second tour in December, with four concerts their audience was of around 7.000 people. During this month they released a compilation with the title "Poetry and reality" for the Japanese label Two Children Records.
Singer Angelo "Sigaro" Conti, died at the age of 62 on 11 December 2018.
Gabino Barrera
Banda Bassotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Andando en la borrachera
Cargaba pistolas con seis cargadores
Le daba gusto a cualquiera
Usaba el bigote en cuadro abultado
Su paño al cuello enredado
Canciones de manta, chamarra de cuero
Sus pies campesinos usaban guareces
Que a veces a raiz andaban
Pero le cuadraba pagar los mariachis
La plata no le importaba
Con una botella de caña en la mano gritaba
¡viva zapata!
Porque era aranceno el indio suriano
Hijo de muy buena mata
Era alto y bien dado, muy ancho de espalda
Su rostro mal enganchado
Su negra mirada un aire le daba
Al buitre de la montaña
Gabino Barrera dejaba mujeres
Con hijos por dondequiera
Por eso los pueblos por donde se paseaba
Se la tenian sentenciada
Recuerdo la noche que lo asesinaron
Venía de ver a su amada
Dieciocho descargas de moser sonaron
Sin darle tiempo de nada
Gabino Barrera con todo y caballo
Cayó por la balacera
La cara de ese hombre revolucionrio
Cayó besando la tierra
The lyrics of Banda Bassotti's song "Gabino Barrera" tell the story of a legendary character named Gabino Barrera. Gabino is depicted as a rebellious and fearless man who doesn't listen to reason. He is constantly intoxicated and carries multiple pistols with him, giving pleasure to anyone who crosses his path. He is described as having a thick mustache and a tangled scarf around his neck. Wearing songs on his sleeve and a leather jacket, he always wears his hat tipped to the side. Despite his rough exterior, Gabino's feet are described as peasant-like, sometimes barefoot, but he always makes sure to pay for the mariachi bands, showing that money is of no concern to him.
The lyrics further describe Gabino as a vocal supporter of Zapata, a revolutionary figure from the Mexican Revolution. Being of indigenous descent, Gabino proudly identifies with his roots and embraces his heritage. However, his actions and lifestyle, including leaving behind women with children wherever he goes, result in him being condemned by the towns he frequents. The song culminates with Gabino's ultimate demise, as he is assassinated on his way back from seeing his beloved. He falls victim to a hail of gunshots, with his face landing on the ground, symbolizing the end of his revolutionary spirit.
Overall, "Gabino Barrera" paints a vivid picture of a charismatic and defiant outlaw figure who embodies the spirit of rebellion and the consequences that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Gabino Barrera no entiende a razones
Gabino Barrera does not listen to reason
Andando en la borrachera
Walking in a drunken state
Cargaba pistolas con seis cargadores
He carried pistols with six magazines
Le daba gusto a cualquiera
He pleased anyone
Usaba el bigote en cuadro abultado
He wore a thick mustache
Su paño al cuello enredado
His scarf tangled around his neck
Canciones de manta, chamarra de cuero
Songs of rebellion, leather jacket
Traía punteado el sombrero
He had his hat decorated
Sus pies campesinos usaban guareces
His peasant feet wore boots
Que a veces a raiz andaban
That sometimes walked barefoot
Pero le cuadraba pagar los mariachis
But he could afford to pay the mariachis
La plata no le importaba
He didn't care about money
Con una botella de caña en la mano gritaba
With a bottle of cane in hand, he shouted
¡viva zapata!
Long live Zapata!
Porque era aranceno el indio suriano
Because he was a Zapotec Indian from Oaxaca
Hijo de muy buena mata
Son of a great lineage
Era alto y bien dado, muy ancho de espalda
He was tall and well-built, with a wide back
Su rostro mal enganchado
His misfitting face
Su negra mirada un aire le daba
His dark gaze gave him an air
Al buitre de la montaña
Like a vulture in the mountains
Gabino Barrera dejaba mujeres
Gabino Barrera left behind women
Con hijos por dondequiera
With children everywhere
Por eso los pueblos por donde se paseaba
That's why the towns he passed through
Se la tenian sentenciada
Had sentenced him
Recuerdo la noche que lo asesinaron
I remember the night he was murdered
Venía de ver a su amada
He was coming from seeing his beloved
Dieciocho descargas de moser sonaron
Eighteen shots from a Moser gun sounded
Sin darle tiempo de nada
Without giving him any time
Gabino Barrera con todo y caballo
Gabino Barrera, horse and all
Cayó por la balacera
Fell due to the gunfire
La cara de ese hombre revolucionario
The face of that revolutionary man
Cayó besando la tierra
Fell, kissing the ground
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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