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.
La mano del morto
Banda Bassotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
la txalaparta insiste nel suo antico su e giu'un suono magico che non viene da nord ne da sud
belfast falls road today la social non ti basta mai welcome in derry bogside per strada non e' tutto ok red hand volunteer force e' l'odio che se ne va' nn so se partiro' la tregua quanto durera'
la musica irlandese che esce dai pub dice nn siamo una colonia nn lo saremo mai
twenty six & six british troops now
l'europa dei cowboy cavalca il dollaro e' in iraq
berlusconi blair aznar i servi del garande croupier black hawks and vody bags sul tavolo come le fiches tra le macerie a bagdad giocano la mano col morto
l'europa dei perdenti tra colonie a poverta'
l'europa potenti insegue un 'altro vietnam
nether oil for blood
nor oil for blood
(Grazie a fidiox per questo testo)
The song "La mano del morto" by Banda Bassotti is a powerful commentary on the ongoing struggle for identity, freedom, and justice in the world today. The lyrics speak of a generation fighting for their identity, while another is sure to follow in their footsteps. The song critiques the structure of power and the politics of hypocrisy that are perpetuated by political parties and society outside of the law. The txalaparta, a Basque percussion instrument, creates an ancient magical sound that comes not only from the northern or southern regions of the world, but from a place beyond time and borders. The lyrics also reference specific places in Ireland such as Belfast, Falls Road, and Derry Bogside, where social inequality and violence continue to persist. The Red Hand Volunteer Force is mentioned as a symbol of hatred that still exists, despite the peace treaty. The music that comes out of the pubs in Ireland is a representation of resistance against colonialism and the assertion of their own identity. The song concludes with a powerful criticism of the wars and the politics of the powerful in the world today, who pursue their own interests through violence and manipulation.
Line by Line Meaning
generazione che và lotta per la sua identità un' altra ne arriverà sicuro che nn mollerà corona e democrazia maschera dell'ipocrisia partiti e socetà fuori dalla legalitaà
The current generation fights for their identity, and another will surely come that won't give up on the crown and democracy, seeing political parties and society as hypocrites operating outside the law.
la txalaparta insiste nel suo antico su e giu'un suono magico che non viene da nord ne da sud
The txalaparta continues its ancient magical sound, not confined to the north or south.
belfast falls road today la social non ti basta mai welcome in derry bogside per strada non e' tutto ok red hand volunteer force e' l'odio che se ne va' nn so se partiro' la tregua quanto durera'
Belfast's Falls Road shows that socialism is not enough; welcome to Derry's Bogside where everything is not okay on the streets. The Red Hand Volunteer Force is fueled by hatred, and it's unclear how long the ceasefire will last.
la musica irlandese che esce dai pub dice nn siamo una colonia nn lo saremo mai
The Irish music that comes out of pubs declares that they are not and will never be a colony.
twenty six & six british troops now
Twenty-six and six British troops now.
l'europa dei cowboy cavalca il dollaro e' in iraq berlusconi blair aznar i servi del garande croupier black hawks and vody bags sul tavolo come le fiches tra le macerie a bagdad giocano la mano col morto
The cowboy Europe rides on the dollar in Iraq. Berlusconi, Blair, and Aznar are all servants of the grand croupier. Onto the rubble of Baghdad, they play a game of poker with the dead, using Black Hawks and body bags as chips.
l'europa dei perdenti tra colonie a poverta'
The Europe of the losers is surrounded by colonies and poverty.
l'europa potenti insegue un 'altro vietnam
The powerful Europe is chasing after another Vietnam.
nether oil for blood
Neither oil nor blood.
nor oil for blood
Nor oil for blood.
Contributed by Bailey F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.