Biography
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Hallo everyone,My name is Paolo Tassotti and I was born in Rome on the 4th of March 1978. Thanks to my parents’ influence, I have had the fortune to live since I was a little child sorrounded by music. I started playing guitar at the age of 10 as a self - taught person. With my first classic guitar I used to listen and tried to reproduce the songs of the italian artist Lucio Battisti.I was 12 when I received my first elettric guitar, a japanese produced Stratocaster Fender that I still jealously keep as a treasure having improved the sound by myself during the years through the substitution of pick-ups (see section [Equipment]. In order to continually improve my musical skill I took inspiration from the best guitarists on the musical scene throurough the years, such as David Gilmour, Brian May, Steve Hackett and Andy Summers.During the same period I had the chance to have my first synthesizer, a Kawai K4. Besides from the opportunity it gave me to develop my polyinstrumental attitude, it also gave me the chance to make my first experiences with a MIDI sequencer (does anyone remember the Amiga?), a major reason for my other great passion for electronic music (Jean Michel Jarre and Depeche Mode above all).I then began a more conventional study of the classic guitar (always as a self taught). I was literally struck by the guitar transpositons of the Bach operas performed by Andres Segovia (in particular for the cello suites). As many other boys of my age I was in some groups during the years of college, a great opportunity to make diverse and enriching experiences either with the guitar and the bass guitar.
In 1998 things start to become more serious. That is the year of the foundation of a Roman cover band of the Genesis. The group receives a fairly good success on the “prog” scene of the City. The band takes its name from the expressionist movement of the Blue Knight (namely Der blaue Reiter) founded by Vasilij Kandiskij at the beginning of ‘900.In the section [Photos] you can see some pictures taken from various concerts. The band line up was originally composed by Andrea Grappis alias Zappis (vocals), Guglielmo Mariotti (bass guitar, 12 strings guitar, bass pedals) Danilo Raco (keyboards) and Carlo Fattorini (drums) and naturally me at the guitars.It was a great and intense period. The group was particularly keen on the reproduction of the vintage sound of the ‘70 as well as the teathrical permormances of Peter Gabriel thanks to the natural histrionic abilities of Zappis.Unfortunately this fairy tale did not see an happy ending. The singer Zappis had to leave the band because of a parallel project of his with another pop group the Comunicazione Corrotta produced by A. Venditti. After a short period in which other singers tried to follow Zappis’ steps, the band split up. Guglielmo Mariotti is currently member of various bands in the european new-prog scene (Mr. Punch, Fufluns). Carlo Fattorini plays with La Villa Strangiato (Rush cover band).
Since 2001, I have been writing songs in my home studio with my guitar and bass guitar. All the rest is history and if you want you can find more on this site, have a nice surfing!
