Gaznevada

Biography

Gaznevada adventure started at the end of the seventies when Billy Blade (vocal and sax), Bat Matic (drums), Andy Nevada (vocal and synth), Chainsaw Sally (bass) and Robert Squibb (guitar) decided it was time to give to their social / sonic hysteria a form. March, 1977. After the university riots some of them, start to live together in a flat in Bologna with other artists and friends. The aggregation place is an occupied house in Bologna where they lodge artists, musicians, designers, cartoonis...

Gaznevada adventure started at the end of the seventies when Billy Blade (vocal and sax), Bat Matic (drums), Andy Nevada (vocal and synth), Chainsaw Sally (bass) and Robert Squibb (guitar) decided it was time to give to their social / sonic hysteria a form.

March, 1977. After the university riots some of them, start to live together in a flat in Bologna with other artists and friends. The aggregation place is an occupied house in Bologna where they lodge artists, musicians, designers, cartoonists and directors. At this time the name of the band is “Centro D’Urlo Metropolitano”. With this band they write “Mamma dammi la Benza” the first and one track of “Centro D’Urlo Metropolitano” co-produced and distributed by the University Student Movement of Bologna in september 1977.

November, 1977. After a trip in London they decides to change name of the band into Gaznevada from the Raymond Chandler novel “Nevada gas”. At this moment the official Gaznevada members are: Alessandro Raffini (aka Billy Blade), Ciro Pagano (aka Robert Squibb), Marco Dondini (aka Bat Matic), Giorgio Lavagna (aka Andy Nevada). There are also Giampiero Huber (aka Johnny Tramonta) and Gianluca Galliani (aka Nico Gamma), but they leave the band after a few months, in 1978.

1978. Gaznevada play Ramones covers live at Punkreas Club. The show was a great success and was replied for three days. From this moment they start to play live a lot of gigs in alternative and underground clubs. They record their first tape “Gaznevada”. The tape contains a new release of “Mamma dammi la benza”, songs like “Criminale”, “Telepornovisione” and the first release of “Nevadagaz”. In this year they realize the video of “Telepornovisione” directed by Renato De Maria and Giampiero Huber.

1979. Marco Bongiovanni (aka Chainsaw Sally) joins Gaznevada as bass player. The band now is completed. After the Bologna Rock Contests they signe a contract with the indie label “Italian records”, they work with this company until 1984 and realizes the first single “Nevadagaz” b/w “Blue TV Set” in the summer 1979. The sound is influenced by Contortions, Ramones, Velvet Underground, Talking heads and Brian Eno. From here to 1983 they start to play live in clubs and rock contests. In this period Gaznevada becomes a cult band with a lot of fans.

1980. Its ready the first Gaznevada album “Sick soundtrack” for many people a reference point of italian new wave of this period. The album contains Oil tubes, Japanese Girls, Going Underground and more. In this year they play the song “Uffà Uffà” in the omonymous album of Edoardo Bennato and feature in the video of the song. They also feature in a small part of “Si salvi chi vuole” a Roberto Faenza movie with Claudia Cardinale

1981. Gaznevada publish an ep: “Dressed To Kill” inspired to the omonymous Brian de Palma movie. It sounds really electronic and dark. For the exit of the new Ep they play live at Electra 1, a rock contest with D.N.A., Lounge Lizards, Chrome, Magazzini Criminali, Peter Gordon and Bauhaus.

1982. Andy Nevada leaves Gaznevada. He says that the sound of the band is going to be too commercial for him and he starts to play with a new project: the Stupid Set. In this year Gaznevada write the new single “Ragazzi dello Spazio” b/w “Dolly” and the 12 inch “(Black Dressed) White Wild Boys”.They feature like actors in the indie musical movie “Il Pirata” and write a song for the soundtrack. At the end of the year they are ready to write “I.C.Love Affair” the song that changes the sound direction of the band.

1983. “Psicopatico Party”, the third Gaznevada album is out in record stores. The album contains “I.C.Love Affair” that will soon becomea club classic. From the album they realized a video of the song “Shock Antistatico”. After this album Bat Matic leaves Gaznevada and a new drummer join the band: Gianni Cuoghi (from the Confusional Quartet).
From this moment they feature in many important musical tv shows like Festivalbar, Disco per lestate, Domenica in, Superclassifica Show and many more. “Psicopatico Party” contains also “Agente Speciale” the song that inspired the next Gaznevada single “Special Agent Man”. This track will be remixed in 2005 re-edit by Morgan Geist and available in the collection album “Confuzed Disco” of Mantra Vibes, label of Expanded Music group.

1984. Comes out a new Gaznevada single: “Ticket to Los Angeles” it will be last for the Italian records label.

1985. Gaznevada sign a new contract with Emi Music and write a new album: Back to the jungle. “Living in the jungle” is the new single and also new video taken from this new album. The single goes on top of the charts and the video, directed by Renzo Martinelli, gains a special prize for realization and effects. From the same album the track “Mary is a Clerk” remixed by a french dj team becomes a success in France.

1986. Gaznevada feature in the film “Dolce Assenza” directed by Claudio Sestieri, and “Railway Station Boy”, one song of “Back to the jungle” album, its chosen for the movie soundtrack. The single “Sex Sister” is published and for the first time Gaznevada become artistic producer. The mixing of the track was made in Munich at Paradise Studio, the famous studio where Giorgio Moroder has composed and mixed its songs.

1987. In this year Billy Blade leaves and then Gianni Cuoghi leaves the band. At this point Marco Bongiovanni and Ciro Pagano are searching for a new singer. After a lot of test with mor singers they choose Nicola Guiducci from the club “Killer Plastic”. Gaznevada now sign a new record contract with the CBS record company for a new Gaznevada album this time produced by Guido Elmi, artistic producer of Vasco Rossi, Steve Roger’s Band, Alberto Fortis and more.

1988. “Strange Life”, fourth and last Gaznevada album is published. From this album are extracted the singles and the video “Thrill of the Night” and the songs “Sometimes” and “Jimmy Boy”. At this point Ciro Pagano and Marco Bongiovanni decide to freeze Gaznevada to start their personal career: Marco Bongiovanni aka Markino, DJH feat. Stefy, Kaliya and Ciro Pagano aka Do it, Masoko solo, Datura.

2002. After 14 years a new Gaznevada single is published by Emi record company: Dance No Dance. The song is produced by Datura and sounds really eighties and new wave.

2006. Special Agent Man, Oil Tubes and I.C. Love Affair are remixed by Morgan Geist, Kiki and Munk for “Confuzed Disco” a new compilation retrospective of italian eighties sound. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.