The three founding members of THE BLUESPOTS, Danny De Stefani, guitar and vocals, Max Pavin, bass, and Roby Berlini, drums, met and got to know each other on the underground club scene in Milan in the early 80’s. Hailing from diverse musical backgrounds they were however united by a common thread, their love of the music they heard coming from the other side of the Pond, out of the American Deep South: Blues and R’n’B.
. Blues bands in Italy in those days were few and far between and could be literally counted on the fingers of one hand (The Treves Blues Band, Cooper Terry, Giancarlo Crea’s Model-T Boogie, Arthur Miles and the Blues Shakers). It was in the ranks of these bands that Max and Roby served their musical apprenticeships and paid their ‘blues dues’. These ‘pioneering’ blues outfits stirred-up a lot of interest in Italy and not only generated a legion of fans but a whole movement of musicians who wanted to be involved actively on the blues scene.
. Danny De Stefani was among these. Danny paid his dues and honed his style to razor sharpness during his ten-year stint with the Milan based group Fat’s Band, playing countless gigs at blues clubs and festivals in northern Italy. The Milan blues scene soon developed a ‘Blues culture’ and the time honoured blues traditions of “jamming” and “subbing” rapidly became part of the everyday routine for blues players. Thanks to these activities Danny quickly got himself noticed by band leaders and musicians alike and it wasn’t long before he found himself holding down guitar duties on a regular basis with one of the premier names on the circuit, Arthur Miles and the Blues Shakers, alongside Max and Roby, the bands rhythm section.
. Towards the end of the 90’s, Danny, Max and Roby, working individually as sidemen, found themselves ever more in demand by a number of well known artists at both national and international levels: Arthur Miles, Model-T Boogie, Dave Baker, Fabio Treves, Jay Howens, Tolo Marton and Ronnie Jones are just a few of the names who sported one or more of the future members of the ‘BLUESPOTS’ in their line-ups at some time or other.
. And so “THE BLUESPOTS” were born, with front man Danny taking care of vocals and creating a powerful passionate dialogue between his singing and inspired energetic guitar playing, shot full of those ‘killer licks’ crafted into his style over the years. Behind and underneath him, driving things ahead at full tilt, the tried and trusted rhythm section of Max and Roby, laying down a rock solid groove for him to bounce off. At a later date, Paolo Verdelli on guitar joined the proceedings adding an extra dimension and punch on the electric stuff and refining even further the texture and voicing on the acoustic numbers.
. In choosing their repertoire THE BLUESPOTS dipped deep into the great melting pot of Afro-American music, pulling out and re-working a selection of R’n’B and Blues Standards, Classic Rock and Soul, all from the very best traditions of great American performers: Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, B.B. King, Albert King, Wilson Pickett and Jimi Hendrix. The result is a dynamic modern interpretation of blues and R’n’B, a heady eclectic mix, armed with a contemporary edge that brings things bang up-to-date. A unique ‘BLUESPOTS’ recipe, cooked up with a generous helping of the BLUESPOTS own special kind of spice, that makes things hot, rockin’ and ready to roll.
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The Bluespots , che dire ……..
Il luogo dove si incontrano e nascono The Bluespots è l’underground milanese. All’inizio la band è formata da tre musicisti provenienti da diverse realtà musicali, unite però da un unico filo conduttore, la musica nera d’oltre oceano nata nel sud degli Stati Uniti.
Nei primi anni Ottanta le Blues Band del milanese si contavano sulle dita di una mano (F. Treves, Cooper Terry, G. Crea, Model T Boogie, A. Miles) ed è tra queste che Massimo Pavin e Roberto Berlini muovono i primi passi.
Intorno a questi nomi cominciano a ruotare non solo semplici appassionati del genere, ma anche giovani che non volendo avere solo un ruolo di spettatori, danno vita a diverse band : tra questi Danny De Stefani che con la Fat’s Band suona per un decennio in diversi Festival e numerosi locali nel nord Italia. Negli stessi anni iniziano anche le collaborazioni ed è cosi che Danny si trova con Massimo e Roby, già membri stabili dei Blueshakers, a dividere il palco con Arthur Miles.
Verso la fine degli anni Novanta, si fanno più numerose le collaborazioni singole dei tre con vari musicisti stranieri ed italiani, quali : Arthur Miles, Model T-Boogie, Dave Baker, F.,Treves, Jay Howens, Tolo Marton, Ronnie Jones, Fat's Band ed altri.
Si formano così “THE BLUESPOTS ": Danny, una voce ed una chitarra ispirate da una passione energica e sanguigna, supportate dal groove di una sezione ritmica granitica collaudata nel tempo, Max al basso e Roby alla batteria. Il trio si avvale in un secondo tempo della collaborazione di un'altra chitarra, Paolo Verdelli,dai tratti decisi ma con lo sguardo rivolto alle origini, che con il suo lavoro conferisce al sound elettrico più impatto e a quello acustico più colore.
Amanti di quelle che sono le radici e le origini del Blues, siano esse elettriche o acustiche, i quattro Bluespots non si pongono riluttanze verso i vari generi che hanno preso vita da esso. Per questo il repertorio proposto è, infatti, un’energica miscela di Rockin' Blues, R&B, Soul e Rock'n Roll, ispirato, come nelle migliori tradizioni, dai grandi artisti d'oltre oceano che hanno fatto la storia di questi generi quali:R. Johnson, T-Bone Walker, M.Waters, I. Turner, B.B.King, A. King, J. Hendrix, W. Picket, ecc. Il sound creato dalla band si rifa' invece ad artisti più contemporanei quali D. Robillard J. Thackery, Fabulous Thunderbird, ArcAngels ,Doyle Bramhall II S.R. Vaughan..
"THE BLUESPOTS" fanno rivivere sul palco le sonorità ed il groove di cinquant' anni di musica. Uno spettacolo sempre teso a coinvolgere chi ascolta a prescindere dalla situazione, sia elettrica o acustica, sempre dinamicamente sostenuto che all’occasione permette al pubblico di sfogarsi nel ballo o assaporare suoni e ritmiche padri di tutti i generi moderni.
Thanks for the great compliment relating to my music. I'm proud to be a friend of such dedicated musicians. Good luck with your evolving music career. My best to all in beautiful Italy. Keep on Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
