Modena City Ramblers (also known as M.C.R.) is an Italian folk rock band founded in 1991. Their music is heavily influenced by Celtic themes, and can be compared to folk rock music. The band has sold over 500,000 albums. Known for their left-wing politics, their lyrics often speak out against the Mafia and fascism.

Biography

The Modena City Ramblers were formed in 1991 by a group of friends who wanted to play traditional Irish music. The first to join were Alberto Morselli, Giovanni Rubbiani and Alberto Cottica (previously in Lontano da dove), Chris Dennis (formerly a member of Nomadi), Filippo Chieli, Franco D'Aniello and Luciano Gaetani from 'Abazia dei folli. On Saint Patrick's Day in 1991, during a concert in a pub in Modena, they chose the name Modena City Ramblers. The name was a homage to Dublin City Ramblers, an Irish band.Alberto Morselli in his biography

In 1992, they were joined by bassist Massimo Ghiacci (formerly in the band Plutonium 99). During the evening of 1 March, they recorded their first demo. During a concert at a pub in Carpi, Stefano "Cisco" Bellotti sang "The Wild Rover" for the first time.Stefano "Cisco" Bellotti in Clan Banlieue – 12 years of songs, concerts, interviews, journeys, videos At this time the Modena City Ramblers became an open company, and have remained so during throughout their history, with almost all members who have left the band returning sporadically to play with the group. Their most famous concert was performed as the opening act for the Pogues in Modena. Their repertoire has since expanded considerably, including traditional Italian songs such as "Bella ciao", "Fischia il vento", and "Contessa".

The singer of the group Cisco, along with producer Kaba Cavazzuti, who also became "a new member of the Modena City Ramblers after changes in the original line-up", released the album of the ‘brother band’ Casa del Vento, titled "900" which came out in February 2001.

Members The band's lineup has changed many times since its formation. After the first album, singer Alberto Morselli left the band; in 1996, Francesco Moneti replaced Marco Michelini, and Giovanni Rubbiani and Alberto Cottica left the band in 2001. Singer Stefano "Cisco" Bellotti left the band in 2005 after fourteen years. The lineup in 2006 was:

Davide "Dudu" Morandi: singer, bass, acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, glockenspiel, harmonica Elisabetta "Betty" Vezzani: singer, acoustic and electric guitar, tambourine, mandolin Massimo "Ice" Ghiacci: acoustic and electric bass, double bass, tea chest bass, sax,Tour 2008 backing vocals, acoustic guitar Franco D'Aniello: flute, tin whistle, trumpet, sax, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, percussion Francesco "Fry" Moneti: acoustic and electric guitar, acoustic, electric and Indian violin, banjo, oud, mandolin, backing vocals Roberto Zeno: drums, percussion, backing vocals, mandolin, acoustic guitar and piano Arcangelo "Kaba" Cavazzuti: drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, bass, charango, piano, trumpet,Tour 2008 Image shaker, banjo, backing vocals Luca "Gabibbo" Giacometti (died in 2007): bouzouki, mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

Discography

Album 1994 – Riportando tutto a casa 1996 – La grande famiglia 1997 – Terra e libertà 1998 – Raccolti 1999 – Fuori campo 2002 – Radio Rebelde 2004 – ¡Viva la vida, muera la muerte! 2005 – Appunti partigiani 2006 – Dopo il lungo inverno 2008 – Bella ciao – Italian Combat Folk for the Masses 2009 – Onda libera 2011 – Sul tetto del mondo 2013 – Niente di nuovo sul fronte occidentale 2014 – Venti 2015 – Tracce Clandestine

EPs 1998 – Cent'anni di solitudine 1999 – L'Italia ai tempi dei Modena City Ramblers 2003 – Modena City Remix 2003 – Gocce (for Acqua per la Pace) 2004 – El presidente

Rarities 1992 – On the first day of March...Live demo – autoproduced demotape 1993 – Combat Folk – autoproduced demotape 2000 – Il resto raccolto – recorded only for fan club

DVD 2004 – Clan Banlieue – twelve years of songs, concerts, interviews, journey, unreleased videos

Participations 1995 – Tributo ad Augusto (CGD) – with L'atomica cinese 1995 – Materiale resistente – with Bella ciao 1995 – I disertori – a tribute to Ivano Fossati – play Gli amanti d'Irlanda 1999 – A come Ambiente (La Stampa)- with Madre Terra 2002 – Piazza Carlo Giuliani ragazzo – with La legge giusta (inspired by the 27th G8 summit) 2002 – Lontano – by Landscape Prayers 2003 – Balla veloce vivi lento – with Le lucertole del folk 2007 – Tre colori by Graziano Romani – with Spiriti Liberi; Stesso Viaggio Stessa Città; Corre Buon Sangue. 2007 – Nessuno oltraggi nessuno – with Socialdemocrazia by Gang, live version.

Collaborations Several of the Ramblers' songs, such as "Cent'anni di solitudine", "Macondo Express", and "Remedios la Bella" are inspired by the 1967 novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (Spanish: Cien años de soledad) by Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The song "Il bicchiere dell'addio" features Irish singer Bob Geldof. The Ramblers later recorded a version of "The Great Song of Indifference" in Emiliano-Romagnolo language, inspired by Geldof's version 1990 hit from Vegetarians of Love album. The Ramblers' album Appunti Partigiani features collaborations with many artists, including Goran Bregović, Billy Bragg, Moni Ovadia, Piero Pelù, and Francesco Guccini.

References

External links Official website Official fan club