Biography Wikipedia
Group Members: Tonj Acquaviva, Marito Rivera Y Su Grupo Bravo
Wikipedia:
Agricantus (from the latin: the singing of the corn field) is a Sicilian musical group of mixed genres. Founded in Palermo, Italy, in 1979, the group has included many artists, including, in alphabetical order, Tonj Acquaviva (vocals, drums, sequencer and percussion), Mario Crispi (wind) until 2008, Pippo Pollina (vocals and guitar) until 1985, Mario Rivera (electric bass) until 2004, and other musicians.
History
Especially in the second half of the 1990s, Agricantus has represented a mix of musical styles, languages and dialects, musical instruments, and new and old sounds. The group's artistic style was initially tied to Andean music and South American popular culture along the lines of the musical movement Nueva Canción Chilena.
When the group began 1979 and through the 1980s, Agricantus followed Sicilian popular musical culture, drawing on the atmosphere to influence and inspire their own work. It was only in the 1990s that the group became more autonomous and developed their own particular style with the release of Gnanzù!, an album dedicated to the music of Southern Italy and the result of a broad study of the oral traditions and of materials obtained through the use of new technologies alongside more archaic sounds. During this period, they also brought in Swiss singer Rosie Wiederkehr, who from that moment onwards represented the vocal impact of the group.
In 1995, the group produced a prolific assortment of concept albums, increasing both the usage of other European languages alongside the native Sicilian and the use of diverse ethnic and electric instruments from around the world. The most representative album of this time, Tuareg was released in 1996, winning Agricantus multiple national awards. The group also branched into the realm of cinema, participating in international music compilations, such as Buddha Bar IV (Amatevi), creating a global name for Agricantus.
In 2008, under the name "Acquaviva - The Soul and the voices of Agricantus", they released the album "Millennium klima", a combination of music and visual arts.
In 2011 Agricantus was awarded the Prize Bodini (culture in the mediterranean), that the group will dedicate to Amnesty International for its 50th anniversary.