Hiperico is a singer-songwriter based in Rome active since the nineties with his first name, Enrico Pezza. “Nove” is the first record he makes with this nickname and he was born in a period in which he lived in Spain, in the Canary Islands, on the island of Fuerteventura, far from the metropolitan life and the increasingly frenetic dynamics of the music market. Almost all the songs on the record were conceived during sessions in the rock desert between Lajares and El Cotillo, with collaborators (first his partner Mira) who, like him, were immersed in the silence of that landscape broken only by the wind. After these five years abroad, Hiperico returned to Italy to get back into play with this “Nove”, which sees Sante Rutigliano as an artistic producer and Cesare Petulicchio of Bud Spencer Blues among the guests. Between folk, electronics and an indie aesthetic, “Nove”, anticipated by the singles “We will free” and “Stare senza”, is a record composed of nine tracks, one for each year in which Hiperico was away from the recording rooms but always and however close to the music, as it still is. Rome Central interviewed him to find out more about his journey and this record.
We know that you make music from the 90s but little else. Before the Hiperico project, with whom and what did you play?
I started to play the acoustic guitar and sing my songs live in 1998. During the many live evenings I met the musicians who accompanied me in my first singer-songwriting project until I recorded and played live the album ” With bare hands “(2009) with my name and surname: Enrico Pezza. With the song “Saturday of the West” I won the national poetry contest “Guido Gozzano”.
What relationship do you have with Rome? You left it to go live on a semi-desert island but now you’re back: how has it changed compared to your needs?
Hate and love. Having to return to live in Rome we thought that the least traumatic solution was to live near a park trying to replace the blue of the ocean with the green and I must say that it is working. The city, as far as I’m concerned, has not substantially changed. Rome is a city quite “immobile” in its merits and its faults and it is perhaps for this reason that it is always a point of reference. And in fact, to paraphrase Remo Remotti: “Mamma Roma: arieccome !!!”.
Let’s move on to the record: how do you place “Nove” in relation to the Roman singer-songwriter scene that is experiencing a period of glory?
I am happy that the Italian scene, and in particular the Roman one, has been quite relieved compared to a few years ago, but in all sincerity Mira and my partner, bass player of the album, try to compose music without thinking about where can be placed. However I find that “Nove” is a work in line with both Italian and foreign indie production …
Among the collaborations of the disc stand out those with Sante Rutigliano, your artistic producer, and Cesare Petulicchio, drummer of Bud Spencer Blues Explosion. How were they born?
They were born a long time ago, as I said, in the live evenings of the late 90s and early 2000s. I, Sante and Cesare played my songs live for Italy for several years. We still collaborate, but above all we see each other often and we are great friends.
What other artists would you like to collaborate with?
It would be so long on the list … I really like collaborating and experimenting. I would first write with whom I would not cooperate, but it is not in my style.
What do you think of the talent shows? In the 90s still did not exist in these terms, but today they give hope to many musicians …
I do not like the concept of race, competition, especially in the field of art, but I recognize that for some, they have been and will be an excellent launching pad and an important showcase.
How do you find yourself in this era of musical overproduction, in which every day many singles, videos and every week come out as many albums? You, for example, today that the discs “die” quickly, are you already working on new music?
The artistic ferment is always welcome, so I’m happy to hear the many young artists who share their music. Me and my partner never stop making music, we deal with it every day, it’s our existential need … we have a couple of parallel projects “under construction”, but for now I do not want to anticipate anything.
Finally: what will your live shows be like and where in the capital would you like to play your new songs live?
Live will be set differently and based on club needs and limits. I have played in almost all the live clubs of the capital and now, with this project, I can not wait to start again.
Jimmy Rabbitte, the son of a fanatic of Elvis was born in Dublin in 1970. He graduated in sociology, she is always fond of music, he enjoys among small bands and journalistic collaborations. He lived in Rome for more than 15 years and not miss a concert in San Lorenzo in Testaccio , from Pigneto to Portonaccio Rome districts.