the march |
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Odette Di Maio : vocals, guitars Ben Slavin: vocals, guitars The duet was born in autumn of 2001, following a strong friendship that ties together Odette & Ben, with the intention to propose a new kind of acoustic folk-pop. They are one of the first bands in Italy to adhere, unknowingly, to the growing international New Acoustic Movement (NAM). Their influences include bands such as Indigo Girls, Coldplay and artists such as Ani Di Franco & Aimee Mann and they underline the feeling and intensity coming out of the power of two pure voices blending together in order to re-establish the immediacy of simple but emotional music. Their sound is evident in their demo released in July 2002, arranged and performed with their band, Federico Filonzi, Boris Bartoletti and Claudio Panariello. The March have been on tour all through Italy to promote their new songs and covers from their favourite artists, played in duo and with the band. Their tour took the duo also to East Coast USA in October 2003, going from Montreal to New York and stopping in Boston, Providence and Saratoga Springs. The tour ended at the famous CBGB club in New York City where many famous artists like The Ramones & The Sex Pistols have performed on their way to rock history. In July 2004, after a winter break, they're invited to perform at European known Music Festival Arezzo Wave (www.arezzowave.com) obtaining great success and enthusiastic reviews. At the moment, they are planning new important activities for 2005, also willing to bring the duo up to the international scene as a socially involved band.BEN SLAVIN, is an emerging opera singer whose passion also resides in the political Folk/Rock genre. He graduated in Opera/Musical Theatre before moving to Milan, Italy to study and pursue his operatic career. In March of 2001 he met Odette in an Irish Pub in Milan. A year later, after finding they had similar musical tastes, they decided to collaborate musically forming "The March. Ben has won 1st place in The National Association of Teachers of Singing" competition four years in a row. He has also studied at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, The Mozarteum in Salzburg, La Scuola Musicale di Milano and the CAP 21 Musical Theater program with New York University. His stage credits include over 35 operatic and musical roles including Sulpice (La Fille Du Regiment), Bartolo (La Nozze Di Figaro), Papageno (Die Zauberflote), T.R. (Tintypes) and Bazzard (The Mystery of Edwin Drood). He has also performed extensively in recitals and concerts in both the U.S. and in Europe. His warm, vibrant baritone voice is also suited in the folk-rock genre. His music is a true mix of styles ranging from simple ballads to jazz to intricate folk-rock. His lyrics are equally varied. He moves easily between political anthems, storytelling and straight-forward poetry. Ben currently divides his time between New York City and Naples where he performs regularly in both opera and folk. |