Avincola: “Italian pop is flat: we need someone like Carella”

“I don't know why, but I have always been fascinated by outsiders, by artists left in the shadows. Carella is one of these. A genius who, however, has not had the right recognition”, says Simona Avincola, simply Avincola to her friends, a Roman singer-songwriter born in 1987 who over the years has carved out a place for himself among the protagonists of the new Capitoline school. And so after having paid homage in 2013 to Stefano Rosso, cult artist of the Roman singer-songwriter scene, who passed away in 2008, with the docu-film “L'ultimo romano”, now Avincola pays homage Enzo Carella. He does it with a tour, simply titled “Avincola canta Carella”, in which the singer-songwriter seen competing among young people at the Sanremo Festival in 2021 with his “Goal!” reinterprets on club stages the songs from the repertoire of the late “Barbara” artist (after the debut on March 1st at the Asino che Vola in Rome, the tour will stop on April 10th at the Spazio Webo in Pesaro, on April 11th at 'Apollo in Milan and on 12 April at Cap10100 in Turin).

Why Carella?

“Because he deserves it. Some of his songs seem to come not from yesterday, but from tomorrow. I am convinced that the last album you recorded, 'Ahoh Ye Nànà', is a sort of message in a bottle that will reach future generations and will be rediscovered in some way. He has always been ahead, too ahead, ever since he debuted with 'Vocation' in 1977. In 'Sphinx', in 1981, he anticipated what would be the trends of the 80s. And he probably also anticipated Lucio Battisti”.

Really?

“I think so. She began incorporating elements of funk into his records before he did. 'Barbara and other Carella' was released in 1979, a year before 'Una giorno uggiosa'”.

The trait d'union between the two was Pasquale Panella, who wrote the lyrics for “Barrì” for you, contained in your latest album of the same name. What did he tell you about Carella?

“That Enzo madly loved his album 'If I didn't sing I would be nobody: the Odyssey of Panella and Carella', which he had composed together with him in 1995. Some of his vinyls are difficult to find, apart from reprints. Luckily some saint uploaded the recordings to YouTube. Carella had an incredible repertoire, in some ways futurist. The tribute concert is a sort of anthology: we play songs taken from each album, starting from 'Malamore'. I was lucky enough to also meet Enzo's family. Thanks to Maccio Capatonda, who years ago looked for him to have a song by him in a film. His nephew replied: 'Uncle is not well', he told him. He left shortly after.”

Has the family by any chance told you if there are any unreleased items?

“There is something, yes. After all, it was Carella himself who said on Facebook that he had found some old, unpublished auditions.”

Would you like to engrave them?

“It would be a huge responsibility.”

Your friend Morgan has nominated himself as artistic director of Sanremo. You could introduce him to one of those songs.

“For me it would be nice to return to the Festival in general. Doing it with a piece of Carella would be wonderful: a gift to the Carella people. At the very least, there would be a different name among the authors of the songs, given that lately the same ones have always been around.”

Is Carella pop?

“In my opinion, yes. It can be fascinating in many ways. Today a character like him would be a hit. And in today's Italian pop music, so flat in terms of lyrics, a Carella would be useful: he would give the public something capable of destabilizing them”.