The Obelisk Questionnaire: Silvio Dalla Valle of Cripta Blue, Desert Wizards & Fresno Bob
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Silvio Dalla Valle of Cripta Blue, Desert Wizards & Fresno Bob
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I play drums in Cripta Blue and Desert Wizards, I also play bass and drums in my solo project Fresno Bob. I wouldn’t describe myself a proper musician, I’m definitely not a technical player, but I enjoy myself beating the skins and play some riffs. My brother used to play drums and when he sold the drum kit, I buy another one for me the day after and started to play on the easiest songs I liked at the time, that was my beginning.
Describe your first musical memory.
I really don’t have a good memory generally, but I remember one time probably at the beginning of the ’80s, coming back with my parents from a trip to Venice, sitting in the rearseats of my dad’s car listening to some shitty Italian pop music coming out from the speakers.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
It is quite difficult to choose only one, but I will go with the oldest one. The first concert I saw as a kid with my friends has been Faith No More supported by L7. I will never forget when entered inside this arena the smell of tobacco, weed, sweat, alcohol and Metallica’s And Justice For All played in the background with some metal guys were banging their head. That was a kind of hell, or paradise I guess.
Since then I have seen a lot of concerts, but I have always preferred the performance in the small clubs. I mean, I wasn’t lucky enough to see Black Sabbath Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd at their peak but I’ve seen a lot of amazing bands in small venues in the last 20 years… Sleep, Earth, Saint Vitus, Graveyard, Radio Moscow, Dead Meadow, Earthless, Church of Misery, Danava just to name a few, all of them remembered me the feeling of the first time.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
In 2012 I had severe pancreatitis and I stayed 10 days in the hospital and thinkin’ from my bed that nothing would be the same anymore. Especially play music, sober. Few months after my recovery, I met one of the biggest music collector here in Europe, Giovanni Zollezzi, and I started a friendship that lead me to discover tons of obscure heavy stuff made in the ’60s and ’70s that I didn’t really know existed. As a passionate listener ever since I have never stopped looking for the music I like, be it hard rock, jazz, blues or other… so, yes I think that music helped me again to find myself.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
I think art in general is always progressing, the evolution of it can leads to new form of expressions, new musical freedom and new places of creativity.
How do you define success?
Well, it can sound like a cliché but I think of having the freedom of doing what you love, without struggling on how to pay the mortgage can be seen like a kind of success. If it makes you feel happy, for me that’s it. Whatever comes from it are extras and they are not really part of the game.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
The first thing that comes to mind is the tv series House Of Papel. I’ve seen only half of the first episode and it was enough.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I would like to do a movie soundtrack, I love movies since I was a kid and I’ve always appreciate the combination of visuals and music.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Entertaining, feeding your soul and connecting other people together, I guess.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
A trip to the west coast of the United States with my family, there are many things that I would like to see and show to my children, possibly also pairing a Dead & Co concert would not be bad at all.
www.facebook.com/criptablue
https://criptablue.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Desert-Wizards-126803530722162/
https://desertwizards.bandcamp.com/
https://fresnobob.bandcamp.com/
www.argonautarecords.com
www.facebook.com/argonautarecords
