G.L.A.S.
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The idea of creating G.L.A.S. born in 1985 when the bass player Alex "Midnight" Moschini meets the drummer Sergio Leonetti. The two musicians talk about their intention of creating a hard rock band and begin to search the missing elements to build it. In the beginning of 1986 they meet the guitar player Massimo Cappelli who will be also the lead vocalist for several time and they begin together to compose the songs for their live acts. In the next months band's line-up will be complete with the arrival of the lead guitarist Alessandro Innocenti. Thanks to a 4 tracks Fostex portable studio recorder the band records and arranges the composed songs that will be played in concert. The live debut arrives on November 15th 1986 and in this occasion G.L.A.S. open for a local band called Damamial. The answer of the people is very good and the band begins 1987 with some live dates in the local area. In March 1987 the band publishes his first official tape the demo "Speak of the heart" that is spread among radios, magazines and concerts organizers and that brings to the band many concerts and radio interviews. During 1987 the band plays live everywhere in the local area and for that G.L.A.S. name begins to be known. The most important episode of the first part of band's history is for sure the recording of the EP "Audax Vincit" published on March 11th 1998 by G.a.s. records in Florence. This 5 tracks record glam hard rock oriented and with the cooperation of the singer Pino Salomone on the lead vocals, bring the band on the pages of the main hard rock magazines in Italy and abroad. In particular Kerrang! the most important British heavy metal magazine keeps an eye to the record of the Italian band and write a review about it. Today "Audax Vincit" is a rare record, an important document of the New Wave of Italian Heavy Metal of the '80s and its value is between 50 and 60 Euros. The band plays in various live acts during 1988 but something changes in group's destiny and at the end of the year the lead vocalist and guitarist Massimo Cappelli leaves the band. Researchings for the substitute end with the arrival into the line-up of the guitarist Lorenzo Tanini (now with Fool's Moon together with Jacopo Meille and Matteo Panichi on their debut cd "Beyond the sky" - 2007) and of the singer Laurilio Ciofi.
With this new line-up the band immediately publishes the demo tape "Made in Italy" and the press write good reviews about it. Thanks to the demo the band obtain a contract with the talent scout agency "Musical Box Promotion" owned by Klaus Byron, at that time responsible for the section Italian heavy metal on the review Metal Shock, today director of the monthly heavy metal review Flash Europa. The genre of the tape is now American AOR oriented with class metal influences of bands like Dokken and Ratt. The song "Goodbye" is included into the playlist of a french radio and the whole tape reaches the 12th position in a special chart published by Flash Metal of the 20 most heard and spread Italian products before bands with a record for sale as well. In the meantime the guitarist Alessandro Innocenti leaves the band and join the line-up of the country pop band Ontario with which he plays even today and with which published 2 cds. The band decide to go on as a quartet. In the beginning of 1991 the band reach the higher point of its celebrity thanks to the publishing of the cd compilation "R.A.U.S.?" by Musical Box Promotion. The chosen song is "Heartbeat city" a typical American AOR track. With this song the band appears for the first time and only for the moment in a television program from the studios of the local TVR. But in the April of the same year either the drummer Sergio Leonetti or the singer Laurilio Ciofi leave the band. The first one will reach Alessandro Innocenti into the band Ontario and will record with them the first cd. The band is forced to a long period of stop due to the militar service first for Lorenzo Tanini and then for Alex "Midnight" Moschini.
In the beginning of 1992 the band comes back with a new line-up composed by the singer Fabio Nocchi, the keyboarder Freddy Delirio (later with Death SS and then with his own band H.A.R.E.M.) and the drummer Andrea Roventini (today with the Steve Rogers Band together with Maurizio Solieri and Giacomo Giannotti - Vasco Rossi's guitar player and keyboarder). With the new line-up the band doesn't record any studio tape but it takes part to several contests reaching the 3rd position at "On the rock", contest that gave the celebrity to bands as Labirynth, and a very good 7th position at the contest Chianciano Rock. But something happens into the line-up and at the end of the year there is the divorce among the band, Freddy Delirio and Fabio Nocchi. As a trio with Alex "Midnight" Moschini on the vocals the band plays live until May 1993 then splits up. In 1997 the band comes together again with Lorenzo Tanini, Alex "Midnight" Moschini and Sergio Leonetti who had just ended his adventure with Ontario. The new band goes on for about 7 months and then splits up again but there is the time for several live acts and the people at their concerts support and appreciate the old songs, the new songs and the covers played alive. The band plays together again in occasion of a live act in June 1999 (Only Alessandro Innocenti was missing as he was in Switzerland on tour with his band Ontario) then there are no news until the beginning of 2004 when some some radios and 'zines in Spain and Argentina show their interest toward the group. This interest and the will of playing together again makes the band come together again in June 2004. The fruit of the reunion is the new release of the band "Eighteen" 6 tracks cdr of pure AOR published on May 11th 2005 after 14 years of silence. The line up is the following: Alex "Midnight" Moschini (Vocals, bass guitar), Massimo Cappelli (Vocals, Rhythm guitars), Alessio Viani (Guitars), Sergio Leonetti (Drums). The adventures goes on....
Discography:
"Speak of the heart" (1987-Demo tape) "Audax Vincit" (1988-EP) "Made in Italy" (1989-Demo tape) "R.A.U.S.?" (1991-cd compilation. The band appears with the song "Heartbeat city") "Eighteen" (2005-Demo tape)
Line up:
Alex "Midnight" Moschini: Vocals Bass guitar Massimo Cappelli: Rhythm guitars Alessio Viani: Lead and rhythm guitars Sergio Leonetti: Drums
website: www.glasweb.it