New month, new bands! All the way from… well, we’ll let them tell you all that stuff! Take it away, Tessilgar!
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are all from Lodi, a city in the north of Italy.
How did you meet?
Alberto and Gabriele are childhood friends and founding members of the band. Then came Stefano and Matteo through mutual friends. Finally, Luca joined the band after meeting Stefano during their studies at the Modern Music Institute in Ospedaletto Lodigiani (LO).
How long have you been playing as a band?
The project started as a cover band in 2008. After several years we made the decision to completely give up cover songs and, since the end of 2020, the band concentrated exclusively on producing original songs.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
The first rehearsal room was located in a warehouse of a textile company called Tessilgar. As we had not chosen a final name yet and the first gig was very close, following a friend’s suggestion we decided to call our band Tessilgar. Since that day, the name has remained unchanged.
What are your influences?
Each of us has a different background, some are more inspired by metal, some by rock, some by alternative rock. In general we can say that we are inspired by bands such as Black Sabbath, early Shinedown, Alter Bridge, Avenged Sevenfold, Ozzy Osbourne, Soundgarden and the like…
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Despite the fact that each of us has a different background, our songs successfully mix our different styles/influences and sounds, making them recognisable, modern and fresh.
In 2023, standing out is challenging, but we do our best… Let our listeners be the judges of that.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
For the time being, our lyrics are mainly about inner conflicts, instincts and streams of consciousness. Our songs tell of the darkest and most hidden parts of ourselves and the difficulties of showing them, but they also tell of the need to find and express ourselves.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Energetic and adrenaline-pumping. The feedback we have received to date confirms the explosiveness of our live shows.
We’ve played about 100 live shows.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Once, during one of our live shows, we noticed from the stage a group of guys, clearly very drunk, burning pentacles in the middle of the audience. It was also very weird because none of our songs is about hell, Satan or anything like that.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Gabriele (guitar) – Ibanez RG Prestige and handmade Telecaster – Fractal FM3 amp modeler/FX processor
Alberto (second guitar) – Schecter Luigi Schiavone – Fractal FM3 amp modeler/FX processor
Luca (bass guitar) – Fender precision HW ’62 – Music Man ’80 head w/Ampeg 4×10 cabinet
Matteo (drums) – Drum Sound Rebel series with Sabian cymbals
Stefano (voice) – Mic Shure beta 58 radio – Boss ve20
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Our single “By Your Side”, released in February.
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
We are working on the release of our next single, scheduled in November, and on our first album, due in 2024.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
It would be very cool to open for Hungryheart, we know each other well, they have been an example to us, and being able to play with them would make us really proud.
As for the band that would open for us, it could be HellFox, an all-female band: they are friends of ours, we have already played some shows together and it is always a pleasure to share the stage with them.
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If you want to check out more new music, then fire up our Headline Act playlists on Spotify and YouTube!
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