RAW POWER
Raw Power was formed in 1981 by Mauro and Giuseppe Codeluppi (voice & guitar). Since the beginning the band had great troubles finding a stable line up. As a matter of fact ‘til recently the only two members still in the band from the original line up were the two founder – brothers. The vinyl debut “You are the Victim” was released in 1983 through a small independent Italian label. In 1984 the band signed a deal with American indie – punk label Toxic Shock ( Skin Yard , House of Large Lizards …) “Screams from the Gutter“ (Toxic Shock 1985 ) was most likely their best album so far.
A rough mixture of seminal punk and sharp hardcore . The same year the band flew over to the States for their first US tour ( and have since then returned to tour the USA about 10 times) . The reaction to the Italian punk rockers was great all around the States, and the album sold more then 40.000 copies strictly through independent distribution and shops. “Wop Hour” ( Toxic Shock 1986 ), “After your Brain” ( Toxic Shock 1986 ) and “Mine to Kill” ( Southern 1989 ) helped to develop their heavier, more riff orientated sound. Raw Power, with only a small cult following in Italy, were considered in the States as one of the best examples of the “Crossover” sound , the music which evolved from punk and known to a much wider audience through bands like S.O.D., C.O.C., D.R.I. and Attitude Adjustment.
During their long tours in the States Raw Power shared the stage with bands like Circle Jerks, Adolescents, D.O.A., Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies, Venom, Slayer, Motorhead to name a few and in a small club in Seattle in 1986 a then unknown band called Guns’n’Roses opened for the Italian cult.The band never enjoyed much more then cult status in Europe. Even though the band continued to play explosive live performances all over Europe, the never managed to a foothold. This was due to the fact that Raw Power suffered from a lack of professional managers and structure, especially in their home country, where they never had the support they deserved and needed. Raw Power never had the chance to express in a studio album the great potential that the band is able to unleash in a live concert. Their first recording for Godhead,“ Fight” ( 1995 ), with great interest MTV showed for their clip, was just a step in the process of re-creating in a studio what they can do live, which is the musical equivalent of a nuclear bomb.
This bomb exploded on the 1st of March , 1996 at the Maffia, a club in Reggio Emilia,Italy . The raw , li8ve sound was captured in the only way possible,live,for their latest release,”Live from the Gutter” on Godhead records. Twenty –seven songs, recorded with no overdubbing, perfectly reproduce the barely controlled aggression and raw attitude that recall tha t”Screams from the Gutter” period, which has been ever-present at Raw Power gigs.
In 1998 the band had several new songs ready for release and began shopping for a label in the U.S. to release them. The end result was “Reptile House” , their greatest album yet, released on their original label Toxic Shock , now known as Toxic Ranch records. Three American tours in support of the album followed .
Then in the year 2000 they released “Trust me” through a new, and short lived American label called Hello Records . The record was given fantastic reviews, and at the band’s 20 year mark, they were stronger then ever. In the summer of 2001 , the band flew to Atlanta,Georgia USA, and started the most successful American tour to date. The band was wildly welcomed in most major American cities . No matter how many member changes, label changes, etc., the two brothers that started Raw Power remained the core of the band , and as far as the world knew, would never stop!
In 2002, Raw Power went back into the studio to record yet another full length release. The new material was a celebration of the bands longevity , and the band decided to call it “Still Screaming after 20 Years “. Shortly after the record was finished, on October the 6th, founding member Giuseppe Codeluppi suffered a fatal heart attack while playing football, his second passion after music . Many thought the band would never recover , but today they are more active then ever. There has never been replacement for Giuseppe , the band leader. In 2004 the Canadian record label Sudden Death records (Joey Shithead from D.O.A.’s label) publishes their first compilation titled “ The Hit List” 32 songs that cover most of their long and productive work. They also appear in several other compilation and a couple of their earlier works are re printed . In 2005 they take part for the second time at the Wasted Festival in Morecambe UK, they then go back to England to play a show in London with Conflict and a few months later they are back again to play a string of shows in the south of England with Welsh heroes In the Shit.
On the 16th of August they are invited to take part at the “Save CBGB Campaign, a campaign that aims at keeping the place open and make people aware of the problems that the club is suffering of. The band spends 3 days in New York, days in which the band has the opportunity of feeling and seeing how much they are still loved in the Big Apple. Recently Raw Power have been back for yet another tour in Germany, with a young yet already very strong band called Scheisse Minnelli, during the tour they went for their first time to Prague.
Now the band consists of only 4 members, carrying on the name and the music and proving the words that Giuseppe wrote …. “ Raw power Will never Die!!!”.In the last 4 years the band has been back to the US every summer for a 2 weeks tour of the West Coast , and last year shows were played also in Texas, Arizona and Mexico. The band is still playing a lot of shows in Italy as well as Europe , recently they have played London , with band such as Casualties and Vice Squad as well a mini tour of 6 shows in the UK.
The present line up is as follows: Mauro Vocals. Tommi Guitar . Fabio Drums . Marco Bass. The band is just getting ready to enter the studio to lie down the tracks for their new studio album , the first since Still screaming after 20 years , last recording that saw Giuseppe the Leader of the band playing. Recently they have also recorded a song from Seattle’s The Dehumanizers , the song will be part of a tribute album to the band on P.I.G. Record .At the moment the band is just planning visits to Sweden , Finland and yet another US tour in the summer. Spring 2010 will see the release for the American P.I.G. of Raw Power’s first studio album since Giuseppe’s death , called Resuscitate will have 24 new tracks and 3 covers.
A rough mixture of seminal punk and sharp hardcore . The same year the band flew over to the States for their first US tour ( and have since then returned to tour the USA about 10 times) . The reaction to the Italian punk rockers was great all around the States, and the album sold more then 40.000 copies strictly through independent distribution and shops. “Wop Hour” ( Toxic Shock 1986 ), “After your Brain” ( Toxic Shock 1986 ) and “Mine to Kill” ( Southern 1989 ) helped to develop their heavier, more riff orientated sound. Raw Power, with only a small cult following in Italy, were considered in the States as one of the best examples of the “Crossover” sound , the music which evolved from punk and known to a much wider audience through bands like S.O.D., C.O.C., D.R.I. and Attitude Adjustment.
During their long tours in the States Raw Power shared the stage with bands like Circle Jerks, Adolescents, D.O.A., Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies, Venom, Slayer, Motorhead to name a few and in a small club in Seattle in 1986 a then unknown band called Guns’n’Roses opened for the Italian cult.The band never enjoyed much more then cult status in Europe. Even though the band continued to play explosive live performances all over Europe, the never managed to a foothold. This was due to the fact that Raw Power suffered from a lack of professional managers and structure, especially in their home country, where they never had the support they deserved and needed. Raw Power never had the chance to express in a studio album the great potential that the band is able to unleash in a live concert. Their first recording for Godhead,“ Fight” ( 1995 ), with great interest MTV showed for their clip, was just a step in the process of re-creating in a studio what they can do live, which is the musical equivalent of a nuclear bomb.
This bomb exploded on the 1st of March , 1996 at the Maffia, a club in Reggio Emilia,Italy . The raw , li8ve sound was captured in the only way possible,live,for their latest release,”Live from the Gutter” on Godhead records. Twenty –seven songs, recorded with no overdubbing, perfectly reproduce the barely controlled aggression and raw attitude that recall tha t”Screams from the Gutter” period, which has been ever-present at Raw Power gigs.
In 1998 the band had several new songs ready for release and began shopping for a label in the U.S. to release them. The end result was “Reptile House” , their greatest album yet, released on their original label Toxic Shock , now known as Toxic Ranch records. Three American tours in support of the album followed .
Then in the year 2000 they released “Trust me” through a new, and short lived American label called Hello Records . The record was given fantastic reviews, and at the band’s 20 year mark, they were stronger then ever. In the summer of 2001 , the band flew to Atlanta,Georgia USA, and started the most successful American tour to date. The band was wildly welcomed in most major American cities . No matter how many member changes, label changes, etc., the two brothers that started Raw Power remained the core of the band , and as far as the world knew, would never stop!
In 2002, Raw Power went back into the studio to record yet another full length release. The new material was a celebration of the bands longevity , and the band decided to call it “Still Screaming after 20 Years “. Shortly after the record was finished, on October the 6th, founding member Giuseppe Codeluppi suffered a fatal heart attack while playing football, his second passion after music . Many thought the band would never recover , but today they are more active then ever. There has never been replacement for Giuseppe , the band leader. In 2004 the Canadian record label Sudden Death records (Joey Shithead from D.O.A.’s label) publishes their first compilation titled “ The Hit List” 32 songs that cover most of their long and productive work. They also appear in several other compilation and a couple of their earlier works are re printed . In 2005 they take part for the second time at the Wasted Festival in Morecambe UK, they then go back to England to play a show in London with Conflict and a few months later they are back again to play a string of shows in the south of England with Welsh heroes In the Shit.
On the 16th of August they are invited to take part at the “Save CBGB Campaign, a campaign that aims at keeping the place open and make people aware of the problems that the club is suffering of. The band spends 3 days in New York, days in which the band has the opportunity of feeling and seeing how much they are still loved in the Big Apple. Recently Raw Power have been back for yet another tour in Germany, with a young yet already very strong band called Scheisse Minnelli, during the tour they went for their first time to Prague.
Now the band consists of only 4 members, carrying on the name and the music and proving the words that Giuseppe wrote …. “ Raw power Will never Die!!!”.In the last 4 years the band has been back to the US every summer for a 2 weeks tour of the West Coast , and last year shows were played also in Texas, Arizona and Mexico. The band is still playing a lot of shows in Italy as well as Europe , recently they have played London , with band such as Casualties and Vice Squad as well a mini tour of 6 shows in the UK.
The present line up is as follows: Mauro Vocals. Tommi Guitar . Fabio Drums . Marco Bass. The band is just getting ready to enter the studio to lie down the tracks for their new studio album , the first since Still screaming after 20 years , last recording that saw Giuseppe the Leader of the band playing. Recently they have also recorded a song from Seattle’s The Dehumanizers , the song will be part of a tribute album to the band on P.I.G. Record .At the moment the band is just planning visits to Sweden , Finland and yet another US tour in the summer. Spring 2010 will see the release for the American P.I.G. of Raw Power’s first studio album since Giuseppe’s death , called Resuscitate will have 24 new tracks and 3 covers.
2009 Resuscitate