In Den Gärten Pharaos: A Conversation With Acid Folk Minstrel Alessio Ferrari aka Upupayāma
It has been almost four years since the fascinating opportunity first arose to converse with Alessio Ferrari, known by his charming stage name Upupayāma, one of the most enchantingly transcendent multi-instrumentalist purveyors of psychedelic acid folk rock within the vibrant Italian underground music scene. In the years since that first meeting, this musically poetic minstrel from the city of Parma has never ceased his tireless efforts to channel his deepest and most visceral emotional experiences through the medium of his art, manifesting itself in a trilogy of fascinating full-length releases.
Feelings of burning love, fiery passion and deep earthly connection weave seamlessly into his captivating sound tapestries, enveloping the listener in Upupayāma’s dreamlike, magical, and visionary sound world. For the uninitiated, immersing oneself in his captivating discography is like embarking on a mystical journey, as this gifted artist seamlessly blends disparate musical styles (psychedelia, folk, rock and beyond) into a singularly enthralling and transcendent listening experience that taps directly into the source of human emotions and the sublime mysteries of the natural world.
Enjoy the conversation…
Tell me Alessio, how has life treated you since the day you were in the ‘spotlight’ as one of the most intriguing psych folk multi-instrumentalists not only in the Italian underground music scene, but I would say also internationally?
Hi Domenico! First of all, thank you for this interview.
Honestly, not much has changed. Let’s say that living in a small mountain village, few people here know what I do under the name Upupayāma. On the other hand, it was nice when we went to play at Fuzz Club Fest in Eindhoven in May and Red Smoke in Poland in July and a lot of people recognised us even before we went on stage. However, I think we’re not so ‘famous’ yet that we have to ‘undergo’ a change in our lives.
Do you find it difficult to share your family life, your daily work and being a musician at the same time? How much of your daily life involves you as a musician?
Absolutely not. The only difficulty, if you want to call it that, is the few hours of sleep ahahaha because I generally play in the evenings until late at night.
When did you start composing music, what inspired you to do it? And why did you choose to call yourself Upupayāma, such an exotic, oriental name that also seems to have something spiritual? Where did it come from and what is hidden behind this name?
I’ve been playing various instruments badly since I was 13 years old and I’ve always hated covers and playing other people’s songs, so I’ve almost always played things I made up on the spot. I started composing in the true sense of the word in 2019 when I finally found the sound and the way to approach compositions I had been looking for for years. From there I never stopped, in fact three albums have already been released since then and I still have a lot more music to release.
The inspiration… yes, let’s call it inspiration, it has always been there, it just needed the right channel, its own way and it has always been the love I have for music. It’s trite, I know, but I don’t know what else it could be but the unconditional, pure and genuine love I have for music.
I started composing in the true sense of the word in 2019 when I finally found the sound and the way to approach compositions I had been looking for for years…
I chose the name Upupayāma because I wanted a name that was both musical yet surreal and abstract at the same time. The name combines two words from two different languages, Italian and Japanese. Upupa is the name of a wonderful bird that lives mostly in the plains and/or hills, while Yāma is the Japanese name for a mountain. I liked this surreal image whereby a marvellous bird that is not known to live in the mountains could live there in a fantasy world. I felt that it went well with my music, which I believe and especially hope is able to evoke alternative worlds, worlds in which we can live simply by closing our eyes and letting the music transport us.”
Before you started your adventure as a solo musician, did you have other experiences with local bands? If so, what kind of music did you play?
Yes, I have played a bit of everything, from more classic indie rock to punk, noise and for a very short time even in a metal band. But I’ve always had a hard time composing songs with others, I can’t keep my concentration.
As a musician, your main roots and influences undoubtedly come from the rock genre, is reflected in many aspects of your approach and musical style?
As a kid, like many kids, I listened almost exclusively to punk rock. However, I believe that playing an instrument, at a certain point in the musical journey the need and curiosity to discover other genres arises, so as a teenager, I went through my Brit pop period and then moved on to psychedelia in all its forms.
Where did this change in your musical style come from? Your influences are very much into ‘60s acid folk, as your 2020 self-titled debut album proved. An album with a hypnotic charm capable of mesmerising anyone who listens to it. Although of clear influences very close to Japan’s psych folk Kikagagu Moyo, your sound is more earthly and personal too. The album features Japanese producer Jui Kimijima, known for his work with I K.M. How did this collaboration come about?
Today I really listen to everything, including the past loves I just mentioned. I think this is due to the fact that I have been playing for so many years, the curiosity and desire to learn different styles and then try to use them in my music has been the main reason why I now listen to everything and more.
The collaboration with Yui Kimijima started as a dream: I had some drafts of a few songs for the first album. I sent Yui an email asking if he was willing to collaborate with me on mixing and mastering once the songs were finished. I thought he wouldn’t even reply, instead after a few hours I got an email from him saying ‘yeah, the stuff is interesting, let’s get his soul out of it’. I couldn’t believe it, the mixing engineer of one of my favourite albums ever wanted to work with me on my first album! I was out of my mind!
I couldn’t believe it, the mixing engineer of one of my favourite albums ever wanted to work with me on my first album! I was out of my mind…
What are your biggest musical influences from the beginning until today. And what inspire you to write music?
As I said before, I listen to everything. I’m currently listening to a lot of Scientific Dub by The Scientist, that album’s sounds are amazing! I’m listening to a lot of Goat, Primal Scream and The Sunbirds. Is it possible that in a month I’ll switch and listen only to John Coltrane or The Charlatans. I’ve stopped obsessively listening to one genre or band etc, I listen to what makes me feel good and what inspires me.
A multi-instrumentalist pays a lot of attention, and is also very meticulous, to the layering of each individual instrument during the composition phase of a piece of music. What is your working method when composing music?
Not being an academic musician, I don’t have a method. I can’t even pretend to have one. I see this as an advantage though, it ensures that I don’t set limits for myself, it prevents me from putting up walls in front of me that I wouldn’t be able to climb over. It can happen that a song is born from a bass line, other times from a vocal line… in short, I don’t have a real method, what happens happens and I simply go with the flow.
Two years later you return with The Golden Pond. A fairytale album illuminated by the celestial musical sphere already found in your debut album, but this time sees Chris Smith at the mixing desk. What kind of musical approach did you use in recording this album, and why Chris Smith, who you also used for your new album Mount Elephant? During the mixing stages of both albums did you let him work in his own way or did you work together?
I worked with Chris because he is a great mixing engineer and a great advisor. I would like to work with Yui Kimijima again at some point, and also with others I have not worked with yet. We’ll see. During the mixing phases, we worked together as a team.
To record The Golden Pond I used a more thoughtful approach. I went almost every day in front of a lake not far from my house. I brought some instruments, actually not many, an acoustic guitar, a tambourine and sometimes percussion. I went there and played whatever came to me, sometimes a rhythm, sometimes a guitar arpeggio… It was that place that suggested to me what to do and I listened to it. It all started there, on the shore of a small mountain lake.
One day, encouraged by Mattia (the other guitarist) we all met, talked and boom! the band was ready…
Let’s go to your live sets. When did you think it was time to start a band and play concerts? And how did you choose the musicians? Did you know them before?
The idea of having a live band was there right away, even before the first album came out. It happens that I take a long time to work things out, for no particular reason other than that I like to do things well, otherwise, I prefer not to do them at all. I already knew the other musicians by sight. One day, encouraged by Mattia (the other guitarist) we all met, talked and boom! the band was ready.
Your new album Mount Elephant, your third to date and first for London’s Fuzz Club ‘ is again a special release, particularly for me who’s followed you from the beginning. As it musically detaches itself, although not entirely from the first two, was it a difficult album to record?
Absolutely not. It was the album that took the shortest time to come to light of the three. It was all conceived, composed and recorded in the space of three/four months. It all started in September last year and ended in December. It’s a winter album.
It feels like you’ve been listening to ethnic music and Eastern folklore for the past two years. An addition to your new musical influences?
Yes, as I said before I listen to everything. From traditional Bhutanese music to Italo Disco, from Italian library music to stoner, from Brit pop to psychedelia in all its forms.
The overwhelming sound that emanates from the album is very engaging. Is there a song on the album that you hold closer to your heart than the others and why?
I have to say that I love them all as much as any song written so far. If I had to choose one, I would pick Fil Dağı. I always have this scene in my mind where my songs play in the background of people dancing around a fire in the middle of the forest and Fil Dağı takes me there every time I listen to it. I don’t know why, it’s a scene that has ‘haunted’ me for years.
I know that you love all your three records, but is there one that means a lot more to you than any other?
No, I love all three alums equally. They are different loves, stemming from different situations, different listening, different moods, colours and seasons. I don’t like rankings, so it would be impossible for me to make one about what I do.
I love all three alums equally. They are different loves, stemming from different situations, different listening, different moods, colours and seasons…
How come Mount Elephant was released on London’s well acclaimed psych rock label Fuzz Club and not on Cardinal Fuzz (UK) and Centripetal Force (US) as your previous albums?
It all happened very quickly. Fuzz Club contacted me just as I was finalising the writing and arrangements of Mount Elephant, telling me that they had heard The Golden Pond, they were enthusiastic about it and asked me if I was working on something else. I have been following them for a long time, I like almost everything in their catalogue. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get more exposure, but above all I was struck by the enthusiasm, the passion with which they had approached me.
I would like to say that I left a piece of my heart with both Cardinal Fuzz and Centripetal Force, but I also believe that you have to look ahead and change when you feel it is time to do so, and Fuzz Club came along at the right time. It’s a fantastic label, the guys who work there have an attitude, dedication and passion that I admire day after day, it’s a pleasure to work with them.
What does the future bring to Upupayāma?
I would love to play many more important festivals and clubs around Europe. Besides, I am already working on my fourth album. I never stop, sometimes I want to, but I can’t, I have too much fun in the process of composing, searching for a sound, a rhythmic solution etc.
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Interviewed by: Domenico ‘Mimmo’ Caccamo
