First of all the title.

With very few exceptions, titles in all forms of artistic expression are more than a mere piece of information on what the body of work is about. In the case of “The River”, the title introduces the actual meaning of the composition, the motivations that inspired it. It is a consistent theme throughout the various phases of its creation, execution, recording and in its future representation.In this era of ‘liquid’ music, of songs which are shuffled and bundled randomly in mp3player, ‘The River’ brings us back to the glorious but almost forgotten tradition of the ‘concept’ piece. It is therefore not a collection of songs but a homogeneous and coherent body of work in which lyrics, music and arrangements fuse together harmoniously within this concept of a “river”, a place of influx of and at the same time an outlet for almost thirty years of music research as a composer, musician, arranger and producer and which finds its most accomplished expression in this work. A concept, an image, a suggestion - that one of the river – that lends itself to multiple interpretations, none of which excludes the others. Here it represents life, with the two river banks representing the dualism in which all human beings exist: a reality which is made up of good and evil, male and female, life and death, night and day. It is the river that we travel on and in which we identify ourselves, choosing to stop on one or other of its banks, sometimes yearning for and missing the other and in which we get dragged through by the current and by the whims of chance. This concept is further underpinned by the subtitle –“ Both Sides of the Story” – which bounces from one song of the album to another, and will be a key element in the live performance dimension, which is an integral part of this project. You are all welcome…the river awaits!

Marco De Angelis

(born December 1962)

is an Italian solo artist, songwriter, musician, audio engineer and record producer.

Started his musical journey when he was 10 and puts for the very first time his hands on a musical instrument. Since that day he gained a wide experience in musical instruments field, from acoustic/ethno to last generation electronic gear. He is one of the few Italian Chapman Stick player. Plays guitar, bass and keyboards. Even if he enjoys a wide range of musical styles, his main roots are from the late '60s and '70s prog-rock UK scene. Created soundtracks for 3rd parties as well as his own original projects. Arranger and artistic producer for a multitude of indie albums released in Italy, UK and Latin America. Meanwhile, spent last 15 years working as freelance Sound Engineer/Producer for some of the most important production companies in Italy. Very experienced in different media and environments (Recording Studio, TV, Theatre, Live concerts).

Ran his own professional recording studio in Rome (Soundtrack Studio) for more than two decades as well as his own music label (Sferamusic - S3L) between 1995 and 2005.