An eclectic funk band with a dynamic, passionate blend of Italian melodic lines shot through with hefty doses of American funk and acid jazz, Sonamo’ makes a both danceable yet introspective, at once familiar yet exotic, intense yet energetic, romantic and yet somehow carefree. One of the strongest characteristics of Sonamó is their high energy that’s well expressed in their memorable live performances.
The San Francisco band, whose roots are spread all over the world, releases their first EP Album in August 2018. Spacing from the sensual mood of Maybe You know to the upbeat tempo of More, the EP Album Another Story merges unexpected undertones and essential beats into music that clearly expresses the eclectic nature of the band.
It all started when Sonamó’s founder Giuseppe Pinto moved to San Francisco in 2012. As a passionate musician from Italy, Pinto searched for inspiration in his new city by exploring its eclectic scene. As Pinto mentioned: “[...] my experience in the United States changed me and my life perspective completely. I had to reconsider all my values and understand that there are many ways of doing things. That’s what I call the American miracle: a huge diversity that brings the best part of all of us”.
His journey led him to realize that his take on Italian music, with its unknown undertones of world jazz and funk, was very much missing in the American music scene.
Coupled with creative guitarist Trent Berry, Pinto’s dream of putting together a band expressing a smooth blend of Italian and American culture through unpredictable, energetic and passionate music came to life in 2016 with Sonamó.
The band performs tunes that have roots in the deepest Italian tradition with African, Hispanic and Middle Eastern influence, mixing a cultural melting pot with influences of Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, and Pino Daniele.
The band’s name is inspired by an album of Pino Daniele (E Sona Mo’) that literally means “and play now”. It is sometimes used among musicians in Southern Italian as a slang term meaning, “show me what you got!” and boy, do they ever!