Music
Press
“…And yet sometimes feeling vulnerable can be so sweet, as we release our powers of perception and let them be consumed by such a sense of fragility. What happens is that we rediscover what a true listening experience can really be when it is unhampered by other tasks accumulating and demanding attention from different areas of our concentration.
Some music has the power to do this and the ability to tap unexpected depths, discover hidden contours and have an effect on us like rubbing salt into the wounds of our souls.
…his first eponymous album melts away all defence barriers.…
Everything in it is out of the ordinary, the way he sings conjures up comparisons with distinguished other vocalists, the song-writing shows a vivid unpredictable imagination for melody and rhythmic skills which find fertile ground in offbeat harmonies……This cd will continue to delight the ear, to be moving and amazing and will rank amongst the best albums of the year. Rockerilla April 2008
“Intense, meaningful sensations recur throughout the entire album and in an absorbing, moving way, they create an evocative atmosphere. This can be felt in the poetic, often verging on the visionary, lyrics (all in English), and in the charismatic rendition of his decidedly versatile vocals… in short, an excellent album with international potential.…” Mucchio Selvaggio May 2008
“… Davide Combusti, alias The Niro, has a lot going for him in terms of mature, complex song-writing. It’s all there in his début album, where, with the crepuscular charm of the ballads and the fervour of the electro-acoustic tracks, he has crafted a glorious selection of songs.”
Rodeo Magazine April 2008
“A lot of people make mistakes in life and have trouble starting over. This song is about trying to find a way to be free of the past. It’s called “Liar” because the protagonist was a liar. Perhaps it’s a bit autobiographical.”…Davide Combusti, The Niro, on how and why he wrote Liar, first single taken from the album The Niro.
“The Niro, an Italian artist who has attracted the attention of Radiohead’s manager. His music, which is all in English, is unlike anything in the music world today. Although some say he sounds like Jeff Buckley - The Niro is a new brand. Davide’s vocal techniques are beautifully outlandish; he howls and sometimes shakes his head like a ticking time bomb to achieve the proper vibrato. The greatest song of the night was “Liar” with its captivating concept and melodic hook. The band and the crowd were connected, they knew we needed to hear it again.”.(Concert review) Everything Rock Magazine (USA)
“The over 85 thousand users who discovered him on MySpace with the song ‘Liar’ were struck spellbound by the intensity of his voice……fragile, intimate and with a strong emotional impact somewhere between Thom Yorke and Jeff Buckley.”Uomo Vogue
“He tried his luck in America before Italy. That took courage………and his courage was rewarded. Quite rightly so.” Frequency
“Davide deserved a chance: not just because he has talent, inspiration and tenacity, but also because he has the courage to follow a musical genre which stands in the middle between the likes of Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake.”
Il Mucchio
“The phenomenon started by word of mouth. From concerts in small clubs his songs ended up on MySpace and then a gateway to the world opened for him : landing a recording contract and opening for an Amy Winehouse concert. ”La Repubblica
“thirty year old multi-instrumentalist. The Niro cut his ’ live’ musical teeth in the US, the UK, Austria and France. He opened for artists such as : Isobel Cambpell, Badly Drawn Boy. And he was also support act for Carmen Consoli and Deep Purple” Panorama
“It only takes quarter of an hour to understand that Davide Combusti (alias The Niro) ‘s music has qualities of both composition and expression that are sure to leave a lasting mark.” Rockerilla
“He’s already charmed Europe, now he’s ready to conquer it. The musical revelation of 2008 is an Italian with a name that implies grandeur and success : The Niro.” Maxim
“In a class of his own. An Italian makes his debut on the international market……..armed with a guitar, his voice and a fistful of songs. MySpace was the aural medium via which irresistible melodies like ‘Liar’ reached the public. Performing to large audiences is the next step.”XL
“.….the day after the Amy Winehouse concert the papers dedicated whole pages to the show. Merit also goes to a young Italian: The Niro, already quite a celebrity in his own right” Elle
"An Ordinary Man", any man, a minstrel like others who is completely at one with his music. These songs make a massive impact. An ordinary man ? No way !…” Rockit.it
“With irony and feistiness, Davide Combusti, a.k.a. The Niro, has garnered fans as far away as New York…” Flair
“Melodies and songs that have a definite British feel and the face to go with it – this is The Niro, a promising, young, h - Italian magazines
Discography
"An ordinary Man" - Universal - EP - 2008
"The Niro" - Universal - LP - 2008
Photos
Bio
Davide Combusti, a.k.a. The Niro, was born in Rome in 1978. His father was a drummer and right from a very early age instilled in him a love for music and the drums, which was actually the first instrument the young Davide learned to play. With the passing of time Davide became a multi-instrumentalist as he added guitar, bass and much more besides to his passion for playing percussion. He then started collaborating with a number of bands as a drummer. In 2002 he decided to pursue a more personal path and formed his own band called The Niro, writing lyrics and music to all their songs. After this experience, Davide decided to go it alone as a singer-songwriter and kept the name of the band for his new solo career.
In 2005 he opened for the Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche in Rome and subsequently received scores of invitations to share the stage with international artists such as Tom Hingley, leader of the Inspiral Carpets and Lou Barlow of Dinosaur jr, who as a result had nothing but words of praise for him ! He also opened for the Zephyrs, Okkervill River, Isobel Campbell, TKO and in 2006 went to Tucson, Arizona where he played The Red Room two nights running (the same Red Room where Howe Gelb often performs) with Tom Walbank, named best Arizona bluesman 2005 and Pearl Handed Pistol.
Upon his return to Italy, offers for live work kept pouring in and The Niro gave a guitar and vocals solo performance as support act for Deep Purple in Rome and then for the English band Circulus. In 2006 Boston University Radio invited The Niro to take part in a tribute concert in honour of Elliott Smith, where he performed his own rendition of Everything reminds me of her. That summer he opened for Carmen Consoli in London and toured Europe: playing the Tunnel and the Café Carina in Vienna, and the "Fléche d'Or" in Paris.
Meanwhile a tribute album to Belle and Sebastian was released, a compilation called "A Century of Covers", in which The Niros cover track was a lo-fi rendition of "I fought in a War".
Towards the end of 2006 The Niro was contacted by Chris Hufford, Radioheads manager, and asked to take part in a project called Anti Atlas which Hufford was producing with Ned Bigham. Davide wrote the lyrics and a new arrangement to part of the instrumental track "Coro". From this came "The Travellers", which was included in the album Between Voices 2, and released in August 2007 on the British label One little Indian.
Meanwhile The Niro continued working the live circuit opening for artists such as Badly Drawn Boy, Mirah, Isobel Campbell and Chris Leo.
In 2007 he returned to London to perform at The Fly and The George Tavern. Next stop was New York where at the end of August and the beginning of September he performed for five nights running in clubs like the Pianos and the Sidewalk, which were groundbreaking for artists such as Regina Spektor and Adam Green.
In January 2008 Davide released a 5 track EP called An Ordinary Man (1. About Love and Indifference. 2. Mistake. 3. Just For A Bit. 4. On Our Hill. 5. About Love and Indifference street video) .
The Ep was just a taste of what was to follow, for mid April a full 13 track album called quite simply The Niro was released lyrics and music for all tracks by Davide Combusti, produced by Gianluca Vaccaro (of Carmen Consoli fame) and Roberto Procaccini, keyboard player with a well-known Italian band. The album came in two versions: cd and limited edition lp. Front cover artwork of the limited edition vinyl version is courtesy of Mark Kostabi, the well known American artist, the same Mark Kostabi who did the cover artwork of Use Your Illusion GunsNRoses and Adios Amigos the Ramones. What is remarkable is the fact that after listening to the album Mark offered Davide one of his paintings of his own accord.
Reactions from the press are staggering journalists and critics regard him as a unique artist and there are numerous reviews and articles bearing testimony to the fact that they consider Davide The Niro to be in a class of his own.
In the last 18 months THE NIRO have performed in 11 different countries to
promote the long awaited debut release gathering fans from all corners of the globe and respect from his peers.
Links
