Here Comes Kendema: Rock and Folk, a New Version of Country

It's the evening of the general rehearsal, the first live show: they have to do a soundcheck, there's no time to waste making small talk. So it was Chicca who told Kendema's story. The students have named her the group's "manager," "which, for the moment, means moral support and beer provisions at rehearsals!" she explains.

Giacomo "Jack" Marchesini, Alvise "Elvis" Levorato, Giovanni Genna and Michele Barale are the four Bocconi students who made a soft debut with their rock back at Barrio Alto in Milan last Friday, under the vigilant oversight of their manager Francesca Graniti, who everyone calls Chicca.

Kendema. From the top left, in clockwise order: Jack Marchesini, Elvis Levorato, Michele Barale and Giovanni Genna

The band's story began with Jack and a few songs he wrote in the fall of 2011. "Those songs would have stayed hidden away," says Chicca, "if it weren't for Radio Bocconi." An essential part of their story was the campus radio station, in which all members of the band have been involved in some fashion. Jack, who is from Vicenza, is the host of the "The Magnagati Show," a program on popular folklore from his hometown. Elvis, who is also from the Veneto region, is the music manager of the radio channel, Gio is the technical manager, and Chicca was scheduling director until September 2012. Even Michele will soon be part of the world of radio, with a regular feature on the Magnagati Show, where he will focus on his Tuscan roots as compared to Vicenza folklore.

But back to their story. A country musician at heart, Jack always brings his guitar to provide a soundtrack when hanging out with friends. "One evening, he played a song he had written," says Chicca, "and we were so excited about it that we convinced him to keep writing music." The months passed, Jack went to Chicago on an Exchange Program and came back with new songs. He wanted to record them, so he talked to Giovanni, and found out that the Radio Bocconi tech guy was also a great drummer. After that, it was a short road towards Kendema. They recruited the first guitar player, Elvis, at the radio station, and then enlisted a classmate, Michele, to play bass. Everyone got together in the studio to record Jack's songs, and the four students realized that they had a promising and already close-knit band.

Kendema was officially founded in October 2012: maneuvering between rehearsals, lectures, exams and work at the station, over a five-month period they were able to create a repertoire of ten original tracks. They knew it would be a big commitment: "Kendema" is a liberal inversion of the ancient Greek word "adventure," chosen by Chicca, the manager-mascot.

Last Friday, the group made their first public appearance: an hour playing mostly original songs, with three covers, including an homage to Giorgio Gaber with Ciao ti dirò. "For the first time, they played in front a real audience, not just our friends," says Chicca. "The evening was the general rehearsal for their first concert, where we hope to see a lot of friends!"

So mark your calendars: Friday 15 March, at 10:00pm, head over to Palo Alto on Corso di Porta Romana for Kendema's official debut!