Margaret Stutt found her recording moniker from a children’s book of the same name, written and illustrated by Leo Lionni. The titular character of the book lives in a world where everyone is big, and does wonderful things; Pezzettino however is small; just a little piece (Pezzettino is “piece” in Italian). “I must be a piece of somebody. I must belong to somebody else.” Pezzettino discovers that he belongs to nobody but himself, and finds peace and joy in the realisation.
Like the character in the book, Pezzettino the artist could easily be confused about her place in the world; she currently lives in Oakland, California, but her hometown is Racine, Wisconsin – where the blender, Ziploc bags, and “Off!” insect spray were all invented. Rest assured, she is someone who belongs to nobody but herself, and her self-released long player, ‘Resin’, is her first studio album since she performed under the same name in Milwaukee, and Brooklyn, back in 2008-2012. It’s Margaret’s 11th album altogether.
The extraordinary Pezzattino was taught classical piano at a convent as she was growing up, and answered a Craigslist ad for a drummer – even though she didn’t play drums – and found herself caught up in the Indie music scene. The band took her on, and she ended up playing an accordion with them for a few months, before leaving to pursue her solo career.
‘Resin’, set for release on February 8, comes after many years of mental health trauma and the eventual regaining of trust in the world. The album was recorded over a two year period, and recognises the harshness of the world, while holding onto hope, and viewing everything with a clear mind. ‘Resin’ refers to the process by which trees self-heal after injury.
On ‘How To’, the fifth track from ‘Resin’, Pezzettino’s vocals start out light and airy, growing in intensity and strength throughout the song. Equally the music grows in power, and although there is a certain discordance about it, it somehow still maintains order. There’s a lot in the music which reminds us of several of David Bowie’s songs – especially ‘Bewlay Brothers’ and ‘Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps); also we’re reminded of ‘See Emily Play’, by Pink Floyd, in particular the dissonant instrumentals at the end. There’s a lot in the lyrics to also make us call to mind the music of Suzanne Vega, and Laurie Anderson. Sad, yet empowering – Margaret Stutt as Pezzettino is not a small piece but rather a whole entity.
‘Resin’ was recorded at Tiny Telephone, Oakland, ‘Resin’ was engineered and mixed by Jacob Winik and mastered by Justin Perkins.
All the songs were written and sung by Margaret Stutt, who also played piano, and accordion, with support from Carly Bond on guitars, synth, clarinet, and vocals, and Andrew Maguire on percussion and drums.
‘Resin’ is set for release on February 8. You can find out more about Pezzettino online on Bandcamp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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