SAN FRANCISCO – Best known for its haunting ’70s soundtracks used in the films of bloody giallo director Dario Argento, Claudio Simonetti’s progressive rock band Goblin provides music for ’80s Italian horror cult favorite Demons at San Francisco’s Castro Theater on Oct. 27.
Initially under the names Oliver and Cherry Five after being founded by guitarist Massimo Morante and keyboardist Claudio Simonetti in 1972, the band began by mimicking the explosive sounds of British bands Yes, King Crimson and Genesis. During their stopover in England, the famous Yes producer Eddie Offord heard their first demos and actually showed an explicit interest in the band, but nothing came of it.
Goblin didn’t take off until he was commissioned to write the music for director Dario Argento’s bloody 1975 masterpiece, Profondo Rosso (aka Deep Red). The atmospheric risk of the soundtrack, especially keyboardist Simonetti’s syncopated synthesizer melody and the gothic church organ in the song’s indelible theme, made Goblin Argento’s regular collaborator in the films that followed, adding the equally innovative Suspiria, Tenebre, and Phenomena.
The notoriety of the band’s relations with Argento also led the band to team up with George A. Romero in his standout sequel to the 1978 zombie apocalypse, Dawn of the Dead. Although infighting between the members irked the band in the ’80s, their combination of a spooky vibe, edgy Lalo Schifrin-esque jazz-funk, and wordless spooky vocals discovered an audience among record creditors and horror movie enthusiasts in the decades that followed.
After more than two decades apart, the Goblin Principles reunited to work with Argento on his 2001 film Non Ho Sonno, before pursuing separate tactics for much of the 2000s. A assembled lineup that included Simonetti, Morante, and keyboardist Maurizio Guarini reunited to perform Goblin’s hard-to-hear hits on the band’s first U. S. tour in 2013, but even the rave reviews and sold-out tickets of this successful getaway couldn’t stop the members. Simonettii left to discover his own maverick version of the band, while Morante brought in original members Fabio Pignatelli on bass and Agostino Marangolo on drums to complete his Goblin lineup.
In 2019, the keyboard virtuoso and songwriter brought his band to the U. S. They returned to the U. S. for a series of dates that began with an appearance at the Days of Darkness Festival in Baltimore and capitalized on renewed interest around director Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Suspiria, which included a new soundtrack by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. The band also released a new album that year called The Devil Is Back. Simonetti has remained active with his band editing, traveling across the U. S. various tactics on both sides of the COVID-enforced hiatus for live concerts and releasing new 45th anniversary editions of the Suspiria and Profundo Rosso soundtracks. Sadly, the option of a reconciliation with the other original members of Goblin ended last year with Morante’s passing.
Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin returns to the Bay Area with the existing lineup adding guitarist Daniele Amador, bassist Cecilia Nappo and drummer Frederico Maragoni, performing the music for a screening of the 1985 cult Italian horror film Demons, produced by Argento and directed by Lamberto Brava. at the Castro Theater on Friday night with a new round of elf classics. The band will also play at Café Colonial in Sacramento on Thursday.
Duende through Claudio SimonettiFriday, October 27, 7 p. m. $29. 50 to $69. 50Castro Theatre