Biography

   LIVIO GUARDI was born in Florence, Italy, where he still lives and teaches music.

   He has been singing and playing guitar, banjo, mandolin and other instruments for about twenty years.

    Livio has been greatly influenced by American Folk and Blues as well as by Celtic music.

    He also writes many original tunes which seem to bridge the gap between the musical styles of the Mediterranean and those of Northern Europe.

    In 1985 Livio toured throughout the United States and Germany with singer/guitarist Paul Stowe, with whom he also appeared on German television.

   In 1989 in Milan his virtuosic banjo playing with Italian bluegrass band "Free Delivery" opened the show for acclaimed country singer Lynn Morris.

    In 1992 he wrote and recorded the album "Com'è strano" ("How Weird He Is").

    With fiddler Chris Brushear, Livio then formed an acoustic trio which combined “old-time” music with traditional and contemporary folk.

    In 1998 he joined "Dagda,” a five-piece Celtic band that played in many festivals in the North of Italy and Switzerland. “Dagda” shared the stage with, among others, the folk-rock icon Bob Geldorf and with the legendary Chieftains. Livio has recorded, with New York-based Wilson Montuori, 3 CDs of all original tunes. He also took part in the Italian compilation CD "Country in this Country 2" (MAP Records).

    In 2004 Livio performed in Oita, Japan at the Italian Fair and was featured on a Japanese television program. Currently he performs as a soloist or in duo with Wilson Montuori. In 2005 Livio and Wilson will be touring together in the northeastern United States.

   The last tour, in the summer of 2005, with various concerts  the New York State, such as  at “Unison Art Center” (New Paltz, N.Y.) , Rhode Island, at the “BlackStone Theatre”, Kentucky “ The Kentucky Fiddler’s Championship”, (with a prize in the old-.time banjo categorie) again “The Newbedford Summerfest” (Ma.), playing among others with Sara Lee Guthrie and Jonny Irion; in the fall of 2005, the only non american act at the NERFA ( North East Regional Folk Alliance) in Monticello, N.Y.

    In the winter of 2009 releases “Run Away”, his more recent album, which is more or less a sampler of what a live performance of him is like; He successfully alternates between originals and covers, writing songs that could be confused with traditionals, finding thus a safe and definitive niche to his music.

   In September of  2010 he plays the “Franciacorta Festival”, an international guitar festival ;

   He jams on stage, as a banjo player,  with Roberto Dalla Vecchia and Beppe Gambetta, two very well known bluegrass guitar players;

   He plays as a side player (guitar and mandolin) with noted songwriter Tom Russell, playing concerts and festivals (“Buscadero Festival”), He still plays, occasionally, with Tom Russell, when he tours Europe;

  He joins singer Patti de Rosa from Boston,  for an European tour (Germany and Italy);

    At the beginning of 2011 Livio  tours  and plays with Tao Rodriguez Seeger (grandson of American Icon Pete Seeger) and with Laura Cortese( fiddler from California)