La Crus

La Crus are Mauro Ermanno Giovanardi (vocals and lyrics) and Cesare Malfatti (guitars and samplers). Completing the lineup in every sense is Alessandro Cremonesi, who writes many of the lyrics and arrangements but does not take part directly in the band's "public" life (records and concerts). The band was formed in Milan in 1993 and from the start centered its artistic project on contemporary singer-songwriter music. In 1994 it took part in the Premio Tenco, the Premio Ciampi and the album "I disertori", a tribute to Ivano Fossati. In 1995 La Crus released, through Mescal, their first album, simply titled "La Crus", which won the Premio Ciampi, the Max Generation critics' award, the Musica & Dischi poll for best pop&rock debut, and the Targa Tenco '95.

In January 1996 the mini-album "Remix" was released, a reworking of six tracks from their album entrusted to prestigious names of the new Italian music scene (Almamegretta, Casino Royale, Roberto Vernetti, Madaski, Technogod). That same year the band also took part in "Battiato non Battiato", the Cyclope label's tribute to the musician from Catania.

In January 1997 "Dentro me" was released, an album of post-romantic ballads, presented with a theater tour. The album contains a classic of new Italian song, "Come ogni volta". In January 1999, the band returned with their third effort, "Dietro la curva del cuore", an album still devoted to love songs, featuring numerous guest appearances.

Two years later came "Crocevia", an album entirely devoted to covers of Italian singer-songwriter classics. In 2003 "Ogni cosa che vedo" was released. In 2005 the band released their seventh album, "Infinite possibilità", accompanied by a DVD containing short films made by up-and-coming young directors. In 2008 they returned with a new album titled "Io non credevo che questa sera", which marked the end of the La Crus project. The Giovanardi-Malfatti duo reunited for the special occasion of the 2011 Sanremo Festival, where they took part in the Artists category with the song "Io confesso" (lyrics and music credited to Giovanardi, with the collaboration of musician Matteo Curallo). Meanwhile, Giovanardi pursued a solo career that culminated in the splendid "My style", winner of the Targa Tenco.

After their Sanremo foray and a handful of sparing theater appearances, La Crus reunited in 2024 to make a new album, "Proteggimi da ciò che voglio", in which they confirm their skill at navigating between punk-rock-inflected experimentation and classic singer-songwriter craft.