BRIEF RASTA HISTORY OF SICILY
Sicily is the island of Etna, the most active volcano in Europe. It's located in the Mediterranean area and it was a cradle of cultures. It was dominated by Greeks, Arabs, Normands and Spanishes. As the sicilian loves freedom, he has developed the inner quality to be open minded with others cultures, religions and philosophies. From this background the first Rastas that came out of Italy were sicilians. In1980 they had been in Jamaica without money and they saw with their eyes the good and the evil of that land. The sicilians Rasta had known what means "Hungry and Poor" when they come back to Sicily. They began to study and meditate, fighting against the common sense of that age and they had started to talk about Rastafari in perfect loneliness at the beginning of 1981. They had lived in community in a house situated at the feet of the volcano (in Catania's area) and they began to play music and to spread the word of JAH through their fanzine "LION OF LIONS" and their roots-reggae first italian band, the most famous "JAH CHILDREN FAMILY". How marvellous were those days only JAH knows, a Rastafari mystic energy blew in the air. That had been a wonderful experience, primordial and mystic, which increased their consciousness. They saw the arise of their roots like you see the sun without clouds; they had known the meaning of "Being I-talian and Rasta" and the meaning of "being sicilian and african". In 1989 , they decided to end the community and to continue on their own experiences. They were far from the reggae and rasta scenes until 2000.

ZU' LUCIANO BAND
In 1999, ZU' LUCIANO had asked to JAHRO' to record a CD together, and they engaged FRANKO, an old friend of both, as digital sound engineer. With the help of RAS DEDO (as loops hunter) and of some other friends, the trio has realized " ZU' LUCIANO - TUTTI MUTI", a CD released in january 2000 by TERRE HARSE (their Free Label), with which they soon entered in the first places of the North-Italian Reggae-Radio-Charts.
In 2001 Franko gets his new digital machines and GIUSEPPE GIULIANO and FRANCISCO CASTELLANA joined in with this working group: This had given a new dimension to their sound, so they decided to name the group as "ZU' LUCIANO BAND", a.k.a. ZLB.
All the band's components live in Catania's area.
The ZLB doesn't have a drummer and still now it prefers to work with computer drum machine. The music of ZLB is a mixture of Roots-Reggae, Ragga, Jungle, Hip-hop, World, Rock, Jazz and more.
They've named their sound "REGGAETNEO": It means that they are using Sicilian dialect in their lyrics with Italian, English, Rasta-Patua, or Arab. Their music also is influenced by the "Fire of Etna" and they try to take advantage from the energy of their sicilian roots to make powerful songs and live shows.
ZLB is always producing new songs. The band records costantly "fresh JAH-music" with the help of "TERZO ORECCHIO", Franko's portable digital recording studio which is used even to live-mix ZLB's sound simultaneously during their concerts.
At the present ZLB has released a PROMO CD, "HOT PLAYA 2002" which is in rotation in reggae radio shows and it's rewiewed on reggae web-sites and fanzines in Canada, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Holland and Italy.
For informations, comments or other, please e-mail to: terreharse@libero.it

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF ZU' LUCIANO
ZU' LUCIANO (in sicilian dialect "Zu'" means "Uncle"), was born in Catania in 1963. He started his career as singer of sicilian ragga, roots and jungle styles. He had started as a DJ set with his friend Ras Dedo. They worked together in Sicily, doing festivals and concerts with their Sound-System, well-knowed also in the italian hip-hop and rap scenes.
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF JAHRO'
JAHRO' (Roberto Calì) was born in Catania in 1959.
He is one of the first Rasta in Italy, and one of the founders of the Rasta community in Catania and of the first I-talian Rasta-Reggae Band: "JAH CHILDREN FAMILY". He loves oriental and occidental mystics, Persian Culture ( the Roots of Empress Menen's line genealogy) and Taoism. He teaches guitar and jazz harmony and improvisation.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF FRANKO
FRANKO (Franco Russo) was born in Milano in 1961, but he has lived in Catania since 1970.
Keyboardist and sound engineer, in the middle of '90 he released a CD, "SINTONIE", recorded at home and mixed at the FRANCO BATTIATO's (the great sicilian composer) recording studio. Franko is the propietor of "TERZO ORECCHIO", a portable digital recording studio (Mac) that supports the band during their recordings and live-concerts.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF RAS DEDO
RAS DEDO (Matteo De Domenico) was born in Siracusa in 1961.
He is the Italy's oldest dreadlock. He is one of the founder Catania's Rasta community. He is also Italy's finest Rastafarian artist. He paints for Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Rome. He has given some of his paintings to the Wailers, Aswad, Mutabaruka, Burning Spear and Puma Jones, among the others.
He's also a deejay that works with his Sound-System: StoneMama.
ZU' LUCIANO BAND
· ZU' LUCIANO: Lyrics, Lead and Backing Vocals
· JAHRO': Lyrics, Guitars, Lead and Backing Vocals
· FRANKO: Keyboards and Digital Audio Engineering
· GIUSEPPE GIULIANO: Electric Bass, Backing Vocals
· FRANCISCO CASTELLANA: Tenor Sax, Backing Vocals
- in collaboration with:
· Ras Dedo: Dj, Loops Hunting and Graphic Arts Director
· Gabriele Proto: Projects Consultant
· Gi: Sampled Percussion and Photos

ZU' LUCIANO BAND official e-mail is: terreharse@libero.it

ZLB's Friends:
www.reggaezion.com/schede%20SS/zuluciano.htm,
"Exodus" Ethiopian Cultural Service - Italy,
www.irieites.de, www.rootsreggae.net, www.reggaeconnection.tf.be, www.urbanspaceonline.tv,
www.ckcufm.com, www.unbf.ca/clubs/caribbean/music/, www.areggaetune.nl, Tomcat's "Dreadheaz", www.rootz.de, RastaReggae Belgium's Magazine, Radio Afrika, www.reggaenode.de,
www.daintycrew.com, SoulSistah Productions Canada, Firevents - Italy.

TERRE HARSE autoproduzioni
Since the beginning ZLB was a self-produced band, and the wish of helping other artists to self-produce their works brought Zu' Luciano, Jahro', Franko and Ras Dedo to join their professional experiences to create TERRE HARSE autoproduzioni, a no-profit indipendent label that is the official contact with ZLB.

TERRE HARSE autoproduzioni
e-mail to: terreharse@libero.it

ZU' LUCIANO: Artistic Direction
e-mail to: zuluciano@yahoo.it
phone: (+39) 347 4011852

ROBERTO CALI' a.k.a. JAHRO': Management/Relations
e-mail to: jahgit@libero.it
phone: (+39) 349 2325345

FRANCO RUSSO a.k.a. FRANKO: Technical Direction
e-mail to: terzo.orecchio@libero.it
phone: (+39) 340 5567850