Beloved Actor Michael Imperioli Bringing His Band Zopa to The Chapel
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch
Long before he was Christopher Moltisanti or Dominic Di Grasso—even before he was the ill-fated Spider—Michael Imperioli was in a band.
The beloved actor—famed for bringing pathos and complexity to volatile, tragic characters—traces his musical roots back decades, starting with a scrappy two-piece band in the mid-80s that, upon reflection, was likely not destined for greatness.
“Around 1985 or 86, I started this band with a friend that I guess you could categorize as no-wave,” said Imperioli. “There was no singer—it was two guitar players, one electric guitar and me playing an acoustic nylon string guitar, which I really just started playing. I would glue a pickup to the guitar so I could plug into an amplifier. I think we recorded some demos, but they’re lost to the ages, which is probably a good thing.”
Despite that inauspicious start, Imperioli continued to pursue his musical passions in tandem to his acting career. Since 2006, he’s been fronting Zopa, a post-punk trio that will be performing at the Chapel on Tuesday in support of their great new album, “Diamond Vehicle.” Unlike Imperioli’s short-lived band from the 80s, Zopa’s sound is full and vibrant, a Television-meets-Galaxie 500 blend of lean and lengthy guitar-based expositions.
Imperioli said his love for music goes back to his earliest memories, when he would listen to classic rock bands like Queen and the Beatles with his family. During his teen years, he discovered The Smiths, the legendary Mancunian quartet he said is “still one of the most original bands to ever play,” before transitioning into outfits like Echo and the Bunnymen and REM. Lou Reed—who grew to be a close friend of Imperioli’s—was also a huge presence in his music fandom.
Traces of Reed’s urban insouciance can be heard in the noir-ish sound of “Diamond Vehicle”, including a rangy dual cover of Velvet Underground’s “Ocean” and “Heroin” on the second half of the album. The record is also heavily indebted to the precepts of Tibetan Buddhism. Imperioli has been a noticeable devotee of Buddhism for nearly two decades now and the fundamentals of that religion can be found throughout the music of Zopa, most noticeably in the band name, which is Tibetan for “patience.”
“I kind of stumbled into Buddhism after exploring a bunch of different spiritual paths,” said Imperioli. “It turned out that there was a great Tibetan Buddhist center right near my house where I was living in New York, and my wife and I started going there. I think it resonated with me because it’s not really a religion so much as a teaching of methods working on your mind. There is no theistic element to it—and that stuck with me.”
References to Buddhism are scattered throughout the album. In the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club-esque jam, “Love and Other Forms of Violence,” Imperioli recites a Buddhist mantra known for its “protective and purifying qualities,” and on the jaunting anthem “Red Sky,” Imperioli cites the “seven knots” of the chakra system that is fundamental to meditation.
“I try and write stuff that has meaning to it—I’m not trying to write pop songs,” said Imperioli. “Some people prefer rock ‘n’ roll music that isn’t too complicated, but that’s not what we do, for better or for worse.”
While the lyrics of Zopa contain kernels of hard-won wisdom, the sonic structure underpinning the songs is one of a dimly lit, New York City landscape, evoking last call moments at bars and neighborhoods that reside just beyond the bright lights. With their deployment of pointed guitar stabs and an understated but effective rhythm section, Zopa recall a host of New York City bands, among them the Walkmen and Interpol, but with a preference for exploratory, wandering tracks, their closest reference point might be CBGB mainstays Television.
Their sound is undeniably tight and contained, which should come as no surprise from a band that has been in existence for nearly 20 years, although Zopa’s history has not always been a straight line.
Imperioli actually met Zopa bassist Olmo Tighe on the set of a 1994 indie movie, “Postcards from America,” when the latter was just eight years old. Following that film, Imperioli kept in touch with Tighe’s older brother Michael, also an actor, over the years. When Imperioli mentioned to his pal that he wanted to start a band, the elder Tighe recommended his brother, who had turned into a formidable bassist. Olmo Tighe then suggested his friend Elijah Amitin as a potential drummer, forming the trio that makes up Zopa.
The band formed in 2006 and recorded material for their first album way back in 2012, but those songs were never released, for a variety of reasons, mostly stemming from Imperioli being located on the West Coast while his bandmates remained in New York. In 2020, Imperioli moved back to the East Coast, prompting the band to release their debut album, “La Dolce Vita,” and they’ve been steadily putting out music and touring since then.
Imperioli said the group is currently working on new material, and might have a release (either a full length album or an EP),coming out next year. In the interim, they’re excited to be playing live, particularly in San Francisco.
“San Francisco is a great city—one I always really, really look forward to,” said Imperioli, who also has at least two movies coming out this year—“The Housewife” and “Song Sung Blue.” “I have a lot of friends in the city, and places I love to go. My friend Jerry Cimino founded The Beat Museum, so I always stop by there. I’m excited to be back.”
It should come as no surprise that Imperioli is an appreciator of the Beat Generation, a cohort of citizens who embraced the same philosophical longings found in Buddhism. Whether it’s acting, music or spiritualism—Imperioli seems to be on a constant quest, and Zopa is a fitting stop along that journey.
Show Details:
Zopa with The Asteroid No.4
Where: The Chapel
When: 8 p.m., Tuesday June 24
Tickets: $33, available here.