My A To Z Music Challenge: Letter W – The Watch

The Watch is a progressive rock band that is familiar to some Genesis fans. I must be honest, I am surprised that more Genesis fans have not embraced The Watch. Perhaps it is just an issue of exposure.  Hopefully that will change because The Watch is an excellent band.

The Watch is an Italian Genesis tribute band. There are quite a few talented Genesis tribute bands currently keeping the music of Genesis alive. The Watch are one of a handful of world-renowned Genesis tribute bands. But The Watch is a tribute band with a difference. Like any worthwhile tribute band The Watch have studied the music of Genesis in order to reproduce it flawlessly. They have toured the world playing the music of Genesis.  Unlike other tribute bands The Watch takes the tribute to another level. This band has spent the last sixteen years writing and recording original music in the vein of Peter Gabriel era Genesis.

To date The Watch has released seven albums of original music. Band founder and leader Simone Rossetti has a knack for sounding very much like a young Peter Gabriel. The music of The Watch is extremely interesting. The influence of Genesis is quite apparent, but The Watch is not copying Genesis sound for sound or note for note. They have set out to sound very much like Genesis.  But The Watch as a band has it’s own musical personality. Obviously all involved are highly skilled musicians. But perhaps more importantly the band contains exceptional songwriters. The band has made a career of producing some excellent progressive rock. Even more amazing is the consistency of sound from album to album. The band has gone through several line up changes in their career. Somehow they have continued to find committed and skilled musicians to take up the cause.

As a long time Genesis fan I am overwhelmingly pleased with what The Watch is doing. It is not an easy task to convincingly write music in the style of another band. Doing so with a band as unique as Genesis really ups the ante. What the Watch has done is truly a tribute to the great music of Genesis. This Genesis fan has wholeheartedly given The Watch his stamp of approval.

Troy T.