I was extremely excited to see my photo in the local newspaper called L'Arena. There was a little story under my photo, and it took up nearly a quarter of the page. Yes, I saved a copy.
Roberto was not nearly as excited as I was. You see, they called me a 'fisarmonicista'. That means that I play 'fisarmonica' rather than 'armonica'. The fisarmonica is a squeezebox, similar to an accordion! Woops. Can't trust the newspapers to get it right...
So, now I tell people that I play 'fisarmonica boca' -- that's the mouth accordion! Same as mouth harp, Mississippi saxophone.... maybe the lingo will catch on!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Private party, 13 Dec Verona, ITALY
Tonight, we play another private party in Verona. It is an acoustic gig, which means that it will be pretty laid back...
It is raining again (or should I say, still...) Apparently this is the common weather in the winter around here. It must be like what it feels like to live in Seattle! I feel very lucky that I have seen the sun for 2 days during this whole 2 week trip!
Sunday, I will have lunch with Roby and his wife and children. Then, Monday, it is back home to the USA!
Ciao!
It is raining again (or should I say, still...) Apparently this is the common weather in the winter around here. It must be like what it feels like to live in Seattle! I feel very lucky that I have seen the sun for 2 days during this whole 2 week trip!
Sunday, I will have lunch with Roby and his wife and children. Then, Monday, it is back home to the USA!
Ciao!
Cantine de L'Arena, 12 Dec
The Cantine de L'Arena is in downtown Verona, right near the Arena, which is like a historic coliseum. Everything was lit up at night. There is a crazy modern sculpture thingy with a huge arch over the piazza, and beside it is the historic arena. A huge clash, but cool looking at night. They have blue lights hanging in the archways of the arena. It looks really festive.
The venue. This is a really cool place. The walls are all stone and the ceilings are arched (vaulted?). It has a lot of character. There are bottles of wine EVERYWHERE. They have a very large selection of the wines of Valpolicella. Oh, and they make a VERY good cuba libre, with Havana club 7 anos. Mmmmm... The food, the wine -- unbelievable as usual. Not the BEST tiramisu, but still, pretty good.
Anyhoo... the gig. FANTASTICO. The place was packed. Standing room only. Many of the patrons were friends of Roberto and the band. They were really receptive, clapping along to the shuffle beat, some even got up to dance when we did Aretha and Tower of Power. They whooped it up in a big way at the end, and we gave them an encore. Sold a few cd's. All in all, I would say it was, musically, the best night that we have had yet!
The venue. This is a really cool place. The walls are all stone and the ceilings are arched (vaulted?). It has a lot of character. There are bottles of wine EVERYWHERE. They have a very large selection of the wines of Valpolicella. Oh, and they make a VERY good cuba libre, with Havana club 7 anos. Mmmmm... The food, the wine -- unbelievable as usual. Not the BEST tiramisu, but still, pretty good.
Anyhoo... the gig. FANTASTICO. The place was packed. Standing room only. Many of the patrons were friends of Roberto and the band. They were really receptive, clapping along to the shuffle beat, some even got up to dance when we did Aretha and Tower of Power. They whooped it up in a big way at the end, and we gave them an encore. Sold a few cd's. All in all, I would say it was, musically, the best night that we have had yet!
Private Party, 11Dec
We played a private party in Brescia, about an hour away from where I am staying. It was just Roberto Morbioli and me, plus some other guys he knows on drums, bass, keys. It was a pick-up band. It was what it was. They fed us some incredible food! That alone was worth the ride! I am on the quest for the best tiramisu in the north of Italy... gotta keep sampling!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Ahhh... some time to rest...
Monday 9 December
We woke up at the silly hour of 10am and drove back to San Vito, where I stay. Monday was a day of rest. No gig that night, so I had a nice, quiet dinner and an early night to bed.
Tuesday 10 December
FINALLY the sun came out! It has been rainy and gray for days. It doesn't really matter when you're in the club at night, but the days are very long when the weather is crap. So, with the sun in San Vito de Negrar, I went for a nice long walk up the hill into the town. This area is known as Valpolicella, and the main product is red wine. There are grapes EVERYWHERE. In the distance, you can see the snow-capped Alps. I'm sure it is extremely lovely in the summertime. There are still a lot of grapes hanging on the vines, although I don't know if they are any good.
The walk into the village of Negrar took about 45 minutes, uphill all the way. It is a little bit hairy, as there is no sidewalk, and it is a windy road up into the hills. When you hear a car coming, you just step aside and wait, because pedestrians don't seem to have any rights here! The air is a bit thin here, with the altitude up there. It is a quaint little town, with a beautiful VERY OLD church, and some nice shops and restaurants. I had a good lunch and bought some trinkets and Christmas gifts -- spent all of my cash from CD sales!
Tuesday night was the annual Christmas party for the family that runs Hotel San Vito. We provided the music. They provided a very festive atmosphere, and some REALLY good eats. There is a room off to the side, adjacent to the function room, where they used to make wine. It looks like a wine cave, with all stone walls and archways. They served antipasto and wine of Valpolicella to the guests. After, we had dinner in the function room, followed by one long set of music. We played for about 1.5 hours straight through. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, as they asked for MORE! So we gave them 'another Piece of My Heart' and that appeased them, and encouraged them to buy a few more CDs! YAY! more spending money!
Wednesday, 11 December
A whole day and night OFF! I took the bus into Verona city center. There is SO much history there, and I was looking forward to exploring, but the weather was VERY rainy and cold. I decided to do some more shopping in the outdoor Christmas Markets, and got a few more gifts. Then, I went to the proper shopping area, where the stores are more like Newbury Street in Boston; sorta outrageously priced average quality stuff. But it was nice to get out of the rain!
Tomorrow, we play a private party in Brescia; it will be Roberto Morbioli and Diane Blue, with a few other guys, not the usual suspects. Should be interesting to see how it comes together.
We woke up at the silly hour of 10am and drove back to San Vito, where I stay. Monday was a day of rest. No gig that night, so I had a nice, quiet dinner and an early night to bed.
Tuesday 10 December
FINALLY the sun came out! It has been rainy and gray for days. It doesn't really matter when you're in the club at night, but the days are very long when the weather is crap. So, with the sun in San Vito de Negrar, I went for a nice long walk up the hill into the town. This area is known as Valpolicella, and the main product is red wine. There are grapes EVERYWHERE. In the distance, you can see the snow-capped Alps. I'm sure it is extremely lovely in the summertime. There are still a lot of grapes hanging on the vines, although I don't know if they are any good.
The walk into the village of Negrar took about 45 minutes, uphill all the way. It is a little bit hairy, as there is no sidewalk, and it is a windy road up into the hills. When you hear a car coming, you just step aside and wait, because pedestrians don't seem to have any rights here! The air is a bit thin here, with the altitude up there. It is a quaint little town, with a beautiful VERY OLD church, and some nice shops and restaurants. I had a good lunch and bought some trinkets and Christmas gifts -- spent all of my cash from CD sales!
Tuesday night was the annual Christmas party for the family that runs Hotel San Vito. We provided the music. They provided a very festive atmosphere, and some REALLY good eats. There is a room off to the side, adjacent to the function room, where they used to make wine. It looks like a wine cave, with all stone walls and archways. They served antipasto and wine of Valpolicella to the guests. After, we had dinner in the function room, followed by one long set of music. We played for about 1.5 hours straight through. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, as they asked for MORE! So we gave them 'another Piece of My Heart' and that appeased them, and encouraged them to buy a few more CDs! YAY! more spending money!
Wednesday, 11 December
A whole day and night OFF! I took the bus into Verona city center. There is SO much history there, and I was looking forward to exploring, but the weather was VERY rainy and cold. I decided to do some more shopping in the outdoor Christmas Markets, and got a few more gifts. Then, I went to the proper shopping area, where the stores are more like Newbury Street in Boston; sorta outrageously priced average quality stuff. But it was nice to get out of the rain!
Tomorrow, we play a private party in Brescia; it will be Roberto Morbioli and Diane Blue, with a few other guys, not the usual suspects. Should be interesting to see how it comes together.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Show 5 - Birrificio Italiano, Como -- 7 Dec
Birrificio Italiano is a microbrew pub that makes REALLY good beer. I don't really like beer, and I liked the beer! I had one called Cassissano, made with cassis berries. Very tasty.
This place usually has more jazzy acts, but apparently they like blues and funk, because they REALLY liked Morblus with Diane Blue! It is sorta strange to play for crowds who sit there and watch. It really is a concert rather than a club gig, where people are actually there for the music. That part is really cool, but it's difficult to feel the energy coming back to us. I am addicted to the dancing fools who come close to the bandstand and scream for more. This is much more subdued, with tables full of people eating and subsequently drinking. It is obvious that they are enjoying the music, because we see the heads bopping, and the smiling faces, and the thunderous applause. I just have to dig more for my performance energy, and let it spring from deeper inside. It works, but it really takes all I've got. Roberto has lots of performance energy, and the band has good chemistry, so all that mixed together made for a REALLY GREAT show. This was, undoubtedly, the BEST so far.
From our vantage point on stage, the rear of the room was the entrance to the kitchen. The door was one of those sliding automatic doors. We could see the chef and the sous chef, two women, dancing in the kitchen in their uniforms. They were having such a good time!! THEY really helped with the energy flow issue!
After my performance, we got a standing ovation, and the manager brought flowers to me on stage! Bravissima!! Such a great feeling!
This place usually has more jazzy acts, but apparently they like blues and funk, because they REALLY liked Morblus with Diane Blue! It is sorta strange to play for crowds who sit there and watch. It really is a concert rather than a club gig, where people are actually there for the music. That part is really cool, but it's difficult to feel the energy coming back to us. I am addicted to the dancing fools who come close to the bandstand and scream for more. This is much more subdued, with tables full of people eating and subsequently drinking. It is obvious that they are enjoying the music, because we see the heads bopping, and the smiling faces, and the thunderous applause. I just have to dig more for my performance energy, and let it spring from deeper inside. It works, but it really takes all I've got. Roberto has lots of performance energy, and the band has good chemistry, so all that mixed together made for a REALLY GREAT show. This was, undoubtedly, the BEST so far.
From our vantage point on stage, the rear of the room was the entrance to the kitchen. The door was one of those sliding automatic doors. We could see the chef and the sous chef, two women, dancing in the kitchen in their uniforms. They were having such a good time!! THEY really helped with the energy flow issue!
After my performance, we got a standing ovation, and the manager brought flowers to me on stage! Bravissima!! Such a great feeling!
Show 4 - Dragon's Pub 6 Dec 2008
Dragon's Pub, no kiddin. I thought maybe it might be a little bit like Chan's-- you know, the Chinese restaurant with smokin' hot entertainment... Not really. It was a pub, alright. With Dragons in it... wrapped around the support poles that were near the dancefloor. The people were really great.
It was a local hangout with lots of regulars, and the back room had MANY Morblus posters from days gone by, so the room was full of Roberto Morbioli's fans. It was a REALLY cold night, with frost on the ground and the cars. Despite the weather, we had a really good night of HOT music, and sold a few cd's.
It kinda reminded me of the Cantab, how the club was full of drunk people who just didn't want to leave!! The club owner kept the place open until 4am, then had to kick people out. Needless to say, we didn't get too much sleep...
It was a local hangout with lots of regulars, and the back room had MANY Morblus posters from days gone by, so the room was full of Roberto Morbioli's fans. It was a REALLY cold night, with frost on the ground and the cars. Despite the weather, we had a really good night of HOT music, and sold a few cd's.
It kinda reminded me of the Cantab, how the club was full of drunk people who just didn't want to leave!! The club owner kept the place open until 4am, then had to kick people out. Needless to say, we didn't get too much sleep...
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Show 3 www.liveonjazz.it
Live On Jazz is the name of the club in Brescia. It is a strange location, in the middle of a shopping plaza. However, when you climb the stairs, it is like something from a movie. It is a REALLY beautiful club. Professional, all the way. Lights, sound, huge stage, classy decor. Guido was our sound tech, and the club owner. He did a really thorough sound check and made sure we were all satisfied.
The place was PACKED. Not standing room only, but most of the tables were full. The band was really ON, full of energy. The people were really into it, clapping along with the music and dancing and whooping and hollering after each solo. It is getting tighter every time we play.
The tour van is on its way to take me to the next show... so
Ciao for now!
DB
The place was PACKED. Not standing room only, but most of the tables were full. The band was really ON, full of energy. The people were really into it, clapping along with the music and dancing and whooping and hollering after each solo. It is getting tighter every time we play.
The tour van is on its way to take me to the next show... so
Ciao for now!
DB
Show 2 NoGo
Well, show number 2 was a complete bust. It was a funky little dive bar called Rain Dogs. They advertised me as Diane Blue -- ATOMIC HARMONICA. Guess that scared people because only 10 patrons were in the joint at 11pm. so the management canceled the show. In my limited comprehension of Italian, I think they said that we could play if we wanted to, but they could not afford to pay us what they had agreed. Roberto politely declined and then mumbled something else as the guy walked away...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
December 3, 2008
Italia, Billadin
Tonight was the first show with Morblus. The place was packed! Standing room only.
It was a very appreciative crowd. Roberto Morbioli and I have very good chemistry on stage. It is a top notch professional show, for sure. Sold a few CDs, and shook lots of hands. Grazie!!
Tomorrow, show number 2.
xo
DB
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