il sogno del marinaio

friday, february 15, 2013 - bologna, italy


from andrea:

   I landed on Monday the 11that around 11:30 am, and I was lucky as I arrived at Bologna airport while it starterd snowing hard, and it did for hours, till about 19, so at the end of the day everywhere was frozen white. Rocco and Francesca, the two friends with whom I play with Hobocombo, took me at the airport. It always a pleasure to meet them, they are great and generous friends and very nice musicians. They took me to a bar close to Stefano's house/practice room, where there are fantastic pastry and espresso. We talked a bit our projecs with the band Hobocombo, with which we play Moondog songs and other compositions of us. Then we drove to Stefano's house, just 20 min far from Bologna centre, in a area called Dozza, where Mike and him where already in "il sogno del marinaio"'s mood, already talking about this coming tour and music. Mike is not used to the cold of Bologna, but he is wearing no socks! I'm really happy to see Stefano and Mike, I loved to work with both of them and their music.

   Later in the day we started rehearsing, and we did it for four days in a row. First we did all "La busta gialla" material, then we also put new material on the set list, new compositions from each one of us. This new music made me particularly excited about the coming shows, as each one of us crafted his compositions around each ones way of playing, so that means we got to know each other much better after the first mini tour and after releasing our first album.

   In four days we just went outside the studio/house (they are next to each other) for a pizza only once, we probably played almost 8-9 hours a day. But we ended up having enough material for an hour show!

   First day. After rehearsing all songs in the morning, we made lunch break and bought the tickets for the ferries and the eurotunnel for our dates in UK and Ireland, so we got all tickets for the tour.

   We packed up the van, picked up miss Hiyori at the hotel where she stayed for a few days, it is a nice meeting, and she is brought a lot of merchandise. Then we went directly to the venue, Freakout. The owners of the place are really nice people. The venue is small. The day before they had the japanese band Mono, and they said there were 180 people squeezed in this little room, and nobody could buy drinks for this reason...

   During the soundcheck the stage sounded good to me. Later I meet Hector, a man who is coming Vodo di Cadore, in the mountain of Belluno, where the Belfi family comes from (there only few Belfi's around...). He used to play in a punnk band, Detriti, I remember I had seen their LP when I was a kid, in a squat where I used to go in my hometown Verona.

   After 10:30 the venue was crowded. Sumo, a band from Modena played their set. Something reminded me to the screamo band Portrait of past.

   Our gig was quite difficult, as the sound and light situation was not the best and we had to concentrate on the music a lot. At the end the audience was really positive, even if we were extremely critical about our performance. I met a lot of friend after the show.

   Then we came back home, were we had the last discussion about the show.



from stefano:

   This is the second day for IL SOGNO DEL MARINAIO - LA BUSTA GIALLA tour yesterday was the first gig after four days of practising ...up there is the set list.. in those days we have introduced four new pieces "Auslander" from fratello Andrea, "Us in their land" and "We come to Learn" from fratello Mike and "Sailor Blues" from me .. i wrote some lyrics for "Us in their Land" i really like this piece...very schizophrenic...and great drumming from fratello Andrea

   so yesterday was the first gig in Bologna @ Freak out that was first time for me too to see this new little venue... very nice it was packed and we were nervous cause was the first gig of the tour ( well actually i' am always nervous before playing) Mike could not seen his bass fretboard cause of some bad red lights and also he practised for four days with another bass then he choose for my italian tuscany..a very cheap one ...assembled in china but very good neck and body...but the pick up was not working ...electronics was very bad on that...so we put the pbass split coil on the tuscany and this combination was sounding much more better in volume and tone that with the "original" fender p bass. Difficult but good gig i felt...many clamps but the spirit was good. Many friends were there: Ferruccio and Carlo from CUT, Vittoria my bandmate drummer in MASSIMO VOLUME, Massimo from THREE SECOND KISS, my housemate, bandmate in the past Bruno and Jonathan from SETTLEFISH were there too, Edoardo and Jacopo, and Rossella. Jacopo Andreini and Andrea Caprara who played horns on partisan song, Massimo Carozzi who played electronics on messed up machine, and Rocco and Francesca from HOBOCOMBO one of fratello Andrea 's band, .. and was very nice to meet Hector from DETRITI a band from the 90's from Belluno, everyone of them was big support. i was feeling very tired but happy at the end of the day. it has been really full five days of practising, prepare everything for the tour, preparing food and taking care of the house... now first day of traveling with the van.. we are going to Jesi.



from mike:

   I arrived here in bologna five days ago (sunday night) to prepare for this tour w/my fratelli andrea and stefano. our first album "la busta gialla" came out a couple weeks ago and now we got a small window in which to tour it in europe. I wish we could do longer here and then bring it to u.s. also but I got stooges commitments and just can't make time this year. well, better than nothing. I love these guys.

   fratello ste got me at the bologna airport sunday night around 11:30 (time here is nine hours ahead of my pedro town) and he took me to the pad he shares w/five other people which is an old farm house a little bit out of town, near a prison. the pad's over a hundred years old and has a barn which is where both the prac pad and bruno's studio called vacuum is - bruno's an old friend of ste's, they were in a band together called settlefish like ten years ago. very happening how bruno converted part of that barn into a neat studio - twentyfour track two inch tape even. in the pad I meet the other cats who live here: vanni, gabriella, francesco and marie - all very righteous cats.

   monday morning fratello andrea joined us after I got cooked breakfast chow from ste, real good. we go to work right away. it's snowing all day and cold as fuck but we go to it. we have to learn the stuff from our album first. damn if I ain't been so busy w/other stuff like the new stooges album and the second hand to man album plus the last of my third opera w/my missingmen so I have to work real hard to catch up w/my fratelli which thank god have prepared very well. in a way I feel like a dick but what could have I done? so much stress and no time back home - that's why I came five days before our first gig to try and get it together for them. ste's rented a amp for me by an italian company called lombardi. it's a two hundred watt tube amp and runs two cabs, each w/a concentric twelve (or is it eight or ten?) and eighteen inch speaker. he himself is running through a lombardi also, an eighty watt tube head and a two twelve box. andre's using gian-luca (he's the cat who mixed our album) ludwig drums - old ones, 1967. we go 'til one in the morning, stopping only to eat some pasta ste cooks us up (great!).

   tuesday through thursday is the same w/prac going all day and night. the snow from monday stopped but damn if it freezing - I explain u.s. expression to my fratelli: "colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra" - they capito that right away! we bring in more tunes to make an hour worth. bruno had his buddies from his band gli anni luche after one prac and damn if I didn't know they wanted to meet me - I figured they had their own thing going and didn't want any budinski from the likes of me. found out later though from bruno the bassman wanted to take a picture w/me - I was baka! oh man... good people here, truly, good people. man did I freeze later - even w/five blankies on! well, I have to admit I kicked them of cuz I konk wild...

   I've been using ste's fender p-bass (u.s. made one) cuz the one I used to make our album has a pickup that went belly up but thursday night we get the idea to switch out that for the one in the p. "doctor" surgery w/the soldering iron did a great job and yes, I get to play the tuscany! we do prac and get the setlist together but before we get to run it, we get an email from bookerman mick (righteous dublin cat who also drums for adebisi shank) saying that he needs our ferry and euro tunnel infos for my england work permit so we gotta book that before getting over to the club for soundcheck and the tour's first gig. so great we started prac at ten this morning, huh? gabriella cooks us a real fucking good pasta (both ste and andre have been whupping up tasty-ass chows big time for me) and then we get everything together for mick and then another andrea (not hours) brings over a renault van for us to do the tour in. looks pretty good... then we start and both a fucking warning light (some yellow wrench) and a red "service" light are glowing plus the gas tank is on fumes - what the fuck's that about?

   anyway, we pull anchor and get to the pad we're playing in bologna called "freakout" and it's a short ride. very cool boss here named vitorrio and so is soundman george, beautiful cats. we do a soundcheck and do maybe half the songs - george is so kind. I meet hector who had a band called detriti - hector here's been translating all three of my opera into italian so I give him some insights about the first one - what and why this means and such, shit like that. man, what a kind thing he's doing!

   we drive over to a chow pad named "jari's" and I get an "atomica" pizza which is really good. this is the second time I've eaten here it italy since I arrived - wednesday night I had one w/potato wedges and like prosciutto at a pad called the "piccolo cow-boy" [sic] and I dug it - so much better than back in the u.s. though there' good nyc peetz that's its very own thing, respect. bookerman mick actually didn't book these next three italian ones, enrico crocci did and his wife enza is who takes us here. "atomica" has ham and chilis w/a small egg in the center and supposedly chilis but I can't taste them though it's still very good.

   man, it's a hobble to the boat but I meet two of los straightjackets on the way - damn if I didn't think these were latin cats (they ain't) but maybe cuz that's cuz they all wear mexican "lucha libre" masks like wrestlers there do. in front of "freakout" (what a great name for the first gig of tour cuz that's fucking what I'm 'pert-near having!) it's andrea and jacopo from napozzono (tsigoti guys who did sax on "partisan song" on our album) are here - HUGE hugs for them! we get back to the just in time to see a band from nearby modena called sumo open up. a rock quintet w/two bassists, they're good - I found later bruno recorded their album!

   from the little side room is where I witness most of sumo, I'm on the deck and digging it... we got enough time to set up and make the midnight go-time, the pad is packed and then I realize the fucking whole pad's real dark w/only a couple red lights going - impossible to see any frets on my bass. now since I was on that fender p for prac all week and just started on the tuscany this morning, I have no feel for where the fucking frets are, especially the ones higher up the neck. fuck. damn, so shameful in a way about this gig... actually I don't wanna talk about but I will say fratelli ste and andre really helped weather it and even keep my humor. I blew more than a buttload of clams but I am glad to say there were really no spaceouts, just fucking having to guess at where the fucking notes were - goddamn fucking damn. shit. "freakout" - grazie big time to my fratelli keeping total nightmare at bay. actually the people were very kind also and the capo vitorrio was very glad for the gig, him and his buddies having me drink some whiskey w/them and hugs/hugs - all kinds of cats, fratello stefano from ravenna made the hellride, what a great cat. actually there was much much good feeling in the room but damn - I don't want to talk about it.

   feeling a lot better riding back to the farmhouse w/the band, I tell the fratelli how I proud I was of them. man, what a curve ball to get thrown your way but there's a lesson in it somewhere. the setlist was a good one - we discuss shit sitting in the kitchen 'til lateness makes us go konk.

   we broke the water, the tour is on... I fucking meet the first gig face to face w/a pants-shitter, crimony!





saturday, february 16, 2013 - jesi, italy


from andrea:

   When I wake up at Stefano's house Mike is interviewing Bruno Germano, who owns Vacuum recording Vacuum studio, next to the practice room where we rehearsed. packed up my gear, bought the flight ticket for the end of the tour (on March 11th from Milan to Berlin), and eat lunch with Stefano, Rossella and Mike. Then I drove down to Jesi, a 3'30'' long driving. We arrive at TNT, the venue at 17:30, perfectly on time. TNT is officially a squat, made by 10 people. They are trying to get accepted by the city of Jesi, and they are fighting hard to restore the space and to keep it in order to organize concerts and other events.

   One of these people is called Alessio, I knew him long time ago as I shared the stage with him several times when I was playing with the band Rosolina Mar and him in the band Sedia. The other people are really friendly as well. Their event organization is called Hot Viruz. After the sound check and the dinner we are ready to play.

   Some people are waiting for Mike to rock hard as he does in the Stooges and how he did with Minutemen and with his great Missingmen, but Mike said that we want to present Il Sogno del Marinaio as a band, not as Watt's side project. The fact that we only play "il sogno del marinaio" music except "fun house" and no Minutemen music at all seems strange to a lot of people in the audience, but at the end of the show it is quite amazing how other people react differently to our music, luckily often in a positive way. Anyway, when we go on stage, at about midnight and people are waiting for us to play, a quite nice welcome. The sound on stage is quite good, even if some feeback happened here and there. I think that the concert went pretty well. The first song of the set list is Zoom, where I have to sing. It is quite difficult to start the show with it, but when we started playing it I thought we did good to choose it as the show's starting point, as it is a quite weird tune with voice but without lyrics.I composed it as an hommage to Robert Wyatt.

   After the show I met another old friends, Alessandro Calbucci, who used to be a drummer of Sedia and now works as graphic designer for Raro Video. Then we went to bed at 3 in the morning.



from stefano:

   we had a brunch at my pad in the countryside just before going on the road. Rossella helped me much to prepare this. so good. we had scrambled eggs, tomini, avocado and tomato, broccoli with seitan and carrots, some piadinas and coffee of course.

   then we shared our goodbyes and hugs with my housemates Bruno, Mariagiulia, Vanni and Gabry and Francesco..and to the cats of course Anita and Tony ..still puppies...they tried to get on the van. they always like to be around cars, under the engine, which sometimes can be very dangerous. Once Vanni find them inside the "cofano" of the car like after 2 miles far from the house cause he heard them miaoing. The Journey was not very long, couple of hours. we arrived in Jesi around 17:00 ...weather not so good .. some rains and cold. the TNT was very very cold inside but we had a gas heather in dressing room. we met Alessio there, he organized the gig and also he was the sound man for the night. we had a very nice food there, cheese balls with tomato sauce, rice and cabbage... so good. MIss Hiyori cannot eat milk and derivates. so only rice and cabbage for her.

   The gig started late almost around midnight and it was cold damn...for me it is so hard when it is so cold. it is difficult to get focus. the concert was ok, for some reasons better than Bologna, but strangely enough i was feeling more relaxed at the bologna gig rather then Jesi even if that was first gig and in my town (i found always difficult to play in your town, is always a lot of emotions involved. Some of the tensions was probably because of the cold as i said. i met Cristian at the gig. he took some picture of us.

   we went sleep pretty late and tired at Stefano B n B, shower and konk immediately .



from mike:

   pop for last morning here at the old farm pad in bologna. fratello ste makes up scrambled eggs w/a melted "puck" of cheese called tomino - man, is it fucking happening, blending tiny tomatoes and avocado - the avocado though ain't ripe cuz ste got them a few days ago and w/the cold weather, shit, they're gonna be like hard rubber for a week. anyway, he tried for me... he knows about cali and 'cados!

   I do interview w/bruno regarding his journey through music for my radio show (I'm gonna try and do one in the next few days) and it's really good, a very interesting cat. trippy for me hearing about people just starting w/music in the 90s - their old days! I really like bruno, good cat.

   before we leave I deal w/the liner notes for the mouthful album - actually the lack of fucking liner notes cuz uncle ray got them spaced. oh, mouthful is the name of a proj I had a album recording trip in memphis thirteen months ago - trippy lineup cuz no guitar or keyboard but only trumpet, clarinet, two saxes (one of them brother steve mackay), drums and bass - hence the "mouthful" name cuz so much wind instruments involved. I wanted to do something I ain't got really a lot of experience w/and I like the cats involved much. also I never ever recorded in memphis before and west from there across the mississippi river about forty miles is earle where my great grandpa (watt side) came from. very frustrating for uncle ray cuz his email account got hacked but damn he should've had it on the hard drive of his 'puter - people be careful of this fucking "cloud" trend!

   good news is getting to turn ste and andre on to the chamber brother's "time has come today" which andre never heard of (can't believe that but true!) but man, he is into it - good amount of cowbell! he knew of that "saturday night live" skit w/mr walken but this is the REAL COWBELL tune, yes sir goddamn it! maybe we try a cover down the road on this tour? might be happening.

   we head southwest for about three hours to get to the town on our next gig which is in jesi. I've never been to this town before, it's about twenty minutes from the adriatic sea, near the port of acona. we're playing a pad "csoa tnt" which is a new place for this "tnt" group which is from what I gather, kind of political. you can tell by the posters in the room they're using for backstage. I think they've had only one gig in this building. you can see some acoustic treatment in the ceiling's corners but maybe not the best acoustics BUT "work the room" - very good ethic from the vaudeville days, best antidote to bellyachin' and shit like that. the soundman alessio is very cool people and a bassman too. we do soundcheck w/him and also make sure there's some white light to see what's up regarding my fucking fretboard. I think maybe I got a shot at redeeming myself.

   the chow they give us is rice in a kind of thai style w/mint leaves, some egg/cheese "meatballs" (no meat though) in a thick tomato sauce and also cabbage cooked w/a mild curry. there's a hunk of blue cheese too. after I chimp diary, first entry of the tour.

   we're on at midnight, no openers before us. the stage sound is a little blurry but we do good, actually I do MUCH better though I ain't w/out some clams - the first tune "zoom" has some right off the bat but just some fear shit and not the "blind man's bluff" of last night. the folks come up forward including a dog. whoa. the next two tunes are minus the clams I had in them last night - actually in all fairness I can't blame the dark for those cuz they were lower register and not up on the neck ones - should've had that in yesterday's entry, I am baka. now the newest tune we got is something ste taught us thursday ("sailor blues") and this is a tough one for me in parts, just is. I'll get it though, trust me. now it's got some blurred up stuff courtesy of my ineptitude - there's a ten cent word. I guess I boomed it up too much for "funanori jig" but there was some clams there too, aarrggghhh - not real bad though. from here out I get my nerve up way better and I can say yeah - the other thing is alessio has killed some of the feedback probs we've been having though... yeah... there some mid thing threatening a bogart but actually yammering from the folks tosses the blankie over - "il guardiano del faro" coda... we come back strong w/our "partisan song" w/me clamless for the entire time - can you believe?! here on out pretty goddamn happening. I have a little conference w/the fratelli behind our stuff (I think they had a screen of us playing on the bulkhead) and then whup one more, asking their opinion first. yeah, good one in lots of ways, I feel better. thank you everyone, on stage and off for helping me out. I'm so proud of ste and andre.

   nice people talk w/me, have me sign cds they got, grazie mille. an artist named simone offers to make some art for a proj I might have, grazie to him. I do an interesting spiel w/a man named manuel right after, happening stuff he asks and free of jive and windbag, righteous.

   shit, I just remember meeting steve petermeier's bro in bologna last night - damn, ok, so I tell about this now. sorry.

   we pull anchor and head for the older part of town (here was by the trains) and it's a bed & breakfast w/a nice cat named stefano - yeah, so many andreas and stefanos I meet these days in italy - very common name, huh? man, is it cold - hope that don't sound too much like belly-achin' cuz I'm glad overcame some of that choke I had going last night. oh yeah, one more thing: we discovered the fucking tuning key for the d string on the bass broke off, must've happened when it tumbled, damn. we'll deal w/it.





sunday, february 17, 2013 - genoa, italy


from andrea:

   We wake up and the sun is shining. Nice to see the sun sometimes, in Berlin in this period days are extremely grey and cold. We didn't have much time to walk around Jesi, which is a beautiful town, so we go directly towards Genova after breakfast. It was a 6 hours long driving, so at 10:30 am we are on the road.

   We arrived in the centre of Genova at 16:30 and we meet Matteo, the promoter of the show at the venue called La Claque. He's been organizing concerts since 2000, and in this period he's setting up shows at Teatro della Tosse, a theatre restored a few years ago out of an old falling apart store right in the old town's centre, with european fundings and by the efforts of very motivated people. La Claque is inside this structure, and it looks like a jazz club, with red velvet curtains at the back of the stage. The sound man is called Tiziano. He's very good and fast, so we start the soundcheck very quickly. There is a wooden stage, which sounds good and loud, so when we did the soundcheck we had to think about how to deal with it, which means we had to be extremely carefull with the dynamics.

   After the soundcheck we went to eat in a restaurant quite close to the venue, and we had a nice walk through the city centre. I've never really seen Genova before, as I've only been here in 2001 for the big protest against G8, and that was not a good timing walking around the city. Genova has a beautiful and big historical neighbrohood with little narrow streets.

   After dinner, we went to drink a coffee on a little food store that local perople call "at Janis" because they say the owner looks like Janis Joplin...it is an old fashioned "latteria", a little store with some food, sigarettes and a coffee machine. This stores where very common in italian villages 30 years ago, I remember when the last one in the village where I grew up, Parona, closed down in the mid 80's..."Janis doesn't really look like Janis, but I understand why people call her so, she has big rough curly hairs! Then before the gig I met Bruno, an old friend of mine I didn't see for more than 10 years! We used to play togheter in a punk rock band called Superplatani At that time we were listening to bands like Jawbreaker and Grandaddy and we wanted to play that way. Bruno now plays with the band No Chappi Bourgeois, a weird rap duo with italian lyrics. He gives me the two demos and a great T-Shirt.

   Before our set there played the local band called Cartavetro. They are a cool young trio, and I really liked the drummer's playing, he has a strong musical way of playing.

   The audience was really quite when we played. Nice. The Second song of the set is called "Us in their land" a Mike's song. It is sometimes difficult for me to play it because there is a part wich is a sort of a Mitch Mitchel solo, very fast and loud, and it requires a good warming up before the show! This show was the first one where I think we played the set pretty tight together. I couldn't hear Stefano much, but the songs were very well played.

   We sleept in this incredible bed and breakfast at a 10 minutes walkdistance from the venue, and it is an ancient house with arches on the ceiling and marble on the floor.



from stefano:

   This is the day we go to Genoa. it is a sunny day and weather in Genoa is often good... bit windy in the air this is the city i was born and i lived here till i was 16. then i moved to Bologna where i am still living. Genoa is an amazing town, dramatically beautiful and poetic, rusty and dirty as many harbour towns and has one of the biggest historical center in europe with his little tiny road close to the sea. It is spread like a snake between the sea and mountains just behind. It is beautiful to sea the town when you arrive with a boat from the sea. it looks like two big arms hugging and embracing you. and the food it is just amazing. But i have to say it is a difficult town to live if you wanna play music start or just organizing something. i do not know why but it has always been hard since i have been there and everyone says this-one of the reasons is problem with space and also generally few people at the concerts - In fact not many bands comes here to play. That's why i have much respect for Matteo Disorderama. It is almost 15 years he is organizing concerts there, changing places and put a lot of efforts and heart in this and still keeping doing even if the town not always response positive.

   So the venue for tonight is in the foyer of Teatro della Tosse. a very nice teather in the historical center.Cartavetro are the opening band. Fratello Mike has recorded some spiel on their music. Also Enrico Croci, our italian promoter, and his friend Cico -very nice guy- come to meet us in Genoa. The sound guy is Tiziano. After few words we find out we have such many friends in common from different part of italy...trippy.

   i really liked this concerts. i thought it was the first comfortable one...we played well and the space was very appropriate for some of the very quiet dynamics pieces we have like il guardian del faro for example. The audience were sitting down and they were very much into the music and so we were. There were more than 100 people, which for a sunday night in Genoa it is very good.

   i went konk happy ..we are sleeping in BnB in the "carruggi" -this is the way we call the tiny streets in Genoa.



from mike:

   pop ten bells w/some very big amount of coldness, crimony... the sun is out bright but damn if it ain't translating into warmness. b & b host stefan has chow out for asagohan but it's like powder sugar roll (croissant?) so I just chow an orange - this is what I think they call "continental breakfast" huh? he's really cool people though and learns about old roman and greek stuff in his jesi town, it's a walled city w/lots of them still up, especially the ones after the middle ages. damn do I wish I had time to spend here but I don't - we gotta bail for north, jesi being the most south in europe we go this tour.

   it's back on the route whence we came, along the adriatic w/ste at the wheel. the sun gets blurred by haze/mist for a bunch before we bust out of that around bologna - we we're gonna stop at the farm house to find another tuning peg for the bass but ste found the key will fit on the broken stem and even turn it so it can tune, I'll keep it in my levi pocket. we dodge that bullet, fucking lucky watt.

   we get fuel and I chow a "panino stella" (salami and lettuce sandwich) at the autogrill (gas station chow pad) - man, you would not believe the sticks of salami, cheese, olive oils, pastas, et cetera they sell at these pads! it's a trip. I get some shaving cream and toothpaste cuz you can't bring those on the plane easy and I don't wanna sidemouse on fratello andre's shit any more. there's snow on the ground. we cross on over to italy's west side and up the coast to genoa - it's about five hours and five hundred klicks for this hellride. I both chimped diary and had a good time talk w/the fratelli the whole time. not far from genoa we pass what fratello ste says was one of the first autogrills. it's costs 34.50 euros in tolls for today's drive (about $44.34 u.s.), whoa. average diesel for the boat is 1.70 euro/liter or around $8.26/gallon. just before I flew out here in my town it cost 3.96/gallon

   ste grew up in genoa and was here 'til he was sixteen. it's a port town and has an intense history. I've played here only once, twenty-something years ago. we head for the old town and are met by the gigboss mateo who arrives on a scooter a few minutes early - I say this cuz there's this stereotype that every time here in italy... you guess the rest. we'll fuck that. everything's right on time here now. the pad we're playing is called "teatro del tosse" and there's some "ubu roi" imagery painted on some rolling garage doors and motif in metal near the entrance. there's tables and seats for the gig-goers and the stage is kind of theatre like, the pad's 'pert-near like a cabaret and I think perfect for what we got going in a way. mateo is very cool people. we do soundcheck w/soundman tiziano and there's a real good sound in here, alright.

   the man who book all three of our italian gigs is enrico crocci and he shows up w/his buddy chico. so good to see enrico again, it's been many many years. there's openers tonight, local young men in a band called carta vetro (crtvtr) - oh, a cat named paolo from rice on the record is here too but he's not playing - both paolo and crtvtr have had me play on recordings of theirs and in fact crtvtr tonight wants me to do a spiel I did on one of those. really good cats, all these folks, all very kind to me.

   we chow at a pad not far called "trattoria delle erb" and I have trofie al pesto which is the greenest most fucking happening-tasting pesto I've ever had on some kind of little stringy gnocchi pasta, damn is good. I get a side salad too which trips some of the younger people at the table - "you don't eat at the same time as pasta" I'm advised but shrug that off, sorry. same w/the hashi though the crtvtr cats had just toured some in china so they're cool w/that. I just like using hashi however, nothing to do w/asia even if I learned from there (of course). at home I use hashi, I carry them w/me. I get told to eat curry w/a spoon in japan but I don't, I use hashi cuz I like to... I'm gonna fucking do what I wanna do - why do folks get their panties bunched up about shit like this? it's not like I'm taking their fucking forks and knives away and shoving hashi in their hands. it's pretty funny. I have a real good talk w/enrico though, it's been a long time and we catch up good. I like his buddy chico too, a real music man - he corrects me on a fuckup I made w/a bob dylan tune.

   back to the pad and soon enough crtvtr come on but first the drummerman joe has his ma come me meet me, much respect. him and his band kick up much dust w/their set. I do the spiel for the "we need time" tune and it's weird to be up there w/no bass on so I put one hand in my pocket. I'm very honored they had me aboard.

   our turn next - oh, you know there's a "name" for this lombardi amp I'm using? not the model number/whatever but there's stenciled on it "il nonno" which means "grandpa" and what I called my nonno, carlo piaia. damn, ain't that a trip? we do the gig and damn if this ain't crowd showing us HUGE respect w/no yammering, they give us total focus and we do our best gig yet. of course I gotta fuck up somewhere and that's in "auslander" but I did keep in the rhythm and key even if the chords got tangled, baka watt. I got a good handle on "sailor blues" though - there were lots successes and like I was saying, the gig-goers were amazing. I'm just so grateful for everyone and a little surprised I clammed as little as I did... still I gotta do better and hell if I ain't gonna try to.

   so this was rouser for me but damn if I ain't shaking over the scariness of what could've been a big tumbler - I guess physically too though I never felt that danger as much as the potential choke I could've stumblebummed onto. man, a big breath - some whiskey from the bar people here they offer here for me. I get to talk w/paolo more and tell him to bring some of his solo tunage if his keyboard man is tied up now and the band's on hold. real genuine feelings from folks, big hugs, BIG ones for the kindness, truly.

   we get to leave the stuff here in the pad and hobble off some distance which is hard to gauge cuz of the tiny alley/roads in this medieval part of town. it's kind of far hobble for the likes of me but anna helps be a tsue (very kind of her) and everyone goes slow for me. the vaulted ceiling of the konk room in the b & b is amazing still even the old painted figures have had time whup on them. I get fratello andrea's diary up on the hoot page and we drink a little beer before I get the nightwear on and konk... you wouldn't think it would help w/this cold but damn if it don't.





monday, february 18, 2013 - montpellier, france


from andrea:

   We wake up in this amazing house with a luxurious breakfast. Great hospitality.

   Stefano an I walked up on the hills of the centre of Genova to get the van, and we pack up everything quite fast with the help of Matteo and Hiyori. We have a good amount of gear, two big amps for both guitar and bass from the italian brand Lombardi, with two big cabinets for Mike and another one big but light for Stefano. Miss Hiyori has a lot of merchandise to sell, we have one big suitcase and several other boxes filled with T-Shirts, Cd's and posters.Then we have my drumkit, plus percussion and kick pedal, plus our luggages. It is a quite hard work to load the van, but of course, it is part of the game!

   We left Genova at 11:30 and drove throught the highway that follow the coast from Genova to Cot d'Azure. It is a horrible Highway, full of curves and windy, so I drove slow. We arrived in Montpellier at 18, we did a quite long ride.

   Abel, the promoter at the Black Sheep, helps us to park the van and loading our gear into the venue. it is a two store bar, upstairs a fancy bar with fancy students chatting and drinking, downstairs the concert room. I like this venues, small and intimate, with a wooden stage and a simple bar at the bottom of the room. The sound man, Julian, and the member of the other band, Dot-Dash are really good people. The backstage looks like a little bunker.

   We eat pizza made by an italian guy from Pordenone, that's why they have birra Castello, a typical beer from Friuli. Before the show here I meet my friend Attila Faravelli, with whom I play with the duo Tumble. We also did a US mini tour on the east coast in 2011, and we played New York, Turner Falls, Middlebury-Vermont, Boston, Providence, and Washington D.C. He's working on a sound art label, which produces sound devices instead of normal records. One of his next releases is a paper clover with two little speakers mounted in order to create the what so called Mid-Side stereo effect, it is a beatiful object to hold and you can use in order to listen to music made especially for this device.

   The concert went very well, Mike and Ste were playing extremely good, so it was as always!!!, a pleasure to play with them.

   For this tour I decided to bring snow boots for the day and concert shoes for playing, and I after this show I decided to put the concert shoes inside the bassdrum, so it is easyer to find them while setting up the next day.

   We go to the hotel at around 2am.



from stefano:

   we wake up around 10. we had some "sugar-breakfast" at the B n B -italian breakfast is almost about cakes, croissant and sugar things but i am not really into that except for chocolate ...and fratello Mike is not at all!... i much prefer pizza in the morning and orange juice. Korn Flakes with milk ok ..is always good- thats why i jump directly on the focaccia genovese... mmm... so good!..oily, crispy and salty. i took this with me for all the day.

   The driving till montpellier is pretty long, almost 6 hours. and we drive all along the so called "riviera di ponente" literally the west coast cause you go towards west. During the traveling we speak a bit about magnetism and electricity and other stuff about physics which remember me about my time studies at university. Mike has big confidence with all of this concepts. i like big time to hear and speak about this arguments and thinking around this.

   In Montpellier we play at black sheep. Abel the organizer come to liberate us from the intricate little center labyrintum streets we just end to be stuck in,like a fish in the fisherman net. i just break my thumbnail closing the hardcase of my amplifier... too bad... anyway i can play... i just have to adjust differently and make a different control on the strings.

   The gig is nice, has a very good vibe, and especially some welsh guys helped a lot and brought a good spirit ..Fratello Mike really loved this gig...i think it is his favourite till now..for the spirit for the fact of us really being togheter...even if the sound is not so good and this fucking red lights that cannot make him to see the fret of the bass. i liked it too ..but i prefered Genoa cause i felt we could go to play very quiet without loosing audience attention...both good anyway...just different. Our Italian friend Attila Faravelli is there.. very interesting electroacustic musician.. he come to visit his brother who lives in Montpellier.

   after the gig i smoke a cigarette and i start to feel very tired and sick... we end to sleep at this sun 24H hotel which i don't really like and makes me feel even more sick than i am. I cannot sleep, i have sore throat and i can hear fratello Andrea cannot sleep too cause he is always moving in and out of the little toilet in the room.



from mike:

   pop at nine and half and here's that continental thing w/the breakfast being a buttload of sugar. there is some foccacia ste finds though and gives me some of that. I fucking shave as soon as everyone's done bogarting the benjo (where you piss and shit in jap), been a couple of days and first trying out that shaving cream I got at the autogrill - I like it. got toothpaste from there too, it's also happening. I wear other pair of levis I brought cuz maybe one week w/the other pair's enough? yeah.

   very nice weather outside, much sun but still a little cool. the fratelli have gone ahead to get the equipment out of last night's venue and into the boat - I feel bad about being so fucking weak cuz of the knee where I can't help them w/that, damn me. anyway, I hobble up the little alley w/last night's gig boss mateo and there's a good amount of working ladies out this early in the day. well, it's a sailor's town so maybe a big tradition? fratello andrea said he used genoa sea shanties to develop his vocal part for our "punkinhed ahoy!" tune.

   we go along italy's western southcoast that goes first into monaco but only for a real short time cuz it's tiny and then into france. I have a big talk w/andre about electricity, trying to explain the basic concept of resistance, current and voltage to him using the metaphor of a hose w/water running through where kinks in the hose are ohms, the amount of water flowing is amps and at what pressure is the volts. I hope I got through. sure is neat these mountain pads and vineyards you see by the side of the road, much terraced land to use for farming much as possible, amazing. might be noisy as hell w/the autostrada.

   we reach france and the peage (pronounced "pay-ahj") starts... I mean italy's got tolls, right? but here they seem like they're every ten fuckin' klicks! someone's gotta pay for the roads though, I understand. the cote de azur is beautiful... south coast of france has feel kind of so cal, I can dig it. we stop to switch ponies (ste now at the helm) and I get a baguette sandwich, one w/tuna, ham and egg I stuff w/potato chips (bolognese flavor!) and senf (mustard in german) from miss hiyori, the real good "lowensenf" kind.

   I chimp diary and we get into montpellier around six, you can tell it just rained in these parts. the tom tom navigatori gets lost and puts on roads w/bollards (posts that stick up out of the road to keep you from going down it) and hell, we see the venue across the street we're playing ("the black sheep") and send andrea to get help - he comes back w/the gigboss abel and he knows the way (of course), he knows the back door way and we find the openers dot-dash unloading their stuff there already. I know the drummerman, he's a cousin of my bass brother tony maimone, hugauz! I played this town in the fall of 2011 (it was actually in the suburbs at a pad called "secret place") and I met him there. very cool people, they help us load in. the place is a cave (pronounced "kahv") which means cellar and really neat - real old bulkheads and huge roof (upper floor) timbers. we do a soundcheck w/soundman julien and the able takes us to a pizza pad nearby and we eat what they got there: a rectangular pan w/maybe twenty squares of peetz. fratello andre makes a statement w/a moretti beer bottle to the deck - the peetz pad man cleans it right up and says no prob, very kind - replaces the broke bottle w/a new one.

   I hobble back and watch dot-dash do their set and keep thinking "it's not funny any more" but actually they finish up w/a cover of "corona" - hugauz sure sings it good, respect to him.

   backstage I chimp diary. the fratelli bring me a perrier bottle but for some reason it remains on the table and not the deck. I meet the bosslady of this pad while talking to hugauz about folks he knows. ten of eleven, our to play. man, this is a fun gig tonight. I mean there's potential nightmare w/mainly red lights and not being able to see so well - maybe my eyesight is going or what? oh, before we start up I ask the fratelli to correct the song spelling on their setlists cuz you know, maybe folks might want them and... well, I ask and then we go for it and look, I ain't saying it was clammless and there was lots of risk involved w/diving in for the high notes but I did pretty ok that way - what was really happening was the feeling I got, like I had passed some equator and entered a place where it was as much a pants-shitter to do this set and damn if I don't dig that! big thanks to the fratelli for helping me out this way, grazie mille, truly. got "auslander" way together compared to last night, by the way - had to chimp that cuz of so embarrassed the night before - time to take heart in tiny victories! actually it's real fun and two cats from wales really help out w/some interaction, merci. I'm getting some nerve w/the il sogno del marinaio world of sound live!

   I talk w/many gig-goers, even the peetz boss who cleaned up the broken bottle of moretti! one cat named enguerran is working on this movie of his and says he might have something I can do in it! whoa. I meet the two welsh men, one huge and one smaller and damn if they ain't the funniest cats ever, respect! we end up singing stooges tunes in alley. a native cat named sebastian too but he seems pretty bewildered... seems his english but then again folks in my own town have trouble understanding me. damn if he ain't got a lot questions about bass for me but says he's a guitarist - that's wild! so kind of abel bring us here - he asks me, "please give me a friday or saturday next time!" he's cool people, respect.

   we drive towards sete to find the 'tel but begin a wander, I help w/that at one point - baka watt cuz damn if it ain't the same pad I was in w/my missingmen in 2011! it's called "sun hotel" and it's good to get some internet (had none today) and then fucking konk which I kind of feel I need. konk real happy w/the gig though, real happy.





tuesday, february 19, 2013 - la valette du var, france


from andrea:

   We leave the Hotel close to Montpellier early, at 9 we are on the road. We must be at 12:30 in Toulon. We arrive perfectly on time, and Regis, the promoter of the concert, comes to pick us up at the pier. Regis is a musician, director and he does a lot of other things related to art. We had to be there early because Regis is filming Mike playing with the band he plays with called HIFIKlub. After lunch (the best food we had since we started this tour, sea bream and white wine, delicoius) Mike went to shoot the film with HIFI Klub while Stefano, Hiyori and I walked around the old city centre. Toulon is a port city, with a touch of interesting roughness that I like. Later on we went to Regis' house, where we chill out a bit listening to Master Musicians of Bukkake and typing some emails.

   We went to the venue at about 18:40, and we start setting up quickly. It a very little pub, called Live cafe. This evening is the first concert after years of silence, so it was a new experience for the new owner. The place is so small I have to bring my cymbals and snare drums outside the venue, where they have a little wooden storage room.

   HIFIKlub plays first. They mix desert rock, heavy bass lines and quasi-hard rock guitar riffs and solos, with a touch of psychedelic music.

   We start playing at around 22:45 with a fully packed room. The energy of the audience is not strong, but people are interested and we do our best to play a good show. Not the best show we've done ever since, but I enjoyed this show as well.

   The hotel were we stayed is really comfortable, and we have time to discuss a bit how we could improve the set for the next days.



from stefano:

   we wake up around 10 and we go to Toulon pretty early cause the guys who are organizing the gig tonight want to do some shooting with Mike for an art project they are doing inside the navy army area.

   There we meet Regis and his bandmates Hifiklub.

   They take us eat in a very nice restaurant not far from the sea and then Mike, Regis and the guys go with the Captain to shoot in the army harbor while Andrea, Hiyori and me take a walk into the town center. I start to feel bit better today. Miss Hiyori give me a thing for the sore throat that makes your tongue numb but actually works and then very kindly helps fratello Andrea and i to took some pictures we need for Angela Bulloch and David Grubbs project we are involved in. This project is going to be performed at the end of march at the Pompidou Center in Paris. Angela needs pictures of us to make a 3d avatar version of our bodies and faces.

   So we take this and MIss Hiyori does us a quick and personal interview she wants to put on the net. She asks me a little about my bio and few words about Dreams and Music. Thanks MIss Hiyori! she is always very kind to us and helps a lot with many things along the road: the merch, receipts, load in load out, keeping the van clean, taking pictures ecc ecc.

   The Gig is a door deal in a pub. Many people comes so the door deal plus the money from the art project Mike so kindly donates to the band it ends to be one of the best payed day!

   Regis and the other HifiKlub, Arnaud, Nico and Pascal plays the opening act: that are good and very nice guys too. i feel our gig ok but really not the best. We go sleep in a hotel in Toulon. i smell shit in the air and i find out had a big dog shit under my shoes which smell bad of course... so i end up to clean the brownie before konk...nice way to sweet dreams. Take shower and die.



from mike:

   pop at nine and I ain't got much time cuz we gotta roll real soon cuz I gotta get to toulon by noon. why? cuz regis from the hifiklub band he's in wants me to do spiel over some sort-of ambient music they're doing for a movie that has like eight pieces and I've been chose for number five. it's sunny out but a little cool when we pull anchor, fratello at the wheel. we head south east towards toulon, france's biggest navy base in the mediterranean.

   man are there some big grasses on the sides of the road around here, HUGE ones! like ten fucking feet tall. we pass istres - it was at a stooges gig in this town on july 12, 2010 that my fucking port side knee went out, on the last note of the first song. that was fucking reminder I didn't need but it is the reality of that dealio. we stop for diesel and it's 1.5 euros/liter which is about $7.30/gallon u.s. and the cheapest I've seen it over here this trip. I get a salami baguette - excuse me, I mean I get a little meat and bread w/my butter.

   we get into toulon around noon and regis meets us at a parking lot by the marina. his band's also w/him and we go over to a chow pad called "les tetes d'ail" and maybe it's perch I chow or whatever but it's the whole fish along w/a baked potato some whupped-up squash. as I'm shoveling, I write the lyrics to "no one ever says old man (to the old man)" part from my first opera on a napkin cuz that's what I'm gonna recite for the recording w/regis and his cats cuz he asked for something like that - we're doing it at a napoleon-era fort that got turned into a prison for nazi military after the second world war. to do this he had to get big permission from the french military and chowing w/us is thomas who's a captain in the navy and very cool people. I tell regis about the "old man" on a u.s. navy boat being what the crew calls the skipper (I learned this from my pop) but never to his face. he relates this to thomas and it's the same in the french navy though there's another term they use too, "the pasha" which actually is turk. trippy. I tell him about how the navy base where I live turned into a huge can terminal after the viet nam war... we talk about cans - he relates to me the dangers those babies pose when the fall off boats cuz they don't sink and are big submerged dangers. he says the french navy puts buoys on the ones they find.

   in french "it looks like the south" is what they're calling this movie and I'm the fifth part, there's three more to go after me. unfortunately I have to leave my people cuz of the security issue so we'll meet again later, they hoof into the downtown which had the nickname "chicago" cuz it was all bars and puta casas at one time - remember toulon is a sailor town. I leave w/regis and his band (thomas had to go off cuz there was a small fire on the aircraft carrier tied up in port, france's only one) and we go into the prison. it's a long tunnel that connects the cells and there's a rail for a cart to run on which is what they're using for the camera. we do three takes, I try to keep my head in a place which at so jokey, try to hold "character" or whatever. nico played slide guitar, pascal on just floor tom and tambourine plus regis on bass. after we get done I go down the hall and check out the cells... the german prisoners painted on the walls, stuff like their home towns and nature scenes. trippy.

   we go to regis' pad and meet up w/my people. I do a skype interview w/a dutchman named peter for the groningen gig next week, he's a good cat and asks me good stuff. glad to be playing that town again. both regis and his lady beatrice (he didn't know dante's lady in "il comedia" was named that) are from corsica and I tell them about my gig w/the stooges there last summer, first time for me there and I loved it.

   my guys went to go set up while I was at regis' pad cuz no internet I was guessing at this venue (turned out to be correct guess) and I join them for soundcheck. it's a little bar called "live cafe" in nearby la valette du var ('pert-near part of toulon) and they got a small music room on the side... just re-opened and so happening of frere regis to get this happening. small p.a. and the mixing board mounted on the bulkhead right by fratello's andre's head - he can mix us! we get chowed some lasagna after both us and hifiklub check and not long after, they start their set. the room is packed. they do really good. each guy in the band has got his own style, it's happening. arnaud wails on these kind of shakers that use pieces of donkey hoof-nails on a stick, I thought they were mussels but that's what andrea tells me.

   we go on and it's a lesson-learner for us. again I get distracted by the fact I can't see the frets in the trippy l.e.d. lights and unlike last night where it happened, I get freaked out by it some and loose some nerve. damn me. it ain't just the clams but the distraction - I got an idea for tomorrow night that might help though, I'll try. I really made a bad "experiment" w/the ending of "funanori jig" and man did that stink it up - no more but at least I tried something I was thinking about... better to get out of the head to see if it should be put to bed. the fratelli both had feelings the gig was kind of "einbahnstrasse" but I was too caught up in my own frustrations in a way to be aware in such a way. however, it bothers me I wasn't strong enough to rally them so this another thing I learn I wanna get together.

   regis guides us back to toulon's town center and to a 'tel called "grand dauphine logis" and we drop anchor right in front - we have to move at nine am so I agree to so the fratelli can konk in later. better safe for the boat than anything else. there's beer in a coin machine and we each have one in the cabin and discuss stuff regarding the gig. gigs can be great classrooms!





wednesday, february 20, 2013 - geneva, switzerland


from andrea:

   At 10:30 Mike knock our hotel room door pissed off by the fact that he woke up at 9 in order to move the van, which was in front of the hotel but also in front of a store, and he couldn't find a single parking spot. I hate this situations with cars, so I understand the frustration! So we left the hotel quickly towards Geneve. The ride was about 5 hours long. When we were about leaving Toulone, I thought it would have been great to live in a port city like Toulone,with a nice dry and windy weather. In these days only Stefano and I are driving, so we change the drive every 2-3 hours. We pass through the flat south of France and the Alps. Right after the Alps, with snow and fog, we find a beautiful sun waiting for us at the doors of Geneve.

   I always liked playing in Geneve. I played there six times before this show, and it went always well. I usually play for Cave 12 which consists in a two people organization who set 2-3 show per week since 2005 in different venues. I heard that now they are getting a proper venue for their concerts, after 7 years of wandering around in different venues. In fact I saw Marion, one of the two Cave 12 people, at this gig at L'Usine. Kalvingrad is the name of the organization who promoted this Geneve show. Alex is the name of the promoter. Simone is the girl who asked Alex to set up the concert. She is also the tour manager for the band Firewater and she plays in the band massicots. A musician from Lyon, Seb, gave me Simone contact. We got this show at the very last minute, two weeks before the start of the tour. They are all really good people. We arrive at L'usine at around 16:30-17. L'Usine is a big old factory turned into a squat with different clubs in the late 80's.

   After the show a guy told me that Kalvingrad was a provocative name for Geneve, which in the 16th century was the centre of the Calvinist movement, and in the 80's a punk band used this name to express the boringness of the city. This guy told me in the 80's there were thousands of people living in squats, occupying and protesting against this boring and conservative aspect of the Swiss society. L'Usine was not seen by the squatters as a good place, as it was the first one which wanted to deal with the city and the "power." Lucky the place is still there, but the other squats fall sadly apart.

   Stef, the sound man, did the quickest soundcheck of this tour since it started. The backstage is really comfortable, I remember last time when I played here with David Grubbs and Stefano. We have dinner with tofu and rice with all the people. With them there is a guy called Nadan who I later discovered that he did the soundman for Pere Ubu.

   The show was scary at the beginning. I did some mistakes here and there, especially in the first part of the set, but the audience was absolutely incredible, really into Il Sogno del Marinaio's music. That was a great contribution to the show. Without them we would have had a way different perception of the show, which at the end was good.

   After the show we have some time to chill out with some people, before going upstair the bedrooms, very big and clean once. Before sleeping Mike Stefano and I chat a bit about Il Sogno del Marinaio, how the concert was and what can we do to help each other to get things better for this band.



from stefano:

   Fratello Mike wakes us up to go to Geneve. He and Miss Hiyori already have been for more than one hour and a half around town to find a parking lot for the van cause it could not be stay parked next the hotel after 9 a.m... I can see fratello Mike is freaking out ... not a nice way to spend the morning i would say. Sorry fratello Mike and thanks for letting us sleep some time more this morning. We needed. At least we had "butter cross border" as Mike says... easy passage at the border with Switzerland. we always do big time conversations along the road... everysorts... History a lot and often hilarious arguments... stuff like "cocaine in the ass" and Baka hieros butter on butter shit. Mike likes to talk. Sometimes he fall asleep with the 'puter on his legs. All of us shares and teaches words in our respective languages. each others curiosity.

   We arrive in Geneve around 5... weather is ok but temperature is cold. Everyone of us had played at the Usine others time before. Mike also 30 years ago with Minutemen and there is this Guy at the gig that was there at that concert ! he was 16 years at that time! When we come to Geneve are usually the great Sixto and Marionne who organize the gigs for us but this time are Andy and Simone: nice people and very good veggie food they made.

   I like this gig... a last minute gig but very into the concert I would say. Stephen at the sound board did a very good job and Nadan recorded and shooted all the concert. Nadan does sounds for Pere Ubu too.

   we have to figure it out a more interesting dynamic solution for the chord changing in Sailor Blues C part i feel.

   We sleep upstairs, comfortable. Tomorrow we are going to have a long driving till Solingen Germany.



from mike:

   pop at eight and half to move the boat to what I'm led to believe is nearby parking. first though a stop a the chowpad part of the 'tel for coff but then see a little bit of cheese, ham and bread so quick I make a sandwich and then get down to the boat. it's my first time behind the wheel is this boat, a 2009 renault "trafic" and get this: I can't find fucking reverse! I keep trying, following the goddamn pattern on the top of the stickshift which is a throw-out to the left... aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh - luckily there's a little downhill I can let roll down w/the clutch in and bring her about - the "bite" comes down (frere regis enlightened me to french word for these balllard things which by the way is also slang for a dick which is also a trip cuz that's what the montpellier gigboss abel called it when I asked him and figured he was just having some fun), I get out of the tiny town part of where this 'tel is and then stumble onto how to get into reverse - there's a motherfucking ring around the stick part of the stickshift that you pull up to override the lock-out they got on the reverse gear - I am such a fucking baka! maybe more baka though is the parking sitch or actually the fucking lack of one, damn! this boat is 2.05 meter and all these fucking lots are 1.9 - fucking all of them! I can't believe it... I go to the "liberty place" like frere regis tells me, up to the train station - there's lots, sure BUT TOO FUCKING TINY and no open-air or curb action. in fact vehicles this size seemed to just put on their flashers and plug a fucking lane - some actually are unloading but others... I circle the downtown many MANY times, like an hour and half worth, I shit thee not. the plan was to let the fratelli konk so I keep looking and looking 'til it's fucking time to go and the get back to the 'tel to gather us up. well, at least I got some prac at driving this motherfucker. fratello ste takes the helm - fuck if they wanted to, I could give them a guided tour of this pad easy cuz believe you mean I kind of big time know it like the back of my hand. we head toward switzerland and geneva.

   the navigatori puts us towards marseille and we stop for chow. when I was do fucking loops around toulon I discovered the windshield wiper fluid reservoir was bone dry - fuck! what if snow catches us and ices up the windshield? baka! so we get two liters worth and damn if it don't take the whole fucking jug. I also get a ham and cheese baguette w/some potato chips that have roasted chicken flavor - hah! also some aqua frizzante (bubble water) for both my fiber capsules (psyllium husks, best thing ever) and ibuprofen for my fucking knees - there was a ramp and then a step around the corner in the hall of the 'tel this morning where fucking "down goes frazer" which was me taking tumble and doing big time crumple right on both of them. fuck. well, speaking of physical things from a surprise maybe now I can mention something about the encore in genoa... when I did that UH! part near the front of "fun house" I did ready parts myself enough and blew it out - not bad and down the leg but prolly a couple miles of country road in the chonies. thank god that b & b had a shower.

   anyway, the sun is bright though the air is cool but these guys really like the heater so I wear no shirt as I chimp diary on our way north. fuck if there ain't one stretch of the road where I see like six hawks - not all together of course but at pretty closer intervals as we roll past. hawks I think are good to see cuz maybe they live stuff so possibly healthy eco system? I also think they're beautiful. they look like our red tail ones. soon we're climbing in elevation and there's snow on the ground but not snowing. when we reach the swiss butter, it's a "butter" crossing and the border man even sells us the vignette (you need to buy this sticker to use swiss roads, costs forty swiss francs, almost fortythree $ u.s.) so we don't have to get out of the vehicle. we get to the venue around five, it was just over five hundred klicks.

   this pad is called "u'sine" but it's also called "kalvingrad" - or am I baka? (don't answer that!) - both things are connected or one w/in the other. very nice folks here, very nice. gig was booked kind of last minute to plug a hole. I'm very grateful and get to meet the lady who made it happen, simone who also cooks our chow. alex too is also involved and he's beautiful, very kind. soundman stefan does the check w/us, we're in the smaller part of the pad, he gives me some tape so I can put markers on the side of the tuscany bass' neck so I can know which fret is which better. after soundcheck we eat simone's chow, curry tofu, big leaf salad and rice, very good, merci (geneva's in the french part of switzerland).

   both my fratelli get caught up on their tour diaries while we wait for our set. twenty 'til ten's been decided and there's no opening act. it's a character builder but damn are the people most kind and focused on us. there's a cat named nadan who's recording us and that gives me "red light fever" which is a self-conscious thing that makes you fucking blow clams. I suffer from a little of this and also getting used to the markers on the side of the neck I made w/white tape (good idea though, this is gonna help me big time). they ain't too big of clams though and I have a good time, a real good one. ste and andre really played well.

   we finish the gig and I talk to a real nice cat named louie originally from dublin in ireland. he saw me play right near here when he was sixteen, he found out the date was only three days from now - thirty years ago. whoa. I remember that, our first trip to europe, minutemen brought over by black flag to open for them. first time I tried to chimp diary, it's in my first book. boy, is it baka, like it was written by an idiota. anyway I played here w/my second-string secondmen (paul instead of petezo, raul instead of jerzo) also in 2005. I realized this when I we arrived but now it really hits home, the thirty years ago one. me and louie have a good rap about a lot of stuff: old punk, "ulysses" and even bass - he's got an old gibson eb he wants to start playing again. I really hope music comes back to him. later I talk w/nadan (he recorded us), he's from the istria part of croatia and cuz pedro has lots of dalmatia folks, we talk about stuff from those parts including koja, an incredible bassman from belgrade.

   man, I could've shot the shit all night but we gotta pull anchor early for a hellride to solingen so konk time... lucky us, we konk up stairs and will load up the gear in the morning. I'm tuckered big tim and konk way quick.





thursday, february 21, 2013 - solingen, germany


from andrea:

   We had to drive from Geneva to Solingen, close to Colgone, so we woke up at 8 and at 9 we were already in the van. This was the longest ride of the tour, 770 km. Stefano and I drove all the way up to Solingen, with a couple of quick stops.Around Basel snowed a bit, but apart from this and some traffic jam around Cologne, we had a safe travel.

   After loading off we had a quick sound check with the soundman Fritz (very typical german name!) of the venue Cobra. Cobra is a cinema/theatre with connected with a kneipe (german bar) with a little stage. The structure is more than this, as it had an office for immigration, where they host language integration courses, and bedrooms. Solingen is a little village in the RUR region. Rur it is called the engine of Germany, for being the centre of the German industry. Still now it is just an enormous chaos of houses, industries, factories, warehouses and stores.

   People from Ox Fanzine are the promoters of this gig. Thomas, the founder, started OX fanzine 24 years ago, and he's been involved in the Hardcore Punk scene ever since. Ox is a fanzine, interested in all kind of "punk" and D.I.Y. Music. They also reviewed some Hobocombo CD, that's how I got to know this magazine, as it is in German (and my German is still not so good to read long articles...). They wanted to interview Mike, but it ended up to be a Il Sogno del Marinaio interview, which is nice as they were interested in our project and not only at Mike's history, which is nice as Mike tradition is also bringing today what there is in the present, today, and not only what was in the past. Right before the interview we had a nice vegan chili and cabbage salad with orange. While on tour having just a salad instead of tons of butter and cheese is just great.

   The dry sound of the stage allowed silence to be part of the set, which was very dynamic, the lower parts were really low and whispered. We had to play well for the audience, they were really silent and focused on our music!

   After the show I meet an Italian guy, Daniele, who lives in Solingen area. I heard that in this area there are 4000 Italians, as they were hired as mitarbeitern during the economic boom in the 60's and 70's. The bedrooms are at the top floor of the building, so we just packed the instruments before going to bed.



from stefano:

   it is five days i am not keeping the diary... not enough time between driving, sleeping and be focused on the gigs. we live full time. is tiring but good. Let see what i can remember. cause even after few days the memory melt the more subtle elements and information you still keep. Most of all it seems that the emotions and thought you had have developed and transformed themselves in something else...they have some sort of feedbacks in the days after but it is hard to come back to that initial moment.

   We go to Solingen Germany. It is kind of the longest driving of the tour... around 700 km. We arrived there around 6... i am very tired... so tired that i cannot quit get what Joachim and Stephan asked us for the OX interview...Joachim started the fanzine 25 years ago and he is just got back from spain. His wife cooked a wonderful veggie-chilly. so good.Fritz is the sound guy... i liked this gig... not many people but really into. we play well and i am starting to take good decisions for my solo parts.i met an German-italian guy (shit cannot remember his name) who grows up in Solingen.he speaks a very good italian with strong accent form the south. very good.we sleeps upstairs. deep konk



from mike:

   pop at eight and a half and have to move quick cuz we got a hell ride ahead of us, 774 klicks (484 miles) north to solingen in germany. it's real gray out... damn I hope we got weather to keep us safe. fratello ste at the wheel, it takes us a while to get out of the incredibly well-timed traf light system of geneva. soon enough I gotta get not just my jacket off but shirt too cuz these guys like it like a shvitz here in the boat. we go as long as we can go w/out fratello andrea jonesing too hard w/out coff and I use some of the swiss francs I brought to stomp on that. the gray gets more and more gray, even a wall of cloud in front when presto! there's the sun - still clouds but taiyo! still cold as fuck though... outside, not in here - here is like shvitz. andre now at the wheel, he plays me a cd by craxi which is a proj he was part of. it's real good. he teaches me about fantozzi and I wanna check it out for myself, interesting! he takes us through a tunnel maybe a little too fast cuz blam, there goes some bright light in huge flash - I think a speed camera got us which might be interesting when the picture comes in the mail to whoever rented us this van cuz I have to travel w/my shirt off cuz my fratelli like it good and warm like a shvitz - I've been riding shotgun this whole tour so that could be interesting. we reach the german border a little after noon and the zollmen are pulling cars over but when it comes to our turn, they walk away and our crossing is like butter. we get diesel and I have first german chow on this tour: reisenbockwurst, bread and mustard. we roll through the schwarzwald (black forest) where we switch ponies, ste back in the driver's seat. we have a good time cracking each other up w/jokes. it's incredible how w/in a half an hour the temperature goes from plus three to minus one celsius, damn!

   we get into solingen around six pm, this town's in germany's ruhr valley where they have their heavy industrial part. it's a smaller town but part of a whole kind of suburb thing for workers here. my first time in soligen. the pad we're working tonight is called "cobra" and used to be a studio where the filmed commercials. a real nice cat name jorg is the gig boss and upstairs he's got salami, cheese and bread for us plus this is where we're gonna konk - yes, love that scene: you play your brains out and then the konk pad is just right there, w/in stumbling distance, bitchin'. the stage set up is trippy, in the corner and along the bulkhead but sounds really good where I am when we do soundcheck w/fritz, a cat I'm told goes back to the old days. he's cool people.

   joachim from the zine ox comes to both interview us and give us chili and salad his wife ushi made for us, very good. his buddy thomas is w/him and in fact interviewed me years ago. these guys are very happening in the fact they wanna involve the other two members in il sogno del marinaio and not just the baka bass player. I respect them much for that cuz I have big time respect from my fratelli andrea and stefano. a few days ago we were at a table and ste was asked "why do you play w/mike watt?" - maybe it's language prob but man, in a way that sounded kind of weird. I'm sure glad the band can speak through its music as well as in conversation w/the members. joachim and thomas are really genuine people and I'm grateful for that too.

   no opening band tonight, we go on at twenty of ten. there's l.e.d.s for the lights so here's a real test for the markers on the neck of the tuscany bass for the baka bassman. oh, regarding the setlist: the fratelli decide they like what we have for an order, I'm w/them. the gig-goers are most kind and gives us BIG focus. I think this my best performance of the tour, so very grateful to andrea and stefano for being so patent w/me. even w/red l.e.d. light only wailing on me at some points I can still see which fret is which and this is a great thing... now no excuses for clams! I really don't blow that many tonight, a great vibe and whatever helps me get it together. very polite crowd, the only time I hear any thing is when someone hollers once in italiano - turns out later this cat is from german-italian mix.

   I got upstairs in a way to marvel of having it together the way I did tonight, yeah, I'm kind of in disbelief but fuck if the fratelli don't deserve it, same w/the gig-goers. joachim comes and says he dug the gig, saying the music drew him in whereas lots of times he feels a wall between himself and the band. whoa, very kind of him, truly.

   gigboss jorg is happy and tells me about the days when he played w/his band the embryonics in the 90s. I thank him much for having us aboard. I gotta tell you it was incredible stage sound and soundman fritz did a great job from what folks told me about the mix in the room, danke. I konk big time happy.





friday, february 22, 2013 - cologne, germany


from andrea:

   We had breakfast at 10 am. We left Solingen for Cologne at 11:30.

   We were leading to a recording studio, where Tomlab people, who are also the promoters of the Cologne show, invited us to record something. Jan is the name of the promoter. We proposed The Chamber Brothers' "Time Has Come Today" and they accepted. We arrive around the studio at 12:30. The studio is called the Bear Cave Studio owned by Nicolas and Bjorn. We went to the studio just a few minutes later, where we found everything set for the recording. They set up a slingerland set for me, sparkle gold. It has great dry sounds, not exactly my type but really good for the song we were gong to play. They have an amazing guitar selection. The session was fun. Mike, who knew the song from when it was recorded, suggested the direction to take. Instead "Time Has Come Today" the song will be "Clams Get Blown Today." In the song the concept of Time is rappresented by a strong cowbell pulse. Mike suggested to substitute the cowbell with a 4/4 hi-hat figure. The version we were supposed to play is a 15 long, so I had to record almost 13 minutes of the same hi-hat figure...a minimal music exercise! Then we recorded all togheter on the top of this hi-hat, first of all the beginning and the end, and later the improvvisation part in the middle part of the song.

   At 16:30 we left the studio towards King Georg the venue, which was 400 meters far from the studio. King Gerog is room with a big bar right at the centre of the room. It smells of alchool and sigarettes from some days before. The stage is a little space on the floor between the bar and some tables. The sound man is called Flo. We have time for a soundcheck at 18 then we go to buy some food at a restaurant called NudelMafia.It is quite impressing how German people have an italian/Mafia obsession, I had a lot of discussion about this clique with german people. Anyway, I buy a soup, as I had some sandwiches in the afternoon right after the studio recordings. The venue has bedrooms upstairs, which was perfect so we didn't have to move our gear after the show. Before dinner I booked the hotel rooms for the last day of the tour, a couple of rooms next to Heathrow airport in London.

   When we started playing the venue was packed, the people were standing right in front of us. The atmosphere was amazing, I love when there is not stage, and people are next to the musicians. Even the sound was perfect. At the end of the show people were asking for an ancor, and it was weird as there was no backstage and the people were staring at us waiting... scary...

   After the concert I cahtted with Raoul and Caroline. Caroline worked for a german music magazine, she recently interviewed Steve Shelley. Raoul is a man who lives in Frankfurt am Main and organizes experimental music shows.



from stefano:

   Koln is pretty close. we meet Jan and Caroline from Tomlab and we go record our version of "time has come today" by the Chambers Brothers and we change this into "Clamps have come today." Bjor and Nicholas runs the cave 's bear studio. Very nice guys. They have a lot of guitars and pedals-boxes. i use a very small and beautiful tube amp (don't remember the trade right now). We just put down the structure of the piece and we do a long psychedelic dream part in the middle running down the tempo.

   The venue is pretty close to the studio. no stage here. so we play literally with all the people surrounding us. the P.A is just above our heads.Very good gigs and vibe. I sing the verse of "Us in their land" without microphone cause we do not have enough microphone... just screaming... we are starting to play with confidence and more expression. Everyone is so enthusiast about the gig. they want more anchors but we have only Fun House! we meet many people: Raul, very nice guy from Stuttgard and Antonella from Milano. she is living in Koln since 15 years and she still knows about a lot of italian underground bands. David comes at our table and asks Mike to sign is skateboard and do a photo with us. he says" it is more than a moment" talking about the picture. Andrea, Jan, Caroline and I drinks some few more drinks at the bar and then we go sleep upstairs.



from mike:

   pop at ten bells and hose off - first w/in a few days cuz of this sitch. damn. shave too. crimony. I make toast and chow it w/the cheese and ham jorg provided us w/yesterday, good shit. many thanks to jorg. it's sunny out the windows but cold as fuck, around freezing. crimony. I let my fratelli konk, teach them "ohayo" (sounds like the u.s. state, means "good morning" in jap) when they pop. I think fratello ste is feeling better. konk is good cure for so much.

   we have recording today w/the tomlab folks in cologne. it's only thirtysix klicks (around twentyone miles) to the south from where we are now. soundman fritz comes by to help us load. I try my hardest also but lookout and try to be most safe cuz of my fucking lame-ass ginnochio (knee in italian). we get loaded up and get to the zentrum (center) of cologne in half an hour, crossing the mighty rhine river and for bear cave studio, not far from the dom, a very famous cathedral. actually we had two choices and w/ste at the wheel, he chose the one that came up right - respect! jan and caroline bring us to the studio and we meet the men there, nicholas and bjorn who are very cool people. we're gonna do fifteen minute version of "time has come to day" by the chambers brothers en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page . now we don't wanna do xerox version cuz of respect for chambers brothers so fratello plays hihat motif instead of the cowbell they use, it is clock analogy and metaphor regarding time. we record this first, our "click" track. strange to do this way but this how we for "architecture" (bjorn's words) for track. it takes us a little bit... the trip part in the middle is gonna be like ten minutes long so much repetition for andrea. maybe he blew one clam but that's ok, seeing how we're gonna make some changes to the lyrics! I play ste's tuscany bass through a newer hiwatt 200 bass amp that sounds pretty good. both andre and ste use equipment here in the studio which is pretty good cuz of less stuff to shlep. we have time only to get down the hihat part and the basics w/all of us but do get the trip-out center section though I'd like my fratelli to add some more tomorrow when I come back in w/them to do the spiel.

   so lucky the gig is right around the corner, crimony! it's called "king georg" and I guess has quit a history. we set up on the deck but first we take photos w/a young man named christian who's doing a photo book. he takes group shot (yes!) and after a few, asks ste to be in the middle and come up some more forward... ste asks if it's cuz of a "little man" thing - we all crack up. soundcheck w/soundman flo goes good and it appears jan is quite connected w/this pad. I have talk w/him and thomas - they're the ones putting out a double seven inch called sock-tight that's a proj of me and my best friend raymond w/drummers jerry trebotic (from my secondmen) and dirk vandenberg (took cover shot for "double nickels on the dime") plus stooges saxman steve mackay. it's got four tunes and I'm really into what we did, raymond's so creative! actually I kind of made this a tribute in a way to jaki liebzeit the can drummerman - I started out w/the drums first, added the bass to go w/the grooves, then had brother steve blow sax the day before a stooges gig in france last summer and raymond right do the spiel right after on the way home. oh, "spiel" - yeah, by the studio is a "spiel salon" or in german, "game room" but I have to explain to jan I use spiel in the yiddish way - he's pretty surprised by this, most germans are. trippy, huh? anyway, jan and thomas have a good talk w/me - actually I almost got to give thomas a tour of my pedro town but when he was in so cal that day for me I got to do a session w/organman bernie worrell so that as a shame... maybe some day though. these are good cats, I like them. I pick out the paper and design for the double seven inch sleeve, the opening gatefold has all kinds of photos raymond took of his nyc work pad. he drew the cover and asked for a shot from me so I put one of a pelican I took in my pedro harbor on the back.

   no opening band and we're told there's a ten pm curfew so we'll go on at nine. first jan is very kind to go get me chow so ain't got to hobble. funny, we saw chow pad w/this baka "noodle mafia" and sure enough, that's where the chow's from! hilarious. mine is a few pieces of salmon in a pasta w/tomato sauce and basil leaves, kind of mazui (tastes bad) but at least I don't get sick. earlier thomas brought a cake! yeah, I wasn't really up for eating a cake but it sure was sweet of him. the pad begins to fill up, becomes packed...

   we're right on the deck w/the folks, it's pretty neat this way. I give happy bday shoutout to ms yuko cuz it's her day, much respect! I'm a little nervous but ste and andre playing way good inspires me much. doesn't stop a full-step flat clam in "verse IX" from me but I do pretty well keep it together. I gotta say it's happening to play in freshly-washed flannel my ma gave me for last bday I'm using on this tour - miss hiyori was very kind to do laundry for us all while we're recording in the studio earlier so BIG grazies to her. the cologne gig-goers are most kind, especially on a friday for drinking kind of night - they give big time respect, even for the soft dynamic tunes. in fact they want a second encore but we finish right on time and I don't wanna jan or anyone getting into curfew trouble. only one mic for me and stefano so we have to share but this also gives him a chance to talk w/the people. I ask andrea to do some later cuz I think it's important folks understand this is a band and not a group of two backing musicians for a baka named mike watt. I think folks realizing is VERY important cuz il sogno is a band in the true sense of the word. on the personal front though, it's another great test for the white tape on the side of the bass neck technique cuz this pad had MUCH red lights and it wasn't a prob at all. damn I wish I would've thought of this from the get-go but I am baka slow learner. fratello ste really whupped out some solos tonight and fratello andre ripped it up on the drums plus both their dynamics were amazing and everyone listening so well - what could've be a shaky part in "sailor blues" snapped right into tight-ass symphonic-like trip for the coda, really happening, really. respect. to the gig-goers also.

   I talk to some of the folks after, very kind, so many people. I have to wait a little bit - I used to be able to spiel right away but I put so much into gigs and don't have all that much strength so it takes a lot out of me. I really wanna show I'm grateful though and go out to meet folks a little bit. I sign a man named david's skateboard and album, he's so kind. one cat is from santa cruz (in cali) and there's a canadian who's a friend of thomas plus a scottish lady but most are from here and checking out what I'm doing. jan really did a good job getting the word out. trippy, thirty years ago I first played this town at some squat called the stollwerck which was black flag and minutemen along w/a german band called canal terror opening. I meet this cat who's sister was a girlfriend of that band's bassist - ain't it a small world? fuck! deep bows I have for everyone. so many good words from them for my fratelli ste and andre - yes! it means MUCH to me to hear this.

   so righteous the konk pad is upstairs - we can leave the stuff protected here and load up the boat in the morning. the owner comes up to thank me for us playing here, so kind of him. first time this tour I think I konk at midnight... even w/it kind of freezing, this is truly a righteous thing. the room's got so much orange going too - my favorite color as a boy. I think getting less younger I've shifted a little to yellow... hmm... why? I konk not knowing.





saturday, february 23, 2013 - groningen, netherlands


from andrea:

   I had a quick breakfast at the bar aroundthe corner before going to the studio again, where we finished the vocals, percussion and guitars for "Clams Get Blown Today."

   After this we leave towards Groningen. People in Colone told us it wasa two hours drive, but it turned to be an around 4-5 hours drive, with a hard traffic jam around Colone. We arrive in Groningen quite late. The bar is in a big squat, which hosts 250 people, and it was squatted at the end of the 70's out of an abbandoned Hospital. It is quite impressive how much work people put on this building in more than 30 years. There is not much light in it though, I found this quite strange. When we arrived Arian, the promoter, is in a hurry as the dinner is ready and we'll do the soundcheck later.

   The dinner is very good, and they served it in a bar which reminds me a german kneipe, as people were smoking a lot in here!

   We did the soundcheck in about half an hour. The room sounded pertty boomy and resonant, and the stage has a lot of volume. The soundman is called Martjn. He's pretty tall, as many of the people around that came at the show. We shared the stage with the local band uhgah?wugah!

   With started the concert with a decent volume on stage, and at the end was incredibly loud, especially on Stefano's solo on the encore, "Fun House."

   The bedroom is called the Hotel, and it comfortable but strangely it has no windows.



from stefano:

   we do the lyrics at the bears cave and some small guitar and percussions overdubs and we say bye bye to Germany. Raul helps us to load the van and got some coffee and Haribo for us and Mike. Hiyori come at the van with a bag with a lot of good stuff to drink and eat for us. Thank you so much!

   we go to Holland now. Groeningen. a lot of traffic jam... we arrive late. Aryan and Jan set the gig. they live in social occupied building that was an hospital before. it is big community since 34 years. SOme people just born and grown up there. the venue is inside the building. good people really. ugahh wugahh are the opening band. what a name.

   i feel we are playing better and better everyday. good interpalying and more expressive dynamics... still clamps but those are not syntomathic anymore of playing good or bad. Sometimes clamps brings some new good things -not only shit in your pants- and good human emotions.

   we go konk in the building somewhere... i lost my sense of directions inside there and i sleep lost and deep...we sleep in the same room. Mike 1, 2, 3 Ibiki and snore. but i am so tired that it does not matter. Andrea give me a couple of ear plugs... just in case



from mike:

   pop at ten bells to find chamber much nicer cuz of small heater I guess finally getting it done... outside the window it's gray w/small snow flurries. after hose down (yes, two mornings in a row now!) I chimp diary 'til noon when we all meet up downstairs in front outside for bjorn and nicholas from bear cave studios to come walk us over to their pad to finish what we started yesterday. the "always on time" myth is shattered when they are nine minutes late - ha! seriously though, it's great to see them cuz snow is coming down. I washed a small tuna sandwich (maybe too much mayo?) w/some coff during my earlier chimping. a careful hobble and windbag from me w/our recording hosts as we make our way to what's now a nice familiar little studio, asking them for bongos or conga - they have neither but they do have cowbell. lord have mercy cuz fratello andrea's are w/his stuff (and all our music gear) in a locked-up "king georg" we were just standing in front of. cowbell's important cuz we want an echo of the original tune. our time metaphor is a hihat riff but in the middle we want an extreme trip-out. first though I do the spiel - I think they got me in a place they can handle and when finished find out I wrapped the needles around the posts so we give it another go. I get it all in that take except for a redo near the end cuz like a baka I must've counted wrong w/the basics yesterday - what a baka but not a boat-sinker, just a twist on the orig. it was big "thumbs up" for yeah, only this take and I trust them. I did wrap my spiel around what I felt for the tune, trying to channel some r and b from the baka watt way... maybe more takes would've watered that down - I trust nicholas and bjorn. then we do a gang vocal for the "hey!"s and "clams!"s w/my fratelli, fratello ste w/a little sampler box thing for a nano voice - he also uses a nano guitar they got here a "big muff" fuzz from the bear cave stomp box shrine in which they have tons and plus many trippy ones so maybe they're a little disappointed but I think not really... what they want is another guitar track for the middle trip-out part to add to the palette they wanna paint w/and... oh, wait - fratello andre first de-tunes the snare and w/the wires off, fakes like a conga for a pass and then puts cowbell for the memory echo possibilities, THEN come ste's turn w/the nano guitar - presto! we're done. I explain to bjorn and nicholas my younger days in regards to psychedelic and how I thought music from some bands we're actually for me more like into an approach where they wanted to give the listener a "safe ride" and actually this scene got huge and social where as what I took to be truly psychedelic stuff was from bands who made insane sounds and mixes that were definitely "not safe" but intended to provoke a more intense mindblow. I ask nicholas and bjorn not to go w/the "safe ride" and when they mix this, really REALLY trip it out. I hope that's what will happen - I figure these two guys just as much a part of this tune as us three and let them know that. I see this proj as a collaboration. so glad jan put it together though he can't be here cuz he's helping his ma. I think we supplied "the clay" and now these bear cave cats can throw it on "their wheel" and we'll all hopefully have ourselves a "ceramic" that kicks ass and blows minds.

   we finish right at two pm and in walks a cat who saw us last night, raul. he comes over w/us to the "king georg" pad and again the "always on time" myth about this land is shattered by the club guy arriving late but no big deal but the snow is coming down now so a quick load is what we need to happen and that comes through, raul helping us, much respect. he also gives me a sack of sour gummi french fries. we get out of dodge around two and a half, a big hug for raul.

   now jan said groningen in netherlands is only two hours away but a plug w/traff and the reality of the sitch makes for 'pert-near five... how many times do local underestimate fucking longhauls? MANY is the right answer! not their fault, it just happens. I usually check for myself w/the fucking maps via internet but lamed out this time so I only blame myself. much of the plug is w/fratello andre at the wheel and it wears his ass out. so does I think my baka spiel w/rants on subjects like "symbiotic relationships" cuz I see a fucking clownfish painted on a store front (you know about them and the sea anemone, right?) and then the heisenberg uncertainty principle which leads to mr heisenberg himself and the of history being twisted up and duplicitous - I try to remember the case of him and mo berg which brings on both my fratelli w/thoughts and meditations on having a conscious and taking a stand vs surviving (for example: capos in the death camps). weird stuff. and so is all the moors - not much built around and finally we hit a fuel station w/a little store (the one we saw earlier only had a pump and an awning over it w/no other buildings! totally automated) so this is where I get wurst like I did entering germany the day before, right before leaving - w/a roll and mustard. it's good. fratello ste takes the helm for the last fortyfive minutes.

   we're an hour late for soundcheck (six pm) but it's ok, says the gigboss arien who is very cool people. this pad is called "okrz bar" and it's part of what used to be a roman catholic hospital (hence the acronym "okrz") that was first squatted (a term for occupying an abandoned building) in 1979 and then becoming legal seven years later - that's what arien tells us... even more amazing is him saying around 250 people live here, children have been born and grown up at this pad even! it's a few buildings, pretty huge and they do everything themselves. the decorations in the bar are from the old heating system! martin the soundman has to bail for chow at his pad so we chow at the cantina here - some great potatoes au gratin, quiche and salad all done dutch style and then we're back to check w/soundman martin and meet the openers uhgah?wugah! who are from groningen and very nice. they're going on at eleven, us a midnight.

   for some reason I put the konk mask on damn if I ain't out in the little side room. guess I was tuckered. damn though, gotta play so what the fuck! well actually it's how I do u.s. tours, konking in the boat 'til one of my men comes and gets me so what am I thinking? fucking baka. soundcheck was rough w/this room (lots of brick on the walls, tiles on the floor) and even w/it now full of bodies, still pretty "roller rink" so we gotta work it right, keep tight and watch the boominess shit. I blow some small clams cuz of these nerve issues but at least keep the keel in the water. the bar's not too far and there's yammering from there yonder but lots of focus still from the kind folks. I think the sound sitch maybe to the jesi gig in italy last week (yes, this is the second of the four weekends we're doing for the tour) but the big difference is me being much more together for my fratelli and the gig-goers... man, that jesi gig was a pants-shitter for me. anyway, here in the now I blow a clam in 'pert-near the same place in "verse IX" - can you believe? the lights are crazy but I can see the frets cuz of the markers, I must have a foible in my fucking head I have to take care of. it seems every tune got a little clam in it somewhere blown by me so I can't say it was clamless but then it was good gig cuz we kept the flow good and maybe the only thing fratello stefano said when we finished is that fratello andrea need in this sitch some more drama and drive in his voice - miss hiyori later confirmed his voice being kind nano (tiny) compared to us other two... I think we did good though and there was much kindness from gig-goers, them really wanting the encore. flannel though is already stretched out again - sure wish I could wash it... we play exactly one hour, looking at my watch I see 1:04 am, ain't that at trip?

   good talks w/the folks, lots of nice cats and face-to-face for first good talk w/jan-burt who I've "known" for a while - he gives me a sister's brother's daughter live recording he made - he's seen me play twice in tokyo. there's lot of good dutch cats who talk w/me. one lady had my missingmen tom and raul over along w/lou barlow when they did a euro tour w/them. I guess lou fell down some stairs of hers and got all banged up, damn. lou's one of my favorite singers in the punk scene, him and gary floyd - did I mention him recently? I am fucking baka. no peter from vera but I ask about him much.

   time to konk, we go to the "hotel" part of this place which is a small hallway that connects to a little theatre if you kept going through the next door. it's got a head one side and the konk room w/five bunkbeds on the other, very comfortable. on the way jan-burt shows us his prac pad (yeah, there's prac pads here too plus artist spaces) which is pretty much the same size as the one I've had in my pedro town for the last twentysix years but maybe better dimensions - mine used to be the shitter part of the officer's head at the old for macarthur. anyway, I get into my nightwear and konk quick and hard, fuck am I tuckered.





sunday, february 24, 2013 - amsterdam, netherlands


from andrea:

   We waked up at 11 and we were invited for break fast by Jelle who's the booking agent for Hugh Cornwell, the ex leader of the Stranglers. They're house is inside the squat, in the newer area, and it consists in one big rooms a bedroom and a little bathroom. It is a very strange house, it looks like something in between an office and a proper house. Jelle and his wife were very kind, we spent about an hour there, chatting and eating. We left ORKZ at about 12, there was no traffic so arrived in Amsterdam at 15:30 at the venue OCII.

   OCII, is a nice squat, I like it a lot. It is one of the Amsterdam old squats from the late 70's early 80's. It has a very disctinctive wooden facade, it reminded me a bit of an Austrian or Sud Tirol (link) house. I played there in 2009 with Machinefabriek, an experimental music guitarist based in Rotterdam.

   Sjoerd is one of the guy who is part of OCII. He is a very nice guy. He was at the venue when we arrived at the place. He helped us to uload the van and he prepared some coffee for us while we were checking our emails (each one on his/her computer staring at the screen...).

   Carlos, the booking manager who booked this show, arrived later in the afternoon. He's been working with Mike since the early 80's. He does booking for Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and Cat Power nowdays. Carla Bozulich, with whom I recently recorded with for her next solo album, told me about Carlos. It is a pleasure to meet him, Mike told us about him a lot, and he loves him. We chilled out a bit, then it was time for soundcheck, with the soundman Greg.

   The other band on the bill was the Bent Moustache, and it is the band of Ajay a sound engineer born in England but who lives in Amsterdam for many years. After a while I realized I met him in Verona, when he was touring with the american band Dead Medows. He worked with a lot of great musicians and bands during the years. Their soundcheck is very long, as they are 7 (guitar, drums, bass, two brass, keyboard and voice) and the stage is not so big, and they finish while we were already eating our dinner based on chicken peas, salad and rice. The bent moustache started playing at 9:30 pm. They played a three long songs set, Their music has kraut rock influences where the rhythm section was keeping a mid tempo beat while guitar, keyboard and reeds were floating around it. I liked it a lot, especially the drummer, who I met after the concert and he is only 17, half of my age!

   We started playing at 10. It turned to be a good show, and after I spoke with a lot of great people: Max, a 24 years old guy who lived for a while in South California and played with Briant Bjorn from Kyuss and then moved to China for three years. He told me he started making music inspired by Mike's tour diary. He reads it. Hi Max!

   After chatting with other friends we went to the hotel at 1:30.



from stefano:

   we have Breakfast at Jelle at his wife house. he knows Mike since long time and We go to Amsterdam at Occii. Carlos booked the gig, old Mike friend too. This is the second time i meet Carlos. First time was in 2005 in Rome when i was helping the second men on the italian tour. Raul Morales and Paul Rossler were there. we arrive in Amsterdam early so we stay at Occii long time... i would like to sleep some but i cannot. some great vegan food before concert... then vodka and mate helps me to get some sort of awakening...fuck i am so tired tonight.

   The mustache band opens the night. very good i really like them... straight and intense. the drummer is very young 17!.. the girl who plays keyboard looks very young too. Ajay the guitar player is in his forty but still looks very young too. He comes from the states and he married a dutch lady. he has been sound guy for J mascis and Mike some time ago. we met Paul another American guy from Boston which he is living in Amsterdam since 15 years. it is a pleasure to speak with him i also meet three Italian guys who come to the concert. JAn from Groeningen to see us again. very sweet person... again another good night and concert. it seems that now we can comunicate to the people and our joy about playing togheter. you can feel people is having fun with us.

   we go sleep in a hotel close. Tomorrow we go to england.



from mike:

   pop at nine and half bells to find what seems like total dark chamber we've konked in... look people, being where it is at my age, it is hard to hold pisses of course there was a pop in the middle of the night and damn if first a pair of goddamn shoes and then a big-sack that I fucking trip over - I gotta tell these guys to leave me a piss trail which don't mean a trail of piss but a clear path in which I can get to the head w/out fucking killing myself. at somehow I made it back though and at nine and a half I figure to just fucking pop, don't know how my body knew that but I set up a chair in the little hallway of this "hotel" part of okrz and chimp fucking diary, 'pert-near looking like a sentry for the fucking head. I'm joined by everyone else at eleven and we each hose down - fuck, three days in a row for me, this might start to be a habit! actually I'm way into it.

   at noon a cat I met last night after the gig named jelle comes by to take us over to his pad, he's one of the residents w/his lady adri. they got a nice wonko (dog) named zappa, a veccio like me - I think fourteen years old. only a couple of barks and then he's your best friend for life. jelle's been working w/hugh cornwell, the guy who was the main singer for the stranglers and now solo. I saw the stranglers when they first played the whisky up in west hollywood, I liked that gig and singles they had like "grip" and "five minutes" - bassman was intense, so was that first album. jelle also makes music himself and he's got a 70s gibson grabber bass, the one w/the sliding pickup. adri makes us softboiled eggs and we chow that w/toast and fresh-squeezed orange juice. of course there's a bunch of sugar things like jams, cakes, etc but I can't shovel. there's some cheese though w/a thin slicer and fresh bread - we smelled it in the halls, maybe it's baked here? pretty incredible community, really. fratello ste comments there's nothing like that in italy, he's pretty amazed and so am I. we're most grateful

   arien is waiting in the bar to help us load out at one and a half, jelle w/us to guide us through the long corridors - maybe easy to get lost! we pull anchor in a gentle snow - it's cold but it could be worse and full of ice. fratello ste and the wheel, only two hours to amsterdam. I finished chimping all my diary so we have good rap in the boat - damn if we don't have a good rap in the boat every day, diary to chimp or not cuz I love these guys. it's a cold gray amsterdam we find when we arrive, the pad we're playing is called "okii" and a nice cat named stewy is there get things together from the night before. he lets us load in and takes us to a warm upstairs where we all can use the wifi (had none all yesterday) to catch up of email and stuff - I get my work permit information for england printed out even, very kind of him. my old dutch buddy carlos has made the train trip from rotterdam to see me - "dutch dude" carlos and I go back twentyseven years - speaking of which, ten days ago was valentine's day and thirty years before that was the first time I played in this land - it was in this city and at the "paradiso" w/black flag and minutemen... crimony! I remember a little gaggle of I guess fans of nazi saluting giving us nazi salutes but we would not be run off the stage like the band before us was. please understand these clowns were way in the minority, most that crowd was way happening. anyway, back in these days, me and carlos spend a long time catching up w/much MUCH spiel. so good to be w/him, so good!

   the opening band for tonight is the bent mustache from these parts but the band's bossman ajay has special version for tonight's gig which includes jos, formerly of the ex and oli from detective instinct whom I've done much bass and spiel for, just getting done w/four little tracks before I left my pedro town for this tour. after soundcheck w/soundman gary (I think he's from glasgow originally) downstairs, a little better sounding than last night's room but in a way, kind of similar. gary's originally from glasgow - there's lot so cats from other lands here. on man named phil is a u.s. expat and gives me a book called "'d' train" by terry wilson (phil's involved w/some beat stuff these days) he signed to me. much respect to him for his kindness. we chow stuff a nice man here makes us that's really healthy: garbonzo beans in spinach, carrots, rice. this place is a squat but nothing on the scale of last night. it's right in town too so it has a nice facade, I hear amsterdam government pays people to keep up nice front so the town has nice image for tourists. lots of volunteers make these places happen, it's a really neat thing seeing people coming together like that. I think though the cycle for this kind of stuff is on the wane though, that's what folks tell me. well, these two pads here in holland for us are happening, I can attest to that.

   the bent mustache goes on at nine and a half, I watch their set w/carlos. they're really good, a trombone plus a man on sax and clarinet even. jos is great w/his spiel, real good words. earlier at chow he told me how he felt his band the ex was like minutemen which is a trip cuz that's what me and d. boon thought of them! oli's on the bass, using my amp and the drummerman mees is using fratello andre's kit except for the snare and "blades" (what some dutch guys call symbols). this helps big time w/change over. we're on a quarter after ten but I'm read to go so I talk w/miss sally who's come up from den haag to see the gig w/her man. she's great bass player. I meet a man named max who knows her guitarman and he's got quite a story: he read my tour diary nine years ago and he said he made him wanna come to the u.s. and play w/cats so that's what he did... even said he saw me play in my own pedro town - had he's just in his mid-twenties now, crimony! pretty incredible. a lot of these people in music really amaze me when I think about how much a fucking idiot I was when I was their age... seems like I was a 'tard and grew up so much slower...

   ok, time to do our last gig on the continent this tour. our tempo are kind way up there but it's a good spirit in the room, great crowd of folks. I'm kind of nervous wann do good for carlos, jos, miss sally, ajay, oli - actually everyone here! that includes ron gouda who had just helped me move the monitor at me more. for the first time I hear fratello come off the beat a couple of times, I'm wondering if he can hear me good enough but we pull back together - the band really is playing together in a very happening dynamic, I'm really into it. I really like the human component of this gig, really do. phil the expat is dancing up a motherfucking storm right up front. yeah, a lot of dynamic but it's ok. carlos told me he had to get the train back at eleven and he'd miss me cuz we play an hour pretty much close to exact - actually I don't know how we do that. it's a very emotional gig for us, I think - we're getting to that point now more easy, getting over the mechanics for just treading water, you know? miss sally comes on stage w/her rialkkuma phone, I introduce her to my fratelli...

   I talk much to the gig-goers after, sign many things and get music from them - very VERY cool folks here. also from the opening band, I spend a long time w/jos and he gives me his "a mix of bricks and valentines" book and I offer up a plan to collaborate w/him where he acts as a conductor... excited to try that, whoa, can't believe it! I talk w/the opening band drummerman mees, hearing from him much wisdom about what he thinks music is and especially the idea of the ensemble. I find out he's fucking seventeen years old! damn is he wise beyond his years, DAMN! very glad to know this, makes me feel more humble which I think is good for someone less younger like me. big hugs again for max, he offers me his '69 eb-3 next time if I need it, yes! what a kind man...I get to talk w/a big man named mike who's dutch but lives in denmark and wants me playing there - I'm thinking 2014 for a real euro tour for the third opera, like 45 town. it'd be good to get to so many pads I couldn't get to before. I talk w/wouter from stoma, he gives me their new album, dig this band. maybe somehow I collaborate w/wouter, he's got some kind of online community he's putting together.

   we get to leave our stuff here, there's a 'tel not too far away but it's hard for us to find so stewy helps us out. he's really happening. he says he'll come at the crack of dawn tomorrow so we can load up for the hellride to england via the chunnel. I can't remember this pad's name... damn, it was just a few hours ago! I am a fucking baka.





monday, february 25, 2013 - brighton, england


from andrea:

   We had to leave early in the morning in order to be in Brighton at around 4pm. We woke up at 7. Ste drove all the way down to the Eurotunnel, while I was I sleeping, then I drove to Brighton from Folkstone.

   We arrived at the venue at around 15:30-4pm. We loaded our gear at the venue, The Prive Albert, a beautiful old pub with a concert room on the first floor. It looks like nothing has changed for the last 100 years inside, except for the posters hanged on the wall. We soon met Sam Dook, the guy who wrote "Il Guardiano Del Faro" ("The Lighthouse Keeper") together with Mike a few years ago, and who lives in Brighton. We spent some time with him, walking around the centre of Brighton in search for food and adapters (we all forgot the adapters for amps and computers!!). Sam plays in several projects, but the main one is called The GO! Team. Really nice cat!

   Later in the afternoon we meet Colin, the promoter of the show, and Steve, the soundman of Prince Albert. We did a very quick soundcheck, in 20 minutes we were done. There were two other bands on the bill: Headquarters andSoul Punch. Headquarters played first. They played loose dubby songs. Soul Punch played second. They play odd instrumental music, with Beefheart influences and Slint. I really liked these two bands!

   Before the show I read the news from italian elections and I got a little depressed. I'm also a little tired from travelling and playing and a lack of sleeping, so I go on stage a little distracted, and this didn't really helped...the political situation in Italy is fucked up, damn stupid italian I would say, but what can I do, not considering myself an italian? Damn... Anyway we got on stage and luckily Stefano and Mike are in good shape and I find support from them. I blewed claims, especially on Joyfuzz, I totally forgot to bring my tamburine for this song, I was expecting another song, but I jumped in in another part of the song. Damned I think I was so tired I missed Mike's eye contact... It turned to be a good show, people reacted positively, and I think the spirit of the group was really great!

   Later on we chat a bit with Sam and then we go to Colin's home in Worthing, 16 miles from Brighton, with his lovely family. He has a nice house, full of records, as he was working in a record shop and he still selling records on discogs. We had some drinks before going to bed, some whiskey and beer. Colin's soon, Bernie, knows a friend of mine who lives in London, who was playing with the band To The Ansaphone - funny, small world!



from stefano:

   we wake up pretty early with not much sleeping on our shoulders. load in the van under some little snow and we drive toward Calais. I drive till the tunnel then as we cross the custom board and we go in the vagon i die in the back seat.When we arrive in england of course is raining. Fratello Andrea get a little bit of hard time driving on the left side of the road but we arrive with success at the Prince Albert in Brighton.There is a Bansky just on the side wall of the venue: The two Policemen kissing ... they put it under a glass. There are also some star wars murales and a pigeon and some others. we need to buy the plug in adaptors for England so we take a little walk and i recognize the area cause i have been playing in Brighton couple of years ago with In Zaire one of my band. and it ends that i buy the adaptors in the same place i have been two years ago... just a tiny little shop.Brighton seems very good. we meet brother Sam Dook. we play "il guardiano del faro" which is our version of the lighthouse keeper , that Sam composed selecting some Mike licks from a very long impro sessions . Mike proposed us to make our version of Sam composition since the first time we toured italy in 2009. we really liked it and so we also recorded " Il guardian del faro" on our la busta gialla.I really like Sam. i think would be great to have some contribution by him on the second il sogno del marinaio record. Two others band share the stage with us tonight : The Soul Punch and the Hed Quarters. both very interesting. The Hed Quarters have a lot of Beefheart in their licks mixed up with some post punk tension. they are really a good band. the two guitarist also play in "Shit and Shine". I realize i have seen one of them in Italy at the "three days of struggle" a festival organized in Vittorio Veneto during the Christmas time by my friends Nico Vascellari, Pj and Giovanni Cane di Coda. very Nice people. We play good and Brighton people is really focused on all the three sets. They are enthusiast bout tonight.Then we go sleep at Colin 's house, the promoter, near the sea. His wife Lizzy and their son and daughter Berny and Daisy are with us. They have been to the concert. Before going at their pad we stop for a wrap falafel...mmm... so good.then we go to their house when we have some chatting more... Mike-san dress his Rirakuma pijama so it is a time for a whisky more. Colin had a record shop and now still sells records through web so everyone of them knows a lot about music and record. Their Hospitality is really amazing and warm and it is so nice to be here in a real house ... it is not the usual "cold" hotel room you just want to sleep in. In the room Andrea and i go to sleep there is a column with a lot of action figures and crazy figurine characters all melted togheter. Trippy before sleeping...



from mike:

   pop seven bells, have to pull anchor in twentyfive minutes. hose off and gulp down shit coff from freeze dry tiny sack. elevator taking forever so I hobble down four fights of stairs, nice seventy percent grade or something, good for cojo w/yowai ginocchio. it's still dark and wet but nothing coming down... yet. what is travelling and travelling fast is fuckers on bicycles, wailing on it - yeah, there's cars and trams too but the bikes are intense, so glad at least there's paths for them - when the fuck are us in the u.s. gonna get more hip to that? it's only a couple blocks of hobbling for me, I am grateful. stewy is waiting for us at the venue, the tail light for his bike still on. what a great cat, has real coff for us. a group of like a half dozen young u.s. guys come charging by like idiots and hollering - maybe right off the train? I hear our (meaning land where I'm from) accent, I wanna hide sometimes - I look over at stewy and am embarrassed... oh well.we load out in twelve minutes, I'm very proud of our team though load around the path of the land of the bikes in full morning haul-ass, fucking scary... fratello ste takes the wheel as snow starts coming down. bye bye amsterdam.

   on the highway south to coquelles in france (near calais) is where we're headed, get febo-like (you know deep-fried chingaderos put in little doors where you put the money in to open) croquette at fuel pad/coff stop for fratello andre who soon after konks anyway, fratello ste never got out of the boat. I also get bacon w/boil eggs slices sandwich cuz it's got an english flag on the package - why? maybe to get ready for our next gig pad? maybe... cross into belgium about 9:20 am, the town of gent at eleven and a half - it was here where I had my first times w/carlos (remember him from last night in amsterdam?) - there was a chow pad where me, carlos and the sonic youths were shoveling at in ghent and guitarman lee kept feeding me johnny walker red. I kept asking the waiter where the head was us and he kept ignoring me so I stood up, turned around and pissed in a planter right near that a plant growing out of it. I remember thurst walking me out and to the konk pad right near and putting me in showing w/all my clothes and jacket on. I woke up very relaxed the next day my clothes 'pert-near all dry. that was trippy. I did have regrets for embarrassing my friends though, very much so. I get bare-chested so I don't sweat to death. we cross into france around twenty after eleven, we're good and early and can even take the train before the one we booked. the way the chunnel works is you drive your vehicle up onto a train and turn the motor off. you actually travel under the english channel in your own vehicle. it's the first time for my fratelli but I've done it a bunch. a great thing is clearing customs before you leave so the work permit thing is real quick, we're the only ones in the pad and I'm the only one who has to do that kind of paperwork cuz of e.u. - the borderman asks about what I'm doing and I tell him about il sogno del marinaio, he calls andrea and stefano "the lads" prolly cuz I look like their dad. he's very nice and knows about my many crossings - I tell him about work w/the stooges. his partner says he went to festivals in the 70s, they're very kind to me. speaking of stooges, I'm told new album comes out april 30, just a couple of months from now... sometimes I find out about stuff a little later than others!

   folkestone in england near dover is where we pop out of the chunnel and head towards brighton but it ain't direct cuz of the way the roads are - actually we gotta fucking hit the london ring road and then when just north of brighton, go south their otherwise it's tiny-ass shit that'll have us taking forever. we get into brighton around three and a half and find a gray brighton but at least not raining. the pad we're playing is called "prince albert" and it's right near the train station - I've been here via the train from london on days off in between stooges gigs to do recording w/brother sam and our cuz proj. he's 'pert-near done mixing our first album and I can't wait to get working on the stuff we've done for round II. the idea behind cuz is to do jams and then use that for source for samples to make tunes from - you know how folks sample stuff to make tunes from? well, we wanna do that but use us as our source material! I love sam big time, he's a wonderful cat. he helps my fratelli find adapters so we can use the plugs for ac power they use here, we need them for the rest of the gigs of the tour and were baka to not think of that when we were doing prac back in bologna. he helps us solve that hell. he also helps w/chow though the burrito pad (yeah, he says there's a burrito pad in this town!) is closed, some kind of wrap thing is procured. I like this word better than trying to call that cold whatever stuff they try slinging in the u.s. w/out any mexican taste whatsoever a "burrito" - some kind of boss comes upstairs (yeah, we had to load up stairs cuz we play on this pub's second floor) but says some other man needs to "deal" w/us and not him cuz uh... well, he has a hat or whatever. steve the soundman's here though and he's most happening and willing to be our fourth man tonight, respect. soon as we're 'pert-near set up a boss real enough to us arrives, he's the gigboss colin. he's very cool people - sets up a table of chow for us which means real good bread w/salami that's got pepper on the edges and "gerkins" but these are pickles that are sweet and not sour how I like but fuck it, I chow some and anyway, they're tiny.

   the opening bands arrive for check - we say to let them use our stuff so changeover is easy and well, they didn't bring much anyway. I'm so glad my fratelli are generous and not uptight about that - it's a great thing. three's too many stuck up people in this racket, such a relief to find cats w/real heart and not front only. both these cats sound great and can't wait to see them tonight.

   it was hellride for us so we're tired but the gig starts early so we get on at ten pm (there's curfew an hour after that), I get chair right up front to see soul punch which brother sam tells me has his buddy's sister on drums and this wild drummer from charlotte field now doing bass named ashley - I really like his style which coming from way but the wrap-around-thumb is actually what I do sometimes though I don't do gigs much sitting down (except dos ones) - I really like the guitarman's chording and phrasing, really good band. ashley was like I feel about myself at times, insecure but man, him and his band were really inspiring for me. same w/the cats following them, they're called headquarters and I'm digging their sound too. real sad about the keyboardman's machine failing him, fuck. wish we would've brought a keyboard so we could provide a bravo for him but he's out of the race. fuck. the band plays on, the drummer has got amazing feel and damn if there ain't beefheart in the guitars - bassman phil digging the lombardi bass, it sounds happening and punchy, yeah I dig the lombardi, dig it big time. so we got two fired up bands firing us up, what more could a chump ask for?

   I'm waiting for the stage change in the little hall and there's the funanori boss ms kaori. whoa.

   ten, it's time, thanking everyone, bring it. nervous and clamming, fuck, the first stuff under fratello ste's first solo is totally where... where? I bear down and get the fuck w/it. shit, almost fell apart but I rally good. fratello ste tells the folks about brother sam writing "the lighthouse keeper" and it's righteous him dedicating it to him. fratello andre has a moment when we're into "joyfuzz" but he ain't - his recovery though is most musical however, especially w/the "deer in the headlights" fucking place he found himself in. I'm sweating bullets, whoa... hard for me to see, my eyes full and flooded. tonight I have good feel for the tuscany bass and don't need to look much. man, I'm trying, really trying but hope I don't try to hard to make my fucking heart fail... or pop the fucking knee. whoa, the air out of me and 'pert-near crying in the stooges tune... "we've been separated" - these just ain't words, they are shaking me from inside - these are soul punches... I'm a fucking headcase! thank god my fratelli are strong for me, grazie dio.

   many kind well-wishes from the gig-goers, wish I wasn't above them but at least the stage ain't too high. I get to introduce ms kaori to fratello andrea and fratello stefano. a bassman and his lady show me the baby she's big and heavy w/cuz he's gonna soon come. they thank me for the bass I soaked him in.

   we get to leave the gear here, righteous. we get to talk w/brother sam, his sister (who's a painter), danny and vinny. it's close up time soon though, too fucking soon, damn.

   we shove off w/gigboss colin and his family to his pad where we're konking, the way I tour in u.s., alright. him and his family has us follow them to a kebab pad where I have a real good shawarma (sic) and we go west along the coast through hove and then worthing where they live. they got a righteous cat keeping one of the bed's warm. the room where son bernie lived is the record archive, whoa, tons! these folks are beautiful and I get in the nightwear quick to join in some spiel but it is kind of late for a monday so I might be last down but I sure am grateful and well, a bit lit up but what went down tonight. we've made it to england!





tuesday, february 26, 2013 - london, england


from andrea:

   I wake up at 9:30, as I had to move the car we parked in front of Colin's house. Colin prepared a big breakfast for us, and we ate all together while chatting and watching terrible reality shows on his TV. This reality show was about this junky man who destroyed his family and the family was trying to give him a second chance. What a sick plot! After a while we said the hello to Colin and his family, great people.

   At 12 we went back to Prince Albert pub, were we loaded the van. Next to the backdoor there is a Banksy graffiti, now a banksy art work, covered by a plastic screen, so people cannot break the wall and steel it. We left the venue quite soon, towards the next venue, the Lexington in the north-east side of London. Luckily we didn't find much traffic, so we arrived there at around 15:40. The parking situation in London is terrible, we pay 10 pounds for parking the van for only two hours. The Lexington is at the corner of two big streets, and consists in a big pub on the ground floor, with a very high ceiling with riffles and animal skulls hanged on the walls, and a concert room on the first floor. We started loading in the gear through a narrow spiral stairs, which is not easy, as we have to carry heavy weights. Sergio is the names of the soundman, he is new there, but when he starts working on the soundcheck I realize that he's there because he knows how to work the room. After the soundcheck each one of us start working on our computers, till the dinner time. I got two sausages and meshed potatoes, a really good English pub meal. After we got the confirmation for the show on the next day at Southampton, as a support for the American band Maps and Atlases; the deal is no money, but we could be on the road towards Worcester, were we got to play within two days, and not spending more time and money in London, which is awfully expensive.

   There were two other bands in the bill: dogflu and manfeet. I couldn't see dogflu as I was chatting with two Italian friends: Bruno Zamborlin and Marco Platrinieri. Bruno is a braniac, he is doing a phd at Goldsmith University. He developed an instrument called Moges a controller for electronic instruments. He is developiung the Mooges for Iphone, while doing art installations and his dissertation. He also plays with the London band Plaid these days. Marco Paltrinieri has been living in London for many years now. He does art installations and he was part of the band To the Ansaphone. Then I went upstairs to see the second band Manflu. The combination of the charachters on stage is really interesting: Willie the drummer, is a New Yorker, with a strong voice and attitude; the singer Asa, is from Kazakistan (dressed with sexy hot pants); the keyboard player is Japanese she called Saki ans she plays 80's synth pads; the bass player Sebastian is french with big moustache and his bass playing is strong and funk; Pit on guitar has a more vintage character.

   When I started playing I realized that the sound was twice louder than in the soundcheck, what a difference. The atmosphere was intense, people were waiting for this show, and I could feel a good tension from Mike and Ste a little scariness I had great time on stage. People enjoyed the show, so we played Funhouse as an anchor even tonight. After the gig we chatted with some people, with Natascha and Lee (musician and caretaker), and people started drinking hard, so a guy passed away outside and an ambulance came in front of the Lexington. There was a man who told he was italian too, whose name was Pizzo, "like... pizzo, you know?" he said making the italian gesture of money, scratching thumb and index. Pizzo is the payment of mafia's blackmailing. Damn. Mike has been busy chatting with Jose, a long haired guy who seemed quite drunk. Delia, the promoter, gave a bottle of good bourbon to Mike. At Lexington they have a big selection of bourbons, something like 40 different brands, impressive.

   We left our gear at the venue, then we drove to the hotel, which was not that far. At the hotel we had to deal with parking issue, wow, what a stressing issue! We parked the van on a side street, but the deal was to wake up at 8:20 an move the van inside the parking lot of the Travelodge hotel, which was, at 2 am, completely full...we go to Mike's room where we had a sip of whiskey before going to bed.



from stefano:

   we wake up. shower, and a wonderful breakfast at Colins House : fruits, marmite, coffee and orange juice. Then we go back to the Prince Albert. we load the van -fuck the room is upstairs... the stairs are always not good when you have two tube amps and three cabinets, the drums and ecc ecc - actually i have not speak yet about our gears - We are using Lombardi Amps -italians amps- ...not very famous nowadays but they always been very good. Actually they invented the concept of monitors on stage. They are doing now all new handmade amps: Mike is using the so called "NONNO" lb1: is a 200 watt tube amps, two channels one more bright and the other one more smooth. Two speakers cabinet (every cabinet is 18" with a 10" cones on the same axes). and tuscany bass with split coils p precision pick up I am using a modified head from the 70's -80 watt 2 channels- this modified head is a prototype their are going to produce soon! and i use a 2 x12" cabinet (kind of old... i think i need a new cabinet) and my 66 jazzmaster with Novak jp 90 pick ups , volume pedal, distortion, delay, a dyna comp and this crazy soundwave breakdown effect. my bow too. Andrea is using a 67 Ludwig drums sets and

   We go to London. i drive. traffic congestion in London as usual. what a city. so beautifull but really hard to live from my point of you. very expensive and too much traffic for these tiny little roads. They needs so many rules and controls to make it works that you can feel everyone is most of the time under a lot of pressure. Much better if you do not come with a Van. Anyway is a great town. My parents actually met in London i the 70's. they were living and working here for 5 - 6 years. My father worked at hotel receptions, and my Mum as a bus hostess. Giacomo, my dad, is from Sardinia and my mum,Tiziana, from Mantova -north of italy-. He wanted to go back in Italy. So they moved to Genoa where i was born. My mum is still in love with England.

   So we arrive at Lexington when we play tonight. The boss at the venue is a very nice woman Delia. She is cool and very kind in guesting us. Sergio is the sound guy, he comes from Chile and is leaving in London since 12 years. Very good sound tonight.

   All the three bands sounds very good. i was really impressed by the first band... Dog feet, very young... kind of birthday party... they have been intense. i like the second band too. Their guitar player Pit has a very good sensibility for guitar sounds.

   The venue is really packed. The people are really into our set. listening focused and really supportive. i was expecting a cold audience in London but it is actually the real opposite. i feel London is definitely our best concert till now.

   Kasha and Adam offer me a good ale - i love these beers- , we speak with Marco and Bruno two italian friends of us that are living in London, Lee and Natasha wants to offer us a lot stuff to drink... we meet a lot of people. Just before going to the hotela guy fell down just out of the venue cause of a mix of Ketamine and alcohol. Ketamine is not a drug you take to go around town at all. It is an anestetich basically and if you go above a certain dosage has strong flickering-psychedelic effect and basically does not allow your body to move. Especially is really dangerous if mixed with alcohol. Always sad to see someone demolished that way.

   We go sleep in a sad travelodge. Kind Delia shows us the road. the Black Man at the reception helps us with the parking he is very nice and kind too. i am impressed by his smile. a whisky togheter shower and konk.



from mike:

   pop at nine bells, colin's got some coff going and the tv in the kitchen going full blast w/an england version of "jerry springer" kind of high quality material. he's a great cat, very interesting and knows a lot about music from old punk days. big respect to him. his son bernie too. the whole family so very kind to us. I don't chow anything but the french press coff he's got going is happening. I'm the last to try and get clean which means when I try the good and long tub, expecting a righteous soak, I get no hot water and kind of freeze a little bit 'til I let go the thought of hotness ever being a possibility. good long tub though, respect.

   we pull anchor at noon and take a different way back to brighton - not by the sea but more north. it's gray out but at least not raining. we gotta get back to the pad we played last night and get our equipment. remember we're on the wrong side of the road w/a vehicle that's got the steering wheel on the wrong side and andrea 'pert-near do what I did before: come out of an intersection switched over but he gets us right quick before any nightmare - it's easy to happen. good quick thinking by fratello andre. there's some college students doing some kind of prac while we get the gear down the stairs and whence we loaded in yesterday and damn if I don't really but some wear on my knees trying to help out... fuck, I'm just that weak (yowai). damn, I wanna help my fratelli so much but - if I get real hurt I'll be not just a failure at loading but even worse as a burden and I can't let that happen - must be careful, baka watt. there's a banksy on the wall of this pad outside near where you load in/out, wonder if it's original. much better piece that the prince albert portrait.

   all loaded up, we shove off north towards london, fratello stefano at the helm, we gotta do a turn around when he misses a get-off on these round-about trips. not for nothing though, we get shots of the country side, pretty much gray cuz of the sky but pretty in its own way. we fueled up, 1.40 england pounds for a liter (about $8.50/gallon u.s.) and I get two of these things called scotch eggs which is a hardboiled egg from a chicken which has sausage around it and a breaded coating that's been deepfried. I didn't know you could chow them cold but the counterman says you can so I do and I'm into it. the "costa" coff though is 'pert-near like it's been squirted straight out the culo and I gag. I chimp diary.

   fifty or so miles and the navigatori tomtom puts us across the thames via the blackwall tunnel and we get into the angel part of london (kind of northeast) about three. this pad's called "the lexington" and the gigboss deliah lets us load-in upstairs where the gig happens. pretty happening room. downstairs is a pub that's kind of different cuz of steer/elk skulls, muskets and western rifles on the bulkheads - plus like forty bourbons! yeah, later I meet the owner stacy and she turns me onto some short batches that are happening, turns out she goes to kentucky a bunch and really knows this stuff big time - I never seen a bourbon pad in england, trippy. we do soundcheck w/soundman serge who's a great cat and he's into not using compressors and gates in role of our fourth man. respect to him! he's from uruguay. london's very cosmopolitan. the band playing before us is called manflu and the singer's from khazakstan, keyboard from japan, guitar from england and my old buddy willy from brooklyn. willy's got fiftyeight foot flat bottom boat he runs on the canals, he does boiler work for a job and came here like twenty years ago - no england accent still. he's a real good cat and I love him, solid cat. I meet jimmy, singerman for dogfeet and he's very cool people. I get two bottles of chili and nietzche book from one of the gig-goers, so very kind, same w/leni, who brings me one big bottle. hot sauces w/flavor, a very good thing in my opinion, great tool in fight against no flavor while shoveling... no burn/no learn.

   jimmy and his band start the gig off w/a mindblow. all young guys, drummie on just two floor toms that thump like a motherfucker. guitarman losing string after string w/his wash, yeah - reminds me of d. boon, hardcharger! bassman using the lombardi amp and working it good - jimmy's pacing, pacing backwards! really good set from these cats, really good. manflu next and I'm up close like for jimmy's group, in front of bassman sebastian. they got keyboard as well as the stuff us other bands have and they got their own sound too which is so happening for the integrity of the expression trip, you know? it ain't a army of clones. aza the singerlady is most singular, oh my god! pip/saki/willy/sebastian put up quite a springboard of sounds to launch this woman, quite a trip, quite! oh man. "russian prostitute rock" ok... their words, they have balls like churchbells. we really have a happening setup for our set, can't thank these folks enough, respect. curfew's at eleven so we jam quick to get set up. good sharing "il nonno" w/everyone to help that. we get the gig going and man, what righteous vibe from the gig-goers, knobs from soundman serge - fratello ste gives him props over the mic. we bring the set like one big tune - I think my experiences w/my three operas has really rubbed off on me even though our set is separate distinct tunes, it's blended up in its performance sort of in that other format I've been working... so kind of fratelli andrea and stefano to bear w/me regarding this. we've turned pieces into conversation between the instruments, so happening the folks are open to it - big time focus, no yammer, flowing the respect - trippy how you think of stereotype maybe of what some might think of cats going to gigs in this london town but the reality of what's here now w/us and these folks is not some jive shine-on but truly them being kind to let us bring it. I bow deep.

   lots of good raps - whoa, BIG TIME stooges gig-goer rob parteger's here! how many times have I shared the stage w/him when ig asks for dancers to come and join us and he's like the first one up?! the man, wow. so glad he gets to me and my fratelli - he says he digs it and his words count big for me, he's got a perspective of me very few I know have! whoa, big hugs. jose too - I dedicated encore for him cuz I thought maybe he wouldn't be here but he made miguelito so happy by bringing me hugs and kyoko too. I get to have not enough long spiel w/them but happy I got some. many gig-goers give me good word, so very kind, so very kind. crimony.

   deliah guides us to 'tel nearby after a while folks visiting the veccio in the chair, reseting the hiza. she was so nice to us our whole time at the gig, good good people. we were give a bottle of maybe not the best bourbon but that kind, we share it while talking about our music journey this tour, stuff we've learned and we're learning. I love these guys.





wednesday, february 27, 2013 - southampton, england


from andrea:

   I woke up at 8:20 in order to move the van. I was still sleepy, and I had to walk through a massive amount of Italian secondary school students. I moved the van inside the parking lot in about 40 seconds, I found the only park available, i was lucky, otherwise outside was 10 pounds every two hours. I came upstairs and slept for one more hour. Then Stefano and I woke up and we got ready for leaving towards London centre. Mike was invited to to a radio show at XFM radio, a well known radio station. We had to buy the congestion card, which allowed us to go into the city centre. IT was not easy, 'cause not every shop has it, and after rushing here and there a guy told me I could do it on line. At the hotel there were computers with a connection for only 1 pound every 10 minutes...Then we drove in London centre. The appointment with John Kennedy, the conductor of the program Xposure at XFM, was at 11 in Leicestersquare. It was obviously impossible to find any parking spot, so Mike and I went to do the program and in the meantime Stefano and Hiyori drove around the centre of London. I actually never thought even to think about driving in London centre...Mike and I wonder around a bit in Leicester square, because there were no number on the buildings. Finally, right after the Shakespeare statue, we find the radio's headquarter. We meet John, he seems a nice guy. The conversation was an hour long. John Kennedy knows a lot of music, and after a few atempts he could also pronounce "il sogno del marinaio" properly. Right after the interview, we meet Stefano and Hiyori again, and we drove back to the Lexington. We loaded out our gear in the van, while Billy Bragg's band was setting up for that evening show...

   We left London quickly, towards Southampton. We arrived in Southampton before the opening of the venue, so we went to see the pier and the walls next to it. We drove back to the venue, just on time to meet the other bands, Maps and Atlases,Bewilderand Farewell J.R., who were setting up. We had a quite nice evening, even if it was a little difficult because the stage and the venue in general was quite small and there were four bands on the bill. Bewilder a local band which was playing a emo mellow rock, with a taste of scremo. Then we went on stage, we had half an hour so we reduced the set. It was an ok show, I'm glad that in the audience there were people who went to the Brighton show two days before, so they followed us!! Mike, the soundman, is a gigantic man, he compressed a bit too much my tom and floor tom, but Hiyori told me that there was a good sound, so that's good. Farewell J.R. played love songs, very drammatic songs I have to say, sad sad love songs! One of the guys of the band is really interested in knowing more about Berlin, but he has a venue in Cork.Maps and Atlases play an weird combinations of intricate guitar riffs, polymetric rhythms, strong drumming, folk/americana voice, heavy bass lines. Quite interesting band I have to say, warm music but with a strange cold feeling. Right after their show we are ready to go to a travelodge hotel on the way to Worcester, were we had the last sip of whiskey left from the other day...



from stefano:

   Andrea wakes up at 8 to move the van -you know "London take it easy human rules"- at 10 we meet to go for an interview at XFM close to trafalgar and leicester square. We just figure out that the radio is 3 miles away... we are late and Mke cannot walk fast at all with his damaged knee. i can see is always struggling with this and make him suffers cause ha cannot do all the things he would like to do. So we decide to take the van. The entrance for the traffic congestion cost 10 pounds and basically there are not many possibility to park a van . So i still keep driving with Hiyori while Andrea and Mike go for the interview. i try to stop in what it seems to look safe and not in the middle of the coglioni-cojones but a "take it easy" policeman arrives kind of immediately..lukly he does not tip us. so we keep moving and we stop in some park for residents for a while hoping some "take it easy" will not arrive. Miss Hiyori and i agree on the fact that a taxi would have been probably a better solution. Maybe expensive thought. In the meanwhile we speak about Japan and Italy and music. she does not like Japan and i understand the why of her position. Every place have their good and bad and you end to be very critical about the country you come from even if you still love it. i have to say i'm really fascinating by Japan and their culture. i hope to go there soon. 

   Mike and Andrea come back, we pass chinatown with the van. We go back to the lexington to load the van. Mike is the guardiano for the van and Andrea, Hiyori and I walk the stairs. "Oh Stairs i love you so much! please more of you". we do it ok. Finally we can have something to eat and a coffee and we go to Southampton. in Southampton we walk a little bit up the city wall and we breath a little bit of open air. Finally a shy Sun shines the Sky... the color of the clouds  is always intense and beautiful... so many tones of greys here... i like england skies.

   Tonight we play with others three band. it would have been a day off for us but throw Mick Roe they kindly offered us to share the stage for the night for half an hour. Mike the sound guy as a lot of work because of all of us.

   i have to say i am very tired tonight. It is a good gig but i not really have the time to enjoy it deeply as the others gig... some problem with my amp too and the 30min flows very quick compared to all the "casino" of the night - though it 's always great to play with Mike and Andrea... they are great.

   we go sleep in another romantic travelodge 30 min away along the motorway, shower and 1,2,3 sleep.



from mike:

   pop at eight and half which was the time my fratelli said they'd pop and move the boat cuz of last night's parking sitch - damn, I could've done that. it's gray looking out the window - I see the boat, they got it done. I sure am grateful, my fratelli work really hard and never bellyache, much respect to them. no internet at this 'tel free so I gotta use chump-ass coin machine in lobby... maybe fifty grade school kids from italy for maybe their first trip to england ever - intense but ok, I'm glad they can have a visit - I want everyone to visit each other's lands, more and more... we need more first-hand experiences of us tripping on each other and see how it gets done w/out preconceived prejudices, that's what I'm thinking!

   we've been invited to do radio show spiel - john kennedy at xfm wants us aboard so first we get a ten pound "congestion permit" (middle part of london uses this to cut down on the traff) and then get down to the capital radio building by the shakespeare statue that's getting restored at leicester square. of course no parking in these parts so fratello ste will have to do what I did in toulon and just keep rolling, damn but what can do? fratello andrea comes w/me and we'll make it a twofer for john. "capital radio" is a clash song I had to learn back in december for a strummervile benefit - did I write about that already? anyway, john tells me the story of that tune being a protest song against capital radio cuz it was pretty much jive and was trying to come on as something happening. john's hip to a bunch of stuff, a very interesting man really great to talk w/and being so kind to us both. what a great thing him having us aboard, such a genuine man w/an open mind to my music journey and me now playing w/my fratelli in il sogno del marinaio. this man is the real deal, that's what d. boon would say. fucking amen right.

   we say bye and thanks and get back to our boat which has been doing both roaming and bolt from the cops w/fratello andrea and miss hiyori. yesterday we got the word from bookerman mick in dublin that we can fill the only hole we had in our tour sched (which was tonight) w/a support slot in southampton. we jumped on it, fuck yeah - let's do it, brother mick! fratello ste still at the wheel, once we clear london we head southwest, it's about eighty miles away and is a harbor town. once on the motorway, chow "brunch" at a roadside chump area called "moto" - the chow pad is actually called "eat & drink company" and this brunch consists of two fried eggs, some thick fries, two sausages and some baked beans. not a lot to fuck up and I don't get sick so it's ok. I also used the "yucateca" chili sauce brother sam gave me in brighton to bring it something. I chimp diary 'til we get into town, a port - hey, first sun in five days! we go down to the water and hoof around some medieval wall stuff, remaining parts of oldage they've preserved from the days not soon after when william conqueror came through here on his way back to france and then changes up to the second world war. of course there's a big-ass mall nearby but also the old freemason lodge. we get to "joiners" which is the pad that we're play around five. it looks like it was an old hotel. the bossman ricky says it was a whorehouse in the forties but started being a venue in 1968. so kind of ricky making this last minute gig happen for us, so kind. his partner danny is a trip, lots of mota jokes - I like him. later I think he tells me his name is "onion" - I think I heard right. the soundman mike is very cool people, saw me play w/the stooges in hyde park last year and wanted to know why we were louder than the band after us - why?!

   actually this gig belongs to chicago band maps & atlases and they sure are cool people - cuz of them ricky letting us on and letting me chow the rotelli pasta and salad here for them (handmade and real good) but also cuz of just rapping and hanging out w/them is a kick... I kind of windbag (so embarrassing - I admit to them but they forgive me), I do get to see local openers bewilder and dig that - pretty inspired for our set, thanks guys!

   we got only thirty minutes which is pretty fair and really kind of everyone letting us going on second - we didn't even ask and would've went on first. we actually do the first part of our regular set and then pull some out to make sure we don't bogart on anyone's time. the gig-goers are way focused and kind to us, damn, HUGE respect to them. we ain't used to the second part of this shortened set but I think still handle it real good and I have a hoot, a very grateful watt thanks everyone - hearing bands new to me, playing a town new to me, I am truly grateful, yep. and w/that hole in our tour plugged too, happening!

   back to windbagging w/the chicago cats, I only see some of farewell j.r but talk w/their twentytwo year old managerman george, he says he signed a band to a major label when he was twentytwo. anyway, I really like the singerman nick and wish I'd seen more. it's the map & atlas turn and w/them on stage, I connect w/them now as a gig-goer and not just a windbagger - their turn. damn if rob parteger didn't come to see this gig too (he was at the london one last night also), wow, that's something else. that's really kind of him.

   bossman ricky and his partner danny onion help us load out quick after big byes and hugs to everyone, very happening unexpected night for us, righteous. we head north for about fifty minutes north to barton stacey and a "travel lodge" chump roadside 'tel and finish off the rest of that bourbon, fratello ste having to miss that and konk. his health is much better now though, so grateful for that.





thursday, february 28, 2013 - worcester, england


from andrea:

   On the way to Worcester I drove in the first part of the travel. We had some spare time, so we could go to Stonehenge. I never went to this place before. It was cold, the wind was blowing and it was cold, while sheepwere wondering around. Apart from the excitement of being in such a great place, I really loved this moment, which was the first window of the tour where we were all together doing something else. After visiting Stonehenge I slept a bit in the van before arriving, so I practically woke up in front of the venue, Marr's Bar. The owner is a biker, he has a motorcycle parked inside the venue that he uses often to go to the north of UK and back, just to test it and to keep it "hot". He has another bar in Norway. Willis is the promoter. We loaded in and I went parking, which was a challenge, as there were no parking spots available around and it was the rush hour! I spent almost 45 minutes driving around Worcester centre's little streets, then I got a bit upset and I parked back in front of the venue, which was forbidden till 18:30, but Willis and I thought risking a fine was better then spending more time trying to find another spot. The soundchek was quite quick, Willis did also sounds for us. Upstairs, at the third floor, the owner of Marr's bar has an apartment, which is also the backstage for tonight.

   Howard, the drummer of the band the broken oakduet, cooked for us a veggie chili, with rice mushrooms and peppers.I never eat peppers at home, but now that I'm on tour and people cook vegetarian food most of the time I have to eat them; I love peppers but not easy to digest for me...I had to work with my computer so I missed the first band the broken oak duet. I listened to it only from upstairs. I had to write this diary too (!!), but the time to do this is always very little, as I have to drive, load in and out, play, sleep, and sometimes eating without doing anything else (like working with emails...). The whole tour is intense, but at the same time extremely energetic.. Stefano told me they were a good band, bummer! I see a couple of songs of the second band skewwhiff and some songs of the band virals. When we went on stage a lot of people was already drunk. In out set list we play a 12-15 minutes quite part , which consists in the songs Funanori Jig, Il Guardiano del Faro and Auslander. This part reveals when people are focused on the music or not, as there are many moments of silence. This show at Marr's Bar was quite hard for us because the chatting and drinking of the people at the bar created a pink noise background we had to deal with during the whole set, especially in the quite part I just mentioned. It was a so called character builder. On stage I had the feeling that the three of us agreed on keeping the set list as tight as possible.

   After the show we drove around the city centre in order to find the travelodge hotel. I knew were it was, but things got confused as the tom tom couldn't really help us and the direction Willis gave to us were insufficient, so we spent half an hour to find it.Before finding the hotel I found myself trapped in a cul de sac, next to an old church with the old city centre in front of me. I thought about these streets, and the way that they were made, not really good for cars actually, or let's say for this amount of cars. Well, Italy is a lot worst, so I learned how to keep myself cool in little streets with a van...



from stefano:

   We can sleep till late. Wrocester is close and we have time today. We decide to stop at stonehenge. we walk in these "bunch of rocks" for half an hour. It is wind and the sun is white behind the clouds... many crows fly around... suggestive... Incredible place... even the turistic touch does not make it less powerfull to me.

   in Wrocester Lizzy opens the door and Willis there is the promoter and sound guy for the night. Three other bands before us. we have some rest upstair before the show and some vegetable chilly Howard has prepared for us. Howard is the drummer for Broken Oak Duet. they opens the night... drums and baritone guitar... tight and good they play down the stage with great and precise energy. The venue is crowded and noisy cause of many people drinking and chatting loud but a lot of people is there to listen too... a guy even says "shut the fuck up" without positive results...but we don't care much... we are their to play our set, we do our best and we play good anyway and a lot of guys in the front are very supportive and enthusiastic about the concert. we drink couple of beers that Lizzy and Anya at the bar kindly offer us and we go to look for our travelodge...is close but we have an hard time to find it... we cannot understand much from the map Willis give us and the gps does not recognize the address. but of course we find it.. Mike get nervous about this and cannot take it easy. They can go to sleep, Andrea and go to find a parking for the van.



from mike:

   pop at nine and try to soak in too tiny tub but give up not cuz of just that but also cuz fucking soap in this chain of konk pads is very hard kind of greasy-like shit. I need showa part to fucking water cannon the crap off my skin. bullshit. next door is a chow pad called "little chef" and I go there for the free internet and to shovel some asagohan. the "olympic breakfast" w/coff filled again once costs me twelve pounds - just over nineteen u.s. dollars - what the fuck?! I get caught up as I can and then join the team at the boat, them getting "chef nano" crap boxed to go.

   fratello ste spent three weeks in salisbury when he was fifteen to learn english and suggests us checking out stonehenge so we drive twenty minutes west and pay seven-fifty pounds for what perk (banyan drummerman) said tommy lee called "a pile of rocks" hollered out when he had the tour driver pull over so he could have a look-see. I'm really glad we stopped here. the sun's out but it's cold - many sheep graze right nearby. I can see why maybe they picked this spot to build it... maybe five thousand years old? people ain't decided on lots about it. I guess they used to let you right up on it but now it's fenced off so I circle it from the path they got. I tell my fratelli in a way I believe it's like a "la busta gialla" for the people who built it, a document of their culture in a form of a work and also it's a calendar, a calculator. also big time it's a mystery - I have HUGE respect for it.

   we go two hours north to worcester, taking tiny carriageway roads, andrea taking the wheel from ste. they got some trucks w/fuck cans riding on their trailers coming opposite of us, crimony - not just that but hedgerows instead of fucking shoulders - whoa nelly! fratello andrea does good. we go by an raf airbase out here in the country. there's an old oak by the side of the road w/a trunk more swollen and full of holes than you can imagine... big enough for a private little bone pad maybe?

   "the marr's bar" is where we're playing tonight in worcester, my first time working this town - the folks here calling it a small town (soundman willis and barlady vick), birmingham maybe fortyfive minutes away - these parts is what they call in england the midlands. the room is happening, low ceiling and lots of wood, from the stage actually wider than it is deep. soundman willies does the soundcheck w/us and then we head upstairs where the drummerman from the opening band, the broken oak duet, cooks up his notion of chili sin carne which I dig much, along w/some rice. there's a neat gato w/tuxedo markings that holds sway over this domain here named rufus... he "reads the newspaper" by smelling everyone's coat, etc. damn if it ain't all noisy as hell 'til fratello andrea get all einstein and hits the off button over the stove and damn if much more sanity returns to my head. I get to mee the owner brian, his harley motocycle is right near the stage - he's wrecked it a couple times I'm told and was even a coma from one of them, crimony. I to down and watch howard play w/his buddy on baritone, damn they're really good - smokin'!

   I go back upstairs (workout for the ginocchio!) to chimp more diary, have to catch up cuz of all that windbag I did w/the good people in maps & atlases night before... I let skewwhiff bassman sam use the lombardi bass amp (everyone loves using this nonno) and they're on now so I go see them. I run into clyde who does lots of stooges wheelman stuff - he's from stratford where shakespeare's from which ain't far, he brought his daughter to come see watt do something that ain't w/the stooges - so glad to see him, I really dig him, a real solid cat. I meet mark, sam's guitar man - he put me on the cover of the music zine he does, so kind. virals are next and gets the packed place working off the alcohol - trippy it says "no dancing whilst with drink" painted on some of the roof beams, that really took to me when I first got in earlier today - hey, that's reminds me. even brother sam greeted me w/this "you all right?" greeting I've been hearing since we got to england and maybe I ain't used to it but to hear that makes me right away think about what impression am I giving, do I look something wrong? is there mocos hanging out my nose all real huge or what? am I giving marty feldman eyes in a serious way too intense to handle? it is trippy colloquial. I remember first hearing "no worries" and getting unsettled feelings like that. waves of literalism having their waves w/me which is a maybe a trip seeing how I use baka metaphor and analogy all the goddamn time.

   we're on at 10:30 and that's 'pert-near here as I finish up chimping yesterday's proceedings. rufus the cat has planted himself on my coat so I'm gonna trust him guarding it and go down w/just my back wack 'puter sack. my fratelli got everything up, time to give the go. let me just say all character builders ain't gotta be caves but I'll tell you, so glad for this gig really making me find a solid resolve I know I now got w/stefano and andrea - there was nothing gonna shake me from being there for them or losing grip on focus for us. this has bound me w/them. I also know the gig-goers deserve what we need to bring w/out some kind of issue deflector or what could easily be thought of such by an insecure way of puffing out the chest, I won't give in to it and in that way believe in my fratelli as we pull together - yammer not w/standing. I keep the spirit, my fratelli push their soul our way, much respect to them!

   much kind one-on-one later from folks, soon as I'm packing up after a wildass whup-up on the encore. yeah, there are many kinds of character builders and shake inducers and they ain't just products of the roller-rink void, nope. I hug my fratelli hard, meaning in much. I get to meet a couple of the virals, very nice they are to me as is slap/skewwhiffman mark whom talks to me about the movement. big hugs for soundman willis too, howard as well. people genuine w/you is truly a precious thing. I get to grab the arm of many a man who wants to bring it - thank you good folks here for us tonight.

   the map to the 'tel (another "travel lodge" - crimony!) is one beyond our meager thinking and thank god for bookerman mick flowing the address so I can target the navigatori (I found how to switch to english and be more of help, sorry about being a 'tard w/italiano) and damn if it ain't in a pedestrian mall put in the old part of downtown but we eventually do it - again fratello andrea had echoes of my toulon looping at soundcheck and finding distant boat dock but he is successful and we're safe, dio caro.




friday, march 1, 2013 - newcastle, england


from andrea:

   We woke up in Worcester at 9,as we needed to be on the road at 10:30. We tried to use the map Willie gave in order to find the two caefs suggested by the map, but they are marked with a big red star, which covers large parts of the streets nearby the place. So at the end we didn't find these places and because of the fact that Mike can't walk around too much we went into the first place we found. Stefano and I went into a cafe where I had a good cappuccino (English style but but honest) and a scone with butter and marmalade; I love scones, even if I added more fats on the top of all the fat food I've been eating since I started this tour. Mike and miss Hiyori went to a greasy takeaway place. We went back to Marry's bar were we loaded our gear in the van. The technique of loading the van has become very precise from the beginning of the tour, now it takes only 10 minutes. We drove for 4 hours, before reaching Gatheshead and then Newcastle. Newcastle looks a bit rough, with old buildings and Churches melted together with houses and factories; we didn't have much time to walk around though, so we went straight to The Cluny, a two stories club next to the river and under a very high bridge. Joel, the promoter, is waiting for us. We eat a huge Hamburgher at 17:30, weird timing for eating. IT was good, but what a weird timing for eating, as it is no lunch, but neither dinner...I feel so Italian regarding the food issue but I have to adapt my lifestyle while touring, I have to follow the wave, and I'm happy to do it. We did the soundcheck afterwards, and I had time to relax a bit and work on my computer. Before the show I meet Arnaud, a french friend who I met in Berlin one year ago when I was doing the sound installation dubbing&doubling at the Kunstraum Kreuzberg. He is a strong worker and a positive man, he studied art and he did performances like this one.

   The band who played before us was called Fret!. Strange instrumental band, non of them where looking at each other. The drummer was struggling with the drum kit, he was beating it really hard, and he cut his hand with a cymbal and later I found blood on the rack tom! When we start playing I realize that the bass is much louder than before, but well..we are also playing louder. It is still good for my ears on stage, I don't have to put earplugs except when we play Funhouse at the end, where I play much more cymbals then in the other songs. In Auslander Mike brought a new idea, that we just talked about while driving to Newcastle, but that we didn't really rehearsed before, so when it came the moment to do it during the concert I had to be ready and we did it: a welcomed surprise! This song is growing. After the show I met good guys, all connected by the Gateshead College, so to my friend Arnaud. We left the Cluny after midnight, and we went to a travelodge hotel, where, before going to bed, we had a last beer and chatted for a few minutes a few words on our set list, which is always worth.



from stefano:

   In the morning we wake up around 9. We look around for some breakfast. everything is close around but Mike is still impatience about us wondering around some place for a coffee and a breakfast. we do not know the place and the map is bad. His knees hurts and it is dangerous for him to walk in this condition. i can feel his impatience has lot to do with the frustration of not being able to do the way he was used to and also the fear and the anxiety of hurting himself badly. Somedays ago i suggested him to have some more patience about this. Like Rilakkuma, the japanese relaxed bear, our hero of the tour. i can see how must be difficult for him to deal with his knee in this condition. When it is the time to go he just want to go even if we have time... waiting some minutes more makes him very anxious...bit of hard time but i try to take it easy and do not care so much. Mike is a strong guide to me, big inspiration , great musician and most of all a big Fratello and i want to be there ready to learn and to do the best i can for him and Fratello Andrea. Even when he got upset i can feel he want to be close and togheter with us... he never makes a distance... Also just in a second a culero fart, real or word, can makes everyone smiles. Big Time this la bust gialla tour. when i feel tired i try to think how special experience is this tour for me. i am very happy how we are playing and how much we are developing in such a few time. By the way we stop into different places one in front of the other for have breakfast and then we go at the venue and we load the van. We go to Newcastle. about 4 hours driving. Finally i have some time and energy to write the diary along the traveling The venue there is the Cluny... very nice place. we meet very nice people: OLiver and Arnaud, Joel the promoter and Kev the sound guy, and FRET the opening band. We play good and i really have a nice time talking to Oliver. He plays bass and drums and works has assistance for a big scottish artist (i cannot remember his name right now). Concert is very good... one of my favourite i have to say. I speak on the phone with Roxie about the gig and the tour very enthusiastic .Actually i speak with her everyday thanks to the technology . i miss her very much. We play very well. We go sleep again in a travelodge. This is actually better than the others. more warm.



from mike:

   pop at eight and try for soak... knees all bent up, this is not comfortable. I have liquid soap to use instead of this "hassle bog" hard pressed-together fake-ass prolly fucking recycled used toilet paper soap substitute and feel clean and not greasy. fucking gig flannel is foul and kusai though... must sink-wash after tonight's gig for sure. tonight's gig is only repeat venue of european 2011 "hyphenated-man" tour, I realize... really like this pad, "the cluny" really dig it and the folks there. can't wait to work it again. we're four hours south of it now though - prolly longes england hellride of this tour. trippy how that's just over half a ride from my pedro town to s.f. - tiny lands make for tiny hellrides if you're staying inside them... remember netherlands? like our rhode island! actually it's pretty ok.

   what ain't so ok is this map we got to find chow - like last night, there's only a few roads marked and we're talking old timey twisted spaghetti maze no-fucking-way-there's-a-grid-involved shit and then the star graphics to "x marks the spot" are so fucking big that they cover over what traces of what might be crawl paths and such. crimony. don't mean to bellyache cuz old timey pads and roads are most interested but for crippled cojo rolling his man sack it is dangerous and risky. miss hiyori helps by just asking workerman who's got a breakfast chow sandwich and he points to this pad called "daisy's kitchen (freshly prepared food on the mooo've)" and I get a "breakfast box" which is sausage in a box - I don't chow it 'til we get to the boat and man is it good... I'm thinking this lady who was working there all by herself (tiny pad, just counter, seats out on sidewalk) and but much care in it. I point out a welsh license plate to my fratelli on the plates of a car in front of us - they can't understand how "cymru" means "wales" but I explain they have their own language. it's bitchin' how they both are interested in my fucking baka trivia windbag done up in 'pert-near barely intelligible baka slang, they are truly generous w/me, truly. I chow the contents of the breakfast box w/my hashi, best way for me. no one has to have a fucking problem seeing it either - the other day at that "eat drink & fart" or whatever pad, these two motherfuckers at a table nearby wouldn't quit fucking foisting their sourass stinkeye on me - please leave me the fuck alone! you don't have to use hashi you assholes but let me have my goddamn right to do it if I please! crimony.

   fratello ste at the helm, we head out of the midlands of england to what they call "the north" and at a piss stop I see a sack of worcester sauce flavored chips and remember we say worcestershire sauce in the u.s. I think curly from the three stooges had a shtick about that that minutemen drummer george hurley would riff on every time he saw a bottle of the stuff... good ol' georgie. we pass sherwood forest, home of robin hood? what was little john about anyway? it makes me think of brother lou's "walk on the wild side" and I explain to my fratelli that the cats in those lyrics were based on real ones:

little joe never once gave it away
everybody had to pay and pay
a hustle here, a hustle there...

"you can play a shoestring if you're sincere"

                              - john coltrane

zoom
us in their land
verse IX
sailor's blues
funanori jig
il guardiano del faro
auslander
partisan song
joyfuzz
punkinhead ahoy!
messed-up machine
we come to learn