Lofty Heights in Germany and Italy. 17.2.10 – 28.2.10

This is a picture of my silly yankee self posing in front of the Italian alps on my first day of a ten day tour comprised of amazing gigs and revelry of the Mediterranean variety. This photo was taken in a northeastern region of Italy called Friuli by the booking agent, a lovely chap named Enrico. Seperate from speaking Italian, the people of Friuli, or Friulians, have their own special dialect. I know but one word from this sparsely understood language, and it really excited them at my show in Udine when I said it; ‘Mandi’ (it means hello).

Ferrara

My first gig was in a town called Ferrara at a truly hip gallery bar called Zuni. ( http://www.zuni.it/ ) If you ever go to Ferrara, it is essential that you visit this place. It was the kind of venue that made you wish you lived in that city. Zuni is run by a solid gent named Nicola who is also is a sweet band called the Calorifer Is Very Hot ( http://www.thecaloriferisveryhot.com/ ) While the name is suspect and incredibly difficult to remember (it took me three months to get it right), their live show is a convincing exhibition of choreographed dance moves, and pure musical energy over undeniably catchy pop numbers. The food at Zuni is delicious; I had spaghetti. The quality of this meal destroyed every other dinner that my undernourished anglo-saxon mouth had previously eaten. And it was here that I was first introduced to the Italian institution that is an afternoon ‘Spritzer’. I think they are just white wine drinks with grenadine and lots of ice, refreshing nonetheless.

My gig at Zuni was my favorite out of the whole tour. It was my first ever gig in Italy and I was playing four new songs I hadn’t performed before. I met a gang of cool American and Brit students after the show as well. They took me to some deconsecrated church for a reggae night (how sacrilegious?). One of the ‘MC’s’ (that’s what they call them I believe) was some Italian dude with tragic dreadlocks. This guy was shouting into the mic through the loud speakers which reverberated through this old violated church something to the effect of ‘I’m from the ghetto!’ in a very thick Italian accent. His poor and unconvincing execution was perhaps the comical highlight of the tour.

Lofty Heights poster in the window of Zuni, Ferrara

Terni

The Terni gig was pretty cool. It was in an uncomfortably large museum cafe/bar which possessed people to talk a lot during the performance. http://www.caos.museum/      The Promoter brought some pear juice from his village for me before the show.

Terni is an industrial town not far from Rome. It reads a bit like Leicester. Apparently Lord Byron and his posse Romantics spent a few summers here, situated by Terni’s pride and local landmark: some big dam.

After my Terni gig at half-past bedtime, the promoter and I were driving up a hill in the outskirts, and I mused at a castle from afar. ‘What castle is that?’ I asked Giovanni as he swerved up the country road in that haphazard manner of driving so unique to continental Europe. ‘That’s where your staying tonight.’ awesome. It was this fantastic medieval castle with a great view. I stayed in a little hotel inside the castle gates. Normally when I enter a castle it is done by stormed force, but this time to my delight the drawbridge was drawn with nary a fuss.

more in a bit…

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