Damo

Damo Suzuki with T.B.I.

Fly from Milano, Put my step on 2nd time this year in Portland..just shortly..in September I was here. Portland is similar to Germany. Many rainy days therefore so much green. Anyway I like place with green. Wendy picked me up from airport with her so friendly warm face like always. (Is she reading this? then she has much more smile on her face…I can imagine)

This is the day before performing day I have break, I decided to relax, in fact I was not only tired from flying also from 4 restless days Italy trip. In the evening Wendy cooked her vegetarian food….She had Mochi (Japanese rice cake or however you can say it’s sticky rice stuff) and also other Japanese stuff. She seems to be like Japanese food…which is healthy.

In fact Wendy is always looks very healthy, this must be come from all the healthy food. Next day Wendy’s home mate and sound carrier friend Lindsay brought me to fake Japanese Restaurant where served by American girls and some soul music background . Whenever I stay here I use to sleep in balcony, it’s nice..even it’s not that loud…But, not this time…it’s November!!!…wet and cold. I don’t know city centre of Portland really. For me traveling is meeting friends and not really touristic thing. ..It makes me more nicer to stay with friends everywhere. Portland is exactly this example.

Evening my friend Archie invited me for dinner, he mailed me before I started this tour that his wife going to make dinner for me so I have to call him when I arrive. He informed me she was the chief at restaurant in Seattle..somewhere at Pike Place (Nicest place in Seattle, NE?) .. and still people are talking about her cooking art even she left there since long time. And she did this evening well. Also it was funny, Wendy knows her but, she never thought that she is living here with Archie. Funny, NE?

At the venue…Sound man was a member of the supporting band I performed in Geneva few months before. During traveling I meet someone I know from somewhere…it’s nice. By the way Portland is getting art metropol at west coast USA. There is alternative scene and I feel something is moving.

Damo Suzuki with Luca Ciffo (Guitar), Mattia Coletti (Guitar, Ukulele), Fiè (Bass, Warp Piano), Xabier Iriondo (Table Guitar, Guitar, Electronics) and Marco Mazzoldi (Drums)
http://torchiera.noblogs.org/

Train ride to Milano. Italy is nice place to travel with train, surly ever changing landscapes are nice to see..Price for train is very cheap here. Platform is so low. Milano is the city my sound carrier friend Xabier is living in middle of city, with security gate and I stay at his place whenever I come here. Mattia, young experimental guitarist who has project with Xabier called Polvere was already there.

Relaxed and Xabier cooked. Some wine.. cheers!!!! The venue is alternative scene and it’s looks like that, you can imagine. Atmosphere is very familiar and relaxing people. The guys Fie and Marco, I performed with few days ago in Sardinia showed up. They have training room here, probably many artists has their studios. It was quite wet and cold day…Italian November.

November is kind of sad month, maybe not attractive month before Christmas. Dark, Melancholic, ……

Damo Suzuki with Paolo Campani (Sax), Sonic Boom (Electronics, Synths, Guitar) and Julie’s Haircut: Nicola Caleffi (Guitar, Percussion, Synths), Luca Giovanardi (Guitar, Electronics, Tapes), Roberto Morselli (Drums), Andrea Rovacchi (Piano, Organ, Synths), Andrea Scarfone (Bass, Guitar) and Fabio Vecchi (Guitar, Piano, Organ)
http://www.vibra.tv/

Andrea, Luca and I drive to Modena through wonderful Landscapes. Traveling in Italy is fun, this land is quite new republic around 150 years old. Local to local very ordinal things are staying still. So, every location has their specialties to eat, cities, mentality of citizen. Even small village they have old building with atmosphere.

On the way our hungriness get us to eat something. We dropped us somewhere in Tuscany (One of my favorite place in Italy), I forget the name of the village. Casstelo..something.. On the hill build up village, almost nobody on the street, Heard lonely barking naughty dog, rest is silence and calm wind… Sure I ordered pasta and fish (even here is not fisher village, I had hungry for fish, so I cannot help). What good in Italy is average restaurant like this you can enjoy food and wine and payable also good quality. Conversation about food during eating is usual and makes me fan. Italy has most organic farms in Europe. (I heard two times more than Germany)..and they have Agra-turism at quite a lots of place. To get good quality is to get contact with nature. We had many healthy foods before… when we lived together with nature and we had harmony with them. I tell you all those good restaurant with experienced chefs use good materials…that mean organic meat, organic veges… You can see in people today, hundreds of years before all rich people ware fat, now look rich people are shaped by fitness training and healthy food..they can pay..so they are good shaped. The other hand poor people are getting fat..eat fast food and bad energy food. Why I am telling this to you….because, I like Italian food…because, it’s healthy if you eat Italian food here. No. I’m not interesting to eat Italian food somewhere else.

Sonic Boom is a friend of Julie’s Haircut, they made vinyl together and some concerts together. We pick up him from their (He was traveling with his wife) hotel. Today’s formation is I, Julie’s and Boom. Saturday night….. It’s Saturday night, party time after their show…

Damo Suzuki with Alessio D’Onofrio (Guitar), Luca Giovanardi (Guitar, Electronics, Tapes), Lex Luthor (Bass), Umberto Palazzo (Bass, Guitar), Pax (Drums) and Andrea Rovacchi (Piano, Organ, Synths)

Early shuttle bus to airport came a bit late, The promoter brought us ( was together with the guy who going back to Marseille, specially for this show he made travel to his native island) to bus stop. Took airplane to Roma then change to train. Even I don’t understand that much Italian (sound good…but, actually almost nothing…), things went smoothly even after only two hours of sleeping …it’s quite long way.

Train ride was good, many beautiful landscapes changes see some snows on top of mountains. Outside looks very cold not really a friendly weather for me. When I was young I use to live in North…exactly ….in Sweden and was nice to do ski, enjoy cold air …but, when you are getting old, my body needs more warm weather if possible just sun, sun, sun…. Arrival!!!Railway station of Pescara is looks like an airport. Too huge for 120,000 people city Pescara. Umberto, the guy booking shows for Wake Up Club, today’s venue also bassist of the night picked up me from this huge train station told me that this city is beside Latina, Mussolini’s city. went to Hotel then to venue, Local sound carriers are already set up their equipment waiting for me for action when we arrived.

Luca and Andrea, members of my friend band Julie’s Haircut come from Reggio Emillia, I heard they have problem with their van and will be here a bit later. Hope nothing happen with them. It took not that long until they appear. All local sound carriers are wondering what will be happen.. But both guys from Reggio knows what would it be, even they didn’t play their usual instruments.. ….they are going to make a bit noise of toys and effect, they said. Anyway Luca had always find some toy-like-things whenever I see him. He likes to play toys beside he is very expert on cinema. He runs DVD shop in Reggio and told me once, he wanted be a director of movie, but he is not good enough, so he opened shop.

Like most Italian people have style he has also his own. Reggio/Pescara formation of sound carriers found friends. It’s nice to have two different cities sound carrier on spot. They’re are performing together for first time as well.

Damo Suzuki with Bronyaur: Fabio Cerina (Guitar), Luca Ciffo (Guitar), Fiè (Bass) and Marco Mazzoldi (Drums)
http://www.trasponsonic.net/

This is second visit to Sardinia within last 3 months..it was September last time and Fabio told me even in November here in Sardinia one can swim. I’m not swimmer and I don’t try..but, still warm here. Like last time, the venue is middle of nowhere, it’s impossible to reach without car and also it’s difficult to find if you’re not from this area. It is just in middle of woods and no neighborhood.

Even the guy picked me up from airport had difficulties to find this. He came from Genoa, Mainland Italy. We stop for late lunch. Whole lotta fishes. Its always nice to visit southern Europe. Fish is the thing I love to eat, very satisfied enjoy wine too. I was feeling that we are getting late as he said we have to drive an another hour.

So, complicate to reach the venue, we had to stop and had to call the organizer several times. The venue stood middle in woods and surroundings are getting dark. The venue is looks like restaurant which is open for only summer time. There are many organic farms in Italy. They are number one organic farmers place in Europe. I understand that Italian food has quality, so it is necessary to have good product. Good quality kitchen is always link to good quality product. Smell nice from smoked meat. What is that? One told me if you are in Sardinia, you have to try roast pork, Sardinia is best place to eat roast pork, they say proudly. I can remember of the restaurant just visit pig farm where we couldn’t eat as we didn’t reserve. At an another place I ate Sardinian pig and it was tasty.

My sound carrier friend from last Sardinian show Fabio came later, he comes from Cagliari. There was no stage at the venue. Set up on floor. After sound check, eat in with sound carriers, two of them, Luca and Marco will perform with me in few days in Milano too, they come from Milano. Later showed up local young people, among them friend of Makoto, the guitar player from Acid Mothers Temple.

The show went to deep in night and after talking with people..I have only two hours to sleep to get early bus.