Catching Up: Surfer Joe Festival, Livorno, Ungawa! and Fat Joe's Hot Sauce Challenge!

I can't believe how easy it's been to get so far behind in posting! So much has been going on every day, sometimes wi-fi is limited and we've been super tired by the time we get back to the hotel at the end of the night. Sometimes we're not even back until 3-4 o'clock or so. Apologies to those following close that have been wanting an update.

Right now it's 2:49AM and we've arrived at our hotel for the night in Alessandria. It's a totally funky and ramshakle sort of place run by a Japanese woman just off the main road. It's extremely basic, but when you're this tired, no one really cares anyway. This is one of the good things about coming home so late. Although, the place we stayed last night in Bergantino was quite nice.

 OK, I'm getting ahead of myself...let me backtrack a bit and try to catch up.

So, the whole Surfer Joe Festival experience was beyond impressive in just about every single way. The work that Lorenzo puts into the whole thing is simply mind-boggling and he deals with every twist and turn with class and patience. He is truly one in a million!

The setting, bands, sound, lighting, hospitality, food, beverage and overall organization were all top notch! It was so wonderful to finally put actual faces to so many names known only through correspondence or Facebook, SG101, etc. It was particularly thrilling to finally see live so many bands that I've been a fan of for years--The Apemen, Speedball Jr., and The Atlantics! 

And, it was totally impressive to witness for the first time the awesome uber-traditional sounds of Les Agamemnonz, the sheer power and fury of The Mullet Monster Mafia and the upbeat energy of Tony Dynamite and the Shootin' Beavers, Dave and The Pussies, The Tonomats, Surfoniani and Spaceguards! Also, it was a real treat to hear the new Surfer Joe material brought to life by the exceptional musicians of the Boss Combo! 

It was an extremely inspirational 3 days of music, camaraderie and downright good times! Particular highlights that must also be mentioned include playing Psychotronic with El Firetone of El Ray, 

engaging in a communal howl at the humongous full moon on Sunday night, and of course, having the opportunity to play on the main stage for so many as the final band of the weekend! 

As if that all wasn't enough, on Monday night, those still in town were treated to a very special, last-minute intimate performance by The Atlantics on the stage inside Surfer Joe Diner! Wow! What a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to hear them so up close and personal! It was like being at a private party in someone's home, sitting 5 feet in front of the band! Amazing! 

The day off after the festival was spent getting some rest and continuing to explore Livorno and it's cuisine. More pizza led to more gelato and a nice leisurely day of wandering around town. 

Tuesday was all about getting down to business and hitting the road for the next gig in Bergantino. It was also quite sad personally, as it meant that it was time to say farewell to Marie, who departed early to visit her family in Poland. It'll be another month before I see her in person again, but it was so incredible to have her there for the festival! 

After condensing and packing all the bags, merch and gear, we had one last healthy lunch and strong coffee at the diner and then off we went! 

It was a lovely and relaxing drive through the Italian countryside, where the roads to our destination just seemed to get smaller and smaller until finally, they turned to dirt and it was clear that the farm-like property we had reached was our destination.

 The whole place was absolutely incredible--totally in the middle of nowhere, completely rustic and in no way whatsoever resembling a live music venue of any kind that we were used to. The main structure was almost like a barn and was fully equipped for a massive party, complete with an elevated stage, bar, couches, and dance area.

 In a separate building across a grassy field was a full kitchen and dining area and there was even a mini soccer field in the very back. It turns out that our gig was actually happening as part of the celebration surrounding a big soccer match, all arranged by local legend Lukino, DJ and owner of Italy's greatest Tiki Bar, Ungawa!, just a short distance away.

 The gig was quite fun and marked a noticeable increase in tightness as a whole. Lorenzo did an incredible job on drums, even at this early stage, after only 2 gigs. Bernard and Dave continue to get inside each other's heads, making for some extremely interesting and creative dual guitar improvisation. I don't really think that the majority of the crowd quite know what they're listening to, but by the end of an entire set, hopefully we've won them over. Actually, most of the compliments at the night's end come from the musicians in the crowd, and that validation is quite a welcome bit of encouragement in a strange new gig location. 

After getting to bed around 3:30AM, we had a bit of a sleep in the following morning and immediately headed over to Ungawa!, where Lukino graciously agreed to show us around. All I can say is wow, wow and WOW! This place was easily one of the greatest Tiki bars I've ever been to. 

Unlike my other favorites, Ungawa! isn't great because of it's history or sheer abundance of Tiki items, but because of it's location, the fact that it is such a labor of love against all odds, and the diy approach, creativity and dedication of Lukino. He was literally limited to just what he had to work with locally and out of necessity, invented new ways of using the materials available. Hence, the most striking decor is all centered around mosaic, mirror and stonework completely unique to Ungawa!. The place has an inside stage AND an outside stage, a patio, outside bar, very cool undulating inside bar complete with posters lining the inside of the booze shelves, and glass cabinets full of Tiki and vintage music memorabilia. What a place! Truly incredible!

We didn't ever want to leave, but had to get moving toward our next destination, Alessandria, where Fat Joe's was hosting the second gig on the road. It was a long day of driving, but always enjoyable due to the upbeat and positive attitudes of the whole Insect crew, the awesome soundtrack provided by Lorenzo and Dave's music libraries, and the beautiful and constantly interesting Italian scenery. A quick turn off the expressway and all of a sudden we found ourselves pulling into a curious industrial complex. Surrounded by car dealers and warehouses, Fat Joe's American-style decor and motorcycle theme seemed to fit right in. 

We were immediately greeted with huge open arms and ear-to-ear smiles by Fat Joe himself and his crew, who went out of their way to make us all feel comfortable and at home. Time was of the essence, so we unloaded the van and set up the gear for a quick soundcheck. For a small outdoor patio stage, the professionalism displayed was quite astounding. Not only was everything miked and run through a full PA, but there was a full pro light system, fog machine, and a whole other guy to operate them! Whaaat? And, the craziest part of the whole thing--they actually cared!! After they got us all dialed in, we were treated to drinks and a full dinner spread compliments of the generous Fat Joe. This is fairly common in the course of the gig night routine, but what made this particular night so special was the epic nature of the meal (absolute gigantic portions, particularly DA's and my T-Bone Steaks!!!)

 and Fat Joe's infamous hot sauce challenge. 

OK, so on the drive up, Lorenzo filled us in on the whole story about what a huge hot sauce aficionado Joe is and that   whenever a band plays his place for the first time, he brings out a tray of 10 pieces of bread, each doused in increasingly spicy hot sauces. Well, being  quite the hot sauce addict myself, I was very excited about this! The first one--no problem. Quite mellow. The second--same thing. It was the third one that got us! I've never seen Dave react like that to anything!!! He literally started crying and had to get up and run into the kitchen for some kind of relief! Thankfully, they were prepared for this kind of extreme reaction  and had a cup of whipped cream waiting in the wings! Well, Dave dove into that sucker and finished the entire thing in a nanosecond. At this point, we were getting a bit nervous, as this was only the 3rd sample!!!! Thankfully, and we still believe this was the joke of the whole thing, the rest were never as bad as the 3rd! (we would much later be informed that the demon sauce was called "Black Mamba!")

Now, what happened next was the true horror of the gig! I've NEVER (knock on wood) had this happen before, but as soon as we began playing I felt a rumble down south (and I'm not talking about the bass frequencies). No biggie, I'll just ignore it, stay focused and it'll pass--or so I thought! Sweat started pouring off my brow, my legs went weak and a stabbing pain started in my stomach. Hold it together, hold it together, hold it together I repeated to myself as a kind of mantra. Until, finally, after the third song or so, that was it! I threw off the bass and literally ran to the restroom! I barely remember what happened next, as the whole thing entered the vortex of bad memories in my brain, but I do remember  curling up into the fetal position on the floor while hearing the faint strains of the rest of the band playing "Rumble" and some Morricone while the Fat Joe's guys banged on the door asking if I was OK. Whew! What an experience!! Road rule learned...do not eat a large, heavy meal right before playing, especially if it's a steak the size of half a cow!!! 

Over and out...until the next entry! On to Switzerland!