4/30/15 day 12: Vranov nad Toplou, SK

Solid 8 hr shut eye felt amazing. I was actually up before the alarm, but decided to stay in bed. Still got up well in advance of the alarm. The alarm usually sounds the last 15 min before the end of breakfast. I got down to the lobby with time to spare. Slovak breakfast is pretty standard European fare: bread, cheese, sliced meats, yogurt, granola. Nothing too funky like a pigs head or boiled goat ears or anything... I must miss Italy subconsciously because I grabbed a roll and smeared Nutella all over it. Chocolate withdraws or in this case, hazelnut withdrawals. Oh man, remember that Nutella Brioch in Milan?!? Me too. My kingdom for a chocolate Brioch! Just kidding. Not really.

We hit the road at 10:30 because we had a full day. First stop was Tatras Mountians. We took a walk around a lake, the name of which I forget but it was stunning. Dig.

Cascading selfie: Tatras Mountain style.

It was cold. And beautiful. And a nice change of pace. I needed to do something to feel worthy of lunch which we enjoyed at the cafe at the mountain.

After lunch and the mountain walk, I promptly fell asleep in the car. Basically woke up as we entered Prešov. We had a 5:30 interview with Radio Preśov, and I had a hard time getting my mind right after this...

We did the interview at Radio Prešov and had great success! We talked about the shows, and our tour manager Olga translated, and we played about 39 seconds of Love Song.

Interview was cool! By all accounts, success. We promoted the upcoming shows and then we went to celebrate.

We then headed to Vranov nad Toplou our home for the next couple days. The driving was at times a little nerve wracking. Olga is an excellent driver but the roads weren't meant for Formula 1 driving. It was all good tho. We laughed, she hugged the lane, and pulled into the hotel like a rally car driver. 

Speaking of the hotel... We got the west wing and its stunning! A huge hang room, full bar (with nothing in it, but we have our own wine), and beautiful rooms. It's super pimp.

We went downstairs for dinner at about 8. The restaurant was quiet. I chose the steak, medium, with mushroom sauce.

Made short work of it too. So good. Amazing food and local wine. It was amazing.

Oh wait. And dessert.

A poppy seed pastry with caramel sauce and coffee ice cream.

In the next room there was a group of doctors celebrating a 60th birthday (full on singing Slovak folk songs) so we did what any singing group from the states would do and offer to sing them a song... We did Bid You Goodnight and then was immediately offered Slivovica, which is the digestive we had the other day, but then after one round we all quietly removed ourselves from the scene. It was clear we were in over our heads so we quietly snuck out the back and crashed.

Happy to have a home base for the next couple days. Driving everyday can get old. Night world.

4/29/15 day 11: Nitra, SK

Alarm at 9:15 was unpleasant. Rolled down to the small but wonderfully non-Italian breakfast buffet. Don't get me wrong, I loved eating chocolate croissants every morning but at some point they lose their allure. I do miss the crazy good espresso. Done right. And just downright killer. Oh well, regular coffee and yogurt with granola was a welcome change.

We met Olga's friend Eva who is a resident of Pezinok and has connections to the local winery scene and made our way to a local and successful winery for a tasting. I love wine tastings before noon! We tasted four or five really tasty wines (got a cab sauv for home), snacked on cheese and bread and schwarzwälder schinken while Eva and Olga translated for the owner of the winery. Really interesting cat. It got pretty deep too and he shared some interesting stories about soviet era wine making and such. A little bit history lesson, a little bit wine. It was righteous.

Made the short drive to Nitra, a small college town in about an hour. Olga had picked out a spot for lunch. Again, we dined in style, Slovak style. Dig.

1) cabbage soup 2) potato pancake with pork and onions and gravy 3) and a customary digestive the name I will remember by the end of the tour, promise.

So full. So completely full after lunch it took almost all I had to make the walk up two floors to my hotel room which over looks a big square in town.

Went full power down; eye mask, noise machine, which was all necessary because there was some shenanigans in the square. Some bands, parade, etc. it needed to be drowned out if any sleeping was going to take place. Slept a good solid hour and made it down to the lobby by 5:50. Made our way to the club, a nice little spot in a newish building with a great stage and sound system, sound checked and chilled. 

We did a TV interview; not sure what station. I'm not sure, but I think Olga arranged it. Never asked for some reason. We did the interview upstairs with a very sweet Slovak with really good English. We talked about the tunes, and the process and the band. Hope it airs soon. I'll share a link when I see it. It was legit tho. Here we are post interview:

And yes, I'm letting the locks fly. Just au natural. It's angular, yes, but less work then slicking it back.

Gig went well. We had a small crowd of about 30 folks but we were happy with reaction and engagement. They dug it. We had a solid performance and we had probably the best sound on the tour so far. Just juicey and warm and nice.

Wrapped up about 10:45 and made it back to the hotel. The others went out for food, but I can't eat another thing. I just chilled on my patio in the super crisp air and watched as the festival on the square was all packed up and had some more of the wine from earlier today. My younger self would probably be disappointed with me but my actual self is totally cool with getting to bed before 1am. It hasn't happened since we got to Europe. 

Another fun night for the books. I mean any day that stars with a wine tasting is going to be cool. I did have that moment tonight (actually during Peter's tune "Beauty that surrounds") where I was like "I get paid to travel and play music in new and awesome countries" and I shared a small smile with myself. A nice little reminder that I am doing what I love and that's a beautiful thing. I am lucky and grateful and enjoy every minute of it; even if I want to be an old fart and go to bed before everyone else. Night.

4/28/15 day 10: Pezinok, SK

We met Olga, our friend/Slovakian manager & booking agent, in the lobby of our hotel at 11. It was nice to see her again. She used to have to drive 10+ hours to see us perform and now we all get to hang out for 10 days with her as our tour guide. Very stoked for her to show us her country.

We made it to the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava shortly before 1. We were all pretty hungry at that point. Olga had plans for us to meet her friends Patricia and Hayden at a restaurant/brewery in Bratislava... She knows us too well. What came next will never be forgotten as it was both delicious and borderline overload..

First we had some appetizers; I think it's called "Brine" in English... Basically pigs head meat in a clear gelatin sliced thin like lunch meat served doused in vinegar and a great loaf of crusty brown bread. Peter got the smoked pigs neck with Dijon mustard, fresh horseradish, and pickles... I can't describe it in a way to make it sound appetizing but it was all delicious. And then came the mushroom crime soup which might be the best mushroom crime soup I've ever had. The mushrooms were fresh and wild and the cream base was light. Main course was this; roasted duck leg with potatoe dumplings, potatoe crepe and red cabbage... So good. So filling. I had to tap out. I just couldn't finish. I was beyond stuffed...

Pivo, baby.

After lunch I was about ready to collapse into a ball and fall asleep. We took the short 34 min drive to Pezinok where our first gig of the tour is. We found the hotel (an old Closter) and I had to power down hard. So I went full eye mask and white noise and comafied for 20 mins.

We met in the lobby after 5pm and walked over to the club which was across the street (in the increasing wind and consistent rain... First rain in three months) and started to get everything situated. On the 3 min walk over to the club, my 5€ venitian umbrella took a huge shit and basically snapped in half in the wind. Awesome.

Walked up to the club located basically across the street which is also a bar/restaurant. We were to play in a performance space to the side of the restaurant. Met Richard the manager, Mat the sound guy and got set up and ready to roll. Right after sound check the power went out, presumably from the wind. No one seemed to care. Lit some candles and carried on. We were full on prepared to carry on without amplification when the lights randomly came back on. 

Had a quick bite of cheese and bread and a couple cold Pivo before our set which started at 815 or so. Had a about 30 beautiful Slovaks waiting for the show to begin. We did our thing and it was really well received. At one point I made a comment about how I would try to speak more Slovakian if I had a Pivo ("Pivo power") and the owner disappears and reappears with a fresh cold one for yours truly. Respect.

We wrapped up about 10:15 after a double encore and got to sit down for a proper dinner. I had some pasta with chicken. I needed something relatively light after that lunch... Pasta is "light" compared to roasted duck.

Before the set we met a local cat named Richard who brought his banjo as he came directly from rehearsal. At some point after the set someone said the words "jam session" and peters ears perked up. What ensued can only be described as a hootenanny... He busted out my guitar, Jeff got the bass working with a speaker from the PA, I had an egg shaker, and we sang. We all sang. The seating was rearranged to make the circle larger and larger as folks still hanging in the space started to draw closer. We went through blue grass, rock, folk all with the really tasty licks of Richard on the banjo. Language barriers dropped and the once slightly reserved patrons opened up and started singing and interacting. It was one of those moments where u look around and wonder how you got there.

Needless to say, we made friends. The manager Richard was beside himself (almost literally) after every couple tunes he would smile and lean over and say "nazdravie" with a crooked smile, his wife was passed out in her chair after passionately singing "wish you were here" by Pink Floyd with peter, and the owner, a quiet stocky tattooed Slovakian bearded cat, kept pulling me aside to share his top shelf rum which I don't think he could even reach at the bar. I don't even like rum, but this stuff was amazing. So smooth. I feel like it was a sign of appreciation. When words fail, try rum.

By all accounts, the jam session lasted longer than the actual set. Picture a room full of Slovaks chain smoking, drinking wine, and singing the Beatles. It was scene. At about 1:15 am, when we finally were allowed to leave (The owner kept telling us we couldn't leave until he played one more song from his computer on the house system... First it was Georgia by Ray Charles. I stopped listening after that), we said our goodbyes, gave hugs, and said our thank you's and made the short walk home.

A great first night. A long one, but great. This is going to be a fun week.

4/27/15 day 9: Montebelluna>Venice>Vienna

Up at 9:15 for a quick Italian breakfast in the lobby of the hotel; cappuccino and small jam filled brioche with powdered sugar. Out the door at 10:15 headed for Venice airport to return the rental car. Maybe an hour drive from Montebelluna. Raining again this morning as we dropped off the car and gathered our things and made our way by bus to Venice Train Station. You could smell the sea water as we rolled through the rain.

Dropped off our bags at Left Luggage at the Santa Lucia Train Station and burst out into the scene.

(Top a watery lawn, bottom the view walking out of the train station)

First stop was some grub, recommendation of Gian our sound guy last night. Definite locals vibe but not off the beaten path per se; small little bites and miniature glasses of wine for cheap. So tasty. Now that's what I call breakfast.

Salami and cheese, cheese and sun dried tomato. Both slamming...

The joint was teeny tiny. I mean a closet. There were as many people working as could fit in the little area to order but in fine Italian tradition, there is a group of locals standing at the bar chatting and drinking. That's just what you do here. Especially in cafes. And the smaller the cafe the better. It's a beautiful tradition not made for speedy to go orders. Luckily, things like espresso and little sandwiches disappear quickly.

It started coming down pretty good but all was okay after a 5€ umbrella purchase from a gentlemen of Indian descent. Come to think of it, none of the souvenir shops seemed to be run by Italians. I wonder if they were bought out or just retired? But I digress...

I have yet to own a rain coat since moving to Phoenix. Note to self, buy a raincoat when I return to Phoenix. 

We went on a full blown wander, following the crowd of tourists and umbrellas (one dude was wearing a trash bag) meandering through tiny little alleys and over small bridges perched over green water that I wouldn't swim in. Can't imagine Venice in the summer. It's probably brutal with the humidity and the crowds... Glad it is April and glad it was raining.

We got to a point in our soggy journey where we had to turn back to make the 3:59pm train to Wien, that's Vienna for all you land lovers. We made a pit stop at a little cafe and picked up some provisions for the 7 hr train ride ahead of us; big bottle of sparkling water, red wine in a 1liter tetra box, a couple cold Italian beers the make of which I've never heard of, sandwiches (ciabatta with prosciutto and cheese heated up like a panini and cold sandwiches cut into small triangles on soft, crust-less white bread with tuna and tomato... so killin'), and a couple bars of chocolate. Only the essentials, people...

Made it back to the train station pretty well loaded down now w snacks, grabbed our baggage from the Left Luggage and found our seats on the train that was waiting for us at platform 9. Feet were tired and damp so I was definitely ready to kick back, enjoy the views and the plunder and not drive.

4:59pm. Jeff has already left our little sitting area for more space in an adjacent quarter. We fear he may leave us forever. I fade in and out sleep in a position not meant for sleeping. Peter is air drumming to his iPod.

5:59pm. Train is approaching some mountains. Sent Peter on a mission to find the food cabin. Provisions are already dangerously low. Some of us (Peter) didn't plan accordingly. He's eyeing my beers and sandwich in a way that makes me uneasy. Will protect at all costs. I'm tall and have a longer reach than he does. Jeff is asleep.

6:59pm Food cabin has been located and prices are sufficiently gougey... At least it was expected. All sandwiches have been consumed and peter is already trying to get in on my box of wine. He's dangling a 'surprise for later' in exchange for some fine boxed vino. I think he is bluffing, but I feel for the little guy. He looks hungry and he's been crying a lot... He thinks I should share. I explain to him that I have two older brothers and we didn't share and look at us, we turned out OKAY. Sharing was a sign of weakness, especially when it came to food. We fear Jeff has emigrated.

In other news the landscape is stunning. Very dramatic mountain scenes with small villages. Something out of a sci-fi or fantasy novel. Dark, dark green mountains covered in coniferous trees with clouds clinging to the side. Wide river beds with smooth round white stones and a small stream of light green water in the middle. Lots of tunnels. At this point u only catch glimpses. You can tell you are nearing the end of the tunnel because the pressure changes in your ears, so u look out the window in anticipation. 

7:59pm Food levels almost completely depleted. Liquid rations are low. On any tour, you start to accumulate booze in the rental car; bottles of beer and wine, schnapps, water. Most of the time it's a gift from a venue or from raiding the green room. It's affectionately referred to as the "car bar" best said with a Boston accent. This tour we had only two bottles of beer when we cleaned out the car. Peter just cracked one. These are bleak, bleak times...

Lakes!

Peter is lying about not having food. He has gummy bears, I saw them in his bag. "Those are totally gifts, man..." Not cool man. I wonder if Jeff moved his seat early on to preserve his rations.... He knows Peter well. Man that guy is smart. I'm gonna miss him... I wonder if we will ever see him again.

Heavy cloud cover blocks out the sun but you can tell it's still up there somewhere barely. Train announcements in German now. Already feel better, more at ease. Like if I make a run for it at the next stop, I'll get to Vienna no problem....

I wonder about these towns and their churches in the middle. I wonder how religion affects these people or how or if it drives their daily life in any way. I wonder if we will ever get to a time when we only visit churches as part of a history lesson; to remember that people used to actually physically congregate and socialize and be thankful for some intangible force guiding their lives. And whether it's evolution or devolution that describes a godless culture. In any case, these were once God fearing communities. You see it everywhere.

8:59pm All is quiet. Peter appears to be asleep. Jeff hasn't spoken in hours. The windows have gone dark. I wish they'd turn the lights off in the train so we can see outside although there wouldn't be much to see. Every once in a while a castle on the surrounding hill will be illumated. Otherwise basically pitch black, just our own reflections in the windows.

I've successfully rationed my chocolate and wine and now that Peter is alseep, I think it's safe. Thinking this will help me survive a couple more hours. Going to try to avoid the train food, but I'm only human. 2.5 hrs to go. All work and no play makes Brian a dull boy.

Stepping off the train at the various stops on the route. For the :45 seconds that the train pauses (we are after all in Austria), the air is crisp and clean. Mountain air. Whistle. Back on the train.

9:59pm 20 min delay in Leoben, Austria. No one is quite sure why. But made some Austrian friends who called our hotel in Vienna and asked if we would still be able to get into our rooms so late. We are good. Gave our older Austrian friends an L&S. It's gonna blow their freakin minds.... we are going to be HUGE in the town next to Loeben!

Peter broke down and went to the food cart and bought, wait for it, chicken tiki masala in a box and a Hefeweizen; I mean some real Italian/Austrian shit... he comes back to his seat with a shit eating grin and then asks for some of my private red wine stash saying "it helps with digestion and the flavor profile is better than my beer." Me: " why didn't you just buy some red wine?!" Peter "Oh, it was too expensive." See what I mean?! No man, it's cool. Have some of the secret stash... Go back to bed...

Haven't seen Jeff in a week. 

There are two women from Slovakia next to us on the train. They are teaching us some Slovakian, all of which I've forgotten. The saying that peter knows (something about not being behind a horse's fart) they didn't understand. Shocker. I'm starting to question his language prowess. I'm gonna go sit next to Jeff....

10:59pm I couldn't help it. Hunger levels were high and blood sugars were low. Food and liquid rations were all but depleted, empty, closed. I went to the food car for a ham & cheese panini... And it was good. That is all. I'm slightly ashamed.

Peter's 'surprise for later' was a nip of Johnny Walker Black Label courtesy of Air Canada from his trip over... He'd been saving it for a special occasion. Spirits were briefly raised.

What have I learned from train travel with Peter Day and Jeff Vallone? Well, it's not much different than car travel...  1) if you sit near Peter, be ready to share everything 2) if you sit near Jeff, expect to maintain your food and drink stash. Well, it helps that Jeff is vegetarian. He said my panini looked delicious, in a very non-threatening way. Peter said little. Just eyed my sandwich.

Our train car is almost silent now save the tapping of someone's fingers on a laptop.

Lights rush by the windows. Names of town flash by. Peter eyes my beer. I avoid eye contact... 

11:59pm Rolled into Vienna Meidling Train station in Vienna. Our prayers were answered and there was a Döner joint still open. He was just packing up shop. Grabbed Döner to go and found the taxi stand. Our taxi driver was full on asleep in his seat when we walked up. Despite that, he got us to the Ramada in one piece. Devoured said Döner in the lobby.

What a day; we laughed, we cried, we bartered for wine...

Night from Vienna.

4/26/15 day 8: Montebelluna, IT

Up and out of the hotel by 11 today. Breakfast was a cappuccino and a chocolate brioche shortly before which we took outside on the patio as the elderly matriarch watered the potted plants and kept the other staff buzzing around. Another nice slightly overcast day. It's funny, the sun sometimes burns off the haze, sometimes it doesn't and the difference is like 10 degrees.

Peter had another insider tip for some good gelato in Vignola so we packed the car and parked at last night's venue and walked into town. Sunday mass was happening at the church and there was a textile market happening in the pedestrian area. Socks for 3€, jeans for 5€, that sort of shit. We found the gelato spot and sat in wonder of our luck. I mean, this stuff was amazing. So good. Creamy and light. I got coffee and peach. The best gelato combination so far was coffee and peanut butter in Rome. That was just stupid...

Walked around the Rocca Di Vignola. It's old, we are talking 11th century and still a stunner. Dig.

I'm a sucker for a cool castle. Always have been. 

We hopped back in the car and headed NE to Montebelluna. The drive was fine. I mean, we took a toll road so it was in good shape and it was very uneventful. We listened to Band of Horses and Beck's new record. Peter and Jeff dozed off and I set the cruise control at 130 kph. 

We stopped at an Autogrill for a sandwich and espresso somewhere along the way. I also found a couple Italian seasoning packets which are basically packets of herbs and seasonings you add to your pasta at home with some olive oil. I first came across them when I was working on the cruise ship on the southern Italian coast and thought they'd make good gifts for my foodie friends (I don't think my mother has used hers yet tho, so I might reclaim it when I'm there next). I don't think Italians use them either, I think it's a tourist thing, but I dig it. Some packets will have dried olives and oregano or tomatoes and red peppers; there are a bunch of different flavors. I was relieved because I was seeing them in Rome in specialty shops but never picked any up thinking I'd see them again the next day. Glad I at least found two different kinds today. I won't be giving these ones away.

Made it to Montebelluna at like 3:30. It was deserted... Didn't really see a soul at all driving in. We thought the hotel was closed even. But no, it was open (albeit reminiscent of The Shining) and I walked into my room and went straight to sleep for a nice 30 minute power down. I woke up to the sound of rain and got cleaned up around 5pm to make the 5 min drive to Mattorossa, our last venue of the Italins tour...

I was already impressed as we pulled up. You could just tell they put some money into the build out. From the street it looked sexy as hell, so I was confident we were in for a good night. The interior didn't disappoint. Big room with a nice big stage, great gear, great sound man Gian, exposed brick, original wooden beams, sleek bar, lots of polished brass. 

Sound check and then an authentic Italian dinner of burgers and red wine. There was even another Italian IPA on tap which was called Grunge IPA. Our new friend Nick, who first saw us in Milan, came with a friend, and bought us a bottle of Prosecco, which is grown in this region. Spirits were high as the room began to fill up with diners. We hit around 9:10 and played a great one hour set, which included a Printemps standing on chairs in the audience.

Pre-dinner repose.

Just the hits...

After the set we chilled and rapped w new friends. Hopeful we can come back to this venue. Everyone was very nice and welcoming and the sound was really nice. Crashed out at the hotel after rapping with Gian the sound guy who gave us some insider tips for our short visit to Venice tmrw. Gian grew up in the area and his dad works in the wine industry and offered to maybe set up a tour of the Prosecco facility but the guys were determined to see Venice, so, another time for the Prosecco tour.

A great last night of the Italian tour. Hope to come back to this beautiful country. Thanks again to Cesare and Enrica of Roots Music Club for organizing this fun tour!

4/25/15 day 7: Vignola, IT

Up and out of the AutoHotel at 11:15. Breakfast isn't provided so we decided to try our luck on the ol' Italian road. GPS had us go north a bit and then jog over east to the larger, better surfaced A1. We stopped about an hour in and had a road side bite and coffee and filled up the tank with the help of a well dressed man who meticulously cleaned our windshield.

I had the distinct pleasure of not driving so I sat in the backseat and napped and occasionally drooled on the luggage. The A1 sent us just west of Firenze and off in the distance we caught just the tip of the Duomo, which is more than just an Italian sex move, as we rolled by.

After Firenze the landscape became pretty mountainous. Little villages dotted the valleys. After about three plus hours the mountains mellowed. We drove through Bologna and arrived in Formica, which is Italian for "counter top." The venue was the next town over in Vignola. The Vignola castle we could see from our hotel, so not a far commute to the venue.

Found the venue/bar at about 715pm which is actually attached to a large swimming facility minutes past the old part of town. Got loaded in, had an espresso, sound checked and dinner was served at 8. It's a cool little spot with a great stage, sound system, and it's run by a real character named Franco. Cesare and Enrica were there with friends, so we all gathered and had dinner together.  The caprese was off the chain and the focaccia was light and delicious. A couple days ago I told the guys I was focaccia'd out... That didn't last long. Vignola is in Modena which is known for balsamic vinaigrette. Yes, that was delicious too.

Before I forget, one thing I really love about Italy is that they still make espresso with an actual espresso machine. Most of the other Western European countries have replaced the machine with a much inferior coffee machine that spits out your order. It doesn't even touch an actual espresso. Thank you Italy for keeping it real. Keeping it old school. Keeping it caffeinated.

There was a working keyboard bolted to the wall. Jeff got angular...

We hit around 10:30 to a pretty full room. This isn't a listening room per se, but the crowd was engaged and interactive. Had them singing for Printemps which we did in the audience and clapping on 1000 Little Pieces. Free Falling continues to be a stand out. It was a good night. Things are gelling, and we are getting our rhythm.

Peter, Enrica, Franco, Cesare, tall guy, Jeff.

After the set, we greeted fans and sold CDs and chatted about music and the industry with new friends. Made the short 10 minute drive home and crashed out happy but tired.

4/24/15 day 6: Roma, IT

Up at 8 for espresso and a brioche. On the road back to Cesano for another afternoon in Roma. Caught the 10:03 to St Pietro. The plan was to hit the cathedral, Parthenon, and colosseum.

We started out the same route as yesterday, but instead of heading to the bar we went to a gelato joint. Always a good start to the day. Headed east on foot to Piazza Nuova, Pantheon, Campers store (picked up some fresh new kicks), then the Trevi Fountain (under repair), steps we thought were Spanish (turns out they were just steps) and then made our way south to the Coloseum. Behold. Pictures of very old things...

You should see the statue's front side. I spared you...

Pantheon

Oculus selfie... It's a new thing.

Inside the pantheon

An old bit of something...

More old stuff on the way to the Coloseum...

Coloseum Cascading Selfie. It's a thing.

Coloseum. Very impressive. And yeah, wicked old.

This statute had such a striking resemblance to Jeff I just had to take a shot.

Then we hopped the metro at the Coloseum to Station Ostiense and then the train to Trastevere and walked around for 45 minutes and had lunch, Rome style....

A little pizza fungi, ham, and suppli (fried rice Twinkie with mozzarella).

Hopped the 2:41 back to Cesane. Tired. But satisfied we put a hurt on Rome. Didn't see it all, but that just gives us a reason or two to come back. Oh, and they have a great IPA I need to try.

Took at hard nap for an hr before waking up and hopping in the shower. We left for Cross Roads Live at 5:40. We drove past the Cesane train station and it was about 10 minutes down the same road.

Cross Roads Live is a big room (1000 capacity standing) with a great stage and great sound men to make it sound sensual. With tables and chairs it's smaller, but no less sensual.

We had dinner at 8; bruschetta and pasta with eggplant and zucchini and red wine at 8. Opener hit at 10. They were kind enough to have us up for The Weight, which was their last song. We warmed in the green room bathroom (for the acoustics) and then walked back on stage at 10:35.

We slayed our set. Played 90 minutes of just the hits and had a swarm at the merch table after.  It was a lovely feeling. Had a ton of great compliments and kind words from the audience and staff.

I'm sure we will come back. Magic night.

The drive home was hairy. Crazy fog made it borderline impossible to see, but we took our time and made it home in one piece. Tomorrow Vignola!

4/23/15 day 5: Roma, IT

Breakfast at 10:30am at the hotel. The spread was adequate, no surprises, no real stand outs. They did have a pretty killer chocolate croissant that had a hint of orange and I was happy to see some multivitamin juice on the table. You see it all over Germany but haven't seen it yet. It's just like a juice blend but it's delicious.

On the road shortly after 11. We had a three hour drive south to outside of Rome. We took the SS1 which by any standards is in pretty rough shape. Another contrast to Germany, who has amazingly well kept roads and is constantly repeating them. It was a nice little drive though. Occasionally there would be an old walled village on the a surrounding hill reminding us that this country (and Rome specially) was the cradle of modern western culture. We passed Cevitaveccia, a port my ship stopped at in 2012. It's a big cruise ship port about an hour train ride from Rome. Saw a couple big johnnys docked up and wondered briefly if I would ever have that cruise ship experience again.

We got about 20 minutes from our hotel and started to see women on the side of the road, which is a pretty busy two lane highway. I guess prostitution is legal here. Reminded me of the Czech Republic. We decided that they shouldn't be called "women of the night." That's not fair or accurate... They should be called "women of the late afternoon."

Our hotel is probably where these "women of the late afternoon" take office hours... Oh well, we are only here to sleep, right? Quick 30 min power down and we decided to make the trek into Rome. Hopped in the car, drove to Cesano, the next town over, and walked onto the train headed SE. Took about 45 minutes and we were at St Pietro station, that's Saint Petersburg for all you layman. This was our first glimpse...

Peter had an agenda to fulfill some recommendations for food and drinks, so we walked due east over the bridge and into a cool neighborhood. Not sure the name, or if it even has one, but it was a vibey old spaghetti maze of streets and bars and restaurants. We first stopped at Boticelli's for a beer (the first recommendation) and was surprised by the quality of an Italian IPA. It was really good and the bar was vibey. Peter has a friend who knows the owner Giovanni so we introduced ourselves and told him about the tour. One thing leads to another and the next instant he's streaming Dance With Me in the bar. Didn't catch the name of the IPA... Guess I'll have to go back, you know, for the blog.

Afterwards we went around the corner To a great little restaurant called ...

We shared a bottle of Chianti Classico, some caprese, and I had the fettuccini with bacon and truffles and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. The caprese was good. The tomatoes were a little young but tasty but the mozzarella was on point. Holy cow. And the olive oil was slamming. Those are technical terms by the way.... 

It was all outrageously good. Maybe we were just hungry, and maybe for Roman standards it was adequate but we devoured everything. I mean at one point, Peter licked the table cloth. For real. After a round of limoncello we went back to the bar to thank them for the food recommendation and then hauled ass back to the train station to catch the 10:25 train back north to Cesano and our hotel, motel, holiday iiiiiiiin.

We were waiting on the platform for our train when we heard a chorus of French kids singing church songs... Peter, the gregarious little dude that he is, approached them and asked if we could sing them a song. We sang them Bid You and from then on, we were American rock stars..photos, videos, autographs... It was hilarious. "Are you famous?" one 12 year old asked. "Why yes, yes I am, little one." We basically held court the entire train ride while every one of these French kids told us about every family member that has set foot in the States. Curious little guys! And peter was in one of his true, natural elements; rattling off French and patiently and considerately answering all their questions...if you know Peter, can't you just envision it?! They LOVED the fact that Peter spoke French and he was just happy as can be. Oh man, we were laughing the rest of the way home.

A great, fun night off. We should do that more often!

4/22/15 day 4: Cecina, IT

Skipped breakfast today at the hotel. For 5€, it wasn't attractive enough. Plus, I needed all the sleep I could wrangle. We had a drive ahead of us today; Milan to Cecina. Out of the hotel at 11, and ran to the corner baker for some treats. Had arguably the tastiest croissant in my life... Nutella filled, powdered sugar, chocolate chips. I mean it was diabetic nightmare, but crazy crazy good. I also got some focaccia for the road. I mean look at this stuff...

Focaccia the real way.

Focaccia with veggies, eggplant, olives and zucchini, tomato and cheese, four cheese... All fresh. All delicious. Thick but somehow light dough, fresh topping, so good. Got myself a thin slab of the quattro fromaggio focaccia to go (after my fat free Nutella croissant by the way) because I'm watching my weight on this tour...

We hit the road around 1ish. The first hour or so of the drive wasn't very exciting. The view wasn't great. It was like generic countryside. And then at some point we were surrounded by rolling hills, and then snow capped peaks were off in the distance and then we were driving through mountain tunnels that reminded us of Austria. It was beautiful. We came out of the other side of a mountain range and started passing small villages precariously perched on the hillside, farmland and small vineyards and large plots of land drying out granite. This area is known for the marble that is produced here. Things started to flatten out as we approached the coast and its started to look more Mediterranean. 

We dumped our stuff at the Hotel Posta and headed out on a 30+ minute walk to the beach. I was a little stressed because I wanted a nap before sound check at 730 and it was 5 when we left the hotel. We got to a quiet little beach cafe in a sleepy little cluster of cafes and had a quick beer and toasted our good fortune. The beach was pretty quiet as well save some workers doing their best to get things ready for the upcoming tourist season.

I decided to head back to the hotel pretty quickly after we got there while Jeff and peter stayed seaside. I decided that a nap was required if I wanted to sing that night AND stay awake. I saw a bus station on the walk in and decided to try my luck to hitch a ride back to town and sure enough, a couple minutes later, I was on the bus back to the "centro" of the town where our hotel was. The ride took less then 5 mins and we were back in town. Not only did I get my nap, but I stopped for a Döner beforehand. Went to sleep a happy, full, tired man.

Out the door at 745pm. The venue was just a few blocks away so we hoofed it to the Birroteca Dopio Malto which apparently was a different business not too long ago.

It was there we finally met Cesare, the guy who booked the tour. He and his girlfriend are 2/3 of Roots Music Promotions, the company that booked the tour. Good dude and a fellow musician. Quick sound check in the smallish room and then it was dinner time. Peter and I ordered the steak with Gorgonzola sauce. Oh man, I'm gonna be 300lbs when I get home, and I'm cool with it. That's why I have a gym membership...

Another late start tonight; 1030pm. These crazy Italians and their late nights... Performances in Germany are usually done by 1030. This is a whole new thing for us. The set went well I think. The folks were appreciative and engaged. They were singing "Printemps a Paris" like it was their job. Loving the "Free Falling" cover with the harmonies. All in all a good night. Shout out to the awesome Kirschke family for making the trip down from Lucca. I met the Kirshke's on the Seabourn Sojourn in 2012 and we kept in touch. It was awesome to see them!

4/21/15 day 3: Milano, IT

Jet lag can be a bitch. It's still fun at the moment (this is also only day one). You get moments like this that allow the mind to process your new location and savor your surroundings and the little differences in your environment.

Breakfast was modest but fresh and served on bright orange dishes. Reminded me of my kitchen growing up in the early 80s. Choko brioche (Italian for croissant), choko fruit cake thingy, brötchen and processed cheese, creamy peach yogurt, peach nectar with sparkling water... Less cheese and sliced meat than in Germany. Italian breakfast I think is more intended to shock your system with caffeine and sugar than fill the tank and is only intended to help you survive until you can eat hot, delicious pizza at lunch... Which is when, by the way? Just wondering... I'm not hungry!? Well, maybe just a sliver...

I'd actually find it interesting to see if there is a link between the different cultural cuisines at breakfast and how they affect things like national work ethic and productivity, general health, outlook, education, etc. You think about the German breakfast and how hearty and protein rich it is and their work ethic and productivity and once you start to consider other countries' cultural habits and trends you start to see some correlations... Maybe there is something to this whole 'breakfast' thing... Ah fuck it, when's lunch?

We rehearsed in the little hotel courtyard for a couple of hours. Smoothing out the rough edges and adding some new

Jams to the mix. It's important for us to keep progressing, keep changing, keep making things better. This rehearsal helped with that. We were able to fine tune some bits and really tighten up the set. Plus we were sitting outside in beautiful Italian spring day... There was that too...

At about 1:15 we had played all the tunes and decided to be tourists and head downtown. We took the M1 (I think) to the Duomo which is really the focal point of the downtown area. A huge open piazza allowing throngs of tourists to gaze and snap photos all while pigeons zoom about and suited business Italians walk past talking on their phone.

Behold. The Duomo.

I was here in 1998 w my mom when I was studying in Freiburg. I couldnt tell that much had changed. It's still a big white cathedral...

We walked north through the Gallerie and stumbled upon the Brera neighborhood. The old roman/medieval bits of the city. It's old and clean and less touristy and busy than the duomo piazza. We stopped into a small restaurant for a delux focaccia (that was still totally reasonably priced) and continued on our loop back to the metro. Peter and I were all tuckered out, still battling w jet lag.

Crushed a short nap and then we decided to take the metro to the gig. We had a great parking spot in front of the hotel and after walking around a bit we realized parking was usually hard to come by. We left for the venue at 630, and arrived shortly after 7. Load in was 7. We are so used to German punctuality and when we arrived and the place was still closed we were concerned. Max the owner rolled up about 15 minutes later. Nidaba Theatre isn't very big but it's cozy with a small stage. We did our check sound check and then chilled. Another thing we aren't used to are the late starts. The gig was supposed to start at 10 but Max recommended we wait until 1030. In Germnay we are usually done by 1030! We chilled had some beers and Marco the bartender made us some sandwiches. The room filled up around 945 and we hit to 40ish folks. The performance was good; you know the first show of any tour isn't perfect but we felt good and the crowd was into it. We flew a new cover tune: Free Falling by Tom Petty and it felt good. I was happy to see my friends the Moffa's show up. Back in the 90s, I went to High School with Marla and Linda so it was great to reconnect with them and have some friendly faces in the audience.

After the set at like 230am, Max offered to drive us home. The metro wasn't running anymore. He dropped us by a Döner joint by our hotel and we happily gobbled down some delicious snacks. The sandwiches we had at like 845 were but a distant memory.

Crashed hard at like 330 after a loooooong day. But feel good about the prospect of the remaining Italian dates. I dig this country! Thankful to Cesare and Enrica at Roots Music for booking the tour! 

4/20/15 day 2: Milano, IT

Landed in Milan, Malpensa airport at 8:23AM local time. The airport was quiet. A bunch of Italians in suits holding name signs outside of customs. The only thing open, the only thing there practically was a little bakery cafe with a bunch of Italian ladies w too much energy calling out orders to the girl at the espresso machine. Crushed a couple cappuccino waiting my brother Peter Day to ramble off his flight from Toronto, which he did about 11:45. Didn't have the energy nor the confidence to try to order one of the pastries which all looked friggin' delicious.

Pierre and I snagged the brand new, snappy Renaud wagon rental from Sixt and made the fairly chill drive to the hotel. Weather was beautiful, windows down, pissing off Italian drivers who needed to go somewhere fast. As we were pulling into the parking spot in front of the hotel, who walks up but our other tSR brother Jeff Vallone!? His timing was impeccable as usual. He has been bounding around Italy for a few days in advance of our arrival scoping out the best falafel joints in town. Apparently, pizza is a better option in this country. Weird.

Our hotel rooms are modest but sufficient (at least they have semi-reliable wifi) in a mainly residential neighborhood NW of the downtown. We decided to go for a walk and find some food. We made it about 75 feet to the corner before turning into a little bakery. I completely destroyed some pizza. Dude brought out about 8 fresh French bread pepperoni pizzas out of the oven. I was like "oh damn! They got some Stouffer's up in here!?" And now I was an odering machine, pointing, saying things like "si" and "grazi." The Stouffer's was a good start but the big guy needed a little more in the tank so I asked the nice lady to whack off a slab of this amazing looking pizza. They come out of the oven in huge sheets and they cut you a slice to your preferred dimensions and then weigh it for pricing. I mean get a load of this... So light and clean and simple and tasty... I think this cost me 3€.

After a quick refueling and update on Jeff's travels we took a little stroll around the neighborhood. It's nice. A quiet suburb. Tree lined streets. Kids out of school running around. The weather was really perfect so we found a little cafe by the hotel and toasted the start of another tour and our good fortune for being able to do these trips.

I went down hard for a nap from about 4:15 and we rallied at 6 to head a little bit more into town. We hopped a couple metro stops SE of our location to the Naviglio Grande (canal) and walked around the shops and bars that were jamming today; young Italians talking quickly, waving cigarettes at eachother. We wanted to blend in, so we sat down and unfolded our map...

Yes, there is bacon in peters whiskey. Yes, it was intentional. If you ever get a chance, ask Peter to describe the "feeling" of drinking that drink. He'll use words like "whisk" and "coat tails." It's hilarious. We then realized we were very close to our venue tmrw night (Nidaba Theatre) so we walked over and located it. It was closed so we headed back to the canal for some food and stumbled on a jamming little pizza joint on the canal that didn't disappoint.

Oh, I crushed this whole thing and a couple Arrancini (rice balls) for good measure. So tasty. Just clean and simple ingredients, fresh and light. The bread. The sauce. The cheese. Simple, you little bambino! Oh man. Ricotta di Bufallo. So on point! And then of course gelato because why the hell not; Caffé & Amarena.

We were pretty fried out and crispy by the time 945 rolled around so we made our way back to hotel. I'm laying here now dreaming about dreaming in this very modest little room in my kid-sized single bed. The window is open and the long green curtains occasionally billow. The sounds of scooters down below... Italian white noise... We have arrived.