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.