Ten (divided by two) Years Gone

Hi to those who read me!

This post should be in Italian language... soon you'll understand why.

What a strange beginning for a prog oriented post, isn't it?

Ok. It's a joke that I'm going to explain.

Five years ago (and so ten divided by two! It was the only way to start with that great beautiful song by Led Zeppelin!) I strongly felt the need to change something in my life, so I changed my job.

Suddenly the choice revealed unlucky, the new company unsure and I had the luck to succeed to come back to my preceding company.

But my position already was occupied by a new colleague so my boss said to me: "I can give you another chance, but in our Northern Italy Offices".

I was born and lived for 50 years in Naples, one of the most beautiful and mistreated cities in the World, and until then I never thought my life could be separated from my beloved hometown, my daughters, my brothers & sisters and my old friends!

And more... I was involved in several musical projects: jazz standards, Psycho Alternative, improvisational performances, and so on ...

But I needed to work and so I said: "No Problem".
I often say "No problem" when I feel there is almost one!

I came in touch with Lodi, my present residential city, in June 2010.

Luckily I already knew some people in Milan (many of them components of the Marillion Italian Fan Club), so I didn't fear loneliness.
With my usual attitude I hardly fear loneliness after all, as you can imagine!

In september 2010 I first came in contact with Veruno Progfestival because I wanted to go there with some friends and listen to Gazpacho, Moongarden and Pendragon LIVE. 

From that first time Veruno Prog has become an adamant date in my calendar. Nothing can happen (and I hope it will never happen) to separate me from it!!

And its boss Alberto Temporelli is always happy to meet me again every year!

It's my true holyday, the best period of my year. 

It's the time I can be side by side with most of the people I always talk about music with on Facebook, musicians and not, from Italy or abroad. 

It's the opportunity to know more bands, music and musicians, whether I like them or not!
Here on the left you can see me, separating the Tempio's proficient music composers and performers Fabio Gremo (bass, acoustic and classic guitars) and Elisa Montaldo (Keyboards and Vocals) at the Veruno Prog 2012 edition.

In october 2010 I first met Silver Key in a LIVE at Casa di Alex in Milan (at the time they played as a Marillion tribute band).

In december I first was astonished by Il Tempio Delle Clessidre LIVE at Casa di Alex.

It's funny because I still cannot remember why I was there, since I didn't know them, but there I was... and still now I think I had luck!

On January 2012 I went to Pro(g) Liguria and I heard for the first time (with a huge amount of shivers) Sophya Baccini's incredible voice during Osanna exhibition, among the other bands, Il Tempio above all.

In april I first saw one of the greatest piano performers and composers in the World, Hiromi Uehara LIVE in Ravenna, and the friend I was there with took the shot of her with me you can see on the right side!

Since then I have seen Hiromi every time she's been in the neighbourhood, promoting her music to other friends who now love her as me!

In november I first met Yoshiko PK during the Progvention at Bloom in Mezzago and I was very surprised she was able to understand Italian language! Now she's improving her knowledge, sometimes trying to speak italian, and is one of my best Facebook friends!

In 2013, at the Altrock Festival at Casa di Alex I first came in contact with the visionary genius of the pair Zago/Botta and Alessio Calandriello powerful vocalism and I realized that if you want to listen something of uneasy rare beauty, you have to listen to Not A Good Sign, the true King Crimson Italian heirs (please notice... not equal to, but heirs).
In the same situation I noticed Martino Malacrida's hyper drumming and nowadays I know I was not wrong: he's one of the most talented young drummers in Italy.
My relationship with the components of this incredible band became so strong, especially making feel them my passion and admiration, even in difficult moments during the realization of the second album, that they named me in the credits, as you can see on the right.
What a great surprise and pride!

Later, thanks to Marina Montobbio and my love for Il Tempio, for th first time in my life I went on  a stage, at the Teatro Govi in Genova, as interviewer, and I felt comfortably in my shoes while I was going left and right on the stage, asking questions to the musicians and talking with the audience about Tempio latest work Alienatura (now we're hoping for the next one!)

In 2014, I had the opportunity to share with two of my favourite music friends, one of the greatest LIVE acts nowadays on the road.
The Aristocrats combine heavy rock, fusion, jazz and many other influences with great feeling and musical taste.

They are three great musicians and in particular, I think Guthrie Govan is one of the most talented guitar players in this period.

In 2014 and 2015, thanks to Massimo Gasperini, I took part of FIM - Fiera Internazionale della Musica in Genoa as freelance music reporter, interviewing Sophya Baccini (after we became good friends) and Ingranaggi Della Valle and reporting about the event. This report has been also translated in Finnish language on Colossus Magazine, as you can notice above on the left.

In 2015 Massimo Cataldi involved me in some activities in Casa di Alex and, among the others, I helped him to built the instrumental backline in some occasions, with my band's instruments, just to lend a hand and make the Music freely flow.

Moreover I met for the first time one of my all time favourite drummers, Dave Weckl, after his great, intense and exciting jazz performance in Fiorenzuola D'Arda, The photo on the right is a bit cut, but shows my double happiness because I was with my second daughter Daniela.

 
 Recently I took part of two shows on Radio Tempi Dispari. an Internet Radio, with Zia Mildred: one anticipating Veruno Prog 2015, side by side with Alberto Temporelli, and the other based on a Facebook group created by myself, No Prog Allowed, which unexpectedly from the creator (me) it definitely avoids progressive rock music in the proposals!
The idea was that who usually listens to Prog Rock is generally able to select great pop music!
Well... If you go on the Radio link  http://www.radiotempidispari.net and listen to the music selection in the shows, you'll realize I was not wrong!

During the most of my free time, when I'm without my drumsticks in my hands, I think, write, talk, discuss and post about music, gigs, festivals, and so on, feeling as a part of it...and the organizers and musicians LET me feel a part of it, maybe by noticing my passion, admiration and sincerity... 

Often I try to let know to my friends in the south of Italy what kind of musical atmosphere I am able to breathe in this area... and I feel satisfied!

Now I have lots of friends with whom I often go to gigs, exchange impressions, new music stuff, go to the pub for a (several) beer and so on.

We often find we feel the same way in front of several items, and also when the feeling is opposite, we generally respect the other point of view, strengthening our relationships.
It would be impossible to name them, because they are a huge multitude, but in the shot you can see the two who I usually am with!


From the drums player side, I'm still trying to improve my technical level practising so hard when I can, and  I've been involved in several avocational musical projects, passing through a jazz standards band, a rock blues coverband (the last coverband in my life, I swear!), hard rock, AOR and progfusion bands, which are the two I'm still involved with passion and fulfilment.

I'm sure if I stayed in the south of Italy, where unfortunately NOTHING comes but pale shadows of all this sometimes chaotic musical activity, I would never have reached this high as now!

And trust me... losing the opportunity to talk about music with Elisa Montaldo, Sophya Baccini, Fabio Gremo, Martino Malacrida, Francesco Zago, Paolo Botta,  Yoshiko PK, Alessandro Corvaglia, Luca Scherani, Marcella Arganese and many others... is surely a great loss for a music lover!

During these five years I've had the opportunity to enrich my musical knowledge, meeting and appreciating bands from Italy and abroad, talking about music with an incredible number of music lovers (not only prog lovers, who sometimes are a bit too Taliban!), most of them avocational or professional instrumentalists and musicians, but all passionate listeners.

Nowadays I'm well known as a honest and sincere music lover and enthusiastic proposer, who always says what he thinks, sometimes finding the right way to express his negative opinion, in the Progressive Rock Music area (Ok... it's not so large and diffused) and not only, in Italy and out of Italy, among the musicians and the promoters. This brings me joy and satisfaction, but I don't want to stop... I need to give more to Music, because SHE gives a lot to me!

Even if probably I'll never take an active part as a musician in this exciting area (but never say never... sometimes the distance has played a bad part), I'm happy to be another kind of active part of it.

What I'm trying to explain is that sometimes we think we have done a bad choice, sometimes it seems the worst choice, but behind it, there could be paradise.

Music Was My First Love

And It Will Be My Last

Music of the FUTURE

and Music of the PAST

To Live Without My Music

Would Be Impossible To Do

Links you may be interested in by reading this post:

http://proglessons.blogspot.it/2013/12/a-night-with-il-tempio-delle-clessidre.html

http://proglessons.blogspot.it/2014/09/veroodstock-ovvero-il-festival-prog-piu.html

http://proglessons.blogspot.it/2015/09/veruno-is-always-veroodstock-2-days.html

http://proglessons.blogspot.it/2014/07/sophya-baccini-ho-dato-voce-ai-dipinti.html

http://proglessons.blogspot.it/2014/05/fim-where-f-stays-for-feast.html

http://proglessons.blogspot.it/2014/07/ingranaggi-della-valle-tutta-colpa-dei.html