Mike, GP and Me at the SCIMMIE
Milan, June 2007

Many reasons came into play in arriving at this decision, and we both decided it was best that we both do our own 'thing' as far as playing in a group goes.  However, we'll still continue writing and doing some studio work together.  In fact, I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but GP (our nickname for Giampaolo) released a very cool CD last year entitled Colors & Wine under the name of his songwriting duo with Michele Garruti, 'Double Zero.' It falls under the genre of 'lounge,' but it's also infused with a great blend of jazz and pop. The cool thing about this disc is that GP had me sing on one tune and our old bassist, Mike Botula, sing on another.  Actually, I thought I was just recording a scratch vocal track. But in the end it worked for the tune and became the vocal on track 3, 'Up and Down, All Around, Turn Around, Twist and Turn.' GP did a fabulous job of creating a sexy vibe and groove that just keeps building and building momentum till the end--Love it!!!  Mike appears on track 10.  He did a great rap called 'Nervous Electrical Worker.' For those of you who know Mike, it's so him--off the cuff, spontaneous, crazy and funny--really, really cool.
Check out GP's CD at http://www.giampaolopasquile.com/ or http://www.doublezero.it/.

GP may no longer be in the band, but you'll hear more from our collaborations in the future.

MORE NEWS
We've got two gigs coming up!  These will be the first gigs with the new boys on the block, Leo (guitar) and Andrea (bass).  You'll also see Larsen Premoli (Looking 4 a Name, Fire Trails) who'll be sittin' in on keys.

The first one is Saturday, June 28th at Cà di Frè in Valloria di Guardamiglio (LO), near Piacenza.  This is a great bar sort of out in the country (about 45 minutes by car from Milan) that is run by Chris Bozzoli and his father, Giuseppe.  I've had awesome steak, pasta and lots of others tasty things there. Come eat dinner first and stick around for us.

The second gig is Thursday, July 17th at the SCIMMIE (http://www.scimmie.it) in Milano.
For those of you who don't know, the Scimmie is in the Naviglio area (the Canals). It one of the fun, sort of artsy, eclectic parts of the city. What makes this area interesting is that there are canals that go through this part of Milan.  During the summertime bars put little barges out on the water in the canal and you can sit out there for happy hour, dinner, cocktails, etc. Very cool.  The Scimmie does this as well. Plus, you can also eat some fabulous pasta and Italian dishes in their adjacent restaurant.  Last time we played there in October we had pasta with a sort of mushroom sauce that was...YUUUUU-MY!  That's quite a compliment coming from me, because I'm no big fan of mushrooms.

This gig is on a Thursday, because we know that lots of you go to the sea on the week end this time of year. Therefore, we expect to see all of your butts there with us.  Plus, those of you who've been here for our last two gigs know that the SCIMMIE is always one helluva, damn good time.

Let's see, what else is new...
Well, Deneb cut his hair (wankster!). I don't have any pics of him sporting his new doo, so you'll have to come to the gigs to see him. Uhhhhh...Tobia got vaccinated last week for heartworm and now weighs 29.2 kilos or a little more than 64 pounds.
Ok, that's it.  Talk to you all soon.

BRAD

BRAD

March 17th, 2008
Hi!
Well, I can finally inform everyone that we found a new guitarist!  It took a while of putting out ads, going through the respondents trying people out in rehearsals, but we found him.

His name is Leandro Diana from Messina (If you take the ferry from Reggio-Calabria to Sicily, it's the town you get off at).  He's a new lawyer, fairly fresh out of law school here in Milan, and just so happens to 'ROCK'!  He's a very cool, laid back guy who let's his guitar do his 'real' talking.

And as soon as he accepted my invitation to play with us, I informed him that we have a gig on March 29th at the BRADIPO in Milan (see the LIVE! page).  But instead of freaking out, Leandro told me to get him the tunes and music so he could get going.  I like this guy.

Ok, short update tonight.  Gotta get to bed.
Baci!

BRAD

January 19th, 2008
Happy New Year 19 days late!
Yeah, I’m like that. But better late than never, I always say.
Hope the holidays were good to everyone.
You know, full of family, friends, fun—meaningful.  Not what you got.

Me, I went back to Chicago to celebrate Christmas there for the first time in about 5 years.
It’s a different kind of cold in the Midwest compared to Milan. I don’t know; it’s hard to explain. Both can be pretty humid, but in different ways. The Milan humidity seems to just soak right into you, all the way down to the bone. While in Chicago, it seems to just sit on you like a weight. Maybe, the difference has to do with Chicago being on a lake and Milan being close to the mountains? I don’t know, but it’s not just me. I’ve met several other Mid-Westerners who have shared similar thoughts with me. Anyway, Chicago (went to Wisconsin too—Milwaukee and Madison) was great! Damn cold (as low as 2° F) and snowy (10 inches fell while I was there), but great!
.

         Bbbbrrrrrrrrrrr...COOL!!!!...Bbbbrrrrrrrrr!

So, I’ve started an update at least 3 or so times since I last posted, and was always interrupted. Finally, I got my butt in gear. Here’s the latest:

As I wrote back on November 18th, after our last show back on October 26th at SCIMMIE in Milano (this show was AWESOME), our buddies Mike (bass) and
Luca (guitar) left the group. Mike moved to Bologna and then back to Rome and Luca went to work in London.  I, as well as Deneb and GGP, lots of friends and fans already miss them terribly. They were amazing elements of the group, and it’s been hard as hell to find musicians who measure up to their talent and what they brought to the band.
This is furthered by the fact that we were more than just tight as a group, but as buddies. We miss our friends.

We have been lucky, though, at least as far as finding a bass player. Again, as I wrote a couple months ago, fairly quickly, we picked up a great bassist and great person, Andrea Patruno. He comes from a predominantly jazz background, but he rocks all the same. He’s solid and always there kissing Deneb’s right foot when he punches his kick drum.
Just what you want in a bassist.

On the guitarist front…weeeeellll, that’s been a different story.
Two months of searching and still going.  Like I wrote above, Mike and Luca’s shoes are ENORMOUS ones to fill from both the perspective as players and people. Again, we were lucky to find Andrea right off the bat, but we’ve had no luck in finding Luca’s replacement. It’s hard not to compare when one is looking to replace someone or something that has been so important, so vital to the success of something. I started my musical endeavors in Italy with Luca, and I never could have done what I’ve done without him. He was my best friend, right-hand man and partner in crime for 4 years. If I wasn’t available, everything, everyone always defaulted to Luca, because everyone knew he knew what was going on---from bar-owners, to musicians, friends or fans. It was great to have a truly valued and trusted partner like that, and I do and will miss him terribly.

      

So, like I wrote above. The search goes on...

NEW TUNES????   Let you know about that soon too.
BRAD

NOVEMBER 18TH, 2007
What a Coooool gig!
For those of you who didn’t make it out to our last show October 26th at the SCIMMIE, sorry,
but you missed out!
We had an awesome time with everyone we had packed in there.
People screamin’, yellin’, dancin’, girls dancin’ on stage with us, hecklers, Luca didn't break any strings for once, but Deneb actually did break a sweat for once, Mike broke into some impromptu rap—again,
and GGP...he was his usual, coooool, smooth self.

Oh, and Melodi was in town from London!
She did a couple tunes with us.  It was really great, like she never left.
(**sniff, sniff** We miss our Muffin).
It was a total BLAST. The pic below kinda gives you an idea.



So, like I wrote in the update back on June 26th, Mike's moving to Bologna.  In fact, this show at the SCIMMIE was his last with us.  Hopefully, not forever, but at least for now because Bologna is a long haul from Milano (at least two hours).


The SCIMMIE show was also the last for Luca.  Yeah this was a tough one for me because, for those of you who know us, Luca and I have been playing together since 2003.  He's been my right-hand man and partner in crime for a while now.  But Luca wants to get out of Italy and see new things, change his life; I can't argue with that since I did the same thing coming to Italy.   Anyway, he did just that and got a job in London.  It's very difficult to lose him as both a truly trusted and valued member of the band, but also as a great friend.

I can express the same thing about Mike and Mel as well.  With all of them in the group, MAN, we really kicked it.  But...as I've so often experienced, things change.  People come, they go, life goes on and so must the band.  Through Deneb we were quickly able to find a real solid bassist named, Andrea Patruno.  He really locks well with Den.  In fact, we were able to start breaking him in at a benefit show we did back on October 23rd at the Teatro Leonardo in Milano.  We only had time for two tunes, but Andrea was great!  Now our attention is on filling Luca's shoes.  Let you know what happens...

First thing, the band and I send our heart-felt support and get-well wishes to the Mommy of our buddy and bassist, Mikey Botula. At the end of July Mike’s Mom became really ill and was taken to the hospital where she lives in Arizona. Of course, Mike dropped everything and hauled butt back to the States. I was really glad to get a call from Mike about a week or so later, saying she was out of danger and will recover. Wheeeewwww! We were all extremely glad to hear that.  So, from all the band here in Milan:
“GET WELL SOON, MOMMY BOTULA!”

Moving on, today is a national holiday here in Italy. It’s called Ferragosto, and everyone, did I say everyone, everyone is on vacation today. Well, lots of people have been on vacation since the end of July, but today is the official day for everyone to definitely be on vacation and do nothing.

It’s strange for an American like me, because, in general, most Italians take anywhere from 2-4 weeks off in August. Two weeks is pushing it for many Americans. Anyway, many stores, hotels, pharmacies, even banks are closed in this period. Ok, I must qualify this.
I live in Milan, and especially here in the north this is the situation. Down south it might be less extreme, because many Italians from the North go down there with all the rest of the global tourists. So, everything down there, for the most part, is open.

Interesting (most often downright ridiculous, at least to me) though, is how the economy continues to work, albeit, rather weakly. And I don’t mean only during this vacation period. See, Italians covet the concept of this summer vacation and “pranzo” (“siesta,” as most people around the world understand it). It depends upon the part of Italy, but generally, around 1p.m. everything closes for about 2-3 hours! Where I live, most places open around 4 p.m. Down south they open back up around 4:30-5:00p.m! It’s nuts! You know, if I need something at, say, the grocery store, for example, and don’t get there by 12:30 p.m., too bad. They’re closed until 3:30 p.m. And on Mondays they’re closed in the afternoons (aaaarrrgggghhhh!)!!!! Ok, excuse the bit of digression/ranting, but it’s to explain my point: the Italian economy is already in the toilet and now just kind of floating in limbo waiting for the final flush. The summer vacation and “pranzo” are just two examples of many that are castrating cash flow, progress and innovation here. I often jokingly say to Italian friends, “Rome fell 2,000 years ago. Let it die!” Point is that many, many things here are wrought with tradition. Which, hey, if the subject is language, art, cuisine and history that’s fabulous, but for everyday life? Yo! time to wake up and move on, because Italy is getting left further and further behind in many facets of life globally. It’s sad, especially because this country is so awesome with so many awesome people. As an Italian-American where being Italian has always been really cool, I was/am very disappointed to have found and see this situation everyday.  Most in the States, especially
Italian-Americans, have no idea what life is really like here and how hard it is for the people to get ahead. You know, it makes me laugh when I talk to Americans and:

1) they have this absurd notion that Italians speak English.
I don’t know where this idea comes from. They don’t. Some may speak elementary English and some may understand, but speaking with a bit of fluency? Slim to none.

2) they think everyone lives in a land of green rolling hillsides as far as the eye can see, like that stupid movie about Tuscany. WAKE UP! It’s a movie!
Sure, that area exists, but not ALL of Italy is like that.
Take a look at what’s going on in Napoli (Naples) right now:   http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660225549,00.html.
Not all of Italy is like this either. Sure, that’s the extreme. But the point is to understand, just like any country or city, there’re the beautiful parts and the not so beautiful parts. Just don’t be so damn shocked to find the not so beautiful parts.

3) they think everyone speaks Napolitano (Neapolitan).
They don’t.  Neapolitan is a dialect of Italian. And even though, according to Wikipedia, it is the most diffused Italian dialect, it is just that—dialect. It is not correct Italian, which most people speak. Furthermore, amongst Italians, Napolitano is actually viewed as more of an uneducated dialect.

Those of you who know me know that these are my thoughts, everyday observations, opinions and heart-felt feelings. Maybe to some it seems like I’m Italy-bashing and whining. Italy-bashing? Never. Hell, half of me comes from this country and I’m very proud of that. Whining? Yeah, I see how some of you may construe what I’ve written as that. To me, I’m venting my true frustration and disappointment with the Italy that I’ve found.

The little town of Alia in Sicily where my father was born is dying. The younger generations are moving away and not coming back. Thankfully, my second cousin, Antonio Mascarella, opened an amazing agri-turismo, Villa Dafne (http://www.villadafne.it/), which has helped the economy somewhat, but otherwise, nothing. The mafia is alive and well. The politicians of the 10 or more political parties are in their back pockets, and they all serve for, mostly, themselves. The division that exists between the North and South here, can at times, be likened to that of the Union and Confederates. But that’s a whole other conversation for another time.  Here’s a couple other things to chew on:
the division between church and state—doesn’t exist. Shit! Some priests are even major players in some of the political parties! And is Italy socialist or capitalist?
Flat out, it is of course, a socialist country. But many capitalistic business practices are utilized here. The BIG problem is that they just don’t mix. Businesses of every size are taxed up the wahzoo, as well as all the workers. And for really stupid stuff! Example: one company where I taught English has to pay a monthly pallet use tax. Not for buying them, just using them! In the end, the government collects tax upon tax making it impossible for Italians to get ahead. In fact, why open a business when the government will suck half of it out of you?

I’ll wrap up my unintended update lamentation.
I’m half Italian. All my life I have heard from others (many non-Italians) how extremely cool it was that I was even half Italian. The very notion of having this lineage is and has been romanticized in American culture for decades (i.e: the mafia: Al Capone, Gotti, Lucky Luciano, Giancana and mafia films like the Godfather and Good Fellas, and never-ending media attention of it, exotic cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati, food, the Pope and history). But that’s not what the true Italy is about. Admittedly, I was like many Italian-Americans and Americans that I mentioned above. I thought I knew what being Italian is.
I really had no clue. Now, after three years, I have a really good idea. It’s not an everyday life for everyone. Most Americans who come here, leave. If there is no specific reason to be here (such as work or marriage (for me, music)), other than the Hollywood, media and romance-novel influenced dream, most leave inside of a year. I could give you a laundry list why, but ask me individually if you really want to know. Like any country, one must live there to really understand it, its culture and ideas like those I mentioned above that just aren’t true, and honestly, are quite ridiculous. Italians, by the way, have the same thoughts about the U.S.   For example, I can’t tell you how many people think that we all have different dialects. And they are shocked to hear that someone from New York can easily understand someone from Idaho!  Plus, all Americans are beautiful, big, blonde, blue-eyed, live in big houses with lots of land and drive biiiiiiiiig cars. Guess that leaves me out.
Look, Italy, for me, is where I need to be. Like every place, there’s the good and the bad—and the movie and the reality.  Just be adult enough to distinguish between the two.

Ok, gotta run--things to do and Tobia needs to poop.
Oh yeah, music. I’ll tell you all what’s up later or tomorrow.
BRAD

JUNE 26TH, 2007
Yeah, so almost 3 months since my last update.
I know, I know.  Many of you have let me know
how laaaaaaaaazzzzzzzyyyyy I am.
It’s not that I’m la—ok, so I’m a little lazy.
And, well, honestly, web design, updating,
all that kind of stuff, for me, is kind of boring.
I think I need a secretary. Or… Hey! A personal assistant!
That's even better!  I had Tobia try, but with his shedding and
drooling all over the keyboard and inability to type with his paws,
it was more hassle than it was worth. He does much better when
he lies on his carpet or cot next to me as I work at the computer.


Anyway, here's what's been going on:

Swwweeeeet, huh? Actually, it was. I tried it.
It was like a Smarties G-string.  This is a good indication of how the night went. You can see more in the gallery.  Again, we had a blast with everyone who came—you people are AWESOME!!!
Last but not least, gotta say a big THANKS to Davide and his staff (Dave, Raj and Marco) at the SCIMMIE who were really helpful, accommodating and supportive. Thanks guys! and we look forward to seeing you all in September.

>--------------------><---------------><----------------<
June 2nd we did a gig out in Valloria, which is a little town outside of Piacenza. Seriously, it’s a little town.  There’s one street that goes through it and that’s it. Cute little place, nonetheless.  We played at a place called Scuderia Cà di Frè or Stable of the House of Friars.  Yup, there’s a horse stable adjacent to the bar.   A little stinky at times, but, hey! It’s the country!   The smell of horse or cow poop has to be expected. But regardless of that, it’s a cool place and the stable makes it more of a very particular, interesting place.  I got this gig, because the owner, Chris, and I have a mutual friend (Josh). We were acquainted with one another before the band and I played here, but we had the opportunity to get to know each other a little better in the time leading up to the gig.   Chris is a great person. He’s one of the few, honest, straight-talking bar owners around. The gig was outside (always cool) and went well. We had fun even if we didn’t have a huge crowd, because the God’s of Metal Concert was going on in Milan that night. But we brought a bunch of our peeps, and, together with the rest of the locals, we had a good time. Hopefully, we’ll go back in the near future, but if not, I’m definitely going back to eat. Oh, duh, forgot to say that’s because Chris is one hell of a chef. This place is also a restaurant—scrumptious vittles!

>--------------------><---------------><----------------<
On April 13th we went back to The Sloth Style.  The band and I thought we tanked this gig, because there just wasn’t the crowd like the first time we played (that gig ROCKED! look below March 25th update).  However, as we found out afterward there was a crowd.  They were just outside in front of the bar where we couldn’t really see most of them.  See, it was unusually hot here in Milan that night, so most people decided to hang outside because the bar had lots of tables and chairs out there.  Unfortunately, all the fun people were outside dancin’ and groovin’ to us, while all the dead wood was inside staring at us with these stone faces like they were watching the evening news.   We tried everything to wake those people up and get them movin’—but nothing, zippo.  Again, dead wood.
We thought we just sucked.  So, when we were all packed up and ready to leave I reluctantly went to speak with the owner, Pippo, and take my lumps for not pulling in enough people.  There’s a couch towards the back of the bar and that’s where I found him in a sleepy, alcohol-laced stupor. “Greeeaaat,” I thought to myself,
“All I need right now is to talk to a half-drunk, half-asleep bar owner.”  However, he surprisingly sort of woke up and congratulated me for bringing people in when he wasn’t really expecting any.  That's because, this was the week end after Easter and many people extend their holidays throughout this week.  So, this means less people in town.  Whatever.   In the end, both sides went home happy and we got another gig for the fall.

>--------------------><---------------><----------------<
The gig at Ripa 90 (April 6th) was, hmmmnnn…to put it nicely, ok.
From the standpoint of the crowd, hey, they were great.  It wasn’t a big crowd because it was the Friday of Easter week end, but a good sized one nonetheless. 50 people? Something like that. We all made a lot of noise, and no one got hurt.
It was the preparation and stage setup that made it just ok (I’m nicely trying to say it was a F@#*k%$g Nightmare!!!!). I say this with great disappointment, because when I played this club last year the gig went smashingly well—BIG, awesome, fun crowd, organized, good PA, good stage, no problems.   This year…well, the stage and main floor is still complemented by a really cool, kick-butt balcony,
but that’s it.  I could go on, but you get the picture. Some gigs just suck.
This was one of them.
>--------------------><---------------><----------------<
Well, if there’s one thing that I’ve learned in being a band leader it’s that, one must always keep an eye out for new talent.  This is because you never know when some of yours will leave.  Such is our case--the SCIMMIE gig was Muffin’s last.
She got a new teaching gig (she teaches elementary school) in London and is leaving Milan for good in July.  Sucks.
We’ll miss her a lot—her singing, her personality and her friendship, because all of those things meshed really well with the rest of us and definitely helped us create the cool vibe of the group.  On the bright side, now we have a place to crash in London!  Right on!

Sucks #2:  Mr. O.C./Bass in Your Face/Mikey Botula will be takin’ off at the end of September.  He’s going to Bologna, because his wife got a good job there.
Geez, you think he’d have his priorities straight.  I’ll miss havin’ Mikey on my left or right to bump into on stage.  Seriously, Mike’s a great friend and musician that we’ll miss.  He’s always keeping things light, crackin’ us up in rehearsal, at shows or in bars.  For those of you who play in a band, you probably understand that a “Mike” is an important part of the group.  When things get heavy, Mike’s always there with something goofy to say to bring things back down.
And so, now we’ll have someone to visit in Bologna. That’s cool too!

Ok, outta’ here for now.

---BRAD

MARCH 25th, 2007
So, I'm a little behind with this "Thank you," but THAAAANK YOOOOUUUU!!!!! to all who came out to see us at the Sloth Style (Il Bradipo Style) in Milano on the 16th!  We had a lot of fun.  And from what the bar owner, Pipo, and you all told us, everyone else did too.  Awesome!!!  In fact, so awesome, we'll be back there on April the 13th.
----------------------->
Here's a little bummer:  we'll be without our Muffin for the next two shows at Ripa 90 (April 6) and Sloth Style (April 13).  She'll be in Thailand riding Elephants or young boys or something like that.
----------------------->
We have some new pics from the last few gigs.  When I have more than a few minutes I'll put them in the gallery.  Theres are some better ones of Deneb and Muffin as well.  So now everyone can really see what Den's nifty specs look like, and the beautiful smile of our North Carolina Muffin.
----------------------->
I have a new Bestest Buddy!  His name is Tobia (Toby).  Check him out--

Cute, isn't he?  I'll tell you all about him next time when I'm more awake.
Tootles!
----BRAD

JANUARY 27TH, 2007

Ok, so January is almost over, maybe a little late to wish everyone “Happy New Year,” but then a friend just gave me a late Christmas present this past week. So, better late than never:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Many, many Thanks! to those of you who came out to the BluesHouse in Milano on Thursday, January 18th to see me with my new band. That’s right, my band. Read more below. There were about 85-100 of you, and you all were a fantabulous crowd. We had a great time and, from what I heard from all of you and the bar, everyone else did too. Awesome! Thanks so much again!

HERE'S SOME NEWS:

1) The GUESTBOOK is now functional.
If you want to tell me what’s up with you, what you’re thinking,
share ideas, thoughts, etc., leave me a message there.

2) You can also find me on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bradmormino

3) The BAND
Playing as an acoustic duo with LFC for the past 3 years has been great, but the time has come to realize one of the goals I set when I first came to Italy—a band. I’ve played with, worked with and tried out lots of musicians, and finally—here’s who’s hittin’ the stage with me.

LFC
electric and acoustic guitars/ background vocals/
ugly but very dependable Fiat Panda





MUFFIN LORRAINE
background vocals/maracas, tambourine and shakin’ her thang!

GIAMPIANO MAN
keyboards/background vocals/groovy Alfa Romeo 147

Giampaolo Pasquile, was born in Salerno, Italy in September of 1979, and is a composer, arranger, producer and plays piano and keys. He started studying music at 9 years old and later moved to Milan, London and Brussels to expand his musical mind and career. In 2005 he wrote and recorded the song AFRICA'S VOICES for the AFRICA'S VOICES project produced by himself, Michele Saracino and New Music International. Presently, he's finishing a solo instrumental album called Colors & Wine, working on a new film soundtrack and playing live with American singer, Brad Mormino. To know more about Giampaolo, visit him on his website: www.giampaolopasquile.com

DENEB
drums/nifty glasses



Deneb comes from a little town called Assago, which is just outside the southwestern part of Milan.  His adventure as a drummer started back in 1994, when, in high school he and some friends began to play Green Day songs. Since then, Deneb has driven many miles on the road to music. He's been to hell and back again, visiting the lands of pop, progressive and hard rock, big band, swing and jazz, but never forgetting his very bluesy soul. He’s met good musicians along the way such as the members of Lookin' For a Name (Larsen Premoli, Fra Panico and Fede Ghioni), marvelous bluesmen Albi Gurrisi and Alex Usai, the charming singer Federica Polistena , outstanding arranger Luca Missiti and, last but not least, the great Brad Mormino and Luca Fan Culu) and bad musicians (Deneb refuses to divulge names...), but each of them has left a deep trace in his memory and experience. Despite this all, Deneb is neither a mega-lo-maniac, nor "some psycho". He's just a drummer. His search continues, learning and always trying to be both a better man and musician.

MIKE BOTULA
bass/background vocals/penchant for impromptu rap

That’s it for the moment. I’ll let you know when something else comes up.
Till the next time.

BRAD

November 20th, 2006

The BIG news—this site! I finally got my butt in gear and redid it.
Ok, in terms of content, yeah, lots of putting stuff together, collecting pics, writing, etc. However, all the design work, basically, all the cool stuff you are looking at—that was done by my buddy, Mr. SLAM!, the kick-butt web-designer, Moreno Lissoni. Take a look around. It’s really cool. Well, in my opinion it is—Bravo Moreno! My hope is to be more interactive with this site. You know, like regularly posting news, rants, thoughts, shows, press, music, etc. At least I am going to try, damnit!

Ok, what else…Here’s what else: for those of you who don’t know, or have been wondering where the hell I am or have been—I am in Italy. Milan, Italy to be exact. There’s just more interest for my music here and in Europe than in the States. So, here I am. Plus, more interest means more opportunity to play live shows, and I am doing just that.

Presently, I am playing shows in an acoustic duo format with another great friend—
Luca Fan Culu.  His last name translates to an incorrect spelling of Luca F--- You.
Yeah, that’s a long story related to drinking, go figure. And, yes, for those of you whom have asked if Luca has a real last name. Of course he does, we just don’t talk about it. Shhhhhhh...We play some of my tunes and round out the sets with covers. I sing and play percussion and LFC plays guitar and does back-ups.

You know, honestly, I’m really not a big fan of playing acoustically. And the reason for doing so, at least when we started, was just to get our asses out playing live while we searched for other musicians to put a band together. But something happened…I discovered that it was actually kinda cool. I liked it. Well, I’m speaking mostly from an artistic, songwriter, arranger perspective. This is because we usually have to completely break a song down and put it back together again to present it in a way that works as a duo. Plus, I gotta say, without Luca, this task would be incredibly difficult. To me, the guy has just an amazing guitar mind. What I mean, is this: do we really want to do cover tunes? No, but, of course, as most know, to play live it is a must, especially if an artist or group is new to the area. Like me. Anyway, to make the songs more interesting, and instead of doing a simple regurgitation of them, we strive to make them our own with interesting twists, turns, modulations, interpretations and musical masturbations. Furthermore, and most importantly, we must make sure they work in our format. In tandem with Luca, we do just that. In my opinion, it is because the guy can extrapolate the main melodies, the good stuff, the hooks out of what can be big, thick, lush arrangements and reproduce them with six strings. Tough! Way tough!
Then, combine that with his rock, jazz-flavored chord choices, intense emotion and extremely tasteful playing and—WOW! Yeah, sometimes that’s all I can say, WOW! And, on top of all this, he is one of the nicest people a person could ever meet. (if you know a guitarist you know what I am talking about. Sorry, guitarists, but you all know it.) He’s just a great friend, and man, what a guitarist!

Moving on, there have also been those of you who have been asking about when I will release a new record (Bernie, Matt, Moreno). I’m working on it, I’m working on it. Most of the songs are on many scraps of paper and in my head. Always in my head. The big reason it’s not done has been due to the organizing of myself, and, well, procrastination.
Hewwww(big sigh)…sometimes I hate being honest with myself.

Anyway, since October of 2002 I have been doing this back and forth deal with coming here to Italy, and then returning to the States. That’s because the reciprocal agreement between the U.S. and Italy is that their citizens can only stay a maximum of 3 months in either country without a stay permit of some sort. After 3 months one must have a permit. Did I say must? Yes, MUST! Otherwise, one is considered an illegal alien and can be deported. Been illegal, but not deported (Whew!). So, I finally got that whole situation straightened out and am now legal for five whole years. WOO-HOO!!! Actually, if you were in front of me I would probably do some sort of crazy dance, cartwheels and back flips, because the whole process of acquiring a stay permit is quite an extremely ridiculous pain in the ass. Really, just mention ‘la Questura’(police headquarters) to a foreigner or an Italian here in Italy and they will give you a look that says, “That place SUCKS!” or “Ewww, I’ve heard many a horror story about the Questura, don’t wanna experience that!” Again, that was a big time sucker-upper, and then, just me being me. And yeah, of course, the ebb and flow of life is tough for everyone. It’s just that I sometimes get so caught up in the ebbs that the flow seems to kinda’ stop for awhile. Well, at least until I shake my head and say to myself, “What the hell are you doing!? Enough! You know what to do! Get off your butt! Move it!”

Ok, so where was I…ebb and flow, whining, boobies, performing, boobies…Oh yeah, the new record. Well, the tentative title is (Living) In the Tense of the Past. Still letting it swirl around in my head while I do other things to see if I really like it. And so far, every so often, when it happens to work its way to the forefront of my thinking, I still like it. If it changes, I’ll let you know. But for now, that’s the working title. And as I am thinking about it now, I hope to get it out…soon. I don’t know when. Soon. When I have some demo material I’ll put it up on the site.

Alrighty then, I could probably babble on about lots of other things, boobies and such, but I’ll leave that for the next update. Talk to you all soon and take care of you!

BRAD