Looking for what's underneath...

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it's been so long between posts. As most of you know, I ducked back to Australia for the Superengine tour and so have spent the last month here just getting settled again! Anyway, it was great to see so many of you when I was back and awesome to find out that people actually read the blog!! I know that brevity is not my strongest point so it was nice to know that people are reading it, and (to my amazement) enjoying the waffle!! You know who you are....Anyway, I can't help but write regardless as there is so much to write about.....hard to know what to focus on.

So....I've decided to focus on Music! Yes folks, that is our topic for today's blog.

Given that music has been such a large part of my life and particularly so last year when I was playing in three groups in Perth, resulting in an average of three rehearsals a week, a gig and maybe watching a gig on my off night, it has taken some getting used to being without an obvious local music scene here in Venice.

Despite my intitial despair, Paul's encouragement and my improving Italian has enbaled me to start to consider / explore some of the less obvious, dare I say "underground" and one-off events happening in the Veneto region. I feel a sense of hope at last!

Of course I am speaking of original, experiemental, grass-roots-esque type music.....Vivaldi's Four Seasons continues to be performed every night and there are an abundance of classical concerts and operas to attend in amazing buildings. Good ol' mumsie paid for an outing to see "La Traviata" whilst she was here in Venice and to me, it was just incredible. Performed in a 18th century style salon.....intimate setting, limited set, and just amazing skilled performances.

In fact, it's not uncommon to experience operatic voices flowing over the piazzas / campos as you round a corner late at night. Truly otherworldly! In Milan we had the pleasure of supping on a couple of machiatti whilst listening to live opera from the opera school across the piazza. And Carnivale was just amazing for live music of all types.....now Biennale is just around the corner too which will bring even more high class music to the island.

So anyway, it's been of some surprise to me that a country with such a rich classical music history doesn't seem to be producing any decent modern music! Big statment I know and surely ignorant and completely unjustified, but on the surface, this would appear to be the case.....at least in Venice. Not helped by terrible television and radio stations that all seem pretty mainstream.....no doubt a problem caused by Burlesconi's monopoly over the media.

But in Venice, live, local music is definitely an issue and highlights the tension between the residents, the students and the tourists! The tourists want their Four Seasons and quiet, romantic gondola rides.....and maybe even a bit of over-priced jazz for the more trendy of cats. The students want places to party and listen to live music, and the residents want to get rid of everyone and everything that causes noise!

So it was very encouraging to learn about a group called "Bandita" (linked to another music organisation called Rivolta.....according to Paul there's a bit of political, socialist influence going on with these groups too). The Banditas have managed to lease a building near the bus station (so as not to cause noise) and put gigs on.....not an easy feat. It's hard enough to maintain local music venues in Perth let alone in a historic, tourist driven city such as Venice.

We went to the opening night a couple of weeks ago.....turned up about 9.30 and there were maybe 20 people there - the music wasn't starting until about 11pm so we had a long wait ahead of us.....BUT we were distracted by the police arriving 10 minutes after we got there and having to provide our documenti (passport, current address, planned names of our unborn children etc.).......just to go to a gig......a gig that hadn't even started......that wasn't even attended by anyone yet.

Couldn't help but wonder where these "police officers" were when we were getting crushed to death at the opening night of carnivale.

So apparently the Banditas had to cut some deal with the police in order to put on the gig. They get to put on the gigs and the police can access and ask for everyones details. Couldn't help but feel a great invasion of privacy!! But I now certainly feel a sense of committment to the cause of the Banditas and bringing live music to tha island! Viva la rivolta!

Anyway, things are picking up with the summer season. I just need to keep on trying to decipher those street posters and discover what's going on underneath......a challenge that applies to everything here in Italy!