PeaceT(b)lo(g)

Is it too early to talk about summer? Isn’t it something we should feel inside and not just recognize how warm/hot/terrible the weather would be and then react?!

Anyhow, I’m just thinking (dreaming) about a warm place in Puglia, the Salento and here we go with the Sud Sound System.

This band comes from the mentioned part of Italy, the Salento, a place that has recently been baptized as the Italian Jamaica, due to the reggae movement and the related parties that every summer are happening in the area.

They are around since 1989 (that is 21 years) and are not tired at all of releasing CDs, the last one is out this month, “Dammene Ancora”. They play reggae, mixed with their local ancient sonorities from “pizzica” and “taranta” and the topics are the usual ones like anti-racism, marijuana’s legalization, legitimation of the southern part of Italy, full of “Fuecu” (fire)!!!

And Fuecu is also the name of the first single I ever heard from them, as part of the compilation “Italian posse”, where I also heard “Salario Garantito” from 99posse and other songs like “Lega la Lega”, “Affitta una Ferrari”. Such a great album at that time.

But Salento reminds me also about people that I know, like my friends Romano, Federica and my great immigrant-varano from San Pietro Vernotico… Mr. Roucco!

And the song I post today is dedicated to him, to my great friend Antonio, it’s “Sciamu a ballare”:

Domenico

Today I have to do so many things that I actually have not so much time to dedicate to the BLOG itself, nevertheless my strong commitment and the wish of writing and sharing something with you is taking me to the keyboard.

Assuming what I said, I should talk about Jimi Hendrix.

I should say he was more than A simple guitarist, he invented something, his way of playing guitar left a wake for many generations of young and old musicians who came later.

I should say he’s one of the symbols for his times, he’s one of the most vivid images of Woodstock, the burned guitar after the national American anthem he played live.

I should say he brought his life to the excess, he didn’t have a soft voice, very sensual though.

I should say these things above and many other ones but… I prefer you to listen to one of his songs and then go digging Youtube to find more and more and more.

This is “Voodoo Chile”, from a the BBC’s “Happening for Lulu”, 1969.

This is for my old friend Marcello.

Domenico

Second day of this week that is already quite short to me… but I can’t say why.

You know sometimes the artists I post on this blog are part of my musical background, sometimes they are something I heard around, sometimes I know more and sometimes less about them. There are times, like the one as for today, that I find myself reading a copy of Rumore or diggin into the web and then… BAM… I got hooked by some sound of whatever artist coming from nowhere and maybe being under the showbiz lights just for a CD or even a single song.

That’s how I met Amycanbe.

This 4-element band comes from Ravenna. The female vocalist’s way of singing reminds me about some songs from Sonic Youth or even Suzanne Vega or Tori Amos. Their music is not anything unique, a pop-folk melting pot, agreeable though. Not so much to say, besides the fact this band recently released the first debut album, “Being a grown up sure is complicated” and that they have also played live in some clubs in London, with a discrete success.

So, let’s listen to their song, “Killer Bees”:

Domenico

Hi there, back from the weekend and ready for Vienna. Not that I left it during the last three days (not considering yesterday’s visit to Krems) but I stayed with Fra almost all the time at home, cooking, eating, watching movies and enjoying the rest… that means now I’m back to what’s outside my house.

Today I’m happy ‘cos I found a videoclip of a band almost unknown in Italy (nemo profeta in patria est). I’m talking about the Fluxus.

The first time I listened to a CD from this band from Turin it was an album bought on a stall outside the University for 5000 lire (2.5 euros), several years ago, maybe 10. The album was “Pure Lana Vergine”, a CD released for “Il Manifesto” (a left-hand magazine) and that was enough to make me curious. It was the time when hardcore was more considered, also inspiring this band, that hooked me for the non-banal lyrics.

Then nothing more heard for at least 4 years and then the album I consider their best work, actually a self-titled CD with a pink background and a white-crossed pig (later on, I’ve discovered this is the 4th album for the band…). Listening to the CD I thought the band matured its musical style, moving closer to bands like Afterhours and Ritmo Tribale, collaborating with the omnipresent Roy Paci, but always keeping a nice songwriting.

As I said at the beginning, I finally found one (well, in the end, two) video from this band. Let’s listen to “Nessuno si accorge di niente”:

Strange but true, the video has the subtitles in… Polish!

Domenico

End of the week. Usually I put something to make you dance or at least wave… something like Disco or Reggae and today it will be something similar.. but more on the afro-beat hip-hop contaminated side.

Today we talk about Emmanuel Jal.

This 28 years old singer comes from Sudan and he recently published his last album “Warchild”. Besides the talent he showed when listening to the album itself, the main note to that is he was really a warchild!

Taken directly from Wikipedia: “Born in the village of Tonj in Southern Sudan, he was a little boy when the civil war broke out. Emmanuel’s father joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and when he was about seven years old his mother died. Emmanuel then decided to join the thousands of children travelling to Ethiopia who had been told that they could be educated there. “I didn’t have a life as a child.”

No further comments.

Let’s go directly to the song, that is the title track of the album itself:

This song is dedicated to our Kelly who is always politically sensible to these topics!

HAPPY B-DAY KELLY!!!

Have you all a wonderful weekend.

Domenico

While looking forward to tonight’s tango lessons and subsequent milonga… this is another day to rock the house with the music of Kaiser Chiefs.

This English indie band comes from Menston in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Four guys got together about 10 years ago and they origin of the band’s name comes from the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs! (This English people are terrible when they come to talk about football).

The group’s debut album, “Employment”, was released in 2004 and it’s the only one I own, ‘cos I missed the second and look forward to the third one… don’t know why but this is it! The music they play comes from the same new new wave UK family as many other bands that I published on the BLOG, therefore do not expect something new or unique!

The song I want to propose, “Every Day I Love You Less and Less”, gained a fixed place in my party rock playlist:

yours, Domenico