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Archive Sunday #51

Added 2024-06-02 16:00:09 +0000 UTC

After the long journey to Ypsigrock in Castelbuono we were stunned by the allure of the quaint little town as we navigated the winding narrow streets with the only parking designated to the sidewalks. It seemed like an unusual spot for the type of festival that would normally take place in a large field, and quite far from a major population center. But the reasonable prices probably set up the little town as a weekend destination for a bunch of music fans in Sicily. We got there in the late afternoon for a quick soundcheck, and played shortly afterwards once the sun had set. It was a bit worrisome during soundcheck with the large PA blasting in the mostly stone town square. It kinda causes the snare hits to bounce off the back wall and come back to the stage several milliseconds afterwards. So yeah, it can make playing in-time pretty difficult especially when we were monitoring with wedges. Thankfully once the crowd filed in for the show, all the extra bodies absorbed most of the stray frequencies and it turned out to be an awesome show.

So yeah, the next day we woke up a mile or two outside of town in this super small bed and breakfast which I'm pretty sure didn't offer breakfast. We were super excited to finally get a few hours to explore, so we headed down the hill scattered with olive trees to check out what this historic town had to offer. I remember we stopped at a small cafe and met an aspiring MMA fighter that the cafe owner referred to as the Italian Stallion. Andrew was also stopping in a bunch of little shops in search of a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes as a gift for a friend throughout the day. I guess they were a fan of Mad Men of something, and at the time they were no longer sold in the States. It took awhile but he finally found some at a convenience store. But when he was walking out he glanced down at the packaging to see that the local regulations required all the tobacco products to have gross photos warning users of the cancer risk. It probably wasn't what the friend was expecting haha, but it's the thought that counts.

We got back to the bed and breakfast a little later, and the owner graciously prepared us some pasta for an afternoon meal before we headed out. Then the festival organizers gave us a ride back to the island's main city of Palermo to catch our flight to the mainland. I remember we checked the board and got to our gate with plenty of time to spare. But as we started to board we had a moment of panic when our boarding passes wouldn't scan. We soon found out that the airport switched our gate with a similar flight and the language barrier prevented us from understanding the announcement on the loud-speaker. So we looked at each other in disbelief before grabbing our bags and running across the terminal. We made it in the last few seconds before they locked the boarding doors. Our tardiness did not come without consequence because Ethan was given a seat that was clearly marked "Inoperable, Do not use." We laughed as we checked its sturdiness with a quick shake and inspection. It seemed to be only slightly falling apart so we buckled-in thankful we at least made it on board.

We landed in Genoa later that evening and were greeted by the local promoters. They took us to a spot nearby to grab some dinner that was right along the Bay of Silence. Even in the dark it was obvious this part of the Mediterranean had sort of a laid-back elegance. After a quick bite, they took us the rest of the way to Sestri Levante. The promoters helped us check-in to the Airbnb that they secured for us, and when we walked in we were stunned by the luxury setup. I guess the festival must usually get some high-class acts, but little did they know we would be happy with a hostel and some bunk beds haha. I remember waking up excited to check out the surrounding area before we had to get to the venue. Will and I ventured out hoping to find a cozy spot on the beach nearby, but once we got there we realized we were unprepared for the dark black sand that absorbed the heat from the sun. We got out to the beach with our bare feet and danced gingerly as the steaming hot sand burnt our pale feet for a bit. But we couldn't stand it for that long, so we turned back after a bit.

The festival was called Mojotic festival, but honestly kinda felt more like a venue show because it was spread out over a month or two with a single artist there at a time. The venue we played was this outdoor amphitheater called Teatro Arena Conchiglia. The seating made it seem like it was often used for films and theater shows and its location right along the Baia de Silenzio was so beautiful it felt like a dream. The greenroom overlooked the bay full of sailboats and swimmers enjoying the crystal clear water and we spent hours just enjoying the beautiful weather and views. The show itself wasn't packed but the locals that came out had a great time. I think we all wish we could have spent more time there, but we had to keep on moving to have a shot at covering all the travel expenses.

So the next day we went back to the airport to catch another flight, but this time to Portugal. It was great to come back to some familiar territory and we checked-in to the hotel in Porto right by where we stayed last time. A bit later we took the festival transportation van an hour or two out of the city to a really beautiful spot of the countryside. This festival was called Vodafone Paredes de Coura and when we pulled in we were amazed with the amount of people who ventured out to the hills to take part. We grabbed our wristbands then went to a small nearby school to grab a nice hot meal before we made our way to the stage. I remember At the Drive-In were playing when we showed up and it was so cool setting up as they jammed out with the adoring crowd. Once we took the stage we were reminded yet again of the raw intensity of the Portuguese fans. They always bring the energy up with their chants and moshing that it's hard not to get carried away and go over the allotted time slot. It was extra special to catch King Krule's set afterwards, and I desperately wanted to stay even longer but our ride back to town had to get moving. The tour so far was especially grueling because we had a ton of flying in this first leg, but luckily everywhere we went was so beautiful it was easy to forget how tired we really were.