Got some more sleep and got up and went to the corner espresso bar then went back to Rubin's and packed for a 5 day journey. We went back to the rehearsel space and went over some more material. Now we are on our way to the first gig in Torino. 15 gigs in 13 days. Need to stay healthy and keep drinking lot's of fluids. Days 3 and 4 Well, I have done two shows in the area of Turin and they both were great. Thursday night was well attended at the La Sacra Birre (the sacred beer) This club was modeled after a Texas Roadhouse. Made me feel like I was playing in West Texas. The show did not start till 10:30 on a Thursday night. We got to the club at 7:30 and had plenty of time for a soundcheck and a great dinner. Again I am just amazed at the hospitality of the Club owners in Italy. In two days I have not paid for a drink or food. I sure wish this would happen in the USA. The accommodations that the club owners provide us is also a fantastic thing check out http://www.hotelchaletdellago.it/en_dove_siamo_hotel_piemonte_torino_avigliana This is where I stayed on my first night on the road. What a wonder to wake up and look at the ducks swimming in this lake. It is cold since we are situated near the French Alps. It is not as cold as the Midwest in Italy but in the 40's and 50's. Anyway the show went well with Ruben and I both playing acoustic guitars and Tony Rotta playing Brushes and providing a wonderful beat. We started the show out with my own song Faith and started the show off on a good upbeat mood. Then we broke into Venice Beach by DR 8...The Recording Act, then into Picture and a handful of assorted Blues and Country tunes. We switched into Electric mode and played a complete two hour show. A 20 minute break then we did another 1 hour show. It was great to be able to play most of my own songs and not get requests from the audience of other songs.
My long hours on my space have paid off well. I had many of my myspace fans show up both at this club and then the next night at The "Robin Hood Pub." Boy the Robin Hood. Located in the middle of nowhere everybody shows up late. We did not start playing till 11:30. We showed up at 6 PM and had to do a 3 hour sound check. Did not plan to do that long of a sound check but the club did not provide a sound man. The owner Elvis is straight out of the Seventies. He plays the music for the club on an old Pioneer Turntable from 1979. Spinning great old vinyl records. He played Court of the Crimson king and Tarkus by ELP. You know I think I am going to open up a club in St. Pete that I can play just vinyl and everybody sits around and enjoys records. Parking at this club?? No order. No order. We had to wait a long while till cars would move so we could get back to the Hotel. We played till 3:30 in the morning and I drank a lot of Orange juice and Rum. Fresh Squeezed Oranges from Tunisia Africa and Rum from Cuba. What a treat. Still nobody can understand in Italy why Americans are not allowed to go to Cuba? Politics are always a heated discussion in Italy. I feel like I am the ambassador of the USA. Well, I am in the tour van at the moment heading to Savona Italy that is located on the medittaeraen Sea. 13 more gigs to go in 11 days. Hope my voice and health can persist.
Greetings from the North of Italy This is the town of Morbegno. Located right at the edge of the Alps this is a must see for travelers around the world that come to Italy. Fly in to Milan rent a car and travel north through Lake Como and marvel at this marvelous body of water. You will be amazed as you travel north through the mountains and go through massive tunnels that are miles long. Italians just amaze me at the ingenuity they possess in created these passages underground. Everywhere in this country they have created a system of transportation that is amazing. As you drive north you will finally get to the Italian/Swiss Border where the town of Morbegno is located. This small village is like a movie set. Small streets with quaint shops and small Trattorias and Restaurants. I performed at a small wine shop restaurant owned by Miguel called Vineria S-Giovanni. Miguel poured me some great local wine and started preparing a fantastic meal for me. Sorry but again I have to stand on my soapbox and state my disdain for most venue owners in the USA that will not even give an entertainer a COD sandwich. Miguel cooked and served us Pizzocheri.This is made of a local pasta Grano (corn) mixed with potatoes, Bitto Cheese and cabbage. Bitto Cheese is the local cheese from this region. The food was great and the gig turned out fantastic! Thanks For A Great 2008 Tour!
Day 1 2007 Milano to Asti. Well Guess what folks!! I arrive in Milan Airport and no bags or guitars. Yes British Airways left my Bags in London. I made the transfer from Flight to Flight but my Clothes, CD's, Shoes did not. With no sleep I was a little irritated. Had to play my first show with the same clothes I wore on the plane. Had to borrow guitars. Thank the lord for the local musicians who helped me., Really sucked!! The venue was in a old church from 1748. The church has been converted into a theatre/cultural center. The crowd was great had 175 people show up. Just wish I had CD's to sell!! Day 2 Asti to Arlulo Woke up and had to drive back to Milan and get my Bags and Guitars. Had some major computer problems with my Mac. seems that I have sorted them out now. Had a 5 hour rehearsal with the band. Checked into a nice little hotel called Rosy. Went to a restaurant that had 158 different Pizzas on the Menu!! Wow what great food, My advice to anybody who does not speak Italian and visits Italy. Learn Italian!! Very difficult communicating with people when you need things. My sparse knowledge of Spanish helps but only goes so Far. Day 3 Arlulo to Torino Had a half way decent sleep. The main road for trucks go in back of the hotel rosy. All the hotels so far have Espresso machines so no need to go to Starbucks for Good Coffee. Well things are settling down now. Had our second rehearsal today and we will play our first Band gig in Torino tonight. Things have gone much better since I have my clothes and toiletries and guitars. I am feeling better and getting used to the time change. This is a photo that I took today in Arluno a town near Milano. It is very nice and quaint in the towns and villages that I have seen so far. Photo in ArlunoGuess what no such thing in Italy as Fettuccini Alfredo. I am learning how to create some new food dishes. In the car at the moment looking at the Swiss Alps as I head to Turino. I will be sending some photos of me in the Alps later this tour as we head to Austria. Day 4 Torino / Turin home of the 2006 Winter Olympics what a great town and people. The Swiss / Italian Alps are just amazing to look at. I was part of the week long Blues Fest in Torino at the Gilgamesh. We had a packed house. A very good local band named Chicago Sound Machine opened the evening with some great originals and a great version of "turning point" By Tyrone Davis. I got a real kick out of the fact that the singer does not speak English but can sing just like an American Blues man from Chicago or Memphis. I started my show with the regular Steve Arvey Blues stuff. Ruben Minuto on Bass and Joe Rossi on drums and Rooster on Harmonica. Then I called up a Great Blues guitar player named Dario Lombardo. It was great to Play with Rooster and Dario because they studied under Phil Guy and spent time in Chicago learning how to play this style of music. Sold 54 CD's at the show and I was very happy about that. Here is a picture of the Car that three Men with Drums, Fender Twin Amp, Bass amp and Speaker plus Clothes were driving in. That's Ruben standing next to me.The next day I had a day off. Drove back to Arlulo and set up my sleeping quarters at Ruben's House. Ruben said that he was going to cook me dinner so we went down to the Market to get some stuff to cook. Ruben Minuto's Myspace page...click here Italian's mastered the art of cookery and it all starts at the market. First of all the wine selection is out of this world with prices from $5-20 for great wine. Cheese? The Cheese guy let me sample 3 cheeses that I purchased. Seafood? Boy what a selection!! I was in heaven at this market. Whole fish with names I have never heard of from the Mediterranean. Dinner was spectacular and tomorrow morning I am on my way to Castigleion Fiorentino a little south of Florence.
Steve In Castigleion FiorentinoPhoto From Velvet UndergroundCastigleion Fiorentino was a bit of a drive from Arluno but well worth it. The club called Velvet Underground is part of the quaint and pretty old town that was part of the Castle. The Club is part of the original Structure of the castle built in the year 1230 AD!! The town is up in the hills in the Chianti Valley. Yes Chianti where some of the worlds best wine is from. We set up all our gear and then the owners of the club prepare us another great Italian dinner. What a difference the way musicians are treated in Europe compared to the USA. Well most clubs at least. The club was packed with Students from Texas and Kansas who are going to school in Castigleion Fiorentino for Architecture. This was the third packed night in a row on this tour. We had them dancing and they were very happy to hear someone from America shouting from the stage.
