Happy first year in Berlin... to me

A few month more than a year ago, when I decided I was going to give my life a change.

I have been thinking about different possibilies, leaded by different reasons.

Not sure why, but I was sure I was to change city.

So the plan was - leave my office job and go to...

London: cool music scene. Too expensive. Down.

Copenhagen: very lovely city, superexpensive, and friend (exboyfriend at that time...) I wasnt sure to be nearby being a good idea. Down. (for the record, now he's my man again ;)

US: visa?? no thanks. Down

India: for a long travel... but then? working? how, where, what?? and again, visa?? Down.

Prague: see my song "Rebeldoll" and make up your mind on the reason and why that was also down.

In the end I chose Berlin.

Cool music scene. Affordable. Easily reachable flying from home (god bless ryanair, specially when it was really really really cheap). Also not to bad to reach by road (1100 km, could have been worse). Everybody speaks English, or so they told me.

Then, Berlin. Decided. I am going to go and try to live of music - that was the idea.

It didn't quite work out that way, but it still, somehow it worked.

A couple of days ago it was a year since I stepped into town thinking: I am gonna stay.

It was the 20th of September, I hitch-hiked those 1100km with my backpack and my guitar, and i made it just in time to go to the Open Mic at Madame Claude in Kreuzberg.

After a bit more than a month I wrote "What do I do in Berlin", tonight I celebrated at the Open Mic im CHB a year in Berlin playing that song surrounded by a part of the "music family" I have here, we are different but we share a part of the story.

There would be so much more to say... but for now I would just say:

Happy first year in Berlin to me.

In questi giorni, visita in Italia con concerti e scoperte inaspettate...

Sono tornata in Italia in questi giorni per via di due concerti in Bergamasca, con i miei due progetti che riesco a mantenere nonostante la lontananza fisica del mio "essere" Chiara in Berlin, ovvero - *A* Berlino per la maggior parte del tempo!

Ieri sera sono stata molto contenta di dividere il palco con i Together, band tributo a Elisa in cui faccio con immenso piacere la corista, e domani è il turno del Sottovoce duo con Matteo. Chiuderemo, a Bergamo Alta (visitatela se non la conoscete, la prossima volta che atterrate a Milano - Orio al Serio con Ryanair), la stagione estiva del bar all'aperto Ol Chiringuito.

Ci abbiamo suonato anche l'anno scorso...
in realtà volevo mettere il link al video della canzone in italiano che vorrei presentare domani sera, ma in questo momento ho cambiato idea.
Metto un paio dei video che abbiao fatto l'anno scorso, proprio al Chiringuito a Bergamo Alta! Perchè no... :)
Così non rovino l'anteprima alla presentazione della song in italiano (in realtà, l'ho già sperimentata domenica sera da Madame Claude, ma quello fa parte del normale rodaggio!!)

Insomma, adesso vado a dormire, che anche se questo blog dichiara un'orario FALSO (chissà da quale fuso orario lo pesca?? boh) qui sono quasi le 2am!
Ho passato la serata a cercare di capire che cosa fare, perchè dopo 8 anni di relazione e 3 di tentato divorzio, per la prima volta la SIAE sembra avermi accreditato dei diritti d'autore che valgano un accredito (non i soliti 3.50 euro o giù di lì ogni 6 mesi...), ma ovviamente su un conto bancario morto e sepolto che non mi sono mai preoccupata di aggiornare nei loro archivi (anche perchè di solito la cifra era ridicola, quindi non pensavo un mio conto l'avrebbero mai comunque utilizzato). Quando ho visto le carte giacere tranquille sul tavolo a casa-Italia, e le ho guardate distrattamente pensando di trovarci i soliti 2 euro e invece c'era una cifra a 3 cifre per un semstre, e a 4 per un altro (scarse, ma pur sempre 4 cifre!), mi è pigliato un colpo!!!!
Speriamo che mi riconoscano il duro lavoro di autriceeeee (e pure il duro lavoro di tutti quelli che hanno pagato i permessi per farmi suonare).
SIAE, sii buona con me :) prometto di non ignorarti mai più quando mi chiederai di pagare la quota associativa, o almeno non per 3 anni di fila come questa volta!!! (occhioni)

Godetevi i video con il buio pesto del Chiringuito, vah!
Speriamo che domani ci sia un po' più di impianto luci!! :))

Gravel - cover di Ani di Franco


So, Wake Up - originale


grazie a Gabi per i video!

aspetto commenti e critiche come sempre e di sapere se vi ronza qualcosa per la testa, alla prossima!

A year after I got home from that trip... "Gabi & I (We Wouldn't Stop)"

Facebook stasera mi ha ricordato che esattamente un anno fa, rientravo a casa dal mio viaggio attra Balcani in autostop.
There is this new (?) feature in Facebook, that reminds you what was happening today a year ago. Today it reminded me that last year I was stepping back into the door of my home, after a wonderful trip hitchiking across the Balkans, with my a beautiful friend - Gabriela.



And, gosh, I still have to finish sorting the pictures of that trip, shame on me!

Comunque, su quest'esperienza meravigliosa ho scritto una canzone, called "Gabi and I (We Wouldn't Stop) - che vuol dire "Io e Gabi - non ci saremmo fermate".

I had a longer version of the song, that I then made shorter because I thought it was too long.
I am uploading it on myspace now, but I don't know if I can make the extended version available here...
There is a video tough, that i recorded in Berlin @ the Open Mic at Madame Claude (actually the lovely Anni held the camera!), which is already on youtube since a while.

I will share the long version that I recorded soon.
But I want to share this song today, as it is a year since this trip took place.
This song is dedicate to Gabi, of course, but also to all the people who gave me/us a ride, those that crossed our paths, shared our road, opened their house and their heart, and to everyone who knows what I talking about and can see themselves in this song.

Here it is the video, and the lyrics:



GABI & I (WE WOULDN'T STOP)

Gabi, my friend, come here
do you remember when we hit the road
Across those lands, burnt by the sun
and touched by crystal blue sea

Gabi my friend, do you remember
how many hours it took us to hitch-hike
along the only road going in our direction

but that the same driver who picked me up two days before
stopped again
for us, and for other people

[We wouldn't stop because of the rain
nor because we hadn't decided yet where to go
We wouldn't stop because of a unpleasant encounter
as ten, twenty, a hundred strangers would then make our day instead]

Gabi, my friend, do you remember
when I turned on my music
as I could not listen anymore
to the negativity of our travel mate

[When we didn't know where to stay
and someone just invited us
when we thought we would not make it
but suddenly some good star would just shine on us]

while I look at those pictures
of the streets of Sarajevo
so many things are still coming to my mind

We wouldn't stop because of the rain
nor because we hadn't decided yet where to go
We wouldn't stop because of an unpleasant encounter
as ten, twenty, a hundred strangers would then make our day instead

Gabi my friend come here
do you remember when we hit the road
Across those lands, burnt by the sun
and touched by crystal blue sea

And with a million scars of the war – in the walls
and with a million scars of the war – in the walls,
in the souls, in the souls, in the souls, in the souls
Still with a million scars of the war – in the walls,
in the souls, in the sould, in the souls, in the souls

We wouldn't stop because of the rain
nor because we hadn't decided yet where to go
We wouldn't stop because of an unpleasant encounter
as ten, twenty, a hundred strangers would then make our day instead, instead, instead