All Around is Noise and the (almost) dead blog

Santi numi, how is it possible that I haven't been writing for so long.
I swear, I didnt try to kill this blog. Really.
I wonder how many things have happened in this months, for sure I havent written much and I havent been very dedicated to my music. Again.
It looks like this city I came to because of music, ends up being so exhausting sometimes that dont leave you the time to think.
Actually the last 2 songs that I wrote, ages ago really, came out of that feeling.
I have been living in a shared 2 rooms apartment in Wedding for about a year. I had a lovely balcony and you know, the balcony is cool when is sunny, and Berlin sometimes in that sense (too) is a bitch.
I have been missing having a couch and a confortable chair so much, that now I have set some new things on the list of the things that shouldnt miss in my place, should I ever have one and not like going around as a flipper ball that seems to be my destiny!
Ahhah so here is also what happened. I have been looking for an apartment. I have been looking here and there thinking that the real estate market here is Berlin was still so convenient, that could be worthing investing my parents saving in buying myself a little heim. That means, I have been visiting dozens of places, some nice, some horrible, here and there in Berlin (ever been to Spandau?), cheap-ish wannabe luxory apartments in high criminal rate (for Berlin) neighborhoods, strange agents with red faces and strong berlinish accents, owners that looked like they wanted to run away for some reason they wouldnt tell you, and long nights and mornings spent looking into adds online. Till when I decide that what the heck, who put that idea in my head, i am not ready to buy anything, goddamn it, and I dont have enough money anyways.
In the meanwhile, I have been stuck in my beautiful job: hostel cleaning.
I don't understand. I really don't understand. I like working with travelers but how come that after so many months, more than a year, I am still cleaning??
I guess this also fall in the months gap that happened while this blog was sleeping. I wonder what happened. Maybe the air of Wedding has some sort of anesthetic that you breath without realizing? Or the water??
I dont know. But hey lady is time to get yourself together what do you think?

Here is "All around is noise", the other one is called "Take a Breath".
They talk about the same concept really. "Take a Breath" I haven't recorded yet, will post the lyrics some other time, at least I have an excuse to write another post!
It is not true that nothing happened in this months... I'll try to wake up from the unconscious state, and put something together. Till then, enjoy this -

Chiara in Berlin - All around is noise by Chiara in Berlin

"All Around is Noise"
(Chiara in Berlin)

the morning light is knocking
but i wont open the door
things i had to do yesterday are still lying on my floor
i wish that i could stop the time
and chill out with those thoughts that i havent formed just yet

and all around is noise

sometime this city is like a monster
who eats your time so fast
i'm running up and down constantly and i'm always in a test
i wish that i could sit a while
and listen to those things that we havent said just yet

and all around is noise

i wish that i could sit a while
and listen to the songs that i havent written yet

and all around is noise

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

"I Need Music" - video from a singing contest

I think that I'll start with something that I forgot I had, and I must say I nearly forgot I did!! ahah short memory

Back in 2009 I saw that a singing competition near Bergamo I went pretty far on a previous edition a few years before, was taking place again - so I signed up.

It was (is?) called "Fuori la Voce" (formely Voci all'Alba), held in a bar called Albatros which is located between Bergamo and Milano.

I perfectly know that there, as well as the most part of the singing competiotions at least in "my" area, the best thing is to sing a "cover-with-special-effect".
But what can I do, I am made up my way and chose to sing one of my songs (in the previous edition I went to, I sang an almost unknown cover by Anouk).
And of course, I wanted live music instead of a recorded backing track.
Obvious? Not really. The majority of singer in these sort of competition normally sing with a recorded (downloaded) base.

So I decided to sing "I NEED MUSIC", for one of the first times.
That is, an ode to freedom and salvation and liberation that comes from music for a musician.

Here are the lyrics and the video of that day:

I NEED MUSIC
(c) Chiara Gandolfi (Chiara in Berlin)

I am trapped, so asleep is my mind
Filled up with noise
So that i cannot hear the sound of my voice
The sound of my voice

I gotta save my soul
I gotta save my soul
I gotta save my soul, I'm going insane about this

I am trapped so asleep is my mind
Filled up with noise
I am bleeding but my heart's beating
with the rythm of this melody
I've gotta do it my way

I gotta save my soul
I gotta save my soul
I gotta save my soul, I'm going insane about this

I need music
I need music



What happened with the competition?
Well, we started playing and I couldnt hear the guitar at all, so started but then stopped the performance.
In the hurry we blamed it on the guitars battery and changed it in a rush, while really the problem was with the stage monitor (there is a video of the previous part too, where from outside the guitar was lound and clear). So we were a bit nervous at the time when we finally performed.
Still we played pretty nicely I think, other than keeping the end too long (maybe too much of yelling??).

We got kicked out almost immediately, peace! ;)

Music is *not* my job

Sometimes I feel guilty for not dedicating enough time to my music.
You know, work, studies, family und so weiter...
I was thinking to pick up a shift at work today, because I saw that one was still uncovered and I earn so little that I have to work a lot, when I said: no, che cazzo, stai a casa and do music.
I have a huge amount of recordings and thngs to sort that it will take ages, but if I never start really that would never be done.
Things that i have recorded in Berlin around per Open mic and concerts, things of my own that I didn't even remember I wrote, go figure if I remember I recorded it!
And I also thought, why don't I start a blog as I do some of these little things... maybe sharing a video I just recorded or something that I just found... I suppose I can paste videos and things in here, can I?
Let see how it goes.... for now it is staring.
I was recording a little video, but it didnt work out. Creepy technology that I use...
Well...... we'll see! Hope you enjoy reading, listening and if you have any comment, please feel free to share.

ciao :)

Chiara