an american in bergamo - punk rock raduno 3 report by john proffitt jr. - from prr 4 fanzine3/17/2020 Punk Rock Raduno 3 report by John Proffitt Jr. & Tricia, taken from PRR 4 fanzine - summer 2019 Our trip to Italy was one of the best times that we’ve ever had. We did some sight seeing before/after Punk Rock Raduno. This was our first time in Europe so we were excited and a bit nervous. After a very long flight we finally arrived in Rome. We spent three days there doing some sight seeing and eating/drinking some of the best food that we’ve ever had. After Rome we spent a day in Florence. Florence was a blast, we did a little sight seeing and then met up with Alex and Mattia from the Proton Packs for drinks and pizza. We had a very nice time with them! The next day we were off to the next city which was Venice. We spent one day there, it was vey beautiful and relaxing. We did all of the tourist stuff and had a relaxing day. The next city was Piacenza, after we got settled into our room we drove over to to visit Chris Polecat at his tattoo shop Infrangible Tattoos. While we were there Chris tattooed my fiancé and I with matching “I Will Always Do” tattoos on our legs. That night we met up again with Chris and his then expecting lady Manu. We had a nice dinner at one of their favorite pubs and then said goodnight. The next day was the day that we were waiting for, it was time to head to Bergamo. Thursday July 12th 2018. We arrived at the hostel sometime in the afternoon and hung out until some familiar faces started showing up. We first met Stefan Tijs from one of my favorite labels, Stardumb Records, which was a honor for me! Shortly after Lars and the rest of the gang from Neon Bone showed up, we had been looking forward to seeing them for a while, they’re some of my favorite people on the planet and I missed them very much since the East coast US tour. We took a bus to the top of the hill in Bergamo to do some sight seeing and we had some stracciatella gelato which was incredible. After our fun little day trip we headed back to the hostel and hung out until it was time to head to Edoné. We arrived a little while before the first band went on and grabbed some drinks until the Riccobellis hit the stage for their “final show” which is apparently a familiar rouse to the Italian punks. They sounded great and didn’t break up which was a win/win scenario for everyone. After that our own Jagger Holly played a killer set which was the first time we saw the European line up of the band. They were phenomenal. They flew through their set and even knocked out a cool Dee Dee King cover! After that CJ Ramone and the Manges closed out the first day of the festival. You had to be there to truly appreciate what happened on that stage that night, it was around a hour of punk rock perfection. It was the next best thing to actually seeing the Ramones. The songs were fast and tight and the entire Edoné was dancing. It was a very memorable day overall and we were certainly excited for the next one! Friday July 13th 2018. On Friday I woke up feeling super excited as it was looking to be an awesome day in Bergamo! We had a light breakfast and got our shit together then headed out the door. We met up with Chris Polecat and his lovely lady and hung out for a while. We walked around Bergamo for a couple hours before we headed to a coffee shop to see Midrake. We were a bit late to the shop because it was packed. It’s okay though, we were perfectly content with watching and listening from the outside. After that we were on our way to Bomboklat skateshop to watch Chris Polecat play an acoustic set with his new guitarist. I was particularly excited for this one because I am a long time Stinking Polecats and TOUGH fan. TOUGH was the first of many Italian bands that are a part of the Mom’s Basement Records family. The set was everything that I wanted it to be. They played a great mix of songs and even threw some Stinking Polecats songs in such as Hippie Girl and Claire. After that was over we walked back to our hotel and rested up for the show. A couple hours later we hopped in the car and headed to Edoné. First up was the Cocks from Italy, I wasn’t familiar with them but they played a cool set. It was right after the Cocks played that it was revealed that Dan Vapid and the Cheats would not be able to make it to the festival due to passport problems. Franz mentioned that they had a replacement band to take their place and we’ll get into that later. Up next was 7YearsBadLuck from Austria, they played a fast set and were a lot of fun. After they ended we rushed to the bar for beers and spritz’s because the next two bands are amongst our favorites! We made it back right on time for NECK from Canada to start playing. They were fast and catchy as fuck just like on their full length LP. They ended their set with a couple of HEAD covers. They were a blast and I was happy to finally be able to see them play live. Now it was time for one of our own, Neon Bone from Munster, Germany... I had the privilege of going out on tour with Neon Bone when they played the USA so I knew exactly what we were going to get. They were incredible and funny as always. They even brought up Daniele from MEGA to sing the MEGA song they sometimes cover live, I Feel The Pain, which was a treat. Even in Blackouts were next and they were fun and a nice change of pace for us. I’ve seen them live a few times and it’s always a special experience plus Jughead is a treasure. It will sound selfish and I felt really bad that the good people of Italy did not get to have Dan Vapid and the Cheats play, but I was so excited to find out that the Zatopeks were going to play an impromptu set. I’ve seen Dan Vapid many times over the years with his many different bands so the announcement of the Zatopeks filled me with joy and excitement as they are one of my favorites. They blazed through a bunch of songs and the entire Edoné looked like they were having a blast. I was nice and drunk by the time they played so I went uncharacteristically nuts throughout their set. What a blast. Day One was one for the record books. Clicca qui per modificare. Saturday July 14th 2018. On Saturday I woke up particularly stoked for the festival. One of my favorite bands, the Windowsill, was playing. We got our shit together and headed over to Edoné pretty early. We hung out a bit and watched people setting up their tents and merch tables. While we were waiting for the bands to start playing we were greeted by 2 familiar faces. It was an absolute pleasure meeting Mass Morandi of the Chromosomes and Tommaso Eppesteingher who did the artwork for the Manges tribute compilation! More and more people started showing up and then I saw Franz Barcella a little ways away. We walked over to him and he laughed and told me “Another band had passport issues and couldn’t make it”, it was the Radio Buzzkills from the USA. Thankfully another killer band stepped up and played in their place. We’ll get back into that in a little bit. The Colvins from Germany opened up the Raduno and they were a lot of fun! They were fast and got down to business. After they destroyed the stage it was time for Andead to play, I’m not too familiar with them but they did their thing. Up next was supposed to be the Radio Buzzkills who couldn’t make it, so Lone Wolf from the Netherlands took their place! Thankfully they were at the festival because they were phenomenal. They were one of my favorites at the festival. I have been a big fan of the Bat Bites since the Creatures of the Night came out so I was delighted to learn that they were playing. After Lone Wolf played it was time for the 20 Belows. I’ve been a fan of theirs for years and they put on an amazing show. They played a nice mixture of songs from their three full lengths and I was happy to finally get the opportunity to see them. Up next was the newish band, the K7s, which features members from the Spanish band Airbag as well as Kurt Baker. They were really good as expected and played a great set. Up next was Patsys Rats from the USA which features the lead singer Patsy and Billy Jeans from Mean Jeans. I didn’t know of the band but I immediately recognized Billy from Mean Jeans and I wasn’t the least bit surprised that they were a really solid band. It was a nice change of pace as well because they weren’t exactly a pop punk band, but more on the garage rock side of things. We really enjoyed their set. Up next was Steve Adamyk band and they were fantastic. It was my first time seeing them live and it went exactly as I thought it would. It was a very solid set and at the end they came up with quite the shock when they had Billy Jeans come up on stage to play some Mean Jeans songs. The crowd went insane. I loved every second of it as the Mean Jeans are a very talented bunch of party animals. Up next was Impossibili from Italy. They did not sing in English so I was a bit lost but I certainly recognized their sound. Classic Ramones-core at its finest. The Italians loved them and it was cool to see all of those people singing along in another language! After them it was the moment I had been waiting for: the Windowsill walked up onto the stage and blew my mind. They are such a finely tuned polished band on their records and they sounded damn near identical live on stage. I love that band even more now after that performance. It was a honor for me when Marien dedicated the mini Giant Eagles set to me and I was a little bummed when they played their last song but I am grateful for the opportunity to finally see them. Now it was time for the final band of the evening, the almighty Queers from the USA: you have to know who they are and what to expect from them by now, they’ve been playing for 30 plus years at this point. I think I’ve seen them at least 20 times over the years and I’ve never been to a bad Queers show, some were better than others but it was always a good show. Their performance at Punk Rock Raduno was exactly what I expected with one exception... The crowd. The crowd went insane and it made me realize for the second time just how lucky we are in the USA to be able to see bands like the Queers, Dan Vapid, Beatnik Termites, the Huntingtons and the like at least once a year, every year. The Queers played a great set and then the night was over. It was time to head back to our room. Sunday July 15th 2018. I woke up a little bummed out that it was the final day of Punk Rock Raduno but I was very excited to see the other band that I was dying to see. Of course it was Andrea Manges and the Veterans. We arrived at Edoné a little early to hang out and meet up with friends. The first band up on the stage was the Haermorrhoids from Germany. I had never heard them before the Raduno sampler but like the majority of the bands at the Raduno, they played a good set and were fun. Up next was Deaf Lingo from Italy. They are a cool garage punkish band on One Chord Wonder and they were a lot of fun. Following them was the Dutts, who are another band from Germany. The band was pretty much the Haermorrhoids with their drummer taking over vocals/guitar duties. I was really surprised by them because they sound nearly identical to the Spits and they tore shit up on that stage. The male/female vocals were cool too. They’re a good band and I hope to hear some more from them in the future. The German invasion of Punk Rock Raduno wasn’t quite over yet. The Sewer Rats were next and played a great set. They are a fun sing along pop punk band who had a lot of energy. They played some cool covers too. Now it was the moment I was waiting for, the man himself, Andrea Manges took to the stage, I excitedly watched him and Ally from Teenage Bubblegums start setting up. In the background Larry from the Ponches was making adjustments on the kit. Then they started playing as anticipated. I’ve seen the Manges a few times over the years and they are always no nonsense/knock shit out. That’s one of the reasons they are one of my favorite punk rock bands ever. The Veterans felt a little different, it seemed a little more relaxed on the stage and it looked like Andrea was having a blast up there. They were definitely one of the standout bands to me and I loved every split second of their set. They played a bunch of songs off of the first LP, a couple from the EPs and a couple brand new songs from the freshly released second album. Up next was the BombPops from the USA. I don’t know a lot about them but the people in the crowd seemed to enjoy them. We wanted to relax a little before heading to Milan the next day. We said our goodbyes to everyone, gave out tons of hugs and headed back to our room. The two days following the festival were a blast. Davide Speciani showed us around Milan the first day and on the second and final day of our trip in Italy we rode with him to his practice space in Monza for a private show/practice for Volkov, Mega and the Hakan. It was such a blast and incredibly cool of them to do that. We said our goodbyes to everyone in Milan and headed back to the room. It was the end of our journey in Italy, we woke up and flew home with tons of great memory’s and vinyl records. There are so many people that I would like to thank so please don’t take offense if I missed you but a HUGE thank you to Andrea and Franz, Davide, Andrea I and Ale, Igor, Luca, Mass, Mayo, Manuel, Miguel and Arianna, Proton Packs, Mega, Volkov, Hakan, Neon Bone, Jagger Holly, and a special thanks to Punkability for putting on the best show at the festival. It was truly a honor to be a part of the festival. With all of the love from the USA! John and Tricia Punk Rock Raduno 3 report taken from PRR 4 fanzine - summer 2019
1 Comment
|
punk rock raduno fanzineEvery year we publish a diy magazine covering all the bands and artists we have at our dumb little festival. Here are interviews, columns and outtakes from previous issues. Archivi
March 2020
Categorie |