Monday is the Day

Adrian came back from...well, wherever it is he goes. We asked him about the photo, which I mentioned in my last post. He said the guy in the photo was "just a friend" he went to visit, whom he had not seen in a long time!

I don't know... doesn't look like a casual encounter to me.  He said they traveled around Romania and Europe just to experience the sights. I know it is hard to be a tourist when one is on the road working all the time. We go into a town and barely have time to breathe and sleep before showtime, then it is off to the next city. Adrian stated, in his "Dracula" type accent, that he likes to "get away from it and just be a person."

He did do a bit of a photo shoot over there, here is one photo he allowed us:

Looks a bit sketchy to me. I told him it looks as if he's heading into a hot tub with his male friend. Hah!  Who am I to talk? My ass has been published everywhere. It should bring us publicity, at least in Romania where the shoot was, and as a musician, one can never have too much publicity. You're only as good as your last album. In this day and age, if you even slow down on marketing, branding and promoting, you're gone. It's constant work. Your label does some work, but you have to be behind it pushing at all times.

I have heard, esp from Bruce, what it was like 20 year ago or so.... You  put out an album, toured to promote it and voila! You were a star!  Ok, maybe not that easy. But simpler than today!

Today, all these "indie" musicians are home making CD's and putting them online to buy. I have no problem with that, it's that anyone, no matter how much they stink, can record a CD. If they tour around enough to advertise, they eventually make a name for themselves and then they eventually become famous, even to a small extent.  Rarely are bands "discovered" into instant success. I say that only because we were sort of "discovered" seven years ago. We worked our asses off for it though. We all have fantastic musical backgrounds and we all have tremendous talent. Plus, we put on an amazing show. It's not just about the music, it's about the show! I have a really hard time with these bands that look like they stepped in off the street and just stand there onstage and play. Their music can be good, but with nothing to watch, I get bored. They need more than music. They need a gimick, a show!!

I  think I might start a grant fund for up and coming good musicians to be "discovered" and skip all the red tape.

The Gullibility of Humans!

So, while touring this area, including Romania, we visited a small village in Serbia that is proported haunted by a famous vampire. According to the tales,

villagers in the tiny western Serbian hamlet of Zarozje, nestled between lush green mountain slopes and spooky thick forests. They say rumors that a legendary vampire ghost has awakened are spreading fear — and a potential tourist opportunity — through the remote village

"The story of Sava Savanovic is a legend, but strange things did occur in these parts back in the old days," said 55-year-old housewife Milka Prokic, holding a string of garlic in one hand and a large wooden stake in another, as an appropriately moody mist rose above the surrounding hills. "We have inherited this legend from our ancestors, and we keep it alive for the younger generations."

Vampire legends have played a prominent part in the Balkans for centuries — most prominently Dracula from Romania's Transylvania region. In the 18th century, the legends sometimes triggered mass hysteria and even public executions of those accused of being vampires.

Sava Savanovic, described by the Zarozje villagers as Serbia's first vampire, reputedly drank the blood of those who came to the small shack in the dense oak tree forest to mill their grain on the clear mountain Rogatica river.

The wooden mill collapsed a few months ago — allegedly angering the vampire, who is now looking for a new place to hang his cape.

Some locals claim they can hear steps cracking dry forest leaves and strange sounds coming from the rocky mountain peaks where the vampire was purportedly killed with a sharp stake that pierced his heart — but managed to survive in spirit as a butterfly. 

Darko Vojinovic/AP

The legend of Sava Savanovic has been passed down over many generations in Zarozje, Serbia.

Personally, I am amazed at how gullible people can be (no offense).... believing in things that just are not there! Like religion and God and Angels and ghosts and all that stuff people need so badly to believe in that their mind actually sees and believes!!! I guess if that's what they need to believe to get through their day.... There have been times I wish I could believe in God again... I was raised Roman Catholic, and brainwashed into believing in what I now see as a cult. But, I got out. I thought for myself. I looked at the cold, hard facts of life. And I realized it's just us and nothing more!

Sorry if this goes against your beliefs. Not my intention to insult anyone. If it gets you through your day, then fine.  And for sure vampires do NOT exist!! I mean, really... Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, etc.  The famous authors made up these creatures based on myths. Just fiction!

I must say I am fascinated by all sorts of culture, history and beliefs. Even if it makes no sense!