Fantastic Festa... fantastic Hopefuls!
Greetings, friends...
Well, this weekend we celebrated the annual Festa Italia Santa Rosalita by Monterey Fisherman's Wharf (the site of last year's MANOR Halloween special)... and this one was one of the very best ever. Hey, I've got an honorary Italian heritage to celebrate, no?
As usual, I hung out for a while by myself on Saturday, but I didn't last long because of the fog and drizzle... bringing Cameron on Sunday led to far happier results!
Italian wine, Italian beer, Italian sausage sandwiches, ice cream...
...and oh, that wonderful MUSIC! Front row seats for us for the whole show...
The Tony Galla band gave us the blues in Italian, and Tony played both parts when he recreated the true-life duet between James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti... and then he brought accordionist extraordinaire Frank Marocco to the stage!
Pasquale Esposito (a favorite of both of ours) mixed the classics with new contemporary work... we just may go see him again when he plays Monterey in November! Meantime, he provided Cameron with a poster and assured him that he was a "good kid!"
The Anthony Lane band was up next, and they had the crowd thoroughly pumped up and clapping their hands (no surprise there) as they welcomed all Italians, all wanna-be Italians, and everyone who just wanted some fun--which, of course, they got!
Then it was time for the traditional appearance of the Tarantella Dancers... and for the first time, Cameron and I both got swept into the festivities... I'm so proud of my boy, as he was then declared an honorary Sicilian!
Have you ever seen so many exclamation points from me? Have you ever seen me this enthused outside of the movies? Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet... my personal favorite part of the Festa was next in line... the Locals segment!
The most beautiful voice on the Monterey Peninsula, in my opinion, belongs to Rachel Marotta, who delivered a devastatingly lovely set... and while "The Prayer" may have been a hit for Celine Dion, Rachel's duet with Erasmo Aiello stood as an unparallelled heart-melter. You HAD to be there.
Local legend Ree Brunnell made the ridiculous suggestion that it was a 'shock' that so many people wanted to hear 'this old lady' sing yet again... she is the spryest senior citizen it has ever been my pleasure to be entertained by... and she wound up providing me with my proudest Festa moment yet. Leading an audience-participation rendition of "That's Amore," Ree zeroed in on me and pointed the microphone directly at me... not for the expected chorus of "...that's amore," but for "vita bella." And ladies and gentlemen... I nailed it. I mean I nailed it so that Ree herself was blown away. "Where did they GET this guy?" she asked, pausing in mid-song. "Have you been here all day?" I answered in the affirmative. "I love you!," said Ree, planting a huge smackeroo on me and sparking a round of boisterous applause. Right back atcha, classy lady... right back atcha.
And finally, emcee, local radio personality and long-time friend Dave Marzetti (weekly host of the Shagbag Show, on which I appear once a month), joined the Locals... Frank Marocco brought the accordion back out for "Volare," and Anthony Lane teamed up for the annual singalong of "Angelina/Ooh, Ma Ma!"
Festa Italia takes place every year during the second weekend of September. Make a point of being in the area next year, won't you?
And since you're still here with me now, how about a couple of fresh Hopeful sets?
Spunkie has redefined the term "Couch Potato" in her very own way...
...and who's back in town? Why, none other than the returning Jessizzle... don't miss this one!
Your honorary Italian friend,
Remo!
Greetings, friends...
Well, this weekend we celebrated the annual Festa Italia Santa Rosalita by Monterey Fisherman's Wharf (the site of last year's MANOR Halloween special)... and this one was one of the very best ever. Hey, I've got an honorary Italian heritage to celebrate, no?
As usual, I hung out for a while by myself on Saturday, but I didn't last long because of the fog and drizzle... bringing Cameron on Sunday led to far happier results!
Italian wine, Italian beer, Italian sausage sandwiches, ice cream...
...and oh, that wonderful MUSIC! Front row seats for us for the whole show...
The Tony Galla band gave us the blues in Italian, and Tony played both parts when he recreated the true-life duet between James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti... and then he brought accordionist extraordinaire Frank Marocco to the stage!
Pasquale Esposito (a favorite of both of ours) mixed the classics with new contemporary work... we just may go see him again when he plays Monterey in November! Meantime, he provided Cameron with a poster and assured him that he was a "good kid!"
The Anthony Lane band was up next, and they had the crowd thoroughly pumped up and clapping their hands (no surprise there) as they welcomed all Italians, all wanna-be Italians, and everyone who just wanted some fun--which, of course, they got!
Then it was time for the traditional appearance of the Tarantella Dancers... and for the first time, Cameron and I both got swept into the festivities... I'm so proud of my boy, as he was then declared an honorary Sicilian!
Have you ever seen so many exclamation points from me? Have you ever seen me this enthused outside of the movies? Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet... my personal favorite part of the Festa was next in line... the Locals segment!
The most beautiful voice on the Monterey Peninsula, in my opinion, belongs to Rachel Marotta, who delivered a devastatingly lovely set... and while "The Prayer" may have been a hit for Celine Dion, Rachel's duet with Erasmo Aiello stood as an unparallelled heart-melter. You HAD to be there.
Local legend Ree Brunnell made the ridiculous suggestion that it was a 'shock' that so many people wanted to hear 'this old lady' sing yet again... she is the spryest senior citizen it has ever been my pleasure to be entertained by... and she wound up providing me with my proudest Festa moment yet. Leading an audience-participation rendition of "That's Amore," Ree zeroed in on me and pointed the microphone directly at me... not for the expected chorus of "...that's amore," but for "vita bella." And ladies and gentlemen... I nailed it. I mean I nailed it so that Ree herself was blown away. "Where did they GET this guy?" she asked, pausing in mid-song. "Have you been here all day?" I answered in the affirmative. "I love you!," said Ree, planting a huge smackeroo on me and sparking a round of boisterous applause. Right back atcha, classy lady... right back atcha.
And finally, emcee, local radio personality and long-time friend Dave Marzetti (weekly host of the Shagbag Show, on which I appear once a month), joined the Locals... Frank Marocco brought the accordion back out for "Volare," and Anthony Lane teamed up for the annual singalong of "Angelina/Ooh, Ma Ma!"
Festa Italia takes place every year during the second weekend of September. Make a point of being in the area next year, won't you?
And since you're still here with me now, how about a couple of fresh Hopeful sets?
Spunkie has redefined the term "Couch Potato" in her very own way...
...and who's back in town? Why, none other than the returning Jessizzle... don't miss this one!
Your honorary Italian friend,
Remo!
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
tawainai:
HOT 
tai_:
I can't imagine how much it must suck to shed your skin 
do you think it would be like having really bad sunburn and having your skin peel?
do you think it would be like having really bad sunburn and having your skin peel?