L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 6 Andrea Algieri, lead singer of Mbrascatu, is announcing the release of their second album, Tempo. They will be hosting a special release event at Mississippi Studios in Portland on January 2, 2015. Andrea has come a long way since his humble beginnings in the small town of Luzzi, Calabria. "It's a nice place to live," he says. "There is not a lot to do but it is a town with great character- istics." Growing up, Andrea spent Sundays and holidays with his large family. His Uncle Umile would break into song at the end of every meal and Umile's son Tonino would join in with his guitar. This sparked Andrea's love of music. He knew from an early age that he would follow a musical path. Tonino worked at a radio station in town and Andrea was itching to help his older cousin. After several refusals, Tonino finally gave in with one condition - that he not touch anything. Andrea has fond memories of the radio station. Two of the most vivid are handing off the vinyls to his cousin and taking requests from listeners. Requests arrived by hand-written notes because telephones were still not commonplace in Luzzi in the 1980's. "Many times it was children who would bring the requests in on paper with dedications to loved ones." His grandfather, nicknamed Mbrascatu, gave Andrea his first guitar. He loved the guitar but did not take to serious music study. He found that he had a natural ability to play by ear. When he turned 14, he put his guitar to the test by starting a band with a group of friends. They called themselves the Moonlovers. "From that time on," recalls Andrea, "I never stopped play- ing." At age 19, he moved to Florence and enrolled at Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze to study set design for theater. This got him a position designing sets for a soap opera in Mexico. After a year in Mexico, it was time to go back to Florence to fulfill his civic duty to his country. At that point in time, young men in Italy had two choices; they could enlist in the military or do ten months obliga- tory civil service. Andrea chose civil service, working at Mensa dei Poveri, a shelter for the homeless, all the while continu- ing to play guitar. "I also worked with handi- capped children and adults," he says. "This was a very intense time in my life." It was during this time that Andrea met his wife Susan. After living in Florence for seven years, they made the decision to move to the states, settling in Susan's hometown of Ithaca, New York. Even though they had planned to open an Italian restaurant, Andrea realized his passion was still music and he wouldn't be happy as a restau- rant owner. He was ready to move back to Florence until Susan's sister contacted them. She suggested they move to Portland where she was living. Arriving in Portland, Andrea and Susan found living arrangements for artists and musicians. "We liked Portland. It is not too big, and not too small," says Andrea, "And everyone was so nice, I began to make friends right away." It wasn't long before Andrea formed the band, Mbrascatu. In Portland, Andrea immedi- The Roseway Neighborhood of northeast Portland is excited to have their own version of Little Italy opening up on the corners of NE 67th and Sandy Boulevard! Bacchi's Italian Delicatessen opened in 2013 and quickly became a destination for families and the local Italian community. The deli is a tiny point of Italy on a street long defined by Asian restaurants and businesses. Customers open the door to the sound of Rosemary Clooney or Frank Sinatra and step up to a case full of Italian deli meats, cheeses, and locally baked breads. The coffee bar features locally roasted coffee. There is also fresh gelato and Italian desserts; Bacchi's cannoli are considered by many to be the best in Portland. When the sun comes out, the crowd inside overflows to out- side seating, where neighbors greet each other and you are like- ly to hear Italian conversations. In fact, an Italian language group meets at Bacchi's on a regular basis. The deli is a true family affair with owner Mark Caso, his wife Joan, son Corbett, and daughter Audrey working alongside each other. Bacchi is Joan's family name, originally from northern Italy. Mark's family emigrated from Naples. Across the street from Bacchi's, in a beautifully reno- vated space, Pizzeria Otto recent- ly opened to long lines of oven- fired-pizza enthusiasts. Opening night was so successful the pizze- ria ran out of pizza dough! The 36-seat restaurant is the dream-come-true of owner Clark Hale. A resident of Roseway and self-proclaimed Italophile, he had long wanted to see a great pizze- ria come to the neighborhood. When the space on the corner of 67th became available, he jumped on it, renovating it him- self. Then he brought Italian- trained pizzaiolo Justin Clarke on board to run the pizzeria's tiled wood-burning oven and the stage was set for the grand opening. Pizzeria Otto focuses on sim- ple Neapolitan-style pizzas using local ingredients and house-made components. Locally crafted beer is on tap as well as a long list of local and Italian wines. Literally humming with conver- sation and laughter, the pizzeria has a community atmosphere. "The neighborhood has been coming out in droves to support what we're doing," says Clark. "Our vision of serving the high- est quality food in a casual, neighborhood atmosphere seems to be a huge hit. Folks are loving our traditional Neapolitan-style pizza as well." For more information, visit Bacchi's at www.bacchis.com and Pizzeria Otto at www.pizze- riaotto.com ately connected with a drummer and the duo began playing open mics and small concerts at local establishments. When he first moved to the states, Andrea was- n't sure how fans would respond to Italian lyrics. While living in New York this question was answered loudly when he entered and won an open mic competi- tion run by a local television stu- dio. Portland followed suit - fans were hooked. One of Andrea's inspirations f o r h i s w o r k i s V i n i c i o Capossela, an eclectic and talent- ed Italian musician. " I s a w h i m p l a y i n S a n Francisco once, the fans went c r a z y , a n d t h e y l o v e d h i m . " Mbrascatu also takes an eclectic approach to their work combin- ing traditional music with influ- ences of rock, modern, and psy- chedelic components. " E v e r y b a n d m e m b e r i s a g r e a t m u s i c i a n , " p r o f e s s e s A n d r e a , " W e k e e p a n o p e n mind, focus on the music, and try to keep it interesting for peo- ple." He asserts that their new release, Tempo, goes one step further than Mbrascatu's first album. "It's a great sound, the first album was excellent, but this one has an added maturity. It's more collaborative. We work so well together as a band that at times it's as if we're on cruise control. Every band member adds a depth and a different dimension to the group." M b r a s c a t u h a s a m i s - sion. "We want people to know that music from Italy is more t h a n , O ' S o l e M i o , " A n d r e a says. "While we love that song and all those traditional Italian songs, our music offers a differ- ent perspective through the lens of my Italian upbringing and the experiences and backgrounds of the talented musicians that make up our group." TONYA RUSSO HAMILTON KERRY-LYNNE DEMARINIS BROWN The members of Mbrascatu: John Sabestinas, electric guitar, banjo, ukelele, lap steel; Dylan Dean, violin, viola; Andrea Algieri, guitarist, singer, songwriter; Dan Sullivan, bass; Lalo Esparza, drums Mbrascatu's New Release, Tempo, Expands Their Eclectic Sound The Roseway Neighborhood Welcomes a Small Slice of Little Italy Nov. 11, Tues. – Italian Businessmen's Club monthly meeting at 6:30pm, DeNicola's Italian Restaurant, 3520 SE Powell Blvd. in Portland. For more information, contact Guido LaCesa at oaktree- lo@aol.com Nov. 16, Sun. – Italian Hour on KBOO 90.7 FM from 9:00 to 10:00am. Contemporary and classic Italian music, featuring news of the local Italian community. Listen online at www.kboo.fm Nov. 16, Sun - Tuscan Association of Oregon monthly meeting, 3:30pm at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 2408 SE 16th Avenue in Portland. For more information, contact Jimmie Moglia at jim- mie.moglia@gmail.com Nov. 17, Mon. – Vancouver Sons of Italy Book Club, 7:00 pm at Barnes & Noble, 7700 NE Fourth Plain Blvd. in Vancouver, WA. Book selection will be The Heist by author David Silva. For further information, contact Barbara Blair at blairbjb@comcast.net Nov. 18, Tues. – Portland Bologna Sister City Association's Annual Sagra di Bologna at 6:00pm, Olympic Mills Building, 107 SE Washington Street in Portland. Tickets are $60.00. For more information, call 503-236-6364 or email to bologna@pdx.edu

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