🇬🇧 Meeting artists - part 1

A lot of people are curious about what it's like to meet famous people and artists, so I'll tell you a little about my many experiences here. Today I will share experiences from when I lived in Uberlândia.

First, one night I was in a local pub with a friend and after hours of dancing we decided to sit down. She wanted to know the time and at that time (1999) I still didn't have a cell phone. I looked around and saw a male arm with a watch next to us. I called the man to ask the time and it was Fernando Pires, from Só para Contrariar, a pagode band from the city that was a national success at the time. He was friendly, but he joked the question wanting to know if it was time for us to sleep. Our contact was just that. I spoke to my friend again and we continued at the party for a few more hours.

Later, I had the opportunity to meet Shaman, a Brazilian metal band, at the time of the release of their first album, Ritual, with other members of the band's fan club in Belo Horizonte and São José do Rio Preto. I traveled to see the same show 3 times! The first time in Uberlândia. It was not exactly the same show because in Belo Horizonte it had the participation of Marcus Vianna (violinist) and in São José do Rio Preto the opening was made by Shadowside, which is a good national metal band. On none of the occasions did I speak to Ricardo Confessori. 🙁 But the Mariutti brothers are very friendly and André was very professional in assisting us.

Although I lived near the hotel where musicians from outside usually stayed in the city (the Parthenon, which today I don't know what it is), those who stayed there were usually musicians from pop bands and I'm not a super fan of any pop band. So my experiences with famous artists between 1999 and 2003 came down to these.

Follow the blog to know the stories from 2004 onwards. I've told you before, but only in Italian, the story of how I met Epica. I will tell you in English and Portuguese this week because it is one of my favorite stories.

Contribute to my music-related texts to be even better by paying me a coffee (https://ko-fi.com/nycka). Brands of musical keyboards (professional) are also welcome as sponsors. And follow me on social media, that this story of Epica, for example, I already told there, and that's why I ended up writing here only in Italian, but there were people who asked me what Simone Simons is like this week so the next text is  about this.

Nycka, the Nomad

🇧🇷 Conhecendo artistas - Parte 1

Muita gente tem curiosidade sobre como é conhecer famosos e artistas, então vou contar um pouco das minhas muitas experiências aqui. Hoje vou contar experiências de quando eu morava em Uberlândia.

Primeiro, um dia eu estava num pub local com uma amiga e depois de horas dançando resolvemos sentar. Ela quis saber as horas e naquele tempo (1999) eu ainda não tinha celular. Olhei em volta e vi um braço masculino com relógio perto de nós. Chamei o homem para perguntar as horas e era o Fernando Pires, do Só para Contrariar, banda de pagode da cidade que era sucesso nacional na época. Ele foi simpático, mas ironizou a pergunta querendo saber se estava na hora da gente dormir. Nosso contato não passou disso. Voltei a falar com minha amiga e continuamos na festa por mais algumas horas.

Tempos depois tive a oportunidade de conhecer o Shaman, banda brasileira de metal, na época do lançamento de seu primeiro álbum, Ritual, com outros membros do fã-clube da banda em Belo Horizonte e em São José do Rio Preto. Viajei para ver o mesmo show 3 vezes! A primeira vez em Uberlândia. Não foi exatamente o mesmo show porque em Belo Horizonte teve participação do Marcus Vianna (violinista) e em São José do Rio Preto a abertura foi feita pelo Shadowside, que é uma boa banda nacional de metal. Em nenhuma das ocasiões falei com o Ricardo Confessori. 🙁 Mas os irmãos Mariutti são muito simpáticos e o André foi bastante profissional ao nos atender.

Apesar de ter morado perto do hotel onde geralmente músicos de fora ficavam hospedados na cidade (o Parthenon, que hoje não sei o que é), quem ficava ali eram geralmente músicos de bandas pop e eu não sou super fã de nenhuma banda pop para ir atrás. Então minhas experiências com artistas famosos entre 1999 e 2003 se resumiram a essas.

Siga o blog para conhecer as histórias de 2004 em diante. Já contei antes, mas apenas em italiano, a história de como conheci o Epica. Vou contar em inglês e português nesta semana porque é uma das minhas histórias preferidas.

Contribua para meus textos relacionados à música serem ainda melhores pagando-me um café (https://ko-fi.com/nycka). Patrocínios também são bem vindos. E siga-me nas redes sociais, que essa história do Epica, por exemplo, já contei por lá, e por isso acabei escrevendo aqui só em italiano, mas teve gente que me perguntou como é a Simone Simons esta semana então o próximo texto é sobre isso.

Nycka, the Nomad

🇬🇧 A liberating choice

I was born in a country town and grew up having to have company for everything. Even to go to the bathroom in bars or restaurants, the girls had to have company. So, I moved to Uberlândia and on the first day of school I had to have lunch alone in a restaurant because we hadn't gone to the supermarket and my roommates studied all day. My mother used to say that anyone who has lunch alone is a whore. I took a book with me, but during lunch I realized that there were many people having lunch alone, including women. And none of them looked as whores. They were more likely students like me and professionals who worked in the neighborhood. I lived in downtown, very close to the central bus terminal. Weeks later, at a party, I kissed a boy who I later learned that a friend of my flatmates had wanted to kiss him for some time. I know that if you think the same way my mom do you’re thinking badly of me now. Worse for you. After that they started to invent all kinds of excuses for not going out with me. And then I started going to the cinema alone, got other companies for parties and went on with my life. Still in Uberlândia, I traveled to see Shaman in 2 shows, on the tour of the album Ritual, one in Belo Horizonte and another in São José do Rio Preto. Alone! In BH I stayed at an aunt's house and in São José I stayed at a hotel. In both destinations I met people from the band's fan club before the show. When I went to Porto Alegre, then I started doing everything myself. It was almost a year without company for nothing, except for one or two MBA class parties. And I keep having fun, going out, going to parties, shows, cinema, restaurant, etc. with or without company. But if it is to have company I prefer good company. Life is too short for bad coffee. I am less and less tolerant of mediocrity.

If this post inspired or encouraged you, pay me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/nycka

Nycka, the Nomad

🇧🇷 Antes só do que mal acompanhada

Eu nasci numa cidade do interior e cresci tendo de ter companhia pra tudo. Até pra ir ao banheiro em bares e restaurantes as meninas tinham de ter companhia. Então, mudei para Uberlândia e no primeiro dia de aula eu tive de almoçar sozinha num restaurante porque não tínhamos feito feira em casa e minhas companheiras de apartamento estudavam o dia todo. Minha mãe dizia que quem almoça sozinha é puta. Levei um livro como companhia, mas durante o almoço percebi que tinham muitas pessoas almoçando sozinhas, inclusive mulheres. E nenhuma delas parecia puta. Eram mais provavelmente estudantes como eu e profissionais que trabalhavam na vizinhança. Eu morava no centro, bem perto do terminal central de ônibus. Semanas mais tarde, numa festa, beijei um rapaz que fiquei sabendo depois que uma amiga das minhas companheiras de apartamento queria beijar ele há tempos. Ha! Eu sei que se você pensa igual a minha mãe está pensando mal de mim agora. Pior pra ti. Depois disso elas passaram a inventar todo tipo de desculpa para não sair comigo. E então eu comecei a ir sozinha ao cinema, arrumei outras companhias para festas e segui a vida. Ainda em Uberlândia, viajei para ver 2 shows do Shaman, na tour do album Ritual, um em Belo Horizonte e outro em São José do Rio Preto. Sozinha! Em BH fiquei na casa de uma tia e em São José fiquei num hotel. Em ambos os destinos encontrei pessoas do fã clube da banda antes do show. Quando fui para Porto Alegre, aí sim passei a fazer tudo sozinha. Foi quase um ano sem companhia para nada, salvo uma ou duas festas da turma do MBA. E sigo me divertindo, saindo, indo a festas, shows, cinema, restaurante, etc com ou sem companhia. Mas se for pra ter companhia que seja boa companhia. A vida é curta demais para cafés ruins. Ando cada vez menos tolerante à mediocridade.

Se este texto te inspirou de alguma forma, pague-me um café: https://ko-fi.com/nycka

Nycka, the Nomad

🇬🇧 My first experiences on cultural trips

First time I spent (or invested) my money to travel it was to know the Carnival in Janauba, a small brazilian city, a few hours by car from Montes Claros, where I was born. I was 21 then, and my dear friend and colleague Danilo was from that city. Brazilian actor Jackson Antunes, who was called "the brazilian Charles Bronson" when he gained space on national TV, was also born in Janauba.
I remember my grandmother was terrified because my brother, 5 years younger, would travel with me and share the same room. If I had the mind of today, I would go alone just to terrify her more.
The party was good. Very different from many famous carnivals as Rio, Salvador or Venice, but it was nice.
My second experience was to follow brazilian band Shaman, when Andre Mattos left Angra to sing with this band, during the first shows of the Ritual tour. I saw the show in Uberlandia, where I lived, at a pub. The show was my suggestion to David, the owner, one day I met him in front of the pub while I was reading about a workshop with Kiko Loureiro the pub was organising. David mentioned the show Angra did there some months before "without the singer" (as the band was with a new singer: Edu Falaschi). I noticed David appreciated the voice of Andre Mattos as well as I did and I told him to invite Shaman to play there.
After Uberlandia I went to Sao Jose do Rio Preto and to Belo Horizonte to see the band again and again.
Then I moved to Porto Alegre, living a few meters distant from Bar Opiniao, a place where many international metal bands used to play, as well as local artists. I enjoyed the foreigners but I must admit my time in Porto Alegre could be spent to enjoy more the local culture, which is very rich. I'll be back there, sooner or later, to do this and share with you.
Follow the blog and my social media profiles to read more on cultural opportunities to travel and self development.

Nycka, the nomad