Ben Harper, Tarvisio July 29, 2011

America’s Benjamin Chase Harper, better known to the world as Ben Harper, played in the northeastern Italian town of Tarvisio near the Austrian and Slovenian borders.

This rather eclectic musician of blues, folk, reggae, soul and rock music (“Diamonds On The Inside”, With My Own Two Hands” and “Burn One Down”) played in front of about 4,000 people during Tarvisio’s “No Borders Festival”. Harper, a two-time Grammy Award winner, was also joined on stage by the multi-instrumentalist Tom Freund with whom he recorded the 1992 album “Pleasure And Pain".

Harper’s latest work, “Give Till It’s Gone” (with the hit single, “Don’t Give Up On My Now”), was released in May, 2011 and sees another famous musician, this time on drums, none other than Ringo Starr! Your correspondent just saw Starr in July in Rome with his “All-Starr” band, a most entertaining show, just like Harper’s performance in Tarvisio.

Going "bananas" with all these concerts!

Me not only going "bananas" with all these concerts but ALSO enjoying myself with the colleagues, who are about as crazy as me with ALL those decibels breaking our ear-drums!

And the tempest REALLY came down on the “Villa Tempesta” show!

A small concert gathering featuring up to 15 new and emerging rock bands at the Villa Manin. The event was very appropriately called “Villa Tempesta” as a massive tempest eventually came down on the bands and some 3,000 fans! Kids hid from the rain even in the portable potties!

The name is taken from the independent local Tempesta Records label which encompasses famous and lesser-known rock bands.