Innuendo 6_2015: Roots

After a month-long hiatus, due to family related visits to Romania and back, I had the thrill and the wonderful surprise to chat with Clara Mihai, from my very home town, Iasi, Romania, in what turned into the 6th edition of Innuendo 2015. We tried to compose a picture out of the puzzle that is Romanian society, especially to those who have chosen to look for their fate somewhere else in the world. A land of contrasts and paradoxes, exotic sounds and smells combined with European supermarkets and US-like TV channels, our home country is not an easy one to define, and is unique in its way, and maybe that’s its only possible definition. This myriad of faces that Romania appears to have is also quite visible in its music, being a knot, if you will, between different cultures, not the least „exotic“ of which is the Gypsy tradition of songsters and instrument players,which we duly enjoyed through the sounds of Fanfare Ciocirlia and Taraful din Clejani. However, towards the end, we became nostalgic for our own home town, which always has been, due to its many universities, a meeting place of various artists, also encouraged by numerous local festivals; so we listened to an old poetry-inspired tune from Nu Acum, a rather melancholic folk band from Iasi, on the lyrics of George Bacovia, one of the saddest and yet freest poets in Romanian literature. We also gave our tribute to the „new school“ underground Romanian music scene, with names like the Moood and Enldess Zone, a rather bitter-sweet farewell, as we would have ahd much more to talk about and many more wonderful other songs to enjoy.