One of Connecticut’s best-kept secrets is drummer Liviu Pop. Born and raised in Romania during the communist regime, Liviu and his wife, Raluca, left their native country 15 years ago to make a new life for themselves in the USA. At the time of this decision, Liviu was holding the drum position in one of Romania’s top Pop/Rock bands. Liviu knew he had hit the ceiling of a musician’s career in Romania, and that fact, coupled with his deep devotion to American Blues Music prompted the move. With very little money in their pockets and only a basic grasp of English, the couple made their way west.
Today Liviu and Raluca reside in the Hartford area and Liviu is in constant demand for his deep grooves. Every year they return to their beloved Romania to keep ties with family and friends, and of course to re-unite with musician friends. This year I had the honor of being Liviu’s special guest to perform specifically at the Sighisoara Blues Festival. On bass, Liviu recruited one of Connecticut’s top bass players and multi-instrumentalists, Mike Nunno. Along with the festival, we played two club dates, one in the capital city of Bucharest at the Hard Rock Café, and the other in Brasov at a cool club called The Groove Garden. By the third night in Brasov, Mike dubbed us the “Romaniacs” … I love it!
What I got to see was a country on the move; still steeped in old customs and for the most part, untainted by the modern world. It’s still a common sight to see Gypsies in their horse-drawn carts plodding down the road. And on the other side of that coin, you have clubs and businesses going up in Bucharest like the Hard Rock Café, that have every tinge of modern, western culture. But my favorite meal was not the hamburger and Caesar salad that I enjoyed at the Hard Rock Café, but rather the stuffed cabbage and various pork dishes which were traditional to the regions. And the pastries! It’s really tough to stick to the old diet over there. One particular dessert they make, Papanas, was absolutely orgasmic!
Sighisoara is a mountain town located in the Carpathian Mountain Range, and its claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Dracula! That is to say, Vlad the Impaler, the fella who inspired Bram Stoker’s novel. The old part of the city is still intact and surrounded by a medieval wall built in the 12th century by Transylvanian Saxons. Original buildings and churches still stand and cobblestone streets abound. It is known as one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. So I hope folks will enjoy some of the photos I am gonna share with you!
Click Here to view the pictures.
