Donna Ulisse is providing us with a diary from her visit to Russia with her band, The Poor Mountain Boys. The trip is by invitation from the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission.
I just got back to my room here in Yekaterinburg after a very long journey. We arrived at about 8:30pm and I still don’t know the day….lol! Who cares? Me and the Poor Mountain Boys are having the time of our lives!
Bluegrass music is so unknown here. The ones that know our music are over the moon to hear it, starved for it actually. A sweet man that we met here whose name is Robert Palomo and originally from the USA came up to me after our first show with tears in his eyes. Robert plays banjo and lives in St. Petersburg! He said he couldn’t believe he was hearing the high lonesome sound here in Russia and he missed it so. He made me cry. Thanks to him we have some additional wonderful pictures of the Vologda-Semenkovo part of the tour.
I am finding how much music weaves us all together. The Russians that have never been introduced to this Mountain music are feeling a true connection with these songs and binding us all together…..what a great honor it is for me and the boys to share what we do with these kind-hearted folks.
I hear through the broken English at the front desk that the president of Russia arrives here in this city tomorrow. I wonder if he would enjoy some banjo and mandolin?
I will be doing two interviews for local television and radio in about 5 hours so forgive me for being brief but I am about to drop. In the words of one of my favorite books and by one of my all time favorite actresses….”tomorrow is another day.”
