Part of the crew: Motherpig, Kalo and Atomski Rat members, our friends and family! Pic taken before the gig.


Wow, dudes and dudettes...

I think my head is finally gettin' back to normal. I haven't really slept well in the last 48 hours, but nevermind that, it was for a good cause.

Sunday afternoon we've played for the second time in Serbia, this time in Zemun. Since it's close connected to Belgrade, capital city of Serbia, I've asked people is Zemun part of Belgrade or the city for itself, and everyone has its own opinion. Truth is (as I've digged it), Zemun is a city, but also one of the 17 Belgrade's municipalities.  

This gig was happening in a club called "Fest" and it was organized for us by our friend Zoran, bass player of band called Atomski Rat, an awesome Serbian band which has one album out already and one coming up, so you should really check them out if you like fast and harsh music. The strange thing about this gig was its starting hour - 5 PM. When we arrived, they've explained it to us - it's a sunday matinee thing and it usually goes very well, and all the proceeds from the ticket sale goes up for the bands. That was the first awesome thing I've liked about how things go in Zemun, but first things first.

We've left Sarajevo around 7 AM in the morning, drove through foggy and snow covered region of Romanija which has the curviest roads since fucking ever, I don't know who arranged it like that, but it gives you one hell of an headache and if you're one poor bastard suffering from car sickness, get ready to barf, because you will. Never mind. We've approached Bosnian border around 10 AM and then the border problems fucking started and since I didn't get enough sleep and I knew I will have to deal with ATA Carnet and customs, I was really pissed off. Border police, actually, not the boarder police, but the customs officer gave me even bigger headache by moving our car here and there... park here, park there, do not park there, go behind the trucks even though we're driving in a fucking car... It's usual fucking bullshit, but when you're freezing and he sits inside of his cozy stand, commanding you and fucking you up every five minutes, it starts getting on your nerves, no matter how calm you are. Eventually, we've passed the border and went to enter Republic of Serbia at the same border we've crossed the first time we went to Serbia, to Novi Sad. Not to get too much into that, but we were stripped naked the first time we went there, our car was searched out thoroughly because we were ''suspicious''. This time, no striptease, but custom officer who doesn't get a single thing about ATA Carnet document. All in all, we've lost one hour on two borders because of moving around and people who don't know how to do their job properly and efficiently. 

Although completely mentally depleted, our mood went sky high when we entered Serbia. Apart from the shittiest road I've traveled by in a LONG, LONG time (and I've been taking that road through Serbia since 2005 when I went for the first time to Novi Sad), we've realized Serbia was heaven on that day. No fog, no snow and believe it or not, sun was shining brightly and you can't go wrong with that one. When the sun shines, everything's fine.

We've reached Belgrade in no time, actually, it was around 2 PM and we've stopped the car and asked a guy who was standing at the crosswalk to directions. Instead of explaining it to us, he jumped inside of our car, which was quite a shock which later turned into a really pleasant one since he led us right in front of the venue and then went away back on foot. He mentioned he has a brother living in Sarajevo.

Club was still closed, but the in-front drinking session has already started, with all members (except Zoran) of Atomski Rat welcoming us in Zemun; and what a welcome it was, friendly meeting with lots of beer and rakija (aka schnapps). I've remember GG Allin's song "I Wanna Fuck Myself" was playin' when we arrived. As minutes passed, more and more people arrived, amongst them other band from Novi Sad which was on the bill for Sunday, great punk band called Kalo. People brought more and more drinks so our drinkin' sessions turned out to be pretty hellish, laughing, drinking, having fun, all relaxed and awesome.

When I've entered the club for the first time for a soundcheck, the first thing I've noticed although my vision became pretty blurry due to excessive alcohol intoxication were stage monitors. Fuck, I've thought, finally a club with monitors, I'll not lose my fucking voice like every time we're playin' in Sarajevo. But that wasn't the only one pleasant surprise - main man, the guy who's doing the sound in the club, he's called Nino and he was really a great, great, great helper to all the bands, setting up sound patiently with the bands and giving useful advices. Apparently, he also played (or is playin') in awesome Serbian thrashcore band Osmi Putnik II, which helped me connect all the dots, he's the man from the underground and he knows what the bands need. So if you ever go out and want to play Serbia, I suggest club "Fest" in Zemun and Nino behind the mixingboard.

Soundcheck done and then back to drinkin'. I've managed to get my ass totally whacked when someone announced Kalo is ready to hit up the stage and then a complete shock for a guy who came from Sarajevo... EVERY SINGLE FUCKING PERSON, no matter if their drinks were finished, just opened or whatever, put down the glasses, bottles, whatever they had in hands, proceeded inside and everyone PAID their tickets. Why this is so shocking for me? See, I live in a city where there's no scene, where this band and me personally, we're complete outsiders and we just don't fit nicely with other people. That's their attitude: toward me, toward Motherpig's musical style, toward everything we represent. People here in Sarajevo, they don't support the scene; the individuals are supporting individuals, no common sense, no love and interest for music or something new. When I saw what I saw, I've felt really proud of those people who I was sharing the stage with later that night and toward everyone coming in and paying their tickets. Several times people in Sarajevo bashed me and this band saying we don't belong to Sarajevo's scene and guess what? Now I completely support those statements, we don't. We belong to other scene, other people, not geographically, regionally or whatever oriented, but to the people true to rock'n'roll! Don't get me wrong about me sayin' Sarajevo sucks. It sucks, not completely, but mainly and somehow all the people who are worth a shit in my city are being bashed in or accused by assholes of being this or being that... just because some people do some fucking hardworking shit and some just sit on their precious asses and flap their motormouths. Anyway, the majority of Sarajevo (and Bosnian, to be exact) scene sucks. But now, back to Zemun.

Kalo ripped the house apart with their punk and I've really liked what I saw and heard. Sound was awesome, messy and loud the way it should be. Nino did a great job! After Kalo, Motherpig went up, no playlist, nothing. We've plugged in and started playin' and for the fifty minutes we didn't stop and that was one of the best gigs of Motherpig if you ask me, maybe not technically or musically, but emotionally, it was a blast. I know the crowd will tell you they've loved it too and the energy was transmitted to us, they were literally recharging our energy song after song! And it was honest thing... if they didn't like something, they didn't make a mess out of it (no rude middle finger pointing nor shouting from the back where the band can't see you because stage lights are burning their eyes), but when they did, they were cheering and they were cheering and applauding hard. At a certain point during performance of our song "Insomnija", I've got so carried away by the atmosphere, I've made my body move in such an awkward way, banged my head so hard I've lost my balance and fell over my bass amp, crushing down pretty hard. Alex and Atlija went on playin', we've finished the song without bass since it got disconnected and I couldn't make it work. Nino came back rushing to a stage, working around the amp and he fixed it fast. My pedal got disconnected, but I didn't get it. Traumatized by some local gigs when bar owners are threatening the band, organizers or anyone when this stuff happens or someone in the audience make an forbidden move like starting a moshpit (yes, that also happens sometimes! - threats because of violent moshpits), I've started apologizing to Nino, but he just waved his hand and while going off the stage, he said something like "just go on, it's all part of the show." I couldn't be more grateful to the guy. For everything.

Atomski Rat went on stage as the last band of the evening and killed it with super fast hardcore! Mix of new and old songs, one dedicated to me (I've started moshing and couldn't remember when was the last time I've done it and liked it) which is a great honor. Show ended up around 8:30 PM (such a strange thing, but pretty cool) and the fun continued inside and outside the club. We even sold some CD's and we were really happy about it, and so much more stoked by the people approaching us and thanking us for coming. Even one offer to come to Zagreb, Croatia this spring which we will accept gladly if it comes to realization point. 

We went back home around 9.30 PM. Our designated driver Avdija is THE BEST FUCKING DRIVER this band ever had and you just can't fuck with her driving endurance. She took seven hour drive, went back for seven more in less than 24 hours and she only slept for 1 hour prior to our trip and guess what? No drugs, nothing, just her skills. This couldn't be done without her. She's priceless and you can't even fucking get it with Mastercard, believe me. If we ever get "We are The Road Crew" cover done, it will primarily be dedicated to her.

Came back home around 6 AM in the morning, tired as hell and happy as ever. What I've learned: maybe Motherpig does truly belong to some other scene than the local we have here in Sarajevo, because we've got more respect and love in one night from the people we've meet for the first time than in years from the people I'm meeting on almost weekly basis. Sometimes it hurts when you realize you will never be able to play your hometown with such a passion because people don't show that much of a love and respect, but I'm easily getting adjusted to our path. We've chose it, being relentless, no holds barred, merciless rock'n'roll machine that doesn't fit very well with asskissers and assholes which make around 98% (I'm being positive here) of Bosnian underground scene today. 

They've asked us if we want to come back... why wouldn't I want to go to a place where I feel more like home than in my own city?

At the end, huge thanks goes out to Zoran for organizing this one, Nino for sound stuff, Kalo and Atomski Rat guys (I just can't remember all the names, SORRY!!!) and their (now our own, too) friends, our driver Avdija, Delirium Ramona for handing me out one copy of "Mentalna Smrt" fanzine and a Agathocles tape (THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!), everyone who've bought our CD's and everyone who supported all three bands during the show, before and after it. These are the moments to be cherished forever and these are the moments mainly responsible for me writing all of this down!

WE'LL BE BACK SOON!