Back on Maui

Back on Maui.  Anyone know what day it is?  Funny how everyone here says "you're back already?" Time seems to accelerate here.  Blink and a week goes by. We arrived at baggage claim to the sound of people rejoicing Obama's victory.  From my experience overseas, I can guess that the rest of the world is quite excited as well.  People over there really don't like Bush.  It's embarassing.

 The first thing I did when I hit the island is drop in on Dave, at Milagros.  He always makes a big fat Martini and keeps me up to date on the musical events on Maui.  Good to hear that the shows he promoted were successful.  It's not easy getting people out here on the island.  Cheers Dave!!

      The second thing I did was drop into Simmer, my surf shop employer.  A 9'0 longbaord caught my eye...used to belong to Ray, who lived and surfed and sailed in Kuau, but recently passed on.  Looking forward to catching many waves with Ray's old stick!

      Maui has greeted me with 6 straight days of wind and waves.  It was exactly what I needed after a somewhat sedentary lifestyle on the road. Unbelievably, I'm in bed by 10pm....still on euro time perhaps.  We'll see how long that lasts...

I picked up a waterproof digital camera.  As soon as i figure it out, I will be sharing some action video soon!  

When you're out on the road, it is important to be with the right people.  One couldn't ask for a greater bunch of guys to tour with....Mick, Rick, Lenny (aka Sammy), Bill, Blaine, Dennis (aka Deano), Kris, Frank, Fraggle, Tom, Todd,  JT, Matt, Adam, and Hano (Chef d'excellent).  This one goes out to you all for making this the best experience possible (even when it's not that great!) See you on the next one....

Newcastle upon Tyne

It snowed on the way to Newcastle from Liverpool.  Not much, but enough to stick to the grass.  The journey across Britain's heartland took about 3 hours.  We were alll quite pleased to check into our styly Hotel located right downtown !  Newcastle, home to a university, is a happening little town.  we were fortunate to spend a day off there, taking in the sights and digging the vibe.  Its full name, Newcastle upon Tyne, indicates its positon along the banks of the river Tyne, which links it to the North Sea.  One of the central features is a castle which has been defended for centuries. The city was once surrounded by a wall with the castle at its center.  The castle dates back t the 12th century during the reign of Henry II.  Before that, there is evidence of a Roman settlement there around the time of Hadrian.  No shortage of history here.

The show was a success.  The venue was called City Hall.  About 700 people attended.  We signed cd's and met the folks.  The accent gets thicker as you move north.  after the gig, explored the  nightlife around the hotel.  There were many bars and nightclubs frequented by the local "hipster" types.  There was live music as well as DJ's.  The next night we spent at a pub across the street listening to a trio of bass, guitar and vocals.  The played some standards, bossa nova and Blues.  The singer's name was Sarah.  She is from Ireland and sang beautifully.  Surprisingly, we didn't find Newcastle Brown ale on tap, so we opted for Duvel, a Belgian beer with quite a kick.  Good fun.  Nothing that a bowl of porridge and an Earl Grey tea couldn't fix the next day!   

The castle offered a good perspective on the town and its surroundings and history.


Some chaps were playing funky jazz in this outdoor mall.  Brrrrr!

Liverpool

I took a few things away from my experience in Liverpool.  One, is that Blues music speaks universally across a wide social strata.  Secondly, it occurred to me that  idolatry has its seamy underside.  And lastly,  that the music you want to write is  all around you.  

Blues music makes people feel good.  It's direct.  It's naked.   It doesn't aspire to be intellectual, yet is wise.  It's relevant to peoples lives and that is the real reason that it is considered by some to be America's original art form.  "Keep it Greasy, Baby!" 

       Lenny, Bill and I took a Fab Four taxi around Liverpool.  It cost 45 pounds total and took about 2.5 hrs.  Terry took us in his little black taxi to a the birthplaces of the Beatles, the home of Brian Epstein, the church where John and Pal met, The barber shop on Penny Lane...it was classic!  We listened to the songs as we saw the sights which inspired them.  

http://www.ajdale.com/TAXIROOT/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

However, 

It reminded me of a poem by Jack Kerouac:

I’d rather be thin than famous,
I don’t wanna be fat.
And a woman throws me outta bed, callin me Gordo,
and every time I bend to pickup my suspenders from the davenport floor
I explode loud, huge grunt-o and disgust everyone in the familio.
I’d rather be thin than famous,
but I’m fat.
Paste that in your Broadway show.

Jack Kerouac

    At the end of the day, we're all the same.  Regrettable that fame becomes a self-imposed prison for some. Assured that someone will be there to capitalize.  That's the business. And so it goes. 

Keep it Greasy, Lads!"

Frosty in the UK

Frosty morning in the UK.  At last a day of rest.  While the others went off to see Stonehenge, an ancient pile of rocks, I opted for a quiet day of blogging and jogging.  As I made my way through the English countryside, I had visions of men on horseback, knights and knaves, all that Robin Hood imagery.  As a young lad, I had been drawn to the works of Sir Walter Scott; fuel for the imagination.  I also took care to watch for traffic coming at me "from the right."  From what I can gather, the English way of driving stems from those days on horseback.  When one encounters a foe on the road, it is to one's advantage to be on the left as they approach so as to engage the enemy wth the sword in the right hand.  Thus, it was explained to me that the circular stairways always descend counter clockwise in order that one may defend his castle.  Doesn't say much for the Lefties. (myself included).  As I jogged along, I came upon a small herd of deer, some rabbits, and a random dog.  No jousting required!!!                                            

My comrades found what  they had sought, but I was content to remain out of the van for a moment.  Off to Liverpool!!

No Pressure

      Canterbury, the destination of millions of pilgrims for centuries on end.  This place has so much history it's mind-numbing.  Our visit coincided with an October festival, per usual.  We played at the Marlowe theater to a full house which included the lovely Christine McVie. (No pressure).  She sat behind the sound board and coaxed Dennis for "more piano." We keyboardists have to stick together. I met her briefly backstage.  Very charming. Peter Green was due to attend, but had family matters.. Hope to see him on this tour. After all, we are honoring his music. (no pressure).  We had some time to kill before sound check so we set out to discover this town located in the "Garden of England," County Kent.  There was a film crew at the gig (no pressure). I hope to have a copy soon.  Here's some photos. There's the Cathedral.  On my way in, the wind blew my hat off as if to say, "Please take your hat off, Sir."

                                                                                                 

                                                                                          Looking up @ the Cathedral
Our tour manager Bill Pie' @ the "Pie" House

 After each gig, we have a meet and greet autographing session.  Our new cd is called "Blue Again."  As of this post, we are #45 ON THE UK CHARTS!!!!!!

The fact that I am sharing the stage, the cd, and signing autographs alongside such a wonderful group of musicians, Mick, Rick, and Lenny, fills me with tremendous gratitiude. Thanks to Blaine, Dennis, Frank,  Fraggle, Kris, Bill, Adam, Matt, for making my life easy...you rock!!!!!

6 more to go!!!

Rockin' the UK

Our merry travelers arrive in the UK.   After locating our ground transport, we set off in a van (r.h. drive) toward the town of Peterborough, a few hours north of London.  On the way in, I managed to snap off a photo of the Thames river and London Bridge from the plane.  I prefer window seats for that reason.  Plus, when I get situated on a plane, I don't like to move for anything.  I'm like a rock.  It bewilders people that I can hang for an eight-hour flight and barely leave my seat.   


Here we are, cruising down the "wrong side" of the highway, it's getting dark and we are all hungry.  Many people have said that the UK is best noted for bad food, but I am here to refute that claim.  With the help of Bill's (tour manager) Iphone and google, we happen upon this old inn just off the highway caaled the White Hart.  Built sometime in the 1700's perhaps, this place turns out to be one of the highlights of the entire trip.  More serendipity.  This place was like a portal...a nexus.  An oasis for the weary traveler.  I ordered the "pie of the day" which was steak and potato shepherds pie and it was delicious!  The caesar salad was top notch..lots of parmesan and real anchovies.  The wine we ordered was an Australian merlot/cab called "Blue Cutting Road." For dessert an Apple Crumble with ice cream and custard.  It was so good I had to take a photo.  The house music was playing old Beatles tunes. How apropo!  As we dined we talked about the upcoming shows and what to expect.  Mick mentions that his friend and bandmate Christine McVie will be attending the Canterbury show and I kid you not, as soon as her name is mentioned, the song "You Make Loving Fun" comes on the radio.  A moment of disbelief and then we acknowledge that we are in the "zone."  We finish our meal, take photos with our lovely waitresses, Ela and Natalie (they were starstruck) and on the way out, this gentlemen at the bar stops Mick and they embark on a conversation which reveals that he knows Mick's sister, brings up the topic of Colin Blunstone (the Zombies) and this really trips us out.  We had just been talking about this stuff! Weird.  I can't even describe fully how synchronous all this was.  Right place, right time.  Maybe just dumb luck, nonetheless, worthy of acknowledgement.

Mick reminisces with the fellow at the bar......

!

A few more miles down the road and we arrive at our hotel.  Chat it up in the lobby lounge. And retire for the night.  The gig in Petersborough was at The Broadway Theater. A venue which holds 1200.  We only had bout half that, but the crowd was responsive and the acoustics superb.  The theater had a

We are happy to welcome our caterer, Hano, to this leg of the tour. He's from Germany and is a great chef.  We can always look forward to a good hot meal before sound check. Cheers Hano!

cool retro 70's decor.  

Light Reading for the Road

Two nights in Denmark, now back to Germany for two more shows.  We gathered up what was left of our brain cells and headed south.  Our first destination is the Park Hotel in Bremen.  On my way out the door on Maui I randomly grabbed some reading material for the flight. Honestly, I really didn't remember what this novel was about, I simply remembered that I wanted to check out Kurt Vonnegut.  He passed recently.  At any rate, for those who aren't familiar, the book speaks about the atrocities of war, mankind's worst manifestation, and namely the fire-bombing of Dresden toward the and of WWII.  "nice light-reading for the road"

I thought the book was well-written. A mixture of prose and historical fact.  His dark humor provides a sound vehicle for what is a pretty heavy topic. And so it goes.....

The park hotel was just outside the center of Bremen, so I decided to hire a Bicycle for and hour (4 euros) and set out on my own adventure into another unfamiliar city.  In typical fashion, I immmediately headed in the wrong direction, asked a nice fellow, got set straight and hit the town.  There was an October celebration going on (per usual) and there were folks out enoying this brisk fall day.  Biking is the way to go.  Just follow someone who seems to know where they are going and pay attention to the seperate bike traffic lights.  People are really aware (at least in this town) of where the bikers are. Perhaps I stood out a bit with my Hawaii sweatshirt and ski cap.  I parked old #13 near the center, walked around for a bit, ate a bratwurst, drank a Beck's and headed back to the hotel (w/directions!) and made it to the awaiting van and my comrades.

The cathedral in Bremen.