August 26th, 2010
New Ends
This was a quick 2-week run, but for some reason – not tedium, mind you – it seemed like six weeks. Perception of time is apparently elastic (or is time itself elastic?). Einstein thought so, anyway. Ireland and Scotland are always a hoot, and Belgium showed a lot of love to be sure. Our London show was surreal and ethereal, with a heaviness that only comes when you play in an old-ass stone cavernous sacred space like the one we did.
ALSO, regarding Galway, Ireland - if you are there go to Cava, a Spanish tapas restaurant (yeah, right? Ireland?) and order the 10-day-to-prepare confit of pork belly. Three words, people: last meal menu. Mark & I like it so much we went back the next day & ordered it again.
HASSELT
This is Karl, from Hasselt, Belgium.
My TM Keith (left) and I were walking around Hasselt after the Pukkelpop show (same night as those two tragic deaths, btw) looking for a pint, and I noticed all the St. Mary-themed iconography all over. I stopped to snap a shrine and this guy comes rolling up on us asking in Flemish what we’re doing – when he discovered we were foreign & spoke English he got excited, & promptly clued us in on the city’s Festival of the Virgin that was happening (once every seven years), and demanded that we come see his home around the corner where he had a nice shrine in the courtyard. Then he invited us to have some beer at a temporary family “cafe” that had been set up in a former art-supply store, full of his family and family friends.
Our intent was to grab a quick beer and return to the hotel but it turned into a great time, full of laughter and storytelling, and we accidentally got kind of hammered on Leffe. Totally unexpected. This is why I travel. Perusing architecture is fine, but hanging out with your friends for a living and making new relations is a gift.
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I’m looking forward now to some American football and some food experimentation back in the NOLA, and to start paying back the generosity and warmth shown me by my friends in early August. Boarding the plane in 9 hours, with anticipation in my heart.
August 21st, 2010
some gigs are surreal
Soundcheck at Union Chapel, London 8/10
I played here a while back with Greg & Mark as Gutter Twins but neglected to take any damn photos. Those who know me are not surprised at this, I am absent-minded frequently.
August 9th, 2010
god i love this town
…Check cashing, ya-ka-mein (??), BoostMobile phones, oyster, crawfish. po-boys, breakfast, beer… New Orleanians have elevated “full service” to a whole other plane.
MVP
July 7th, 2010
the perfect storm
Last night in Brisbane was a perfect combination – of shitty circumstances.
We both got sick in New Zealand (hey, it’s SUMMER where we live!) and Mark was fighting to not lose his voice, my guitar broke a tuner set-screw so the hi “E” string was detuning by a flat third (!!!) and then my backup guitar was having bridge issues, so wouldn’t stay in tune… argh. I’m hacking up enough oysters to repopulate what BP murdered.
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Tonite is Melbourne, and though I’m feeling confident, we’re both on tons of herbs & sudafed. Fingers crossed.
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¡Update!
i believe we’ve redeemed ourselves, my gtr sitch is back on course & ML sounded great tonite. Onward & outward (my gut, that is).
July 4th, 2010
Cockland
OK, I wrote this rant, then took it down, then thought “What the hell – people need to educate themselves how to act in public if their parents didn’t” , and edited it until it is a bit clearer . I’m going to try to make a point here, in a way that doesn’t make me seem unduly spoiled or angry, because I’m not spoiled or really angry. Also, I’m grateful to be able to perform music and get paid, and play for people that actually give a shit and listen. I just happen to have a website, so I can rant once or twice a year between posting fotos of weird old men on the street or stupid misspelled signs on restaurants, etc.
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An intimate performance is a two-way interaction between the performer and the audience. If either party breaks the implied social contract, it all falls apart. Also, I say this not because I’m hurt (there will be other shows for me at least), but because I know as an audience member I’d have been sorely pissed-off at the situation the other night. This is what leads me to say the following, after experiencing this situation more than a few times in the last year…
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Our Auckland, NZ gig had all the makings of a great show – a sold out venue, empathetic and talented sound engineer (seriously, best sound of this leg of the tour so far as far as I’m concerned), comfortable stage (a hot room, but that’s because it was SOLD OUT), and an awesome, loving crowd – but there had to be ONE GUY right up front yelling the whole time, ruining any chance of setting an atmosphere.
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Like Michael Jackson in “This Is Is”, i say this ‘with love’ (L.O.V.E.), what is your fucking problem? You vociferously claimed to be some kind of “biggest fan”, you even got there early so you could get a spot right in front of the stage, then proceeded to yell (YELL!) off-key through every quiet song like you were in your bedroom with headphones on, especially between phrases or in silent spots – oblivious to the hundreds of other people in the room trying to hear, THEN had the gall to yakety-yak with your buddy and girlfriend the rest of the time - loudly. It was quieter at the damned World Cup.
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Everyone in the room hated you. The only reason nobody booted you or called you out as a goon was that they had too much class to ruin the vibe, the way you ruined it for me… singing along out of key at the top of your lungs so everyone within 30 feet who paid good money to see (and hear) a show heard your shitty caterwauling instead of the singer on the stage (at the QUIET ACOUSTIC MUSIC SHOW, hello?). That made it really difficult to concentrate, or sing in time & on key. Thusly fucking up my/our vibe and preventing the performers from giving other people what they paid for.
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Again (with L.O.V.E.), I know you love Mark (we heard you yell it, 30 times), but sometimes you gotta shut the fuck up – it ain’t a pub show with your buddy on a stool playing Margaritaville. And being lit ain’t an excuse, that was just you being more you. Now get in your Camaro and go home and learn how to be a professional public citizen. What you did was the equivalent of farting in someone’s face who booked a fancy dinner reservation weeks in advance and sat down to an expensive meal.
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OK, I’m done – I don’t expect (rock) shows to be like going to see Picasso at the Met or being in a library, all hush-hush, but respect the other people who also dig the music. I don’t come jump in front of your TV & block the view when you’re trying to watch Jersey Shore.
With love
Dave
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PS
Other than that, I really enjoyed the show.
PPS
Nothing against people that own Camaros, or New Zealanders. There are plenty of louts all over the globe who should also read this. Agreed?
PPPS
I found out today that the guy was causing some row with our tour manager after the show, so much that security threw him out literally on his ass (he fell and landed on his ass). So justice was served, with a side order of charity (in the form of our TM not bashing his skull in).
…thkr
June 30th, 2010
santiago was a sausage party
…but a great time.
Many thanks to Ben & Eugenio for toting us around, to Aldo, Sam and Las Ganjas for the BBQ hospitality and Oliver, Daniela & all at the Algo Records studio for the welcoming friendship. They made Santiago feel like more than just another city, and I cannot wait to return.
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