So I'm back in the states. I have plenty to write about but currently not the will to do so (jet lag is a bitch). In the meantime, check this out:

Full amsterdam set

One of our best sets of the tour, with a packed room of 300.

Another day off

Since my last posting, I have played shows in Bern, Zurich, Vevey, Leipzig, Berlin, and Copenhagen. Today I have nothing to do, and it is wonderful. We are currently staying at the home of our booking agent Dennis in Berlin, who always seems to come through with places to stay for our off days, certainly a worry before the tour started.

At any rate, while it would be hard and take forever to give a detailed account of the past week, I can certainly give a few highlights.

Switzerland was a good time, for sure. On our final day in Bern we took a short trip to the nearby city of Fribourg. Although only about 20Km away from the solidly German-speaking Bern, Fribourg is primarily French-speaking, with all of the signs printed in French (although frequently with German printed below). Fribourg is a ridiculously picturesque town, located on a hill surrounded by a river on 3 sides, with tall bluffs overlooking it. The centerpiece of the town is a huge gothic cathedral, the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, in the heart of the old part of the city. Basically, we spent our time there checking out the cathedral (open to the public) and then walking down into the river valley. If you ever come within 100 miles of Fribourg I strongly suggest you take the time to visit it. I can promise you won't regret it.

After Fribourg, we went back to Bern to play a show in the restaurant below the venue. Not too many folks listened much, but we got a free meal out of it and managed to sell a few CDs. Not bad for an hour's work, especially since the food was top-notch.

The next day we headed to Zurich. The venue was excellent, there was a good crowd, and afterwards we went out dancing at a hot (judging from the line to get in) Zurich night club. Fortunately we were accompanied by someone who knew the Zurich club scene and were able to bypass the line and get in for free. Definitely a good time.

After Zurich we drove to the town of Vevey, located on the North shore of Lake Geneva. Unfortunately it was a hazy day, so we never got a very good look at the mountains on the drive in, despite the fact that we were basically driving through them. At Vevey we played at a large venue, again with excellent sound. The band that opened for us was absolutely fantastic, and seemed to bring the majority of the crowd. Fortunately they stuck around, so we had some listeners, although unfortunately the crowd was somewhat dwarfed by the size of the venue. That said, we were treated very well, and it's always good to hear awesome bands over here. Plus, the next morning the haze had lifted and we came out of the hostel where we were staying to a full panoramic view of the snow-covered alps. Quite a sight to wake up to.

The next stop on our tour was Leipzig, about a 9-hour drive from Vevey. We were all beat by the time we got to the show, and none of us had slept more than 5 hours the past 2 nights. Plus, at first it seemed like no one was going to show, and the promoter had told us that it could be a thin crowd, as it was a Sunday night. That said, we ended up having a great time. A bunch of people came in right as we were getting set up and the place ended up being reasonably full. They were also quite an enthusiastic crowd, some even singing along with our songs. After the show we stuck around at the venue, dancing and drinking until about 4 in the morning.

After Leipzig we headed to Berlin, fortunately only about 2 hours away. Our booking agent was there, of course, and also two singer-songwriters we had played with during the course of the tour. The sound guy was drunk and incompetent, and it was frustrating, and definitely the worst sound of the tour, but c'est la vie. The sound overall has been excellent this tour, with only two shows with lousy sound, so I can't really complain.

Lastly, we went to Copenhagen. It was about 6 hours away via a ferry from north Germany, or about 7 hours driving all the way around, up through the peninsula and across the islands of Fyn and Sjaelland. Not having much of an idea what the ferry would cost, nor the schedule, and on the advice of our booking agent, we drove the long way. And for the record, Denmark smells of pig. Every 10 minutes or so the smell of pig manure would be almost overwhelming. Admittedly, it is the time of year where such things are spread on fields, but wow. At any rate, after a long and tiring day (in which Emanuel shattered one of the side mirrors on our van by driving too close to a construction barrier, although fortunately just the glass part) we reached Copenhagen.

The venue was a bitch to find. It was located in the middle of the neighborhood Christiania (recommended reading, the history of this place is fascinating). Basically, it's a largely illegal area of Copenhagen where people go to find marijuana and just hang out, but also a big tourist attraction, which largely explains why it still exists despite opposition from the current government (apparently the previous administration was not as opposed to the area). At any rate, the venue was a cool place with great sound. The crowd was relatively small but again enthusiastic, and the neighborhood was great fun to check out.

The following day we returned to Berlin via the ferry after finding out we spent nearly as much in gas an tolls as it cost to take it. Our driver has a cousin in Rostock (the town where the ferry arrived) who knows a lot about foreign cars and knew exactly where to send us to get our mirror fixed. And now I'm in Berlin.

Tomorrow is Hamburg, the day after Dresden, and finally Amsterdam. We're all keeping a close eye on the volcano situation, and hoping we have a flight home on the 26th.

Chillin'

So here I am in Bern. Yesterday I did . . . nothing. And it was glorious. "You're in Bern; what the fuck are you doing sitting around on your ass??" one might well ask. Well, to that I might reply: YOU try playing a show in a different city every night for 13 nights in a row, and see what you do when you finally get a day to literally do nothing.

Now that that's out of the way. Tonight is the first night of a 6-show stretch. Basically, we agreed to play in the restaurant downstairs for a meal and tips, and the opportunity to sell some CDs. Nothing better to do, really, and the show isn't until 10 PM so we still have the whole day to do some things. Tomorrow we play Zurich, and the day after in the city of Vevey, both two of our biggest guarantees of the tour and apparently in large, nice venues. Plus, they are putting us up in hotels. Basically, we get to live like rockstars for two shows. Should be fun.

After the 3 Swiss shows we head back to Germany for shows in Leipzig and Berlin, then up to Copenhagen. After Copenhagen we have 2 days off again in Berlin, where our booking agent has agreed to put us up for 2 nights. Then 2 more shows in Germany, a show in Amsterdam, and home. As much fun as this tour has been so far, I look forward to having my own room again, although as of yet I have no idea where that room will be . . .

Time off

So at last a break in our hectic touring schedule. We have arrived today in Bern, Switzerland, at a place arranged by our booking agent. Basically we will be staying in a room located above a venue in a somewhat shady building in a strange neighborhood under a large bridge. The building is completely covered with graffiti, so there are some worries that our van might get tagged as well, but really we don't have options so it's a risk we'll have to take. The room itself is quite comfy, with couches and tables and space for 12 people to sleep. And all for 100 euros for 3 days. Quite a bargain, really, in a country where accommodations are quite expensive. I'm looking forward to some downtime, at long last.

Yesterday we spent a good bit of the day driving through the Black Forest. We thought it would help to set the GPS to give us the shortest route through the forest between Reutlingen and Freiburg, since the typical route takes you around. For the record, the GPS takes the words "shortest route" VERY seriously, and after some time we found ourselves on some one-lane farm roads. Eventually it started trying to get us to take dirt paths through the hills, at which point we reset it to shortest time, backtracked a ways, and got on the highway. In the meantime we saw some beautiful towns with names like Fischbach, castles on hillsides, old churches, and some fantastic views. It actually snowed for a bit as in its upper reaches the Black Forest gets quite high, and there was still snow on the ground in a number of places. Overall a very enjoyable little trip.

When we arrived in Freiburg our first experience was a bit of a letdown. We found out that we had to pay for our own lodging, and the hotel booked for us was pricier by a good bit than we would have liked (although quite cheap for that part of the country). We could have stayed across the border in France for a good bit cheaper, but we just decided to stick with it. Then we went to the venue. We had heard that the venue was taking the first 90 euros from the door, and that we would get 100% of everything after that. After the cost of the hotel, at the proposed 6 euro cover charge, we would have needed to bring 45 people just to break even on the show, a feat we were not likely at all to achieve on a Sunday night. Fortunately, it turned out there had been a misunderstanding, and the venue owner told us we could keep all of the door. Plus he said we could set the cover at whatever we wanted, so we put it at 8 Euro after consulting a few locals, who said that was a standard cover charge in Freiburg.

The owner warned us that the crowd would likely not be very large, so we had very low expectations. Basically, we were quite prepared to lose a bit of money on this show. However, about 35 people showed up, and again about half of them walked away with a CD. We made almost 440 euros. Quite a good night, when all was said and done. Would have done better, but the owner suddenly started insisting on taking a small cut, which, after making as much as we did, we weren't prepared to fight over. That said, he was a shady character. We all agreed that the next time we come to Germany we'll be avoiding that place.

The next morning, we still hadn't yet been told where to go by our booking agent, so we started checking out cheap places in Alsace where we might be able to stay for a few days if needed. We then walked through the old part of Freiburg. And let me say, what an absolutely beautiful town. The town is centered around an ancient gothic cathedral, with cobblestone streets and trams everywhere. It was a bit of a tourist trap, but well worth seeing. We went to an excellent cafe recommended by friends of our German driver, then received the call from our booking agent that we had a place to stay in Bern. So here we are, and here we'll be for a few days. Finally, some steady internet access.

I heart Germany

Two more German shows. Yesterday was in the town of Offenbach, basically a suburb of Frankfurt. It was a weird show. Basically, we had a lighting guy who thought it would be a good idea to keep us musicians almost entirely in the dark the entire show and just put a light on Emanuel. Second, the audience was . . . disturbingly quiet. They applauded politely between all of the songs, and I know I'm not the only one in the band who was wondering whether or not they even liked it. An audience in America applauding like that definitely is bored. Plus, it was a reasonably small crowd, maybe 40 or so. However, we finish our last song and, just like Karlsruhe, they wouldn't let us leave. We played our encore and they wouldn't stop, so again Liz sang her irish tune, as again we were out of material. Another very solid merch night as well.

Last night we played in the town of Reutlingen, where I am writing from currently. This was a big show called the "Burning Eagle Festival", as our booking agent calls his company Burning Eagle Booking. There was at least 150 people in the crowd, and they went wild after every song. It was a strict set this time, so we shortened it a little, figuring we MIGHT get time for one encore. Again the audience went nuts at the end of the set, and again after our first encore, so we played a second. It was awesome, definitely our most energetic set of the tour (it's much easier when playing in front of a large, screaming crowd). By far our best merch night of the tour to date, close to 300 euros worth of CDs sold. Afterwards we hung out drinking with the other bands.

Today we drive through the black forest and play a show in Freiburg tonight. And then . . . 3 days off, maybe a show of some sort, but our booking agent is apparently working on some free accommodations in Switzerland. The French shows it turns out were WAY too far apart distance-wise and would have cost far more in gas than they would have paid in guarantees, so we're just going to hang out in the alps for 3 days. Damn, what a terrible thing . . .

Karlsruhe

Emanuel was still not feeling so well today. So we slept in, and then spent a bit of time buying some nice Parisian food (where else am I going to get a salmon quiche for breakfast?). We somehow managed to completely lose track of time and didn't end up heading out of Paris until about 2:30. Karlsruhe, it turned out, was quite a distance away. We left at 2:30 and didn't get in until about 9 PM, given that we needed to stop for lunch, gas, and of course the mandatory Parisian traffic jam (or so we heard). The schedule said that we were supposed to arrive around 6ish, but thankfully the venue didn't really care. They said that their clientèle was used to bands showing up late, and sure enough by the time our set started the room had about 35 people or so, which actually made it feel quite full.

Anyways, since Eman was sick, he couldn't sing at full strength. That, and the room was small and the sound system not so big. So we figure our best bet was to play an acoustic set, with mics on all the instruments, no backing tracks, acoustic guitar, and brushes on the drums. This turned out to work marvelously well, and the crowd really loved it, even those who know how we are supposed to sound normally (ie much louder). It turned out to be a very successful set. For instance, in Middlesbrough we had a crowd of over 100 and managed to sell 180 pounds worth of merchandise. In Karlsruhe we had about 35 and sold 165 euros worth. A very good night, for sure. They wouldn't let us leave the stage, so Emanuel had me play some Bach, and had Liz, our violinist, sing an Irish tune. All in all a fantastic evening. A perfect pick-me-up after the disaster that was Paris.

Day 11

Hello from Paris.

Yes, Paris.

The crepes here are magnificent.

Anyways, it's been a few days since my last post, and in that time I've been to the following cities: Manchester, Duisberg (Germany), Brussels, Antwerp, and then Paris.

The Manchester show was iffy. We basically drove 5 hours to play for a crowd of durnken Brits who didn't seem terribly interested in the music (they were the only crowd who didn't cheer long enough to warrant an encore). That being said, the guy who booked us there really liked us and seems interested in getting us back for some bigger shows that he books, so it wasn't a total loss. After the show we drove to a small town near Dover to stay for the night. It was a 4 and a half hour drive or so, so we didn't get in until about 5AM. The next day in England was supposed to be a heavy travel day, so we didn't want to risk missing our ferry.

So the next day we went to Dover for our 12PM ferry. Dover looks incredible, with the white cliffs towering overhead as you drive into town. Since we arrived early, getting through customs and ticketing was literally no problem whatsoever. And if I may say so, we were all quite happy to get the heck out of England. The people were great and very hospitable, and we ate very well there. Plus, I discovered that in the majority of their truck stops England has this wonderful little to-go grocery chain called M&S. It has excellent sandwiches and salads, fresh fruit, and deserts, all organic/free-range and for very reasonable prices. If America had something comparable I'm sure it would do very well; sure beats the hell out of McDonalds. But anyways, we were happy to leave England, and as we were pulling away from the coast I could see why. This dark cloud bank literally stretched as far as the eye could see, and stopped right at the coast. It was . . . vaguely creepy.

So we arrived in Calais and drove to Duisberg, about another 5 hours drive, near the city of Essen. Having left England we all felt better about life, despite the large amount of sleep deprivation. And I finally got my first taste of good German beer in Germany, and might i say it was worth the wait. Plus, the venue fed us dinner (and a lot of free German beer), found us a place to sleep, AND fed us breakfast in the morning, along with the fee they paid, so it worked out great for us. Plus the sound was excellent, the crowd friendly, and we sold a reasonable amount of CDs.

After Duisberg we went to Brussels to play in what our booker told us would be the best venue of the tour, and having played there I believe it. It was a huge, professional stage, and they treated us like rock stars, with a fully stocked green room and an excellent meal, and paid us 750 euros, one of our biggest guarantees of the tour. The crowd was tiny when we first looked out, but had grown to about 60 by the time we went on. They also bought a lot of our stuff, especially this family from Atlanta who had been looking for something to do while on Spring Break. The city itself, however, was a bit sketchy. There were signs everywhere warning of pickpockets, and our cameraman/driver Maik was actually attacked. The venue we were playing at was called Botanique, and it was actually a public garden with several venues inside (we assumed they were able to give us such a large guarantee because of government funding). So Maik was outside taking pictures of the garden, when he was approached by a group of men from North Africa. In his words, one of the men came up to him angrily demanding to see the camera, to make sure he was not in any of the pictures (they were large panoramic shots, so of course quite a few people were in the pictures, at least at a distance). Apparently the man then began hitting him and grabbing at the camera. Fortunately Maik is trained in Aikido, so was able to pretty much shrug off the attacks. He pulled out his cell phone and told them he was calling the police, at which point everyone scattered. The police didn't seem perturbed and even asked if his attacker was north african, and never bothered to show, since nothing had been taken and no one hurt. I guess this sort of thing is not uncommon in Brussels? After the show we went to Antwerp to spend the night, and we ended up staying up way too late drinking Belgian beer.

Yesterday we drove to Paris. Despite staying up so late the night before, we wanted to head out early so that we could at least see some of the city before the show. This perhaps was not the best of ideas, as Emanuel (and the rest of us) have all been coming down with a light cold. Not a problem for us, but definitely a problem for Emanuel, as he has to sing. At any rate, when we got to Paris we decided our best bet was to head to Sacre Couer, since, being on a hill, it promised the best views of the city, as well as being a gorgeous landmark in its own right. After Sacre Couer, we went back to the venue and did our soundcheck, at which point they fed us a small dinner. Afterwards, Emanuel went to take a nap while the rest of us went Crepe hunting. We managed to find a sign that said "Indian and Creperie"; we were all skeptical, but beggars can't be choosers (it was the only mention of crepes we had seen), so we went to check it out. The crepes turned out to be incredible (according to Gil the bass player, MUCH better than the ones at the tourist trap Sacre Couer). So now i have had an authentic Parisian crepe.

At this point we returned to the venue, and discovered Emanuel in poor shape, his voice largely gone. The show was then by far the worst set of the tour; the crowd was small (most had come to see the band before and then left when they were done), but that was a good thing, as Emanuel didn't have much of a voice, I had a spotlight in my eyes and couldn't see the music (thus playing the entire set from memory), and all of us had difficulties figuring out how to play given the voice issue. So yeah it was a pretty bad set and we were happy when it was over, but such things happen. We then went back to our host's flat, where we spent 30 minutes or so finding a parking spot.

I can't wait to get back to Germany tonight. We are planning on taking it easy at the show, maybe scaling back a few songs, and hopefully Emanuel will be better in a couple days. Tonight is Karlsruhe, Germany. It's 12 here and we have about 5 hours to drive, but we all needed the sleep. It's guaranteed we'll be quite late at this point, but the other venues we have played at haven't really cared much (or in some cases taken it for granted when we were late), so whatever.

A few days later.

So the past couple days have been fun. After Hull we traveled to a city called Middlesbrough, a small town just north of the moors. We took our sweet time getting there, driving through said moors and eventually ended up in a town called Whitby, right on the coast. The main attraction in Whitby is an ancient abbey and cemetery, right on some cliffs overlooking the ocean, which was incredible to see. After that we went to the venue, which was a social club rented out by a guy for the night, a regular series put on to bring bands to the town. The crowd was big (about 1oo) and drunk, so it was a great time. We managed to sell 180 in merchandise, so not only a fun night but a really nice bonus. The venue also treated us really well, feeding us a decent meal and put us up in a hotel. After the show we killed a bottle of scotch and passed out at around 4AM.

It was also notably April 1st, which of course means April Fools pranks. They got me. Emanuel pretended to get a call from our booking agent, and acted as if the British customs agents were upset that I hadn't declared my cello when entering the country and had preemptively cancelled our shows, and that we had to cancel the tour. In retrospect it was definitely not believable, but at the time it seemed somewhat credible. The best came later that night. We called our label owner, telling him that Emanuel had been arrested on suspicion of drug possession, and that we needed $5000 to bail him out. He bought it completely.

After Middlesbrough we drove to Bradford, about 2 hours away. It was an uneventful trip, just 2 hours or so, and the show itself was in a beautiful old theater with excellent sound. We didn't sell as many CDs, but apparently 70 people were there, so that's always good. Afterwards we lost Emanuel, but that was fine, we found him again the next day.

Now we're in Guildford, just south of London. Hope the show goes well.