TOUR BLOW BY BLOW PT. 1
Paris, 12/7
There is a review in French on http://www.xsilence.net/concert-413.htm but the tour kicked off with a very quiet, Ken Stringfellow-style bang at Le Reservoir, which is a lovely cabaret just 10 minutes walk from my home in Paris. I had just mastered my recovery from jet lag and Mexican environmental concerns (read: intestinal flora) enough to feel solid. Cristina Dona opened, who more than ably commands a room with her acoustic guitar, extremely versatile voice, and ‘special trumpet’ as she calls it. I came onstage, and performed my music for the first time since playing at the Hotel Café in LA four months previous, save for a couple of brief radio appearances here and there which have nothing to do with preparing to play a full length concert in front of a paying audience. But, I managed, and not only managed, but rose to the occasion. Jet lag helps soften the edges of reality, it’s like having one shot of stiff whiskey in your blood at all times…but, as far as I know it doesn’t make you fat or talk too loudly in public.
London, 12/8
Many friendly and well-loved faces were seen in my brief visit to London, although, an intense promotion schedule meant I didn’t really see my friends (hint: if you want to spend an hour with me when I’m in town, and have the tab at Nero’s Coffee picked up, create a fanzine and schedule an interview!) Highlights included playing ‘Airscape’ with Robyn Hitchcock (which I had done 3 years previous at Dingwall’s, but, due to the generous rider provided that evening, don’t remember much of!!), a fairly mangled version of ‘For Your Sake’ (only the second time I’ve performed it in public), and a fantastic, friendly and attentive audience. A few football hooligans in the back that did random cheering for some sports highlight or other (starting at about 10:45 so what was on? Australian rules, I suppose)—I wouldn’t have been surprised to see them doing the Wave in the back bar. Immediately following the set I was whisked (but not whiskied) off to the BBC for a live performance and interview, and then I made it back to my dear friend Sue Perior’s flat to do the books and hit the hay. Much love.
Glasgow, 12/9
That’s right, I am on a one-show-per-day program, this is bringing it to the people in a relentless style (and my style is relentless). Glasgow was a bit subdued, and of course the Pantera incident gave much pause for reflection. What the..? Anyway, the people were given to much enjoyment of the show, I played it a bit shy, but, judging from the thick packet of Scottish Pound notes I left with, we connected enough that most folks were curious about the contents of Soft Commands. Eugene Kelly (whose presumably brilliant LP must be out there somewhere) was ever-representin’. I affixed a pin button to my tie from the Hazey Janes. Alice, to be exact.
Amsterdam 12/10
Friday night rowdies threatened to chatter the show to death from the back row, but the majority of the folks packed into the upstairs room at the Paradiso were there for the church service, and I did provide in kind once I got my bearings. A controversy was created by my use of ancient Germanic curses that I levied at the disruptive members of the crowd, evidently the old Dutch phrase “Fokk Alf” had been long-suppressed and aroused quite a stir with the recipients, judging from the lectures I got that night at the bar. But still, ‘Moon River’ was done for the second Amsterdam appearance in a row and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ was totally circumvented, so all was well.
Rotterdam 12/11
Saturday night rowdies—and yet, a great, great, warm hearted and fun night. Cristina Dona was back in the mix, which definitely adds a level of quality and sophistication to the proceedings, and at the very least prepares the audience to deal with an acoustic evening, even in their local on get-bent-eve. Didn’t Napoleon bet Ghent, Steve? But the Rotown club feels at times like a speakeasy, at times like a rave cavern (the raw plywood walls), at times like Times Square on New Year’s NotRockin’ Eve. It got very crowded after my set with regulars danzing to Franz Ferdinand, which gave me an opportunity to mingle…I got back to the hotel (luckily across the street) at 2am and had to get up at 4:30 am to pack and prepare to get picked up and go the airport…
Stockholm 12/12
Did the arrive at 9am on 4 hours sleep to budget airline airport in the sticks, take bus for 90 minutes to the city, get to hotel and not take a nap thing again. But I can’t sit on my ass in Stockholm! I made my record here! I lunched with dear mans Melinda who was in the Pusjkins, and did interviews with thorough journos, and got to watch Cristina again, and visited the studio where much of Soft Commands was made…so, Jorgen Wall, whose studio it is and who not only engineered and realized the brilliant groundwork laid at his place, but played drums on all the stuff, really, he set the tone for what Soft Commands would be sounding and feeling like, and I can’t thank him enough…anyway, he was working with Beezewax, whose album I produced and who I was set to work with again…scheduling conflict…so I hooked ‘em up with Jorgen…all in the jam-ily, dude. Verily. But I’m mixing the single next week in Helsinki, AND I did some backing vocals in the 25 minutes I had before my show. Very polite but into-it Sunday night audience, lots of friends and more than a few true fans.
The lack of sleep and intense travel, too much coffee and cold weather has given me the vocal scruff of a young Rod Stewart! Nice! Perhaps I will take more cues from Rod the Mod over the years. After the show went with many friends to late night bar, again, all of this going down in my Soft-Commands-Sessions Hood, and ran in to Gerry and Norman from Teenage Fanclub, who had appearing as members of the Pastels this same night. Lovely to see those gentlemen again. Scots really don’t fuck it up, they are perhaps the friendliest people…
Gothenburg 12/13
So I didn’t sleep that much. Do I have to write that every day? Isn’t 5:30am as I compose this bit right now??? At the time I would have said that G-burg was the best show of the tour, somehow the connection with the audience was perfect. Cristina Dona helped me with beautiful high range singing on ‘Je Vous En Prie’…I asked nosy questions regarding the sincerity and credibility of Int’l Noise Conspiracy, no easy answers. It was a beautiful night tho’. I actually watched an episode of ‘Cagney and Lacey’ back at the hotel. I had been drinking a Welsh coffee (what you might have brought to a high school party in a Tupperware, i.e., the top half inch of every bottle in the liquor cab.).
Oslo 12/14
I have some very cherished step roots in Norway; it’s a country absolutely near and dear to my heart. A modern place (they make the bullets for US guns at war, unf.) but so village like in so many ways. You couldn’t convince me that Oslo is bigger than Everett WA, and yet it is, plus it is a world capital with a king and queen and the Nobel Prize being given to boot. And Norway has received Soft Commands very lovingly, Plan B mag, a sort of Time Out for Oslo, put it in its top 20 of 2004…imagine…that’s a huge and unique honor for me. The place I performed at, the Betong, is basically a student union for the Univ. of Oslo, which in turn seems only to exist for the purpose of operating this great cultural center. Prob. The biggest venue of the tour, it was like a real club…except no tequila. I dined with the Norwegian relations, who are wonderful, and I will still never forget my stepmom’s cousin who is (ulp hard to tell with Scandinavians) 50-ish?! when he came to see a solo show of mine in Oslo in 99 and stayed for the whole 3-hour set! Great people. The Betong gig was further uplifted by a big, friendly and respectful crowd, Kenneth Ishak from Beezewax’s support set, and the amazing group of 20somethings who run the venue…they also have a neat little hangout place for after hours, which gave me space to dance on the bar, drink some beer chased with champagne, and catch up with Lise from Briskeby, whose album ‘Tonight Captain’ I highly recommend. Top-notch songwriting produced in that English full-on way, with fantastic vocals and lyrics. She furthered the rumor that claims Snow Patrol is in the pro-Posies camp, and has experimented with covering Solar Sister…second time I have heard that…hey, why not just sign off on that…has anyone heard them do it? Er, you know what I mean. Also, did you ever hear Bad Astronaut (led by Lagwagon’s Joey Cape) do Solar Sister on their album, ‘Houston We Have A Drinking Problem’ on Fat Wreck Chords? It’s magnificent, perhaps the most beautiful compliment to a song I’ve written (next to the muzak versions). BTW Brit: AWESOME!
Bergen 12/15
My second visit to Norway’s lovely second city. Where you can eat un-p.c. animals. I am going to be brutally honest, and I love nature, I am not a mindless consumer of, well, anything really, but I eat with the bushmen every time, and I tasted whale meat. And moose.
Tonight’s show was potentially dodgy—like playing solo at the Khyber in Philly, by playing the Garage in Bergen you are treading upon the vibe of everyone’s local. But, in Philly when I played I lost out to the chatter and indifference of the locals…but the Bergies parted the seas for me and paid full attention for two hours, even as the room started to fill up with party seekers. It was a wonderful show, with again a close and warm connection with strangers, that always blows me away, that people who I have never met, who might speak my language as a second one, who might have heard of what I do but not heard it, can donate 2 hours of intense attention to me. People of the KS audience, you have no idea how deeply that is appreciated. The people of Talent Farm and the Garage are also very special—good vibe in this town…and once again Kenneth Ishak supported, we even got to spend some time together hanging out after the show…now, I gotta get it together and head to Germany, my wake up call is in 50 minutes…who knows what Cologne is gonna get. All I have, I suspect.
Love
KS
Bergen, Norway
