THE LOW LOWS
Well, I certainly was a smug little bastid wasn't I?
I got home Monday morning, and went, on only the sleep I caught on the flight, straight to the studio and did rough mixes for Mateo for 2 hours.
Calm before the storm.
Tuesday morning not so good Al.
Let's have the good news first:
1. the Disciplines' single 'Best Mistake' is NUMBER ONE on Kanal 24, one of Norway's biggest commercial radios. Number fucking one!
2. I finally got my hands on the album by Athens GA based band Producto that I worked on last year. I produced 4 of the songs, and they sound really good! I started to wonder if they used my rough mixes as the final mixes...wouldn't be the first time!
Go to their
website for more info or to
myspace.com/productoBRATISLAVA, 8/11
the circumstances of my arrival (flight was an hour late), or more precisely the vibe, were totally overwhelmed by this week's drama at home. I can't really talk about this here. Suffice to say that in the last week I have been to the shrinks (I have two!) 3 times, I went to an AA meeting, and I spent a lot of time curled up in a ball knowing nothing was going away until I faced it. Recently I quit drinking completely, and I have left drugs far behind. On my way to a better view, more clarity, PLEASE. Let's just say that anything unresolved or ambivalent in my life isn't going to be allowed to stay that way, and I have to really tackle all the big issues right now. Or I will probably find myself very lost and confused.
When I arrived to Bratislava's tiny airport, I met Cubby, the promoter, and after dropping my stuff at the hotel we went to a diner and I unloaded over green tea. Talking and walking with her made me feel a lot better. Plus I could talk at length with Dom which I really needed to survive this dark night of the soul. Dark week, dark month. J'ai peur.
Today Cubby took me to brunch, to her favorite cafe, which was being turned into a movie set that afternoon. But it was still operational so we had food and coffee and then spent some time exploring
Devin Castle not to be confused with the castle that sits overlooking Bratislava itself, Devin is a short drive out of town, and has incredible views of the surrounding land, you can see far into Austria and to the Czech Republic. We went to the top and watched the coal barges and hydrofoils on the Danube, and saw the tiny fishermen below us (we were about 600 feet high!) putting lines in the Morava.
I'm so tired now! As the show was about 3 hours long, it was actually a bit more!
The crowd wouldn't let me go, and I was so into it after my hard week. I played tons of stuff, and was strangely calm--I didn't get discouraged when a bad cable made the piano during my opening song, "Known Diamond", all distorted. I was funny, and a bit sad--and I actually spoke completely openly about my problems. What goes down in Slovakia, stays in Slovakia. Highlights included an impromptu piano version of "Stayin' Alive"; me running after a girl--who was telling her mom to keep waiting for her in the car a little longer--while still playing acoustic guitar and singing; the first-ever public performance of a Disciplines' song called "Shadow of Your Doubt". I played 3 new songs. Lots of covers. People were so into it! I really have to commend their patience. Bratislavans are good peeps!
Cubby and I had dinner in a courtyard terrace, with DJ spinning--78s! of old-timey swing and popular song/folk from Czechoslovakia. I didn't know they still made turntables with the 78 speed. These were brand new looking turntables, and they did the business with the old scratchies.
OK, that's it, I have to go to bed. Really!
Love
KS
Bratislava SLOVAKIA
