I slept for just about two days before my first tour date at the big rock style club Alte Piesel. It might be jet lag, that I am sleeping so much, but either way, I LOVE IT!
I know sleep will become a luxury I will start to pray for in the next few weeks of late nights and early mornings. Like the Bif Naked tour I am in a sweet pimped out black Mercedes, with tour manager Thomas driving. He proudly exclaims: “I am a driving machine!”. Stopped in at the hi-fi Garber shop and picked up some great Koss headphones, And foamies for some older ones I have! A Led Zepplin physical gravity LP (original Record) was tempting me on the shelf for 70 Euro.
My first record called Impulsive has a song about a nosey neighbor called 2nd story window- quoting myself here: “gin goes good with that Zepplin thing”
Stef Rapp, my favorite German guitarist and good friend made magic with me in the 2nd set. He makes songs like Hollow and Your heart beating fill me with chills. The Piesel looks and It feels better every time I have been, it has been an unmissed venue on every tour (thank you for the putting me on the cover of your brochure!).
November 23 (Friday), 2007 - Vierradenmühle, Görlitz
Just before you reach Poland (going east!) you end up in a German town called Gorlitz. We had a special meal at an authentic Russian restaurant which started with complimentary shot of Vodka and a piece of bread! The venue hangs over top of the water and just about everything in the town is made of brick. My high heel boots had me balancing on my tiptoes so I wouldn’t rip the heel off of them or make some big falls down the steep cobblestone streets. Damn, option left behind at the pension. My concert is two sets, you get a break, I get a break, we can all drink something. It’s like going to the symphony, only it’s not oneJ. I could see candlelight and the red end of a cigarette being smoked from the stage, that’s it. It was full, so no seats left for the late fans. At the bar there was a bowl of complimentary matches and a bowl of complimentary single cigarettes-that’s a first! I sang without monitors, but it wasn’t a problem, as I could hear the audience breath…the room was beautiful and so were the people. I got an offer to sell these black heeled boots I have with me…I decided to keep em and not go home barefoot. OH! We got to a pub for a midnight snack after the show. Pork on a bun. I was REALLY hungry. That will be my last late night snack on this tour that involves Pork on a bun. The man next to us was reading the paper, we pointed out my headshot and article on the cover of the entertainment section. It made for a good laugh.
November 24 (Saturday), 2007 - Alt Werdohl
The longest leg/drive of the tour is today. Most of it is travelled at a speed of 180 kms /hr in the middle lane of the autobaun. Thomas would go 240 if I didn’t clear my throat or whimper every now and then. I got a present when I walked through the door of the club: a t-shirt with big letters: LEKKER DEKKER. I love itJ! I bought Thomas two movies from a video store that was closing down. German films are not English films with subtitles, all voices are overdubbed with voice over actors. I picked up “March of the Penguins” and “Whale Rider”. Juergen does incredible promotion (THANK YOU!). I saw my favorite familiar faces tonight: Robert Kranz, Angie, Tina & Friends, Bedo, little beautiful 10 year olds girls who know all the words and the undertakers of the town who always give great hugs. Nuno (Isaac!) a guitarist from Holland played the 2nd half of the show with me! It was awesome.
November 25 (Sunday), 2007 - Mausefalle, Bonn
Bonn is big and a bit confusing. Most of the parking is underground which is kind of confusing and unorganized too because like a gopher you pop up your head up so see where-abouts you are in relation to the town above. Amy Spears opened the night. She has a very cool clean country sound with little high note folk surprises. Nuno (Isaac) joins me in my set again. Cool! Georg is a sweet and upbeat man, he remembers to send my Dad a greeting as he showed up last spring on my tour. I met a lady who smoked with a 1920’s style cigarette holder and she explained to me at length her celebration of the cigarette! Bonn is beautiful and we dropped by the Beethoven haus museau for a tour through it, we ate a stellar German bakery where we picked up a Stollen for the road and some other baked goods, that were typically German. Yummy!
November 27 (Tuesday), 2007 - Museumskeller, Erfurt
It’s a funny thing to say but I know my way around Erfurt now after being here a few times. I had some great memories from touring here with Dino Dinicolo, as we met some crazy good people and also had a special driver who served as a body gaurd-which we NEEDED at the time. The day off yesterday was spent walking around the town with the snow falling. There was a lot of business to take care of so much time was spent with pens, papers, computers, etc however there was time later to drink a warm gluehwin at the Christmas market!! Like mulled wine, only BETTER! Big jackets, leathers, honey bread cookies, gingerbread houses, a huge production on the steps of the castle with angelic choirs and Mayor announcing the opening of the Christmas market. Oh the lights! So magical, so pretty! The show at the Museaumskeller was a smaller turn out that we have seen on the tour so far but Thomas PF and Hans came with a package of beautiful 8 by 10 photos of Sam and I from the last Bamburg show and I got a home made snow man, for my Christmas tree!!
November 28,29 (Wed,Thu), 2007 - Stage One, Bad Neustadt
Two concerts in Bad Neustadt: which is a town that was made in the shape of a heart. Stephan Beidermann has a big heart just like the town and he put on the sweetest private party I have ever played. An old barn that belongs to the village is called a Dorfscheuner, and Big Mel posters and the Canadian and German flags decorated the walls! The biggest wood-burning stove I had ever seen was warming the stone and brick building and 60 of his dearest friends. I loved the wooded stage as I could pound it in ‘What’s all the hype/somebody’s baby”! I got a bottle of Meritage from South Africa from Olaf at Stage one? as a welcome and a bouquet of yellow roses from Beidermann as a thank you. I LOVE FLOWERS! I LOVE WINE!
The following day we went to an Aqua land where I got to swim and go on a waterslide and then sauna and steam! At last exercise and real relaxation! Thomas is happy too. (we got AGAIN the next day!) In the afternoon Biedermann took Thomas and a camera man named Hans and me to a close by monastery on a hill which was covered in snow. We ate a warming bean soup with big wiener sausages and a stein of fantastic specially made Monk’s beer (since 1731) and then climbed up through the snow to the three ceremonial crosses. It was about 350 very slippery steps. I loved it!
The show at Stage One was a bit tight. I can’t see the audience because the layout isn’t good for live music, but the mood is! Unfortunately, the merchandise table caught fire and Thomas almost too while I was singing! We lost an acoustic ride t-shirt, my little gifted hand-knit snowmen made (who now look like burnt marshmallows!), a curtain and a blanket. Large buckets of water at high speed put on the fire. If you bought a CD it was no doubt wet…thus special in a way?! I couldn’t see the fire from stage, but we could all smell it! Holy smokes!
November 30 (Friday), 2007 - Dampfschleife, Idar Oberstein
Sold out shows make me so excited! Thanks to Peter the owner (who also got on stage to play a drum for one song) and the press, the Dampfschleife was packed and hot! The stage and the room was decorated in the roses I have been gifted along the way. I burnt my mouth with a delicious homemade pizza and in between songs my brain didn’t even seem to know how to speak English! I am sure fans that could speak English were thinking…”what is she talking about!?” . Sorry about that! Fans sat right close to the stage and I wore these super cool jeans that I picked up in the tiny centrum of Idar Oberstein from a vender selling in the streets. My long winter jacket enabled me to try it on right in the street! And in two minutes I had new pants on. Umm, Oddly, Thomas has lost his voice! He says the smoke is killing him. (no, he is not doing any singing). I still have mine, so that’s good!
December 1 (Saturday), 2007 - Blues Garage, Isernhagen
A triple bill with the Steve Shuffert band in a big blues/rock club (it was his tour end party!) and Krissy Matthews http://www.myspace.com/krissymatthews (oh my GOD! he is going to be my new favorite guitarist, and he's only 16!) The Blues Garage is the coolest place and so many cool bands. I got to a gym, but no time to see Hannover...next time! All have played there, even emerson lake and palmer!
December 3 (Monday), 2007 - Kreuz, Obermachtal
Nazareth will be there in a few months...but first we bring them Melanie Dekker! Ha, it is fun to play the same venue. The chandelier above my head kept tickling me and I managed to give it good wack by accident with my guitar. I treated myself to some Janis Joplin as my voice was so strong...perhaps I took on a Nazareth vibe!!? I kept thinking, what did I do different today that made me wail like I am tonight!? We were made homemade lasagna, which was enough for a band and crew- Thomas and I couldnt finish it! And I had the urge to drive after the show, it took us alot longer with me behind the wheel. Radar is everywhere, but that wasnt my only excuse...the world has been going by so fast, I just wanted to slow down for a few moments!
December 4 (Tuesday), 2007 - Einstein, Ulm
The night was full of wonder and genious, and is it any wonder!? Einstein surrounded the walls and the menu and perhaps the energy in my fingers. If you go to ULM, go to the Einstein cafe. I sight read some music today with Thomas´s daughter... best to do that more often, forgot that you have to do it to be good! Cool. Gotta see the Christmas market tomorrow! Thank-you for not smoking and thank-you for letting me know the perfectly cool English word “mushy” has a completely different meaning in GERMAN (leaving me very embarrassed and laughing). And thank-you for my first ever taste of a Japanese whisky! By the way GINGER tea is very hard to find in Germany and so is Oregano Oil. My two favorite healers!
December 5 (Wednesday), 2007 - Zur Post, Obing
We could see Austria and its mountains getting closer as we neared Obing. As the sun set in our rear view mirrors we passed the Allianz Arena in Munich. Most famous for its soccer matches and it’s built in the style of the Rome colloseum. It’s white angular bubble-like pieces on the outside can change into four different colors! Obing is a tiny town and The Post hotel/venue/building/concert hall had a “first in business” plaque from 1426! The hallways were endlessly long with very tall ceilings. The doors to the rooms were at least 5 feet wide! The place smelled old, but not bad, and I had a key in my hand like the one on the cover of my guitarist’s: Jason Nett quartet CD (classic long like the ones that would open a hidden hope chest). New strings went on my guitar today (I use bluegrass gage) and it needed new batteries too (Duracell ROCKS!).
December 6 (Thursday), 2007 - On the Rocks, Günzberg
The longest and craziest show of the tour was at “On the rocks”. I even sang on my knees at one point. Pete Tomarakos and Matt Carmichael (Two hot dog Nashville musicians) got on stage throughout my performance to wail out some harmonies and play percussive instruments (the bar had made a big ass shaker out of a rounded whisky box and peanuts, and from somewhere else a girl brought to the bar a small snare and some little sticks-which she held while Matt played it!) It was good to see Gaby and Uwe and there were lots of people singing along loudly to the songs “soul back”, “oh yeah” and “we’re the angels”. This audience was inexhaustible, and couldn’t get enough so I just kept going and going! I listened to classical music on the way to and from the show, it was so inspiring-John Williams and Hans Zimmer I love you!
December 8 (Saturday), 2007 - Club Kaulberg, Bamberg
I finished Khaled Hosseine’s book “A thousand Suns” on this journey, with tears pouring down my cheeks for many minutes. “The kite runner” had a bit of a softer ending but it had the same effect on me. My tears are filled with the love of tiny triumphs over struggle, betrayal, guilt, fear and honor. Hosseieni’s books are brilliant. Thanks to my Dutch cousin Dicky and my Mama for recommending them! Bamberg is an old beautiful Bishop town laced with HUGE Catholic Churches. My sunny California belly shot picture took up a half page in the paper so that is fun and Toni’s place was packed. My voice was tired-burnt out-so physically I didn’t want to sing and I could hear how hoarse it was with every note. I wish I had napped and found ginger tea to help a little. It was good to see more women than usual in the audience and some friends of mine drove hours to get to this last show. Thank you!...'Frohe Wiennachten! (Merry Christmas!) See you next OCTOBER.