March 31, 2008 -- Folketshus Struer, Denmark

Within minutes the room was converted from a politicians lunch to a concert hall. Flowers on the stage and the hall full of fresh listeners and healthy faces. The booker says they don’t use posters to advertise otherwise their shows would be over booked! So they have a good thing going here. Indeed I saw no advertising, but heard we were on the radio. Irish Stew was served at 6:30pm for all audience members. It was odd and special. My agent, Kevin Kennedy, thought that this was a name of an Irish folk band opening for us at 6:30 (18:30). I called him before our show and said: “…Nope! They are really serving veal and potatoes!..and yes we are indeed eating the opening act.” Hahaha! We also talked about future concert accommodations where we remember to request non-smoking rooms. We are both definite non smokers and though Denmark is converting most public areas to non-smoking, some hotels are slower to accommodate the new laws. Jason is  reformed ex-smoker which he says is the type of individual who is the most bothered and repelled by anything that smells like it. The more comfortable we are on tour the more we kick ass. No doubt. This tour is slick ( I love you Kevin! Do you know a musician who has can say that about their agent?!) I am a positive person perhaps to a fault, so I am not sure that I would not see the flaws that others would anyhow. Nothing is ever easy but it is much easier to appreciate how lucky I am now when I look back. A not so long time ago, just to be on stage and payin’ the dues to get better I lived much “lower on the ladder”. Before these past 5 years I think about the 6 years I spent slogging it out in Albertan & BC country dives playing 5 sets a night plus a Saturday jam, followed by a 23 hour drive in minus 35 degree white-out conditions in an unheated truck that tends to break down in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, and may, at any time, self-implode or steer itself off the Fraser Canyon highway, taking all its screaming occupants down with it; or if we’re "lucky" and make it to the next gig, where we get to sleep in a bed in a dingy little room with a pre-'70's shag carpet which is in serious need of a mowing, or at least a vacuum; and waking up, not to the sound of your  '60's era T.V. which might get two fuzzy channels, but to the thumping of the sound system below you in the stale smoky bar because the deaf morning-bar-cleaner likes to listen to Shania Twain. You do but you don’t want to realize you’ve got a couple greasy strands of someone-in-the-last-band's hair in your mouth because nobody has bothered to clean the sheets, and you were too tired to check this one time… It is indeed such times which have equipped me to see a good thing when it's in front of me…and it is indeed right now. Thank you Folk Club & Folkethus gang for the laughs and the mini party after the show (and too much wine).

Comments

[Kevin]

Mel

You guys look all buzzed up

Darn..missed a good party!

K