Melanie Dekker Here and Now Tour 2

Sep 22, 2010 - Nordic drives, grinds & special finds

Together we have come up with some touring tips! :

 

1. Do 3 `dummy`checks when leaving hotel & venue.
2. Find tasks you like to do while in the vehicle.
3. Drink more water than you think you can.
4. Get used to the sacrificing - for the sake of music/the road.
5. Send the band 'rider' more than once to the venues.
6. Keep everything you travel with in one/the same place.
7. Buy space savers at Wonderlust (soft compartments, that compress!).
8. Realize that internet is not always free, use it when it is.
9. Remember you're not the only one in the band.
10. GPS is essential (but know your N.S.E.W. for unexpected detours etc).
11. Having GPS does not make you exempt from road signs.

12. Partying is best when you have the next night off.
13. Enjoy the benefit of wake up calls; the variety of how is kind of fun.
14. Know what you want to convey when you are being interviewed.
15. Take more pictures.
16. Don't do rehearsals on days off ... especially if there aren't many days off.
17. Exercise. Breath.

18. Make friends and be a friend.

19. Pack light, you can buy anything that you have forgotten, or suddenly can't live without.
20. Write return addresses on packages and remember tracking numbers.
21. A long tour goes by just as fast as a short tour ... enjoy!

22. Leave early. The GPS can not predict pee stops, coffee breaks, traffic jams, gravel roads, or weather.
23. Invite the press. Remember to ask them to send you a copy of the article.

24. Keep track of what you liked & didn't about each show ... they will blend together like the days.

25. Delegate tasks that make sense ... Little things can go a long way.
26. You can't see everything do everything. Accept, Prioritize.
27. Be kind and overly courteous.
28. Love the ones you're with, or at least try to find something loveable about them.
29. Learn new things.
30. Practice challenging parts if you have time at a soundcheck.
31. Talk about set list or music changes, not all of them need to be physically played to 'know them'.

32. Know what and who you want to portray. Live it, feel it, dress it.

32. Listen. Really listen.

33. Always keep your passport on you.
34. Say 'yes' often, especially if offered a local tour of the town-city (so special!!).
35. Stage banter is best if it includes something local and fresh.
36. Drink and eat locally as much as possible '...When in Rome...'
37. Be extra polite and smiley when police pull you over :)

Sep 11, 2010 - Sweden

Sweden is so superbly sweet & their houses are decadent

Physical Travel Highlights: The 12 hour party Ferry from Sweden to Finland (included Hot-tubs & Saunas!), gravel roads through central Sweden, getting faster at packing the car, having the GPS try to lead us one hour of town, lots of red foxes as road kill- we get to see a live one make it across and it is just beautiful! They love their flag...many houses have flags and flag poles.

Injuries: Sam & Mel play on a climbing wall in a mall that lights up with different games...leads to two days of aching wrists while playing concerts. The top of a wine bottle breaks off as Mike's opening it & slices his index finger open. Sam's drum cases tumble as they hit a funky stone while rolling down cobblestone streets, as Sam uses his shin to save the fall and the entire shin is scrapped open. Everyones hamstrings are tight ... from some long travel 'sitting all day' days.

Common or classic foods: Fermented Herring, Kanel buns available at every stop (like a non sticky American Cinnamon bun), lots of 'coffee time', 2% alcohol beers very common, fresh (not in plastic) soft candy, fish-eggs served in a squeeze tube at breakfast.

What we miss about Finland: the abundance of soy products, the saunas, the unique way people like to share and welcome.

http://www.rootsy.nu/medarbetare.php?id=38

        

Sep 8, 2010 - Finland

Finland #1 country to live in according to Newsweek magazine

Cities: Espoo, Vamalla, Tampere,  Helsinki, Porvoo, Pori, Vassa, Oulu Counting 1 to 4: yksi , kaksi, kolme, neljä,... (Also the beginning of a new song we are writing) It seems: Tourist season is over, though temperatures are still 8 to 15 degrees, some hotels seem almost deserted.

Regretfully: Didn't get to visit the ice hotel...it was too far north and our schedule couldn't... http://www.icehotel.com/  (what would it be like to do show there!?), Mike's sunglasses were left on the roof of the car & the car behind us turned them into a million sorry pieces, Mel's sweater suddenly has too many holes to keep it any longer.  

Items lost: Mel's phone stopped working, Mike's coffee mug was left behind 'somewhere', Mike's iphone was lost in a club called Sky...so it's up in the sky maybe now, Mel's tweezers (OMG, How will I live without!!...borrow Sam's for now!), left USB flashdrive in a hotel computer, Mike's little video camera called it quits.

If you are from Finland it is not unusual for you to know about or have some of these classic characteristics: You own a fishing pole, you are welcoming and warm in character, you like to have fun with slot machines (they are irresistibly everywhere), you've been at a local bar till closing (4am here folks!), you spend lots of time in saunas (local news link : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/08/sauna-championship-russian-dead ) , you are educated (government paid), you are likely in the logging, hospitality or electricians business, you have seen a moose, you have eaten deer meet, you have picked berries or mushrooms, you obey the law, you are healthy (we don't see alot of drug stores or any clinics), you dress sensibly with fashion not being your number one concern, you have had a few different colours of hair at one time, you listen to Metal music, you are curious, you likely have a tattoo & have eaten at Hesburger, and your wine is served by the millilitre or ounce (as it's not permitted to be served by the glass).

Tampere, FI concert photos: http://www.klubi.net/gallery2_eng.php?gid=344 

Helsinki Concert photos by Aija: http://bit.ly/aRQAFm