The venues, surroundings and people vary so much, that I feel like Alice in Wonderland. From venues still standing & rockin' from the 1500's, to crowded pubs, to slick concert halls & bavarian long wooden table venues.
We had photographers, who we love, come along for many of our shows in the 3 weeks in Germany. Mostly, our good friend & fan Hans Kraus, a man from Sesslach who is a huge fan of Canadian roots music. He helped us make more friends and helped with CD sales and stage decorations; and drove along side us. There was also the vibrant Thomas PF who is a man that I believe has seen more concerts in his life than any other music fan on the planet. We also got fantastic pictures and good laughs with Andreas (who drove from Dresden to our final shows!) and Hans-Martin Schmid who seems to capture the warmest shots every year. Special moments came from special fans who leave me smiling for days: Thank you for your visits & surprises: Sancho Panzer, Bomi Glogger, Thomas Bauer, Evelyn Leibham, Tommy Adrian, Klaus Neide, Patrick from ASS concerts, Johannes Koch, Viktor Buttner, Dirk Pries, Arnica Dekker, Tina Bauer, Jens Meier! You're amazing!I have been coming to Germany since 2003 and some of the changes I noticed this year were: The fee for using the toilets on the autobahn have gone up to 70 cents, more people speak English, there's a greater sense of pride somehow, more excitement in regards to sports (more TV's in local pubs too), more soymilk and soy options, more noticeable fashion, more solar panels, more hi-tech windmills, and on a personal note there is more press, cd sales and radio(THANK YOU!) Things we always do together...eat breakfast. It's a little bit like family on the road, and we laugh a lot. Almost consistently have Sundays and Mondays off. And talk about new songs or ideas on Tuesdays. Tragedy often meets comedy and if you have a rough sound check, it doesn't mean you'll have a rough show. Oct 9th..our first day in Germany we had to drive there from Denmark, then see Sam off to London via Hamburg (an essential cold beer was had before it was suggested that Sam visit the street where only Men can rome and the old Beatles Club), then also return the Dachbox and trade in our rental car (you can only insure for up to 45 days...our time was up!)...once all that was done we had to beat traffic (impossible) to play a show! Well, we scored an upgrade to an SUV and the dachbox posed an unforeseen challenge... The sports box on top our new wheels made us too high for the airport... or shall I say, with in about 2 millimetres of its roof. Elyse's spanish came in handy...as our Avis amigos rode on the outside of the car to help weigh it/ drop it down, and barked with laughter and sweat to get us out of the 3rd level. Just like the studio...always be prepared for things to take 3 times as long! It's wild moving from place to place every day. We have slept in over 60 different hotels. In Finland every one had a sauna in the rooms & the berries at breakfast were perfect anti-oxidants, now we are lucky to get a pen in the rooms and meat and white buns are 'special' breakfasts. In Neuruppin there was a memorable bottle of Champagne awaiting us & I always like to see robes and slippers. I didn't write as much as I wanted to, and it was tricky to keep my voice clean, strong and in good shape for each show. Caring for the voice is tricky...as in, my guitar takes much less effort and time (though there is currently duck tape holding one pick up together under the bridge). I probably drank 2 to 3 litres of water a day, and kept speaking to a minimum. People ask what we do during the day...well with 5 to 6 concerts in a row, there is little time and 'energy' to explore every thing and every day. But we do as much as we can! The drives and the packing of in and out and up and down take its toll and time. I get out everyday...outside that is, and run about 4 times a week, usually in the direction of a park. Wikipedia is a great way to read about highlights of the town while in it or before getting to it so you know what you want to see, and my favourite social local thing is to sit on a terrace and drink a coffee or at night, to visit an irish pub. The new songs are so much fun and I am loving the reaction from the audiences. Rich Girl & Hippie...could be the new singles based on the high energy responses. I am going home to my Mom and my brother and my close friends and to my dog Chip, to the rain & ocean and mountains in Vancouver, and home to finish writing and recording my album. I want it to be the best one ever, and I hope to capture more of what it feels like to be out on the road, doing what I love and feeling so full of wonder, excitement and exhaustion all at the same time. What a trip. Oh what a trip.
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