Monday, July 25, 2011

Pilsen, Nuremberg and heading on the way to Vienna.

We had a short drive yesterday, so after checking out of our hotel we walked around the center of Pilsen and grabbed a bite to eat at a vegetarian restaurant that Ondra knew about. Out of the six of us on the road together (the band plus Ondra), three are vegan, and two are vegetarian...so it can be a bit of a challenge to find proper food if we are eating anywhere outside of the venues we are playing. Anyway, the place that Ondra took us to was a lifesaver because everyone was starving, most of us were still half drunk, and the food was pretty damn good.

After eating, Jimmy and I walked around for a bit while everyone else finished up at the restaurant. We shot some photos, and climbed to the top of the bell tower of the church in the Pilsen center square. Unfortunately, I didn't get the name of the church...but if you're ever in the center of the town, you can't miss it. I promise to post photos soon. The view from the top was spectacular.

As I mentioned earlier, the drive to Nuremberg was a short one...barely three hours....so we FINALLY had time for a proper soundcheck. After soundcheck I kicked back for a bit in the Green Room before dinner, and then chatted with Eve (the promoter at Nuremberg's K4) for a bit...making sure to give her a hello from David and Hugo Da Cruz...who she seemed to have a soft spot for, just like several women I know back home.




From left to right - Jimmy from Blue Note, Larsh and Espen from Wolves Like Us dig in to the pre-dinner spread in the Green Room at K4.




Hilariously named chips in the pre-dinner food spread.




Jimmy goofs off during soundcheck at K4. There's a fan below blowing his hair around.




Our host at K4.


After dinner, I took off to the hotel for a bit because it was only a block away from the venue. Almost immediately, I crashed out on the bed and was out for almost two hours. I probably could have slept all night...fortunately, I didn't. I walked out of the hotel room in a daze, and headed back to the club. Warsawwasraw was already playing when I got there so I checked them out a bit, then grabbed a beer and kicked back outside the front doors. When the set ended and everyone flooded out, I ran in to Kirst...

Kirst is an old friend of mine from Glasgow (she currently lives in Holland however). We met the very first time I went to the UK on Spanakorzo tour in 1996, and again when Swing Kids came through later that year. Kirst and I have stayed in contact reasonably well over the years (considering the distance), and she even visited once in Chicago a few years ago.

Anyway, when I saw Kirst, I immediately thought "Fuck!"...I was supposed to put her on the guest list...but I didn't because I slept through the portion of the evening when such things are handled. I'm a jerk. I should have handled it earlier. Forgive me Kirst.




Me with Kirst.


The show was the best one I think we've played so far. We sounded good, we played well, and as Kirst told me after the show, it was much more intense and energetic than when she saw us in Pomona two years ago. I think adding Nathan to the lineup has a lot to do with that.

Anyway, after the show we headed back to the hotel. Jimmy and I were in one room, while Nathan, JP and Jose were in another. Ondra had decided to sleep in the Sprinter, but wanted to take a shower first. After Ondra let the other three in to their room, I asked him for the keys. He said, "I gave them to you". Crap! He had left them on the bed RIGHT next to me, and I was so out of it when I woke from my nap, that I didn't even notice. So we were locked out...and there was no one at the front desk because it was really late. My bag was locked in the room, and it looked as though I was going to have to sleep in the van and get it in the morning...

...fortunately, Ondra was able to find a guy working downstairs and we were let in to the room. After he opened the door, everyone had a good laugh at my expense because I was practically laying on the keys, and didn't know they were there.

So that's about it...we're almost to Vienna...so I'll wrap this up and post more later.




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