Postcards From The Ledge

The first gig

2009-07-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

It was raining heavily when we left the hotel for the second time today. But it was still quite beautiful. Bucharest has a lot of French influence not only in the language but especially in the street designs and the architecture. I freely admit I know almost nothing of Romanian culture except for Dracula and Ceausescu, so my little "academic assessment" of the culture and language here probably carries as much weight as single-ply kleenex.

But by the time we got the Romexpo, the outdoor concert park they have here, it had cleared up, and the air was nice and fresh. We reunited with our regular Europe tour caterers, Jo and Rachel, called them bitches, they called us assholes, etc. We always wish they could be with us in the States, but the whole union thing in the U.S. is quite rigid, and they apparently wouldn't even be able to use the concert hall facilities for cooking. So we only get to see them when we cross the pond.

The festival itself was fun. Several local bands played, as well The Ting Tings and The Charlatans. They both sounded great, The Ting Tings only being the two of them, the guitarist/singer and the

drummer/singer, with tracks, etc. Resourceful, and a lot of energy.

There was this band that was playing on the second stage that was hanging around, and I forget the name right now. But they were in

full on Punch-and-Judy like attire - on stilts! Playing a marching snare, cymbal and cowbell, a tenor sax guy, a tuba player and a baritone uke guy ho was the lead vocalist. We jammed after the show backstage as we were leaving (and drunk). It was hysterical, and they sounded great!

The show itself was fun in some ways. It was a beautiful night, with an almost full moon out. The audience was fantastic, they were pretty energetic, especially for having been out there all day. It always helps me play when I see the audience just give themselves over to pure spirit and energy. It also helps me play when I see girls dancing. Or even, just moving. Or standing still, even, to a point.

Two big circumstances we had to deal with, though. One was the fact that we had a new keyboard player. There's a lot of music, and a lot of intricate musical and visual cues, and he had not a lot of time to prepare, AND he lives in L.A., and no one else in the band does. All that adds up to lots of cues from me and the rest of the band. So internally, anyway, for me, it was a less-than-inspired show. But I made up for it in just having as much insane fun as I could!

[nerd alert - readers may want to skip this paragraph]

The other big factor was a repositioning of where I was onstage. Sonically, it was quite an adjustment for me, since I used to be almost right next to the drums. That meant I always heard and felt the drums more organically, as opposed to through the monitoring system. In my new spot, I have to rely completely on the monitors, meaning I have to get a really good mix (hard to do on the fly, in festival situations especially). So there was that as well...

But at the end of it, a good time was had by all, and it's still way better than being poked in the balls with a sharp stick. And I mean way better.

Hello, Soundcheck!

2009-07-04T04:27:00.000-07:00

After a night of not sleeping due to actually sleeping the day before (which was my night), it was time to sleep. Except not.

We have a new keyboard player, and we have not rehearsed at all with him. He played a few shows with us in Las Vegas, as a second keyboard player. Now he is the only keyboard player. We are playing a festival, as the headliner. Meaning there are a few bands before us. Meaning no soundcheck, in normal circumstances. But with no soundcheck, that means there is no rehearsal for "the new guy". Meaning we must soundcheck before the festival opens. Meaning 11am for us. Meaning I'm delirious. (What was that?)

Also, the new keyboard player had concerns about his proximity to the guitar amps, so I am now separated from the drummer by about a mile. Not my favorite position in the world. It means I actually have to think about my monitor mix whereas before I was next to the drums, and a great organic lock going. Crucial, one would think, in a rhythm section.

So now back in the room, typing this, ears ringing, eyes spinning.

Must. Sleep.

The Start Of Another Tour

2009-07-04T04:11:00.000-07:00

July 1st - Sad to leave my lovely and sometimes annoying neighborhood, and of course hot and sweaty from packing at the last minute, and suddenly deciding on two bags rather than one, I'm riding in the car on my way to Newark Airport, to fly to London and then to fly to Bucharest.

I'll make this short, since I'm still jetlagged, and also have three days to catch up on. But we did have a blowout on the way to the airport. The driver did a great job of not swerving into oncoming traffic. I feared for our safety, since there was not much of a shoulder, and we were on a curve as well. But he bravely changed the tire, on we were on our way again.

Everything else pretty okay, really. Check-in, security, totally fine. Free internet that actually worked in the BA Business Lounge. Dinner, since it was a "sleeper service" flight, meaning they were going to have minimal food, not a lot of activity, being it was an overnight flight.

I didn't sleep a wink, as I was still coughing and wheezing due to some weird lung thing, bringing back my childhood asthma, and driving me to spray copious amounts of Primatene mist down my gullet. Those inhalers are weird, and mine got broken somehow, sometimes spewing out weird, dark liquid. Gahh...

Leaving my to my own thoughts. Bad idea.