Pollo Del Mar Euro Blog

Japan 2005 Blog

2005-10-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Check ou new blog at:
http://pdmjapan2005.blogspot.com/
for news of our 2005 Japan Tour.
thanks,
Ferenc

Dank u Belgium! - ferenc

2005-01-18T22:24:00.000-08:00

We're back, our at least my body is. Still have a nasty head cold making me feel like a pumpkin headed zombie. The tour was an awesome experience, I am happy we did it and look forward to doing it again. Maybe not in Belgium immediately, (though I certainly would like to go back,) as there is a lot more of the world to see, and we have so little precious free time to enjoy it. Thanks to Gert and Surfing Airlines, a man who delivered on every promise made- a nice place to stay, excellent equipment, van, meals, everything. Thanks to the hardcore fans who came from everywhere. Thanks to the cool bands we played with, The Monotones, The Killer Bananazz, the Hawaiian Astro Boys, and especially Marcel and the Anacondas for setting up a show in Amsterdam. Thanks to my bandmates for not sweating the small things, or the big things... And special thanks to our wives and families, who, and let's be frank about this, let us go!
Call us Kip Van Der Zee!

1-18-05 - Jono

2005-01-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

post-tour
Last show. Gert picked us up at 4 pm to go to Zoutleeow for our ultimate show. Early in the day we did not do much. Paul and Marlene had taken the bicycles so Jeremy, Ferenc and I went for a walk, searching for the V2 chapel. Paul directed us there, it was about 100 metres away. Very interesting, with a statue of the Madonna and child atop a fuel-lined chassis for a Pynchonesque Death Machine. We split up because Jeremy needed batteries for his camera, I just wanted to be alone for a while, wandering through the neat streets of Lichtaart, the quasi-suburb.
Gert picked us up at 4. We headed south this time. I knew where we were heading but it was inter-esting. It being January, the sun rises at 9 am and sets around 4 so most driving is done in the dark. Which it was when we pulled into Zoutleeow, a beautiful medieval city - very old. Gert corrected me in that it isn’t ‘South Lion’ but ‘Salt Lion.’ Was there a salt mine nearby? Not as far as Gert was con-cerned. A beautiful Stadthuis revealed the date 1530 on its lion-bedecked facade (with skulls, too -spooky).
We were playing in JH Paljas, a Jugend Hostel but it had some other name I did not write down. Once again, the crowd appeared spotty. And once again, we were treated to frites at the local Frituur. I finally used my video camera, capturing some of the magic of Zoutleeow. We returned to the club, to find it had filled up with a bunch of 30-something men. We were offered Stella Artois again, this time in cans. The cans said “music” on them, apparently a promotional thing. Whatever, it also seemed that throughout the evening, the barkeep would fill a tray and wander throughout the audi-ence, handing out free beers. Wild. When will the USA come up with a free beer promotional cam-paign at some of our watering holes?
We played and again we played well.12 days of constant practicing really set our chops into a tightly wound precision machine. We played our usual set and then discovered, much to our chagrin, that the crowd was not going to let us stop. We kept looking at Gert. hoping he would intervene, but he would shrug and say, play another song. So we went on beyond the usual and played 2314-B, Gate, and the Wild West Trilogy, all to raucous applause. Much merch was purchased and we packed up for the last time, giving Gert his coveted orange power cord, the least I can do for a gentleman who is singlehandedly bringing surf music to the Continent. We returned, said goodbye. Gert was picking us up at 7 am - ouch. We could finally pack our stuff.
We quickly re-assembled everything and Jeremy and I stayed up late, sampling a bit more coffee into the night, wandering the Akkerhuisje grounds with nostalgic regret (when will we ever get back to Lichtaart?) And Gert arrived like a clock to take us to Brussels Airport. A tad bit early, even. Which is good because we saw the worst traffic we had seen in this highly efficient nation. Must have been an accident but it looked like we might be missing our flight. I slept only to find that we were at Brussels by 10:20 a few minutes late but not too bad. Our flight left at 12 noon. We said our sad farewells to Gert and then wandered in to say goodbye to Europe, wondering when we will be back here again..

Zoutleeuw

2005-01-18T13:36:00.000-08:00

For our last show in BE, we played a multi-encore show at JH Paljas. See show details from the others. I just want to add that it was, personally, some of my most confident playing to date ever. I felt great about our performance. I guess after almost 10 consecutive shows every night, we'd atleast get some stuff right - but Zoutleeuw was wonderous. Great job to all us chickens. I hope this means those Bergians will have us back!

Now off to Brussels and fly to SFO.

1/16/05 - Jono

2005-01-16T20:57:00.000-08:00

Sunday 16.01.05

The night before last (after we went and saw Stephanie run her tours for the 12-12 survivors) we went to another nearby pub in Morkhoven, Belgium, we were afraid it would be a repeat of the dismal show in Turnhout. The pub was packed with a large amount of head-shaven characters. "Looks like a good place to lose your teeth," I commented to Ferenc. There was no discernible stage, they moved some tables and Jeremy set up his drums in the foosball room. They gave us 20 euros and told us to go to the Frites shack, Frituur (a chain), for dinner. Roadhouse food, belgium-style, we got burgers and an enormous amount of frites. you pay separate for the saus (often mayonaisse)and the ketchup here is super-sweet. There is often a variety of sauses with ambiguous names (speciaal, frituur). I got speciaal and it came with ketchup and mayo and large chunks of onion - in a tureen. Gert told us, the good meals were over.

When we returned, Jeff made a friend. He was a tattooed Haarley-Davidson kind of guy with a GMC truck. He and his wife talked about American cars and motorcycles and their sons. He didn't believe we were from California until we showed our drivers licenses. I think he thought we were queer so we pulled out photos of our kids. Like me, Jeff only brought the kindergarten photo of Lomax, the first child. At one point, he points to Jeff's scalp and says, I had hair like that once. Then I got these implants. Jeff was very impressed, the guy had long hair down to his shoulders - thin, but long.

The den Bolle (the club) was packed. Many young people had arrived and filled the booths. There were still a lot of old guys quaffing ale and the skinheads looked more like young european men rather than hooligans looking to beat up foreigners. We played and played well (what can I say?) There doesn't seem to be any age limit here, there were a group of teenage girls with braces (very cute). They were staring at Ferenc and myself and we agreed that we probably reminded them of their dads, who they probably can't stand anyway. Short commute, we were back home early.

Gert has a fairly efficient machine. He doesn't want to hang out all night long. He picks us up at exactly when he tells us he will. He often reminds us to idiot-check (going back to the club stage and making sure there is nothing stupidly left behind), to bring our passports. All he asks is that we do what he says, most of which is to be ready when he is. Which we do.

The next day, Zaterdag (Saturday), we went on another excursion. I am proud to say I have tour-grouped these pathetic lads into a tourist entity. I figured out when the buses came through Lichtaart to go to the train station in Herentals (11:58), and determined we could catch a 12:15 or a 12:27 train into Antwerpen-Centraal. We missed the 12:15 but caught the 12;27 arriving at 13:02. I know now to ask a few questions of the conductors. Somethings just are not on the ticket, like which spoor the train is arriving on. Do you like how I am beginning to lapse into Flemish?

BTW, it was so funny when Stephanie was here - I got quite the lesson in linguistics. After she ran her race, she came to collect her money, we gave her 5 euros apiece for completing 17 tours at .25 euros per tour. Then she hung around. She is on that delicate edge but is still quite a precocious child. I asked her if she spoke French. She said, yes, that was the language they taught in school. I said, but you speak Dutch. Gert told me that Northern Belgians speak Dutch, Southern Belgians speak French. She shook her head no. Do Paul and Marlene speak Dutch. She shrugged, a little, yes. Wait a minute do you only speak French in the house. She was confused. So was I. We looked at her little autograph book she has all of the bands sign when they are here (Tura Satana, Haji, Kitten Natividad, to name a few). At one point, some guest or band had signed in German and another had signed in what I would call Dutch. She pointed to the Dutch (double oo's and oe's) and said, that is Flemish. She pointed to the German and said, that is Dutch. I recognized it as different but it finally dawned on me - Deutsch? The people of Flanders call their language Flemish and refer to Germany as Deutschland. The Deutschlanders' language is called Deutsch. I didn't ask about Holland, I was too blown away by how complex the whole thing was, like a shifting puzzle with 15 interlocking squares in a 16-gap tray.
Back to Antwerp. The train station is awesome, an incredible example of Victorian industrial age architecture. Like everything else in Europe, they chose to have most of it under construction while we are here. Gert gave us a specific map on how he would pick us up at the station at 5:00. So we had 4 hours to kill. We walked out into the main boulevard leaving the station heading due west to the river Schelde. Antwerp is a bustling, large cosmopolitan city. The boulevard was very, very crowded and it reminded us of tourist/shopping areas like Powell Street. Some boulevards were closed to car traffic but the people just filled it up more. There were the usual robot/statue performance street artists along with one-man bands, congo players. We wandered until we went to the Cathedral, a massive edifice close to the Schelde and the Grote Markt (Town Square). We needed to get lunch.

I was tired of arguing and being passive aggressive when we were tired and hungry for lunch so this time I had referred to the guide book to see what they recommended as moderate and regional for lunch. When I finally found it, I discovered it was one of those places that, finding itself in a tourist guide, inappropriately upped their prices and remodeled themselves to be more international (price fixe lunch at 30 euros). We went to an Argentinan steak house - which was fine at half the price. Sit-down lunches take at least an hour so we didn't really do much after. Jeff and Jeremy bought chocolates, I wanted to go into the Cathedral and look at the Rubens altar-pieces but time was suddenly not on our side. We went down to the Schelde and went up on a cobbled observation deck (hard to define) which gave us views of an old medieval castle. The much-argued history of Antwerp describes a legend in which a giant named Antigon charged tolls from ships passing along the Schelde. If they couldn't pay, he took their hand. A roman legionnaire named Silvio Brabo came and battled the giant, taking his hand. Many a statue commemorated Silvio holding Antigon's dismembered hand. Ant (hand)-werpen (thrown). Another more-likely version suggests it was just a marshy roman settlement until medieval drainage techniques made it liveable and navigable. The former legend is much more exciting.

We returned to the station Centraal, trying to take a different route back. All of the streets in Europe are curved so it is cute but can be disorienting. Since the sun is so low, I can generally find the southernly direction. We had plenty of time and found the Vleeshuis (meathall (?), a stately courtyard with awesome details. Jeff started photographing it but we needed to hurry up and meet Gert at the Centraal Station.

We went to our show at 't Beest in Goes, what I would call a rock palace, not a pub. It had a professional sound and light system, with ladders and scaffolds, a back stage with drinks, snacks and stage towels (even a shower). After setting up, we went for a walk through the very cute town. This is Holland, slightly different than Belgium. We played with the Killer Bananazz again, those wild & crazy guys. I asked, what do you call your language? Dutch. Really, what language do you call German? They were confused and then realized what I was asking. The Northern Belgians speak Flemish but the Dutch speak Nederlander. Right.

The temperature has definitely dropped the past few days. it was freezing (literally 0 degrees C) as we tread the cobblestones of this quaint seaside harbor town in the province of Zeeland (Sea land), the precursor to New Zealand, I guess. There were many youths bicycling about the Grote markt and we hoped their final destination would be 't Beest but they had some other wilding agenda.

Back at the club, we were fed an interesting rice/veg/seafood Jambalaya with a side of fresh shrimp and salad from their kitchen. I asked what it was called, Zeeland Stew, they said. So the good meals were still here (better than frites) for at least one night. Jeremy was in heaven, legally allowed to light up a nice spliff backstage.We rehearsed a version of 'Popcorn' which brought the focus back tightly.

I met the light person, a young serious woman named Ellen. She helped me set up the video camera and politely started and ended it. There was no fancy camera work required, although I told her she could if she or her associates up in the balcony chose to do some. When it was over she told me that we should study the video and if we liked any of the lighting patterns, she would email them to me so we could instruct the lighting people in the future. Right, like I would give the lighting people in America (when we ever got any) a chart of patterns I would want. But that was so European, it was very amusing.

The crowd was rather rowdy, young kids moshing, plus some older couples, dancing. One bouncer. stage guy was pretty scary with what I would call prison tattoos on his neck but this is Europe, it might be something else but he picked up fallen beer bottles and kept the moshing fun and non-threatening. The Killer Bananazz came out with their Leibach-style intro and Mexican wrestling masks. The drummer keeps his on most of the show. Like the show in Hengelo, this was very interesting. They incorporate a trumpet so they can perform Bumblebee and Miserlou. The front guy also does some fun quasi-singing in a song about food stuffs he pulls out of a bag ("we have appels, we have potatoes, we have TOILET PAPER!!!!” - but all in Nederlander, we got the gist of what he was saying). They also do Miserlou where they start a capella including the Pulp Fiction Tim Roth/Amanda plummer dialogue before Miserlou comes in during the soundtrack ("we'll execute every last fucking one of you!")

We came on and played and we played well, as usual. I could see that Ellen turned on the video (just like an efficient European) but I didn't let it bother me - sometimes I play worse knowing i am being recorded. We sold some merchandise and we talked to the Killer Bananazz after the show. They desperately want to come to the US. I could tell ferenc did not want to be their tour manager. If they came to SF, he would get them a gig but he would not be Gert to them, like he is for the Surf Coasters. Ferenc also told me that he would not want to come back to Belgium. He likes Gert and he appreciates what is being done, but if we were to return to Europe, we would go to Italy or Spain and if we came back to the Nord, we would hook up with the Anacondas and their manager who gets them big, big gigs in Berlin, Copenhagen, tour bus, long hours (sounds tiring). Whatever, I rather appreciate the medium gauge tour we are on just now. Not too long, allowing a little sight-seeing, I wish there were more days but at the same time, I miss my family.
To ay we will pack up as best we can, clean the house (which I have endeavored to keep clean but hey, 4 guys on tour), wander around Lichtaart. and be picked up for our ultimate show in Zoutleeow (South Lion). I try and I try but I cannot even begin to get my mouth around these dipthongs properly.

People hear me mangle the city names, pause for a second and then go, "Ah, Zee-uht-leh-ow." What did I just say? I considered hopping on a train and going to the nearby city of Liege and maybe having Gert pick me up or, gasp, figure out the buses to actually show up at the club. But then I decided I should probably clean, pack, sign Stephanie's book. Prepare for the miserable flight back.

Jeremy's Benelux tour notes day 11 Zoutleeuw

2005-01-16T14:14:00.000-08:00

Today in the town of the "salty lion" we played our last show of the trip for an enthusuastic small crowd of surf afficianados at the youth palace hall in Zoutleeuw, Belgium. Gert treated us to frittes with ketchup AND curry (just smalls this time, thanks) and mystery burgers before we loaded in. The place had a bunch of tiny rooms in a sort of labyrinth leading to a back porch/patio. It was also right next to yet another spectacular cathedral. Very old. 500 yrs. Was not pillaged during the middle ages nor bombed during the 20th century. A special place. Being right nxt door, the patio looks up at it...there were some tiki torches back there. Another place that's probably slammin during summertime. At the end of our set when we tried to quit, they would not let us. Several encores and a tease of a drum solo later, they let us go after "Ubik". Tomorrow we fly home via DC. Hoping for an easy, but long day of travel.

Antwerp/Goes - Jeff

2005-01-16T05:10:00.000-08:00

Another train excursion - this time to Antwerp!

Antwerp Centraal Station

We had 4 hours or so to wonder, shop and have lunch. We saw many Belgians enjoying their Saturday along the "Meir" and "Markt" avenues. It's a beautiful downtown, similar to Union Square back home in some ways... not in others. We saw the musician now and then - and yes, the robotic-bodypainted performs were there too.

Antwerp Giant
Ok so this statue had to have his picture taken - it was too funny!

After the afternoon was through, we met up with Gert back near Centraal and he drove us over the Netherlands border to Goes for tonight's show.

Gig in Goes, Holland - at "'t Beest"

The club was a wonderful venue - see Jeremy's blog for better details. I enjoyed the Bananazz's set and was happy to get a copy one of their CD's. They are a really great group of guys that we all hope to see in SF sometime.

Setting up the stage at 't Beesst

Goes is a nice coastal town in Southern Holland. It had many shops (all closed when we were there) and a nice central square (under construction). We'll have to see this town again during the day in the summer. It must be really nice.

Just one more show to go, then the flight back home on MLK day. I've really enjoyed this time abroad - its been a unique experience. Never before have I been on a music tour outside the US. It's fun to see people's excitement to meet us, hear us and learn about what a band from 1/3 the way around the earth is all about. We love the treatment we've all enjoyed in the Benelux countries - we will hopefully be back sometime soon.

-jeff

Jeremy's Benelux tour notes day 10: Goes, Holland

2005-01-16T02:12:00.000-08:00

Today we all took the bus to Hernetals for the train to Antwerp. Did some sightseeing. There's a a chain of waffle stands whose slogan is "since 1950, probably the best" what a commitment to excellence. it was nice to be in the hustle bustle of a proper city. Amsterdam seems more like a big village. There are lots of people, but no really big streets (downtown anyway). In Antwerp there was a Miel (??) that was a wide street w/no autos, just people on foot and cycling. Almost as thick as NYC sidewalk traffic. Everyone was out shopping. We saw some buskers (Two drummers, a solo guitar guy, a piano(!) w/ washboard accompanying, and also living "statues"...just like Fisherman's wharf.) We walked to the river after a 12 euro lunch of spareribs, soup, salad, ice cream and chocolates, and then returned to the station where Gert met us.

Drove 40 min or so to t'Beest in Goes, Holland. Nice club roughly the size of Slim's in SF (400-500 capacity). nice sound and lights, big stage, cool people on staff. Full backstage w/showers, towels, fridge fulla beer and soda, I wish all gigs were like this. They made us a tasty seafood stew w/shrimp, mussels, rice. Salad and bread...very good eats. Then a stroll thru Goes, which is tiny and cute w/ curvy narrow streets. We were walking next to the big church when the carillion marked the half hour with 30 seconds worth of pealing bells.

The Killer Bananaz are super fun. They play a song about having different pieces of fruit and also toilet paper that totally rocks. At the end of their show, the frontman sets his guitar headstock on fire and then takes a cordless electric drill and revs it next to the pickups while he frets with his other hand. With the soundman's digital delay effect it was very
psycho-delic, man. It was nice to see them again; with their wrestling masks on they rocked the crowd of 50 or 60. Mixed crowd of young and mature.

Some of the security guys were heavily tatooed, huge, very intense and fun to watch while they rocked out. One of them offered to get more Leffe with the special glasses, even tho there was plenty of Jupiler in the fridge: very nice.

Our set was epic from where I sat, Love the big sound we get when the room is big enough to really move some air. At Gert's request, we resurrected "Popcorn" during "Insecticide". He was pleased. During our "Jack the Ripper" encore I played a rare drum solo at the end, which was really fun for me. Thanks for indulging me guys. After the show, I was the designated merch guy and sold some cd's and shirts to some nice folks. One woman was very excited to receive a pick and a broken stick as souveniers.

One more show tomorrow. I'm sad tour is almost over. If I could, I'd do this all the time.

Saturday Goes, Netherlands by Ferenc

2005-01-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

We played out last show in Holland tonight at a big club called t'Beest in Goes, (yet another charming sea side resort town.) We had a great meal at the club (are you reading Amercian clubs???) and went for a stroll around the town. The Killer Bananazz open for us again, and we enjoyed their set, especially that bit about the apples, the potatoes and the toilet paper! There were about 60 people there, and we had to work hard but eventually got them dancing. The funny thing was that there were mostly men, so a lot of the men were dancing with each other, or more accurate to say that they were throwing each other around, skating on the beer they had spilled, or charging at each other el toro style. We have found that the faster tunes go over best with the crowd, so we are mining the depths of our set list and have put together an unrelenting aural asssault, without much subtlety. We have been closing with Slacktone's "Bells of St. Kahuna", and if asked we encore with "Jack the Ripper". Tonight's "JTR" featured an extended drum solo by Jer, the crowd hear has been especially eresponsive to his thunder. It is nice to be playing so much, and the band is tighter than we have ever been. We managed to get a recording (non-soundboard) tonight, and if it sounds good, maybe we'll post it as a free download. OK, one more show to go in Belgium and then we return home.

Jeremy's Benelux tour notes day 9: Morkhoven

2005-01-15T02:31:00.000-08:00

Today we slept in till Paul and Marleen came to take the lads to watch one of their daughters participate in a charity walk for Tsunami relief. I stayed home and slept some more. When they returned, I gave her some money, too. Stephanie did 17 laps. Great job.

The show was in nearby Morkhoven at a place called Den Bolle. We hoped that they'd have t-shirts or stickers so we could get one for our friend Sam Bolle of Slacktone. Alas, there was no merch to be had...sorry Sam.

The venue was small, but packed with young people, all very good looking. There was a side room like an atrium that was one step down from the main floor. Logistics required that I set up there in the threshold, so I had my own echo chamber and lots of space behind me for the cases. A wee bit diffcult to hear Ferenc, as his amp was around the corner, upstairs, in the next room. Nevertheless, we rocked the house after dining on some mysterious burgers at the frittur down the street. A medium frites was a mountain. We could have shared a small. The bar's owner gave us 20 Euros for dinner; the bill was exactly 20. Serindipitous synchronicity.

Tomorrow we will do some sightseeing in Antwerp and then Gert will pick us up at the train station there before the gig. See you tomorrow.

Jeremy's Benelux tour notes day 8: Turnhout

2005-01-15T02:29:00.000-08:00

AHHH. A day of solitude. I love the guys in the band like brothers, but it was nice to just chill by myself today while the lads bussed to the station for the train to Brugge (see their entries for details). Slept in, did some cycling, went to the market, made lunch, built a roaring fire and read a book. Nice. Gert called around 5pm to say that there was some doubt about Friday's show in Morkhoven at the Den Bolle. He asked me to check out if Cafe de Leeu wanted us to play. i went down there, but Eddy said that with no time to promote the show or inform neighbors of the noise that he was not interested. Happily, Gert got to the bottom of things and ascertained that Friday's gig was still on. Hopefully, Gert and Eddy will connect for future shows.

Our show tonite was in nearby Turnhout at the Cycloon. Another tiny pub. A second room in the back emptied out into a backyard. I'd love to see these places in summertime; I bet they rock. They brought in some shawermas for us to eat and plied us with lots of beer. Apparently, little or no promotion was done by the owner, so the turnout in Turnhout was not so good. There was also a noise restriction that required the guys to keep the amps low and for me to play with those bundle rods. No complaints. I find it nice to play quietly once in a while; it's good practice. We played two sets and dug out some tunes not yet played on this trip including our wild west medley, the Pepsi quadrangle, etc.

After the show, Jono and I went out to the de Leeuw, where Jan treated us to a shot of Ricard, a Pernot-like brown liquer that you dilute with water. I'll try anything once, but to the Ricard I say once is enough.

Turnhout/Markhoven

2005-01-15T02:12:00.000-08:00

These two shows were similar yet with many differences as well. We'll compare and contrast with T and M representing each gig respectively (note: I must try learning Dutch... not to be confused with 'Deutch', which is what the Dutch/Belgians call German... calling their own people the Flemish... so what about Holland? or is it The Netherlands? Who else calls it Holland? Is it because most of the country under sea level? - Hole-land?... I think with all the confusion, its multi-language occupants and legalized pastimes, its amazing the trains here are so often on time...).

Back to Belgium - T & M. They both were shows in bars similar in size, perhaps M being smaller. Each show's evenings worked in similar phases: arrival, unload, setup, line-check (no sound-check), quick bite (we miss the fancy food from Eeklo), perform, onchore, breakdown, sell merch, loadup, idiot-check the stage, drive home.

Where M was crowded and social, T was less so. The owner of T didn't post any show posters. Where at M there was a couple who told us the had a "Haarley Davidsoon" and two sons who play drums, T had a musician or two who told us about times-of-year to play shows in Belgium (march being the time T has a big festival). Where T had a stage and 'back-stage', M was so crowded and small, Jer and his kit were set up in the chilly fooze-ball room, being separated from the rest of us by a double-door threshold. I don't think I’ve ever played a live show with the drummer in another room. Where T was a difficult show (we played as quiet as possible), M was a satisfying success - selling more CDs, and impressing the local females with my stage presence.

Note1: the Haarley guy suggested I try hair implants. His wife said his success with them kept him looking younger - ah, these Dutch never stop impressing me. Practical and efficient.

Note2: Jono is our official chef ... Euro-historian ... even official Euro-fashion-consultant ... all things no band traveling in Belgium should be without.

Note3: A thought about Europeans in general. When you think about what these people have achieved since, say, the Reagan administration: socio-economic union, engineering-wondrous tunnels, and bridges, nation reunification, political victories over repression, etc. ... other than the BART extension to SFO, what significant thing has the US been doing in the same time frame?

Sheesh, it's embarrassing.

-jeff

tsunami relief efforts

2005-01-15T02:11:00.000-08:00

We went to a tsunami relief walk-a-thon of sorts organized by the school nearby. PDM members made a contribution on Stephanie's behalf - she is the Akerhouisje owner's very sweet 12year old. Her parents took us on a walk arourd the school grounds.

The race/walk had all grades - k through 12. It was fun seeing the kindergarten classes being cheered on by us all at the sidelines. Stephanie did great and was still running on her 13th lap when we left.

Tonight we play in Markhoven.

side note:
It turns out that Bobbejaanland is closed for the winter. We're told its a bit old, but still nice to take kids to in the summer. Oh well, maybe next tour...
www.bobbejaanland.be/en/

-jeff

Smoke gets in my lungs - Ferenc

2005-01-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

No that is not a fog machine in front of the Hawaiiaan Astro Boys... just typical smoke in a club!

I am definitely going to quit smoking when I get home. I am sick of the hacking cough, not being able to tast my meals, and all my clothes smelling like smoke. So please, no matter how much I beg, don't let me smoke!!!!

1/14/04 - Jono

2005-01-14T20:55:00.000-08:00

Friday 14.01.05
This place is cool. Our hosts, Paul and Marlene, have three daughters, ages 18, 17 and 12. The youngest, Stephanie, was participating in a footrace in a benefit for the Tsunami (12.12) at her primary school. It was very familiar, only Belgian soccer moms and apple-cheeked children running a course. Ferenc, Jeff and I committed .25 euro per lap and she expected to run 15 laps so I will lose almost 4 euro - the price of a beer. Marlene took us on a tour of the schools for all of her children, they were adjacent to one another. She, too, went to the same school when she grew up.

The winter here is exceptionally mild this year. Today was in the 40's F and a cool mist has settled upon the forest in Lichtaart but Marlene told us that she often would suffer through winters with lots of snow but not anymore. Every village here has tiny chapels erected throughout their grim and violent history, often involving shepherds and statues of the virgin (sound familiar?), bloody communion wafers and whatnot. Lichtaart has a chapel erected where a German V2 rocket (of Gravity's rainbow fame) landed and destroyed a section of Lichtaart. Actually, it is the spot where a piece of the rocket was located. Time marches on into the future...

Tonight we play in Markhoven at a club called den Bolle, a local pub. Last night's show in Turnhout was a real bust. The food was bad, the crowd indifferent, fortunately the commute was about 20 minutes. We had to play quietly, which is a real chore, because it was a glass pub. That is the weird thing, we either play in monstrous rock palaces with gigantic sound systems and multiple stages, an in-house chef and a backstage suite, or we play in a smoky pub with old Belgians glaring at us with their rheumy eyes over their Belgian lace trappist ales in monstrous Belgian snifters, cigarettes dangling from their fleshy lips....

It isn't all that bad but last night's show depressed Ferenc. Touring can really set everyone's nerves on edge. Ferenc is getting a cold, jeremy got so drunk last night (we returned to le Leeow) he fell off his bicycle. We are about to go back into Lichaart. I need to go get some more Euros, I still have over $100 in cash left (hoo-boy. I still put a few hundred on my VISA for hotel rooms in Amsterdam and I picked up the lunch check ($$$) in Bruges yesterday.

Tomorrow we plan to go into Antwerp and wander around. the buses and trains are so efficient. Jeff is in hog heaven. He loves public transport and all the train stations and bus stops all have secure bike parking. Everyone bicycles here unless they are hauling materials. No one wears a helmet and no one dresses like a bike champ. Young and old alike just ride around. The bike paths are all paved and dedicated. it is such an efficient system it makes me mad - why can't the USA be like that?

We have no definite plans for Antwerp. We saw part of it during the prison excursion. It is a big city with cool buildings. Maybe look at a diamond museum.

Donderdag Jan 13, from Ferenc

2005-01-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

We just got back from Brugge, which is a small walled town in Belgium that has escaped world wars and and other ravages of time, and remains a fairy tale mideaval town. It has a central church with a bell tower that can be climbed all the way to the top (336 steps straight up in a tight spiral staircase). Jono, Jeff and I went, Jeremy took the day off. We travelled by train and bus, proud of ourselves for negotiating the public transportation. Not many specifics, other than we marvelled at
the endless well placed pavers, and circuitous ancient roads. Can you tell I have been hanging out with Jono and his exceptional vocabulary?
Gert is coming at 7:30 tonight, our show is fairly local. He called today to say that the Friday show has been cancelled as the club went under, so hopefully we can dig up anoither gig.

Jeremy Benelux tour notes day 7 St Niklass

2005-01-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

The day began in Amsterdam with the bells of
Oudenkirke waking us in time for the hotel's included
breakfast: Hard boiled eggs, salami, cheese, rolls,
cereal, coffee, juice...a decent spread and all you
could eat. I made a couple sandwiches for the train
trip.

We left at 12:30 and did the return trip with the same
transfer in Antwerpen, Belgium, arriving in Herentals
exactly 3 hrs after leaving Amsterdam. On the train,
we chatted w/a German fellow who works on cruise
ships. After the train trip, Marleen picked us up and
we went home. Gert got us a few hrs later and it was
off to:

Grand Cafe Hemelrijk in St Niklaas is a cool place.
Dark wood, Belgian beers of all sorts. Not too big, 30
ft x 75 ft main room w/ pool table in back. Raised 6
inch stage in front window, which slid open for easy
load ins...cool. Sidewalk to stage in two seconds.
Another beautiful meal at a local restaurant.
Exuberant show with some rough spots easily recovered
from. Great crowd who cheered loudly and also heckled
us a bit for being from SF. We told 'em gay means
cheerful, too....and rocked their asses. In thanks,
they bought some t-shirts and cd's and asked for
autographs. Another killer show.

Thursday the lads are going sightseeing in Brugge
(fairy tale castles, narrow streets, etc) but I'm too
tired from all the walking and other activities in
Amsterdam to do another day on the train. Looking
forward to sleeping in and then cycling around
Lichtaart by myself tomorrow.

Jeremy Benelux tour notes days 5-6: Amsterdam

2005-01-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

Monday morning Marleen drove us to nearby Herentals
where we caught a train to Antwerp. We then
transferred to another train to Amsterdam. The
countryside is very beautiful. The entire journey was
exactly three hours (the trains here are PROMPT) and
we arrived and half past noon at Central Station.

Our lodging at the Winston International Hotel was
clean, secure, though certainly not deluxe. Right next
to Oudenkirke (old church?), which had a huge
carillion of bells that chimed every 15 min., and
played songs a few times daily (included was a Beatles
medley!!). Located at the edge of the red light
district, the surrounding streets are crammed with
tourists, scraggly junkies trying to befriend you to
peddle their wares, bars, cafes and the ubiquitous
"smoking" coffeeshops. Not to mention the girls in
the windows, wearing neon bikinis under blacklight.
There is lots to see and do in town, and with only 48
hrs, we were determined to make the most of it, in
spite of rainy weather.

We dropped off our bags, strolled around our
neieghborhood for a while, then headed to Damrack (the
main drag fr the station, like market st in sf) for
some lunch at a steakhouse. The waiter gave us a
second round of beers on the house, so we left a tip
(not req'd). Ferenc and Jeff bought phone cards and
called home while Jono and I went into the Grasshopper
coffeeshop for a little ganja. I get stoned all the
time, but not the others in the band. In spite of
being extremely well ventilated (there was a breeze
from the intake vent above us) I managed to create a
huge cloud of thick sensi smoke in short order, and I
think the boys may have gotten a little in their
lungs.

Some napping was done, a pre-dinner stroll where I got
turned around and briefly lost, and then a meal at
place that served a hybrid of Italian, Middle Eastern,
and American, whose proprietor seemed to be of Indian
extraction. Everything mixed together. Cheap and
good.

In spite of being bothered constantly be street
dealers trying to peddle hard drugs to their new
friend the American biker (if you don't already know,
I'm 280 lbs 5' 10' with long hair and a moustache, I
am always mistaken for a biker), i find the people
here to bere warm, friendly and certainly
omni-lingual. Some one approaches on the street and
starts speaking to you in German, French or Dutch,
asking where you're from. Once they have determined
what language to use, the push or sob story begins.
Usually "no thanks" works, but some are more
aggressive than others and a couple had me restraining
myself from showing them what "ugly American"
means...steel toed boot-to-the-head style.

Do not let this deter you from coming. The others in
the band were not pursued anywhere near as heavily as
I was. I think the biker look thing just seems to
invite it.

After a little window shopping, I checked into a
coffeeshop/bar that had the Fabulous Furry Freak
Brothers depicted on the front. A longtime underground
comix favoite of mine, the Freak Brothers' place had
been on my mind since I had managed to miss it on my
first trip here 11 yrs ago. The bartender informed me
that the FB connection was that Gilbert Shelton, the
creator of the characters, had visited the place in
the sixties. I got chatted up by an American student
named Carl. I told him about PDM's show the next
night and he was very interested. I don't know if he
came to the show or not. I did not see him in the
club, but there were 150 people there and I could have
easily missed him.

Tuesday: showday so I tried not to get too fucked
up...(good luck, it's Amsterdam). I did some
souvenier shopping with Jono while Jeff and Ferenc
visited the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh museum.
At the club (Bitterzoet) the Anacondas let us use
their equipment, Ampeg bass rig, Fender and Vox guitar
amps, and a beautiful vintage Ludwig kit w/Istanbul
cymbals...super nice, thanks Marcel!!

The Anacondas are a great band. The Keyboard player
also plays flute and percussion, fattening their sound
to great effect. They may be coming stateside again
this year, so if you missed them last time, do not
make the same mistake again. We had a good show, and
afterwards the DJ played surf and 60's r&b. It was
nice to be able to hang out and mingle. With Gert,
our promoter of the belgium shows, it's hustle time
as soon as the last note stops ringing. Makes sense:
he has a day job to get to early in the AM.

I was smitten with Anne, who bought me a drink. We
also danced a bit, which was nice. I would love to see
more of her sometime. Around 4:30 am it was time to
go. Walking thru A-dam at this hour is quiet and
safe. I can't wait to come back to this great place.

Right next to our hotel is an alleyway with a mural of
a Garcia-looking guy holding a guitar. Across the
alley is the actual guy, obviously a fixture at that
location. I chatted with him for a moment and gave
him some change. My good deed for the day. And then
to bed at 6am.

Brugge photos

2005-01-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

Brugge photos
(click to enlarge)

Amsterdam - Jeff

2005-01-13T01:08:00.000-08:00

Where to begin? We've just spent 3 days in such a wonderful place. I hope it's far less time before I return.

We reserved 2 rooms at the Winston. This turned out to be in the center of everything. We wandered each night for food and foolishness and did a little of both.

The winter weather was at its best. A bit of rain now and then but not much colder than SF.

The BiterZoet was in a modern bldg just west of Centraal near Harlemaar str. Many older Amsterdam dwellings have had their share of stability issues, leaning towards the street is a common sight. Yet the BZ was an unusally new structure with a nice lighting system and loft sometimes reminding me of our shows at the Paradise.

Maybe our most interesting restaurant was the DuLoc on Harlemaar. With all its interesting decorations, kind clientele and large Heinekin refreshments, it felt like having good food was an added bonus. I ordered the lazagna. It was tasty.

room view

The Anacondas were gracious to make their drums and backline available for us, making the entire journey far less taxing. Setup was a snap. That being said, I heard nothing but Jono. Even Jeremy was hard to hear sometimes. We played well, nonetheless.

The Anacondas

Back on the train the next morning and we are returning to our huis un da farm. I'm anxious to hear from home to see how they're doing.

1/ 10-11/05 - Jono

2005-01-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam 10.01.05-11.01.05
We had two down days on this tour and we decided we should try and visit somewhere. London? Paris? They were far but not too far. Jeff had been to Amsterdam but when Ferenc actually got us a gig with the Anacondas, it was set in stone. However, Gert was not going to be there driving us. So Marlene helped us figure the train schedules and took us early (9am) to the Herentals train station. She spoke with the agent and helped us get 1-way tickets to Amsterdam. Everything was re-packed and Jeff, Ferenc and I all had to carry our guitars slung on our backs like wild west honchos. But we also had effects and merchandise so we were heavily-laden as we rode into the Antwerpen Bercham station. Fortunately a conductor kindly asked and then directed us to the proper track (spoor). We waited 20 minutes or so before our train came and whisked us off for two days of adventure.

We passed through a more steel & glass world as opposed to the brick & mortar Belgium. It is still very tidy & efficient but different. Canals increased and the land flattened. We saw modern windmills and nuclear power cooling towers. Ominous, but I suppose the Dutch know how to run a power plant competently.

We arrived after passing through Rotterdam (completely rebuilt after a savage bombing during WWII) and den Haag (The Hague). Arriving at Amsterdam Centraal, we examined maps and determined we were within walking distance of our hotel that Gert recommended and then reserved for us, the Hotel Winston on the Wormoestraat.

Aside from the traffic/crowds disorientation that is inevitable when disgorging from a crowded train station (plus carrying very expensive gear in our luggage), we quickly crossed the Damrak and hurled ourselves into the tiny confines of the Oude Zhid. I was immediately reminded of Kathmandu or Varanasi: narrow, crazy streets selling tourist crap; in this case pornography and drugs. Coffee houses, paraphernalia shops, red-lit windows suggesting legalized prostitution. I was shocked to discover that I was shocked at such open vices. I know, I had heard all about it but seeing is believing.

We checked into our rooms and stored our equipment; Jeff and Ferenc in 606 and Jeremy and myself in 607. First thing: get something to eat, then get some euros and then a coffee shop. Tourist areas can be tough when trying to get a decent meal., They anticipate the lowest common denominator and make everything uniformly mediocre. But hungry with few options, we were lured into an Argentinan Steak house. Not quite authentic cuisine but we got steaks, fries and beer. No one was complaining yet.

Ferenc chose to look for a phone to call home. Jeremy, Jeff and I wandered over to a coffee house to find something to smoke. We entered the Green Grasshopper on the Damrak. Alcohol is rarely served in coffee houses and they do not display their wares. One must inquire and then press a button which illuminates a glass display case. Strange but laws define customs. Jeremy and I bought some and sat down to roll a number.

There was a drink minimum and I was shocked to be fleeced so quickly! 4 euros for a soft drink. Of course, once I finished my coffee while stoned, I needed another and Ferenc was not back quite yet. I inquired about the bathroom (on the third floor) and went up only to find two women demanding .50 euros to use the john. It upset me in an irrational way, adding paranoia to discomfort. The music was loud and I found it totally unpleasant to even sit there. Ferenc returned and we moved on.

But then we were fed and smoked and it felt good to walk around. Amsterdam is so beautiful, the crooked (cruiked?) houses and the crazy narrow streets. Jeremy had been there a few times before and immediately remembered how and where to go. Of course, after a short time we got completely lost but we looked on a map and found our way back to the hotel, wet from a drizzling rain. We met up with Jeff who was napping. We watched a little TV and tried to relax a bit before re-embarking on a glistening sojourn through cobblestoned streets.

Wandering in a daze through the ancient streets of Amsterdam, the sleaziness of the tourism mixed with a bitching design of old buildings lining picturesque canals, creating a moving backdrop as we oriented ourselves with the horseshoe shaped city. The houses and facades all have very unique and beautiful gables, complete with stout beams and pulley systems to winch heavy furniture up into the third and fourth floors. The streets are narrow and paved in a variety of bricks and cobblestones (excellent for shedding water efficiently). Canals criss cross the entire city in an interlocking drainage system. Each canal has a series of little bridges that cross the canal. The whole city is just too charming. Like Thailand, the residents built a beautiful city not with precious materials but honest labor.

We ate a fairly mediocre meal of pizza & pasta and wandered some more, this time to the Dam where stately buildings and churches sit around a large plaza with a phallic monument . We compared notes and retired for the evening, splitting up and going our separate ways.

The next morning we were awoken by the maid, informing us that breakfast would be served between 8 and 10 am. We made it down and ate foods very similar to what Gert offered us back at the house in Lichtaart - salami, cheese, bread, eggs, muesli. Wanting some alone-time, I wandered the early morning streets, choosing to wander towards the Station Centraal on a street lined with shoe stores and crappy souvenir emporiums (think Mission Street). Entering the train station, I researched as to when our return train would be departing on Wed morning.

We all joined back together at the hotel and ventured to another coffee house. Looking at our tourist options, we could visit museums, construct our own walking tours, ride the canals in a boat, what have you. Jeremy opted to nap in the hotel, Ferenc and Jeff went off on their way and i mine. I borrowed Jeremy's digital camera and started snapping photos of fun canal-lined streets. I stopped in at the Amsterdam Historisch Museum and filled in some gaps in my Amsterdam knowledge data base.

We reconvened at 6 and wandered over to de Bitterzoet, the club we would be playing at with the Anacondas. It was not open but someone told us to return at 7. Back we went and relaxed some more in the hotel room. Then we packed up and carried our gear through the streets of Amsterdam the eight blocks or so to the club. Kind of tough but not too bad. The Anacondas were setting up their gear and urged us to go out for dinner. We stashed our stuff and wandered further west, on the Haarlemstraat. The fare was looking wretchedly familiar (Chinees, Ankara, pizza, Argentinan steak, et al) until we wandered into a relatively popular (and Dutch-populated) bistro, du Lac. I ordered a plate of mussels and steak kebab and frites. Good enough!

We returned to the club, which was filling up. We met Martine the club owner who handed us a generous amount of drink tokens and the soundguys. Marcel, the drummer for the Anacondas, works in a percussion shop in Amsterdam and had a sweet Ludwig setup. Jakob, the bass/guitarist, showed me the Vox amp I would be playing through. The crowds started filling in, often couples who I suspected were friends of the Anacondas. A lot of the audience seemed to know one another. The guitarist had broken his leg and was in a cast and on crutches. He played sitting down this time.

They are a great band with a real mature sound with gentle dynamics and real innovation, utilizing keyboards and a flute(!). They are comfortable playing together and the audience recognized that. We played. The Vox seemed loud and muffled but I feel that about the Shoman Gert has. Just my lot on this tour. We played well and people even danced (or did I just imagine that?). We packed up and hung around. This was our night in Amsterdam. We had a few drinks and partied with the Anacondas, meeting their friends. Jeremy chatted and danced with a fetching lass who worked at Halliburton and was quite apologetic about it. She was impressed that I could identify her as a Walloon, a French-speaking Belgian. Jeremy and I returned to the hotel at 4:30. Whew!

We were awoken again by the maid announcing breakfast. but it was almost 10 when we dragged ourselves down for more coffee and rolls. Jeff was having his ear chewed off by a speed-freak German tourist. We made sandwiches for the train ride. We packed our gear and checked out, returning to the station wiser and more familiar with Amsterdam as an entity. However, we checked out at 11:00 but missed the hourly 11:22 train and had to wait until 12:22. Oh well, the gear was heavy but manageable. We wandered around the station and took photos. Then we boarded our train and said goodbye to Amsterdam.

Although we planned to call Marlene from the Antwerp connection, I couldn't figure out the phones and didn't want to bother with purchasing a phone card, I knew we only had a few minutes between trains. So we called Marlene from a pay phone in Herentals. She was busy shopping and had to pick up her daughter but she would meet us in 30 minutes. While waiting, I noticed that the train station also hosted a fleet of buses idling conveniently next door. I found a route that had Lichtaart on it. This could be handy! Marlene drove us back and we relaxed, freshening up, waiting for Gert to pick us up at 7pm for a show in St. Niklaas, near Ghent. It didn't look too promising club-wise, it definitely falls into the 'pub' category as opposed to the 'concert halls' we had also performed at. But we went off to dinner with Gert at some dutch place with fairly inexpensive food (I never saw the bill but I glanced at the menu). We returned to discover the pub pretty full with a good mixed crowd. It was a pretty old Belgian pub serving trappist Belgian ales in their unique glasses and we rocked.

Our set has become numbingly familiar. There were some drunk guys dancing and harassing some women but aside from that the crowd was rather receptive. I met some fellows after the set who played in a local surf band, the Broncos. They hadn't been playing long but thought they would come see us. I introduced them to Gert, who I thought might want to meet them and vice versa (It is in his best interests to know all of the local talent). I prayed this wasn't one of those faux pas moments where they already know one another and detest each other - you never know! and we sold and signed CDs.

After getting our balance of free drinks in unopened trappist ales, we returned home. Jeremy and I decided to put posters up for the Thursday (donderdag) show in Turnhout at the Leeouw. But it was closed. Just as well, I wasn't into partying that night much more, I just wanted a little sleep.

Amsterdam - ferenc

2005-01-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

The strangest thing for me in Amsterdam (aside from legalalized prostitution and dope) are all of the crooked buildings. What happened is that Amsterdam is a city created by pulling the muck up to create the canals. Then they built the buildings on the mud, but the ground underneath was still not totally dry and all the buildings now lean this way and that. Or maybe the architects stopped by a "coffe" house for a smoke before they hit the drafting table. Some look they will fall into the street, and have huge polls to hold up the front facade. Others have windows which look like severe parallelograms. But I guess that most of them have been standing for 400 years, so they aren't going to fall over anytime soon. The tourist boars wouldn't like that.

1/9/05 - Jono

2005-01-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening 09.01.05
Antwerp state prison. Oh. my. god.

Pretty cool actually. I awoke this afternoon at 1pm, 2 hours before Gert picked us up. I still managed to prepare breakfast for the boys. Jeff is a little tired of eggs. Oh, well.

We drove into Antwerp, a beautiful old city. There is some ancient architecture. The buildings in Belgium, like San Francisco, are flat-faced up against the street. But the streets curve in a medieval fashion and the buildings curve right along side. Plus, the gables are all different. Apparently they did not number the buildings until Napoleon came along and kicked their asses and so the only way to define houses was by gable and facade. Along the Schelde river stands many old assay houses and warehouses.

Diamond cutting is the main industry here and there is a huge Jewish population in full Hasidic regalia, and they weigh and determine quality of all diamonds (from Africa!). Gert has a day job polishing diamonds and he showed us the building he works in. Nothing is open on Sundays so we didn't really bother to stop and look around. He has an agenda and we follow it.

However, we were early for the prison gig so he took us to the red light district. Talk about depressing! Pat Pong in Bangkok was pretty bad and so was this, women in little window-fronted closets in skimpy outfits. More depressing are all the men strolling around. Jeremy was intrigued. Not me.

We then went to the prison. We waited outside for a while and then entered and met Herwig, the pony-tailed entertainment coordinator at the prison. We moved our equipment inside and suddenly went into a pseudo-lockdown mode. We were informed that it was a maximum-security facility and that murderers and rapists would be in the prison population. Do not wander off and do not get lost. Yes, sir!

A few inmates were on hand to move equipment. We were led upstairs and we all got real nervous. Oddly enough, the warden has a real sense of humor and purchases old movie posters of American prison movies (Escape from Alcatraz, O Brother Where Art Thou?) and they are on all of the walls. Herwig pointed out that their prison is quite humane. Prisoners with children can have an entire two hours, complete with a clown to entertain. There are conjugal visits, etc. The sad thing (maybe not) is that prisoners are encouraged to maintain a fiction for children that Daddy is in the hospital or at work. I almost cried thinking about it. Georgia and Stella visiting me in prison...

We met the sound man, Fred. He spoke English. He talked glowingly about going to the New orleans Jazz Fest. He really wanted to go to SF for the North Beach jazz fest. Suddenly I realized - he was an inmate! He mentioned that he was in New orleans when his wife called to tell him to come home, he had been cooking the books somewhere and the IRS (or whatever it is) was searching his office. Well, he had a plum gig.

They brought in the female prisoners first (a coed prison) and then the male prisoners. They announced us and then we went on. We played well, Jeremy was a tad grumpy and then I broke a string - drag! Fortunately, they had a bunch of guitars in this back room full of musical equipment (we were using their drum set). I ran back and grabbed an identical Fender guitar but without the whammy bar. Quickly, Gert and Fred came up, grabbed my guitar, went backstage and changed the string. Rock on, nothing like guitar techs behind bars!

A few songs got the prisoners rocking! Ultimately it was our best crowd yet, what one could jokingly refer to as "a captive audience." And it was Jeremy they loved! We finished, came back for an encore and they applauded with thunder! Herwig came out and yelled, "Shut up!" Whoa, keep those prisoners in line.Very few were Belgian, most were guest workers from Eastern Europe or Morocco. The women were dancing in the aisles and Herwig said that they were exposing themselves to us! It was too dark for me to see and no one else noticed but the female guard had to go and maintain order.

After the show, they served us a delicious curry and rice with soup and a luscious chocolate mousse with shaved chocolate mixed in. I believe that the prisoners cook the food. We ate with the guards. Then we got a tour of the facility. It was built in 1850 and has been remodeled and built up many times since then. We were not allowed to mix with the prisoners (thank god) but we saw all of the floors and their respective wards. Then we left and returned.

Tomorrow we must get up early (7:30 am) and go to the Herentals train station. That will take us to Antwerp. There we will connect with a train to Amsterdam. We made reservations at a hotel that Gert recommended. Most importantly, it is a safe hotel. Gert is lending us a voltage converter and is very insistent that we do not lose it or get it stolen. So it is in our best interest to do what he wants us to do as far as that goes. He covets an orange extension cord I purchased right before the tour. I will gladly make a gift to him of it before we leave.

Jeremy's Benelux tour notes day four

2005-01-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today we slept in till past noon before Gert picked us up at 3pm to drive 1 hr to Antwerpen. We arrived in town a little early, so Gert drove us thru the diamond cutter's part of town, showing us the bldg where he works, explaining Diamond business' exoudus from Amsterdam (quote from Gert: "Strange thing, the dutch liked the germans and we did not, so the Jewish diamond merchants came here") etc. Then we parked and took a stroll through a neighborhood to soak up some local color...lit w/red. Back in the van, and to the prison, where we played our best received show so far. many thanks to soundman Fred. The captive audience of apprx 60 persons of both sexes were led in and waited patiently for us to begin. The response when we played was tremendous, enthusiastic, and unforgettable Huge roar demanding encore, which we, of course, delivered. After the show, Herwig, the facilitator of activities, took us to the guard's mess hall for a lovely meal of veg soup and beef curry w/rice and choc mousse for dessert. Then a tour and description of the prison, visiting rooms etc.

tomorrow: day off in Amsterdam followed by Tues show in Amsterdam with the Anacondas.

1/9/05 - Jono

2005-01-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Sunday a.m. 09.01.05

Yes, last night Jeremy and I "put the hammer down." After exploring the charming little hamlet of Lichtaart by day, jeremy and I went on after the show in Eeklo last night to Le Leeow (The Lion). Beats 'n Beers seemed to be the motto of the club. It was one of those places where you instantly felt old. The first thing I noticed after ordering a Hoegarden wheat beer was a photo of San Francisco on the wall - cool. So I chatted with some of the youth. I quickly met Jan, a wildman dancer/surfer pierced dreadlocked blond dude about 6'6" who knew all of the lyrics to any song on the jukebox and screamed them, often with someone else. There was dancing on the tables, it was wild and crazy. There is no age limit and no last call. But they shut us down at about 5 am. The owner (who has Stella's birthday but born in 1961) was kind enough to just keep the beers flowing for us. The evening ended when Jan and his AC/DC girlfriend Linda ("I prefer women" she confided to me) smoked a joint with Jeremy and me out in front of the town's manor

Needless to say I woke up at 2 feeling crappy. But I did fix my delay pedal and was ready when Gert arrived for tonight's show at exactly 4pm.

So, in answer to your question about food - yes we went to a store. Gert purchased us some staples when we arrived (bread, eggs, milk, cheese, juice) but Jeremy wanted some more. One fun thing I did was walk into a charcuterie (butcher shop). It was quite clean and well-lit. The old woman behind the counter spoke no English but I got to do the old point-at-what-I-want. I bought 1/2 kilo of bacon. Why not? It is more like Canadian bacon but I fried some for breakfast. It is a lot, actually. I also bought a weird snack I thought might be a confection, it was amongst prepared puddings. It is a cheese-covered potato thing - what I think is a raw tator tot. I will fry them tomorrow, they weren't very exciting raw.

We also purchased some lambiks at the SPAR grocery store. Most of the bars we play at are really rock and roll centers and often do not have a wide selection of beers. Stella Artois is readily available most everywhere. Last night's club served it to me.

Tonight we drove deep into Holland on more surface roads which added time. The countryside is very flat, the Lowlands, so there isn't much to see except reforestation and industrial centers along the highway. It is the villages that are quite charming. The surface roads of Holland are remarkably tidy with traffic circles and protective bollards.

We played a show with 2 bands at a club called Metropool in a fairly large town called Hengelo. We arrived and set up after meeting the 2 bands, the Monotones and the Killer Bananaaz. We did a sound check and then had the dinner with the club staff. Frank, the monitor sound guy, informed us the cook was sick and that they would order out Chinese food (Chinees in Dutch). That was interesting, because as I engaged the guitarist from the Killer Bananaz, he explained that Chinese food in Holland is actually Indonesian food but cooked by ex-pat Chinese. There was a noodlemein dish, a veggie dish, an omelet in a spicy tomato sauce, chicken satay, lumpia, and these shrimp/rice wafer breads.

After the meal I took a nap. Jeremy intrepidly set off and was instructed by the doorman on how to get to the nearest "coffeeshop." The crowd was light, Gert apologized but blamed the club for not promoting it effectively -but they had a good excuse by setting up a tsunami relief fundraiser and channeling all their efforts to promote that the night before our show.

I awoke to what I figured was the middle of the Monotones' set. Their attractive female second guitarist looked dazzling in a form-fitted dress, prompting us to ask ourselves, "Why don't we have a sexy girl onstage?".

The Killer Banaaz were lots of fun! They had entrance theme music and they come running out a la Los Straitjackets in Mexican wrestling masks, terrorizing the audience. Then they break into surf tunes and quickly lose the masks. The front guy was tall and bald. He played a pink guitar but mostly sang and played the trumpet. The band acts real goofy and did something pretty dangerous in the wake of nightclub fires, especially the Great White Meltdown recently. They put gasoline or something flammable on the headstock of his guitar and lit it on fire. He then played with a cordless drill close to his pickups, making cool spinning noises. They, too, did a rendition of the Hall of the Mt. King. Last night the Hawaiian Astroboys played it. too.

Then we played. We played well. I am not happy with my tone but I am using a borrowed amp so we worked some kinks out tonight. Some people danced. They stocked our dressing room with beer, drinks and snacks. And it was expected that we would take all of it with us, which we did. We packed meat, cheese, bread, beers, candy, sodas. Tomorrow we play the Antwerp State Prison - an early 5 pm show.

Jeremy's Benelux tour notes day three

2005-01-09T03:45:00.000-08:00

We slept hard and late. Because of the long travel time to Hengelo in Holland, Gert picked us up early. Long drive to venue with a minor navigational mishap, easily corrected collaboratively. We arrived at Metropol and were treated to a good take out meal of asian food. Then soundcheck. Gigantic oversize sound system with lots of monitors, nice mics, capable friendly assistance from both front of house and monitor operators (Michael and Frank). After getting the mix just right, I asked the doorman, Bartle, if there were any smoking coffeeshops nearby. He said that there were four within walking distance, but recommended the Rokade. I was not dissappointed...mission accomplished. The walk thru town was lovely. There is a large brown brick church with an illuminated clock. And a huge state house with a clock tower, this one illuminated in neon green rather than white light like the church.

Backstage, the club set us up with beer, water, sodas, juice, fruit and other munchies incl a sandwich tray after the show...also towels....rock star treatment. During the solid, tight Monotones' set I chatted with Michael about the sound. He said that after our sound check, some from the othe bands(?) requested an adjustment to the drum tones. "Too Heavy Rock" they said. I listened closely and sure enough he had adjusted the eq and the drums sounded VERY trad...dry. I said "Hey dude, when I get up there, put it back to Heavy Rock."

the Killer Bananaz played next and tore it up. Then it was our turn...epic in my opinion, tho' I am biased. Long ride home. blissful sleep. Next stop, prison.

Hengelo

2005-01-09T02:59:00.000-08:00

The band's first venture over the border into Holland. It was quite a long drive - and, with Gert not knowing the area as well, we were all depending on a highway map. Gert tried a less traveled route for the way there, possibly to avoid freeway traffic (like there's ever truly freeway traffic over here) but quickly we found out that even for a native, many of the intersections were a bit confusing. We found ourselves seeing signs to Zurphet in more directions than one, or looking at signs meant for cars coming from other directions just to make sure we were going the right way. It was a bit stressful, to say the least. I need to learn some Dutch for next time... sheesh! But, other than one freeway exit, we actually did everything we needed to do to get there enroute... coming home? We took the freeway!

Speaking of freeways, the freeways here are in great shape! They have signs for everything - the good 'ol Euro symbol signage, the circle-slash whenever leaving a town or changing a speed limit. They even have signs telling you a camera will take your picture if you're going too fast. Many sharp turns have arrows reminding us of airport runways - one in Holland yesterday had arrows that were polarized somehow ... or, someone was really tripping when making them. Ah, the Dutch.

The show was at the Metropol in Hengelo. Once we arrived, they had Indonesian food waiting for us. The chef was out sick, so they apologized that they could only offer takeout. Well, we weren't a bit upset with them...

Another thunderous stage with a huge mixing board. Our sound was monitored really well, making Jeremy's bass drum boom as it should. Two other bands were with us and were both very talented. The MonoMen were actually the Monotones and they had one female in the band. They played very well and had a very solid sound. They played several originals and covers and did a great job keeping the audence interested.

The Killer Bananazz came on the stage in masks, had a trumpet solo now and then and did other unique things to keep the listener curious. They are going to join us in another show next week, so hopefully I'll be able to see more of their set then.

We were soon ready and played 45min - our best set yet and I think we all felt pretty good on the road home. It was atleast 2 hours on the road each way, so we were exhausted once we got back. I think the rest of our shows are closer, our sleeping is improving since we're all more used to Euro time, and I think colds and flus have all gotten taken care of... I think we're finally getting the hang of this! Next stop - today we're going to prision!

-jeff

1/8/05 Jono

2005-01-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon 08.01.05

Yesterday I got the two bicycles here working and both jeremy and I went on a jaunt through the charming hamlet of Lichtaart. There are dedicated bike paths where the traffic gets heavy.

Gert picked us up at 5:00 pm and drove us west to the East Flanders city of Eeklo. Most of it was monotonous highway driving but the town was fairly exciting. What was truly interesting was the club, N9. Apparently, the owners had a few buildings and since it is the European custom here that the club feeds the bands (go figure), the woman Bernadette invited us to her other Art Deco apartment down the road where we were all served a homemade meal of soup, sauteed pork in mushroom gravy, some kind of tater tots (!) and a sauteed cabbage in a heavily reduced wine stock. We were also served a fine variety of excellent vintage wines. Bernadette then gave us a tour of the sumptuous flat which fronted an old bicycle factory. There were very large pieces of furniture in every room, much of it that would match our bedroom set quite nicely. The bathroom was bigger than our bedroom.

We were playing with a local band, the Hawaiian Astroboys. They were young, handsome and a very good band. While eating with them, I engaged in conversation with Jan Frans and Francis, the drummer and bassist, respectively. They urged us to skip Bruges as being a disney-esque monument that was destroyed and has been rebuilt and go instead to Ghent and perhaps visit the Gravensteen Castle. We also discussed European history and politics and Ferenc, listening in since it was the only conversation in English, told me to shut up when the mention of King Leopold came up. Just don't go there. The Hawaiian Astroboys were recording a live CD and we were recorded also. Unfortunately, i entered what i sometimes call my "downward spiral" as I made mistake after mistake, often due to the fact that I am freaking out about the last mistake. Oops. Normally I wouldn't care but we were being recorded live and I botched at least three songs. Gert is here to take us to Hengelo, the farthest we have to go. It is in the Netherlands and I must go find my passport.

Lichtaart photo

2005-01-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of us taking a stroll in Lichtaart - our Belgian home away from home.

click to enlarge
More photos to follow!

jeremy's Benelux tour notes day two

2005-01-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

Day two began with eggs, coffee and toast after a restful sleep. Who knew that international travel followed by a full day of activity could make a mofo so tired? We took a stroll in our little town, Lichtaart, changed some dollars for euros, and went to the market for some provisions. After returning to the cottage, Jono and I went on a little bike ride. Then Geert came to drive us to Eeklo. Fantastic venue, great food in a deco palace down the block, wonderful people and a very plush kitty cat. At the show, the Hawaiian Astro Boys rocked the house with their thick, viscous greasy tone. The crowd was theirs. The people backed up a little bit for our set, but we were not deterred and quickly won them over. The HAB's let us use their backline including a beautiful custom Pearl drum set with powder coated black hardware. JF, the drummer, told me it was one of only three kits like it in all of Europe. I played my own snare drum, and during the last song or two, the strings holding the snare wires broke. For the encore, I used JF's matching black drum. The smoke was so thick in the club that flash photos revealed only fog.

After the hour ride home, Jeff and Ferenc crashed out, but Jono and I took Gert's suggestion and went to a pub in Lichtaart. The locals were very frindly and bought us many Stellas. The owner, Eddie, invited us to play, but we reluctantly declined, explaining that our schedule is completely full. We'll definitely go back to the bar tho'. We returned home at 7am(!), exhausted and ecstatic.

Eeklo - Jeff

2005-01-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

The Hawaiian Astro Boys have never been to the great state of Hawaii, but would love to someday. They are a band from Eeklo. We met them tonight at club N9 - a venue with a large, monitored stage, full bar, and complete mixing board set up to record the HABoys-and, to record us as an added bonus!

But, that wasn't the only bonus. Before the show, our dinner was provided at the most beautiful dinning room in a building down the street - a family-style feast of soup, meat, vegtables, potatoes ... We've never eaten so well on any other tour in the states. Mickey D's it most definitely was not. N9, Gert and everyone were most gracious.

The HABoys were also nice guys. Discussions at the dinner table included a Belgian history lesson and the blue states/red states phenomenon back home.

Before the show, I found a public phone (not an easy task) at a nearby train station. Making my first call back to Calif was nice - actually, this is our first tour in a different time zone... and it being 9 zones away is making phone contact a bit tricky.

HABoys are great musicans. Their sound was thick and solid. They did several originals, as well as a (the) Dick Dale cover and finished their set with Hall of the Mountain King. (hey, we play a version of thst too!)

We had a rough start, but our set went well. It was great being on a big stage in front of a multi-lingual audience, already warmed up to the surf sound.

Show's over, an hour drive home and here we are back at the Akkerhuis. I'm really liking this Belgian version of hospitality. What's next in this tour Gert? Whew!

-jeff

Tour notes 1/7/05 Jono

2005-01-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

Friday afternoon 07.01.05
Today we were going to try and foray to another town of Bruges, very beautiful Belgian jewel of a town. But we are still recuperating and decompressing from all of the travelling. We awoke too late and the caretakers were not around to help us. They would have needed to arrange the rail timetables and get us to the Herentals rail station.
But it is about 1 pm and I still haven't converted my dollars to Euros. The exchange rate is worse now than it was 2 weeks ago when I tried to budget. It is approx $1.50 per Euro which means that if something costs 10 Euros, it is really about $15, We ate at a Mexican restaurant last night (don't ask) and the average plate of food was 12-17 Euros. Doing the math, that is about $20. Fortunately, our meals are comp'd.

Jeremy's Benelux tour notes day one

2005-01-07T04:09:00.000-08:00

We all met at SFO and stood in line to check in. At the counter I was informed that one of my flight cases was too heavy and would cost an additional several hundred dollars to check. Luckily we were able to remove the snare drum and stick bag, reducing the weight to within the airline's tolerance. Whew. Then we were off.

On the plane Jono and I began to play our favorite dice game. We had saved a plastic tray from the first meal to use as a contained area to roll the dice. This worked great until I accidentally dropped one of the dice. We thought it had dropped to the floor. We began to search for it with the help of a flashlight Jono had brought. After disturbing our fellow passengers for a while, we discvered that the errant die had lodged between the seats in front of us. We got it out and continued the game. Eleven hours on the plane...you gotta do something to kill time.

We arrived in Frankfurt for a brief layover before the short hop to Brussels. Anticipating a hassle because of our huge caravan of heavily laden luggage trolleys, we approached the customs station with trepidation. you have never seen four more bored looking civil servants, they didn't even speak to us, and we breezed right thru. On the other side, our host, Gert, was there to meet us with his GIANT van.

He took us to our housing, a beautifull two bedroom cottage just outside Turnhout in Lichtaart. We had a little nap, and then Gert returned to take us to the first show in Leuven. Leuven is a beautiful medival town with narrow cobblestone streets and stunning ancient buildings. We played in a tiny club called Libertad, owned by a gent named Ricky. He treated us to a great meal next door at a mexican (!) restaurant. We proceeded to rock the crowd, drink Stella Artois, and smoke Cuban cigars. All in all a great fisrt day.

Belgium - first day by Jono

2005-01-07T02:25:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, As far as I can tell, none of the cell phones work. I can tell that email will be the easiest way to keep in touch. Europe is pretty cool, as one can imagine. Both Ferenc and Jeff are recuperating from vicious bouts of the flu. Jeremy and I are standing tall (and drinking heavily) and trying to keep our vitamin count up. The 11-hour flight was extremely taxing but Jeremy and I boozed it up and slept with pharmaceutical aids. We arrived in Frankfurt and then got onto the plane to Brussels. Gert (our tour host) met us at the airport and moved all of our stuff to our domicile here in Lichtaart. We met the cordial hosts Paul and Marlene who explained the heating system, the on-demand water system, the compost, the chicken farm (the goats are gone). Everything is what I would call efficient here. There is very little traffic on the roads. Why? Because gas is over 1 Euro per liter. Currently the Euro is at $1.50 per Euro and 3.5 liters = 1 gallon. So think $6/gallon. Everyone bicycles. The roads are well managed and the cities are a nice mix between old and new.
We played our first show tonight in Leuven, an awesome city. Gert introduced us to Ricky, the club owner, who told us some city history. Most of it was wiped out by WW bombing but the Town Hall/ church is an incredible display of medieval architecture. We ate mexican food at one of Ricky's restaurants (go figure) and then played.
Tomorrow we have a plan to go sightseeing. Fortunately I remembered a few things I had talked about (I should have printed out all of that stuff) and we might take a train tomorrow to Bruges before our show in Eeklo and just meet gert at 6:30. The devil is in the details but if we can get out of here by noon and have the wonderful caretakers & Paul drag us to the train station and figure out what we want to do and when we need to get it it done, all will go like clockwork. Belgian clockwork.
So everything is clean, Europe is a very efficient state. It is all good

Leuven - Jeff

2005-01-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

We played in a beautiful old Belgian town full of romantic narrow streets called Leuven. The crowd was small, but it was a good start for the tour. We met Ricky who owned several restaurants and bars in the center, including Libertad - a fairly small bar with a stage at one end. We drank a beer called Stella Artois, and a wheat beer called Hoegarten. Our sound was full of energy all trapped from being inan airplane for over 11 hours. We made a few flubs during the show, but generally sounded good.

We're off - Jeff

2005-01-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Lines lines lines. Like Disney, but worse. We had to carry bags.

Crowds - SFO international terminal was packed with people all ready to go. Our gear consisted of a drum case, several duffel bags, guitars in bags, and my bass in a borrowed keyboard flight-case. My case was the largest, yet Jer's was heavier - over the 70lb. limit. The guitars were carry-ons. Then, with cases & bags all donated to the land of conveyer belts, a bit of soup, it was sweet farewell to family, land & country.

Meanwhile, I'm sick with the flu. A good dose of NightQuil, and I've been fine... so far. (knock knock) A movie, some pasta, a discussion about the latest CD review, a photo of us on the plane... Now, I may go back to sleep. More later from the continent.
-jeff

Christmas Eve

2004-12-24T04:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, so you may think we've toured before.

Well, only in pixels, my friend. PDM will be in the flesh outside of the USofA starting January 5th. If you're anywhere near the EU capital country, near the lowlands of the continent, near the home of the waffle, please come see us.

If not, well, be sure to keep this page bookmarked to find out how it went. I'll upload pictures and info... atleast, as much as I can type from this pda. It all seems to be working... we'll see how it actually comes together while we're on the road.

So, why is it 4am in the morning on Christmas eve? I'm having a bit of a sleeping problem lately. But, it isn't long until this is the time of day I'll need to wake up, taking into account the time-zone difference. So, I'm not worried.

see ya ,
bg

Alright...

2004-12-22T22:10:00.000-08:00

Hey! ...just a couple more weeks to go and we'll be on a plane to Antwerp. It's a dream come true for us.

As far as blogs go, I'm trying out AvantBlog with my PPC to see if it works

Do you see the chicken above? If so, I should be able to send pictures too!

Ok - time to get packed! After the holidays, then next blog should be close to travel time. see yawl.

-bg