Up at 5. Got a pretty righteous 6 hrs of sleep. German TV at 5 am is a wondrous mix of programming; news, nature, soft porn, tv evangelists and sponge bob.
Spent the morning bombing through the Danish countryside, on the road at 8. It's farm country mostly. Fields and little groves, rolling hills, small farm houses with red roofs. The occasional cow or horse.
Pretty chilly in Thisted at noon when I arrived. It's on the water so there is usually a breeze. Not too many folks out downtown. Little cobblestone pedestrian walkways and shops with racks out front. I was stopped on the street by a gentlemen who works at Plantagehuset, the venue tonight. He recognized me somehow. I must be famous.... Or look like an American. Maybe I am the most famous, American looking dude in town right now. I'll take it.
I went down hard for a nap after my walk about. I was surprised they let me in the room early. This place is notoriously up tight. On the first tour in 2009, they found out we were musicians and told us at check in to keep it down. At check in. They were concerned that we, being musicians, were gonna throw the furniture out the window or something. Meanwhile, we left at like 5 am the next day for the Hamburg airport. "No partying" I remember them saying. Whatever.
I met Chris Barron and his buddy Drake at 4:45pm. Could've slept all night probably but I forced myself up. We had set a time to meet at the hotel and head over to the venue together. I walk out of my room and he pokes his head out the door and yells my name. "Hug it out, bitch" he says... That's pretty much Chris in a nutshell; a cursing sweetheart.
Venue load in. Recognized a bunch of the guys that volunteer at the venue from the first tour. Good dudes. Happy to help. I ran a quick sound check while Chris napped in the green room. Nap, sound check, and then dinner; ham, potatoes, vegetable quiche, salmon, red wine. It was a really nice dinner, arriving on a three wheeled bicycle. All the venue volunteers and the musicians. It's a nice moment of worlds colliding. Chris regailed us with stories. It was fun, as a fan of his music, but u feel like it's really genuine and not some show; he is what u think he is, a jovial, fun loving dude with a sharp wit and a New York attitude.
The show was great. A smallish turn out but everyone there was completely in it. After every song was a resounding applause. And Chris nailed it. His stuff is diverse. Not all rock and roll. And his wit and charm are amplified on stage. That's his happy place. He rocked through "little miss can't be wrong" and "two princes." It was a trip to hear those tunes like that. I think my old band OPM did "little miss." I told him my favorite song of theirs was Rosetts Stone (thanks James) and he was impressed. But anyway, he's a cool dude with great stories and so that validates the tunes and my connection to them somehow in my mind.
We hung after chatting with fans and volunteers at the venue. Until one of the locals suggested we all go back to her place for "evening bread" or something like that. So we all walk over and hang out at her place and eat and laugh and tell stories and have a proper Danish experience. It was awesome. We ate Rugbrød and Krydderfedt which is basically rye bread and spreadable pig fat (think saving the pan full of fat after cooking a pound of bacon and spreading it on toast), sausage, left overs from the dinner at the venue (potatoes, ham, quiche), and a selection of local beers and schnapps. It was a treat. A glimpse into Danish hospitality and culture. We sang a traditional Danish song, talked art, movies, history, music. Got home late. I mean like 4. Still made breakfast at 9 though. And I have to say, it wasn't the sexiest spread I've ever seen. For all their huff and puff, this hotel ain't all that. It's nice and all but still....Headed to Fredericia today. Looking forward to another night.
No comments:
Post a Comment