1/30/15 day 11: Mannheim-Seckenheim, DE

Opted to skip breakfast this morning due to the late check out which might have been the wrong call because the guys said the spread was righteous. Oh well. A good sleep was needed.

Grabbed a pastry and a coffee at the corner cafe and met the guys at noon in the hotel lobby. We took a short walk down the street and checked out a huge baroque palace for about 20 minutes and then called it. Tiny snow flakes started to fall and temps were low. A little too low for a jean jacket. Nice crib though. I'd live there..

Hopped in the car and made the hour journey to a little town called Seckenheim between Heidelberg and Mannheim. Technically the town is connected to Mannheim, but it's it's own little town of 40k inhabitants. We found the hotel which is an old renovated barn. Very funky spot. I occupied the top floor in a small little apt. Birds nest, indeed.

Went on a hunt for some lunch. Basically everything shuts down in the afternoon. All stores are closed EXCEPT Döner joints, which is totally cool with us. Popped into a joint and had. A killin' sandwich. I didn't take a picture but that doesn't mean this meaty delight won't live in my memories. Fresh bread, chicken, veggies, feta cheese... Hammered it down.

Walked over to the venue at 4 and met our host and owner of the old renovated brewery Andreas. Andreas bought the building which houses a really nice restaurant, small theater stage, and the Keller where we played. He is an interesting cat. He owns and operates a family business with his wife and two sons and bought the building kind of on a lark. He is a lover of music tho, and quickly started booking shows and jam sessions in the Keller below the brewery. Sound check lasted like 30 minutes. We walked back to the hotel (5 min walk) got cleaned up and had a beer in the hotel bar before meeting Andreas in the restaurant at the venue for dinner.

Dinner was off the chain. I went big; salad to start, then Rumpsteak with Gorgonzola sauce and potatoes. It doesn't photograph well, but trust me... It was off the chain.

Yeah, that's pancetta on top. Sooooo good.

We hit at 8 to a sold out house. 120 beautiful Germans filled the space up and ate up all the acoustic jams. I feel like we took them on a ride tonight. Highlights were Dance with Me when we went into Black Water by the Doobie Brothers. Printemps and 1000 Little Pieces were fun crowd participation tunes. Sold merch and chatted folks up at the end of the night. Made some good contacts for future events, radio and print promotion. Hopeful we will come back to the area. We made some fans tonight.

Had a bit of a shock at the end of the night when I couldn't find my cell phone. When we play Peter's "Beauty that surrounds" I play Cajon and I forgot that I put the phone in the side pocket of the canjon "jacket." Anyway, went home without it, determined to come back to the venue the next day and find it only to wake up in the middle of the night and remember where I had put it. Needless to say I didn't have the most restful sleep.  Another good night in the books though. It's so fun introducing folks to this music. It's a hit over here.