04/30/16 day 28: Lutterbek, DE

Awesomely beautiful lazy day today. Nothing like a night off to fill up on stuff you need; sleep, water, songwriting, cat videos on Facebook.

Breakfast at 2pm was simple and delicious.

Spent the rainy part of the afternoon in various stages of pajamas. Had an idea for a tune that I fleshed out with Peter. Our first tune together. Called "Lutterbek." Nice little tune! Happy to have some juices flowing with creative people around.

We saw the sun for the first time in days. Beautiful sunset from the porch off my room as peter and I put the finishing touches on the tune.

We dined hard at 6 downstairs. I went with a salad with that same mustard, honey, and nut dressing and a baked pasta carbonara. Simple. Filling. Clean. Love it. I want to own a joint like this when I retire. Good music, food, and vibes.

We caught the first set of the band tonight. Three cats; upright bass, sax/flute cat, and a blind piano player. It was interesting. Reminded me of Randy Newman in a way.

In bed by 10:35 in preparation for tmrws long drive to Bonn. Glad we decided to stay here an extra night despite the long drive. Thanks Tommy for recommending we do this! Such a great spot with lovely staff and an amazing cozy venue. Hope to come back. Gesha the bartender who has been there for 36 years said we are her new favorites! Woohoo!

Night!

04/29/16 day 27: Lutterbek, DE

Skipped breakfast and slept in until 11. Needed the extra shut eye. I don't know if it was my alarm or Alex's snoring that ultimately jogged me awake. Either way, it was an unwelcome sound. Showered up, loaded the car, and headed north to Luterbek on the Baltic Coast. Drove past Kiel on our left and pulled into town the very small town situated a couple clicks from the beach. From the balcony of the venue there stood a woman watching us with suspicious eyes. "Hallo! Wir sind the Sweet Remains" I said, at which point she gave us a huge smile and waved us up. Our hostess Strupp, everybody! 

We greeted in the main entrance to the venue and proceeded upstairs to our accommodations for the next two evenings. It's hard to explain just how awesome this place is... On the ground floor is the cozy venue and a comfort food restaurant/bar. Upstairs Strupp, her husband Wolfgang (tall cat with a quiet demeanor) and a younger woman who I believe to be their daughter, brought us into their living room for coffee.  Old guitars leaning against the wall and huge exposed wood beams. We chatted for a bit and relaxed and then Strupp gave us a tour of the compound. Imagine like an ultra vibey hippy commune, around every corner is another cozy nook with loads of plants and cool 60's decor. They've been running this for 40 years and the place feels like it. In the backyard are old trailers  and train carts surrounding the small yard that they rent out as well. Super cool. I envision spending a week here in the Summer writing and biking to the beach.

Chatting with Wolfgang upon arrival.

We decided on a 5pm sound check so I went upstairs and crashed out while the boys took the car for an adventure. We met at 5pm on stage and Wolfgang emerges from a side door and whips up the sound in a flash. I wish every night was so quick and easy! It sounded amazing in mere minutes so we walked through another door to the restaurant and met the very warm and boisterous Geshe (who has been working here for 37 years) who poured us a couple beers and took our order. I was famished and ordered a nice veggie salad with chicken and goat cheese and a killing mustard, honey and nut dressing and a big plate of pasta with grilled chicken and Gorgonzola sauce and steamed broccoli. Just what the doctor ordered... So good. Ate it up before I could even take a picture. Next to the dining room/bar which feels like an old Irish pub is a room with pool table and a fussball table... I seriously may never leave.

Dare I confess I laid laid back down for a short nap, then cleaned up, warmed up the voices in my palatial room, and went backstage and waited for Wolfgang to dim the lights.

It sounded amazing on stage. Proper stage with righteous monitors, so good. We hit to a comfy crowd of 30 beautiful Germans. I don't think it was our best performance but it was solid and I think my standards are just high. We got called out for a couple encores and rapped with new friends at the cd table.

Afterwards we had some beers and played fußball and pool, sang a tune in the bar to patrons, and closed down the bar talking music and life with Gesha (who took a shine to Alex or maybe it was the other way around) and Lynn (the daughter).  Such a warm and welcoming group of people. Very happy to have this place on the radar. Night!

The Captain made an appearance...

04/28/16 day 26: Trittau, DE

Day before...

Hotel lady: what time do you want breakfast tmrw?

Me: how about 10?

Lady: no, that's too late... Breakfast is over at 9:30.

Me: how about 9:15?

Lady: you can't eat breakfast in 15 minutes.

Me: 9?!

Lady: good...

Great. I just wish I felt like I actually was able to make that decision... Not sure why she even asked. Just tell me breakfast is at 9 and then I can decide if I will partake or not.

At the breakfast table at, you guessed it, 9am this morning. Brötchen, hard boiled eggs, and a meat and cheese plate awaited us. Also waiting was Marc who is the promoter for the gig. We rapped for a minute and then he split for work while we finished our breakfast.

After breakfast Alex, Jeff and I hopped in the car for a short afternoon trip to Lübeck which is an old fortified city about 30 minutes NE of us. The weather is still schizophrenic; hail, sun, rain, sun, hail... We found a parking garage and hit the sights.

Reminds me of Copenhagen.

Holstentor. Written above the gate is "harmony within, peace without" in Latin.

Scenes: German cross walk, "caution splatter danger," old alleys and cobblestones.

We walked around, dodging sleet when needed, my umbrella took a major shit at a real inopportune time, stopped into an amazing marzipan shop for some treats for home (Lübeck is famous for its marzipan), grabbed a snack and then hit the road back to Trittau. Nice little day trip to a beautiful city.

Home by 3 which allowed for a nice power down before walking to the Wassermühle about 6 minutes away. The venue, an old water mill, is a culture center for the area. Really cool old building with hardwood floors and heavy wooden beams. Old machinery was littered about which gave it a bit of a museum vibe in all the right ways.

Squad: P diddy, J Bone Walker, B Skillz, Marc, Silvie, their daughter Zoe, Franky Baby, and Ralfi Ralf.

Marc knows of our love for Döner so before the set he treated us to a Turkish inspired spread. Tonight and in Bonn, friends of Marc opened the show. They are called Ohne Filter and they do cover tunes as a duo; acoustic guitar and cajon. They killed it! Peter had a sparkle in eyes. He was already looking forward to the post-gig jam session with these guys.

Our set was good. Felt solid. Happy to see a couple friends from Walksfelde show up too. That always helps.

After the set we went back to Marc's house for some snacks and music. Silvia, Marc's wife, had a nice spread of Sigaren Bürek, cheese, bread, olives, etc. Marc manned the DVD player and cued up all sorts of live performance gems. At some point the guitars were busted out and we sang tunes until late. Covers and originals, everything was game. We did Beatles, Steely Dan, Clapton as well as Worth the Fight and Miss You Now, which surprisingly Ralf (the guitar player for Ohne Filter) knew. This is one of those post gig hangs that legends are made of. Good people, food, drink, and guitars. I'm paying for it now (as I sit in the car headed to Luterbek) but it was worth it.

Great hang....

Thank you Marc and Silvie, Ralf and Frank of Ohne Filter, and Trittau for a great night.

04/27/16 day 25: Hamburg, DE

Out of the hotel at 11, ditched our luggage with the hotel and walked south to the water and east along the docks to Hafencity. It's clear that Hamburg has been investing heavily in this area. All of the old factory buildings along the water are now high end condos, offices, restaurants. Really beautiful part of town. We even walked by where my old ship Seabourn Sojourn docked.

Under the UBahn along the canal.

Beautiful old factories along the canals. Revitalized and refurbished.

Old customs house perched above the canal with wide stairs down to the water. Now a super quaint cafe that seats 12.

Love the green tin roofs in the distance. The colors, when it wasn't sleeting, were awesome. The Hamburg Philharmonie in the distance.

Rathaus.

Rathaus Cascading Selfie.

Very user friendly public transport in Hamburg.

We popped into Fleetschlösschen (which is an old customs/toll house on the canal from the 19th century) for a cappuccino and to warm up right as light hail started to fall. Perfect timing. My 4€ umbrella bit the dust. I was here 4 years ago, almost to the day with the cruise ship. I think The Menace from Manchester was even with me then. Feels like yesterday.

We walked north to Rathausplatz and caught the UBahn back to the St. Pauli station at the east end of the Reeperbahn. Started hailing and raining again but we seemed to time it well. Grabbed our gear from the lobby and headed east of the city to check into our hotel for the night. We are staying in Trittau tonight (30 minutes east) which is the location of our show tmrw. We had to roll out and get the keys before the show because they will be closed by the time we get there after the gig. So we rolled out, enjoyed a nice hour long nap in my modest little room, got cleaned up and hit the road. Knowing what I know now, I would've loved to just stay in Hamburg for the night instead, but oh well.

This plan turned out to be slightly problematic when we hit traffic in the city. What should've taken 30-40 minutes took an hour and 20 minutes. Only slightly frustrating when we drove past our hotel from the night before with 10 minutes to go to our destination.

We arrived as the first guests were arriving (who happened to be the former owners of Anno Poll in Parchim where I played back in 2009 with Clint and Kaleb.) The apartment was really nice; nice sized living room, cool two bedroom joint with small balcony.  We met the organizers of the house concert Kati and Thomas and the owners  of the apartment Sabine and Matthias. All lovely folks. Sound check was easy as there was no PA. Boom. Sound check over.

The room by 8pm was jammed with 38 beautiful Germans. The set felt really nice. Vocals sounded tight. They found a small bass amp for peter which was useful but I thought the blend sounded really natural and warm. The crowd was very receptive; it almost sounded as if they were anticipating the Oh La La's in Printemps. Very nice and fuzzy vibes tonight. I love playing music in this setting; intimate and real. Hope to do it again next year.

During Peter's song "The Beauty that Surrounds."

Many thanks to our hosts; Kati and Thomas and Sabine and Matthias! Danke Wohnzimmerliebe!

We were all starving after the gig so we made a 10 minute pit stop for a bite before making the 30 minute drive home. Another good one in the books!

In other news, Happy Birthday Dad!

04/26/16 day 24: Hamburg, DE

Sun was out this morning but still very cold. Probably mid-40s. Had a light breakfast with Peter and Leni, packed up our gear, said our goodbyes, snapped a selfie and hit the road shortly before 1. Swooped Alex from Appingedam and headed east into Germany bound for Hamburg. Crossed the border without international incident despite the car being filled four deadly handsome Americans.

Pulled up to our hotel off the Reeperbahn and had a walk about. Bought a 4€ umbrella in the lobby. The Reeperbahn, which is famous for two things, The Beatles and the red light district, was pretty quiet. The calm before the storm as we found out. Historically speaking, this was where the sailors would spend their hard earned money on booze and ladies of the night. Both of those things are still available. It's like Vegas with a nautical theme. We walked to the water and popped into cozy pubs to warm up. At one point Alex disappears and reappears with a captains hat. Our unofficial bar crawl ended around 1 am with Döner and fries. A fun night indeed.

Captain Bliss and First Mate Chartrand

Night from Hansastadt Hamburg.

 

04/25/16 day 23: Steendam, NL

Had a good, long sleep. Walked downstairs to the restaurant around 11. Leni was busy in the kitchen preparing for the day. Peeled and cooked potatoes in a bowl in the sink. Diced beets on a cutting board. Peter (owner) was sitting at a table in the dining room with Jeff both engrossed in their cell phones. Good wifi is so seldom found I don't blame them. Peter D pranced off into the icey temps for a run. I waved from the table, sipping my cappuccino. While he was away I saw rain, hail, strong wind. I applauded my decision to sit and have another cappuccino.

The afternoon wasn't a total wash however. We did our exercises in the little kitchen in the apartment upstairs where we are staying. It wasn't as tight as the chicken shack experience, but still pretty cramped. We put on some Tribe Called Quest on though and got 'er done.

I randomly texted my cousin Alex who is somewhere in Europe and asked how he was doing... He was actually on a train to Steendam to surprise us. His train got in at 5:19 in the next town over. We made a plan to meet up.

In the meantime, Jeff and I had some serious work to do... Game of Thrones, season 6, episode 1. We recorded it on our hosts TV (it came on at 3am last night) and saved it for this afternoon. Gotta say it didn't disappoint. Although, the Danish subtitles were challenging... Did Kalesi just say something about stabbing a monkey?! Not nice Kalesi.

Swooped up Alex from the train station in Appingedam 10 minutes away, sound checked on the small stage, and sat down to a home cooked dinner. I went with Schnitzel in pepper cream sauce, pan fried potatos, and beet salad. Slamming. The schnitzel had less breeding then usual. It was a nice change. Leni also busted out some other tasty nibblets: small bite sized Kroketten and little fried cheese squares which she called Käse Souflé... The ideas are spinning for the restaurant which is now just called "Zum." I encouraged Alex to take this idea and run with it. He said he needed to do more research in between bites of his dinner.

The club sits below water level behind this here dyke.

Pre show selfie with Mr Bliss.

The show was great. Had a good turnout all things considered. Even had some friends from Spijkerboor (including Wilhelm the owner of Café t'Keerpunt) make the drive for the show which was awesome. I thought the performance was good too. We switched up the set list a bit, and had some fun with Printemps which had 'em singing.

After the set we chilled with our hosts and talked about coming back next year. Alex busted out some of Slovakia's finest spirits from his recent travels and we had a little taste testing. Alex then shuffled off into the night to catch a night bus to his hotel in a neighboring town. Good people here in Steendam and a great, warm club to play music in. Can't wait to come back!

04/23/16 day 21: Echten, NL

It was cold in the chicken shack when I rolled out of bed this morning. Thankfully, Chris had already started a pot of coffee and lit the fire. Such a nice little homemaker, that cat. He had the most unfortunate of sleeping arrangements on a 6 euro air mattress on the floor in front of the main door which has no curtains. Sorry mate!

Peter pranced off into the cold morning air for a run. Jeff stayed quiet in the only single room in the shack. Bitter cold outside. Peter saw hail on his run. Remember that time I said spring has spring? Yeah. I take that back. Winter just walked into the room and slapped spring in the mouth... Hard; the ultimate weather mic drop.

You know how I know we are hardcore? Peter and I did our exercises in the chicken shack like a couple of gangsters. The place was tiny already and now you got the big guy and small man jumping around like a couple ninjas, not to mention the 6'4" Menace of Manchester cheering us on with his playlist while drinking a beer. It was quite a scene... The lady who owns the joint walked by at one point. Soon after he husband walked up and wanted to know when we were leaving. Coincidence? I think not. 

Chris was flying back to Manchester from Amsterdam and I thought since we were heading that direction we could take him. That then morphed into "let's get lunch in Haarlem at Jopen Brewery" which isn't far from Schipol. We loaded out of the shack into the whip and cruised north.

During the drive, Chris taught us English slang; things like "slag" and "chavy" which means things that'll make your mom blush. Ps. If you call your mom a "chavy slag" you will burn in hell and I'll light the match.

Rolled into Haarlem around 1pm. The weather's attitude was improving but it was still sulking in the corner. When the sun popped out from behind a cloud you could almost sit outside. However, without direct sunlight it was pretty miserable. We opted for a bar seat and ordered up some of the freshest, tasty brews on the planet. Behold. Jopen.

Prost!

Jopen brews one of the tastiest IPAs on the planet. Suck it USA.

Crushed a delicious burger and a beer and rapped with the manager about playing there next year. Fingers crossed.

The smell in this cheese shop is what heaven smells like. 

Said goodbye to Chris who hopped a short train to Schipol around 2pm. So good to have him around. (He made his flight by the way). 

I wanted to pick up some Jopen bottles for the road and the bartender suggested a liquor store around the corner. We stocked up for the car bar and drove another 1.5 hrs east to Echten, our next venue. GPS sent us through Hilversum, off the main route due to traffic, and Peter and I jammed to tunes while Jeff slept in the backseat. Occasionally snorting in exclamation to a hilarious joke I told.

Pretty drive past flat lakes and small towns.  Yes, all lakes are flat, but t feels different when u are at or below water level. It's more flat. Believe me.

We pulled up to Delia and Serge's house which is 15 minutes from the venue in Echten. They live in an old school house from 1896. Beautiful wood floors and tall Windows. Delia and Serge book and manage the shows at the venue Kleine Paradiso in Echten. Delia is a writer of erotic poetry and Serge works for Dutch television. Their house is very vibey and artsy with loads of music and cool art on the walls. We had a pasta dinner at their house with Delias daughter and then cruised over to the venue for 7pm. This space is very cool; an old church in the tiny village of Echten.

Just before the set.

By 8, the place was packed with 66 beautiful Dutch music fans which is basically capacity. A bunch of folks from our first time there in Nov '14. It felt very good in that room. Good vibes all around.

Killing shot from our buddy Edwin!

The show was really good I think. Despite some technical issues with the wireless system and my guitar, the show was great. At one point the guitar cut out completely (during Moving in slow motion) and we didn't skip a beat, just sang off mic until the guitar came back online and then we continued on the mics. It was almost like it was part of an act but intuitively we were all there. 

I was interviewed by Dutch TV in the set break. Interested to see how that turns out. Ps. I don't speak Dutch. We did Free Falling and Bid You as an encore. Very special night.  Good vibes all around.

Cruised back to Delia and Serge's place and chilled with a glass of Jopen beer in the living room with a nice fire in the wood stove. A fine end to another great night in Netherlands.

04/24/16 day 22: Spijkerboor, NL

First time in a proper bed in a few days and I slept like a log. Down for the count for a solid 9 hours. Felt amazeballs. Walked downstairs for breakfast and I was the first one up after Serge who was a saint and finished up Jeff's and my laundry.

We had breakfast which is similar to German with bread and cheese and meat and coffee but the Dutch love their bread sprinkles. Similar to American sprinkles that we put on ice cream but the Dutch sprinkle it on their bread in the morning. "Is that vierd?!" best said with Austin Powers character Goldmember accent.

Said our goodbyes to our awesome hosts and got on the road for Spijkerboor, in Drenthe, in Netherlands around 1. This was an early show (4pm start) so we needed to get moving for sound check. Very peaceful countryside. You get the sense this land has been farmed for a long time. Serge was telling me that this general area they farmed pray for centuries.

Rolled past vaguely familiar countryside and pulled into Cafe t'Keerpunt around 2pm. Met up with owner and jolly host Wilhelm, his wife Annake who takes the money at the door, and son Ivo who runs the bar and the big white dog who loves to show you his rope in exchange for some scratches. Had a coffee and relaxed for a moment and got caught up. Sound check was quick as the space is small and doesn't require a big PA, but we got it sounding juicy.

The place filled up by 4, roughly about 45/50 people and we began melting minds. A bunch of people from our 2014 show were there and they all say upfront and sang along and clapped. It really felt good. Saw folks bopping their heads and singing along to tunes. It was great. During the last couple shows I've mentioned how much we love the Dutch Kroketten (fried potato and meat Twinkie shaped deliciousness) to the crowd and I mentioned it tonight and our host Wilhelm surprised us with homemade Kroketten after the gig. He's a big sweetheart.

Come on, these fries? Unreal. This is probably my new dream dinner. Why don't we have these in the states?? They'd be huge... I want to open a Döner/Kroketten joint in the states. Who's got an extra million at home? We will call it "Zum Mitnehmen" or something clever and offer all the best "to go" food Europe has to offer... Anyone? Oh man, think about it... Good fries with mayo and curry ketchup, döner, falafel, arancini (Italian rice balls...), Kroketten....I'm serious. Let's do this!!?Who's in?!? Alex Bliss, this has your name written all over it!

Said our goodbyes to our Spijkerboor hosts, threw around some high fives and rolled north to Steendam to crash at Peter and Leni's venue called Podium Café where the gig is tmrw. Our new friend Peter Bes (no relation to any of the Peters already mentioned) made the connection for us. We arrived 40 minutes later and were immediately impressed with the space but also peter and Leni who are two sweethearts and serious music lovers. We sat down and rapped and relaxed and got a tour of the venue. Leni also shared her homemade apple pie with whipped cream which was so good, you'd stab a slag for a piece. Peter and Leni live upstairs and they opened their home to us. We loaded in and all got comfy on the couch and watched a DVD on the music of Lewyn Davis from City Hall in NYC. Feels like a night off but actually a really a long day. But another stunner of a day filled with glorious people, delicious food, and sensual tunes. What a life I lead. Night!

04/22/16 day 20: Eindhoven, NL

Up a little after nine to the sound of chickens and birds singing outside. Sounded like they were in the room. How thin these walls? Very thin. Sun had to fight to make an appearance so it was a little chilly in the shack when I put a pot of coffee on and had some yogurt and granola for breakfast.

Chris, Jeff and I hit the road to Eindhoven to pick up "small man" aka "party schnitzel" aka "slow hand" aka "peter" at 12:45. He was waiting with a big smile when we rolled up. Apparently he had fun on his excursion. He also enjoyed Früh Kölsch, which made me feel like a proud dad. We parked the car in the lot next to the train station and did a small walk about. Eindhoven is nice. Very walkable, Dutch and pretty busy for a Friday day. There are these subtle differences between cultures were I a good writer, I'd be able to articulate. In the absence of that talent, suffice it to say these countries have their differences, okay?! God, why do you think Western Europe is all the same?!? It's not all cobblestone streets and castles on a hill.... Sheesh.... Americans...

We hit the pedestrian zone and walked by loads of restaurants and shops. 

Kroketten fresh from the street side vending machine which keeps them warm. Not sure who makes them but who cares? These are delicious deep fried Twinkie shaped potato and meat goodness... And America calls it the greatest nation on the planet. I beg to differ. This shit is over the top.

Just another normal Dutch building on our walk... Don't mind the shoes. 

Drove back to the shack at 3:30 for a short power down and off to the venue to meet Paul our fearless promoter around 5:15. We are playing tonight in a mixed use facility. A kind of neighborhood spot with a gym and dance studio attached. We set up and did a quick sound check. Everything sounded good so we drove ten minutes to Paul's sisters house for a home cooked meal. It's special to have friends who take good care of you! It makes such a difference... And this felt like family. Really an honor to be welcomed into this space. Plus it was delicious...

The band with Paul and Chris. Dinner was homemade vegetable soup with French bread and Bousin cheese, then risotto with cauliflower, then asparagus pie, green salad, and cupcakes from Paul's girlfriend Daphne who couldn't join us tonight but is here in spirit.

Jopen, straight from Haarlem, NL. So good....

This cat... Back at the venue putting on our game faces. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the Menace of Manchester, Chris Gonzalez...

Had a nice crowd of folks tonight. A bunch from our show in Haarlem from Fall of '14 who brought more folks. A bunch of family from Paul too. It was nice and vibey. Crowd was reserved but not as reserved as Austria, I felt. We got 'em singing Printemps though and the vibe was nice. That song is goofy but good to get the crowd activated.

Back at the shack for a post gig run down. It's nice to be back in Holland. Looking forward to the rest of the shows this weekend.

04/21/16 day 19: Eindhoven, NL

Small man (aka Peter Day) was out the door before Jeff and I got up. He's going on an adventure in Köln today to see one of his favorite singer/songwriters and will meet us tomorrow somewhere, probably Eindhoven. Jeff and I left Marburg around 12:30. Had one last espresso on that great balcony and hit the road.

Another stunner of a day. Beautiful warm sun and bright blue sky. Everything was going so smoothly until we got outside of Köln and the autobahn was at a complete stand still. We were parked for about 20 minutes. I got nervous and dug out the chocolate I had stashed away. I mean, you never know... People suffer from starvation on the autobahn all the time. We crossed over the Rhein and into Holland without international incident. Ultimately made it to Eindhoven at 4:45, only 45 minutes after we said we'd pick up Chris... Now, Chris is my buddy from the cruise ship who flew from Manchester to meet up for a couple days. The timing worked and he pulled the trigger and bought a flight for a 48 hr hang. We grabbed Mr Gonzalez and headed north to our rental cottage B&B Achterbos: former tractor shed and chicken coop.... No shit.

We dropped our bags and piled back into the car and headed to the nearest town Sint-Oedenrode for a supermarket and dinner. We loaded up on breakfast stuff, snacks and a couple beers and grabbed dinner at a pizza joint.

Neat little town. Busy for a Thursday evening. There were a couple bars and restaurants that were just opening up and enjoying the last hours of this warm weather. We found a live music venue and traded info.

Scenes from Saint-Oedenrode.

Nike's latest Dutch running shoe.

Cruised back to the shack for some gin (the card game not the liquid). A super mellow night which is just what the doctor ordered after 8 shows.

Night from Achterbos.

04/20/16 day 18: Marburg, DE

Nice little spread at the hotel this morning. Took advantage of the espresso machine and loaded up good on caffeine and yogurt for the 2 hr drive north on A5 to the small university town of Marburg. Drove right past the Frankfurt airport and waved to the suckers who have to leave this beautiful blue bird spring day.

Last time we played here was 2013 and our collective memory of the evening was awesome and all the chips are stacked for a repeat great night. We are staying at Christian's house, a friend of Stefan the promoter, who has a killer flat minutes from the center of town. Christian greeted us at the door and we quickly got caught up before he had to head back to work. We dropped our gear and headed out on foot to the pedestrian zone which is up the hill, up winding cobblestone streets loaded with restaurants and cafes and clothing shops. Bustling day with folks enjoying this amazing glimpse of perfect spring weather.

We settled on a little cafe with sun seating, ordered up some provisions and exhaled.

Scenes: Top- view from Christian's apt, Pils for lunch, two monkeys.

Shrimp and potato burrito?? Um, when in Rome. #sunsoutgunsout

We had a minute to chill at Christian's before walking over to Café Aroma, so Peter and I spent it on the sun drenched balcony while Jeff pranced around town. We made the 5 minute walk to the venue around 5:20 and found Stefan our fearless promoter waiting for us outside.

Upstairs was a comfy little set up of 30 chairs and candle light. Sound check was done by 6:15 and afterwards we had dinner homemade by owner Mäggy and then chilled as folks rolled up on bikes and the occasional car. Peter and I dined on ravioli in Gorgonzola sauce while Jeff had falafel for the second time today.

We hit shortly after 8 to a sold out crowd of wonderful, appreciative Germans. My German felt strong and I made sure I said "nice to be in Marburg" and not Stuttgart. I may never forgive myself for that...

Got called out for a few encores which was only slightly awkward considering the small space so after the set we just milled about 3 feet from the stage but we got called back and rocked "free Fallin'" and Bid You which continued to melt faces.

After the show we went back to Christians flat and chilled with his cat Pumba and dog Fidel. Nice to hang with Christian again and hear that he is playing more music lately. He's a dentist by profession and a sideman in a band. We all think he should quit his day job.

Pumba coming in hot.

Night from Marburg!