5/10/16 Day 38: München, DE

Every time I set my alarm I wake up at least an hour and a half before it goes off. It's extremely frustrating. At least there was internet in my room and I could catch up on cat videos on FB. You guessed it... Still cute.

Had a band meeting outside on the rooftop patio at 10:30. Recapped the tour, made plans for next November, discussed what we would improve for next time. Productive little session for sure.

Walked over to Sabine's apartment across the street and had breakfast before Peter had to head to the airport at noon. Said our goodbyes to the small man as he hopped in the rental car and started his journey home. He wasn't going to drive home, he was just tasked with returning the rental at the airport.

Sabine , Jeff, and I then took the UBahn to Marienplatz (where the famous München glockenspiel is) and walked around. It was spitting rain but not enough to require an umbrella. We just kind of poked around, peeped some churches, and ended up at Viktualienmarkt for a pretzel and a beer. The largest pretzel in the world and a giant beer.

St. Peter's church.

Legendary Hofbräuhaus

Breakfast of champions?

The market (Viktualienmarkt) is cool; a collection of stands and tents selling all sorts of food goods from stuffed olives from Italy, to Turkish candy, to prepared foods, and cheese stands, and of course there is a beer garden in the middle of it with long wooden tables for people to chill and eat their food. The large trees provided shelter from the precipitation which at this point was lightening up. The sun tried desperately to join us but never got through the clouds for more than a few moments.

Walked back to the UBahn and went back to the hotel for a little nap. Jeff and I then walked back over to Sabine's at 630 to make dinner plans. We decided to keep it local, so we (now with Sabine's 19 year old daughter) just walked around the neighborhood until finding a classic German beer garden for one more German meal before I get home and start the spinach salad and water diet... I mean. Damn.

Classic schnitzel "wiener art" with pommes and a salad. Tasty tasty! Pork pounded thin, breaded and fried. A little lemon juice on top. Slammin'!

I too was pounded thin, breaded and fried by 10:30 and said my goodbyes and thank yous to Sabine for organizing such a fun show and being a great hostess. It's nice to finally play in her hometown considering she always has to travel so far to see us. Hoping we can come back to München soon. It's a really interesting city. A city that still feels small despite its size. A city steeped in tradition but modern at the same time. Plus they serve beers the size of your head...

Gute Nacht from München, everyone. Thanks for following along at home. Hope you enjoyed the stories and pics!

And so another amazing tour comes to an end. Tomorrow it's back to Phoenix for what will be an amazing month filled with travel, music, and good times with loved ones. I have much to be thankful for. Thank you world.

05/09/16 Day 37: München, DE

Up at 7 for no good reason. Probably because I was in bed at 10:30. All good though, peeled the eye mask off my face and popped down to the extremely modest breakfast spread. Put down a couple cups of moderately weak coffee, hammered down a piece of bread with some butter and jam and streamed "wait, wait, don't tell me" on NPR. Nice to have a little taste of home to get me primed for the journey.

We waved goodbye to our friends at the Gasthof Bäck'n Hansl and headed west back to Germany and the beautiful city of München for our last gig of this great/exhausting/rewarding tour. Peter was an ace behind the wheel as we jammed to Zepplin. Lots of construction on the route today but Peter calmly navigated narrowed and shifting lanes like Mario Andretti.

Made it to the Hotel Leonardo around 2:45, unloaded the car (somehow we keep accumulating wine), found our rooms and called our hostess with the mostest Sabine who booked the show for us tonight. Plans were made to meet at 3:50 to head over to the venue for sound check. Quick drive to the venue Ars Musica, got the PA sounding good, then walked downstairs to a little restaurant and had dinner and got caught up with Sabine. I went with the burger with Gouda and bacon. It was a good choice... Peter eyed it knowingly and waited until I was 3/4 done before gobbling up the rest. Apparently his steak and fries wasn't cutting it.

Back to the hotel for a nap which never  came and out the door at 730. We hit to 35 beautiful Germans. The room felt cozy and loose. Good vibes all around. The set felt nice and tight. The benefit of a show at the end of a five week tour. Sabine was the proud band mama in the back singing along and clapping. We had a couple encores and finally with Free Fallin' we ended the night and the tour.

Got back to the hotel, dumped our gear and walked over to Sabine's apartment across the street and met her daughter and some of her friends who attended the show. We gifted all the remaining wine and schnapps to her which she immediately busted out. We chatted and played guitar until about 12:30 and walked back to the hotel.

Danke Sabine for all your hard work!

A great end of the tour. So nice to have such good friends who take good care of us. It's these personal moments that always stand out to me. We've made some great friends over the years on these tours and tonight was a great reminder of that. Thanks to all who make these tours possible and memorable, especially Tommy our friend and agent. These tours are always a highlight of the year for me. So grateful to be here, playing this music. Thanks to my band Peter Day and Jeff Vallone who continue to work to make the most professional, fun, and musically inspiring nights on the planet.

Gute Nacht Freunde! Bis November!

05/08/16 Day 36: Öblarn, AT

Happy Mother's Day from Öblarn, Austria! Sending love out to all the mamas out there and especially to my mama. Thinking of her often on this tour and taking notes for her so when she comes to Europe, she doesn't have to rely on Rick Steves for info...

I went full eye mask and noise machine last night. Felt good to not set an alarm and wake up after the body had achieved its full intent. Threw on my pajamas and rolled downstairs and at once realized I was in a public restaurant and looked like a crazy man. Large tables of Austrians getting their prefix Mother's Day meals and enjoying tall beers, wearing lederhosen. They didn't seem to notice.

A small breakfast spread was in the back room for us. I didn't see Peter or Jeff as I threw back a couple bread/meat/cheese open faced sandwiches and a couple cups of weak coffee. Wasn't the most lavish meal I've ever had, but it got the job done.

Spent the afternoon chilling. Another nice day with the occasional sun shower so I spent some time on the patio next to our Gasthof writing postcards and having a cold one myself. The guys trickeled over and joined me for a bit before I decided to rewatch the last Game of Thrones episode in a hallway on the first floor. The wifi on my floor isn't great. The best signal is when you sit on the can. Which is handy sometimes, but not now.

Gasthof Bäck'n Hansl.

Hans recommended we try a particular restaurant out for a special Austrian dinner called Tatarenhut but we couldn't get the restaurant on the horn so we decided to just eat downstairs in the restaurant which turned out to be great. I went with a nice big salad and some beef stroganoff with potatoe croquettes.  Afterwards the apple strudel with vanilla sauce and whipped cream, which I remember from the last visit two years ago. Cold apple strudel, hot vanilla sauce. Pretty slamming.

We went next door and had an aperitif with Harold at the venue bar and then called it. I was cooked. And although this is our last night to experience Austria, I was ready to fall into bed. You can tell the tour is winding down when I'd rather go to bed than find something fun to do. We had a good run here though and are excited to come back next year! Tomorrow München and our last show of the 2016 "Gambling" Tour... Bittersweet.

05/07/16 day 35: Öblarn, AT

Breakfast spread was minimal but fairly righteous. There were some nice touches; namely tobasco and a hunk of salt with a nutmeg grater. It is "salz" burg after all...

We all agreed a walk about was in order so we loaded the car at 11:15 and ventured back towards the pedestrian waking area and "old" part of town. It was hopping today. The weather was actually quite warm. Large groups of foreign tourists led around by someone with an umbrella held high. Headsets. Selfie sticks. The whole shebang. Especially once we crossed the river into old town. Mozarts house. Salzburg Dom. Various museums. Shopping area and tourist carts with cheap trinkets. In the square next to the Dom a large stage was set up with a big brass and wind band playing traditional Austrian music. Long tables were set up for the audience and around the seating area filled with folks in lederhosen and other traditional outfits. A group of food trucks flanked one side selling grilled fish, pretzels, sausages, beer. It was a nice sensory enhancer to have these smells and this music as the backdrop to these visuals. 

Crossed the river into old town towards the Salzburger Dom and the Hohensalzburg Fortress looming above.

Salzburger Dom and square.

We walked up the hill to the Fortress which provided stunning 360 views.

The courtyard of this beautifully maintained castle. My 10 year old self was shitting his pants.

Cascading selfie photobombed by the Dom! Sometimes the wind would be just right and you could hear the music from the band down below.

Walked through various exhibits detailing the history of the castle through the ages. We found a perfect spot in the beer garden perched on the ramparts and toasted our good fortune with a couple frosty Stiegl and a pretzel with mustard. Glorious. So fortunate to have these moments.

The drive was shorter today (1.5 hrs) all things considered and painless. We headed east to Öblarn through quaint countryside, flanked by beautiful mountains dusted in snow. We rocked the Shins album "wincing the night away" (one of my favorites) and peeled off the highway 1.5 hours later into the small village of Öblarn. The last time we were here was exactly two years ago. We were excited. This is a great room, and last time we had an epic post gig hang, and our host Hans is the stuff of legend.

We loaded into the hotel attached to the venue and ran into Harold who runs the bar adjacent to the venue and greeted him warmly. He remembered the epic post gig hang that occurred in his bar last time and I assured him anything was possible, but those conditions were special. I tried to lay down for 45 minutes but could never get into the groove despite my full body weariness. We met back up at 530 and walked next door to the venue, next to Harold's bar, next to our hotel. The commute is killer.

Greeted Hans and sound technician Dinos at the stage. So nice to see them both again. This place takes these shows seriously and you can see in the attention to detail with the pa, lights, PR for the event, everything. Sound check wrapped about 6:45 and the band agreed to eat after the show as timing was a little tight to eat, shower, warm up by showtime at 8.

View from the green room into the surrounding hills.

We played a full set (2 x 45) to 65 lovely Austrians, some of which were at our first show two years ago. Set felt good. Polished and loose where it needed to be. We got called out for an encore and did Been Too Good and Bid You in the audience which put a nice bow on the performance. Really happy with this one.

Photo by our friend Christoph Huber.

After the set we demolished some salads and some bacon and onion flatbreads. Once back at the bar, Dinos insisted we have some Zirbenschnapps, which you can only find in Austria. Made from pinecones, this is more sweet than boozey and really smooth to drink. The late night jam wasn't in the cards tonight and we were all relieved for a night to fill up on rest. Such a good crew of folks here. Two years is too long!

P, Hans, Harold, B, Dinos, J.

Night from Öblarn!

 

05/06/16 day 34: Salzburg, AT

Met Peter at 9:45 for our exercises (our 10th go on the tour). We walked down to the spa where the gym is located and outside onto the outdoor exercise green. We banged out the 30 minute body weight exercise routine while staring at the alps. Somehow ones little issues (for me it was the burpees) seem meer triffles when gazing upon such magnificence.

Now, the breakfast buffet at the Interalpen Hotel Tyrol is, as you can probably imagine, not fucking around. Pardon my French. Similar to the buffet in Bad Ragaz; extensive but not overly lavish. I mean you have all the standard bits one would expect; breads, cheeses, various meat slices for days. But it wasn't opulent. There wasn't a caged leopard being milked for your coffee or anything...

Fresh squeezed juices of various fruits and veggies (best when a little champagne is added, peter was driving this leg so I figured I could indulge), omelet station, a full-on honey comb that you can bust a hunk off of.. It was all tasty. Lovely little breakfast scene happened.

Said goodbye to our fearless leader Tommy who was headed back to Baienfurt and we hit the road in the opposite direction towards Salzburg. Another beautiful drive deep in the heart of Austria. Passed Chiemsee and up into Germany for a moment before crossing the border once again into Salzburg. Our hotel, Goldenes Theater Hotel, was at the base of Kapuzinerberg, so once we located our rooms and put the car to bed in the tiny parking garage below the hotel, peter and I went on a walk about up the hill. We walked into the pedestrian waking zone where we spied a passageway up the hill. This particular area kind of reminded me more of Italy; I think it was the white stone tiles on the ground, or maybe just the different shops than you see in Germany. Beautiful though and bustling due to the good weather. Definitely starting to be tourist season. Today was really the first day we heard a lot of English on the streets. Walked up to the old Cloister (Kapuzinerkloster) and made a quick loop with the occasional photo opp.

View NW of the city from Kapuzinerkloster.

Home of Mozart. Mozart pride, yo. 

Views from the hill.

Grabbed a delicious little crepe with strawberries and Nutella after the hike, made it back to the hotel with just enough time for a rinse and then we walked down the road to the venue Kleines Theater which is nestled up next to a restaurant with a mellow little patio. We enjoyed a Stiegl beer in the sun, had a quick bite, I opted for just a side salad because I'm that healthy, and went backstage and waited for Marvin to flash the light in the green room.

I was excited to see a nice little crowd of anxious Austrians patiently waiting for the show when we emerged from the curtain. A group of young Austrians sat right in the front row and had clearly done their homework. The crowd cheered when we started Dance with Me to end the first set.

We knew the rest was going to be fun, and fun we had. Second set was loose with many stories and my attempts at German jokes, most of which went off surprisingly well. Peter also had the audacity to go out wearing this:

Um, what? Okay...

He rocked it the whole set. I couldn't look at him without bursting out.

After the set we rapped with the folks at the show. The group of young Austrians in the front row drove 3 hours to see us, they live on the border of Slovenia, and were so stoked to hang for a bit. Felt really good to connect with people who are very into the music. They even sang us a tune in their dialect.

Walked home and went to bed satisfied with another great night. This night was really needed. Another cup-filling event, and for an Austrian crowd they were super engaged and interactive. 

Night from Salzburg!

05/05/16 Day 33: Tyrol, AT

Up and out of the hotel in Lustenau at 10:30. Made the excruciatingly beautiful drive to the, ahem, 5 star Interalpen Hotel outside of Telfs. The broad valley we started in started to close in around us as we headed east. In the distance were snow capped ridges. Around noon we started to enter a series of tunnels which spit us out into snow country around St. Christopher and back down at St. Anton. Switchback roads up and over passes with 8 foot snow markers on either side of the narrowing road. Tall snowy mountains on either side of us, bright blue sky, warm sun. We passed through small ski towns and whizzed past alpine villages that climbed the walls around us. We spotted skiers on the surrounding hills and hi-speed trams to unseen peaks. I would not want to be hehind the wheel during snow, but this was awesome. Our trusty Opel did a fine job negotiating hairpin turns and accelerating up sharp inclines.

Off the two lane highway in Telfs and ascended the hill, up and over to this amazing property. We drove into the hotel three floors below the ground, past rows of some of the most expensive cars on the planet and were immediately greeted by a bell boy who whisked our luggage away. Walked into my room and this is my view.

 Good god. The room doesn't suck either. Walk in closet, big bathroom, huge balcony, King sized bed...

Met Tommy in the lobby at 3 and we quickly set up the PA and sound checked in the location of the show. Cool little side room with its own bar. Kind of a side lounge vibe but very cool. Staff were putting fresh flowers on the bar as we wrapped up at 4. We weren't wasting any time. We had to check out the pool; heated outdoor pool with swimable entry to the indoor pool. This happened.

Sun tanning by the pool with a beer looking at the alps... I mean... It literally can't get better than this.

The pool was jamming. A ton of young families and little blond Austrian kids running around which makes me wonder 1) what the hell do their parents do to afford this luxury 2) are they hiring? Actually, screw it, I'm here to play music. I don't need their stinking job. I like my job better anyway.

We met Catarina, the woman responsible for having us, in the lobby at 6:45. Show started late (7:15) because people kept coming in, which made her quite happy. Better start late with more people, then on time with fewer I always say. I mean, I'm always saying that.

We played one 50 minute set to about 55 respectful guests. The vibe I describe as "Austrian loose" which means polite and respectful and mildly engaged when prompted. I got a few laughs at my dumb German jokes but the dry humor, dead pan thing is wasted here. No worries. Good thing we have some sweet tunes to back it up. Performance was pretty solid, I'd say. Not our best, not our worst. People were definitely digging it though.

Predinner, sunset cascading selfie.

After the set was a 6 course set menu dinner in the dining room. I mean, I prefer 7 courses, but whatever... I'll be honest, some of it was just above my head, for example the braised filet of char, but it was all tasty, properly proportioned and spread out. I mean, we finished dessert at 11:30... It was a three hour leisurely affair. 

Quite possibly my favorite part of the meal was the cheese buffet which would make a cheese lover weep. French, Italian, Swiss were well represented. I tried some of the goooiest, stinkiest, moldy numbers I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. I doubled up; went back for plate number two of my favorites. There was just too much to try. Oh and the truffle honey was a nice touch. Dig the pics....

Here are your choices...you may pick one from each course.

Braised char was salty and tangy. Not my favorite but I felt like a grown up eating it.

Main course suckling pig. Pretty bomb. Apple was a great compliment.

Cheese plate number 1... I can't even begin to tell you how delicious all these were. There was one called the "big stinker." It lived up to its name.

Dessert had us scratching our heads a little. This is the chocolate cannelloni. Very light, crunchy, fruity. Not much substance. I eyed the cheese buffet again but decided against it.

After dessert was ramazoti and espresso. Nice finishing touch on a great night.

After dinner we convened in Jeff's room for a post-show debrief/round up. We've been comparing our experience in Bad Ragaz to Interalpen Hotel Tyrol. I wouldn't say there is a clear winner; both have their charms. But we all decided it's best not to pass judgment too quickly. We will need a couple more visits to properly diagnose and weigh all aspects of both properties. Tommy was in agreement.

Night from Tyrol!

05/04/16 day 32: Lustenau, AT

Up at 930 to a bright blue sky and warm sun. Peter and I convened on the lawn at 10:10 and did our exercises next to the Koi pond. That's number 9 for the tour. Our goal is to do three more before the end of the tour which is a tall order but anything can happen. Wearing shorts and a tshirt today for the first time of the tour. Might be slightly optimistic but I'm going with it.

We dropped Alex, now affectionately referred to as The Captain, at the Mannheim train station (not to be confused with the Steamroller). His journey continues on without us to Belgium and beyond. It was nice to have him around; always game and always helpful (except when he would break out his booze from Slovakia. Olga, you shouldn't have let him leave your country with so much contraband!)

Our drive lasted until about 4:30. We took A6 to A7 (avoiding the shit show that is Stuttgart traffic) and then to A96 south to Lustenau just off the south east corner of the Bodensee. Stopping only for a new Austrian vignette to be able to drive on their highways and some road sandwiches.

Always a beautiful drive into Austria, the alps looming in the distance. Peeled off the highway, over a covered wooden bridge and pulled into the little town of Lustenau. Quickly found Gasthof Meindl, located our rooms and I went down for a 30 minute rest before getting cleaned up and back in the car for the trip across town to the venue; Freudenhaus or "happy house." People all tour have been making jokes that this is a brothel. It's not! It's a big venue with a beefy pa, lights, 4 foot stage. Tonight was the opening of the venue for the season so the mayor Kurt Fischer greeted the 150 guests and then "Le petit rien" a French duo opened the show. One cat was doing bubble art and the other cat was strumming his guitar. It was very interesting. Hypnotic.

Freudenhaus, Lustenau, AT

Sound check with stain glass light display 

Le Petit Rien

Our set felt good. We did a 60 minute set and got called out for an encore. The room was mostly silent save some light chatter at the bar, which while not ideal, didn't disrupt the vibe for us at least. The room is huge so it was bound to happen.

After the set we chatted with our new friend Stefan (whom we met in Schruns earlier in the tour) who books a music festival not far from here. Hoping to be a part of it next year. We also saw some folks from our Lindau show who book a big event in July. I can imagine spending a week on the Bodensee next Summer and it's always nice to have repeat customers! I also spent a minute chatting with the mayor who is also a musician who sometimes records in LA. He checked us out on youtube before the performance and had some kind words about our stuff. I encouraged him to record his next record in Phoenix. That would be so cool to help produce his next album.

Good night all around! Trying to remain present on stage this last week. Enjoy the last drops of this tour which has been really fun, exhausting, but fun and fulfilling.

05/03/16 day 31: Bad Dürkheim, DE

Remember those trousers drying peacefully in the night? I awoke to rain and toppled over laundry stand on the grass outside. I observed the 3 hour rule and brought the wet clothes inside to dry.

Went back downtown for lunch. Found a little cafe with fresh baked goods and enjoyed a mozzarella and tomato sandwich and a slice of delicious focaccia pizza.

We met Charly and Sigi at 2. Konny was at work, poor girl. We then drove about 20 minutes to a bowling lane (small man won with 126, it wasn't our best showing by far) and then onto a wine tasting just outside of town. Again, Ms Sigi knows the spots. This one didn't disappoint.

The Merlot was the standout.

We then drove up to Limburg, an old ruin of a cloister. Beautiful. Elegant. Melancholic.

And of course, there is a beer garden inside but unfortunately it was closed.

The view from Charly and Konny's house. The rain broke and opened up a beautiful sky with pinks and purples. Mannheim and Heidelberg in the distance. 

Back to the crib where we ordered pizza and salads and watched Bayern vs Athletico Madrid on TV upstairs. At halftime and after we played a few songs for our hosts and discussed the Nov house concert we will have here. A great chill night. Bis November!

05/2/16 Day 30: Bad Dürkheim, DE

Woke up before my alarm today. Like 1.5 hrs before which was annoying but I went down to breakfast early and got caught up cat videos on FB. They're still cute, FYI. Oh those cute little fuzzy buggers...

Moved the car at 9 to a street parking spot and waited for the guys to roll down to bfast. Nice spread. Only had appetite for yogurt and coffee though. We checked out of the Hotel Villa Esplinade at 11 and went on a walkabout towards downtown Bonn. There were some pretty sights to be sure and the weather, people, the weather was finally playing along. Needed, gasp, sunglasses. And didn't need, double gasp, a sweater. Things were looking up.

Bonner Münster, Rathaus, University buildings, Beethoven's crib.

Inside courtyard of the Münster, view of Rhein, green outside the Uni, Mosel valley (on the drive to Bad Dürkheim).

Kölsch am Rhein.

We saw the sights, cruised the shops in the pedestrian zone and then walked to the Rhein. The weather had everyone out. Some people were still walking around in jackets; the weather was so nice, some people didn't believe it. Outside of the train station we had one of the best Doners of the tour. The guy even reupped on garlic and hot sauce halfway through; a move never before seen. It's the little things...

Said goodbye to our friend Max who waved to us as we pulled out of parking spot at the hotel. Good dude. It was nice to see him again.

The drive was pretty. Instead of taking the autobahn, I picked the B9 which took us past small towns on the west side of the Rhein. Beautiful. Reminded me of the boat tour the Chartrand's took on my first visit to this country when I was 8 or 9; castles up on the hills surrounding this mighty, fast flowing river. Around Koblenz we strafed west and pick up the A61 (?) and made a B line for the small wine country town of Bad Dürkheim located west of Mannheim.

We rolled up to our friends Charly and Connie's house which is located on one of the hills surrounding the town. The view from patio is fairly magnificent. We had enough time to dump our luggage and then we had a dinner reservation in the largest wine barrel in the world.

1.7 million liters of wine this thing can hold. Never has, but still.

Dinner was delicious and fun. I went simple with grilled chicken in a cream sauce and fries with a big salad. Others were more daring. Alex got the meat plate which was piled on top of mashed potatoes and fried onions next to a pile of sauerkraut. I had a touch of food envy.

There was wine, good food, and many laughs. Proooooost!

After dinner we walked about town and stopped into various spots for liquids and eventually gelato. Sigi, charly's friend, owns a beverage company and knows everyone. The gelato spot was closed, they reopened for us. It's good to know people.

Made it back to the house and had a small schnapps tasting (as is usually the case) played games on the porch and celebrated a night off.

So grateful to have such gracious friends who take such good care of us. My laundry was drying peacefully outside. Clean trousers is a beautiful thing. Night!

05/01/16 day 29: Bonn, DE

Up at 8:30am to pack, shower, and have a cup of coffee with Strupp the matriarch of Lutterbeker. Lynn was up peeling and boiling potatoes in the restaurant kitchen when we came down for coffee in the winter garden around 930, an all glass enclosed patio with loads of big plants and little two top tables. The sun was out though and it was actually warm enough to sit outside outside, so we moved our cups to the roofless patio and wiped down the patio furniture that for the last couple days has been getting soaked. Had a nice little chat with Strupp. She's just a cool, down to earth lady who knows her business and has a passion for live music. I mean, she's been doing it for 40 years and she's damn good at it.

Waved goodbye to Strupp standing in the doorway at 10:15. Headed south past Kiel, Hamburg, Bremen and then caught the A1 south to Bonn. Thankfully there was no traffic so we made the drive in 6 hours with a couple short stops for gas and highway food. Drive was chill. Peter drove the first 4 hours and I finished the rest. Nice having a driving partner. Jeff and Alex sawed logs in the back.

Bonn, located on the Rhein River south of Köln, was the seat of the west German government (Bundestag) from after World War II to reunification. I spent a couple months here in the Spring of '99 researching my thesis and interning with an elected official of the FDP, a small liberal political party. It was a fun time. It was nice to live close to Aachen, which is where I spent a year from '94-'95, and visit my friends and host family. I was hopeful I'd see some friends tonight.

Pulled right up to the hotel to dump our luggage and who emerges from the door but our good friend Max from Dresden who took a 7 hour train to hang for the night! Cheerful reunion! I got cleaned up and we all piled in the car to the venue 7 minutes away which is in the basement of an old parliament building on the other side of the Rhein. Cool little stage in an unassuming old office building. It's a vibey little cavern style venue. You wouldn't know it by looking at the building though.

Apparently this particular collection of old parliament buildings (I think they are former CDU Party buildings) which houses tonight's venue, will be torn down at the end of May and replaced with new office buildings.

Ohne Filter sound check. Sounding good gents!

Got the PA up and running with a quick sound check. Sounding juicey and warm! We checked first and then Ohne Filter who played with us in Trittau checked after. Ralf and Frank are great. Good dudes and great players.

The green room catering didn't satisfy everyone's desires, and in comparison to other nights it was a little light, so the guys sent out for pizza (everybody loves pizza) and then warmed up the voices quickly.

The set felt great! I thought it was a solid performance all around, the banter felt good, nice full room with good energy and loads of friends turned up including Lena my youngest host sister as well as MHC alumna and friends Kathrin and Julia! I really wanted to debut the new tune Peter and I wrote the day before but I think it's in everyone's interest to maybe run it once with Jeff first! Encore was Easy, Free Falling, and Bid you. I think the MVP was Printemps again. It's a good mix of humor and harmonies people seem to get into singing "oh la la" with us. A great night. Chatted with Ohne Filter about setting up some shows in the area in the future! So grateful for another great night.