Andrew Vladeck

Euro Tour Blog - Part 1

Gooten Tag - This tour has been going at such tremendous speed that I have had very little time to write or post what i’ve written or the photos i’ve taken.  Take that as a good sign!   I’m backstage in Hamburg - I’ll dash off some of the latest adventures…  Photos posted on FB album and page!  I’ve wanted to keep a short blog… but I’m having trouble breaking it down… or writing in any non-disjointed, or semi-decent fashion.  so here’s a rough mix sampling below. Or you could skip to the photos and read the captions.  More photos from friends and fans to come…

Last night I had my third Amsterdam show in two days and I feel like I made some great new friends (some came to all the shows!) and re-connected with old ones.  It was magical.  Even the part where my wallet was stolen and I missed the last train to my neighborhood.   But my dashing host came to the rescue, and carried me on his bike, with all my gear (!!!) back home at 3AM.  I’ve been blown away by the graciousness and hospitality of everyone I’ve encountered.  thanks to David for putting me up and putting up with all the hijinks.  And man, what an AMAZING musician… I don’t think he has a website up yet, but he will, and I’ll letya know!  Another high point was seeing my friends from Den Haag - who showed me all around Amsterdam, without getting into too much trouble.  Unless you call herring and stroopwaffel trouble.  Check out Rene’s awesome band COOPER.

(Two days ago) i’m on the train from Koln to Bruxelles, having had a wonderful return show at Die Wohngemeinschaft, which is a music venue, bar, and probably the coolest hostel in Europe. 

Woke up in Frankfurt singing “The Yellow Rose of Texas.“ Was very fortunate to play a show at Hazelwood with Okta Logue and Kenneth Minor.   Very nice people and amazing bands. They sang in English so beautifully - great lyrics and writing. Like so many the world over, they grew up listening to rock/folk music in English (The Beatles, anyone?), so it’s only natural for people to sing in it.  We played the Rodelheim festival and stayed up until dawn - trading songs and singing standards, like “The Weight,“ “Jealous Guy,“ etc.  These musicians are GOOD.  And young! I wish them such luck. I would love to see them succeed - so check out their music!  I’m sad that I won’t get to see them for a while. It was a great gang of people: Pablo, Bianca, Anja, Wolfgang, Adrian, the bands, the brit tour manager, Andy, gave me a lift to the station in their sweet microbus.

Riding the rails is the way to go. This train is so smooth. Like riding a yoga matt over a buttered lawn.   People in Bonn toast by clinking the bottoms of their glass, not the top.  The swallows chirp like chimpanzees.  The pillows are really big. 

Heidelberg - thank you Martin! radio show and gig near the old bridge in the midst of the old university area.  A fantastic venue and show and great people and good food and beer and I miss them all already.  A tour of the castle and a train to Bonn.  Bonn - thank you Patrick!  I three-set show at a perfect venue called Spleen, a raging Monday night show on the most beautiful night of the year.  Koln - as I said above - great joint - thank you Lisse!  I’m sorry you didn’t play tonight!  But Mario Nyeky was incredible, and we stay up after the show and I tried to steal as many licks from him as I could.  Such a tasteful guitarist.  I’m sorry Koln was so brief.  At least this time I got to see the Cathedral again - since it’s next to the train station… to Bruxelles - tonight!

Just arrived at Brussels venue… it’s so weird to take a short train ride and be in a VERY different country.  My German is bad, my French is worse, it’s barely Miss Piggy level.  Played and stayed in the old part of the city near the grand market… rolling my suitcase home over the cobblestones past the tiny statue of the little boy peeing…

Posted on 06/04/11 at 10:46AM | Filed under: