I awoke to a knock on the door of my room around 11 - it was our tour manager, Jordi, telling me that breakfast was almost ready. I pulled back the curtains, revealing a tranquil, misty rural scene of lush, rolling green hills. A flock of sheep was grazing nearby, and I heard the faint ding of a bell around one of their necks. There is a strange, lovely sensation that comes with waking up in a place that you did not see the night before. Stefan and I had stumbled into the house around 4am; it was dark and we [View Full Entry]

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When I saw that there was a four day break in this current European tour with my band, I immediately began researching somewhere to visit - that's just how my brain works. Never mind that we haven't had more than two consecutive days off since March, and that I've been globetrotting without rest pretty much the entire year... I was hungry for more adventure. I settled on a short trip to visit my good friends Kate and Eva in Ireland. I had met them at a show in Oslo, Norway in the Spring. They were visiting Norway and I was there [View Full Entry]

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The journey north from Ceccano in southern Italy to Ravenna was long but unbelievably beautiful. The countryside is very distinctly Italian, bearing more resemblance to Spain than the rest of Europe. Elaborate Italian villas lie tucked away amid lush, green, rolling hills and farmland. I gazed out the window at the hypnotic symmetry of crop patterns against a backdrop of hills and mountains. We were all eager to get to our destination - a very hip beach resort called Hanabi. We had been there earlier this year, and the beach, the staff, and the food had left a lasting impression. We [View Full Entry]

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Wow, let’s see, where to begin with this one…? We finished the first leg of our ex-Yugoslav adventure with a show in Zagreb, Croatia. Zagreb is a beautiful city - plenty of upscale areas with premium shopping, yet embraced by nature and history, with many lush green parks and lovely old architectural landmarks, including a really nice cathedral. We had a great show there. Although it had it’s share of technical difficulties and sound mishaps, the place was jam-packed and the energy was zinging! The next day had us making a long journey back into France. We passed thr [View Full Entry]

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After a lovely drive across Italy from Nice, France, we arrived in Slovenia at the Njoki Festival in Ajdovscina. It is a small town, and the address for the festival literally read “center of town.” The festival consisted of an outdoor stage at the foot of an impressive range of mountains and a small campground, where most of the festivalgoers seemed to be staying. We stayed there for two days, one night in a student dorm type facility. The night we arrived was the first night of the festival, and Marky Ramone, drummer of the Ramones, was headlining. He had a [View Full Entry]

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Our first stop after crossing into France from Spain was in Bordeaux. We stayed in a very industrial part of town - a little strange, with some hookers and shady characters hanging around. When we ventured into the city center we encountered some of the historic architecture that France is known for. There was a cool street market happening by an old cathedral, and it was a good day to be walking around Bordeaux. Bob and Lisa did an acoustic show that night, and Craig and I went to support them and to watch The Dirtbombs, a Detroit band that we [View Full Entry]

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With this final drive along the northern coast to San Sebastian we bid Spain goodbye. Our two-week tour of this most amazing country has drawn to a close. We will meet up with our French tour manager this afternoon and begin a journey to the French Riviera. This is the first overcast morning we have encountered, and it feels appropriate, for I am truly sad to leave Spain. The mountains around me are drenched in mist and the rolling hills are damp with morning moisture - it feels as if Spain is grieving our departure… Groups of overfed white sheep appear [View Full Entry]

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We have been zigzagging across Spain for roughly a week and a half now. Each day its natural beauty and the charming nature of the people here continually amaze me. Tours like this are often difficult to route sensibly, so rather than hitting the cities in their logical geographical order we end up traversing all over the map in odd patterns. We like to call this the “Star of David” tour. In any case, it’s an interesting way to see the country. We embarked yesterday on a beautiful drive straight up the country’s midsection, part of which we had seen the [View Full Entry]

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I have always been fascinated with cities. They are all so unbelievably unique in their architecture, people, terrain, food, attractions and nightlife. We have been in Spain for just over a week now, and the anticipation for our stay in Madrid had built to a high point. It is the capital and largest city in Spain, and people here certainly regard it as such - everywhere I go I keep hearing, "wait til you get to Madrid." Well... It rocked my world! Our booking agency in Spain, Love To Art, and all of its lovely employees are headquartered in Madrid, so [View Full Entry]

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Wow… Barcelona is amazing. Had such an unbelievably amazing time there. The day of our show was spent resting and exploring the neighborhood. I had gone out the night before with Edu, our agent in Spain, and his friend Berta, Bob and Lisa as well. We had a delicious spread of Tapas in an outdoor café. Afterwards, we found a table at a crowded bar near the hotel. The neatest thing - every table had it’s own beer tap in the center… Everyone gets a glass and you serve yourself as needed. When your glass gets low, just open up the [View Full Entry]

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