tag:dudleytaft.com,2005:/blogs/dudley-taft-band?p=2Dudley Taft Band2019-11-16T11:08:58-05:00Dudley Taftfalsetag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/47976182020-09-10T09:05:00-04:002021-06-10T07:53:15-04:00Summer Rain Blog<p>Time sure seems to fly on by. Since starting my own band in 2008, a lot has happened. I left Seattle in 2011, lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina for two years and in Cincinnati, Ohio for four. During that time I have somehow managed to make six albums, one live and five in the studio. </p>
<p>Last month I finished my fifth studio album, Summer Rain. After writing 50+ songs in this “blues rock” genre, I feel like I am settled and comfortable in what I can come up with. Not that it is easy to do, quite the contrary; it is very difficult! Hahaha, but I feel like I can just trust my instincts and follow the muse of each song. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/5a74ba18c52f2bd7e34ab2888a246e3a85a8c747/medium/summer-rain-cover-1400-1.jpg?1499459353" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I wrote about 25 or so songs, and settled on 11 for the CD. I didn’t have any particular cover song that I was excited about doing, so I didn’t record one. </p>
<p>I used the same modus operandi as the last CD: I developed nascent song ideas I had recorded on my iPhone with my drummers and bassist in the studio and recorded a few takes of each, using the best. I spoke with my main studio drummer, Jason Patterson last night. He had just received the copy of Summer Rain that I sent him, and he said “Man, a lot of that stuff was just off the cuff.” That was the vibe I was going for. Somehow our joy of discovery translates through the finished mixes. </p>
<p>I sure don’t record a record in a week or two, like a lot of artists do. I take a lot of time with my songs (it’s a luxury for me to have my own world-class studio in my house). I will get the basic tracks down, make a rough mix and listen to it in the car for weeks and try to come up with melodies and lyrics. Somehow “sleeping on” these tunes helps my brain figure out where I need to go with them. </p>
<p>The title track, "Summer Rain" came from some chords I discovered on a family trip to Hawaii in 2015. I sat on that one for a while, and eventually pulled it out when I had my boys in the studio. Local drummer boy Mike Tapogna played on that one. I believe it was the second take that we kept. It felt natural and fun, especially transitioning to the epilogue section in the end. The riff from "Don't Let it Fade" came to me on another beach in the Bahamas. Must be something about being near the ocean that inspires me!</p>
<p>I was exercising, listening to some Rolling Stones on Pandora, and Mick sang the lyric “It’s sure been a cold, cold winter” and I thought yeah, but for some people it’s been a long hot summer. As I continued my workout I thought of the young military personnel that take tours of duty in hellish places like Iraq and Afghanistan. This thought kept coming back to me as I wrote the lyrics for the record. I didn’t want to write a literal account of military service, because I have never served. I did want to try to put myself in their boots and explore what their feelings would be when away from home for so long. That is the thread that links all the songs together. </p>
<p>I asked Reese Wynans if he would record keys for me again, and he was enthusiastic about it. He played on Screaming in the Wind and Skin and Bones so he was familiar with my music. This album is less blues and more rock, so I was a bit worried, haha. But he really enjoyed playing on “Live or Die” and especially “Moonbeam.” While I was in Nashville recording his parts, I asked Rachel Williams to sing background vocals for me, and luckily she was in town. She works fast and figures out harmonies with me quickly. So the overdubs were easy! </p>
<p>Check out this video Kasey made of the overdub sessions. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="M77tQJoqMdA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/M77tQJoqMdA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M77tQJoqMdA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>I have a great arsenal of tube amplifiers to choose from for tracking guitars. In the past few years I have acquired a ’66 Fender Deluxe, a ’66 Fender Bassman, and the Tonehunter TNT head, which is based on a Marshall Plexi. I used these amps on most of the tracks. I always record the guitars with a combination of a Royer ribbon mic and a Heil PR30, which sounds like a Shure 57 on steroids. The tracks sound great when I run them through a Manley Variable MU.</p>
<p>I have been using my KLON Centaur quite a bit, and some other pedals that made appearances are the Tonehunter Fuzzmonics (which I helped name!), the Zen drive, Xotic EP boost, Fulltone OCD, a Dunlop Rotovibe pedal (the red one that looks like a wah) and the Strymon Lex. </p>
<p>Oh pedals. I have so many and just love trying new ones. I geek out on “rig rundowns” and pedal shootouts on YouTube! They all react differently in different situations… </p>
<p>The artwork on the CD I did myself (I wear almost ALL the hats). The photos were taken at my good friend Anko Lammers’ house in Vriezenveen, a small town in the Dutch countryside. An amazing photographer, Stefan Schipper, lives down the road a stretch and he took the shots in front of Anko’s work shed. The studio shot for the last CD, Skin and Bones were also done by him in his studio. Thanks Stefan!! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/dcad6ea66b858fc293e7e1fe791744748cf5c9b1/medium/foto-15.jpg?1501520435" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Stefan takes the best photos!</em></p>
<p>I am so lucky to have such a killer studio in the basement – and feel a great deal of gratitude towards Peter Frampton because the price of this house did not reflect the amount of money he spent on the setup. The house was listed for over a year with no offers, and he was just taking it off the market when we made our offer. </p>
<p>I ended up buying the SSL console from him, which made the most sense because it is a complicated project to move those beasts! He bought a studio in Nashville that had a nice board in it so he didn’t need it anymore. I also bought some microphones and outboard gear that he didn’t want for a great price. He left quite a bit of gear in the studio including a fantastic headphone monitoring system, saying simply that it just “came with the studio.” </p>
<p>I keep in touch with him, and he is very happy that the studio is being used. I was in Nashville in late May and got to see his fantastic new studio where I played him “Live or Die” off the new CD. He said “very good” – so now I have the blessing of a British invasion superstar! Hahahaha… </p>
<p>He played me his new song “I Saved a Bird Today” which is quite excellent.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b4080f63a620f37b34ba03d5a4855f3cb0019444/medium/dudley-peter-7.jpg?1501520664" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Me and Peter Frampton</em></p>
<p>The album will be available September 15th from my website, CDBaby, Amazon and on just about every streaming service out there. Please give it a listen!</p>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/59564512019-11-16T11:08:58-05:002021-05-31T09:51:59-04:00European Tour 2019 - The BETTER GIGS Tour<p>European Tour 2019 (August 28 – October 7) </p>
<p><a contents="Przeczytaj blog po polsku" data-link-label="Polish Blog 2019" data-link-type="page" href="/polish-blog-2019">Przeczytaj blog po polsku</a></p>
<p>From Kasey: </p>
<p><em>Hey, it's your best friend from America, Kasey Williams! 2019 saw my fifth tour with my good friend Dudley Taft. We played some new venues, and some old places, made some new friends, and saw some familiar faces. It feels like every tour keeps getting better and better! There were some fun adventures had on this trip. Between gigs we; released our latest album, crashed a wedding, rode in a car elevator, hung out in Dresden, Germany, got into shenanigans with our buddy Wojciech in Krakow, Poland, crashed a birthday party, released a new music video, broke a pair of prescription glasses, saw the Berlin Wall, played a live radio/video broadcast, went to the Rijksmuseum and swung on the "Sensational Swing" at A'DAM Lookout in Amsterdam, and broke down on the Autobahn only to make it in time for our last gig! There was plenty more, but my NDA prevents me from speaking any further... Until the next adventure! Kasey</em> </p>
<p>Kasey called this one the “Better Hotels Tour.” I suppose he is correct! But really until this tour we didn’t always have our own rooms. On the first tour, John Kessler and I shared a hotel room. Then on subsequent tours, we would get a couple of rooms but sometimes there were four of us. </p>
<p>I called this tour the “Better Gigs Tour.” We played to bigger crowds, made more Euros and aside from a few nights at the Lammers residence where Kasey shared a room with our drummer, everyone had their own room. That made things much more comfortable during our five and a half weeks in Europe! </p>
<p>It seems that every tour we have a different drummer. At least the last four have been that way. Carl Martin, then Darrin Watkins, then Marty McCloskey and now Darby Todd. We had planned to have Marty with us for this tour, but at the last minute he asked that we find a replacement. That was a bummer. With about seven weeks to go, I had to scramble. I contacted Walfredo Reyes Jr. who had recently moved to Cincinnati and played on most of the tracks for the newest album, Simple Life. He reached out to the drumming community at large and through a friend found Darby. Luckily Darby was in-between tours and only had a few gigs on the books for September. So he was our man. </p>
<p>Darby did his homework and charted all the songs, so rehearsal was a cinch. Also, he has been drumming since he was six years old and it comes naturally to him. So now we were “cooking with butter” as I like to say. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b5b4238ba604271a6e991ba1b1f130e50103cb02/original/dt-band-9-2019-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L to R: Darby Todd, Dudley Taft, Kasey Williams</p>
<p>Two days of rehearsal was enough to get us comfortable for our first show in Eschweiler, Germany. It was a Tuesday which can be hit-or-miss for attendance, but there was a nice crowd at Rio and we had a great first gig. Our French buddy Manu Lanvin was set to play there in December - we will see him later in Poland. Darby had played with Carl Verheyen, and it was funny to see a drum head with Walfredo Reyes Jr.'s signature on it, because he played on the new album <em>Simple Life</em>! Hahaha. It is a small world.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d856fb432e8234cde45d50dc1e1f94f1ba9f6e62/original/rio-collage.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Rio in Eschweiller, Germany - With the promoters and Walfredo's signature and Manu Lanvin</p>
<p>Anko Lammers (my great Dutch friend) had made us a merchandise banner as a gift, so we looked very professional all around! The Germans tend to buy the most CDs and t-shirts, and this time we had two of our albums on vinyl. (Last year in the US vinyl outsold CDs for the first time since the late 1980’s.) We have quite the arsenal too – six CDs, three different t-shirt designs in men’s and women’s and two vinyl LPs. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/741b93cdacd002597caa1b5b22d070f9dafc4392/original/merch-banner-photo.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Professional Merch Banner!</p>
<p>I was looking forward to the next show in Cologne because Ralf and Kristin Reichen were coming, along with their daughter Tarika and her boyfriend Nico. If you have read these tour blogs, you will remember that Ralf and Kristin run Tonehunter Amplifiers and effects pedals. They lend me gear, sort out my pedalboard and have become our really great friends! Also my friend Vincent Abbate whom I had met at the Talking Blues show at the Urania Theater in Cologne on the last tour would attend. He writes for Rocks magazine and was slated to review the show. (Luckily, he likes my songs!) In addition, my publicist and booking agent Dirk Osterhaus was also there. We played well, with Darby going crazy on the kit with machine gun fills and double-kick action tastefully delivered. Tarika and Nico manned the merch booth, and it turned into a great show. </p>
<p>We had the day off on Wednesday and stayed at a decent hotel in downtown Cologne for both nights. Kasey liked that. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/5c656d707aa919a8b145bc2ecf4b4d3343ad14de/original/ddvk-1-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L to R: Darby Todd, Dudley Taft, Vincent Abbate, Kasey Williams</p>
<p>I did an interview with Vincent Abbate in Cologne, and he also has a blog called Who Is Blues? You can read part 1 of my interview <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.whoisblues.com/2019/09/13/wib-interview-dudley-taft/" target="_blank">HERE</a>: </p>
<p>https://www.whoisblues.com/2019/09/13/wib-interview-dudley-taft/</p>
<p>and Part 2 <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.whoisblues.com/2019/10/31/wib-interview-dudley-taft-pt-2/" target="_blank">HERE</a>:</p>
<p>https://www.whoisblues.com/2019/10/31/wib-interview-dudley-taft-pt-2/</p>
<p>That Friday we had a short drive to Wetter to play the Earth Music Hall again, which has a yearly concert series with a nice group of subscribers. The crowd at this show was much bigger than our last time there, and it was one of my favorite shows of the tour. Dirk was in attendance again, with his lady friend Christiane running the merch stand. We sold quite a bit of stock and made out very well! It really makes a big difference having someone selling for us; it’s difficult to finish our first set and run back there, take the money and sign all the items and make photos with everyone. One of these days we’ll have our own support for that! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e23e5e765169a18581aa7df237342432d7246b4f/original/earth-music-hall-12.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Rocking Earth Music Hall in Wetter, Germany</p>
<p>Next it was off to Wegberg to play Zur Alten Post again. This is a small bar with a nice little stage and usually a great crowd. This night was no exception. We stayed at Burg Wegburg, which is an event space and hotel. It is a five-minute walk to the gig, which is nice! After setup and sound check, we had some dinner and then I checked the venue to see how the crowd was shaping up. It looked pretty thin for a Saturday night, so I was a bit bummed as I went to van to do my pre-show routine of some vocal warm-ups. After about fifteen minutes, I headed back to the venue and was surprised to see that it was totally packed! It seemed like a magic trick, but there was a 50th birthday party for someone a few doors down the street, and the party had gotten a bit crazy and the local Police told everyone to leave. So naturally, they came down the street to the Post. But there were quite a few fans from last year, and one dude had a sweatshirt on with a bunch of our skull stickers! Hahaha, he was our most vocal fan that night. </p>
<p>Our first set was cut a bit short because of a broken snare drum, but that was no problem – we played a seventy-minute second set, and all was good. Well, I thought it was at least! Apparently, some of the birthday party-goers got really drunk and a fight had broken out – with people smashing each other in the head with pint glasses. It was an ugly scene outside the bar, and the Police came again and arrested a bunch of angry dudes. We packed up a bit faster than usual, got our fee and beat it back to the hotel. At that point we thought a beer or two was in order, but the bar wasn’t open due to a wedding reception. The three of us timidly asked some of the wedding party if we could get some beer, and within about three minutes, the father of the groom had introduced us to his son and the bride, and the beers were flowing. We certainly stood out in our rocker clothing, but they seemed to like us, and even took our photo, printed it and added it to the wedding album. What a strange night indeed!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/63dde60fa68e4e831bf8a193ea771cab8b6b61be/original/20190908-005900.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Me with the bride and groom in Wegburg</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/633d894b0245a2b69d05fb4e9cdaa316046b9347/original/20190908-011913.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Yeah, they took our picture and put it in the wedding book!</p>
<p>The next day we made the drive to Rotterdam to play the Bluesclub L’Espirit. This was my third time playing there, the last time being the day my mother died. In a way it had taken on an emotional note for me, and I thought about her a lot during that show. It was packed of course; and I was happy to see my picture on their seasonal program cover. We killed it in there, and had a great time. We stayed at a Van der Valk hotel in nearby Ridderkerk, which is a nice, affordable hotel chain in the Netherlands that has a great restaurant. Kasey liked that. </p>
<p>These nicer hotels, as Kasey will attest, have great breakfast spreads with an egg chef ready to make you an omelet or a scramble with whatever you want. Usually we appear fifteen minutes before they shut it down, and during the day we have a decent sandwich at a gas station, and sometimes a meal at or near the venue. But really we average about two meals a day. That and the exercise of singing 25 songs a night makes me lose some weight. This time I lost about 2 1/2 kilos, or about six pounds. For me that’s a lot! Normally I am 162, but got down to 156. I like this because I can see my abs! Hahahaha… But really people, this is a lot of work! </p>
<p>The next morning I woke up early to take Darby to the train station so he could make his flight to London from Amsterdam’s Schipol airport. We had a few days off in a row, to give us enough time to travel to Poland, and he could go home to his newly wedded wife. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c4b134dc9e67117961f6b10079ba7712fafea213/original/whiskey-fest-2019-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Kasey and Helga with that night's whiskey selection</p>
<p>Kasey and I headed back to Castle Lammers to get some fresh clothes and refill the merch bins. We had a nice evening with our hosts and were off the next morning for a long drive to Dresden, which was a nice stopping point between Vriezenveen and Krakow. I like to drive no more than six or seven hours (how civilized), arrive at a hotel around 5 or 6PM, have a nice dinner and walk around the city a bit. The weather had been amazing so far this tour – 70 to 75 degrees and clear (about 21 - 23 celsius). It was just like this when we rolled into Dresden, and there were about twenty hot air balloons in the sky! Our hotel was just across the river from the city center, and we walked across the bridge to have some tasty schnitzel at a restaurant overlooking the river. (Well, Kasey is vegetarian, so I don’t know what the hell he ate.) </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d85e77ff71d4fd1675f7bb6dce49300e20bac063/original/dresden-1-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Dresden, Germany at twilight</p>
<p>If you have read these blogs, you know that I love to play in Poland. I have been all over the country but had never been to one of its coolest cities, Krakow. We could have stayed with Anko and Helga another day, but I thought it would be cool to check it out for a couple of days. For some reason the hotel chains that I frequent were all booked up for the Wednesday, so I did a bunch of laptop-research and found a quirky little hotel in the Kazimirz (Jewish) section called Hotel Rubinstein. It was named after Helena Rubinstein who was a makeup mogul of sorts, and famous in Poland. The only two rooms left in the hotel included a large suite on the top floor which I quite enjoyed. Kasey liked this one too. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/186876c0df9b5ab2e27b0af42296c4d956fbd7f5/original/road-to-krakow-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">On the road to Kraków</p>
<p>Our good friend Wojciech (pronounced voy-check) whom we had met on a previous tour lived there and was anxious to show us around the city. The drummer for Evening Standard, a band we shared the stage with in Bochnia, he had saved us on a previous tour when our drummer Carl had mistakenly put gasoline in our diesel van. He loves cars and has a sweet Camaro that he drives like a maniac, and instantly knew what was wrong with the van. He had us squared away in no time flat. Anyway, he was our guide, along with his girlfriend Maria. Wojtek (short for Wojciech) showed us around and took us out to an amazing gourmet dinner near our hotel.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9a1efc2d7c0696fd0eddbf65adf27a4deec24e51/original/krakow-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Wojciech and Hotel Rubenstein in Kraków</p>
<p>He knows his Polish history very well, and was eager and quite proud to educate us! After dinner we went to his apartment, which was quite stunning. It is the most dialed-in place I have ever seen. Every bit of wall space is covered in murals and pictures from his exploits around the world on motorcycles and cool cars. His bed is suspended by ropes (uh, I didn’t ask why...) and his music room where he practices drums was wall-to wall with framed pictures of him and musicians that have come through town, including one with Darby! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/933bdc96c63eac10f806cff3ddbe9860e53f2e4b/original/wojciech-and-darby-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Wojciech and Darby Todd (from a previous tour)</p>
<p>The next morning we met up with him again and got a tour of the Wawel castle, one of the oldest buildings in Krakow and a veritable treasure trove of Polish history. We hired a guide who gave us a three hour exhaustive (and a bit exhausting) tour of the church, castle and museum. We hung out with him and Maria the rest of the night and had a fantastic time. He has become a truly great friend! </p>
<p>Our first gig was in Nowy Sacz (pronounced no-vee sanch), and we picked up Darby at the Krakow airport on the way. We had played Atelier Jazz Club before, and it’s a great venue in Tom Hejan’s plumbing supply store (really). We had a nice crowd and it turned out to be Darby’s favorite gig – the stage really sounded nice, and we were getting really comfortable playing with each other. Some people in the crowd were wearing Dudley Taft t-shirts and knew a few of the songs. We sold a lot of CDs and a few vinyl LPs. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8aff94c503d2b783ad482751016ddb44a3ceb7af/original/20190913-224544.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Atelier Jazz Club in Nowy Saçz, Poland</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/33257b78b0a7e1771ae9d837d250db2cc79463fd/original/atelier-jazz-photos-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The owner of the Jazz club, Tom Hejan takes these photos and adds a butterfly to each one!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4f5ebccdf25b022a2e45cc28bdcb93b43006baef/original/atelier-jazz-photos-2.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />And there's Manu Lanvin again! Hahaha</p>
<p>The next day we drove to Tarnobrzeg for our third appearance at Victor Czura’s Satyr Blues Festival. This is the festival where I met Jay Jesse Johnson who lives near Cincinnati, and who plays with me in the Four Aces, and also Manu Lanvin, a French blues rocker who pretty much dominates the blues rock scene in France. We became great friends, and he was to play the following day. After an early load in and sound check, we headed to Hotel Evva for a press conference Victor had set up. At the table were most of the artists that were there to play the festival which now had become two days long. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal of Guns ‘n’ Roses fame was there along with fellow American Anthony Gomes from St. Louis, Jacek Kieller, Doghouse Sam, etc… I realized I knew more than half of the people in the press conference attendees by name. After four tours in Poland I have amassed quite a few friends there! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f7c7cd60ff45c5f5eda66b714d20e74ef4b54fb9/original/press-conference.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Victor Czura (with the microphone) and men in hats</p>
<p>Our gig was great – we played in the middle of the lineup (good timing for sales) and sold more merch than I ever have before at a single show. I was busy for at least 45 minutes after the set taking pictures and signing autographs. Marika Swat, whom I met on my first visit to Poland helped me and we sold a ton of LPs as well. You know, they were a real pain-in-the-ass to make and ship to Europe! But all that effort paid off. We also had a new t-shirt design made from a picture that Robert Wilk had taken of me a few years before at a Przeworsk blues festival that I headlined. Fellow Pole Andrzej (uh, Andrew) Swat added a cool effects pedal on the back that fit in with the Simple Life album concept. It was fun to have the new shirts there for Robert and Andrzej to see!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d8b0840121a5e4e8057f630684a843ee22a5cf79/original/marika-t-shirt-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The lovely Marika Swat Showing off the new t-shirt</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/123a95d1f38f788e451aa864bcda06b09b7ea583/original/satyr-autographs.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Signing autographs at the Satyr Blues Festival in Poland</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ac8801e3347f90fa1601dc794f574392c79dc66b/original/satyr-dudleys.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The "Satyr" part of the festival! I hope I really look more like the guy on the left!</p>
<p>The festival is as much about artwork as it is the music. The great caricaturists of Poland draw wild pictures of the musicians and other celebrities. I have quite the collection of these at home.</p>
<p>We have some great audio and video from this show. You can see these videos (as of this posting there are two) <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Innervibe" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Scroll down to the LIVE playlist.</p>
<p>We had fun watching the rest of the acts play. After the show there was a big banquet at the Hotel Evva. Unfortunately for this lactose-intolerant guitar player, there was almost nothing I could eat. Hahaha. </p>
<p>That Sunday, we had an afternoon gig at an event hotel called Mansion on the Hill. That was a strange gig – we played outside under a tent attached to the main building and our most energetic fans were two five year old boys who danced around like Mexican jumping beans!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/42b86bd1ba3e4f6c4831a08a12967746bb0aa19e/original/mansion-on-the-hill-stage-1-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The stage here at Mansion on the Hill was a far cry from the Satyr Festival stage!</p>
<p>We finished around 6:30 and hightailed it out of there back to Tarnobrzeg to join Manu Lanvin for the finale. I joined him for “Blues, Booze and Rock ‘n’ Roll” which is one of his best songs, and a couple of cover tunes. It always fun to play with his band – they are so energetic, and he puts on a great show, jumping into the crowd every few songs. Again there was an after party at a different hotel – and we all had a great time catching up with each other, telling jokes and drinking frozen Polish vodka. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/51ab5acead2a76b965833cf11ba4d9547aec2a9d/original/dudley-manu-2019-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">At the Satyr Festival Manu Lanvin jumps into the crowd and hands me his guitar</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/185f3ab09809cd7788394215244bdcdecc769a9d/original/me-and-the-devil-blues-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Me with Manu Lanvin and the Devil Blues and Victor at the Satyr Festival in Poland</p>
<p>We have some great video from our set from this show, but this I have to share with you - I jumped up on stage at the end of Manu Lanvin and the Devil Blues' set (that's why I am in the picture above) and jammed a few songs with him, including "Blues, Booze and Rock 'n' Roll." This clip is the very end of that tune when the whole place is chanting the "de do do do doo" melody!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="qd6lFtAk0qc" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/qd6lFtAk0qc/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qd6lFtAk0qc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Having fun at Satyr with Manu Lanvin</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/862e7c4b757658aa00fff5410270934e7e970da4/original/ewa-dudley-victor-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Satyr Blues Festival organizers Ewa and Victor Czura lend me their hair at the after party (and after some vodka)</p>
<p>We had a pretty long haul to Berlin, where we stayed at a Marriott. Kasey liked that. I am not sure what to make of Berlin; so many people have told me it’s amazing, but I guess I need someone to show me. Yeah, we saw checkpoint Charlie and what’s left standing of the Berlin Wall, and there certainly are some good restaurants but I really don’t get it. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ec054be60eadbf0d303565d2ae958420458b2803/original/kasey-the-wall.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Kasey at the Berlin Wall</p>
<p>We saw a bit of rain – the first of the trip on our drive back to Castle Lammers. No big deal though, and we passed through the system. After doing some much needed laundry, we played an in-studio radio show nearby, where oddly, they set up mics like a normal recording studio, but there was a guy in the room with us shooting video with a small camera. He posted most of the videos from the show. So, uh, what was the point of the other setup? I guess it was streamed live, but I think about 12 people watched it. Oh boy. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/6f88a5c5434573f70b75d908b3aaf2ff5b31e4fe/original/20190918-205721.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Darby answers questions at the iBeat Radio Show in the Netherlands</p>
<p>Bluescafé Apeldoorn was our next stop, and it wasn’t far from Anko’s. We had played there twice before, and it was an okay place to play on a weeknight. But somehow things were amiss with the owner. Did he not remember who we were? The first odd thing was that the sound man wanted me to put my Fender Vibroluxe on a chair. This is a bad idea, because that fucker is LOUD and I told him so. There’s no master volume, so really all the volume control does is add gain. I usually put it behind my other amp and baffle the hell out of it. So, I put it on the chair like he wanted, played about three notes and he was yelling at me to turn it down! Of course, it was too loud like that, you dummy! I did the usual baffling and it was ok. There weren’t many people there, but 80% of them had Dudley Taft t-shirts on. They were ready for our show and knew our songs. But the owner seemed really upset at how loud we were. He walked through the crowd, but no one was complaining. After our first set we noticed that the obnoxious white LED lamps were not turned off – odd because they have some nice lighting in there, and the LEDs ruined the effect. So, before we started our second set, we asked the sound guy, who was working the lights, to turn those off. He said he didn’t have control of those, so Kasey unplugged one, and I was about to do the same on my side when the old owner dude started yelling at us to plug it back in! Kasey did as instructed and the owner got a broom stick and angled the light towards the back wall, which was only slightly better. The audience felt uncomfortable with this confrontation, as did we. If there were fewer people there I might have said “fuck it” and left, but they were there to see us, so we soldiered on. After finishing our last song, the crowd was clapping and hollering for an encore (happens at every show) but Mr. Asshole owner dude turned the house music on immediately. What a dick. Our fans were disappointed. Bummer. I felt like I should give him a piece of my mind, but I really believe that these confrontations are to be avoided. Two reasons: one; it’s a bad use of energy and accomplishes nothing and two; I don’t want to be a band that is known for complaining and starting fights. As you could imagine we loaded out immediately and got the fuck out of there. I am never playing that place ever again! </p>
<p>I was really looking forward to that Friday’s show at Metropool in Hengelo. It’s a nice big venue, and a bit of an achievement for us to play there. We had a 60 minute opening slot for King of the World, a very popular Dutch blues band. The whole place was run well, and totally professional. We played our best twelve songs and crushed it, in my humble opinion. Our enduring hosts Anko and Helga were there, as well as our good friend Nineke Lodeman from the Dutch Blues Magazine. I think the band gets better each tour and wanted to show them off! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/77607d75dcc066ef335c352b0d97da71be39487d/original/metropool-26.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Rocking the blues at the Metropool in Hengelo, Netherlands</p>
<p>Saturday night’s show was in Melle – a small town in between Dusseldorf and Hannover. It was one of those juke joint looking places that could have been someone’s barn at some point. It had two floors and a small bar. Like our show in Wetter, it has a bit of a subscriber base and we had a great turnout which included our great friend Marco Zwillich who has seen us about six times. If you read this blog, you may recognize him! The sound man was recording us on multi-track and supposedly going to send us the tracks he recorded, and we always shoot video so we might get a couple high quality audio songs for YouTube. (Update: we have some videos and are working on getting the multi-track recording of the gig so I can mix it.)</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b547c2b6081ca3a39d5174e986d0707959cf082a/original/after-the-show-with-marco-1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">After the show in Melle, Germany with Marco Zwillich</p>
<p>We had Sunday and Monday off so I thought it would be nice for the boys to spend those days in Amsterdam, especially since Darby had never been there. We stayed downtown at the Radisson BLU, and our van just barely fit in their garage! Hahahaha. We had a great time hanging out at the outdoor cafes, checking out the Rijksmuseum and having some great meals. Darby and Kasey decided to do the "Sensational Swing" atop a building that overlooks the Amsterdam train station.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3d1d347df00dfa11e23efdfd25a3970dbcbf4917/original/20190923-214146.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The view from the Sensational Swing in Amsterdam</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Preparing for Amsterdamage</p>
<p>Our next stop was Oberhausen, where there ia a club run by a Polish man called Gdanska. (Poland seems to follow us!) We played there 18 months ago, and were happy to be back - it's a decent place to play on a Tuesday. It has a strange decor, and we stay upstairs, which I don't like to normally do, but the rooms are nice.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/692f7dd33164ac753739fe9479b47adbb07710f3/original/gdanska-oberhausen-2019.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Gdanska club in Oberhausen, Germany before the show</p>
<p>From Oberhausen we had a short drive to Frankfurt where we would stay for the next two nights. I sprung for a really nice hotel (Jumeirah) because my wife Michelle was to join us the next day. She flew into Frankfurt and after a short nap, we all had a fancy dinner nearby! Frankfurt looks very different than other German cities I have visited. There are much taller buildings there and tons of Americans! Hahaha... We had some great Indian food the night before, and there seems to be lots of excellent restaurants everywhere. Our hotel was so nice, we just hung out there most of the time! </p>
<p>We only had two shows left, and the Friday night show wasn't far from Frankfurt, but the last show in Austria was about a six hour drive - really at the limit of what I am willing to do on a show day (well, because I do ALL the driving, by choice). We headed to a small town called Reichenbach an der Fils, where we had played three times before. It is a bit out of the way, and fans travel from all directions to get there. After all of these years of touring I recognized a few faces out there! The venue is called Die Halle (the hall) and sits on the top of a hill. The parking is terrible there, and I don’t know how they handle more than 100 people! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/1bafc09734e7f80e901ceb4726fd945667af8a11/original/20190927-234427.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Our good friends in Reichenbach!</p>
<p>Michelle was with us now, so that is a big help with the merch sales! Plus, she makes sure that whenever we hit a gas station that all of the trash is emptied out! Hahaha, Darby had quite the pile going in the back seat! </p>
<p>The show was a lot of fun, and at this point in the tour the band was a well-oiled machine! This usually happens; we play our best right before it’s all over, hahaha. </p>
<p>The next day was an interesting one, full of problems! But I will take a moment here and tell you that a lot of things broke on this tour. Much more than any of the previous ones. I almost called this blog the “Broken Tour” but that would be a misnomer – the tour was great! We do have what I call a “save the gig” kit with extra parts, tools and tape. The first thing to go was my delay pedal; it started making weird digital noise. Then Kasey’s strap holder came right off while we were playing! The screw just gave up and left the bass horn. We eventually fixed that with some glue. Note to self: add glue to the kit. Then Kasey’s bass wah-wah (very important for monster sounds during his bass solo) just died. My old Fender amp blew a tube before I got on stage with Manu (which is why he handed me his guitar in the clip above). But somehow (!) I thought it would be a good idea to get an extra tube and fuses just in case, so I was able to fix the amp and continue playing. Also, when we were in Cologne, I was doing some yoga and stupidly took my glasses of and put them on the floor, where I stepped on them and broke the frame. I suppose I was lucky that I found an optician that put those lenses in another frame that didn't look too bad. And it only took an hour!</p>
<p>Somehow I had it in my mind that our last show was on Sunday, and only when my good Austrian friend (thank you Peter Prammerdorfer) messaged me that Saturday morning did I realize that our show was THAT night, not Sunday. So I had to rally the troops to get the hell out of there and on the road so we could comfortably make the gig!</p>
<p>Well, the van had a different idea, and died on the autobahn - and in the left lane. There was no shoulder either, and I had to merge very quickly to the right with no engine power, heading uphill. Somehow we got lucky, and one of those big orange vehicles with blinking lights they use over there to have cars merge was fortunately right behind us, and they stopped and diverted traffic! One of the occupants came up to the window and spoke to us in German, and he didn't speak any English, so Google Translate to the rescue! "Emergency Services?" the screen said! "Ya, gut!" was my reply.</p>
<p>Now this is where things happened much more quickly here than it ever would in the US: within 15 minutes there was a guy there with a flatbed. He hooked up the van and drove us all to a Ford dealership. 30 minutes in: the mechanics there started working on a diagnosis. We walked a few hundred yards to get some food. 1:10 in: the dealership called and said the fuel injector was toast (and on a new van!) and it could not be repaired quickly. I walked back to the repair shop. 1:25: The owners of the dealership were a husband and wife. The wife called the rental agency, explained our problem (including the inconvenient fact that we take most of the seats out, and they were back in the Netherlands) and called her son to come give me a ride to the Hertz agency at the nearby Stuttgart airport. 1:50: the son and I depart for the airport. 2:20: I am in the new rental van heading back to the dealership. 2:55: we are unloading the broken van, and loading the new one. 3:15 we are back on the road! I drove like a madman for 5 1/2 hours, AND, we made the gig! Well, we had to go DIRECTLY to the venue and set up in front of the crowd that was waiting. But we made it, and I am glad we did because some fans had driven up there from Venice, Italy and also from Slovenia!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/037b66183e4721ea2bfacf2bbfea521a28d6df8a/original/van-breakdown-collage.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Van breakdown and German efficiency!</p>
<p>The next day was great - we had the whole day off and the weather in Velden, Austria was perfect! It's a nice little upscale vacation town on the Worthersee lake. Very beautiful! I dropped Darby off at a nearby airport where he caught a flight back home and we started our journey back to drop off all the gear. Of course we say goodbye to everyone, and we had a great dinner in Cologne with the Reichens, and our writer friend Vincent Abbate.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/aa9a090bae9ab0598d2c17d2a36757dd7bf3d2ce/original/img-4916.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L to R: Kristin, Tarika, Nico, Kasey, Vincent, Ralf, Michelle and yours truly</p>
<p>And then we said goodbye to the Lammers!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/2e9cdc3f827cc68354aa382588f53cb4df8269d1/original/lammers-dinner-small.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L to R: Helga, Michelle, Rens, Jenta, me and Anko</p>
<p>Until next time... (March 2020!) goodbye.</p>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/52453862018-06-05T15:44:08-04:002021-04-19T09:15:20-04:00Spring European Tour 2018<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font_large">Dudley Taft Band Spring</span></strong> <strong><span class="font_large">European Tour 2018 </span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font_large">March 26 - May 6, 2018</span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Often enough, it all starts and ends with a bottle of whiskey. This being the tenth tour of Europe since 2012, I know this well. It was a Dun Bheagan Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky called the Glenallachie:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ec3c919cacb4cff11e650f2d177cfc2407c69490/original/glenallachie-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I remember it was pretty good. Because of Ralf and Anko I have been introduced to some great whiskeys! Normally I like tequila, but it's tough to find over there. The Glenallachie did a good job of sending me off to slumber.</p>
<p>After a direct flight to Paris and a connector to Dusseldorf, I drove an hour to Cologne and met up with Ralf Reichen at his shop to gather some of the gear. I am now keeping most of what you see on this pedalboard at Ralf's.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/62c3b7af8e2a08c679f59e4dcfc8c26ca64d0831/original/2018-pedalboard-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I arrived with the Klon and the OCD. After a few minutes of wiring, it was ready to rock, thanks Ralf!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b189446cedb48d53b9230f142723fa464ae019c5/original/amps-2018-tour-1-copy.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">1967 Fender Vibrolux and Ralf's TNT head and cabinet</p>
<p>For this tour, I added another 'weapon' to my arsenal: a 1967 Fender Vibroluxe Reverb! I sent it from the states, and Ralf changed the output transformer (220v over there!) and installed 2 10" Celestion greenback speakers. It is the perfect mate for a Tonehunter TNT head and cabinet.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/77a1f49dc80590765eeb077845a76b97a05c6e7e/original/ralf-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I had a nice dinner with Ralf and the family to end my long day of travel.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8428b5327363c94688d27cd7c63b043c11ced2f4/original/reichens-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L to R: Kristin, Tarika, (boyfriend) Nico, Ralf, me.</p>
<p>It was time to get my schnitzel on, have another sip of whiskey and get a good night's sleep because the next day I was off to the Lammer's.</p>
<p>It was the usual schedule of events: I drive to Anko and Helga's house in Vriezenveen, and make trips to the nearby Almelo train station to pick up the boys. Kasey was the first to arrive and we headed straight back to get him settled in. Kasey knows the drill. This was his third tour.</p>
<p>We welcomed a new member to the team for this tour, Irishman Marty McCloskey. I met Marty in 2017 when we did a gig with Simon McBride and Marty was their drummer. We hung out a bit after the show that night and I made a mental note to get hold of him for the next tour. Initially I thought he could recommend someone he knew to play with us - as we are starting to get some "fly away" festival offers and would benefit by only having to pay for two flights from the US for those. However, Marty was able to free himself up and play for us. </p>
<p>Marty arrived later that day and we set up and rehearsed for a couple of hours before heading into Almelo for dinner. Typically we would eat at the Shamrock, an Irish bar and restaurant. I realized that might be funny for Marty, being Irish. Hahaha . . . , but they were closed so we ate somewhere else. We were determined to have Marty give us his informed opinion of the place. </p>
<p>We had Tuesday and Wednesday to rehearse before we left for our first gig in France. Wednesday nights are when Anko's band, The Beggars Clan, rehearses. They play Irish folk music so it was fun to watch Marty's reaction. He seemed to know all of the songs! Hahaha.. . .</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d3c0ee87ea748e4bc0c2bdfff7ce7b571635a99f/original/20180328-171607.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Beggar's Clan Rehearsal</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9658e39c4d0bf2978fcab6053a1620646bfa12ef/original/the-beggars-clan.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Beggars Clan</p>
<p>When working a new drummer into the band there are challenges. Some guys play only from memory thus repetition is the only way to know the songs cold. That can work just fine IF the drummer in question has spent enough time with the songs. We had one guy who told us that he "listened to the songs a lot on the plane ride over here" and of course that raised red flags! But Marty took detailed notes and kept them in a book with plastic liners for each song. If we wanted him to do something different - different than what he was playing, he would carefully remove the note form the sleeve and make changes, carefully putting it back into place. So, no red flags! Hahaha, he was well prepared! </p>
<p>With the van totally packed to the gills, we headed out toward our first gig - our premier gig in France! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b65e85d6068734858ba175e6b945f03131d5939f/original/fun-van-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Packed to the gills!</p>
<p>It was to be about a 12 hour drive to Samoëns. We didn't want to kill ourselves before our first show, so we drove about eight hours to Dijon. I wish we had more time to check out the town, but sadly we did not. We saw a sign on the freeway saying Dijon was the culinary capital of France, but only kebab was available at 10 pm when we arrived. (bummer)</p>
<p>The French freeway system is in great shape and not terribly crowded probably because the tolls are so expensive. I think we spent about €100 on tolls driving around there! </p>
<p>When we arrived in Samoëns we found a quaint skiing village. It was overcast and raining, but apparently that didn't stop droves of skiers. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/56de4b33a9f030c629ad87de98479c71f529a9e6/original/20180330-154634.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/96824ed517323f5f86f1bec9d8081b646486287a/original/samoe-ns-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Samoëns - French Alps</p>
<p>Our French hosts took great care of us by putting us up in a nice hotel for three nights! The festival lasted for three nights with French bluesman Fred Chapellier headlining the first night. He played mostly Peter Green (early Fleetwood Mac) songs, and I was asked to get up and jam with him. We were the headliner for the second night, and my friend Manu Lanvin was the big act on the third. I had met Manu in Poland the year before, and he thought I would be good for festivals like these (merci Manu). Manu arrived on the first night and we all jammed with Fred.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b976a276425c8136438e96e8fbe78d7bc275523d/original/me-and-some-french-guys-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L to R: Manu Lanvin, Fred Chapellier, me and another guy</p>
<p>The venue was large, and we put our banner up by the bar.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ac3baf745f51a4d46adbfbce5a5b79d47dcc85c4/original/banner-1-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3382e9a56e197279e72291f833258a6caa32ccb2/original/rock-in-the-alps-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">We had a great first show in front of a packed house!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="fG6uhR-xTkQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/fG6uhR-xTkQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fG6uhR-xTkQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="270" width="480" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">"Dark Blue Star" Live in Samoëns, France</p>
<p>It was great to have a few days in the Alps - we added this show to the tour after most of the dates had been booked, so it was our only show for that week. We hung out with Manu and his posse and had a great time.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3a044e6c4e0358fabc4958f1752e6d96fa020f77/original/alps-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Finally the sky cleared and we could see the mountains!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a7f5b127863afe7c82608aad40541eb0b2e9c3a4/original/dt-devil-blues-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />L to R: Jimmy Montout, Nicolas Bellanger, Manu Lanvin and me</p>
<p>A bit sad to leave France, but fully recovered from jet lag, we headed back to Anko's stopping for a night in Saarbrüken, which is a nice small town on the boarder of France and Germany. This is the home of our good friend Udo Löw, guitarist for Thorny Roses, and the emissary to Alex's House of Torture (for those who follows these BLOGs). One of my all time favorite steak restaurants is there - Gusto. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/5790f2e8678c7dc14b1438d276a97b86a8cf13ac/original/dt-band-udo-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L to R: Kasey Williams, me, Marty McCloskey, Udo Löw</p>
<p>We returned to Anko's house and had some rehearsal -- some for our set list songs, and some for the original tunes I had been working up. After the coming weekend of shows, we were headed to Nicolas Bellanger's studio outside of Paris to record a bunch of these new tunes, and I wanted to get a jump on the arrangements. Of course, days off at Anko and Helga's always includes the occasional night of Whiskey sampling, and we did just that - trying some rare blends made in Corsica!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/7a6c56cf7bd5531a46223c26a5dd8a9f619fa495/original/corsican-whiskey-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Anko (L) and Corsican Whiskey</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/446482a6b8299043d288656d162d3e1ab512da8a/original/coffe-grinder-grandma-story.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>After a few days of practice and fun with the Lammers, we headed out to Belgium to play a show in Stekene, which was close to a town called Sint Niklaas, where we stayed. Pulling up to the venue, I had the feeling it was going to be grim; we were driving around a light industrial area with no street scene or walk-by traffic. Oh boy.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f1c606e2076c43a4261af4e69965ec95b5f3c33e/original/stekene-stage-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Stekene - Willy's Place SRBC - Belgium</p>
<p>But it turned out to be a great gig. It is one of those 'destination' venues where blues rock fans go to get their fix. Well, we were happy to give it to them! The organizers liked us so much he wants us to play a festival nearby in 2019.</p>
<p>The sun was out with a vengeance now and everyone was out in it! Our next two shows were a short drive to the north - Waalwijk (wall-why-ke) and Tilburg.</p>
<p>The Saturday night show in Waalwijk was better attended - the stage was closer to the front door where people were congregating outside. We played there last year, and the owner, Jeroen, was a cool guy and took great care of us.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="QwIfuSMdQGI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/QwIfuSMdQGI/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QwIfuSMdQGI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="270" width="480" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The first two songs of the second set - "Dark Blue Star" and "Pistols at Ten Paces"</p>
<p>We had a few weekdays off, so we arranged to head to La Chapelle Montligeon, a small town west of Paris to record a few new song demos at the studio of Nicolas Bellanger, bassist for the Manu Lanvin Devil Blues Band. Nicolas has a nice old farmhouse outfitted with a fantastic recording studio, and we got right to work. Setup was easy - he had all the microphones ready and a drum kit set up. There were tons of guitar and bass amps around as well. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a35fbd32886104a634ba76750a46aa39e2ad8800/original/20180410-114621.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Nicolas and Marty setting up</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9b772d145ecd7bea1d8c173ac39a036f2a9ae069/original/20180410-164344.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Laying down the new songs</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/cf523db5ee0f9c9a1b727a7657d671abaf56fd1e/original/band-with-nicolas-and-his-horse-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Hanging out with Carl, the horse. L to R: Marty, Carl, Me, Kasey, Nicolas</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/96f7b4ef7a6a2a97865c821054514d938ebb60aa/original/received-10215803442100508.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Nicolas and Lawrence took great care of us in Montligeon!</p>
<p>We worked from late morning through dinnertime, and had some fantastic French food out there. A big thanks to Nicolas and Lawrence for their hospitality.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ac2f5d2526ceb1de4772c9a7f971a64a6d23ca5c/original/received-10215803438460417.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Studio boys, Montligeon</p>
<p>With the demo files loaded onto a hard drive, we left for our weekend of gigs, starting in Oberhausen, Germany. We rolled in the night before and had plenty of time to get ready. The club in Oberhausen was called Gdanska, after the Polish port city. It is owned and operated by a Polish couple who were surprised to hear me speak a few words to them in their language, hahaha. This gig was one of the more memorable ones from the tour for several reasons. First, the venue was interesting, with an eclectic hodgepodge of decor, including a painting of their dog:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/34103dea3c4a40b8f13b8e5386daddd0a25e7b91/original/img-20180413-171817-184.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Gdanska doggie</p>
<p>Another thing about the gig; it was one of the German shows where we were hoping for a good review to help us find a better German booking agency. My current agent did very little to get us gigs (incredible, huh?). We metv a guy named Sven who said he was a jazz critic. I wasn't sure if he was there to review the show or not. I think our brand of Blues Rock might be a bit lumbering and flashy to a jazz lover! Before we started, I was introduced to another reviewer, Frank Ipach who gave me a grave 'hello.' Oh boy.</p>
<p>Also, the promoter guy said he had only sold about 20 tickets in advance, so I was worried that there would be a poor turnout. I guess that's a natural feeling for any band! But somehow the Germans figure out where we are playing and show up in droves, as they did that night. The small venue quickly filled up, and after the first song I could tell we had an enthusiastic audience. About 10 days later my publicist (great German guy named Dirk Osterhaus) sent me two excellent reviews from the show! </p>
<p>Our next stop was the town of Raalte in the Netherlands. This is the home of a big festival called Ribs and Blues, which I would like to play sometime soon... We played at Taverne Tivoli which is a fantastic place - great food, nice relaxed atmosphere and right next to the American Motorcycle Museum, home to hundreds of old Harleys. After sound check, we were allowed into the museum to take a look.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/785df08ca8ab7e502ed97dbc1b82ebbf4301038a/original/old-harleys-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">American Motorcycle Museum - Raalte, NL</p>
<p>I hurt my back loading gear and was really struggling on that gig not to do anything to make it worse. Wearing a guitar when your back is enflamed is tough. One bad move and you might have to get horizontal for a few days. But somehow the Dutch beer kicked in and I made it through. That night I discovered a great way to position my guitar amps. I use a Tonehunter TNT head and 2 x 12 cabinet and a 1967 Fender Vibroluxe Reverb. Placing them side-by-side works well if on a large, wide stage. When the stage is not so wide, what do you do? I put the Fender behind the Tonehunter cab this night and discovered absolutely freaking killer tone! The Fender is loud - and you can't really turn it down, as the volume knob works more like a gain knob. If you set the volume on 2 or 3, it sounds terrible. So I put it behind the 2 x 12 cabinet so it could blast away but not directly aim at anyone. The sound bounced all around and complemented the TNT head well! I was so happy to discover this. Check out the video below - we were having a great time, and I was in guitar heaven.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="7sdcOX_8ohY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/7sdcOX_8ohY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7sdcOX_8ohY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="270" width="480" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">"Going Down" live in Raalte</p>
<p>I guess the third time is the charm. We headed back to Anko territory to the town of Eibergen to play outside of Café de Stier. They close the town for a long weekend twice a year, and we played the last two holidays. We had a better spot - headlining on Sunday (the festival runs through Monday) and had a decent crowd. I recognized a bunch of the crowd from the previous gigs there, like this crazy guy:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8c31da0c03ef275656800d49a3c9aba7ab1f3487/original/crazy-eibergen-guy-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L - R: Crazy Eibergen dude, Kasey, me</p>
<p>The outdoor festivals are cool because younger people end up seeing the show. We made some new fans that day!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3720f74b743ffed9ccfe250a8572a51f5f221a98/original/dutch-fans-young-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Bringing blues rock to the younger generation in Eibergen, NL</p>
<p>Our next show was one I had been really looking forward to as we had never played Austria before. I quite enjoy southern Germany so I was hoping that Austria would be just as interesting, and it was. We had a couple of days off, so Marty flew back to Ireland to see his girlfriend and Kasey and I drove to Munich. Munich was on the way, and I had never been there before. My back was still bothering me and walking was the ticket to relief (and beer helped too). Kasey and I walked all around Munich checking out the old buildings and an art Museum. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/51b21881ae13588e9f4270ad2503ebc2a2e139bf/original/munich-collage.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Giant beers, New Town Hall, Pinakothek Modern Art Museum</p>
<p>Thursday morning after Marty arrived from the airport, we headed to Austria, first to be the guests on "Live with Friends," a video show like "Live at Dary'ls House" in a town called Veit an der Glan, near our Friday gig in Velden am Worthsee. The weather was fantastic, which made for a beautiful drive through the mountains and tunnels of Austria</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/23a8a47f6abcd25dcd521cd4f396693f56ef2e8c/original/hello-austria-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Driving to Austria</p>
<p>The "Live with Friends" guys put us up in a nice hotel in Viet, which strangely featured lots of Kevin Costner pictures (I guess the hotel owner is proud of the association). Peter Prammerdorfer and his friends learned three of my songs, and I played on one of theirs. They shoot with multiple cameras and post the videos on their <a contents="YouTube page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp_7QFzuTAWn4NxpT2wk9ug%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B" target="_blank">YouTube page</a>. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/cd98f4905ff8bca576bd364e68eaf1390a5d2fec/original/kevin-costnerville.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Somebody loves Kevin Costner</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/bef990912063438a9857a87480709e3c1a05027f/original/20180419-193605.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />"Live With Friends" show </p>
<p>Friday morning we only had a 30 minute drive to Velden for our show at Bluesiana. Velden is a nice little holiday town on a lake with some nice hotels and a casino. Mercedes, BMW's, Jaguars and Porsches were in great quantity as were high-end Harleys and leather motorcycle gear. The shops in the town had very upscale clothing and decor items. It was a perfect day to walk around - sunny and 75º. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/edff2443c0947ce0af5f574461a8382eb9de2993/original/velden-am-worthsee-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Velden am Wörthersee, Austria</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/eeb639d87d409b2efea76a55f4d9bcf238dd9381/original/velden-am-worthsee-1-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Nightlife in Velden</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e52668f331e9ffc8d09eeb39632c78aced09c9ae/original/velden-stage-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Our stage setup in Velden at Bluesiana</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="EQC0JYZPbMk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/EQC0JYZPbMk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EQC0JYZPbMk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="270" width="480" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">"Lonesome Memphis Blues" live at Bluesiana Rock Café in Velden am Wörthersee, Austria</p>
<p>We were a bit sad to leave Austria after this fantastic, but short visit. The drive back north into Germany was just as spectacular. The sun was shining bright as we weaved our way through the mountains and tunnels. On Monday, we would start a seven day gig schedule, so we relaxed in Nuremburg for a couple of nights. None of us had ever been there and the weather was perfect for walking around the town. Around since the middle ages, Nuremburg sits on the river Pegnitz and has a population of about half a million people. 90% of it was destroyed by allied bombing in World War II, but later rebuilt, including the wall that surrounds it. It certainly is picturesque and was a great place to spend a couple of nights.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ad43c14132bea54dd6012f4efd6430904d0dc8dc/original/nuremburg-collage.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Relaxing in Nuremburg</p>
<p>Don't try to go shopping there on Sunday because EVERYTHING IS CLOSED except for restaurants. It was pretty warm and I didn't bring any shorts. We all bought a pair in Velden, but mine didn't fit well and I thought I could snag another pair and get some white socks. No dice. </p>
<p>We drove less than an hour to our next gig in Bamberg, a small college town 60 kilometers to the north. Our gig that night was interesting; we played two sets, the first one attended by our regular demographic (40 and up) and the second one to an additional crowd of college students who were there for the half-price drinks and the DJ that started after we finished. </p>
<p>Tuesday morning we rolled into Cologne for a show/interview at a small theater. "Talkin' Blues" is a show hosted by Vincent Abbate (who also writes for Rocks magazine) and Richard Bargel, a folk/blues guitarist. They had a backing band that played a few songs first, then I did a ten minute interview (speaking slowly for the German audience) followed by four songs by us. Then there was an intermission, then another short interview followed by some songs by Richard Bargel, a few more by us then both bands participated in playing Freddie King's "Going Down," which was cool - two drummers, two bassists, etc. That was fun.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ZFupwHCawN4" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZFupwHCawN4/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZFupwHCawN4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="270" width="480" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Full interview/show at the Urania Theater in Köln, Germany</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3622634c90f4a0de1784448ca5601261784e4a85/original/img-20180425-173253-872.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Urania Theater Crowd</p>
<p>Two shows down, five to go in our seven-day-in-a-row run. We headed north to Hamburg to play a bar called Cowboys und Indianer on the Reaperbahn, the area of town known for the Star club where the Beatles honed their act before recording their first album. I wasn't sure what to expect but found the Reaperbahn to be a sleazy part of town filled with brothels, sex toy shops and clubs. We were booked to play Wednesday and Thursday, and it's hard to tell what the crowd will be like on weeknights. We set up right in front of the bar.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c72d36680bdd142dc9df4170c2e899e8be3971a0/original/cowboys-bar-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Setting up right in front of the bar at Cowboy und Indianer in Hamburg on the Reaperbahn</p>
<p>The turnout was pretty good for a weeknight, but these gigs were very unpleasant because the owner allowed smoking in there. After the show that night I put my stage clothes in a closet in the hotel room and kept the door closed until I needed to change for Thursday night. It reminded me of the days before smoking bans - how did we all suffer through that?!?! </p>
<p>I did have a good time in Hamburg though. A college mate of mine, David Zeller, had moved there about 15 years ago and was happy to show me the town. We started at the Elbphilharmonie building where the Hamburg Orchestra plays - on a small strip of land called the Strandkai. The area is still developing so it has some very modern apartment buildings. We checked out the town hall that has a beautiful rathaus, and walked around the surrounding area with its upscale shops. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/0c022430ef39af9beab59453fdb348c6f38fd4f6/original/hamburg-collage.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Hamburg, Germany and David Zeller</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d52cf6fb8dfead56aecbf90bfbe096a163b35650/original/dudley-david-z-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />David Zeller and Me</p>
<p>After the big city of Hamburg we drove to what seemed the middle of Nowhere, Germany: Wetter. This small village sits between Dortmund and Düsseldorf and the venue was in a light industrial park like our gig in Belgium. Again, I wondered who the hell would come out to this place. It is more of a studio and pro audio showroom, but it does have a huge stage, PA and light system. Upon arriving, Günter Erdmann enthusiastically told us how great the room sounds, and that it was Carl Verheyen's favorite venue to play in Germany. Well, if it's good enough for Carl Verheyen, it's, uh, good enough for me? Hahahaha. Well, it turned out to be one of the best shows of the tour - nice big crowd, great big stage, and we were treated like kings. We shoot video of our sets every night, and were a bit bummed out when we got the audio from the front-of-house mixing console because it was very distorted. We do have some room mics, but the room was so big the sound is cloudy and muddy. We are trying to salvage some audio so we can post a video or two from this show. </p>
<p>Another great thing about the show was that my good friend Dirk Osterhaus and his lady Christiane were there, and they took over selling the CDs and T-shirts. We had the best sales of any show this year! It makes a big difference to have someone help with that, and these guys kicked ass. We also had a visit from our good friend and superfan, Marco Zwillich:<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/11ad7ef2a56f50c7e640fc88ed5cf35634129a37/original/dudley-marco-z-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Me and Marco Zwillich</p>
<p>With five shows down and two to go of our seven in-a-row schedule this week, we headed to Amsterdam for a very interesting gig! Every tour, someone asks if we played Amsterdam. I think it's like playing New York, Nashville or LA in the US: tough, indifferent crowds comprised of tourists and jaded locals. Also, the pay sucks and it is a logistical nightmare getting the gear into the thick of the town with the narrow streets and aggressive bicycle traffic! </p>
<p>I was right:. It was quite tricky to get to the venue because it is within the canal that surrounds the city. A road was blocked off, and we had to back a couple of blocks down the street. When we finished loading in I asked Jur, the owner, where to park the van. I loved his reply: "This is a problem." I then asked him if he thought backing up and leaving it against the barrier would be a problem with the Police. He said, "No, but the people walking around and on bicycles are more of a problem." </p>
<p>LOVELY. </p>
<p>We took turns checking on the van every 20 minutes or so and between sets. Supposedly there is a noise maximum of 95bd, which is about the level of a loud-talker. We did our best to keep the levels low, watching the decibel meter which was mounted directly in front of us. But after the first song Jur told me to TURN UP THE GUITAR. Yeah, I don't hear that often enough! Hahahaha. There was a decent little crowd, with some crazy guy with an afro dancing like mad - even during the break. We had to get some of him on video (see below) All in all, it wasn't a bad night, ignoring the stress of parking the van and Jur was quite happy trying to give us all shots after the show (bad idea). </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="xWJQyxAZCp0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/xWJQyxAZCp0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xWJQyxAZCp0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="270" width="480" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">"Dancing Afro Guy"</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ca78c683f5c560fafd2ae16e4196781b0b0d8767/original/amsterdam-stage-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Tiny Stage at Maloe Melo in Amsterdam</p>
<p>I was a bit worried that I would be exhausted and not be able to sing and play seven nights in a row, but I was feeling good as we headed south to a small town south of Spijkenesse called Heenvliet. We played a place with the hard-to-pronounce name of Café De Gouden Leeuw. The stage was on the second floor (ugh) but there were lots of people there to help us load in. There was an opening band that night - friends of the owner Hugo, I think. They played 95% Stevie Ray Vaughan songs, which was interesting. We rocked our sets, and I kept the energy up through most of it, only getting fatigued on the last few songs. I do all I can to keep in good shape - three tough workouts per week and lots of vocal exercises. But when the tour starts, all bets are off and I ride my fitness wave through the tour (in other words, no workouts). Playing every night really does get one in shape, and is also fantastic for the band. We get to know the songs inside and out, and evolve our interpretation of them. </p>
<p>That wrapped up our busiest week, which was a hell of a lot of fun. We only had a few shows left, and I felt we really had our material mastered at that point. I was really looking forward to that last week because my wife Michelle would be joining us for the last few shows.</p>
<p>For some reason, the subject of Anko's 1970's-looking clothing came up. Helga brought a couple of wild specimens downstairs for us to see and we got motivated! The next day, we had our own fancy shirts (very 2018-looking). Now we just needed somewhere fancy to go . . .</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ee662d8f951d8514573300b3f6e8955a1d9ec011/original/shirts-collage.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Top: Anko's fancy 1970's-looking shirts. Bottom: Dudley, Kasey and Marty rise to the occasion</p>
<p>So, with "fancy shirt" Monday behind us, we made the short drive across the boarder to Uelsen, Germany for a show at the UJC - a rec center of sorts. The weather was fantastic and they were grilling food in the courtyard. We played our sets and people wandered in to watch. Yeah, it was a Tuesday.</p>
<p>Wednesday was a day off and Kasey and I headed into Enschede to walk around the cafés and shops, enjoying the sunshine. Marty stayed back at Anko's and soaked up the rays, getting a brief break from the Americans, hahahaha. </p>
<p>Thursday morning I got up early and took the train to Schipol Airport (the Dutch say 'skipple') to pick up Michelle. The first day in Europe is a bit tough when traveling form the US because you are essentially up all night, so we let her take a nap while milled about the Lammers compound. Our gig that night was at a place called Sally O'Briens in Zwolle, about a 45 minute drive to the west. After Michelle's nap, we headed out.</p>
<p>It is an Irish pub with a nice stage and decent food. I had the ribs, which were quite good compared to regular bar fare. Eating in the EU for me is a bit tough because of the lack of available fiber. We get a lot of meals that are included with our hotel stay and provided by venues, so we don't always get to choose what we get. Plus, I don't eat any milk, cheese, yogurt or mayonnaise which can be tough if the venue has prepared lasagna or some such. We do have a rider that asks for a lactose-free meal, but not everyone reads it. Also, Kasey was doing his best to not eat meat which was tricky as well. Every once in a while a French waiter will look at me like I have leprosy or something when I tell them that I don't eat cheese. "Sans fromage?!" Usually I lose a few pounds on tours, but somehow I must have eaten enough fries this trip (it seems that you get fries and mayonnaise with every meal whether you want it or not).</p>
<p>The show that night was good for a Thursday, and I especially enjoyed showing off our "skills" for Michelle while she struggled mightily to stay awake. She handles the merch sales for us, which is great because we sell at least 25% more stuff!</p>
<p>The next day was a holiday across Europe celebrating winning the war against the Nazis, and we participated by going to a service at a Canadian cemetery nearby. The service was delivered in Dutch, French and English which was interesting and certainly good for us so we knew what they were saying. The weather was perfect, and we were glad to have gone. We capped the day with a fancy dinner where we all wore our fancy shirts!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ab0120580bb241b5ab0ca56a4a8db59767a90021/original/canadian-cemetary.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Canadian Cemetery</p>
<p>Friday we made the two plus hour drive to Rotterdam and checked into the Marriott. Every once in a while I spring for a higher-quality hotel and this seemed like a good night to do it. That day was a mixture of deep sadness and joy for me. I learned on the way to the venue that my mother had just passed away. I knew that she was close to death and expected that she would pass while I was on this tour. I visited mom for a few days before the tour started because she had just been admitted to the ICU. She had advanced alzheimer's and the disease was really taking it's toll on her. Even though I was expecting to get this news, receiving the call from my brother was heartbreaking.</p>
<p>I was in a bit of a fog as the boys loaded in, but I knew the best thing for me to do was carry on. So we played the show that night, dedicating the performance to my mom, Allison Eden. Somehow it was the best show of the tour. I imagined her watching us play, and being proud of all of us for doing a good job. Though the venue, l'Espirit, was small, it was packed and the crowd was the most enthusiastic one we had played to on the tour. We will be posting a lot of videos from that night on my <a contents="YouTube page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/dudleytaft" target="_blank">YouTube page</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/2df9a3b373457b49249087f59ff205871ea602af/original/rotterdam-2018-9.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Me, Marty and Kasey playing l'Espirit in Rotterdam</p>
<p>The last show of the tour was in our "home town" of Almelo. We have played Almelo at least five times over the years and twice before at Café de Stam. Anko and some of the Beggar's Clan guys were there along with a nice Sunday afternoon crowd. It was a great way to end our six weeks of shows and traveling. </p>
<p>While the boys headed back home, Michelle and I made the most of the excellent wether with a few nights in Prague before returning to Cincinnati.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/003b46510f36a4fc697c8e64b903739410592cb7/original/the-tafts-in-pargue-2-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Me and Michelle in Prague</p>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/48983392017-10-25T16:58:25-04:002019-08-09T08:57:32-04:00Summer Rain Tour - Fall 2017<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/94e3ebfb5c05bcbc40cf46552d7e30cb47733625/original/img-8001-small.jpeg?1508767736" class="size_l justify_center border_" />After touring around northern Europe seven times, I felt quite comfortable starting the eighth tour. I was a bit intimidated driving around these foreign countries at first, but now I have the hang of it and even know what most of the road signs mean, heh. I know when to obey the speed limit signs, and when to get the hell over in the right lane on the Autobahn (ALWAYS keep an eye on the rear-view mirrors!) </p>
<p>Every time I play there I win a few more fans, and the shows get bigger and bigger. I see a lot of the same smiling faces, and get introduced to new ones. I have gotten to know the people that work at the hotels and venues, and know the best places to sight see, eat and shop. Several times on this last tour I recognize people on the streets of Almelo, NL and catch up on the latest news. </p>
<p>But the coolest thing is developing great friendships with the people I work with. I count my European friends among my best. These are the kinds of things that you just don’t get as easily as a tourist. With each subsequent visit, the pleasure of it all increases greatly! </p>
<p>And the big bonus this time was having my lovely wife Michelle come out for the last four gigs, which was a first for her! Now that our kids are grown and out of the house, we don’t have to hold down the fort during the school year. </p>
<p>For this tour, the lineup included John Kessler on bass and Carl Martin on drums. </p>
<p>NOTE FROM JOHN:</p>
<p><em>This was my 6th trip to Europe with Dudley and we had such a busy performing schedule there was very little time for sightseeing. In the past we’ve had days off in Amsterdam and Berlin, but this time the few days off were reserved for driving, eating and driving. And laundry. </em></p>
<p><em>Don’t take this simple thing for granted. </em></p>
<p><em>It’s not customary in Europe to find coin laundromats like we have in the US. Luckily we have Anko and Helga, our Dutch friends in Almelo, who have been our saving grace on these trips. In addition to feeding us, and giving us a place to rehearse and stay, they have an actual washing machine. The labels are all in Dutch and I don’t think we’ve ever really figured out what all the buttons do but we somehow always manage to make it work. </em></p>
<p><em>Of course, it’s also not customary in Europe to have a clothes dryer, so laundry day also means finding creative ways to hang things to dry. They have a large drying rack but not nearly enough space for a week’s laundry for 3 guys. So curtain rods, microphone stands, bicycles all become essential aids in getting things dry in time to pack up and head out for the next run of shows. - John Kessler</em></p>
<p>I arrived a day earlier than usual to get the time-change recovery started and work with Ralf Reichen at Tonehunter to set up a permanent pedalboard for me. After so many tours, I felt it would be good to have my own after borrowing Ralf’s stuff for so long! I brought a few pedals that I knew I would end up leaving there, along with ones that I couldn’t (hello Klon Centaur). </p>
<p>The first night I stayed with the Reichens at their house in Cologne, Germany. We had a great dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the area, Restaurant im Bitzhof. Their schnitzel is fantastic, and they have a great selection of beers and whiskey. (Normally a tequila drinker, I switch to whiskey in the EU.) Joining me were Ralf and Kristin and their daughter Tarika and her BF Nico. After dinner Ralf and I jammed on acoustics and just about drained a nice bottle of Glenalba. (Note to self: a lot of whiskey + jet lag = not good!) </p>
<p>The next day Ralf assembled the pedal board for me while I went to the giant (and generically named) Music Store to get some gaff tape and other supplies. </p>
<p>Here’s Ralf with the finished board: </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8bb8ffd53ef0b351f4ab58dcf9d67bad1f4681c7/original/tonehunter-ralfs-board-1.jpg?1508424728" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">"Tonehunter" Ralf Reichen</p>
<p>Then I drove up to Almelo to pick up John and Carl from the train station and head to Anko and Helga’s house in Vriezenveen. They were pretty tired, and faced a nine-hour time change vs my six, but had the energy to set up the gear and rehearse a bit. That night, we had a great time catching up with Anko and Helga, and of course had some great whiskey (note to self: read the previous note to self!). </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c27952ae7d3e59ed60b5eac70b7d79343ce7c2bc/original/dudley-ralf-1.jpg?1508425031" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Whiskey Jam with Ralf</p>
<p>The following day we rehearsed for about six hours, going over a lot of songs off the new album Summer Rain to add to the set list. We took a break and had some lunch in nearby Almelo. Downtown Almelo feels like my Dutch ‘hometown’. I think I’ve eaten at every restaurant there, played three clubs, bought jewelry for my wife, dress shirts for me, luggage, plastic bins for t-shirts, etc.. There aren’t many tourists, or Americans there so we all stand out. We know many of the restaurant operators by their first names, and everyone is quite welcoming. </p>
<p>After rehearsing the new songs and recovering from jet lag, we headed to Poland. Our first show was in Sandomierz, which was about a ten to eleven hour drive. That's not a good way to start a tour, so we opted to drive about eight hours to Łódź. (I dare you, try to pronounce that!) I like to check into the hotel before dinner time, freshen up then get a good meal. You have to take care of yourself so you don't arrive to the first gig totally burned out.</p>
<p>Sandomierz was about a 3 1/2 hour drive, so we checked out around noon (very civilized) and arrived in time for a quick tour of the old city. </p>
<p>NOTE FROM JOHN:</p>
<p><em>We did get to do some sightseeing on the day of our very first show in Sandomierz Poland, Despite a pretty tall and wide language barrier, our guide Beata conveyed some facts like we were in a 1,000 year old walled city (“millenary” she told us) and the location of endless sieges and conquests for most of those thousand years. Knights in armor, feudal lords, the whole thing. She took us to the top of a castle tower where we re-enacted a scene from Monty Python’s Holy Grail. We asked a couple of young Polish women to tell us something about their country they said “We eat a lot of meat”. And they do manage to get meat into some unexpected places, like pastries and the milky breakfast soup with tiny sausages- John Kessler</em></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/0bb6146a76611e1951599f55ae05761180bc2369/original/02-sandomierz-pl.jpg?1508442703" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The old Polish City of Sandomierz dates back to the 1200's</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e17b7afea256c3b85a75f7417519ac1b5fa13879/original/sandomierz-town-hall-1.jpg?1508442947" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Interestingly, we played in the town hall in the city center...</p>
<p>In Poland they always have excellent sound, staging and lights (technik), even in smaller venues. This place was intimate; when we arrived I thought we would have to set up on the floor and all the hard surfaces would have given us grief when we started blasting away. However, a box truck arrived and the tech guys set up a great stage in about an hour. For some reason, most of the venues we play in Poland have seats, and they set up a bunch of chairs.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f4826ed93d9de650f611a9e5b77b6263264d9fdb/original/sandomierz-stage-1.jpg?1508443991" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The stage in Sandomierz</p>
<p>They packed 'em in that night, and we were off to a great start! The new songs seemed to go over well. We opened with <strong>Dark Blue Star</strong> into <strong>Pistols at Ten Paces</strong> off the new <em>Summer Rain</em> album. </p>
<p>For some odd reason, in Poland there are a lot of doors between where you are and where you want to go. For example, in many restaurants the bathrooms are down stairs. You open a door to the stairs, a door to the bathrooms, a door to the men's room, then a door to the toilets and urinals. Someone is making a ton of money off of hinges I guess. The doors to our rooms in the Cultural Center that night proved to be a bit tricky!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="PyxoRcKu4X4" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/PyxoRcKu4X4/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PyxoRcKu4X4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Doors of Sandomierz</p>
<p>The next day, we headed over to Tarnobrzeg to play the Satyr Blues Festival again and see our main man, Victor Czura! Victor was the guy who contacted me on Facebook back in early 2014, and opened the Poland market for us. He hosts this festival every year, and has caricature artists display their art, and most of them are on hand for the show and do quick sketches of people. He always seems to get on Polish television because his event is so different. He loves blues rock and lead guitar! Hw hosts a radio show in nearby Rzeszow called Blues Attack! I have so many pieces of memorabilia from the 2014 show - my caricature by multiple artists, and Victor himself. I have beer bottles with my face on them, stamps, candy, etc... it really is amazing!</p>
<p>This time we played with a French band called Manu Lanvin and the Devil Blues- a fantastic trio that delivers high energy blues rock. They also had a couple of guitar players join them onstage - Neal Black and Fred Chapillier. Joining our band onstage was a Polish guitar slinger named Jacek Kieller. Lots of LEAD GUITAR that night! Here are a few pics:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e96e1579d4131f2c0bcae77895a3d1f505c409c7/original/21931232-1875191032508229-1266298269-o.png?1505982396" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Right before the encore, Victor Czura is on the far right.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c3528720f1c5bba6d95a62b9946fa6b7641ba313/original/img-7650-small.jpeg?1508599372" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The have a great venue: big stage, great sound and lights</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c07c355aaa516e90bb4c8ce6165fb201e4cb3cdd/original/img-7776-small.jpeg?1508599613" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">With Jacek Kieller</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Of course there were lots of funny caricatures - like these:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/edb76e007dba739e8925147b5b6491a4af9d5b9b/original/cast-cartoons.jpg?1508682393" class="size_l justify_center border_" />And this guy drew one of me:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4867a0bfdadb0715a3b8a50f6df8b63dd57a6d25/original/cast-cartoon-dst-1.jpg?1508682455" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Wow! Look at my nose. Hahahaha</p>
<p>This festival is always fantastic. Victor and his lovely wife Ewa and their team always deliver a well-planned evening of music and art. And they are very sweet people that I count among my best friends!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4e508f40eab16ee35e562928d89a117db423c646/medium/victor-with-the-hat.jpg?1508683144" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Victor Czura</p>
<p>From Tarnobrzeg, we made the short drive on Sunday to our next gig in Kielce. This would be a the Culture Center- the theater where we played our first gig in Poland back in 2014. We also played that night with Manu Lanvin and Devil Blues. Below is a short video of the drive to Kielce. It gives you an idea of what most of the drives in Poland are like. Lots of country roads like this one. There are big expressways, but if you do any traveling in the country this is what it looks like.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="_L_qfk2kROI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/_L_qfk2kROI/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_L_qfk2kROI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="270" width="480" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Country road in Poland</p>
<p>We have played Kielce a few time now, and have made some great friends there- it is quite nice to have repeat customers!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e400732a057d08e4bfc858ed4d64c306782f3588/original/kielce-after-show.jpg?1508685341" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Working the Merchandise after the show in Kilece</p>
<p>After a nice night's sleep, we set out for a day off in Berlin. We stayed at an amazing hotel (thanks to a bunch of Marriott rewards points I used) called the Hotel Am Steinplatz. If you visit there someday, this hotel is awesome. Like I said, killing yourself with 12+ hours of driving is not a good idea. We checked out at noon, hit a music store to pick up a drum head and headed back to Castle Lammers, our Dutch HQ.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/fbea2184153cd05ff23bbf6d32b62c8c5acba5d7/original/01-home-sweet-vriezenveen.jpg?1508685636" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The lovely outdoor lounge at Anko and Helga's house in Vriezenveen</p>
<p>NOTE FROM JOHN:</p>
<p><em>Eating while on tour is often amazing, but occasionally memorable for the wrong reasons. There was the amazing restaurant that had no menu. The waiter said “You tell us what you would like to eat and we fix it for you. For example you could say ‘fish’ or ‘beef’.” When we tried to get more details, he informed us that the dish would be a surprise. It was surprisingly good. - John Kessler</em></p>
<p>A nice day of rest and a bit of shopping in Almelo, and we were ready for a busy weekend of shows. We started with a Thursday night gig at a record store called Vinylparadijs (Vinyl Paradise) in nearby Geesteren. Irma and Bart Haselbekke took great care of us while we played a couple of acoustic sets. We had a blast pulling out some oldies for this gig. I saw a lot of Neil Young and Lou Reed and David Bowie records, so we played "Needle and the Damage Done," "Heart of Gold," "Space Oddity," "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Sweet Jane" among some other fun acoustic stuff. It was a breath of fresh air among all of the electric blues rocking we do!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/679e02e5be5ea026b0da500875d31716e3624a14/original/vinylparadise-1.jpg?1508686725" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/efef9abda12f82b76734cec4befc56cf54db7bfa/original/vinylparadijs.jpg?1508686725" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">L-R: John Kessler, Irma Haselbekke-Veenstra, Dudley Taft, Bart Haselbekke and Carl Martin at Vinylparadijs</p>
<p>After the Vinylparadijs gig, we drove into Almelo and John and I played a few acoustic numbers for an enthusiastic crowd at the Café Belgie.I got us lost along the way, but we ran into a blues lover named Will. He escorted us to the bar!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/97b375b04b2d38e12ee4a9c3714fd34588694a7f/original/lost-and-unlost-with-will.jpg?1508687596" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Lost and unlost in Almelo with our new friend Will</p>
<p>The next night we took a short drive up to Essen and played a beer festival. I think our drummer Carl was in heaven. Lots of interesting local micro-brews from the Groningen area. We played a couple of short sets on a tiny stage.</p>
<p>Our next gig was with our good friend Udo Löw in southern Germany, right on the French boarder. We have played with his band, Thorny Roses a few times in and around Saarbrüken, which is one of my favorite German towns to hang out in. They organized a cool show in a school gymnasium with a huge stage and lights. We saw quite a few people that we have seen down there before, including our French friends Noah and Manu Drui. One guy drove his motorcycle all the way down there from the Cologne area- about a three hour trip. He asked me to let him know if we ever play near Cologne, and I said "Yeah, we play Leverkusen next Saturday!" His jaw dropped because Leverkusen is about 30 minutes from Cologne. Hahahaha! </p>
<p>After a good night's sleep at Udo's farm house, we headed back up to Vriezenveen to play a mid-day Sunday gig at the Het Wapen. This is where we recorded some of our Live in Europe CD back in 2015. This time we played outside, enjoyed some barbecue and beers, and enjoyed the help of Anko & Helga who took care of the merch!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9472cef31fa445b1cba7204ebb4d433e804c94ef/original/het-wapen-gig-1.jpg?1508942804" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Playing outside at the Het Wapen in Vriezenveen</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/2f64eccacf0409c944e15e0a88964d2ed181d613/original/anko-helga-lammers.jpg?1508942803" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Helga and Anko Lammers (Our Dutch Family)</p>
<p>It is a bit unusual to have a Monday gig, but we were happy to return to Café de Stier in Eibergen, which is a short drive from Vriezenveen. We played there last spring, and they were having the same sort of shut-down-the-town festival that starts on a Friday and runs through Tuesday. (We could use more of this stuff in the US!) It was a bit funny- I asked the guy who runs the bar, Sander, if we could come back in the fall, and he told me that "No, we don't have the same bands play in the same year, or even next year. Every two years is about right." But there we were, six months after our last show there. And after our show, Sander told us that we definitely will come back next year, and headline on a Saturday night! Hahahaha... Like usual, we did see many of the same people as before, but we had a much better response this time, and were joined by our good friend Nineke Loedemann who, along with a couple other people, run the Dutch website BluesMagazine.nl. She was my first interview on my first tour in 2012 before we played our first show in Europe!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8bddb46810502375fce2594d3d2d822c374e3279/original/stge-at-cafe-de-stier.jpg?1508945289" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The stage at Café de Stier</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/240c9e371be6c004f7993761526fe8de651e8539/original/nineke-with-the-band.jpg?1508945289" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Nineke Loedeman from Blues Magazine NL</p>
<p>The next day, we relaxed at "Castle Lammers" and did next to nothing, which was fantastic. Carl and I decided to get a fire going in their fire pit (Anko was at work), and we enjoyed the fire and tried to drink as much beer as possible.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/0746e890860db39ece537f37209f7e31240f81d6/original/12-dont-burn-that-beard.jpg?1508945587" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Stoking the fire in Vriezenveen</p>
<p>Then finally, the moment I had been waiting five year for: my beautiful wife Michelle joined us on the tour! She arrived at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam early on Wednesday, and I got up early to take the train out to meet her. She recovered from the time change a lot quicker than John, Carl and I did! That night we were happy to take our hosts out to a nice dinner, but before that she opened a nice gift from Victor and Ewa Czura - a cool amber necklace!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d56a917844001172548017fa23a3da5a59dfe785/original/michelles-amber-1.jpg?1508946830" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Thanks for the Amber!</p>
<p>I scheduled a photo shoot the next morning with Stefan Schipper - a world-class photographer who is based in Vriezenveen. He has taken the cover photos for my last two studio albums, and I figured we could get some great shots for the next CD. (Stay tuned for that.) He asked Michelle to jump in there, and we got some great shots! Thank you Stefan!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/caf0243a97fba39b0a938cf4e97bb611900c2822/original/michelle-dudley-1.jpg?1508946831" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stefan Schipper</p>
<p>Our first "show" with Michelle was a live radio performance in Ridderkerk, near Rotterdam. We played for bluezy.nl and did a short interview. Anko and Helga came along, and we enjoyed some whiskey after the show in our hotel. We all slept well, and were able to hang out at the hotel until noon. The drive to Leverkusen was short, and we were able to check in early and walk around the city center and mall. We were ready to go when Topos opened up for load in.</p>
<p>This place has to be one of the strangest venues I have played in the EU. It is very small with a tiny stage, and the seating there is just plain weird. We did pretty well the last time we played there, which was in 2016. But I wasn't too excited to come back - it gets really hot in there, and the pay is underwhelming. Also, the sounds guy told me their new neighbor, whose bedroom shares a wall with the stage (?!) had been complaining about the volume, and if they got another visit from the Polizei the whole bar would be shut down. I thought to myself, "get ready for the LAST show here!" BUT, we did keep he volume down and it ended up being one of my favorite shows from the tour. First, check out the uh, seating arrangement:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/97a7fb69cafa8c4d67baee2603971fe01c036afe/original/19-topos.jpg?1508951939" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Topos in Leverkusen</p>
<p>Looks like paper mache seating. That can't be comfortable! Somehow they packed about 40 to 50 people in there. In between sets, we sold a ton of CDs and T-Shirts. I barely had time to use the bathroom before we had to start the second set. Our good friend Marco Zwillich, who has seen us on just about every tour, requested we play "Left For Dead" so we did, although we had not played it in quite some time. That went over well, and I remember we played an especially good version of "Deep Deep Blue" that night. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3f169e28714d3bf8a90fe7ec6dfbeac8252fddc6/original/marco-topos-1.jpg?1508952024" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Hanging with Marco Zwillich after the show</p>
<p>The third show that Michelle joined us for was a short drive back the way we came (this happens a lot on tour) to a town called Waalwijk (wall-why-k). We played a small bar called Jay's Biercafé in the town center. There was a small crowd, including a guy that was at the radio show in Ridderkerk at the bar (Jan VanderEnt). The owner, Jeroen Lammers (no relation to Anko) seemed to like us a lot, and asked us if we could play a bigger room next time upstairs, and also at his new bar which will be opening in November in nearby Tilburg. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/61568a211f6404e97d8f755f2d8246c84f559952/original/jays-biercafe-1.jpg?1508961714" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Rocking Jay's Biercafé in Waalwijk. Picture by Jan VanderEnt</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c7af476a7bb17075c527593ca99d9508559a66ae/original/jays-biercafe-2-set-list.jpg?1508961712" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Set List from Waalwijk</p>
<p>For the last show of the tour, we drove back to Germany to a town called Mönchengladbach for an early Sunday show to benefit sick children. We played with Simon McBride, an Irish blues rocker. It was a fun last set of the tour on a big stage. Michelle helped us sell some merch, and afterwards the hosts invited us to a nice dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, where the owners treated us all like nobility, and served up some killer pasta.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c35c27142545d8c5822e77b8c6078f5c3bab795a/original/michelle-in-mo-nchengladbach-1.jpg?1508962947" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Michelle and John Kessler at the merch booth in Mönchengladbach</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/659f8e06ee761aa112cbaa0fb7e845dec08359a8/original/cheese-in-mo-nchengladbach-1.jpg?1508964090" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Our hosts at the restaurant in Mönchengladbach carve up some cheese</p>
<p>NOTE FROM JOHN:</p>
<p><em>There was the amazing midnight dinner at an Italian restaurant where the chef and his wife fussed over us while preparing a dish at the table that involved pouring hot pasta onto a giant wheel of cheese. Speaking of cheese, there was the restaurant where we repeatedly asked for no cheese and received extra cheese. - John Kessler</em></p>
<p>YES! Another great tour under our belts. As usual, we had a great time. We are quite lucky to have such good friends in the EU. That's more than half the fun - and something that average tourists do not get easily. Planning for the 9th tour is underway, so keep your eye on my shows page for details about the Spring 2018 tour!</p>
<p>So, I kept passing this sign in Almelo, and my brain is not really good at reading Dutch. It tries to make sense of long, weird words. So I kept thinking about the snoring battles that raged every night in John and Carl's room (they are roommates partly because of this specious talent). I thought of them as:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/983c38af381d0057e8fcb2027f7332ec5b4af3ea/original/snore-fightsters-1.jpg?1508964527" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">SNORE FIGHT-STERS</p>
<p>NOTE FROM JOHN:</p>
<p><em>We were occasionally saved by our own PB & J sandwiches, much to the horror of our Dutch hosts. For some unknown reason, in their culture combining peanut butter and jelly is like putting horseradish on ice cream, literally horrifying. They eat peanut butter and they eat jelly but never together. We find that it tastes best at 2 in the morning. With beer. - John Kessler</em></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/65b6d94f5b27c229bd5e07ffb691a6fdc16dedd9/original/20-pb-j-at-2am.jpg?1508962912" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Peanut Butter and Jelly at 2 AM</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!</p>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/43504412016-09-01T16:09:29-04:002021-05-18T08:16:39-04:002016 European Tour Blog SupplimentalLike I said, the weather was fantastic and I thought planning the tour around my birthday would allow us all a chance to do some traveling and exploring that we couldn't do while playing shows. The boys went on their own adventures. This is from Kasey:<br> <p><em>The Netherlands, Germany, and Poland. Three places I never knew I’d have the pleasure of visiting let alone where I would have the privilege of getting to play on some of the greatest stages for some of the best crowds for whom I’ve been able to perform. Dudley and I, and the other gentlemen in the band; Carl Martin (drums), Eric Robert (keys), were in Europe for approximately six weeks. In the middle of those six weeks Dudley planned on celebrating his birthday in Italy.<br><br>While he was gone it was up to the three of us to decide what to do with our time off. Our home base was in Vriezenveen just outside of Almelo, in the Netherlands. I’m sure our amazing hosts, Helga and Anko Lammers, would have been okay with us bumming around for a week but we decided to hit the road, or the train so to speak. <br>I love Carl and Eric but I decided to strike out on my own. Hopefully they’ve written about their adventures in detail. They shared some stories when they returned but I’m sure they saved the best tales for you fine folk reading this blog.<br><br>DT4Life! Do Dudley supporters/fans have a name? Like “Parrotheads” or “Deadheads?” Why does the suffix always have to be “head?” Why can’t it “hand” or “feet?” While we’re at it why does it have to be any body part? “I’m a DT Football!” “DTFB!” But I digress. <br>After a van ride to the station with Carl and Eric I went about the beginning of my week long solo adventure. First stop: Amsterdam. <br>And a week later I returned, the end… </em></p>
<p><em>: )<br><br>Wait, no, I was in Amsterdam for three days and two nights. </em><br><br><strong>Monday, July 4th:</strong></p>
<p><em>I arrive at Amsterdam Central around 11:00am. Walking the cobblestone streets my first mission is to find my hotel. Whenever I’m on a trip I don’t really plan too far in advance. I had found a room online and booked it the night before. Aside from that I have no agenda. I’m immediately struck by the beauty of the architecture and the layout of the canals. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3ef8ba75e7489ec55999743aa86ff8be25038c57/original/01-amsterdam-netherlands.jpg?1472746223" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Amsterdam Canals<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f054c1a00e9f42b93ab918548125673dbf8a612f/original/02-amsterdam-netherlands.jpg?1472746226" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Amsterdam Central</p>
<p><em>Might as well not beat around the bush (I’ll stop with the puns now) but I didn’t realize that the “Red Light District” is so large and is mixed in with everyday fair like clothing stores and food establishments. I’d always assumed, like any American who doesn’t do any research, that it was located in its own separate section. As I walk further I see “Coffeeshops”, a “Banana Bar”, and the “Red Light Secrets Museum.” <br>After a couple of hours of walking I find my hotel. You have to ring a bell and be buzzed in to enter. I make my way up the steep staircase to find myself confronted with another steep staircase. A few things I noticed while I was in Europe:</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><em>1. Lots of stairs. Steep stairs that go on for days <br>2. No air conditioning. If you go to a mall or some restaurants you’ll find it but good luck when you get to your room.<br>Open a window and hope for a breeze <br>3. I have a theory that there are five garbage cans in Europe. Wait, I counted a sixth one on the day I left.<br>Yes, there are six trash receptacles in all of Europe. <br>4. This list is in no way hyperbolic </em></p>
<p><em>When I find the front desk I’m given a key to my room then I’m instructed that whenever I leave I need to return the key and then when I come back they will give the key back to me so that I may enter my room. I thank the man behind the counter and as I make my way up yet another flight of stairs I think to myself “I guess maybe people get too trashed when they leave and the hotel has put out too much money in replacing lost keys. That, or people are murdered and the murderer goes back to the hotel and robs the room.” Either way I didn’t sweat it. <br>That night I make my way around town. If you ask me in person I’ll tell you all about it. </em><br><br><strong>Tuesday, July 5th: </strong><br><br><em>I take a walk down to the Van Gogh museum. It’s so cool to get to see the progression of a man that worked diligently to become a master of his craft. I didn’t know that he began painting at the age of 27 and only painted for ten years. I also visit the Anne Frank House. It’s pretty humbling getting to be inside of such a historically significant place. Seeing the actual diaries was something I was not expecting. </em><br><br><strong>Wednesday, July 6th: </strong><br><br><em>I take the train to Brugge (Bruges) in Belgium. It’s such a nice city! I’m a big fan of the film “In Bruges” and I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a big reason why I went there. The top of the Belfry has a great view. But save your money on the Dali exhibit, they’re all pretty much reprints. I go to bed kind of early but the late night EDM dance party around the corner continues on through the night. I fall asleep to the soothing sounds of Dubstep.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d7a6811c5ba8ecd6daea7d1278b80363c6322c9d/original/03-belfry-of-bruges-bruges-belgium.jpg?1472746227" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Belfry of Bruges<br><br> </p>
<p><strong>Thursday, July 7th: </strong><br><br><em>I arrive in Brussels. There is nothing in Brussels. </em><br><br><strong>Friday, July 8th: </strong><br><br><em>Paris, France! This is my last stop on my week long solo journey. The first thing I do when I arrive is find a taxi. I speak to a gentleman about a ride and he says “Follow me.” I start walking to the first vehicle in a long row of taxi’s but he says “No, this way.” I quickly realize that we’re walking to a motorcycle. He pulls out a helmet from the back storage compartment and says “Put this on.” I do, then we hop on the bike and he asks me where I’d like to go. I say “The Eiffel Tower.” We proceed to whip around Paris like we just robbed a bank. I feel like Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday” but we’re going faster than any Vespa. He drops me off right at the base of the Tower. It was pretty spectacular to see in person. I wait in line and the moon is out by the time I reach the top. The view is breathtaking.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e3d78aa7514b1a66deee694f45b5f0cc45df3e19/original/05-eiffle-tower-paris-france.jpg?1472746232" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Eiffel Tower<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d0742ca95e01acae9d5098f57e4e432fde764d4d/original/06-view-from-the-eiffle-tower-paris-france.jpg?1472746236" class="size_l justify_center border_" />View from the Eiffel Tower</p>
<p><br><em>I had earlier contacted my friend Taylor, who lives in Paris, about staying at her place. I make my way there and after a bit of catching up I crash.</em></p>
<p><strong>Saturday, July 9th: </strong><br><br><em>After recording a podcast with Taylor she takes me to the subway and instructs me on how to navigate it and the city. This is the absolute best thing she could have done for me. I was able to make my way around the entire city. I see so many breath-taking sights, I can see why Taylor wants to live here. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/2b257c36a186f48a72acb3d34034625421beddbf/original/08-sacre-c-ur-paris-france.jpg?1472746238" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Sacré-Cœur, Paris</p>
<p><br><strong>Sunday, July 10th: </strong><br><br><em>I say goodbye to Paris and head back to Almelo. It was a spectacular trip and I hope to see more of Europe very soon. <br> <br>I’d like to say thanks to Dudley for letting me be a part of his tour. Thanks to Carl for holding it down every show, and those times when he eventually stopped snoring when we shared a room. Thanks also goes out to Eric for rocking every performance and driving when no one else could/should. <br>Until next time, <br><br>Kasey “DTFB!” Williams</em><br> </p>Well, I'm not sure about the whole Dudley Taft Football thingy, (how about DudHeads?). While Kasey was stumbling around these great cities, I reserved a villa on Lake Como in Italy for a week, where I was joined by my wife and three daughters and my father and step-mother. Anko and Helga came down to celebrate with me, as did Ralf and Kristin Reichen (the Tonehunter family) with their daughter Tarika as well. This made for a fantastic international birthday celebration for me!<br><br>The view from our villa, which sat on a hill just south of Varenna was breathtaking:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/06fd8d445aff3998cbf8f05d33a83f9025a9695b/original/varenna-villa-view-1.jpg?1472738092" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">The view of Lake Como from our Villa<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/62b537486ea1e43c1169df950d1065d4b12d4d74/original/sunset-on-lake-como-1.jpg?1472738090" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Sunset on Lake Como<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/6f289056a1f289855c389419cc41f6eb058a609f/original/lammers-whiskey-dudley-1.jpg?1472738091" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Birthday Gifts from Anko and Helga Lammers!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b3f68a8bd0fcc3b829d061cbff7acd1f48bcb80f/original/castle-view-varenna-1.jpg?1472738088" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Panoramic Photo from the Castle above Varenna<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/fb81694b0be6b4d5a2fed4c1c477739d5fa5c6fa/original/img-2795.jpg?1472738235" class="size_l justify_center border_" />My Birthday Dinner<br>L to R: Anko and Helga Lammers, Ralf, Kristin and Tarika Reichen (seated)<br>Me and my wife Michelle, Dudley Taft Sr. and Tina Taft, Kaitlin Taft and Ashley Christensen<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9a0c6133a20757944216f41e2800efa6ce6c0f4c/original/daughters-on-the-boat-1.jpg?1472761288" class="size_l justify_center border_" />My daughters on the Ferry (L to R: Ashley, Kaitlin and Zoie)</div>
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<br>The details of my week of are much too boring to read but were very pleasant! Lots of swimming, sightseeing, dining and dancing, eating and drinking! We added one extra night in Milan to the trip. Some call it the fashion capital of Europe, and we had fun walking around downtown and looking at all the fancy couture boutiques (and trying not to spend too much!)<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a985755db8151bcf9881cae0ca7ca8214e4bc19a/original/michelle-dudley-in-milan-1.jpg?1472738751" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Me and Michelle in Milan</div>
<div>
<br>Now, let's check in with the other guys and see what they were up to. This next bit is from Carl:<br><br><em>So this tour came with and added bonus. As if playing night after night overseas wasn’t enough fun, we had a week off about midway through the tour. We were able to cover a lot of miles and see a great deal of cool sites in a reasonably short time. Kasey was eager to set off on his own and explore so Eric and I travelled to Brugge, Belgium where we dived headfirst into the impressive beer culture there.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c7c8e0f362500529284e7ed9ed87d401fbc38658/original/carls-happy-place.jpg?1472743867" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Carl Loves Beer<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ab8a065543bcd504684c82d6b4c4e1d1631324fd/original/belgian-waffles-from-scratch.jpg?1472745847" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Eric Loves Waffles</div>
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<br><br><em>The first restaurant we stopped at offered 400 beers to choose from. So, we stayed awhile! A highlight came later at a bottle shop were we found what is often considered, “the world’s best beer”. It is the Trappist Westvleteren 12. We just had to take a bottle with us and we opened it at our next destination, Calais, on the Coast of France. We stayed at a little AirB&B in town with a very entertaining host. He even made us cake. From there we thought we’d better make the 1 ½ hour ferry crossing to England and see the Cliffs of Dover, much to the dismay of nearly everyone we told! The British border agent thought we were nuts. He informed us that if we were going just to see the cliffs that we were going to be underwhelmed! He was wrong. We loved it.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e933c14d1c5bd10c2e6b2b4109123004439cc3c8/original/cliffs-of-dover.jpg?1472744126" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Cliffs of Dover<br> </div>
<div><em>We returned after a fun afternoon of walking around Dover and spent one more night in Calais. The next day we began our journey back to our European home, Vrizenveen, NL. We had a few more nights to hang there with Anko and Helga before the rest of the band returned. Definitely a time we will never forget!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/134a998605c1e073876a20a397edf31cd58bf62a/original/img-8382.jpg?1472760417" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Calais...<br><br><span class="font_large"><strong>NEXT UP:<br><br>The Bikers of Ommen and a million Acoustic Guitars!</strong></span>
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<br> </div>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/43344732016-08-23T17:13:24-04:002021-04-07T08:57:42-04:002016 European Tour Blog Part 2<p>After our first few Polish shows and a long drive, we made it back to our Dutch HQ: Castle Lammers. Our hosts, Anko and Helga always take great care of us. We had one day off there to do a little laundry and get organized.<br><br>One thing that I really messed up on this trip was making sure I had an accurate accounting of what merchandise we had to sell at our shows. Luckily, we had enough CDs but I made the mistake of thinking we had a lot of t-shirts left, which we didn't. Oops. When we were in Poland we sold a lot of CDs, but I had no t-shirts whatsoever! So I called my buddy Heiko at Hamburg Records. They have done the shirts for all the tours, and had all the designs and silkscreen masters saved there. They made us 150 shirts in very short order and had them shipped to Anko's. They arrived on our day off, and we were able to get those organized for the rest of the tour.<br><br>A local newspaper guy named Tom van den Berg came out and interviewed Anko and me about our friendship over the years:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/69845a49e8a6ac4997f04d2b9667a41efb93cb49/original/photo-shoot-anko.jpg?1471957740" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;">Interview and photos at Castle Lammers</div>
<p><br>Our next gig was a short drive away at the famous Bluescafé Apeldoorn- they have some hardcore blues fans that frequent this place, and it has been hosting 200 shows a year for more than twenty years. We played on a Wednesday, and the turnout was just ok, but we had a lot of fun...<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="iDD6jeFIusE" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/iDD6jeFIusE/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iDD6jeFIusE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<div style="text-align: center;">"Oh Well" at Bluescafé Apeldoorn. Using our new LED floor lights for the first time! Hahaha</div>
<p><br>We had tried to fill that Thursday, but nothing came through so we spent another day at Castle Lammers. The weather was really nice and they have a great yard there, so we hung out outside a lot and watched the squirrels.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ac5cb2bc6234479df77b25697c7b7421bc10ce43/original/20160621-152506.jpg?1471869429" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;">The Squirrel of Lammers</div>
<p><br>That weekend we drove out to the coast to Middelburg, Zeeland which is south of Rotterdam and The Hague. We played there last year at another bar, and had a good time, so we thought this would be a good gig. However, it turned out to be one of those crappy gigs that I would like to forget about. The bar was small, with almost no room to set up (so stage to speak of). We set up by the emergency exit, and loaded in through the back door brining our stuff through a very trashy alleyway and garbage filled back patio. <br><br>Middelburg is one of those towns where it is challenging to park- it gets a lot of tourists because it is on the coast near the ocean. The bar owner told us we could just park in the alley "Don't worry about it," he said. Well, it only took about an hour before we got a €99 ticket. He told us not to pay it! The parking people are scoundrels he said. "Uh huh, great," was my reply. He also wanted us to play 3 sets which we never do. But we ran though a couple of extra songs that we knew, and planned on 3 sets (we aim to please). The gig was ok; the small crowd was happy. At least they had some interesting artwork:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f49b2673ae1a72b1e2e8a61ff242463c25b9233f/medium/king-bowie-tut-1.jpg?1471869647" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;">Now, I would love a print of "King Bowie-tut" at home...</div>
<div>And the bathroom in Middelburg was pretty interesting:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e01ce87b144abc8f2499c6a4734970e6412d5812/original/marillyn-monrolling-stones-1.jpg?1471869880" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Marilyn Monrolling Stones</div>
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<br>Sometimes we leave our gear at the venue when there is no real secure parking, and we did so this time. But the owner showed up an hour late as we waited in front of the locked club the next morning to get our gear. "I overslept," he said. Oh boy. And, we got another ticket that morning. Damn! We were ready to flush that gig down the toilet and move on...<br><br>It was a short drive to Wateringen, near The Hague the next day and we arrived early. The venue was a podium provided by local government for shows and rehearsals and had a big stage with a nice sound and light system. We played last out of three bands, so it was nice to do just one 90 minute set! <br> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/1553d0bbbd99aabe98431ea779212f24f5dd77b1/original/20160625-181359.jpg?1471870515" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Nederlander 3 Show in Wateringen, NL<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3d5933d952960443f073d469879fbfc3b015db3e/original/nederlander-1.jpg?1471870556" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The Stage at Nederlander 3<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ba65d74b834ce51228a3f5ccc946c9655126b4a7/original/merch-at-nederlander-1.jpg?1471870764" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Our Merch setup at Nederlander 3</div>
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<br>It is important to mention that we had our new album, <em>Live in Europe</em> ready to go for this tour! We rely on merchandise sales to help pay the bills, and it was great to have four CDs and a couple of t-shirt designs. <br><br>Our show that night was great with an enthusiastic crowd. The opening band was Never Trust from just north of Milan, Italy, and I excitedly told them I was going that way soon to celebrate my 50th birthday. They were doing a short string of dates, and its always good to compare notes with other bands that tour Europe. If you get a chance, google them.<br><br>The next day we drove up to a town called Bergen, on the peninsula north of Amsterdam to what would turn out to be one of my favorite gigs of the whole tour. This village was more 'upscale' than most Dutch villages, with high-end couture boutiques and fancy restaurants. The place we played was generically called De Taverne. It looks like we set up in grandma's living room... well, if grandma was into nude paintings.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/20ee439e37e5d0721ef53ff43c5912f02dc77bf9/original/de-taverne-1.jpg?1471955825" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">The stage at De Taverne in Bergen, NL</div>
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<div>It was one of those shows where everything went well- the band was very comfortable with the songs at this point, and I think we really killed it. There were about 110 people crammed in there and they were all engaged and enthusiastic. The weather was perfect! Kasey and I walked around for a little while in our black stage outfits and got some interesting looks... hahaha. We found a restaurant with a really unfortunate name:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e0ee2b56514419c745be42d2893840e8efab6100/original/cunst-restaurant-1.jpg?1471956405" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">We DID NOT eat there.</div>
<div>Here we are before the show getting our set list together:</div>
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<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/5bd9d167866bd496525b621a8942e6a03403ed05/original/20160626-170919.jpg?1471956596" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Set List time at De Taverne in Bergen, NL</div>
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<br>We stayed at a hotel out by the coast in Bergen aan Zee (Bergen on the sea) and checked out the beach.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/fdead4754911dd0af60b8b87a35ae5e0e8623710/original/img-20160630-165626.jpg?1471981986" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Bergen aan Zee<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/2ec49333740b0d08c98c649527d374714e59522a/original/north.jpg?1471981977" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Beach Boys</div>
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<br>When first booking the tour, I was not going to take the festival shows in Poland because of the soccer championship matches. There were no shows available there for a week afterwards, because no one wants to book a band when everyone is watching soccer. But I am glad that I did (at the band's urging) because those shows were fantastic. The problem was that after this show we played in Bergen, we had to drive all the way back across the continent to Poland for another festival we were headlining, and one club gig. Oh well. We're American and are used to driving long distances! Tell a Dutchman that you're going to drive for 10 hours and he will think you are fucking nuts! Well, I suppose that we are; just look at us! Hahaha...<br><br>So we drove 932 kilometers (about 580 miles) to Poznan that day. We could have driven all the way to Warsaw, but it's nice to check into a hotel and get some dinner and relax. No point in killing ourselves! We have stayed at the Hotel Ikar several times on these tours, and played Poznan at least three times, so we know our way around and are very comfortable there. The city center is really quite nice and they have some great restaurants, pubs and clubs there.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f1c473fa17a3099ec424c03a5197520c66bbbc6d/original/dinner-in-poznan-1.jpg?1471983048" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Killer dinner for 4 people for about $80!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/7862345d910125128c7d6781bcc800fa49c112c6/original/dinner-in-poznan-1-1.jpg?1471983047" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Beatiful night in Poznan City Center</div>
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<br>The next night we had a gig in the center of Warsaw at a club called Beerokracja (literally beer-o-crat) which apparently is THE place to catch good blues when you are downtown. It is right off the main square and they take advantage of that with big billboard advertising, like times square:</div>
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<div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/17a0edb2311e9467af1977a0f34c6b7e2e204a82/original/beerokracja-sign.jpg?1471983538" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: center;" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">How cool is that?!?!</div>
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<br>My good friend Krzysztof Inglik who is the Editor-in-Chief of Magazyn Gitarzysta showed up and gave me a super-cool overdrive pedal made by Mark L Custom in Poland. We are both insane gear-heads and love to try everything we can get our hands on! <em>Thanks Kris for the pedal</em>. It was great to see him at the show (and when there are guitar dudes at the show it really pushes me to play my best). If you know my music, you might be interested to see what our set list looked like at that point:</div>
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<div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/2c6d05543a1313a0a3b0c280a475bec48fc08df2/original/warsaw-set-list-1.jpg?1471984017" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: center;" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Set List Warsaw</div>
<div>Warsaw is like any other big city; the hotels are expensive! I have had good luck at the Intercontinental hotels, and the one in Warsaw was very nice. We stayed there for 2 nights and had great views from our rooms:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c0d5daec7daa8ed3c978cdac0ad929b59a1238c0/original/warsaw-view-1.jpg?1471984233" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/64db8a2f2812f4283c44908c938ee4a5f554d707/original/20160630-105303.jpg?1471985935" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Eric always finds a piano!<br> </div>
<div>The next day was a day off, and we hung out in the Old Town.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9c07cc1667cef4b0d9dc09f72b4c213e7311e0e4/original/warsaw-old-town-1.jpg?1471984233" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Old Town Warsaw. This was rebuilt after the destruction of World War II<br> </div>
<div>Our next show was on Friday, and we had another day off (darn it). We headed north to Gdansk, which was pretty close to our outdoor festival gig. Gdansk was a highlight of our tour: the city was not damaged that much in the wars, and is very pretty. We had a blast there, and even got a canal/waterfront tour the next morning.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/14038532b402d27aaf7efc1caf8bf4a8bd95087f/original/gdansk-1-2.jpg?1471984716" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Gdansk City Center<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/01cda2ce299d95b8c0b617db5f38597542e19006/original/gdansk-1-1.jpg?1471984716" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Watching the Soccer match on a huge projection screen<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/fa80cef1618359bae915d82e6ac95daf209b7e24/original/img-20160630-191712.jpg?1471984737" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Rain slicked streets of Gsansk<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b8f2181d5a6d3c4be3620b8dcb5fb44dd5cd3368/original/gdansk-1.jpg?1471984717" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Sunset on the canal in Gdansk</div>
<div>Time to get back to work! We headed west to a small town called Katurzy where we checked in to our hotel. Some of the staff from the Blues w Leśniczówce festival met us there and we followed them to a camp in the middle of the woods. Man, we were really OUT THERE. I wondered who the hell would come all the way out there to see a show. But people kept coming in, and we had a nice crowd by the time the sun was setting. Backstage everyone was wound up and doing shots of whiskey. (I had a one sip!) Joe Columbo, a fantastic slide guitarist from Switzerland played there the night before and asked to jam with us, so we played a couple of tunes with him. He also played Victor Czura's Satyr Blues Festival, and we had heard a lot about him.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a7472b167744977f6feb700fc0ab0b9666733cc1/original/img-7206.jpg?1471985490" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Me and Joe Columbo at the Blues w Leśniczówce Festival</div>
<div>We all had a blast and made some new friends!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/0d2e6bf33e58b5b0d6109f964e0902184532e6ce/original/img-20160702-085532.jpg?1471985625" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Bass players united<br> </div>
<div>The next day was the beginning of our mid-tour break. Eric drove me to the Gdansk airport where I caught a flight to Milan, Italy for a week with family and friends to celebrate my 50th birthday (oh man...50!). The rest of the guys drove back to Castle Lammers, parked the van and headed out on separate adventures.<br> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font_large">NEXT UP: 10 days off in Europe</span></strong></div>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/43186802016-08-15T16:01:42-04:002020-02-06T10:37:45-05:002016 European Tour Blog Part 1<p>European Tour Blog 2016 Part 1 <br> <br>It was a great time of year to play my 6th European tour! We had the best weather of any of these tours by far. Most of northern Europe where we play (Netherlands, Germany and Poland) is much further north than the American/Canadian boarder. Rome is about parallel with New York City, and Gdansk Poland is parallel with… well, there are no major cities that far north, but let’s say a few hundred miles north of Edmonton, Alberta. The point being, the weather is usually much cooler than what we are used to here in the US. So playing in June and July was fantastic because the temperatures averaged about 75º - 80º, and the sun was out! <br> <br>The Europeans love music festivals, and the summer is full of them. Most of the blues society venues are closed for the summer, so we ended up playing a few fantastic outdoor festivals. <br> <br>Our lineup for this tour had Carl Martin returning for his fourth tour with us on drums, Eric Robert on keyboards for his third, and since John Kessler could not join us Kasey Williams from Cincinnati played bass on his first trip across the pond. (Kasey's unique first impressions to come.)<br> <br>As usual, I arrived first in Cologne, Germany to pick up much of the equipment that I keep at Ralf Reichen’s Tonehunter shop. He makes the best amplifiers and overdrive pedals! He also let’s me use his 1977 Tokai Les Paul, which is an amazing guitar. (One of the best “Les Pauls” I have ever played.) He is nice enough to let me keep our merchandise, powered monitors, cables and accessories at his place (oh yeah, and one of my hats!). After removing the back seat from the Mercedes Vito and loading up the van with the gear, I picked up Kasey at the Cologne airport the next morning, June 15th. <br> <br>It was fun to see Kasey’s reaction to all things European since it was his first trip. After 5 tours, I was getting pretty comfortable with moving around over there. This blog will have many of his observations, so keep reading! <br> <br>We always stop at the big music store in Cologne (called Music Store, haha) to get equipment we need for the shows, and we were out of gaffer tape and I thought it would be cool to get a few of those small LED lights to light up our stage setup in the smaller venues. Music Store is a huge place with 5 floors of stuff. They do a lot of internet business, but really have their wares dialed in. We ended up getting 4 LED lights. They are small and sit on the floor or on top of a speaker, and can really help light up some of the smaller club stages.<br> <br>We drove to Vriezenveen (pronounced Free-zen-vein, and roll your r’s…) in the Dutch countryside where we stay with Anko and Helga Lammers. Anko is a drummer and is nice enough to let us use his kit for these tours. He also has a small flat above his garage where we stay on days off. I call this place Castle Lammers, or our European HQ. Anko and Helga make us feel very welcome there, and always have tons of food, beer and whiskey ready to go. Every year we stop at the store and get them a couple bottles of rare whiskey to add to their formidable collection.<br> <br>Later that day I drove into Almelo, a slightly bigger town a few klicks down the road to pick up Carl and Eric at the train station. <br> <br>If you have read these blogs before, you know that we have a tradition of eating our first dinner together at the Shamrock restaurant in Almelo after a quick run-through of the songs. Luckily, everyone did their homework and practice went well. I wanted to make sure we all were well fed and rested for the next day’s marathon drive into Poland. They remember us there and think it's funny that we like Almelo. Well, it's hard not to; it is a small town and you can get everything you need right in the town center. We have eaten at almost all of the restaurants there, and have gotten to know a few of the locals.<br> <br>Not wanting to kill ourselves on our first day of driving, we drove about 480 miles (771 kilometers) to Legnica, Poland and stayed in a decent hotel. Talking with the staff, we realized that we in the TV commercials for a festival we were playing that weekend in Nowa Deba… pretty cool! <br> <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a1acbee7e62a03d84fdc8aa16b92816c01e0e398/large/20160616-212903.jpg?1470854484" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Legnica, Poland from our hotels' rooftop bar</p>
<p>The world cup soccer championship games were happening at this time, and the hotel bar was full with people watching the game on a huge screen. We tasted (uh, drank) some vodka and went to bed early, but were woken up by loud singing at about 1 am after the game... the Europeans certainly take their soccer (football) very seriously.<br><br>The next morning we headed east to the small town of Bochnia where we were to play our first gig in a theatre we played the year before. We stopped to get gas mid-morning, and Carl topped off the tank. After driving about 50 kilometers, the van suddenly lost power and a red 'safety' light came on! Uh oh. When I rented the van, the lady at the Enterprise rental desk told me to let them know if I planned to leave Germany. Well, I completely forgot about that until this happened. I called the number she gave me and said that we planned to drive to Poland that day. The guy on the other end of the line said "Oh no, you cannot do that, this is a big problem. Come back in and we will give you a Ford van that you can drive there." Apparently they have had some issues with Mercedes getting stolen outside of Germany. "Oh, ok. We will just stay here in Germany" I lied. So we had better figure out what's wrong with the van and fix it on our own.<br><br>We managed to limp the van to the venue, and checked all the fluids. But nothing looked unusual. Also, it only had about 3,000 kilometers on it so one would think it wouldn't break down.<br><br>Luckily, the drummer for the opening band was a car nut. He drove a new Camaro, and liked to burn rubber everywhere. We described the problem to him and he immediately determined that Carl put gasoline in our diesel van. "But the pump handle was green!" Carl said. In the US, diesel pump handles are green, but in Europe they are black! Oops. So the drummer guy, Wojciech (voy-check), arranged for the van to be serviced while we did sound check, which was lucky because it was about 4:15 on a Friday! The service guys picked up the van, removed the fuel tank, drained it, flushed the fuel system, replaced the fuel filter, re-assembled it and put in a 1/4 tank of diesel. And (pun intended) <em>drumroll</em> please... it cost us 380 złoty, which is about $75 <whew>. We called Carl "Captain Diesel" for a few days...<br><br>It was great to see the Lekki family, who arranged our show in Bochnia.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/db4f8dd05844a889abdc88f6dffb3551c933b64f/original/bochnia-lekki.jpg?1471006778" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">At the Kino Regis in Bochnia<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/bbfa82c9529b4a09f7e34f1fbfdb6766209a0d36/original/dudley-piotr-with-beards.jpg?1471101461" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Dudley & Piotr Lekki: fellow Beardsmen</p>
<p><br>That night we all went back to the hotel and had a late night meal. As a punitive measure, we volunteered Captain Diesel to try the raw steak!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/47670e30b7c4021e8a4e786fdb92d11725d6ef7c/original/captain-diesel-eats-raw-meat.jpg?1471007774" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Yummy! Steak Tartar</p>
<p>The next morning we were off to a city we had trouble pronouncing: Przeworsk. Our good friend Victor Czura (who runs the fantastic Satyr Blues Festival) helped us get this gig headlining the Przeworsk Blues Festival. (He is responsible for just about ALL of our shows in Poland so far.) We had an enthusiastic crowd and a big stage to work. They all treated us very well there, including the usual after-gig meal and this time they brought out the frozen vodka!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/740cbbc195fd40199610592f9c85e75937163ccd/original/zimg-0001.jpg?1471008299" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">On stage at the Przeworsk Blues Festival <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/685299e872854874bfc06e7271592f5e3c96a4d0/original/ksasey-the-bee.jpg?1471183042" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Kasey Stares Down A Bee Onstage<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/30e4022125d83ab710e26ba8ba934c524a4db71c/original/polish-spread-1.jpg?1471008429" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Post-Gig Polish Spread<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a6197b1721c2c35a1a1fa94f40f9f13d5d52d3c6/original/polish-spread-1-2.jpg?1471008428" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Frozen Vodka!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a08d98dc3d0e86074a40c0d87e7e91033a9335c4/original/polish-spread-1-3.jpg?1471008428" class="size_l justify_center border_" />This guy - Peter Bonzo Radványi - drank more vodka than I have ever seen anyone drink, and still played fantastic slide guitar!<br><br>By the way, here's a couple of videos from that show if you are interested:<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ZkTMcHE9qPk" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/ZkTMcHE9qPk/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZkTMcHE9qPk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br>"Mojo Woman"<br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="MwPUgODjfSs" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/MwPUgODjfSs/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MwPUgODjfSs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br>"Meet Me In The Morning"<br> </p>
<p>Sampling some of the vodka sure was fun; but I made sure to severely limit the quantity! We had a show the next day and had to be in good condition. This reminds me to emphasize this to you dear reader, that when we roll into town to do a gig, our friends and fans have been looking forward to the show as a night to really cut loose. They treat it like a special occasion and party down! Well, that's tough for a touring band because we treat the gigs more like athletes- we need to be in shape and stay in shape. We can't go crazy every night or we would be toast in just a few days. So it is tough to be tempted with massive amounts of food and beer and booze. Moderation is the key to success! Hahaha.<br><br>Sunday shows usually have an early start time, but this festival was an exception. We had a short drive- about 1:45, and were able to check into the hotel and rest a bit before we headed for the stage. The festival was called Militariada, and celebrated military efforts of the Polish army from World War II and earlier. There were tanks, helmets, swords and historical performances. The bands that played were doing cover songs, which isn't all that surprising except that the 'biggest' band in Poland is famous for playing....covers! They opened up with a Whitesnake song and it was all downhill from there, IMHO. Somehow that just seems weird to me. Anyway, the show was exciting because it was the biggest crowd that I have ever played to as the lead singer of a band. The stage was huge and the crowd was kept about 25 feet away, so it really felt like we were playing AT the audience. It was a bit more work, but gratifying nonetheless. <br><br>We all had fun walking around the fairgrounds before our set. Take a look:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/399ae431c7168a41e4fae27760058d54cc718dd6/original/pullup-king.jpg?1471183060" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">A few pullups before the show!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9ca1cab5bf8b9d3f01b53e6be5b22b0a5c645082/original/kasey-tank-1.jpg?1471184314" class="size_l justify_center border_" />OK Kasey, you're scaring the kids!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/03bf6a66aa255a2321b20bb2f435399730465ea0/original/kasey-sword-1.jpg?1471184315" class="size_l justify_center border_" />OK, Kasey now you're scaring ME!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c572cf76a639e05285f5401a9014160ff29687c3/original/20160619-183832.jpg?1471184445" class="size_l justify_center border_" />What could be in this box?<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/bea5181f3a37210ca98a85e4723c9d9ab60beabe/original/img-0513.jpg?1471184474" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Meeting of the Council in the backstage tent<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c012d8ca7c8c57486f7c3da9ac3ba2e1df2a0929/original/img-0476.jpg?1471184499" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Big crowd at the Militariada Festival!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/60f535ab0b41effd48469408d61ffa7273b10574/original/nowa-deba-crowd-1.jpg?1471184623" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Nowa Deba Miliratiada Festival Crowd</p>
<p>So we had a blast at our first 3 shows. Unfortunately, our other shows in Poland were two weeks later so we filled in those dates with gigs in The Netherlands. We had a long drive ahead of us that Monday, about 1050 kilometers or about 650 miles. There was a lot of road construction, and we ended up driving for about 11 hours. Yuk. We did make it to Hotel Amadeus in time for some beers (tea for Eric) and dinner...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/6d14d1b7e29e3f9366ccb28ad00a8e48210a3977/original/hannover-meal-1.jpg?1471277661" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Dinner at Hotel Amadeus in Hannover Germany<br><br><strong><span class="font_large">NEXT UP:<br>The Hague and the North Coast of Holland</span></strong></p>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/39981842016-01-20T11:43:20-05:002016-01-20T11:43:20-05:00Keeping It Fresh<p>Keeping it fresh: <br> <br>I started playing guitar at age 12, and I will turn 50 this year, putting me at about 38 years of experience on that instrument. <br> <br>When I started playing, I started composing almost immediately. After having an acoustic for 6 months I wrote and recorded my first original song, “You Are What You Are.” I was so excited, pumped, jacked to be writing songs! The heroes that I was enamored with at the time (Bowie, Neil Young, Lou Reed) seemed so much closer. I could understand the writing process better, and in turn could imagine myself creating works like them. Well, not like them, but my version of what they were doing. <br> <br>This was a different sensation to being able to play the same riff or solos that my guitar heroes could. That was more like learning a language. <br> <br>This was a process where you made something happen that didn’t exist before. I made sure to try and keep my stuff fresh and not copy the same chords and motifs of my influences. I would purposefully avoid the common chord changes. I found my own set of harmonies that made me happy. <br> <br>Along the way my sensibilities have changed, and the sound of my originals have changed. To an outsider, maybe it seems radical. To my close friends and observant fans maybe not so much. It’s hard for me to really know how others perceive my music. I write songs that pass my own tests of originality and quality. (Not everything passes…) <br> <br>Sometimes the muse is strong. Sometimes I am on a roll, and everything I come up with gets made into songs and recorded. On my first solo CD, Left For Dead, I used every song I wrote for the album. There were no other tracks. My second effort, Deep Deep Blue was much the same. I self-edited early in the process and didn’t allow and sub-standard material to be recorded. Screaming In The Wind had one song that I recorded that didn’t cut the mustard at the end of the day. <br> <br>When I started working on my latest album, Skin and Bones, I was growing tired of working out all the songs beforehand. So I collected a bunch of raw ideas, all of which were recorded on my iPhone’s Voice Memo app, and brought in my bassist and drummer to work out the new songs on the fly. Things changed drastically: we recorded 20 songs and ended up using only 11. <br> <br>This change in the process was really quite refreshing. Not only did the songs feel more inspired and raw, but the tempos were faster and more of them have been added to my live set list as a result. I think that was the consequence of trying to not only satisfy my own criteria for good material, but also to keep my rhythm section interested and engaged. It gives the CD a different feel than the previous ones. Not necessarily better, but different. That makes me happy. I need to keep moving forward to keep things fresh. <br> <br>I just listened to David Bowie’s new album Blackstar. You can tell he wants to keep things fresh for himself, changing the way he writes and delivers his songs. One may criticize him for not writing more accessible material. “Hey man! Why don’t you write something like Ziggy Stardust again?” But for him that would be stale. I get it. I like the production on the new album; there are less overdubs and effects than the last few albums. The song Lazarus is excellent! <br> <br>(Note: I wrote this blog on Friday, January 15th the night before we all learned of David Bowie’s death) <br> <br> </p>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/38670172015-09-24T13:54:46-04:002015-09-24T13:54:46-04:00Skin and BonesMy latest album, <em>Skin and Bones</em>, to be released on October 16<sup>th</sup>, 2015, on the American Blues Artist Group label was written and recorded a bit differently than my last three records.<br> <br>I wanted this album to sound a bit less like a studio album, and have more of a raw feel. Neil Young is a great inspiration of mine, and I like the way he works in the studio; get the song worked up, and use one of the first takes. You can do overdubs, but don’t fuss over the little blemishes. More of the real personality of the song will come through.<br> <br>In the past I have worked out the arrangements well before I go into the studio and record. The reason for this is to make sure you can get in and out without spending a ton of money. Typically we would be going for really good drum tracks and do the rest of the overdubs at home. To do this the songs needed to be completely formed before going into the expensive studio.<br> <br>Well, now I have a home studio where we can record drums anytime we want. Also, I think the songs take a different shape when you work out the arrangements on the fly with the rhythm section right there in the room with you. So I brought my boys in and we got to work.<br> <br>The songs on <em>Skin and Bones</em> came from three sessions- December of 2013, February of 2014 and December of 2014. Jason Patterson played drums and John Kessler the bass. We would listen to some riffs I recorded with my iPhone, select a few and start jamming on them. Usually it would take us about an hour to work up an arrangement and develop other parts of the song – bridge, solos, endings, etc… We would then play the finished version a few times and get the take.<br> <br>I did some editing of the arrangements afterwards, but not much. I wanted to keep things as close as possible to our initial inspiration. Keeping the drums and most of the live takes, we worked from there and did a few overdubs.<br> <br><strong>Skin and Bones</strong> came from our second session in February of 2014. I had the main riff but faked my way through the chorus. I knew I would have to change the chords to make the song work, but left that until later after we finished the drums. Luckily I found the right chords! While Jason was still here, I wanted to get some shakers on the track but realized I didn’t have any that would work (they break a lot). So I ran upstairs to the medicine cabinet and got a bottle of Advil and a bottle of Excedrin. The Advil tablets are small and gave a higher pitched ‘shake’ while the Excedrin tabs were bigger and had a deeper tone. Recording those pain relievers shaking in their bottles really helped the sonic landscape of the song and help set the mood. The lyrics were inspired by a trip I took to New Orleans to attend the French Quarter Festival with some good friends. We were all there to have fun and by the time noon arrived on our first day, the debauchery had begun. Some of my memories from those days and nights are a bit cloudy, but the French Quarter made a real impression on me. There’s a deep dark history that lies behind the patina of the old buildings. I had played gigs there before while touring in other bands, but never really got to take in the flavor of the town…<br> <br><strong>Lonesome Memphis Blues</strong> emerged from our final session. I had all of the parts together except the breakdown, which happened spontaneously- just what I was going for on this record! I had spent some time in Memphis with friends at the International Blues Challenge a couple years in a row, and they made sure I saw the Stax museum, Sun studios and the Blues Foundation HQ. (Chicken and Waffles not to be forgotten.) Like New Orleans, I had played there before but was in and out too fast to explore the town. The lyrics aren’t so much about Memphis, but a feeling I got there without my beautiful wife by my side. Blues, Funk, Elvis, R & B all had strong roots there, but “I grew up on rock ‘n’ roll!”<br> <br><strong>Ain’t Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now </strong>came from us taking a hard right turn; we started out with the idea of covering a certain song, but decided to only work with the feel of the drumbeat. That riff came out right as we were listening to Jason play the beat, and it felt like it had the kind of energy you want to start a show with. The lyrics are about inviting the crowd to just have a good time. Forget about all the things you have to do, about the problems in your life. Just let go and have fun HERE and NOW.<br> <br>I have always loved Johnny Winter’s music and guitar playing. He MUST have influenced the Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarists (think the end of Freebird)! He could play a mile a minute and was really pushing the boundaries of blues. His country picking technique used in the blues rock setting made his sound unique. Not many players approached it the same way. Freddie King also used a thumb and index finger pick, but in a much different way. So I thought it was time to do one of his songs. <strong>Leland Mississippi Blues</strong> is right there at the edge of blues and rock. The descending riff is totally cool and fun to play. It is one of my favorite songs to play live.<br> <br><strong>One Of These Days </strong>came from a jazzy progression I had worked out. (My guitar teacher Rob Swaynie would be happy that I used a minor seven flat five chord, ha ha ha.) But I thought it would be cool if the drums had a tom-tom beat that you could hear over and over again, that could put you in a trance if you let it. The whole idea was to capture that feeling of longing coupled with stagnation and ennui. You know, when you were young and apprehensive and lacked the confidence to go for what you really wanted. “Yeah, some day I’ll get there…” “She would never give me the time of day now, but down the road when I get my act together, then we’ll see…” that kind of thing. Also, it was fun to bust out the slide and go for it!<br> <br>Did you know that <strong>Fuzzy Dice</strong> originated in the cockpit of World War II aircraft like the B-17? I didn’t. This tune started from a riff using the VERY cool Buzzmaster fuzz pedal. So the working title Fuzzy Dice inspired the lyrics: I Googled fuzzy dice and read about fighter pilots from WWII who would hang them in the cockpit, showing a seven for good luck, and incorporated some of the slang that was popular at the time. This song is all about having fun with that concept. The end of the tune, or (as I call it) the epilogue, called for a Queens-of-the-Stoneage-vibe pounding beat. (Full disclosure- <em>Songs for the Deaf</em> is one of my favorite albums.)<br> <br>When I was goofing around with the riff that started this next tune, I thought Jimmy Page might have liked it; it certainly has some Zeppelin influence. Riff rock was surely his forté and his riffing has been a huge influence on me as a guitarist. <strong>Without You</strong> builds on that riff, and incorporates some of the sing-the-melody-with-your-guitar that I like to do. When you are missing that little lady that makes the fire burn in your soul, give this one a listen!<br> <br><strong>Space Cake</strong> started out as a sweep-picking riff that I heard in my head. I had a really hard time playing it and had to re-track the guitars several times to get it just right. This song is a good example of how I am trying to execute something I heard in my mind that was not easily played. After touring Europe a handful of times, and visiting Amsterdam a lot, you hear about the space cake. You know, with marijuana in there. I must admit I have never eaten the space cake from Amsterdam, but it sounds better to sing than ‘bud’ or ‘weed’ or some such. Now legalization efforts abound in the states, and I think Americans are coming to terms with the fact that most people have used it. From Clinton to Bush to Obama, and even my dad’s friends, to the neighbors… it really is everywhere. I grew up in the ‘70s in the Midwest where you could get a bag of Mexican or Columbian weed for about $18. The kind that was brown with all the seeds and stems in there (break out the double vinyl album). It was a part of growing up, and to me is a lot better for us all than alcohol. It seemed like the right time to write about it.<br> <br>I love watching films about robberies and gangsters- <em>Ocean’s 11</em>, the Guy Ritchie films <em>Snatch</em> and <em>Lock Stock and Two Barrels</em>. The films glamourize the lifestyle. But what if one of these dudes really just wants to get out of that life and be with the woman he loves? That might be tough. <strong>Ain’t About The Money</strong> is my take on that. So, Mr. Ritchie, if you are reading this, maybe you could put this tune in one of your next movies? Hahahahaha.<br> <br><strong>Coming Home</strong> was born from a simple riff I liked to play on the acoustic. It’s me channeling Lightning Hopkins or Hubert Sumlin. Keep it simple yet expressive. A note to a brother or a friend telling them to pull their head out of their ass and come back home where people care about you. Sometimes we go on adventures and lose sight of what can really make us happy. I went for that classic old 1950’s plucked sound- I have been playing a lot of guitar with just my fingers lately (put that pic down!). Most of the song worked like that, however I did grab one for the second half of the solo… oh well…<br> <br>I am lucky to have a woman who helps me be more of what I am. She puts the wind in my sails, injects me with the love voodoo that transcends ordinary motivation. I didn’t meet her in an old honkey tonk, but maybe someone did? Ha ha. <strong>Mojo Woman</strong> is who you will want to meet to put some excitement in your life! So let’s go see what’s down at the end of that dirt road by the swamp…<br> <br> <br> <br> Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/37713332015-07-14T16:26:30-04:002021-06-15T08:57:35-04:002015 European Tour Blog Part 4So, with 2 hours of sleep we took turns driving and hightailed it to Berlin. Destination: the Marriott hotel. Hello sheets, hello king size beds! Hahaha...<br><br>Berlin was not what I expected. Having been to Franfkurt, I was anticipating a city with a tall and distinct skyline. However, no buildings we saw were more than five or six stories high. On our way to the hotel this is the tallest thing we saw:<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/07624503e3c07ff5d8b0a3d9a8129a29efd9107c/medium/berlin-1.jpg?1436450067" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Berlin Freedom Tower In Germany there are very few skyscrapers. Most of them are in Frankfurt, and many Germans have told me that city is their most modern, and the closest thing to an American city. However, the charm and history is abundant. Our hotel was close to the Berlin wall, and it is hard to miss! We were also near checkpoint charlie. We spent our two days walking around. We enjoyed the shops, restaurants, cathedrals and Concert House of the Gerndarmenmarkt. As with most of the city, the buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed in World War II, but have been rebuilt.<br> <img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/40a2679e07f82e3c4234e8d4da5b2deba51fee5d/medium/berlin-wall.jpg?1436728498'><br> At the Berlin Wall<br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/195f930201ba0caf82f1d5bff01f94aadf4a6587/medium/berlin-1-1.jpg?1436728500'><br>Konzerthaus Berlin<br> Eric and I spent some time in the Hackeshermarkt neighborhood, which reminded us a bit of New York's SoHo: lots of cafés, indy clothing stores and trendy restaurants. In a vintage clothing store, I almost talked Eric into buying an old leather motorcycle jacket from the 50's... The food and beer were fantastic! We found a nice Italian place near our hotel, where the beers were HUGE! Quite a change from the tiny 8 oz glasses the Dutch use. Find someone who speaks Italian, and Eric comes alive! He is so happy to be able to speak his favorite language with people that understand! Somehow he talked the staff into thinking that we were some massively famous band. At the end of the night we were all best friends!<br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/54e4e6b42be3a7cee2e0b4a41fcd199a5eb9304c/medium/berlin-1-2.jpg?1436729200'><br> The Dudley Taft Band Gets Five Star Treatment! <br><br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/7a1f1d548770b6fa5831994261dc2ba2b5cf0f13/medium/berlin-1-3.jpg?1436729626'><br>Eric found some chocolate for dessert. We did some laundry, and were well rested and ready for the final shows of the tour in Poland. Our first stop was Poznan for a gig at the Alligator Club in the city center. This is where we had a day off on the last tour and we knew our way around. Our first stop was the Stary Brower mall where I needed a chip for my iPhone. We mainly used our phones for navigation in Europe. Being a Verizon customer, my only option for international coverage was extremely expensive: $25 for 100 mg of data! Yikes. So I bought a chip and data plan in each country. It was a pain in the ass to switch chips every time we crossed a border, but I did get the best reception possible (IMHO) and it ended up costing me a lot less than the Verizon plan. It is important to be able to connect with family and friends easily over there. And of course, we needed to Google and Wiki the things we saw or were curious about. There is so much history in that part of the world; we were constantly learning! The last time we played Poland, we were well received and this time was no exception. Even though our first two shows were booked at the last minute, we had great turnouts. We saw a lot of familiar faces from our last gigs there.<br><img class='size_l justify_center' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/fc18d9cdc4deef4e928c3c30247d599749709b3a/original/dsc-2969-small.jpeg?1436896628'>At the Alligator in Poznan The day after our first gig, we had some time to walk the city center and shopping mall. European fashion can be a bit different; somehow they can pull-off things we would never wear, like this jacket!<img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/5b3054d7a58aa90a1d4a5b490ae8e4af89b0bc17/medium/berlin-1-4.jpg?1436730650'><br>I dare you to wear this<br><br> We are lucky that most young Polish people speak English- it really helps! However, there are some unfortunate word usages that may confuse Americans: <br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/14e6aaa25d50b8a6832b1ba8ac0f1b41f9d57b3c/medium/poland-1.jpg?1436730655'><br>First rule of Fart Club: Don't admit that you did it.<br><br>Our next show was up to the north in a town called Trzcianka (try to pronounce that!). We played a venue called the Cactus Bar, made to look like it was in the American Southwest. I felt right at home in my cowboy hat. We played a great show and the place was packed.<img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/52a2dceadb770cfac06fd718658e856db79c9361/medium/trzcianka-1.jpg?1436731561'>Then we headed down south to play Victor Czura's radio show called Blues Attack! in Rzeszów. We had never been there before. It is the largest city in southeast Poland, and isn't too far from the Ukraine. Victor put us up in the posh Hotel Prezydencki, and treated us all like kings! I was under the impression that we would be playing in a small studio like I have done so many times before - with minimal microphones and challenging setups. However, they have a huge performance hall in there, complete with a studio audience!<img class='size_l justify_center' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/d55e5331733c7e0b19027b9155f3bf20e492a927/original/radio-rzeszo-w.jpg?1436733495'><br> Radio Rzeszów Studio Audience<br><br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/cf35f11b6e2dc8e2486db3e74c266e07cc912d4e/medium/rzeszo-w-1-1.jpg?1436732774'><br>Gitarzysta Editor Krzysztof Inglik likes my Stratocaster!<br><br>After the show we hung out with the editor of the big Polish guitar mag, Gitarzysta. They did a three page spread on us last September. Krzysztof peppered me with questions about my tone and killer guitar rig. When you are with Victor Czura, be ready for lots of photos! He gave us a tour of the radio station, and we had a hearty meal.<br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/698f193de6056b29db403788bb21e54c343b2707/medium/victor-radio-rzeszo-w.jpg?1436733499'><br>Victor, Ewa, Krzysztof and the Band in Rzeszów<br><br>After a good night's sleep at the Hotel <span style='text-align: center;'>Prezydencki, we drove to the nearby town of Bochnia, where we did some sightseeing and Eric had time to feed the birds.<br><br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/98bbfc9c4a4f6f800a6fdae2ac3c2c7818c58009/medium/eric-and-the-pigeons.jpg?1433802513'></span>The gig that night turned out to be in a theater- a movie theater, actually. They blew up a picture of me for us all to sign for a fundraiser- but it was a bit strange to play next to a giant poster of myself on the stage...<img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/f590c74990db379285d8d07ea1a3eaa8f24eab43/medium/pk-4469.jpg?1436903886'><img class='size_l justify_center' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/9311fc1420cd74431e27c2abd60efcf81c32bf16/original/pk-6513-1-small.jpeg?1436904322'>With Piotr Lekki and the crew in Bochnia<br><br>As usual, we had a blast. We sold the last of our t-shirts, and only had a couple of CDs left for our final show of the tour in Kielce.<br><br>As I have said in this blog, you never know what to expect when playing over here. From tiny bars to theaters and outdoor festivals to what looked like a bomb shelter, it is always interesting. Our final gig was in a restaurant/bar in the bottom of a glitzy new shopping mall. <br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/7cc859cdae879fb835bf6f19ec74dd15883ae404/medium/club-gin-ger.jpg?1436904805'><br> If you're really hungry, order the whole band.<br><br> <span style='text-align: center;'>We were happy to see many familiar faces from our last show there in September. They are so happy to greet American bands that travel all the way to their country, and treat us with enthusiastic respect. Poland will certainly be on the itinerary for all of our European tours.</span><br style='text-align: center;'><br style='text-align: center;'><span style='text-align: center;'>The next morning we had a long drive ahead of us- we had to return the gear to Ralf & Kristin's in Cologne, and the drums to Anko & Helga's place in Vreizenveen. The sun was out, and we had a pleasant drive through the Polish and German countryside. One thing to take note of: since the formation of the European Union, the old border inspection stations are gone. You can just keep the pedal to the metal! Stopping at border crossing would add many many hours to our journeys. We made it to Hannover, Germany in about 7 1/2 hours and look what was there waiting for us!</span><br><span style='text-align: center;'><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/af0578d79739df0e9a28db43e01fae53f964a052/medium/hannover-neer-1.jpg?1436905383'></span><br style='text-align: center;'><br> The Beer at the End of the Rainbow<br><br>Thanks to everyone who supported us on our fifth European tour. We are already making plans for a bigger tour in the summer of 2016, so stay tuned. In the meanwhile, our fourth studio album, <em>Skin and Bones</em> will be out on October 16th. Until then, put in your favorite Dudley Taft CD and crank it up!</p></div>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/37518732015-07-02T16:53:31-04:002017-01-14T13:06:44-05:002015 European Tour Blog Part 3What better place to play for us in Middleburg, Zeeland than <em>Bar American</em>? Ha ha.<br><br>Middleburg is on the southern coast of the Netherlands on a peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic. It's not far from Oostburg, a town we have played a couple times before. It is nice to be close to the sea and cross the scenic bridges, dams and dykes. It was a windy day, but the sun was out and we walked around the square after we set up our gear.<br><br>It seems everywhere we go there is stunning architecture. "Another old building- better take a picture" we would joke to ourselves. <br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/1c3f11063ea4b0798dd9f15cdfe00907c5e0e3b7/medium/middleburg-building-1.jpg?1435081257" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Middleburg, Zeeland</p></div>This night's gig was arranged by Kaas ("Case"), the guy that hosted us at his bar, Penny Lane in Oostburg. He runs a blues society, and offered us a spot at his festival but we couldn't make that date. Bar American is a small grungy club with a portable stage that sets up on top of a pool table. Somehow it works... <br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/5485f5d382dd4d511f22643079ced80950d2342a/medium/img-5302-copy.jpg?1435082574" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Bar American Stage (on top of a pool table)</p></div>We had an enthusiastic crowd that night, and one crazy fella made his way backstage with a peculiar way of showing his affection:<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8bd63d9789da0b09e95e7d4e77369e506e913640/medium/middleburg-middle-finger-1.jpg?1435082791" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">The Middleburg Middle Finger</p></div>Uhhh, I <em>think</em> he liked the show.<br><br>We stayed that night in a Hotel back across the water in Oostburg. Even though it was only 5 miles away, we had to backtrack to get there, so it was a 45 minute drive. Thank you Eric for driving- the rest of us were not legal behind the wheel at that point! Our innkeeper remembered us from last year (when we played Penny Lane), and gave us a fresh beer when we arrived.<br><br>After another breakfast of cold cuts and cheese, we drove east into Germany to a little town called Recklinghausen. We stayed in a teeny tiny hotel in a suite with a nice "shath" - a shower/bath. Ugh.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/018837c09ad6b6358894eaa3377f60f45828551a/medium/recklinghausen-shath-1.jpg?1435171901" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Recklinhausen 'Shath'</p></div>The gig that night was in a small bar by the bus station called Rauber & Rebellen - "Robbers and Rebels." It was like any other club gig except they had huge black leather couches on the floor, so everyone was practically horizontal during the show. We were right next to the city center, and had a good time drinking coffee in cafés and walking around checking out the shops. One thing that is big there: kababs! You can find them all over the place- and they make a great late night snack...<br><br>After Recklinghausen we had three gigs scheduled with Stony Roses, a band from Germany lead by guitarist Udo Löw. Udo found out about our band from the Tonehunter website (thanks Ralf!), and asked us to headline the shows for them. I was curious to meet Udo- he looks like he might just kick everyone's ass! Haha, and his English was about as good as my German, so it made our Facebook messaging challenging. <br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e6c03f230fd7be6c30033c60c1387bc3b89a6c08/medium/udo-fb-pic.jpg?1435865327" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Udo Löw of Thorny Roses</p></div><br>We rolled into Zweibrüken to a club called the Hobbit, so named because it looks like Bilbo Baggins' basement. I have to say, the stench when we walked in there was incredible! It was hard to breathe. I thought to myself this might be the first gig we cancel on account of stale air. <br><br>Fortunately, they open the back door and turned on a huge exhaust fan. Whew. It was fun to have a band open for us- we would play only one long set and get to watch them play. They do a funky rock thing with an operatic female lead singer <span style="color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Daniela"The Voice" Rössler. Udo turned out to be a real sweetheart of a guy, and we all got along well. The place was small, so it looked really crowded when people showed up.</span><br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/514cd0bbb43401c3f3a2623c3b30feec1125917f/medium/img-5321.jpg?1435326463" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">The Hobbit ( or Bilbo Baggins' Basement)</p></div><br>The next gig was in the neighboring town of Saarbrüken on the French boarder. This gig was one of the more memorable ones on the tour. We played a club called the Garage, and they had a nice big stage and pro sound system. The crowd was fantastic, and loved the show. In attendance that night was a guy named Dragan Nikitovik, a concert promoter who does HUGE shows like AC/DC in Moscow, Justin Bieber shows, Celine Dion, etc... But Dragan likes blues rock guitar, and he knew of me through a mutual friend at M.i.G. records (thanks Bernd Ramien!). He lives in Saarbrüken so it was easy for him to get to the show.<br><br>Afterwards we all hung out and had some food and beer at a place right down the street. Dragan vented to me a bit about working with another Blues Rock artist with whom he had great difficulty. He seemed to like what we were doing, and offered to help us find some bigger festivals for the summer of 2016. I am looking forward to working with him, so stay tuned!<br><br>The next morning we got a tour of historic Saarbrüken from one of the Thorny Roses entourage. More old buildings! So we took some pictures.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/1cfcd76560ddb525f791ad50819972b68af10018/medium/saarbru-ken-1.jpg?1435870233" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Saarbrüken</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/aedddce65c6238e1a3f57b998f2464870c090e02/medium/saarbru-ken-1-1.jpg?1435870238" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Saarbrüken</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8884dee3051ab969da4a949eadcb54ab051943e9/medium/saarbru-ken-1-2.jpg?1435870226" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Saarbrüken Dragon!</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4fac2d713444c68b926947a83a527f4653096350/medium/dillingen-1.jpg?1435870219" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Dinner with Thorny Roses</p></div><br>Our last show with Thorny Roses turned out to be uh, memorable as well. We played a tennis club in Dillengen, not too far away. I've never gigged at a tennis club before, so that was interesting. The staff there treated us well and the food was great. The turnout was just ok, but we all had fun. That night, however, was one for the history books. I'll let Eric Robert explain:<br> <div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"<em>Let me begin by saying that touring in Europe is, as you can imagine, a nonstop adventure. And it's something for which I am grateful and will remember forever. For a legit adventure, you need extremes, especially when we're talking about food or accommodations. It took some deep reflection (and constant self-reminding) about this to make it through one particular night when we arrived at a place that had been arranged for us in Germany. Our hosts, friends of a venue manager (to whom a favor may have been owed), ended up staying up (and smoking) all night in the large main room of the rural house, watching (and re-watching at high volume) an old Neil Young concert videotape. With no ventilation, the unending flow of smoke hovered where I was [not] sleeping in an above loft. I've never smoked cigarettes in my life but by dawn I felt like Camel Joe, and smelled like him too. Thank goodness Dudley had his own room with a real door that closed, and was able to get some sleep so he could drive to the next city on the schedule. And believe me... we couldn't leave fast enough. We still don't know if our two hosts ever went to bed.</em>"<br><br>Ha ha ha. Yeah, that was interesting. After putting our bags there before the show, the guy and his girlfriend were watching a Ted Nugent concert video- not from the 1970'S 'loincloth' era, but a recent one. I thought it was funny- Ted and his bass player (sans shirt) were running around the stage with headset microphones. However, when I woke up at 5 am to use the bathroom I realized that they never went to bed, and they were still watching concert videos at high volume. (How I got to sleep in the first place was miraculous.) John and Carl had to sleep in their bed- initially they told our hosts that they would sleep on the couch, but the couch was where they wanted to watch concert videos all night, apparently. After I laid back down- on a child's bed with sioled sheets- I heard "Strangehold" again, blasting loudly through the living room. It was comically horrible. Eric was curled up on a couch in the corner with his head buried in a blanket. I laid there for about another 90 minutes and had abut all the Ted Nugent I can handle. Next thing I know, John and Carl poke their heads in my room, fully clothed, holding his suitcase, coat and hat on and said "Ok, are you ready to go?" I jumped into my clothes and we hightailed it out of there at warp speed. Goodbye House of Horrors!<br><br>That awful experience prompted me to splurge on our hotel for our 2 days off in Berlin. Thank you Marriott for making us feel human again! It would have been horrible if we had to gig the next night. Losing sleep on the road is the absolute worst thing that can happen because it snowballs, and it's hard to get caught up on your rest. THANKFULLY the next 2 days were off, and we all got to check out Berlin and sleep on nice fresh white sheets in king size beds. Whohooo!</div>
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<br>NEXT UP: ERIC CONVINCES AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT THAT WE ARE INTERNATIONAL ROCK STARS.</div><br> Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/37379162015-06-17T17:10:54-04:002017-01-14T13:06:44-05:002015 European Tour Blog Part 2We were leisurely investigating the castle, taking our time and enjoying the sights when I checked the email that listed the address for our next gig in Burghaun. It was about 12:30 pm, and I noticed that the gig started at 3 and it was a 2 1/2 hour drive. <br><br>Uh oh.<br><br>We hightailed it out of there and drove 160 kph (about 100 mph) the whole way, got there 30 minutes before the gig start time, set up and hit the stage about 15 minutes late. Not too bad! And not too good either. We don't have any crew with us - no tour manager, Front of House mixer, merch salesperson. So I do all of the logistics, and I didn't check the start time. 3 PM on a Saturday gig? My bad.<br><br>Our gig there- at "Zur Sonne" turned out to be one of the most interesting experiences we had. The place was a bed and breakfast house that also hosted small events like wedding receptions and family reunions, and bands once a month. They have a nice little stage.<br><br>The crowd sat on picnic chairs at little tables and chewed their food while watching us play. It was a nice day- about 72° and few clouds in the sky. They had a little bar next to the stage, and the beer was flowing. After the gig they served us hot dogs and french fries.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9b27497c06e8ffbd001845f3714e9dc1dcb416fb/medium/zur-sonne.jpg?1434045779" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="Stage at Zur Sonne, Burghaun, Germany" /><p class="caption">Stage at Zur Sonne, Burghaun, Germany</p></div><br>A little while after we finished our sets,<em> </em>the matron Alida Hisku grabbed the microphone and belted out a traditional Albanian song! Apparently she was a sensation back in Albania and surely misses the spotlight.<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="7D_wdLdL_jk" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/7D_wdLdL_jk/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7D_wdLdL_jk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br>We spent the rest of the evening drinking beer in their living room which had been converted into a bar. They had a small aggressive dog that fearlessly growled at me in between drinking cap-fulls of beer. As the night wore on, the dog got belligerent and was ejected from the room. Alida talked about singing for 3 hours everyday, kept our beers full and gave us some old Albanian currency. <br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/03c9f0ac6be738305e6ab1f67b76adfbd3233206/medium/mama-alida.jpg?1434567400" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">With Mama Alida Hisku</p></div><br>The next morning the proprietor Thomas took us on a tour of the nearby town of Fulda, and its impressive baroque architecture- churches and government buildings that were spared the mass bombings of World War II. Golden pineapples adorn the rooftops of some of these old buildings, and symbolized great wealth back in the mid 1700s. <br><br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a4f5f45e77b067d98ed87e63b21f02d22c4dde32/medium/img-4266.jpg?1434407662" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Fulda 1</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c799e198661edb352fbd2eff4c7dd10fde480045/medium/img-4268.jpg?1434407694" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Fulda 2</p></div>The south of Germany has a charm to the rolling countryside. My imagination ran wild with the thousands of years of human history that transpired in those hills and valleys. The old stucco and wood farmhouses lend the place an elegance in its advanced age. Our drive that day went right through the heart of this countryside to our next stop (was one I was really looking forward to) Reichenbach an der Fils, a small town southeast of Stuttgart. The venue is a big hall up on a hillside with a large stage and excellent lighting and PA system. The first time we played there the crowd was small (60 or so) but enthusiastic. The guy that ran the lights told us it was one of the top 10 shows he had ever seen there, and that next time there we could expect a bigger crowd. Sure enough, there were a lot more this time. It's fantastic to see the progress that we make tour after tour. <br><br>It was a good place for me to have my pic taken with the Tonehunter amp I am lucky to use (thanks again Ralf!). I always get great compliments on my tone from the audience and sound techs when I use the Tonehunter. If you are a gear head, check out Ralf's site <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.tonehunter.de/index-en.php" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Aside from the excellent circuit design and tone stack, Ralf always uses the absolute highest quality components and everyone can tell the difference.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b355c9b5e50a5248a9e4e5e96bc39de78fef36e3/medium/img-4293.jpg?1434408386" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Loving the Tonehunter!</p></div>The next morning we got rolling early and headed back north to Vriezenveen, back to Anko and Helga's place. We had an early gig there- this was a Sunday- at a bar in town right next to the Shamrock (our go-to place to eat). Anko's good friend Thijs Jeurissen-Borst was there and took some great pictures (see below). <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/7ebe1a6b4c879b2ea487c6d2c29ceeba7a414093/original/dudley-taft-12.jpg?1434565941" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9650439683db9ed2621a212d1fc6d4f5f6b84155/original/dudley-taft-15z.jpg?1434565941" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/45efb61adab0ac2caf2e8d30a412815cfc236cd4/original/dudley-taft-21a.jpg?1434565942" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/1261b3f9d6561eb911a1934d7b8bdfc8544906f4/original/dudley-taft-16.jpg?1434566044" class="size_l justify_center border_" />After a few shows, we were really hitting our stride and refined our sets. The new tunes we added were working quite well, especially the title track from the soon-to-be-released CD, <em>Skin and Bones</em> was especially fun to play. John, Eric and I trade 4's (4 bars of soloing) on Freddie King's <em>Going Down</em>, and that became one of the highlights of the night! <br><br>We had the next two days off, and did some laundry at Anko and Helga's place. And of course we hung out at cafés...<br><br><em>"Yes. I know we have coffee shops in the US, but you are more likely to see people glomming free wi-fi, bent over their laptops in private worlds, or else grabbing a go cup of some high-end mocha. I think go-cups must be an American phenomenon, representing everything a European café is not.<br> <br>In Europe, when you occupy a table you have that table for an indefinite time. There is no sense that you are on a schedule, and must be constantly consuming something to justify your existence there. At first we thought the service was just bad until we understood that their waiters did not hover expectantly. If you want something bad enough you can walk over to them. It’s a courtesy really, not intruding or rushing you." - John Kessler</em><br><br>Wanting to get some exercise, we rented some bicycles in Dem Ham and rode into the little town of Ommen. It was a perfect day, and the ride through the countryside was fantastic!<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/144e8148f58d198160c92d66e0cba64c22a0ceea/medium/biker-boys-2.jpg?1434574703" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">You must go this way...</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/6453f04201c609159900bf28112b13d195883a7e/medium/bicycle-trip-1.jpg?1434567587" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Biking to Ommen<br><img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/851591754a592d745fb427a435f221f591a899b8/medium/biker-boys.jpg?1434574707'>Dude, I think we took a wrong turn.</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4fddebead75c75b6c0c342a70df770558a64dbe6/medium/bicycle-trip-1-1.jpg?1434567590" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Ommen Windmill</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a2a3ed40bd0c5738982a50643c3c65d917fbbaec/medium/bicycle-trip-1-2.jpg?1434567588" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">WARNING: Dog Poop<br><br> <img class='justify_center size_m' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/62727/75b6fb751cf8617cb74a036b21cbb9db05844998/medium/biker-boys-3-copy.jpg?1434575090'>Blues Bikers<br><br>UP NEXT:<br>ROCKING THE GERMAN/FRENCH BOARDER</p></div><br> Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/37235522015-06-09T19:20:01-04:002017-01-14T13:06:44-05:002015 European Tour Blog Part IEuropean Tour Blog 2015<br>PART 1: APRIL 22 TO MAY 1 2015<br> <br><em>"There is nothing quite like sitting at an outdoor café, spending an hour or two over a cup of coffee or a beer. Or both, as has been known to happen."</em><br><em>-John Kessler</em><br><br>John is right! And that is one of the many joys of touring Europe. If you have read our previous blogs about our tours of Europe, you can see the progress we have made. Our first tour consisted of about 8 shows in the Netherlands, and it was just John and me with a Dutch drummer. Then we brought our ol' buddy Chris Leighton along to play drums with us on the next one. This last tour consisted of 19 shows and four of us Americans in the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. While a lot of people may think touring Europe is Shangri-La, it is actually a lot of work. You have to slowly build your audience just like in the US. After five tours in four years, we are reaping the benefits of our hard work. (And a few hours at the cafés!)<br> <br>We have established bases of operation- one at a friend’s house in Vriezenveen, Netherlands and another at the Tonehunter headquarters in Cologne. After all these tours we have become great friends with Anko and Helga Lammers and Ralf and Kristin Reichen.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/2046bae502d524cf0d0f64263625bbe4d9fa21a1/medium/anko-and-helga.jpg?1433771724" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="Anko & Helga Lammers" /><p class="caption">Anko & Helga Lammers</p></div><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e29d8ca0a5d8ebef772a27cb8ac1f335c8d40bf7/medium/ralf-kristin.jpg?1433771299" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="Ralf & Kristin Reichen" /><div style="text-align: center;">Ralf & Kristin Reichen</div> <br>I was very pleased to take my wife Michelle with me before the tour started to do some sightseeing and "Amsterdamage" then meet our European friends. <br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/470d3d0169df27d1166f5f4b3ee472b4925753e7/medium/michelle-in-ams.jpg?1433775715" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="Michelle in front of the Rijksmuseum" /><p class="caption">Michelle in front of the Rijksmuseum</p></div><br> <br>So, let’s get started.<br> <br>Returning for this tour, we had Carl Martin on drums, and Eric Robert on keyboards, and of course John Kessler on bass guitar. It was Eric’s second tour with us, and Carl’s third. So we all knew the process, and this was by far the smoothest running tour so far. Also we had the best weather of any tour we've done over there. It is easy to overlook that most of the places we play are WAY north of Seattle and the Canadian boarder. Some of the towns we visited are as far north as mid Hudson Bay in Canada. So even if you are there in May, it certainly doesn't mean you will get much sunshine or temperatures above 68°. We had a lot of 65°-70° weather with ample sunshine.<br> <br>I was fortunate to come a week early with Michelle, so I was quite adjusted to the time change when the guys arrived from Seattle on April 22. After a long flight and nine hour time change plus a two hour train ride from Amsterdam’s Schipole airport, the boys set up their gear for a quick rehearsal. Running on ‘fumes’, we worked through a bunch of new songs for the sets and everyone did their homework- the new songs were ready for prime time. <br> <br>As is the ritual, we headed into Almelo for a quick dinner at the Shamrock, where we usually have salmon. We had to settle for fish ‘n’ chips though, because they were out... However, Carl and I got started on the great European beer, Eric joined us with some 0.0 (non-alcoholic) and John stuck to "water with gas."<br> <br>Our first gig was in Roermond (pronounced roo-monde), about a 2 hour drive to the south. The place was called Den Heiligen Cornelius, and we had a nice Thursday night gig there to kick off the tour. We played there about a year ago at another venue, so we saw some familiar faces. <br> <br>We spent the next day in Roermond hanging out with our friend Ron Pennings- if you are on Facebook, he’s the guy behind the Hit-Tracks Top 100 list. Our songs “Red Line” made it to #1 a few months back, and he gave me a nice framed picture of the chart position! <br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8a1c818d9c6c2d6a941395b818b530472a5aaa15/medium/dt-hit-tracks.jpg?1433801834" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Red Line Hits #1</p></div>Ron took us for a walk around the city centrum where we spent some time sightseeing and hanging out at cafés...<br><br><em>"So much of life in Europe happens outdoors. The design of their cities enables this. In the countries we traveled (The Netherlands, Germany and Poland), generally speaking, each city or town has a Centrum or Central District where cars are not allowed. Shops and restaurants line the streets and cafes spill out from the restaurants with tables and umbrellas. Some smaller towns might have only one main street or square, but in the larger cities it’s totally possible to get lost in mazes of curving streets, tiny alleys and plazas."</em> -<em> John</em><br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/631adb34fef9bae73ef9f52baa8a5533b18bcbfe/medium/roermond-centrum.jpg?1433803215" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Checking out the clock tower in Roermond Centrum</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ad5871bcadbed2e986e8020b53b273c1fdf27c40/medium/roermond-1.jpg?1433802036" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Roermond Canal</p></div> <br>The next day we drove to Sint-Michielsgestel, a town we know well having played there twice before. They have a nice stage and lighting system and there’s always a great turnout. This time we stayed at a bed-and-breakfast just outside of town, where Eric had a good time feeding their horse.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a2920bdb5d403161420cb56dfd3764b7aeb8d65f/medium/eric-and-the-horse.jpg?1433802515" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Eric Likes Horses</p></div><br>The next morning after some scrambled eggs (we are lucky when we can get them), we drove down south to Heerlen in Limburg. Yeah, that's where the Limburg cheese comes from originally. We hit our accommodations first: another bed-and-breakfast place a few miles down the road. The southern part of the Netherlands is wedged between Germany and Belgium, and has a much different feel than the rest of the country. More rolling hills and meadows. Our gig that night was at the Openlucht Theater- a small amphitheater in a park. The event was put together by our old friends Skinny and Gabi Bertram who we first met at the Blues Garage in Geleen. That night was particularly fun because the stage was much larger than the clubs we had been playing, and the extra legroom helped us all cut loose! I have to say we prefer the bigger stages...<br><br>Our B'n'B was funny. It had a shower that had no contour to the floor, and the thing was about 10 sq. ft, so the whole floor was pretty much 'flooded' if you used it. Only one of us did... The other funny thing was that the bathroom was LOUD because the whole place was concrete and cinderblock, so anything you did in there was extremely amplified. (Oh the joys of close proximity!) The next morning we had the traditional 'cold cuts' and bread breakfast, and this time with some raw prosciutto-lookin' stuff.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/6c2bff7be8dc10dbb9e9281b113eabd5c7aec32b/medium/yakwurst-for-breakfast.jpg?1433804465" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="With Franscha Brands in OSS" /><p class="caption">Look! It's transparent meat!</p></div><br>We are lucky to return to many of the Dutch venues every year- we start to get to know our way around the town and which hotels and restaurants are the best to hit. So going back to Oss was a blast. We play a little club there called The Machinist. Franscha Brands and her sister Pamela run the place and always makes us feel welcome. There's a music store in the city center and a few great cafés.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/fc3c98e2c594b1a21a7daa4a77ab25c5f58c2421/medium/img-4195.jpg?1433890895" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">With Franscha Brands in OSS</p></div><br><br><em>"But there is nothing quite like sitting at an outdoor café, spending an hour or two over a cup of coffee or a beer. Or both, as has been known to happen. And you are never alone, likely you’ll be in an area with several cafes to choose from, and so there will be dozens if not hundreds of other people having a coffee or a beer, or both."<br>- John</em><br><br>One thing that the Netherlands have over the US: more clothing options for men! In lots of these little towns and villages there are several mens clothing stores that put the US offerings to shame (unless you live in a big city). Eric and I were always on the hunt for cool new shirts for our gigs. The next day, Monday, was King's day- a big celebration marking the birth of King Willem-Alexander, and everyone wears orange in observance!<br><br>We headed back south to Helmond to play on King's Day, and we set aside the all-black uniforms for orange! It was a rowdy night, with people celebrating all throughout the day- I'm sure the country drained several million gallons of beer. At our gig that night was an old buddy from Seattle who had a day off from his European tour- Mr. Johnny Smokes! After our sets he and his mates took the stage and played a few killer Seattle grunge tunes for us!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b5baa9730beca32ee86bd8c74fad775081599258/medium/img-4203.jpg?1433891079" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/63f2dd14a4c347e4b1a79d98a39aef072c6be37f/medium/img-4204.jpg?1433891112" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/15e3920138ea1d847912a6acdc4740ae79277450/medium/img-4207.jpg?1433891048" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">With Seattle's Johnny Smokes</p></div><br><br>The next two days we had no shows, so we drove back to Vriezenveen to do some laundry and get some R&R. The pacing on this tour turned out very well; we didn't have many long drives between gigs (in the Netherlands you can't drive more than 3 hours and still be in the country), and we had time to rest after a stretch of 5 or 6 shows in a row. We got to sleep in and spend the days hanging in the city center of Almelo at the cafés. We persuaded Anko and Helga to let us take them out to dinner to thanks them for the countless meals they fix for us at their place.<br><br>The next leg of the tour included shows in Germany, so we drove due south to a small town called Epstein, and had one of my favorite experiences of the tour! We were following our GPS (the only way to go in the EU), and ended up at a train station scratching our heads. Uh, this is the venue?<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/97260f8e45f805dbb24a80632d393f8220935317/medium/img-4231.jpg?1433891449" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Train Station Venue in Eppstein</p></div><br>Well it turns out it was indeed the venue- inside the old train station. Oddly enough it was one of the coolest gigs we played on the whole tour. It reminded me of Jazz Alley in Seattle where everyone sits down and watches intently. We got a big introduction and the crowd was on their feet in the little packed club before we even played a note. Some of them had traveled hundreds of miles to come see us. Incredible! We were smushed onto a tiny little stage and gave it everything we had. I announced an old song- "This is the title track from our first CD..." and some dude in the front row yelled "YES!" and sang along with every word of Left For Dead. The crowd bought our t-shirts and CDs like they were the last ones on earth, and we signed autographs for over an hour. <br><br>From the train station we saw a huge old castle on the other side of town, and knew we had to go check it out. So the next morning we headed straight there and took the tour. There was a big German dude giving some friends a tour in English so we followed along. This was the oldest castle we had ever seen- constructed in the 1300's complete with lookout tower and embrasures for defending archers. It had a tower in which one convicted of a crime would be lowered into for 30 days with minimal food and water!<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/103e189c70d98370654bc3b7f237f5667e8cc8f3/medium/castle-at-eppstein.jpg?1433802535" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Castle in Eppstein</p></div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e3e69effb84bc336404b65ef62e5e5546bfb5284/medium/img-4238.jpg?1433891726" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/eb6dca7e99a2dcdb94e7b99f38ae314695fedd76/medium/img-4240.jpg?1433891671" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/fb86215ce0c68bb2b70e7e81222e2490a0086f01/medium/img-4244.jpg?1433891672" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">NEXT UP: ARMENIAN POP SINGERS AND BICYCLES</div>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/32193212014-10-07T21:00:34-04:002017-01-14T13:06:43-05:00European Tour September 2014 Part 2<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl">Part 2: POLAND ROCKS!</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">The band rocks Otwock</div>
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<br>First, a note from Eric Robert, our keyboard master:<br><br>"A friend of mine (who has been around the globe and who knew I’d be getting to tour more overseas) told me about 10 years ago that when you travel to interesting and far-away places, you change as a person. You physically bridge the distance and you feel like a new person as a result, she said. I’ve toured before, to places like Kuwait and the Caymans. But this short tour was by far one of the most memorable of my career at this point. Going to Poland was the highlight for me. Actually seeing the burgeoning new culture and architecture and renovation...amazing! What an opportunity to be able to play for these wonderful, beautiful and welcoming folks, who make up some of the most responsive and energetic audiences I’ve ever seen. German and the Netherlands were also incredible. But humble Poland struck a resonating chord. And no better people to tour with... great band, great travelers. Huge thanks to Dudley for making this dream come true. And, huge kudos to Dudley and John for driving the Mercedes tour van on those insane German highways, where average speed in left passing lane is 150 mph. Can’t wait to go back."<br><br>--ERIC ROBERT<br><br>After shows in the Netherlands and Germany, the next day was Thursday September 11th and we had a long drive ahead of us. Our gig on Friday was in a town called Kielce in Poland, but our tour organizers wanted us to stay in Warsaw. That would have been a 12 hour drive, and if we ran into any problems, we might be driving through the wee hours of the morning. So we decided to make it to Poznan, Poland and stay at the hotel we were booked for later in the week when we were to play the Blue Note there. Luckily we didn’t run into any traffic problems crossing Germany, and made it in good time to the Polish boarder.<br><br>We had heard conflicting stories about the roads in Poland. Some said all the roads were in poor condition and to watch our stuff carefully. Others had said the roads were fantastic and they had no problems.<br><br>We crossed into Poland on the A2, and were happy to see the toll road was brand-spanking new!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/94485ee562fdcbf3cd7a01d29562673ad8d4649b/original/a2-poland.jpg?1412630334" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Baby-butt smooth Polish Freeway</div>
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<br>140 kph was the speed limit (about 87 mph) and we blazed our way into Poznan. We arrived late afternoon, checked into our hotel, and walked down to the City Center. We hit a money exchange and bought some of the Polish currency - the złoty. There are a ton of restaurants, shops and outdoor cafés there, and we took our time choosing where to eat, and found some tasty pierogy. We soaked up the atmosphere and the old buildings. Most of the young people spoke English, thankfully. We all tried to learn some Polish, but after repeating how to say please (proszę) about ten times, we completely forgot five minutes later. Hahaha. I did eventually learn how to say “Hello, my name is Dudley Taft, I am from America,” but that took about three days of practice!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/64875bf82df13a5a206231f30c0304bd3e69e730/original/hotel-rzymski.jpg?1412608179" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Downtown Poznan by the University<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c657a0bb40a1abbd038984606ffbe036a6321b85/original/poznan.jpg?1412608186" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Old Town Square Poznan</div>
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<div>The hotel in Poznan had scrambled eggs. Oh man, it’s great when you can get scrambled eggs on these European tours. Northern Europeans mostly serve cheese, lunchmeat (which is often unrecognizable) and bread. You are lucky to get a hard boiled egg.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3743ebaff52f466202c73317348774e17cb960c0/original/jagdwurst-for-breakfast.jpg?1412608393" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Uh, breakfast?!?!<br> </div>
<div>We drove to Kielce, and it was supposed to take 3 ½ hours, but it took 5 hours and 20 minutes. The roads south of the A2 are not in great shape, and there is a lot of construction. I think in about 3-5 years the roads will be better everywhere because Poland is really booming right now. There’s widespread real estate development and infrastructure improvements going on. Poznan has a brand-spanking new train station. My opinion is that they are fortunate to not be on the Euro, though the country is a member of the European Union. They continue to use the złoty, and are not as affected by the relative value of the Euro which is distorted for many European countries by the powerhouse economies of Germany and France.<br><br>We made it to the cultural center in Kielce where the gig was. I had no idea we would be playing in a small theater! Wow. Big stage, great sound system and one of the biggest buffet spreads I have ever seen! In addition to the professional soundmen, there was a studio in the basement where they recorded the whole show. Stay tuned for some videos and live recordings...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c43d321f5ab76717ac464e25ff17cbe1f238159c/original/the-band.jpg?1412629200" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The band plays it's first show in Poland in Kielce</div>
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<br>We met the guys in the Mike Onesko band here, and we played all of our shows in Poland with them. They turned out to be good men- all of them, and we became fast friends. The lead guitar player, Jay Jesse Johnson lives about 45 minutes from me in Ohio oddly enough…<br> <br>We had been fine-tuning our set in the clubs in the Netherlands, and this is where the hard work paid off. Instead of playing two 75 minute sets we could only play one, and picked our best stuff!<br><br>I have played big stages in several other bands in the past: Sweet Water, Second Coming and Spike and The Impalers but I had not done so in my solo band. I know how to work the stage in bigger venues. I used all of my experience, and it felt like old times! The transition from small clubs and bars to small theaters and festival stages can be disorienting. You are not as close to each other, and it takes awhile to get the monitors dialed in so you can hear everything well enough. You can’t really practice for this; you just need the experience. Well, we got plenty of that experience in Poland for sure! The show in Kielce was in a 300 seat theater. The crowd seemed to like our brand of blues rock. After clapping at the end of each song, they settled into a rhythmic “clap, clap clap” until we started the next one. Very cool!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/fee613b96db4635cb909eacf9b4bd3563f67b5be/original/latestupload-227.jpg?1412629795" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The crowd goes "Clap, clap, clap" waiting for me to tune up...</div>
<div> <br>After the show, we made our way to the lobby and signed autographs and took pictures with the fans. Our tour agents here, Marika and Andrzej Swat brought their kids with them to help- Dominik, aged 18, and Bartosz, 20. We called them the “Swat Team” and they handled the merchandise sales while we were on stage and did a little bit of stage teching.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/520d392752b2220f6e27765572f128b8e0a65453/original/d-j-merch-banner.jpg?1412630335" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Killer Merch Banner made by the Swat Team</div>
<div> <br>It is interesting to note that the age of the Polish crowd was younger than the Dutch or German crowds. We regularly saw teens and 20-somethings in the mix. Perhaps it is culturally more acceptable to like American Blues for these age groups?<br> <br>After the gig we drove 2 hours down to Tarnobrzeg, south east of Kielce. Having our Garmin GPS as our only guide, we ran into a couple of dead ends in small towns that were completely shut down for the night. Not the best thing to do after a gig! We made it to T-zeg around 1 am or so, and crashed heavily.<br> <br>The next day was the Satyr Blues Festival and the real reason and anchor gig for the tour. Victor Czura runs the festival which is in its 16<sup>th</sup> year, and he is the guy who found our band on the internet. (Thank you Facebook, Twitter, and Google!)<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/a3c5fcc1d7010303f0149d3c02e330b722f92ac9/medium/d-v.jpeg?1412630778" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Dudley & Satyr Blues Maestro Victor Czura</p></div>
<br>He is a crazy energetic guy that made all kinds of interesting preparations for the show with his lovely wife Ewa. He had custom beer bottles made, postage stamps, posters, guitars made of plants, caricature drawings, etc… Really over-the-top! We were treated like Kings.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/d15130fa4360f9730c312de2a5924bcb67e42bcd/large/floral-guitars.jpg?1412630924" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">Floral Guitars</div> <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ea32256a8e6d86d39a6b2588e5034bafef919cb6/large/dudley-stamps.jpg?1412630887" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="Stamps!" /><div style="text-align: center;">Now you can, uh, lick us and stick us...</div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/cee64155664457f1df7174cd046f661f72413885/original/dudbeer.jpg?1412630888" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Drinking Dudley Beer May cause your head to swell</div>
<br>The theater was a lot like the one in Kielce- it holds maybe 300-325 people, and it was packed! Victor arranged an interview with the big Polish guitar magazine- Gitarzysta, and the editor was sitting in the front row. Thanks Krzysztof Inglik, for the three page spread!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/685c88071ac102c043a1d7531ac349dadbf06174/original/gitarzsyta-spread-shot.jpeg?1412709935" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Gitarzysta Magazine</div> <br>We sold a ton of CDs afterwards again to both youngsters and adults with the help of the Swat boys and Satyr employee Kasia Skoczek. Thanks for all the help!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/249f98c98e71a995ce722e72e1ef054e2ac78207/original/young-fan.jpg?1412710362" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">You are never too young for the blues!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9729dbc1ee93e40a2ab954c0b32599dd5039643c/original/dudley-cartoon.jpg?1412719991" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I just LOVE this KILLER drawing by Victor Czura!<br> </div>The after party was a big deal with a GIANT banquet table full of all kinds of crazy Polish dishes and an amazing acoustic guitar player Piotr Restecki. We tried the local favorite drinks, Zubrowska Vodka and some cherry vodka too. We didn't get much sleep that night.
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<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e57e074f8162079ac46caa10f4962d3ce4de546e/original/img-9809cropsmall.jpg?1412788354" class="size_l justify_center border_" />With Victor and Arkadiusz Maniuk- who drew all of the cartoons and caricatures<br> </div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/5b42a113691835a70f4eff2ca9c2647d8b80a52e/original/satyr-blues-group.jpg?1412767839" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Satyr Blues Group after the Banquet</div>
<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/08b2e56575e65e69567ad881965706c364e79c12/original/tarnobrzeg-morning-after.jpg?1412720339" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Saying goodbye to Satyr Blues</div>
<br>The next day we packed it up and drove to Warsaw and got some much needed RnR, and laundry taken care of. We checked out the old City Center and visited the Hard Rock Café and did a little shopping at the huge mall there. There is so much history in these old cities- Poland is wedged between Russia and Germany, and has been key strategic territory in countless wars. There’s a story behind every town and old castle…<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c9f31181e570ee022d079b27fe3d386b7512e94f/original/warsaw-by-night.jpg?1412720651" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c24cd6c0b56587f65b0358d04bb600b4ac597437/original/warsaw-bartoz-john.jpg?1412720854" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Warsaw by night</div> <br>After getting some much needed rest, we made the short drive to Otwock (pronounce ot-vosk), just south of Warsaw for the next gig- an outdoor festival. We were a bit worried when we pulled up: there was a stage with grade-school kids singing Polish songs and mostly families sitting around the grounds. I instantly thought “Spinal Tap” and wondered if there was a puppet show too...<br> <br>However, this was NOT the case, and as the day wore on the families left and more and more people showed up for the main event. The mayor of Otwock appeared and gave us all mugs, t-shirts and brochures in a gift bag like we were visiting dignitaries. Some Harley dudes offered to drive us up to the stage on their bikes, and we were treated like royalty.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/cd07b24c49b08cf63dfbc15496cf855a89f63fbd/original/img-6882.jpg?1412722312" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Onstage in Otwock</div> <br>This was the biggest show of the tour by far- my estimate of the crowd size was 1000-1500 people. And they loved every minute of it. I did my little “hello I am Dudley Taft from America” speech in Polish, and I think I nailed it.<br> <div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="cdqxPSYMWg0" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/cdqxPSYMWg0/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cdqxPSYMWg0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="400" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br>The crowd at the Blues Bazaar in Otwock<br> </div>The next day, riding high on these killer shows, we rolled back to Poznan to play the Blue Note club in an old Castle built by a German Chancellor. It was a fantastic place- majestic. The club was in the basement and held about 300-400 people, and (guess what) it was packed. On a Tuesday night. Wow.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4468baccfa67baf93e09bb7846a0f100b7f63467/original/mg-9086.jpg?1412727423" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Trading solos on "Going Down" at the Blue Note</div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/53355a24a648309e7b2fede166ea2f64f73b7a83/original/4-4.jpg?1412722767" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Killer crowd at the Blue Note in Poznan</div> <br>We did our thing, and the crowd response was phenomenal!<br> <br>After the show we hung out with the cousin of a good friend, Maria Kacprzak, who is married to one of my best friends David Goble of Seattle. Marcin hung out with us until the wee hours, drinking beer and munching some Turkish food. We talked about historic Poznan.<br><br>The band was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Polish people, and their love of American blues and blues rock. It was easy to give all we had from the stage, playing off of the good vibes from the attentive and energetic audience. We were quite sad to leave Poland!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/33306eea411ed5d78f3ff2e3ba20320685d5cc4f/original/polish-flag-dt.jpg?1412728857" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br> <br>The next day was a driving day, and we had to make it to Itzehoe, north of Hamburg, Germany.<br> <br>I didn’t make hotel reservations for the day off in advance, and was scrambling to find somewhere to stay in the lobby of the hotel in Poznan. There was no wifi in the rooms, so we were all sitting on the couches by the reception desk madly emailing, Facebooking and Hotels.com-ing. Hahaha. Luckily I found a neat little place on a small lake outside of Itzehoe called Hotel-Mühle. They have weddings and events there, and the restaurant was fantastic. The owner took a liking to us after Eric played on the piano in the lobby. Sometimes on these tours you unexpectedly find some great little hotels… <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/8c2cf534909f54e8ef23bf4b3d4e08015356bbaf/original/hotel-mu-hle.jpg?1412729018" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Hotel Mühle on the lake near Itzehoe...</div>
<br>The next morning we drove into Itzehoe, and saw the poster for our gig that night. Uh, a bit of a let-down after the Polish shows for sure! Hahaha. The club owner was a nice lady and is working on fixing up the club, and improving it’s reputation. We did the best we could for her. Luckily the article in the local paper about us had the correct picture, but this one below clearly did not…<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3117b1fb78e0a114f41c906d610fb3e7abf18205/original/poster-fail.jpg?1412729176" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Itzehoe Poster Fail</div> <br>Next stop was back to Anko’s house in Vriezenveen, where we were to play the Het Wapen. There’s a funny little story about this place. One of the first times we played in Europe, we stayed at Anko and Helga’s place and walked into the city center looking for food. It’s a small town, and there aren’t a lot of restaurants. We asked someone on the street about a place to eat and they said “200 meters that direction.” After the 200 meters, we saw no restaurant, and asked another person who said “200 meters that direction.” Hmmm. We eventually walked in to the Het Wapen, and like we were in an old western, the whole place-full of off-duty firemen stopped playing pool and talking and looked up at us. We asked if there was any food available and they said no, but you can go “200 meters that direction.” Hahaha<br> <br>Well, now after we played the show that night at the Het Wapen, and got to know everyone, I think next time they will invite us in for beers and sausage! We all owe Anko Lammers a great deal of gratitude for making the show happen- he brought in a stage and his personal PA system and booked the gig. Anko, you rock!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/369c8f17a1575aacbbf8259446a4bdb2ba7a0912/original/het-wapen-men.jpg?1412729335" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"> The band with Kip from the Het Wapen and Anko Lammers (far right), Vriezenveen NL<br> </div>The very last show was down in the south again in Maastricht at “The Old Hamony House”. We played with two other bands- one composed of three 14 year olds! They brought a crowd of high-school kids with them. Oddly enough, the kids stayed most of the night!
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" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Antoine and Les of Leavegreater Productions with the Netherland's Youngest Band <span data-reactid='.2b.$mid=11412791630479=2b4caaea9b669474d95.2:0.0.0.0.0.0'><span data-reactid='.2b.$mid=11412791630479=2b4caaea9b669474d95.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$end:0:$0:0'>Morganas Illusion</span></span></p></div>We splurged on a nice hotel in Maastricht. After a long tour, we were all very much burned out (and we EARNED it). We woke up early the next morning and I dropped the rest of the guys off at the train station in Sittard where they rode into the Schipol Airport.<br> <br>I drove back to Cologne to return the guitar gear and store what was left of our merch (we sold out of 2 of our 3 CDs!). After a nice dinner at the Bitzhof with Ralf and Krisitin, I called it a night. Tour #4 was a HUGE success!<br><br>NOTE: It has been tough choosing the best photos for this BLOG. You can see ALL of the tour photos <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="PHOTOS" data-link-type="page" href="/photos">HERE</a>.</div>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/32107782014-09-30T18:25:52-04:002020-02-23T17:43:58-05:00European Tour September 2014 Part 1<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/5cb977b6fe954d7795576595362e025d41442861/large/cities-i-cant-pronounce.jpg?1412127547" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></div>This was the most successful of our four tours of Northern Europe. We continue to build our audience in the Netherlands and Germany, and are off to a great start in Poland. Also, it was Eric Robert’s first trip to Northern Europe with us. <br><br>First off, a note about language and pronunciation (pro-nun-ski-ay-shkun) from Johnny K:<br> <div style="text-align: center;">"<em>Language:<br>I’m not proud of this, but I’ve been to the Netherlands 4 times in the last 3 years,<br>and still don’t know how to do some really basic things like count to 10 in Dutch.<br>Don’t know how to say the days of the week or even how to say “bathroom” in<br>Dutch. Of course it’s not really necessary, because every Dutch person you meet<br>will speak perfect English, (and probably German and French as well.) This sets it<br>apart from most European countries, and it means that as an American, it’s possible<br>to have quality conversations with people who are from a totally different culture.<br>In Germany, for example, many people spoke excellent English, but often we had to<br>rely on pointing and hand signals.<br> <br>Before going to Spain or France you might think about “brushing up” on your high<br>school Spanish or French so that you could order a meal or book a hotel room<br>But you don’t hear people saying they are going to “brush up on their Dutch” before<br>going to The Netherlands. There’s a reason for that: it’s a really difficult language to<br>read, write and speak, with letter combinations that test your eyesight and sounds<br>that have never and will never occur in English. This time we resolved to at least<br>attempt to pronounce the names of the cities where we were performing, which<br>turned out to be more difficult than we thought.<br> <br>For example, a simple sentence like “Hi, it’s great to be performing here in Wijk bij<br>Duurstede” turns out to take several days of practice. (vike-by-doershtead) Another<br>tongue twister was a radio show we played in Ijmuiden, (eye-maow-den) or one of<br>our favorite places Vriezenveen (vree-zen-vain). But in each case here, there are<br>subtleties that become apparent when you try to say them to a Dutch person, who<br>will patiently tell you where you went wrong trying to pronounce an umlaut.<br>That patience comes from the fact that the Dutch have been hearing people<br>mispronounce their language for centuries. We could tell they appreciated the effort<br>we made to say their words, but also suspect that THEY SECRETLY LOVE IT that<br>their language is next-to-impossible to pronounce, no doubt giving them a feeling of<br>superiority over us Yanks. America may rule the free world, but we will never speak Dutch</em>."</div><br>I always start the trip by flying to Cologne, Germany where I rent the van and pick up gear from Ralf and Kristin at Tonehunter. Ralf has supplied me with a pedalboard, a guitar and one of his killer amplifiers on each of our four tours and also let’s me keep our t-shirts and CDs in his storage room. It's a win-win for us; Tonehunter gets exposure and I get to play one of Ralf's killer amps. (<a contents="www.tonehunter.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.tonehunter.de" target="_blank">www.tonehunter.de</a>) We have gotten to be great friends over the years, and have dinners at his house and my favorite Cologne restaurant the Bitzhof every visit. I am priveledged to have such great friends!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4f5b7e18938a09d07b9c775f3d8faf2809643b6c/large/tonehunter-tnt.jpg?1412101445" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">The Tonehunter TNT rig!<br> </div>
<div>After taking the back seat out of the Mercedes Vito van and putting in Ralf’s storage room, we loaded the gear, and I set out for Anko Lammer’s house in Vriezenveen, just across the Dutch boarder. I arrived at the train station in neighboring town Almelo to pick up John, Eric and Carl who came straight from the Amsterdam airport. <br>This time Anko had a surprise for me - a kick drum head with the DT Band skull! Yeah! What a stud. (Thanks Anko)<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4fa1da98df5e7f074f803dcdbf7b17645a29931c/large/skull-drum.jpg?1412101647" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br><br>We set up the gear and had a short rehearsal before the travel burn really set in. And as it is becoming the custom, we drove in to Almelo and had salmon at the Shamrock restaurant. Beers for me and Carl, “water with gas” for John, and Eric discovered a cool non-alcoholic beer. Gotta have a good meal to start the trip.<br> <br>After dinner, it was only Carl and me with enough stamina to have a couple of whiskeys with Anko. (Also, we are the only ones in the band who drink.) You have to be careful though, his collection is impressive! Had to keep the taste testing to a minimum.<br><br>The next day after some well deserved rest we headed to our first show in Sittard at the Volt café. It' was only a 2/12 hour drive. When we arrived we thought it funny that they had a bunch of furniture on the stage, with almost no room for our gear. Even though they set up three microphones, they thought there would only be one of us. (What?) ...<br><br>After we removed the furniture and took over the stage, we had a nice crowd that night and people were even watching from the outside windows.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b3aaf7c38e3046d8fc06a02a85bf0979b0a35fd1/large/window-lizards.jpg?1412101800" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br> <br>That night we stayed at Theo and Astrid’s place in nearby Geleen which is in a community center building with three floors of stages and ballroom areas. Like many of the places we stay in, this set up reminded me of a military barracks. We ended up staying there a few nights, and one morning we woke up to a chicken and rabbit show. Not kidding.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/73a3ce6037a96843ffd64d56e09becea0eddf3fb/large/rabbits.jpg?1412101800" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/e7604ebda152a3d4cc7113c4134b9695ee277346/large/with-theo-and-astridcrop.jpg?1412115254" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Theo and Astrid's place where the bunnies get together</div>
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<br>The next night we played in a town called Echt (one of the easier names to pronounce on this tour) at a club called Stoba. We started at about 9 PM and the place was suddenly packed. These first two gigs were good for us because we were set up in small spaces, and could really hear each other well. We were honing our set quickly, and it paid off when we played much bigger stages later in the tour.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/205207c4bd10e538f5245bd81d7c494dd90a13a0/large/small-stage.jpg?1412103217" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" />And the next gig did involve a bigger stage! We drove into southern Germany to a small town called Schmölz east of Frankfurt in an area known as Franken. Beautiful rolling hills and farmland stretched all around us. The gig was in a tent next to an old castle. They served beer in huge ‘steins’, so Carl and I had to be careful of how much we drank. We have gotten used to the little 10 oz glasses they use in Holland. They let us keep one of these, so Carl and I have official Franken steins. Heh. <br>The crowd loved us, and wanted three encores!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ce764b805025d8d9200d52ee517f4c472133a805/large/schmo-lz.jpg?1412104169" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Schmölzer Blues Tage Tent</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"> Crowd at the Schmölzer Blues Tage</div>
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<br>We got moving the next morning and drove back to the southern tip of the Netherlands for a gig at Café Zaal de Reunie in Geleen- which was Theo and Astrid’s bar. Sunday gigs are mellow, and we chillaxed our way through a couple of sets. <br><br>No show on the following day- so we drove into Amsterdam and stayed again at the Holiday Inn Express- the one with the cool blue light in the bathrooms. After checking in early, we took the tram to the museum district and got a good fix of Van Gogh! Don’t even try to pronounce his name like the Dutch do; it sounds like you need to clear your throat!<br> <br>We had some good food that night and wandered around the city, taking pictures like annoying tourists. It’s a picturesque town for sure, with all of the canals and buildings from the 1500’s and on.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/396aaa435e52689acb667cbf1bfd274fe66618b8/small/welcome-to-amsterdam.jpg?1412104450" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/979b7a72b31fc79ddb830130833794371eb86c93/small/chilling-in-amsterdam.jpg?1412104430" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/6f9fc1968d19676f1bcdd5522ec23a3b51c7268e/small/2.jpg?1412104416" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c90e44a73d872712d36fcd2dd99dd979469ba528/small/eric-in-amsterdam.jpg?1412104636" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f7cbbeef962972e47adb558f500085da0400ceda/small/amsterdam-canal.jpg?1412104624" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ef0ac55a2f3933294b433da3bad9c4550737a5b9/small/dudley-in-amsterdam.jpg?1412104626" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>The next day we made a short trip to IJmuiden (pronounced eye-mow-den), checked into our hotel and relaxed for a bit. That evening we drove to the Bluestrain FM studio and played an on-air set for hosts Rob and Ivy. Apparently the show is very popular, and we were grinning at the haphazard, gonzo style in which it is produced. Any comments John Kessler? It sure isn’t KPLU. Hahahaha.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/62c9cc4044eca56422d7de0f367710564e957a33/large/radio-show-in-imouden.jpg?1412104758" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Bluestrain FM in IJmuiden<br> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Continuing with the “Cities I Can’t Pronounce” tour, we drove to Wijk bij Duurstede, one of the oldest villages in the Netherlands. We arrived early (mercifully short drives in this country), checked into our hotel and wandered the village. We met Carolien and Ton, who run Café Ome Ko, where we played that night. Carolien suggested a café on the canals by an old windmill. The weather had been fantastic for the whole tour so far, and we really took advantage of it. After lunch, we checked out the local church where the church lady let Eric played an old steam organ. <br><br>The gig that night was killer- the little place was packed (typical of all of our Dutch dates) and was even attended by the church lady!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f6cb47beeb2278b2957419a39af4c017590c5575/large/eric-plays-the-pipe-organ-wbd.jpg?1412104855" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" />Eric plays the pipe organ in Wijk bij Duurstede<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/00cee7c94055f274e910f143f42bd66030659012/large/windmill-at-wijk-bij-duurstede.jpg?1412104853" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" />Chilling by the old windmill in Wijk bij Duurstede<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="P84pQIJhwuE" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/P84pQIJhwuE/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P84pQIJhwuE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="400" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br>"Oh Well" from the Cafe Ome Ko show in Wijk bij Duurstede<br><br><span class="font_large">NEXT:<br>Part 2 - POLAND <em>Things Are Heating Up!</em></span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f5eb92dab7e3a55b37af3925bad26d4b34234755/original/latestupload-290.jpg?1412112776" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><a contents="For all tour photos, click HERE and scroll down..." data-link-label="PHOTOS" data-link-type="page" href="/photos"><em><span class="font_large">For all tour photos, click HERE and scroll down...</span></em></a><br> </div>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/30010242014-06-08T12:52:05-04:002017-01-14T13:06:43-05:00European Tour May - June 2014 <div>
<span class="font_large">European tour #3 was a big success.</span><br><br>Dudley Taft - Guitar, vocals<br>John Kessler - Bass, vocals<br>Carl Martin - Drums<br><br>Europe has a smell : Diesel, tobacco and cologne. At <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1389432107" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">2am</span></span>, when we finish loading all the gear and merch into the van, that’s what it smells like. A small price to pay for daily adventures in foreign countries. Plus they have amazing pastries everywhere, even at highway gas stations, where we stop two or three times a day sometimes. There was a lot of driving on this tour. And the van smelled like Chanel Blue. (Dudley!)<br> </div>
<div>Dudley flies in a day ahead of Carl & John and goes through Cologne, Germany to pick up guitar amps from Ralf at Tonehunter Amps, a boutique custom amp shop that lends him guitar amps. This year, Ralf had a new amp in the lineup: the "Keef", an amp made to emulate the killer tones of the tweed Fenders of the 1960's. THIS AMP SOUNDS KILLER.<br> <div class="captioned justify_left"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/86fda20d43ac316c6137af84cf5fb93207cd53e0/small/ralfpaul.jpg?1402243032" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Ralf from Tonehunter</p></div>
<a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.tonehunter.de/index-en.php" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/176adcdc9f5030b890677da5b21eb3014cfddfe9/medium/the-keef.jpg?1402243118" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a>This year, John decided to buy a bass amp to leave in Europe, and got a German made Hughes & Kettner, a compact and sturdy beast that strives to compete with the Tonehunters.<br> </div>
<div>Carl & John fly in to Amsterdam from Seattle and take a train about 160 clicks (another cool thing about Europe is that you get to say “clicks”) to Almelo in Eastern Netherlands where we meet up with Dudley. Our good friend Anko picks up C & J at the Almelo train station in his official fire chief car, and we gather at Anko and Helga’s in Vriezenveen to rehearse.<br> <div class="captioned justify_right"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f88082961a604684e8752bb7b62b0dd97b19b914/small/fire-chief-anko-dudley.jpg?1402243469" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Dudley and Fire Chief Anko Lammers</p></div>
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<div>Besides becoming really good friends, Anko and Helga have a perfect set-up for us with a separate garage with rehearsal space below and three beds and a bathroom upstairs. Anko used to drum in a heavy metal band, but now the same guys play acoustic Irish music.</div>
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<div>The shows start <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1389432108" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Friday</span></span> night at The Machinist in Oss, NE, a tiny joint where people really get into the music. We have been here once before and both times had great crowds. Later we learn that it’s known as a really rough biker bar. Sometimes better not to know these things...</div>
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<div>Next a short drive to another return engagement at Bij Absolut in Sint Michielsgestel. Don’t even try to pronounce it. After 2 years, we are not even close to pronouncing it right. The Dutch are unfailingly patient with our bad pronunciation, as they have heard people mispronounce their language for centuries. Even a simple name like “Oss” can get you in trouble (go figure). Of course they all speak perfect English, and likely another language or two.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/409ece5ab2a0b5b1a39dd1ff318cfda31e4c4bba/small/sint-micheils-poster.jpg?1402243956" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/98fa07e84521c90559169845c011297bd31f4415/small/sint-ms-church.jpg?1402244133" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" />Another fun night, and we are staying at a small hotel directly across from the local cathedral, which rings it’s bells on the quarter hour all night long and <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1389432109" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">on Sunday</span></span> morning really lets loose a good 5 minute assault of aggressive bell bonging. So not much sleep at that place.<span> </span>
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<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>An early <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1389432110" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Sunday</span></span> gig at Café de Weegbrug in Roermond, southern part of the country squeezed between Belgium and Germany. The club is run by Truus, a legendary Blues Mama who has run the place for 15 years and has had a lot of major blues artists play there over the years, the walls covered with their posters, and the stage lined with their signatures.<span> </span>About 20 people attend, but they stay for the whole show and are very enthusiastic.</div>
<div>We stay up late at the bar with the Truus and her daughter and Rene the bartender. Her dog constantly barks at us, as we go back and forth to our rooms, on the third floor. Truus lives on the second floor with her dog. The accommodations are “spare”, but the hospitality is warm, and by the time we leave Truus has fed us a large breakfast of eggs and bacon.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/121cab91f11284659a62ef7d0c6f58930b80d0b6/medium/de-weegbrug-cafe.jpg?1402244374" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/949b0e9aa67ec83384482e41e2c98db80749172d/medium/de-weegbrug-hall-of-fame.jpg?1402244384" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/7e20b9c5ca507ff4a80f9792b5339facfd9e2123/medium/carl-de-weegbrug.jpg?1402244444" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" />
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<div>Then it’s back to Anko and Helga’s place in Vriezenveen, where we do our laundry, and much later in the evening, when Anko returns from his shift as Fire Chief of Almelo, a single malt session, with perhaps eight or nine bottles making the rounds, with accompaniment of cheese and chocolate.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/1676c7d2d2cd9820210ea63ab614440608f6b0f3/medium/wreckage-of-the-whiskey-party.jpg?1402244586" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" />
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<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1389432111" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Tuesday</span></span> night at Lux in Hannover, Germany a small but lively crowd, and made more friends including the sound man Hoppy, who along with Dirk runs a tight ship.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/ced0f5db6afe24880072f51a8a9b6079b6c2a4a9/small/lux.jpg?1402244651" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" />
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<div>Speaking of ships, we then head directly north, to Wilhelmshaven on the German coast of the North Sea, where they have a lot of ships. We are playing this night (<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1389432112" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Wednesday</span></span> in case you’re counting) at the Pumpwerke, a large club built on the site of an old, um, pump work. The place is jammed with people just leaving an outdoor music show, so the crowd was warmed up and ready to rock. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/4b453ba7d28dd0a21e5cbdae60613730ea1be6f1/medium/pumpwerke-crowd.jpg?1402244929" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /><br><br><br><br>We also visit with our pal Bernd and his wife, Veronica and their 3 month old Golden Lab puppy, who goes to dinner with us. Dinner is a local specialty called Yong Schollen, fried young flounder. The next day they take us to the coast where we dip our toes in the North Sea.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b25326ce8d3f4b3fc8dd29419821529666aeaba7/medium/north-sea.jpg?1402245221" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Then it’s a 7 hour trip to the next show, with a day to get there, so we spend the night in Frankfurt, and do some shopping and general milling about. Looks like the Hammering Man from the Seattle Art Museum made a trip? <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/eb352042313524cb7ebefaf407d944de96d8ebcb/medium/hammering-man-in-frankfurt.jpg?1402245516" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1389432113" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">After a cool drive down the autobahn lined with castles in the hills, we landed on Friday</span></span> night at Die Halle in Reichenbach an der Fils in southern Germany, a large club out in the country-side with great staff and sound people. It was a good night, and we made some friends who drove from Austria to see the show.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/690e11c6b4f0814605eb10c48c482d14de9d8e24/medium/die-halle-carl.jpg?1402245707" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" />
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<div>Saturday we made the 6 hour drive northwest to Rotterdam for Saturday night at L’Esprit. Luckily you can drive really fast on the autobahn. Just stay out of the left lane unless you mean business! Mercs, BMW's and Audi frequently scream by at 200+ kph...This night is also a “friendly match” between the Netherlands and Ghana football teams, and the hotel in Rotterdam is full of people wearing bright orange for the Dutch team. The night-club is run by the local blues society, and we made a bunch of friends there also, Renus, Jan and Marian. Dudley met a dude that should star in the next "Left For Dead" themed video:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/3f0dae875e1f81a936939e13ac5eac4251d373da/medium/lespirit-beardsmen.jpg?1402245957" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" />
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<div>One last show <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1389432114" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Sunday</span></span> at Café de Fles (The Flask) across the river from Rotterdam in Spijkenesse. (don’t even try) They take the flask concept very seriously and the crowd is whipped into a frenzy by the time we finish the second set. It seem like the tour FLEW by too fast! Well, we will be back in September, and will visit Poland for the first time, so STAY TUNED.</div>
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<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/03e7ba16a3fb5992863d1f02a7a8ee830e5f0534/original/the-band-plus-jay.jpg?1402246222" class="size_l justify_center border_" /> SPECIAL THANKS TO JAY FARMER (pictured above with the band) FOR BOOKING THE TOUR</div></div>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/23414242014-01-07T10:42:04-05:002019-08-07T14:03:13-04:00Neil Young<br><span class="font_regular">1979. Indianapolis. 7th grade. Art class. Barrow Davidian was the teacher, and a bit of a hippie though he had short hair. He was the ‘coolest’ teacher we had in 7<sup>th</sup> grade. He was laid back and played records all day. Though there was a sticker on the record player that said “variety is the spice of life”, he only played two or three records. Over and over…<br> <br>One of them was a Buffalo Springfield album, and I loved the vocals, guitar work and creativity of tracks like <em>Expecting To Fly</em>.</span><br> <div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b387d10ce658f1cf26ffbbd01edc6eea0f6ab6e9/medium/2-3.jpeg?1389108888" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></div><br>Another album Mr. Davidian played was Harvest by Neil Young. Of course Neil was a member of Buffalo Springfield, and I was happy to hear the more acoustic side of his music. <br>About the same time, I had started playing guitar, and only had an acoustic. Neil’s songs were accessible to me, because I could handle easy open chords at the bottom of the neck. I couldn’t sing just like Neil, but at that young age I could hit all the notes.<br> <br>I got my own copy of Harvest, and then After The Gold Rush. I learned bunch of those songs with the help of my guitar teacher and a chord book. I was off and running! I was building a playlist with a lot of Neil’s songs, and I didn’t know it then, but they came in very handy my first year in college. (The ladies like Neil Young tunes.)<br> <br>Being able to play these songs gave me the confidence to write my own, and feel like I was somehow in the same ballpark.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/5fce0540ffbc6dd4a2526ee906df1bfd98d5a4ae/medium/2-2.jpeg?1389108896" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br>Cortez the Killer off of Zuma primed me for the Rust Never Sleeps album that had great live versions of <em>Hey Hey My My</em> – one acoustic, one electric. It was a bit like Lou Reed’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal to me: the acoustic players getting a good dose of distorted guitar. Now I had some great tunes to practice on my brand new Strat copy in my bedroom.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/7ef96a076ac47a3b06bfdd268c6c84540eb64ef2/medium/2-1.jpeg?1389108912" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br> <br>The music just kicked my ass, but it was the lyrical content that captured my imagination and my heart. The song <em>After The Gold Rush</em> had some great visuals in the lyrics that evoked some grand fantasyland not unlike some Bowie stuff:<br> <br><em>Well I dreamed I saw the knights in armor coming</em><br><em>Saying something about a queen</em><br><em>There were peasants singing and drummers drumming </em><br><em>And the archers split the tree</em><br> <br>And that great line for young college stoners:<br> <br><em>There was a band playing in my head</em><br><em>And I felt like getting high</em><br> <br>Wise reflections on a relationship gone wrong from A Man Needs A Maid:<br> <br><em>It’s hard to make that change</em><br><em>When Life and love turn strange, and cold</em><br> <br><em>To give a love, you’ve got live a love</em><br><em>To live a love, you gotta be part of</em><br> <br><em>When will I see you again?</em><br> <br>There’s loss, recovery and regret all right there. There are so many moods that song may just help you get through. A great songwriter will help you find words for your experiences and feelings that may just help you frame your situation, your emotions. It also lets you know that you are not alone. Feeling dark and gloomy? Wistful? Nostalgic? Uncertain, insecure, lost? Defiant? Neil is right there with you.<br> <br>It is the slower moody stuff that really made me come to love Neil’s music. One of my favorites is <em>Pardon My Heart</em>, a love-lost story. It’s gentle, moving and sad. A great song to play at 1 am! <em>Pocohontas</em>, off of Rust is right in there as well. Hell, I could made a great long set of his tunes for after midnight! And I could probably play 80% of them myself. In fact, when I do live acoustic shows (I haven’t in a while), I try not to play TOO MANY of them. Not everyone gets <em>Don’t Let It Bring You Down</em>!<br> <br>As with my other songwriter heroes Reed and Bowie, the earlier stuff resonates most with me. Perhaps because I soaked them in as a teen and young man, I am not sure. In the 1980’s Neil did some strange stuff- the Trans album and Everybody’s Rockin’.<br> <br><em>Rockin’ In The Free World</em> and the excellent album Harvest Moon brought me back. But I never really strayed that far. I think Neil does his best work when it’s just him and his acoustic guitar. Man, I wish Bowie would do a whole album just on acoustic. That would be Epic!<br> <br>Neil Young rocks on, and will always occupy a huge slice of my playlist.Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/20690802013-11-18T14:07:08-05:002021-06-17T09:35:09-04:00David Bowie: One of My Biggest InfluencesDavid Bowie <br><br>When I was in Kindergarten, back in the early 70’s, there was a woman who came every week or so to play the piano. She played a lot of corny stuff like Hot Crossed Buns, Yankee Doodle Dandy and the like. One tune however, stuck with me and I asked her to play it every time she came. She would gripe a bit, but always played Somewhere Over The Rainbow for me.<br> <br>What a fantastic song. It had a number of things going for it. The melody itself is magical, the chord changes, the bridge… To me the words were a bit sci-fi. You’ll find me somewhere over the rainbow, above the chimney tops, in a land I’ve heard of once in a lullaby. WOW. That sounds cool! My fantasy-land. Sign me up.<br> <br>This was the song that really got me interested in music. It somehow justified my wild imagination. Apparently it was okay to have your head in the clouds (as long as one foot was on the ground).<br> <br>I realize that my love of David Bowie’s music has a lot to do with the vibe of Somewhere. Space Oddity, Ashes To Ashes, Life on Mars, Five Years, Moonage Daydream, The Man Who Sold The World – all of these songs share an otherworldly character. We can escape and enjoy another place of our own making if we so desire, at least for a few minutes.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b7f4421b4a43d55aa341a5de046d390188fa228b/original/bowie-rainbow.jpg?1384800729" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br> <br>In my last blog I wrote about Lou Reed and his influence on me as an artist. Bowie’s is certainly equal, if not a bit heavier. Isn’t it interesting that they had a deep mutual respect for each other even though their music was so different? That is what is cool about the <em>Transformer</em> album- their brief influence on each other. Satellite of Love is a great example of Bowie’s ethereal approach mixed with Lou’s sensibility. “Satellite’s gone, way up to Mars, Soon it’ll be filled with parking cars.” Lou rooted the fantasy with the mundane – parking cars on mars? Hahahahaha. Sounds like there’s some Warhol influence in there- another way to frame the everyday objects we take for granted.<br> <br>Bowie really took us out there, sometime to the point of no return. Like the movie The Man Who Fell To Earth- he takes us into a strange world where we get lost and never find our way home.<br> <br>For a kid growing up in the Midwest among sprawling fields of corn, escape was damn attractive. Smoke some crappy Columbian bud, put the headphones on and drift off. At least until my Mom told me dinner was ready.<br> <br>Early in Bowie’s career, Mick Ronson was heavily involved in realizing the vision. I loved the guitar work on <em>Ziggy Stardust</em> especially. That has to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Each song seems to have a couple of choruses! Incredible. Of course Mick was involved with several albums, including Hunky Dory. Mick’s work on the string arrangement for Life On Mars is moving, as is Rick Wakeman’s piano playing. This song reminds me of Somewhere Over The Rainbow quite a bit. Bowie described the song as “A sensitive young girl's reaction to the media… although she's living in the doldrums of reality, she's being told that there's a far greater life somewhere, and she's bitterly disappointed that she doesn't have access to it".<br> <br>I think Bowie made sure that he had access to a greater life and changed his definition of that frequently. He reinvented himself in art-school fashion over and over again. He spent so much time over the rainbow that perhaps the real-world is now as fascinating to him. He lives in Greenwich Village with his wife Iman and daughter Lexi. Maybe family man is his current great adventure.<br> <br>Speculation aside, his lyrics certainly conjure vivid imagery and leave you with more to consider than say, Highway Star by Deep Purple. (Luckily, there is a place for both in my collection!)<br> <br>There have been some great songs on his last few CDs that warrant attention. Some of my favorites include Seven from <em>Hours</em>, Dead Man Walking from <em>Earthling</em> and Days from <em>Reality</em>. In fact, Reality is quite good from start to finish. The song Days may have some of his most down-to-earth lyrics:<br> <br><em>All I’ve done, I’ve done for me </em><br><em>All you gave, you gave for free</em><br><em>I gave nothing in return</em><br><em>And there’s little left of me</em><br> <br><em>All the days of my life… I owe you</em><br> <br>Maybe this is for Iman? His children? I don’t know, but it does seem uncharacteristically personal.<br> <br>I have a new song coming out on my next CD called Tears In Rain. Originally I was going to riff of the line from the end of Blade Runner: "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain". Somehow it morphed into longing for the love of someone who has passed away (perhaps a blues influence?). Looking at the lyrics for the song, it may have quite a bit of Bowie influence. "Moonlight reflecting on dust in the air, Our years have come and gone, Moments that we shared..." A coming together beyond the stars after our lives have ended. "Far beyond the edge of time, When the stars turn to grey, I'll be there with you to float away, Tears in rain." Like some of Bowie's lyrics, I am not sure what it means exactly. Maybe that's the point.<br><br>Listening to one particular artist for decades, I suppose you feel that you know them in some way. That is the success of their ability to connect to the listener. Though David Bowie’s lyrics and music evoke the celestial and sublime, they have made a connection to me and my musical heart, if you will. The heart that lingers somewhere over the rainbow.<br> <br> <br> Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/19923992013-11-05T14:02:04-05:002017-01-14T13:06:42-05:00Thoughts on Lou ReedI discovered Lou Reed when I was about 12 or 13. <br>Lou provided an alternative to the bombastic cocksure rock of the 70’s, and somehow his music caught my ear in spite of its lack of the guitar-hero element. He was a character like Bowie, but genuine and grounded to the real street life of New York City.<br> <br><em>Sally is losing her face</em><br><em>She lives on St. Marks place</em><br><em>In a rent-controlled apartment, eighty dollars a month </em><br><em>She had lots of fun, she had lots of fun</em><br><em>(From Sally Can’t Dance)</em><br> <br>Every time I go to NYC, I hit St. Marks. Maybe to connect to the great stories of Lou’s lyrics, maybe just to try on some punk rock clothes at Trash & Vaudeville. I imagine Lou and his characters walking around Greenwich Village, searching for identities and acceptance.<br> <br>I didn’t really get the Velvet Underground. Maybe I was too young, or obsessed with lead guitar. I prefer his solo work. Something about Lou’s voice conveying a gritty truth caught my interest. These were songs that I could sing and play on my acoustic: simple chord changes and wild imagery. I played “Vicious” in a cover band in college. That always went over well. “Vicious! You hit me with a flower, you do it every hour, you’re so vicious.” Great bass line in that one, too!<br> <br><em>Wild Child</em> had some great verses, images of strange conversations:<br> <br><em>I was talking to Chuck in his Ghengis Khan suit and his wizard hat</em><br><em>We spoke of his movie, and how he was making a new soundtrack</em><br> <br><em>Sleeping out on the streets, oh, living all alone</em><br><em>Without a house or a home, and she asks you please</em><br><em>Hey baby can I have some spare change?</em><br><em>Can I break your heart?</em><br> <br>My introduction to Lou was the cassette version of <em>Walk On The Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed</em>. I borrowed it from a friend and never gave it back! Then I found the Rock and Roll Animal record, with some great live performances and killer lead guitar work courtesy of Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner.<br> <br><em>Transformer</em> has some real gems. <em>Satellite of Love</em>, with the Bowie-esque outer-space lyrics and <em>New York Telephone Conversation, </em>which reminds me of the playfulness of <em>When I’m 64</em> by the Beatles. Interesting, the collision of a young Bowie and Mick Ronson with Lou’s street-rock sensibility.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/c71db4265e7ed53a544132596c8b1cb83710bb3e/medium/louanddave.jpg?1383678058" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br> <br>Lou’s songs paint great little scenes you can get lost in. Images of a New York City that was distant and removed from suburban Indiana. People in his songs seemed like they were on adventures, out there doing all the real living. I was just in my room with headphones hoping someone had some weed. Hahahaa…<br>I guess I had Indiana experiences. I would hop on my moped and ride down into Indianapolis to my friend Andy’s house in the middle of the night. We would listen to ‘sides’ in his brother’s room- the Stones, Bowie, Lou Reed, Zeppelin, The Who, etc… We had our own little world. That was <em>my</em> adventure.<br> <br>Lou sang about the people you didn’t hear about in most other songs. Like <em>Average Guy:</em><br> <br><em>I'm an average lover and I live in an average place<br>you wouldn't know me if you met me face to face!</em><br><em>Average in everything I do, my temperature is 98.2!</em><br> <br>It made me feel better, knowing that I was a bit average, maybe like Lou? Easy stuff to play. So many of his songs were just D and G…<br>His <em>Blue Mask</em> CD was great. A bit more of a ‘modern’ sound than <em>Transformer</em> or the <em>Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal</em> stuff. Exquisite guitar work by Robert Quine, and bass guitar mastery by Fernando Saunders. This whole album is a great listen, from the haunting mood of a lost spirit in <em>My House</em>, to <em>Women</em> (I…love…women!) to the spooky/junkie vibe of <em>The Heroine</em>.<br> <br>Another great CD was the <em>Growing Up In Public</em> – he had a fantastic NYC band for that one and it really rocks. Funny songs like <em>The Power of Positive Drinking</em> – with a dry wit that LA rock bands could never touch. Somehow Lou made you feel like you were in it with him.<br> <br>I have listened to the albums after those, but they don’t quite have the impact that the earlier ones did for me. Maybe it was my age, I don’t know. There is some special place in my heart for those recordings that seeped into the fabric of adolescence. From Van Halen, to Jimi Hendrix to Bowie and Neil Young to Lou Reed, it didn’t matter what kind of music it was, just that it made a connection to my younger self.<br> <br>Lou was a pro at painting the pictures. Like Tom Wolfe is in prose, Lou was in poetry. So, I will continue to celebrate his life and work. I recorded a version of <em>Sally Can’t Dance</em> on my last CD, and now I am going to go listen to <em>The Blue Mask</em>…<br> <br>Lou will always be just a couple clicks away.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/6cb4029ad097e5c274bae0eac66e3010df25b8d7/medium/lou.jpg?1383678059" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br> <br> Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/19112232013-10-23T13:41:43-04:002017-01-14T13:06:41-05:00Dudley's Studio Pt 2Over the last few weeks, there has been much progress in the recording studio! <br><br>Local sound engineer Ashley Shepherd (who has worked with Peter Frampton) made a trip down to Nashville and returned with a bunch of “extra” gear that Sir Frampton did not want. Part of that was a killer 5.1 speaker system for the projection screen in the control room.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/cc269a6418dca2a342d69223d4c7d01cea93e8c6/original/ashley-shepherd.jpg?1382539090" class="size_l justify_center border_" /> <div style="text-align: center;">Here Ahley Shepherd is connecting some of the new goodies.</div><br>Also, I received a bunch of old-school effects devices like delays and reverbs. Yeah….yeah….yeah…yeah….<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/942c5248d47b9a28dc7c9b854a00781a98733def/original/delays.jpg?1382539349" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br> <br>And a few microphones… Those will take a while to sort through, but there is one that looks really cool, and was used in the Hunbger Games:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/9647ed8a9eac144931516f08f85ad9944f1d32aa/original/heil-finn.jpg?1382549721" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">The Heil Fin microphone. Designed by Cylons?</div><br> <br>Mixing has begun for album #3, <em>Screaming In The Wind. </em>The first track I mixed may just be the album closer, “Say You Will”- it has a long spacey solo section at the end (I call it an Epilogue), and may be a good way to end things.<br> <br>Once I get the levels set for the drums, acoustics, clean guitars, ect… these nifty faders in the center of the console can control those groups and make final level setting easy.<br> <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/529b6924c364ece614570155ded99c10be9693cd/original/say-you-will-vca-snap2.jpg?1382549948" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Meanwhile, with a bit of spiritual guidance from Jimi Hendrix, the studio kitchenette has turned purple and the bathroom bright red! The big purple wall will soon be populated with photos and memorabilia from previous bands.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/f7ce092af7d3d88b4d59b2d4377100328c94c3ae/original/studio-kitchenette.jpg?1382539162" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Apparently I have been “volunteered” to host the family Christmas party this year, and my dad is insisting on a big jam session in the studio, so I’ll have to find a drum set!<br> <br>It is nice to be able to get back to work after two months of unpacking, painting and fixing things. What’s the code that gets you in the studio? I’m NOT TELLING YOU!! Hahahahaha…. Back to work!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/b2366a01e425ed09090d8b4f62bbc885bdc691b8/small/door-lock.jpg?1382550077" class="size_s justify_center border_none" alt="" />Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/17798262013-10-03T19:21:35-04:002017-01-14T13:06:41-05:00Dudley's Studio Pt 1<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana">Dudley's Studio Pt 1 ~Transition~</span>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana">“I want you, (to) show me the way,” (this thing works),is a phrase that kept running through my head as I tried to figure out the complicated connections of the SSL! Progress has been slow. Reading the manual on-line. So:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana">The next step was to unpack all of my studio gear. After 30 years of recording at home, I have amassed a HUGE amount of cables, connectors, power adaptors and miscellaneous gadgets. Question: Do I really need 135 RCA cables…? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana"> </span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/1f2e60f67adef39a6625d69a2e108624985ae4a7/original/studio-cables.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana">I have a large pile of midi cables for someone that doesn’t play keyboards. It took me a few hours to sort through all of the old stuff. Some I trashed; but I kep most of it. If some obscure cable or connector is needed, chances are I have one, or maybe even two or three.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana">It is nice that I can set up all my amps at once! Lots of room for that. The studio is wired so that I can be in the control room, and plug either my instrument or speaker cable into the wall and patch it to any amp or speaker cabinet in the tracking room, and a few other rooms in the house.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/877746215e5fc45871fdb4266edc780c6cfe3fa5/original/tracking-room-amps-1.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span><br><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana">As I said in the last blog, I needed help getting any sound through the speakers- the mound of cables under the console looks like a barber shop floor on the Predator’s home planet…<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/63499831e30cad148d6de3bde40c5d5e45ffec1b/medium/predator-hair.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br><br>When I was able to set up my computer, I decided to get a jam playlist going on iTunes and see if I could mic an amp up. Amp> microphone > mic input #1 on the panel > input of channel #1 on the SSL… and… BOOM, there it was. Sounded great, too. Nice pre-amp and EQ on each channel in the board. It may sound ridiculous, but I was very proud of this minor accomplishment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana">I was a bit surprised that Mr. Frampton left behind almost all of the studio furniture, which includes a beautiful leather couch, tables, lamps and a couple of Tibetan rugs. Apparently his new studio is furnished. BONUS. Lots of bonuses with this studio (you'll see). The Control room has a great vibe- lots of warm colors, dimmers on all of the lights, and a big window that overlooks the back yard. The house faces west by southwest, and there is great light late in the day.<br><br>I can't wait to get this thing dialed and get to work!</span></p>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/16882222013-09-23T21:51:20-04:002017-01-14T13:06:41-05:00Peter Frampton's Studio Pt 2<span class="font_regular"><strong>Part II - Moving In</strong><br><br>We moved in to our new house mid-August. Exactly one week before the kids started school. “<strong>Ready, FIRE, Aim</strong>” is what I called this process. A bit sloppy, but it worked. (And no one was injured.)<br><br>Mr. Frampton was on tour until the end of August, and asked if he could leave his studio equipment in the house </span>until mid-September<span class="font_regular">. This included (<em>not kidding</em>) 30 guitar amplifiers, speaker cabinets, tape machines, drum sets, cables, microphones, etc… . He had to finish the tour before he could get organized in Nashville, and send for his gear.<br><br>This wasn’t much of a problem, and I was happy to comply because it was a huge task to unbox and put away all of our stuff, let alone start on the studio.<br><br>I have had a few houses over the last 25 years, and I have to say that Mr. Frampton was the most gracious homeowner I have ever bought a house from. It takes years of living in it to master all of the idiosyncracies of a home, and this one has a lot of 'personality'. Alarms, coded doors, 6,423 light switches, sensors and a 13 zone sprinkler system posed unusual challenges, but he was immediately available to help me figure everything out.<br><br>It is a bit strange, having one of your guitar heroes help you get the sound system in the basement working. Over the phone. On a tour bus somewhere in Texas.<br><br>When Frampton's tour was finished, a production service was scheduled to come and remove all of the gear, and Peter himself would be here as well to make sure they had gotten everything.<br><br>Two huge box trucks arrived, and six burly dudes began packing up the studio, except for the mixing console. It turns out that he would be moving his recording gear into a studio in Nashville, but they already had a on just like it down there, and a bit newer. I made a deal to keep the SSL here in the house. (<em>Way cool</em>.) Now he didn’t have to remove the windows to get it out of the room!<br><br>So the doorbell rings in the early afternoon, and here he is: Mr. Peter Frampton! My wife and one of my daughters answered the door with me and we said “Welcome home!” Hahaha...<br><br>I found some scattered personal items of his around the house, and made sure he got them. He showed me a few things that I should know around the house- like an alarm linked to a water sensor that will warn you if the basement is flooding, and where the hide-a-key was stashed. He hung around for a few hours and we got to chat about the house, did he like Cincinnati and his killer Guitar Circus tour.<br><br>I realized that we had some things in common: we both save EVERYTHING! Every manual, every remote control, any kind of gizmo adaptor. (See wifey? It's not just ME!) And dimmers- they're everywhere. I love dimmers on the lights. You can really dial in the mood with the proper lighting. First thing I did when we moved into my last house was to put dimmers on about 20 light switches. And the obvious similarities; we both are songwriters and lead guitarists, gear heads, and lovers of German cars.<br><br>What impressed me about the man most was that he is completely down-to-earth, and one of the most gracious gentlemen I have ever met. Not only has been wildly successful in his career, but he sets a great example as a human being. He is generous and kind of spirit. It would be great to get to know him better.<br><br>(It must be tough being a celebrity and having to frequently interface with people that may treat you only like what they picture you to be- instead of who you really are.)<br><br>Anyway, back to the studio: with everything cleared out I could start moving my stuff in and try to make noise in there. Yeeha!<br><br>Funny thing is, it took a visit from his local sound engineer to make the proper connections so I could listen to iTunes or a CD in there! My old studios were like riding a bike, and this new one is like flying a helicopter. How do you turn this damn thing on?<br><br>~Steep learning curve in the road ahead~</span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/6aec746abe65fe246a9baa796ed73e816876dc8e/original/dudley-peter2.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/16412422013-09-17T16:27:09-04:002017-02-02T08:42:53-05:00Peter Frampton's Studio Pt 1“<strong>Peter Frampton Has Moved To Nashville</strong>”<br><br>“<em>Cincinnati has lost its British rock star. Peter Frampton has moved back to Nashville</em>…”<br><br><em>On Jan. 23, he wrote on his Facebook page that furniture was starting to arrive in his new digs.<br>He tweeted:<br><br>“Sunny Cinci in my studio again. Have to move all this to Nashville. Console orig came in the window. Will have to go out same way. Oiy!”</em><br><br>From the Cincinnati Arts Blog: <a href="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/arts/2013/02/05/peter-frampton-has-moved-to-nashville/">http://cincinnati.com/blogs/arts/2013/02/05/peter-frampton-has-moved-to-nashville/</a><br><br>Of course, everyone in my old neighborhood knew that Mr. Frampton lived close by, but exactly where was a closely guarded secret. And even if you knew the address, good luck finding it. GPS’s misplace it. Even the Fed Ex people have a hard time with it.<br><br>He listed the home for sale in June of 2012, and it sat there on the market for an entire year! Turns out no one really knew what to make of the fact that it has a HUGE recording studio in the basement.<br><br>What does all this have to do with me?<br><br>Turns out my wife and daughters enjoyed Cincinnati, and our visit with our family. So much so, that they <em>really</em> wanted to move.<br><br>In June.<br><br>And school starts in August...<br><br>So we looked at a bunch of houses and I immediately knew which one was Frampton’s. (The guitar amp collection was the giveaway.) But it didn’t have a pool, or much of a yard, so we kept looking. But compared to all the other houses we saw, it really stood out; it has a great vibe to it. Nice big decks that face the woods, and a fantastic kitchen and family room. Add to that the <em>world-class</em> recording studio, and it was hard to deny that this was the one for us.<br><br>My brother remarked that there is only ONE person that would appreciate this house, and possibly want to live in Cincinnati, and that was ME. He was right. What would Joe Blow do with the studio, set up foosball and ping-pong?! That would be a crime.<br><br>I have always had a studio of some sort wherever I lived, since I got my first multi-track recorder in 1984. I have made do in boxy rooms, put amps under the stairs and in closets, and even recorded drums in a tiny hallway. Never did I imagine that I would have a studio in my house that was every bit as good as Seattle’s Studio X or London Bridge where I have recorded most of my albums.<br><br>You think to yourself, “one day I'll…” and then you wake up and that day is today.<br>As an artist, the coolest thing about this whole deal is that what Mr. Frampton started will continue, full speed ahead!<br><br><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62727/1d9378aa6757a29b6697a7eba765905b5b34b1d1/original/studio-empty-small.jpg?1379449556" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br><strong><span class="font_regular">~next week: moving into the studio~</span></strong>
</div>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/9796962013-06-20T05:15:40-04:002017-01-14T13:06:41-05:00European Tour 2013Spring 2013 European Tour Blog<br><br>
This was our second tour of Europe, the first one completed in January of 2012. All of the shows on the first tour were in the Netherlands, thanks to a booking agent that saw some promise in us. He only books shows in the Netherlands. On this return trip however, he managed to get us a show in Belgium, and one in Germany, outside of his normal venues.<br><br>
Touring outside the states is logistically challenging: it’s not easy to take all of your instruments, amplifiers and merchandise on the airplane with you. So, I packed a few effects pedals, a box of strings and slung my guitar over my shoulder and called it good.<br><br>
Luckily, I was introduced to a German guitar amp builder who likes to work with American artists touring the EU. He makes fantastic amps, and was even willing to let me borrow his Les Paul knock off in addition to his amp head and speaker cabinet. Ralf from Tonehunter amps also assembled a pedalboard with some of his and some of my pedals. He knows that it is tough to get started playing in Europe, and he is willing to help artists get started. He also benefits from people seeing players use his gear. Ralf’s equipment is fantastic, and I even bought one of his amps after this tour was finished and he’s shipping it to North Carolina for me! It is really important to have these kinds of relationships to get the ball rolling for a foreign act.<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/407010591.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><b> ~Tonehunter Head and Cabinet~</b><br><br>
On the first tour we hired a Dutch drummer, Theo Thumper to round out our three piece band. This time we decided to bring Chris Leighton from Seattle with us to pound the skins. This means that we had to rent a larger vehicle, get more beds in hotels and find a drum kit! Luckily on the last trip we made a great friend from one of the venues we played in eastern Holland who is a drummer. Anko Lammers from Almelo was kind enough to let us use his kit, stay at his house and rehearse before the tour. To us, Anko is a great example of the people you get to know through touring over there – he loves music and making new friends. Even though his club (Café Dr. Rock) closed down, he was happy to see us again. We love Anko and his family; they are fun to hang with. He actually wears wooden shoes. (Size 13) Also, he has quite a collection of Whiskeys and Scotch- and we helped him deplete his supply! Whaaaaahaha.<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/407010629.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><b> ~Anko's Shoes~</b><br><br>
After flying into Cologne, Germany, I spent the day with Ralf from Tonehunter. We got the guitar gear together and he also lent us a bass amp for John to use. The record label sent CDs to his place to sell at the shows, and the t-shirts (made in Germany) were shipped there as well. The next day, I loaded up the VW Transporter and headed for Geleen, NL to visit some other friends we made on the last tour to pick up the Left For Dead CDs and Highway 99 DVDs we left with them. After a nice breakfast, I headed to Schipol airport in Amsterdam to pick up John and Chris.<br><br>
We spent the first night at Anko’s place, rehearsed and sampled some of Anko’s whiskey. He has a nice apartment above a garage-like structure on his property where his band rehearses.<br><br><br><br>
The next day we headed south to a town called Groesbeek to play in a small bar where the Bluesmoose radio show interviewed me and recorded us playing about 15 songs. (Note to self: do this towards the end of the next tour after we hit our stride.) A few people came to watch the taping, and dropped a few Euros into a hat for us. We stayed above the bar in guest rooms that night. It is common to play a bar that is owned and operated by a family that lives in the building. The atmosphere in these venues is not unlike playing at their house- each bar has it’s own unique personality that is a combination of the owner’s tastes and the history of the building itself. Most of these are several hundred years old! Another example of Dutch hospitality--they fed us before and after the show! The after show meal was a huge pile of different sausages, not sure what animal or what part of the animal was used, better not to ask.<br><br>
The next day we drove through some farm fields by a few Belted Galloway cows. You don’t see those very often. We hit a music store in Rijmegan (try to pronounce that correctly) to get a couple of drum heads and a tambourine stick on our way back to Anko’s place in Vriezenveen. (We called it freezing brain.) That night we played at Café Belgie in Almelo. We had a nice crowd that night – the place was 75% full, and had a nice stage and monitors.<br><br>
It was a short drive the next day westward to Dordrecht to play the Jazzpodium, a blues and jazz place we played last year. They were happy to have us back, and said we had made a good impression last time. I was a bit surprised by this- they have a lot of quieter acts, and if you read the blog from the trip in 2012, you’ll remember that they have the sound meter that will cut the power if you are too loud. They had to disconnect it last time to get us through the gig.<br><br>
The place was packed, and we played a couple of encores. We stayed again at the historic Hotel Dordrecht which is not the plushest place you will ever stay, but has an unmistakably old word charm to it. Dordrecht has some of the oldest architecture we saw, and many of the brick houses that line the streets are canted at odd angles because of their age and the soft ground. Chris and John climbed the 200 foot tower of Grote Kerk, a massive cathedral built in the 1400’s, and then found themselves locked inside. Luckily they were rescued and were able to play the gig.<br><br>
The next morning we headed east into Germany to Isernhagen, a town just outside of Hannover, where the record label M.i.G. has its offices. We were looking forward to our first show in Germany, but were disappointed to hear that the attendance would be low because two German soccer teams were playing that night in the international championship in London.<br><br>
But there were about 70 that attended, and they struck me as the ‘hard core’ blues rockers. A couple of them had the first Left For Dead CD’s that I had made and sold to a German mail order catalog before I signed the deal with M.i.G. We were not prepared for multiple encores, and only played two. Next time we will have 3 or 4 up our sleeve.<br><br>
The venue in Isernhagen, the Blues Garage is owned and operated by a guy named Henry (we nicknamed him Baron von Henry), who built the venue in an industrial warehouse that he was using to store his massive American car collection. He has a neat old Cadillac limo and a Cadillac branded mobile home, among other things. He struck me as part Dale Chihuly, who almost obsessively collects all kinds of strange items. The stage is built on top of a ‘67 Caddy, and the soundboard is housed in an old Pontiac. We stayed at his “Motel California” where he lives, which looks like a traditional motel, but is only for bands. I haven’t seen a better collection of rock and blues memorabilia outside of Seattle’s Experience Music Project!<br><br>
Each room was decorated with a dense collection of guitars, posters, amplifiers, movie projectors, etc. all of which worked. John stayed in the “Southern Rock Room”, decorated with paraphernalia from Dickey Betts, Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet, and Chris got the “Drummer’s Room”.<br><br>
The motel lounge was done up in Victorian style, with huge stuffed chairs and ornate cabinets. It was crammed with Rolling Stones mementos, posters, snow globes, throw pillows.<br><br>
And a snifter of brandy...<br><br>
Rising early, and having breakfast in Baron von Henry’s 1950’s diner room (complete with an extensive model fire truck collection) we hit the autobahn and headed back to the Netherlands for an afternoon gig in Assen. Assen is a cute little town, and we played in a bar that has been under the same ownership for 35+ years. The matron of the place lives upstairs, and fixed a nice dinner for us. She had an old jukebox with 45’s from the 50’s that Chris and John thoroughly investigated.<br><br>
Sunday afternoon gigs start around 5 or 6 pm. They are a bit tougher to play, especially when we don’t get enough sleep the night before, but this one went smoothly.<br><br>
The next day we drove to Baarn to do an interview and performance for a radio show. The weather was nice, so we hung out in a cafe where coffee turned into beer...<br><br>
That night after the radio interview, we headed back to Anko’s place and slept until 11 AM the next morning. We decided to take the train to Amsterdam and visit the Rijksmuseum, where there is a great collection of 16th century paintings, including a huge Renoir.<br><br>
Getting a late start, we didn’t hit the museum until about 2:30, and just as we were about to see the huge Renoir, the alarm went off and we had to clear the building. I suppose it was a drill, because they let us all back in in 30 minutes, but not before we could snap a few pics out front.<br><br>
A bit tired from 6 shows in a row, we called an audible and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express on the outskirts of town so we could sample an Argentinian steakhouse and stumble through the city at night. The town was bustling with tourists, and it was fun to wander the city streets and canals.<br><br>
Back at HQ, we were pleased to hang out with some of Anko’s band members, and we sampled some fine Whiskeys. We slept like bags of rocks...<br><br>
On Thursday we drove south to Belgium. The rolling countryside and steep hills made Verviers visually a contrast to the flat Holland landscape. That night we played “Spirit of 66”, a blues rock venue that has been around for awhile. Notables such as Walter Trout, Joe Bonamassa and Government Mule have gigged there. The stage was great, complete with a big PA and lights. Being a weeknight, and also challenged with the fact that this was the French part of Belgium (all of our press had been in either Dutch or German), the attendance was sparse but engaged.<br><br>
One of the best breakfasts was waiting for us though- French pastries! Oh yeah. I finished all the chocolate croissants...<br><br>
Originally we did not have a gig on Friday night, the 31st of May, but fortunately we ran into Liesbeth val Hal at the gig in Dordrecht. She asked if we needed to fill any dates, that she knew a place in Oss... So we got lucky and played a nice little club called The Machinist, which was right by the train station. Thank you Liesbeth! Also, we stayed at the nicest hotel of the trip there- Hotel de Weverij. I wanted to ship the cool purple chair in my room back to the states. Some day all of the hotels should be that nice! The place was packed and we were happy to play three sets, remembering some old stuff we used to play in our side project, The Quantum Mechanics. This was also the first club we played where everyone was smoking... ughhh....<br><br>
Saturday found us heading south and east to Zeeland (locals are quick to point out that Holland is to the north) in a town we played the last time around called The Lane. Tired from the night before, we headed straight to the hotel to take a nap before sound check. Apparently, this was a faux pas, the owner of the club Jaap took this as an insult, and came and unceremoniously woke us up. So much for our nap...<br><br>
The Lane is a cool little place run by a single family. They have a performance hall behind the bar and a blues club with enough members to support international acts. Great stage and PA as well. I have to say, for me this was the best gig of the tour. We had worked out all the kinks at this point, and had a nice array of hand signals and cues for dynamics and song ending punches. We even pulled out the James Brown “hit it and quit it” five-punch! Hahaha...<br><br>
The next day was pretty nice outside (most of the trip was cloudy and rainy- like Seattle weather) and it made the drive north to Spijkenisse beautiful. We saw with our own eyes how the sea on one side of a dike, and the land on the other, some 30 feet or more below sea level. Creepy!<br><br>
Our last show, not too far outside of Rotterdam was in the Cafe des Fles, a quasi-biker bar. It was a lot like the Machinist- small stage, lots of smoking, but everyone had a great time.<br><br>
It seems like once we hit our stride, the tour was over. The next trip will definitely have more shows, so maybe we can really do some damage as the tour progresses.<br>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/3385422013-03-03T06:40:00-05:002013-03-03T06:40:00-05:00Deep Deep BlueWell, 2013 has started off with a bang! I am releasing my next album, Deep Deep Blue on May 7th. It feels good to finally release DDB - I think I twiddled with it for too long. That's what happens when you do most of the work yourself... Thanks to John Kessler (bass, producer) for pushing me to get 'er done! I think there is alot of good stuff on there- more songs in the Spaghetti Western style - "Bandit Queen" and "God Forbid," a nice slow blues tune that has an edge - "Deep Deep Blue," some funky blues "Feeling Good Now," some Americana vibe "Wishing Well" and "Shanks Akimbo," a couple of tongue-in-cheek pieces "The Waiting" and "Satify You," and a few covers of GREAT songs - Bob Dylan's "Meet Me In The Morning," Freddie King's "Palace of The King" and Lou Reed's "Sally Can't Dance." Thanks to Lukas Nelson for playing "Meet Me In The Morning" at a show in Seattle- I never thought of that songs in more of a blues/rock context. I took his version and then poured some gas on it. It's hard to deny the fun of Freddie King's boasting in "Palace of The King." And who would have thought of doing a Lou Reed song on a blues album? Hahaha... It is so fun to play that one.<br><br>
I hope everyone reading this will get the whole album - there are so many sides to it. Sometimes I think my albums might be too eclectic, but isn't Led Zeppelin IV? My favorite albums take listeners on a journey. It's hard to listen to 12+ songs that all sound the same. Gets tiring to the ear. Maybe this is where my ADD is a plus?<br><br>
I have had lots of time to wrote more new soings as well, and I have 9 or so ready for the next CD. I am pleased to say that the next album will be produced by blues heavyweight Tom Hambridge. He has done the last few Buddy Guy records, George Thorogood, Susan Tedeschi, and wrote a few tunes on ZZ Top's new album El Futuro. He has won multiple Grammys... Thsi should be fun to say the least! Stay tuned for more info about this one...<br><br>
All is good here in North Carolina - I am playing more and more shows, and the Harley enthusiasts are sniffing around... The weather is nice, and WOW, what a great place to really DRIVE your car - windy roads, and ebveryone drives really FAST!! <br><br>
LOOKOUT.<br type="_moz">Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/2118142012-09-10T03:05:00-04:002014-08-27T15:03:51-04:00North Carolina Blues<span style="font-size: larger; line-height:140%;">So it’s been a year since I moved to Chapel Hill from North Carolina. I lived in Seattle since the summer of 1990. That was the longest I have ever been in one place. <br><br>
It all started in Washington DC. I was born there back in ’66 on the 4th of July. I have absolutely NO memory of DC, since we moved to Cincinnati in ’68. I spent my childhood years there in a great stone house on 5 acres. Mostly woods, all hilly. I remember the trees, the plants, the ivy. The swimming hole, the schools, the Big Wheel, the Tony-the-Tiger bowling set. Watching TV on Saturdays – Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Gomer Pyle, Star Trek.<br><br>
Then when I was 10, my parents divorced and I moved to Philadelphia with my Mom and my new step-dad. We lived there for 18 months. It was good to be so close to my Grandparents on my Mother’s side. “Mother and Daddy W” we called them. <br><br>
Then we moved to Houston Texas for 18 months. Talk about culture shock. Magnified by the southern twang of Texas “kickers’ – cowboy hats, drawling swagger. We had our own swimming pool. In Texas, I discovered the guitar. A friend of mine turned me on to rock ‘n’ roll. Ted Nugent, Kiss, The Who, Rush, Foghat, ZZ Top! Bell bottom jeans, Gass shoes, strobe lights and fuzzy black light posters. I smoked my first joint and went to Astroworld amusement park. Crazy days. I used to sneak out at night and meet my friends on our bikes and walk around the Houston Galleria mall when it was being built. I wouldn’t want my kids doing that these days! My neighbor had a trampoline and a guitar, and I helped wear them both out.<br><br>
Then in the fall of ’79, we moved to Indianapolis. I called it Indianoplace. It seemed so small after Houston. But I found a great guitar teacher, and he showed me scales and barre chords and distortion. But the people were very nice. I made good friends, and had a moped. I was free moving. Those were the days.<br><br>
For 10th grade, I had the opportunity to go to prep school in Connecticut. I didn’t want to go, didn’t want to leave my friends, but I knew that very few of us get these kinds of opportunities, so I went. Tore my mom’s heart in two. <br><br>
I was there for three years and got to see New England. Boston, Hartford, NYC. It was cool! I made some great and close friends, got to play lots of music. Saw the Greatful Dead play “St. Stephen” in Hartford. Turned in my homework and even went to class occasionally. <br><br>
Then out to LA. Well, not really LA, but San Bernadino about 1 hour east. College. I knew I wanted to just play guitar, but thought I ought to get my shit together and learn something. I found sociology and philosophy interesting. I made the dean’s list my last few years. After four years there, I moved in to LA, mid-Wilshire area. Lived with the “Dust Brothers” – friends form college. Adam Yauch lived in the same building for awhile. I tried to find a good band, but it was all about the image. I have (had) terrible hair. In the summer of ’90 I heard the Mother Love Bone EP, “Apple”. It resonated heavily with me. It was REAL music. Wow. I drove up to Seattle and stayed for 2 weeks. It was great, so I moved up there.<br><br>
So I really have relocated quite a bit. I have kept in touch with my friends from Cincy and Indianapolis. They have a different perspective on life having lived in the same place. They have long lasting deep friendships. But they haven’t quite seen all I that I have. <br><br>
Touring with Sweet Water and Second Coming showed me the other nooks and crannies of the US. I have been in all 50 states. Played gigs in something like 48 of them. Eaten the best and the worst food. City centers and strip malls, movie theaters and coffee shops. Stinky bars and frat houses. Disneyworld and Disneyland. Great intelligence and absolute ignorance. When you get exposed to a good cross-section of people, you realize what works for you and what doesn’t. <br><br>
One thing’s for sure, I have moved around a lot. Staying in Seattle for 21 years was a long time. I felt like it was time to turn the page, to start a new chapter. I wanted to show my wife and kids some of the diversity I experienced when I was younger. I also wanted my teenage girls to have their own sink. And Seattle certainly changed a lot since I moved there. It got more crowded and expensive. It’s tough to make things work on a musician’s wages. <br><br>
I did some great work in Seattle. Things I am very proud of. I made excellent friends. But at a certain point in the last few years, it seemed like the progress stopped. Sometimes to grow you have to get out of your comfort zone. We only get to be on this planet for a short while, so don’t stagnate. “When we stop changing, something in us starts to die” were the words of Leto to his son Paul Atrades in Dune by Frank Herbert. Somehow I always come back to that. BTW, Dune is one of the most creative books of any genre. Go read it. <br><br>
People ask me why I moved the family. It’s hard to answer in one minute.<br><br>
It’s been tough this first year. Though the teenagers have made fast friends and are doing as well in school as they ever have, my wife is homesick. We have a great house – your housing dollar goes A LOT futher here, so we have a great <b>big</b> house. 6 bathrooms. Gotta vacuum the closet, mow the yard, pull the weeds, blow the leaves. Twice the size, twice the work. <br><br>
The trees and creatures are plentiful and there is much more sunshine, so that’s nice. We have deer, turtles, frogs, lizards, squirrels, foxes. We spend a lot more time outdoors. Screened porch, volleyball in the yard.<br><br>
But people have never heard of Dudley Taft, blues/rock guitarist. “Uh, can I play a Wednesday night?” It’s tough starting over, but give me a couple more years. There are more markets to play within driving distance than there are in Seattle. I have my work cut out for me.<br><br>
But the good news is, I have another album finished! Yay. I think you’ll dig it. But now the industry has changed. People aren’t buying music much anymore – they’re streaming it. So now instead of playing shows to promote your album, you’re making an album to promote the shows. It’s all good. But you may see me release a bunch of singles, THEN an album. That’s the new paradigm. The music industry has been slow to change, so part of it is dying. Whatever. I just play the guitar, keep my head down and roll with the changes.<br><br><br><br><br><br></span>Dudley Tafttag:dudleytaft.com,2005:Post/1742892012-06-02T11:55:00-04:002019-09-22T04:51:14-04:00Netherlands Adventure 2012<span style="font-size: larger; line-height:140%;">Netherlands Adventure – January 2012<br><br>
For American musicians a tour of Europe is quite like a trip to the ‘promised land’ – There is an old running joke you tell after a poor showing at a gig “Well, they’re BIG in Europe.” And of course the David Hasslehof head scratcher – “He’s HUGE in Germany?!” Who would have thought?<br><br>
In my last band, OmniVoid, we even made a poster making fun of being BIG in Europe: <br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857615.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br>
The text below the photo says silly stuff like “Who the hell is OmniVoid?” and “I hate American music! If this is not a polka, I will not listen to it! These people are stupid!”<br><br>
All jokes aside, most American musicians hope/dream/scheme of touring the EU.<br><br>
So, I got lucky. My label is German, so how hard could it be? Well, not easy, that’s for sure, even with a record deal. I was turned down my numerous booking agents. Why would they take a chance on some band that may suck? Luckily, I was just finishing the mixes for the Live at Highway 99 DVD, and posted some vids on YouTube privately that an agent could use to help get gigs. I figure, once I get my foot in the door all will be good!<br><br>
So I luckily found an agent in Holland that was willing to give me a shot. He used the videos, and got some great gigs. Not many- just 8, but a start. <br><br>
Part of the difficulty of making such trips is that the costs are high to get there in the first place- my airfare was $750, my bass player, John’s was around $850. Then we have to rent a vehicle, rent some gear, pay for hotels on the nights we aren’t playing, pay for food and super-expensive gas, etc… The costs are really quite high. The Dutch do pay well for their live music, so on this first trip our goal was to cover the costs, or break even. Then, on subsequent trips we could stay longer and perhaps start to make some decent money, and get some greater exposure. The first trip is really an investment, and a test to see if it will work. Did we bring the right stuff, did we anticipate the expenses reasonably?<br><br>
One really lucky break came in the form of “superhero” Ralf Reichen of Tonehunter amps and effects. He is someone that my friend Randy Hansen discovered in Germany that makes super-high-end amplifiers and effects pedals. He is trying to grow his business, so it makes sense for him to sponsor touring artists, so that people will see them playing his amps. So not only do I have free gear, I have about the best free gear you could ever hope to get! (And let me tell you, after playing his amp the whole tour, I was blown away- it may be the best sounding amp I have EVER played.) <br><br>
So the first stop was a visit to Cologne, Germany (or Köln as it is known in German. BTW, it took me awhile to figure out how to type umlauts!) I met Ralf and his wife Kristin and employee Tobias. They helped me ready my pedalboard with a couple of his pedals and a few of mine.<br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857733.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br><br>
Ralf was also nice enough to lend me his Tokai Les Paul for the tour (sweet!)<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857737.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br>
After getting the gear all set, he took us out to dinner at a nice traditional German restaurant, where we had some great beer and schnitzel! That night we stayed in a small hotel run by one of Ralf’s friends, which was fantastic because there was a convention in Cologne that day, and the hotels were all booked.<br><br>
Speaking of hotels – there’s a bit of an adjustment for an American who is used to big rooms and beds. The places where we stayed all had small beds and small rooms. Reminds me of living in a dorm… It was actually really cool – we didn’t need big rooms, there were so many things to do, places to go, people to see.<br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857732.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br><br><br>
The next day we headed back into Holland, to Arnhem, where we were to practice with our Dutch drummer, Mr. Theo Thumper. 20 + songs in 5 hours? Can we do it? Yeah, sure. The beats are not difficult, but our arrangements are. You have to chart them or memorize them. We don’t do the standard 12 bar blues thing. You gotta know our songs.<br><br>
We would have like to have taken one of our American drummers with us, but financially it was not doable on this trip. Lucky for us, Theo drove himself and his gear to all the gigs. Thanks Mr. Thumper!<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857735.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br><br>
Our hotel near Arnhem was right next to a McDonalds, so we McDrove over there to take a look and meet an unusually friendly Ronald…<br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857797.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br><br><br>
The next day we drove to Enschede, where the first gig was scheduled. I met my main man, Bernd Ramien there at the hotel. He is the guy who brought me to the MiG label. He has his own label with his friend Dr. Rock, called Dust on the Tracks. They do mostly progressive rock, so Bernd thought I would do better on MiG’s String Commander label. We work closely together to bring my flavor of blues to the world…<br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857867.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><i>Dudley and Mr. Bernd Ramien</i><br><br>
He set up an interview with Nineke Loedeman and photographer Jan Van Eck in the hotel.<br>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WEvz-D8rLw It was great to get the word out at the beginning of the tour. No doubt in my mind that Nineke’s press helped attendance for the rest of the tour.<br><br>
Why did my label guys have to come to the first show!? Why couldn’t they wait until we had worked all the kinks out? Oh jeez… Luckily, the first show turned out well. It was at Café Rocks in the city center of Enschede. A small bar, but seriously packed to the gills… It was a great way to start the tour.<br><br>
The next show was interesting because it was in a smaller village called Sint Michielsgestel, which means “St. Michael’s Castle.” There used to be a castle there, but most of it was torn down to build a convention center, except for the Church, which is still there – and that’s where we stayed. (Nicest hotel of the trip.)<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857734.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br><br><br>
In Holland they have gigs on Sunday afternoons. I was a bit skeptical that people would actually show on a Sunday, but no worries. The attendance was almost to capacity on both of the Sunday shows we played. This first Sunday show was in Wageningen – home turf of my booking agent, and at the Club XXL which has had a great many blues artists play there. I knew the audience would be a bit more ‘educated’ if you will. Sometimes that can work against you if you lean to the rock side of blues rock, but the crowd held, and bought almost all of the t-shirts I brought with me. The dude that paid me the money after the gig asked if I had an XL t-shirt, and there was one left, which he took without paying for… so that must be a compliment!<br><br>
Here’s a pic from the show – I stood up on one of the bass bins, and whacked my head when I jumped back down (note to self: check clearance before climbing anything!)<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857869.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><i>About to bang my head in Wageningen</i><br><br>
The next two days, Monday and Tuesday we had off, so that we could travel to Hannover and meet the record label staff and do some promo work. We drove into Germany again, enjoying the raging autobahn. Well, we really only went about 140 kph, which is about 87 mph… Fast enough for us. I had my iPhone with me, but set it to airplane mode and turned off data roaming so that I would not rack up a huge phone bill with Verizon back in the US. I did have some great music on there, and John and I listened to some old Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grapelli.<br><br>
Here we are coming into Hannover: <br><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ULcSETe9ol4" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <br>
We had a great time hanging with the MiG staff. They took John and me out for beers and dinner, and only made me sign 200 CDs… I did an interview with Uli Kneip from the national radio station NDR, channel 2; He has a blues show on the weekend. Getting prepped for my first tour of Germany…<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857872.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br><br><br><br>
Wilfried Pinnau, me and Manfred Schütz of MiG Music<br><br>
Our next gig was down in the southeast corner of Holland, in Zeeland. A little town named Oostburg. There’s a family run bar with a performance room called Penny Lane. <br>
For a Wednesday night, we did not expect much of a crowd, but were pleasantly surprised. This was one of the clubs where the owners have built rooms for artists to spend the night.<br><br><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A2DrrQc9L0g"></iframe> <br>
The next day, we stopped by a little town called Breskens on the ocean to check out the dyke. Not too big of a dyke, but cool to see nonetheless. We kept trying to figure out if the town was lower than sea level.<br><br><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3RObisJlOWs"></iframe> <br>
We then drove into Almelo for a great gig that night at Dr. Rock, a new venue that just opened in December of 2011. The proprietors, Anko and Helga were charming, and we stayed in a little apartment above their garage. This video was shot the next morning, after we messed the place up!<br><br><iframe width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t8MPh_zcMtM"></iframe> <br>
Our next stop was Dordrecht to play the Jazzpodium. They put us up in the very nice Hotel Dordrecht, like many building in Holland, it was old and had an interesting history. It was all explained nicely on the placemats, but I can’t for the like of me remember what it said. More coffee, please…<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857871.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><i>Oh crap, where’s my hat? – Breakfast in Dordrecht</i><br><br>
The venue was just on the edge of the city center, where you cannot drive your car. Cobblestone streets surrounded us with throngs of people riding their huge Dutch bikes.<br>
On one side of the club sits this huge church, built sometime in the 1500’s. It is leaning about 6 feet to the left… yikes!<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857966.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><i>Church in Dordrecht</i><br><br>
The Jazzpodium is run by guys who love jazz, and I am sure have an affinity for the blues. But I got the feeling that a blues rock band scares them a bit. They have a security measure in place for LOUD bands, and it looks like an old prop from the Starship Enterprise…<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857967.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><i>The decibel meter will cut stage power of you are too loud!<br></i><br>
I think my Mom wishes she could have had one of these babies back in 1980…<br><br>
After the staff discovered that we really weren’t that loud they turned the thing off. It most certainly would have shut they power off when the crowd did this:<br><br><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NgrebD6OzwM"></iframe> <br>
The next day, John and I had some free time before we headed to Oude Meer, so we walked around the city center and took a few pics.<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402858010.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><i>Street in Dordrecht</i><br><br><i><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857968.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br>
Super-old building from the early 1600’s<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402858006.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br>
Canals of Dordrecht<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402857965.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br>
Check out the cow on top…<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402858007.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br>
The Dutch like to ride BIG cruisers…<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402858003.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br>
Dordrecht Spaceport with transport to Alpha Centauri, and Orion’s Belt…</i><br><br>
Then we drove by the Schipol airport for the next gig at The Shack. At this point, I was a bit worried that my voice would give out. I am used to playing weekends, and have not ever done 5 shows in a row. Even though I sounded a bit ragged in the mornings, I think I was getting more and more in shape. Gotta do the vocal warm-ups though; thanks to Sue Carr and her Art of Screaming DVD!!!<br><br>
The Shack was a cool little joint. I loved the décor…<br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402858002.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><i>Stage at The Shack in Oude Meer</i><br><br>
Now we were coming down the home stretch. Only catch is we wouldn’t be able to take a little nap before sound check, as the Sunday shows start at 5 PM. Gotta power through it…<br><br>
Our last show of the tour was in Geleen, in the south western part of Holland, not too far from the German boarder. Like many of the other places we played, this was a family run bar that had a small flat upstairs for the bands. The proprietors, Gabi and Skinny really had a great stage there. Killer light rig, big PA with subs, separate light and stage power. They video’d the whole gig. The Netherlands YouTube vids on my page are from this gig. The place was packed; I am pleasantly surprised by the initial turnouts. Blues Rock is alive and well in Holland, I might even say thriving. It was such a great pleasure to do this tour, and I am patiently awaiting the next one, and the next one, and the next one…!<br><br><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x5fO5ped0e8"></iframe> <br><br><img src="//pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1819/9926494/17928571/402858115.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><i>Harm painted a picture of me…!</i><br><br></span>Dudley Taft