Road Journal - Michael Katon Tour - 1/23/14

Friday, 1/23/14 – On our way to the first gig of the tour! Actually, we’ve been on our way for some time. We flew in on Monday night – Cyn drove me to the Saline Library, and Sue and Mike took me from there to the airport. Mike was actually driving, which was terrifying – for one thing, he wasn’t wearing his glasses, so he’s half blind, and for another, he’s a bundle of nerves; talking on the phone while weaving around, cursing other drivers. Sue was amused, I was just scared.

Met Johnny “Bee” Badanjek at the airport – more on him later – and we all had a long, punishing flight (well, actually two). The first, to Amsterdam had engine trouble that kept us on the ground for 2 hours! Then, another 7 in the air, of course. The next flight to Dusseldorph was not so bad, a couple of hours if that. We were met by Henny Houben, our old friend, who greeted us with his usual super friendship and hospitality. We went to his new house and were greeted by his old Jack Russell terrier Yoppi – still alive and kicking since my last tour with Mike some 12 years ago! We ate and got some much-needed sleep – indeed, I slept around 12 hours.

The next day, Johnny, Henny and I went out shopping. I wound up buying a spare bass – a Precision Bass copy, made in China by SX and sold in a nice funky Dutch music store. I’d resisted buying 2 basses, but Mike had managed to make me paranoid about not having a spare onstage, so I caved in. And hey, it’s a pretty nice little bass for $170, complete with a travel bag. (Editor’s Note – after the tour Mike actually bought this bass from me and left it stashed at Henny’s house, just in case it’s needed at future gigs. It was nice of him to do that, but you know, that’s the way he rolls.)

Johnny’s needs were a bit more complicated. I was just getting to know him at the time, but I already knew he was a hilarious raconteur and a gifted musician. He’s also VERY concerned about a healthy diet, which for him requires some specialized items. He has to have beet juice (“It’s a vasil dialator!), some organic oatmeal, soy yoghurt, a bag of tumeric and some decaf green tea. We were, after a little time, able to score everything except the tea, which I thought was pretty good. Later in the tour we were to wish that he’d stocked up a little more on all these items, which are NOT easily available in Europe while rushing about from gig to gig! We then went to a few shops to find him reading glasses – he’d left his on the plane – we couldn’t find anything up to his specs (sorry), but ended up compromising on a basic pair.

Next day was supposed to be our travel day, but things went wrong. We drove, with our Tour Manager Tanya (more on her later as well), first to one city to visit Manni, our former Tour Manager who’s now doing the booking for Mike. It was great to see him!! He’s living in the very interesting house he grew up in – a strange, rambling place covered with Manni’s extensive rock memorabilia from his decades in the business. We had tea with him, his girlfriend and an associate, Tanya worked with him on various paperwork we needed, and then we had to go.

The Helltown Blues Band, with Todd Perkins, Tour Manager Tanya Williams, Michael Katon, and Johnny "Bee" Badanjek. And coffee.

 By now it was getting late, and raining. We hit very bad rush hour traffic, but finally made it to “The Gates To Hell!!” This is a Rock & Roll equipment rental place of some considerable size that we’d negotiated with for the bass amp and the drum kit. A quick check of everything, some more inevitable paperwork and into the van it all went.

But by now it looked like our plan to catch the ferry to England was gonna be impossible! Tanya conferred rather frantically with Manny over the phone, and they decided on the course of action we’d have to follow – drive the miles back to Henny’s, catch a couple of hours sleep if possible, then get up at 3 A.M., drive to Calais in France, take the ferry there, and thence to Newcastle!

And that’s what we’re doing now. Not sleeping enough was a drag, dealing with customs was a REAL drag, getting on the ferry in the pre-dawn was also a drag. But we’ve made it so far, and hopefully we’ll be rockin’ the joint in Newcastle! Now if only Mike would write out a set list – but nah, that would be too much to expect

Once More

There's something about coming back to this page that's strange and embarrassing...I'll say "Oh yeah, here I am back to the blogging" and then 10 or 15 years go by...but I have some really good excuses. I had intended to be posting fascinating information about my last tour with Michael Katon, but found that the tiny keyboard I'd attached to my tablet was woefully inadequate for my typing needs. I really shoulda carried a laptop, I know that now. So instead I sent a pile of quick videos to Facebook, mostly of my hotel rooms and the venues we played (pre-performance of course), and a few things from the tourbus and the very few spots we stopped for the very brief periods we had time off.

Now that I'm back I've had lots of other great excuses not to write, and I've been using them all! Taking care of my Dad, gigs and rehearsals with various bands, my day gig and the various hilarious ongoing dramas of life, plus a good deal of red wine. But it's time to dust the cat fur off the keyboard and get this thing lurching back into a little movement. Good to do, we'll see how well I go keeping it up this time. Since no one apparently ever follows this blog, I have the questionable luxury of writing what ever the hell I feel like without repercussions from the hoi polloi. Hahahahah.

One thing I'll do too is take some of the entries I made from my road journal (written by hand with a pen into a paper notebook, you awful kids, just like a REAL writer) and post them up too. It's well after the fact now, but it should give a bit of an idea of what the last tour was like from my perspective in the back of the bus. And I'll put links to this from Facebook, although I'm under no illusion that anyone will go chasing this page down amidst the constant distraction of political rants and great pictures of kitties. Actually, I prefer the kitties to writing this myself, hence the hiatus!! But for some reason I've gotta get back to this. Once more into the breach, my friends.

New Tour Log

What a few days it's been!! The fates have led me back out onto the tour bus (or perhaps better said the Boogie Train) of my old pal and bandleader Michael Katon. We'd worked together over a decade ago, through 8 European tours over around 5 years, in the late 90s and early 2000s,  but except for a few local gigs we hadn't  been playing together recently. So getting the call was a charge! After this last year, I really needed to get out and play a tour somewhere, and this was just the ticket. Cynthia, bless her wonderful heart, totally agreed and her support convinced me to give it a shot.

Mike and I got together occationally for a few weeks, at his house and over Skype, running over possible tunes and just getting used to playing together. There was some question for a while as to who was gonna fill the drum chair, until he got ledgendary rocker Johnny Bee to come on board! By then there wasn't much time though. After a couple of rehearsals with him and Bee, we packed, said goodbye to our friends and loved ones and climbed onto a Delta flight heading to Amsterdam.

The first flight was looong...not just that 7 hour trip, but due to engine troubles we were in the plane on the ground for 2 hours!! Kinda frustrating. But fortunately the jet as underbooked and we could stretch out a bit, I even commandeered three seats and made a bed of sorts, and had a few hours of what seemed like sleep. Then from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf on a very small jet, and there we were...stiff and very bleary indeed, but OK and glad to see our friend Henny who had come to pick us up.

So here we are. Mike and I got out our axes and played a bit, talked with Henny, ate and drank some of his excellent Belgian beer. Henny is one of the good guys, by the way, an excellent cat that I'd met on our previous travels. A very funny and intelligent Dutchman who is about the size of a standard Sequoia tree. His house here in Beek is very comfortable and a great staging area for us to get it together...tomorrow we'll head out to the music store and get a few things, we'll call  the rental agency and collect the amps and drums, just sort things out. There's a couple of days before we get on the ferry and go to England, our first leg of the tour!! I'm pretty jazzed about it.

Well, I don't know if I'm making much sense, so  I'll stop now. Jet lag is such a strange thing...I thought I'd outsmarted it but here I am awake at 3 in the morning! Back in Michigan it's about 9. I'm gonna try that bed again.

The Frozen North And The Long Route To Southern Spain

So the Arctic Winds, or the Polar Vortex, or the Great Storm Ion, came down upon us here in Michigan and gave us a good paddlin' that's still going on!! It's 4 below zero Fahrenheit out there tonight, and all the cats and chickens are in shelter...the chickens in their heated coop, and the cats here in the house. Last night it was 15 below, with a wind chill of -36. For some reason I checked the temperature in Antarctica at  Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and it was -8, so for a while we were a good deal colder than THEY were!! We're OK though, and it's gonna warm up later in the week...well, I hope so, anyway.

I'm getting ready for my tour with Michael Katon...actually packing stuff up now. It's less than two weeks away!! I'm still doing Skype practices with Mike, and those are going pretty well, although I haven't played with the drummer Johnny 'Bee' Badanjek yet. We'll have a couple rehearsals all together with some luck before we go. Usually I'm pretty sanguine about going out and doing it, and I'm sure we'll be fine...if Mike can just make up his mind which tunes to do!! Thing is he's just got such a large catalog, and sometimes I think he'd like to do 'em all. And who knows, maybe we will.

It's gonna be really interesting!! This tour will take us from England, Scotland and Wales to Germany and The Netherlands; and then into southern Spain. There are rumors of a quick flight into Sweden for a show too! Frankly, with the cold still chilling my bones, lovely Barcelona sounds bitchin' right about now. I'm interested in how everybody will approach this trip...I know I'll have a different perspective than the last one I was on 12 years ago...my musical paradigm is broader, I'm more confident in my abilities, and my goals are different. I want to be more appreciative of opportunities like these that come up, and to try and make every moment, onstage and off, really good. It's quite a gift to get to do this, and believe me, I know that!!  

Here's the entire tour schedule so far (the Sweden date isn't up yet, and may not happen...who knows?). I'll post up any changes!

GB=Great Britain
D=Germany
NL=The Netherlands
FR=France
ES=Spain

fr 24.01.2014 GB Newcastle Blues Club Forest Hall
sa 25.01.2014 GB Kinross Green Hotel Backstage - Scotland
so 26.01.2014 GB Skegness Rock & Blues Festival
mo 27.01.2014 GB Oxford Jericho Tavern - Famous Monday Blues
di 28.01.2014 GB London 100 Club
mi 29.01.2014 GB Wolverhampton Robin 2
do 30.01.2014 GB Chislehurst Beaverwood - London
fr 31.01.2014 GB Sutton Boom Boom Club - London
sa 01.02.2014 GB Darwen Library Theatre - Darwen (Lanashire)
so 02.02.2014 GB - TBA
mo 03.02.2014 GB - TBA
di 04.02.2014 GB - The Talking Heads - SouthHampton
mi 05.02.2014 GB - TBA
do 06.02.2014 GB -The Buck Hotel Reeth - Yorkshire
fr 07.02.2014 GB Caerphilly Patriot Inn - Wales
sa 08.02.2014 GB Colwyn Bay Park Hotel - Wales
9.02 travel like a muhfuka - UK to Europe
10.02.TBA
11.02. D - Bremen/Meisenfrei
12.02. NL - Boxtel/Eet Cafe
13.02. NL - Spijkeniese/De Fles
14.02. NL - Belfeld/De Hamar (acoustic show)
15.02. NL - Ommen/Calluna
16.02. NL - Roermond/De Weegbrug
17.02. D - Nürnberg/Pegnitzbühne
18.02. TBA
19.02. D - Hamburg/Downtown Bluesclub
20.02. TBA
21.02 FR - Arras/Blue Devils
23.02. NL - Eibergen/De StierFebruary
February 25th - ES - Barcelona - RockSound
February 26th - ES - Monzon - Serjos Zona Rock
February 27th - ES -Madrid - La Boite
February 28th - ES- Basque Country - Donostia - Sala Doka
March 1st - ES- Basque Country - Vitoria - Helldorado

  

A New Year, And High Time Too!!

Man, if you've been reading my posts you all know what's been going on this year...certainly one of the most difficult and challenging ones of my life. Both my parents in hospital for long stays with spinal injuries early in Spring, several good friend's deaths, my Mother's three months of desperate hospitalization and subsequent death later in the year, my wife Cynthia's Mother's death two weeks later...it's been very hard. Combine that with rough financial times (well, you take off work to spend time in the hospital), and the interrelated depression and alcohol overindulgence that seemed to be bound to follow me on this journey...and well, I'm not unhappy to see 2013 leave.

I don't know what's in the future, but I know that I have many choices I can make to improve the world around me. And I want to do that. A wise Zen Buddhist said once, "Every action you take either makes your world larger or smaller". I intend to try for the positive actions! I may not have control over what the world throws at me, but I can try to have control over how I react to it. And I think I can do that...with help from my friends and loved ones, of course. I am fortunate that I have so many who care about me. And that includes you there, reading this! Yeah, I'm talkin' 'bout you.

My next steps are pretty easy to take...getting things together here, taking care of my Dad, readying myself for the new tour with Michael Katon. I got the word on that...we're out in the UK and Europe for 7 weeks! This'll be the first time I've traveled with him in over 12 years, and it should be interesting to see what the perspective of that time will bring to the mix of the road adventure. I can only think it will improve the experience! There may be faster young dogs out there, but we old dogs are wilier...so watch out!

And speaking of Dogs, I'm in the studio this weekend to finish off some demos of original material for the Shelter Dogs next album. I'm sure that when I get back those tunes will be completely unrecognizable in terms of arrangement! Pete and Tom are such wildly creative people, they may take them in unexpected directions. Which is the general idea. Hopefully we can start working with them when I get back. 

And while I'm getting those done, I'll be looking at my next solo project...which I pretty much abandoned last year when everything hit the fan. I'll see what I want to keep and what speaks to me now, in light of everything that's happened since. Part of me has no interest in  the solo thing, but another part seems to think it's important to my life in some deeper way. It's like exploring bits of yourself that you may not be familiar with...uncomfortable but good for you. Like Yoga. Hey, I gotta start that up again too.

Well, you can always tell which posts get started after the second cup of coffee!! If you're still reading this, my apologies for a lengthy entry. But I AM glad it's the New Year, and I'm glad I have such great friends and family, and a chance to make things better for myself and the world around me. I'm gonna give it a shot, anyway!!  Happy New Year and the best to you all.

Cats, Skype, And Readying For The Tour

Early in the day, looking outside at the lovely blue sky contrasting with the white snow on the ground...and realizing it's damn cold outside, and soon I'll be out in it. Well, there's worse fates. I've got work, a good place to live, wonderful wife, and cats all around. I'm not so sure about the cats, but everything else is cool. Oh, OK, I guess they're cool too. When they're not making me crazy.

Had my first Skype rehearsal with Mike Katon last night. That was interesting...I remember years ago thinking stuff like this would be possible and being very excited about it. Jamming with friends in Turkey and Senegal!! Streaming performances from multiple countries simultaneously to the world!! Well, I haven't done that yet, but it was very handy to be able to work on Mike's tunes without having to drive to Hell, where he lives. Not that it's that far from my house, but it does save me in time, gas and the hassle of shlepping my equipment in the snow. And we got a lot accomplished...I think with a regular few of those a week, and with a few times all together in the real world, we'll be ready to kick butt out on the road in Europe and the UK!! I'm looking forward to it.

I still haven't played with the drummer for the tour, Johnny Bee, but I've heard so many good things about him that I'm inclined to feel real good about it. Hopefully we'll have some time to work out grooves together in the next month...there was some uncertainty about whether we'd have a drummer for a while there!! Mike's original guy from the Netherlands had to bail, and there was a period where we thought we'd have to have two drummers, one playing the early part of the tour and one the later. NOT the ideal situation!! So I was very happy to hear that Bee is on for the duration. It doesn't take much time for me to lock into a drummer's groove, but shifting gears mid-tour sounded like a real problem at the time. Problem solved now though.

My next series of problems is just learning all Mike's new material!! He's just released two new albums, and of course wants to promote them at the shows, so many new songs to play with. Now that he's got an initial list, I can concentrate on those songs...and as I've said before, learn them inside out. They're fun songs, too! Really, this should be a great tour. Katon is in fine form and in great shape mentally and physically, and I'm feeling really good about doing it. I still have my reservations about leaving my Dad here, but he's got an awesome support group now and Cyn and my brothers will be around, so I think he'll be OK. Mike is in much the same boat with his Dad too, I think it's interesting that our lives have that parallel. But perhaps it's just that we are rockers of a certain age!

 

I STILL can't get this cat off my lap!!

I STILL can't get this cat off of my lap!! Oh well. There are worse fates than having little beings that think you are great hanging out with you. And it's pretty easy to make them very happy. Not a bad thing. Although when they're all growling at each other around midnight, I often think of making them into a coat. Or a series of hats.

I once again, through the press of busy work and Dad tending, have let the blog slip into disrepair. All I can say is, if you could see the state of the office (and no, I'm not taking a picture) you'd realize that the blog itself looks just fine. A lot of it is also of course the function of depression. I've had that going on a long time at a low level, like walking pneumonia. I can get up and get things done, but only that which I really need to...everything else just has to slide for a while. Unfortunately, with the office it's slid pretty far. As I seem to be on an upswing right now, I'll have to straighten out things while I can...and it should actually make me feel a bit better, too.

Cyn and I had a good Christmastime, against the odds too, this year. I managed to help Dad shop (he loved going out and rambling around stores for hours) and packed his presents...got the tree, hung the wreaths, cooked the dinner, poured the wine. We all seemed to have a reasonably good time! My brothers were both there and in good moods, and we made it through the day in a fairly festive manner, considering everything.

This first Xmas without my Mom was certainly the hardest, I'll admit. There's a huge hole in our family now, one that can't be filled. I spoke of her in a toast yesterday, but I don't know if anyone else would have mentioned what we were all feeling otherwise, which I find strange. But I know I'm a different kind of person than my brothers. Not that any of our feelings are less deep, but mine seem closer to the outside, as if my skin were too thin sometimes. I'm finding that grief is different than I anticipated it to be...somehow I thought I'd have a total breakdown, and then slowly recover. Now I'm seeing myself cruising along, apparently OK, and then bursting into tears when some trigger of memory or emotion hits me, at random times. Then it passes, a bit. Then later, something else sets it off. One thing I know I've inherited from Ma is a very emotional nature. Yeah, I know, not very manly, but such is life and the cards we are given. I'm proud to be her son, and happy to have any part of her character in me as well. I miss her more than I can possibly say.

After the Christmas dinner Cyn and I went to my friend Dave's place. He's battling cancer and just got out of the hospital yesterday (Christmas Day!). Still weak from the disease and the chemo, he was happy to see us...Cyn helped and fixed him up some food, since he didn't feel able to manage that himself, and we brought a pie, which I think he appreciated. He's fighting this as hard as he can, and I hope all goes well with him. After losing two good friends in two years (not including my Mom) I am somewhat alarmed when someone's as sick as this. We'll be over as much as we can, to lend moral support and more pie.

And in the meantime I have a tour to get ready for!! I'm out with Mike Katon again next month, rushing around all over the UK, Western Europe and Scandinavia. What a gas!! I haven't been working with Katon, with the exception of a few local gigs last year, in over a decade. I guess I better re-learn those tunes, huh? Actually, since last time I think he's done at least 4 new albums, so a lot of new tunes too. I really want to be as good as I can for this tour, and I've been getting started with an intensive practice and listening regime to get his material down. I find with music that there's several different levels of familiarity with a composition...there's the initial learning of it, and then the finding of little variations, alternate fingerings, etc., that give you more freedom...and then there's the taking it apart and observing it from all different angles, reshaping it, understanding it on a much different and more complete level, that allows you to REALLY play it. That's where I need to be!! I'm working on it. And music aside, I have to be physically ready for the rigors of the road. Christmas is over...I'm back to the gym, and a healthier diet (I really enjoyed the cookies and the Bailey's, but it's time for a change), and my yoga and meditation as well. I'm looking forward to it!! It should be a positive experience...and I'm currently collecting as many of those as I can.