Belfast and the bell of it all

Got to Dublin on Wednesday afternoon and took a bus from the airport up to Belfast, as usual it was one of my no idea what I am doing adventures but like past jaunts I end up in the right place. There is a fantastic story about the two days that lead up to getting here but I am going to save that one to tell you over tea, coffee or a cold beer (your choice). Yesterday I took a ride out towards the country and went to a folk museum and learned about life in the early 2oth century in Ireland. Set on 173 acres of beautiful rolling hills the museum consisted of about 50 buildings that they had either moved there or reconstructed to original specs. There was a small town center and then on roads out there were farms and country houses. Points of great interest to me were in particular the print shop that a printer was operating for the day we had a very long discussion about the freedom of the press. He showed me the meanings of the symbols worked into the metal of the press that the inventor specifically insisted be part of every press bearing his name. Each press is adorned with a bald eagle, the medical staff, cornucopia, wisdom and knowledge (represented as dragons?). The explanation was that without freedom (the eagle) there would be no medicine, abundance or the distribution of knowledge which aides in wisdom very profound given the state of affairs in the world and how media seems to withhold more than give out. We then moved on to a lighter topic of how the legendary printer Hatch in The States came about having the style of print that he did and how it was influenced greatly by the N. Irish printer of the early 2oth century. (again I will save this for over drinks)
All for now; tonight is Irish drinking night!

Toulouse Lautrec

A trip to the museum is never complete without nudes and who better to be our guide into "sans vêtements" then a diminutive man with a gigantic imagination and a penchant for "being in the right place at the right time" even to risk some nasty viruses. We of course must ease into this journey with the seemingly mundane visions of his poster work which I believe most of you have seen somewhere in your life even if it was just on a dorm wall in a the room of some hip art student burning incense and listening to the Grateful Dead. (not that I was ever that person...) Immortalized in some degree to a more modern audience in the film Moulin Rouge the musical with Nicole Kidman in which he was depicted as a cripple scooting around on the floor. Point is he spent many hours in and around brothels and burlesque establishments they offered a few explanations of this, one was that when using a live subject in a particular state it is best that they be most comfortable in the setting you wish to sketch them so for Lautrec women in repose and sans vêtements why not use prostitutes. Also they believe that he felt a connection with the women on the night based on his own feelings of being an outsider due to his physical limitations and size. All in all it was wonderful to get a full scope of his work and the time and place in history that Paris' social scene was doing at that time. I don't have a favorite work of his but rather a great appreciation for how he has shaped the art-advertising world that we now are immersed and sometimes drowning in, at the least making an art form of the everyday whether it's strippers of a glass of Pernod.

☆Welcome to the Hotel Gabriella!

It was the last night of a 2 month gig for Celebration the Bulgarian dance band so that meant a party in their honor complete with toasts and a low key acoustic jam started by James and his harmonicas. At the end of their show at 2am they packed their gear and as the house lights came up we (myself the dancers and crew) got ready for a party which entailed; getting ice in plastic shopping bags, finding all the random half empty bottles of vodka, wine and warm cans of beer and bringing them all back to the "fun club." Once collected it was a festival of language most of which I just sat back and listened to without understanding a whole lot of what was being said and every once in a while someone would have the heart to translate but as the night went on most tongues turned to English. I eventually went and got my guitar and Chris the drummer got a very small I mean very small snare drum that was only about 8 inches across (they are norm. about 14+) and played with his hands and James and I played some blues. After a time James dropped out and Chris and I made up lyrics to Hotel Cali. about the boat and crew everyone was in stitches and we all went to bed a 6am.
ps. got those new songs up at myspace.com/4strangecourage
I am looking for critique so be critical.
davey t

Wonderland of Finnland

Woke up this morning and I couldn't see out the window, ice my friends...ice and what the ice was obscuring was snow! and tons of it falling in great sheets swirling in the winds around the boat. Now that I have walked into the city Helsinki and have found my usual haunch at a counter in Cafe Java with enough time to take an accurate survey there is a good 15 cm of snow on the ground. I am so very glad that I purchased my new boots before I left (Thanks to Bob at EMS) because I would be boat bound and bored cut off from the world via the wide web. So now I can accomplish the task for the day which is post cards I didn't forget you my friends to the west they will be on their respective ways by the time you read this.
I am posting a couple of new songs that are very rough at mypace.com/4strangecourage take a listen and let me know what you think I would love some feed back. They may not be up until friday so bear with me. Practicing scales has really improved my sense of timing as well as clarified my ability to play lead lines and riffs in between chords and lyrics. I know that I have touched on this a number of times already but it really excites me that there are things that I never could wrap my mind around just a few short months ago in terms of melody and phrasings and speed. Then there is the fact that I have gotten this far (12 years) without any sort of regular practice routine and what that means in terms of possibility. Empire! (to quote Tom Appert)
So as I sit here in the middle of Helsinki, Finnland and think about Philadelphia, Bend, Red Bank, Berkeley Heights, Sea Bright and everywhere in between I am watching dogs frolic in a huge pile of snow 10 ft high and wondering where my next "pile" of fun will come from to frolic in.
Peace out Cub Scouts

The Blue Reindeer Episode

As crazy as the Swedes and especially the Finn's are some are able to actually go the extra mile and notch it up to the point of just nuts I mean raving and I am one. Yesterday brought many new crew members one of which was the cruise director from the Amorella (the last boat I was on if just tuning in), Ulla. She is a studying comedienne that is trying to get back to New York to continue her pursuit of laughter induction. So it's hard to imagine nothing happening when the two of us find some hats in the DJ booth that in and of themselves are comical. The first one is a large nylon bright orange number that is kind of a cartoon knock-off of a "church hat" complete with large gaudy flower in middle the second was a blue reindeer with a huge honking nose and antlers all very floppy in a stuffed animal kind of way. Enter the ham factor, suddenly I am the reindeer pulling the "sleigh" of orange hat lady around the disco at full speed making even the nuttiest and not the most sober patrons look on in horror as if they had been shot and stripped of their "crazy Scandinavian" titles haha great fun!

Beet Salad

There is definitely something odd about a beet salad it's very tasty but with the way that they make it over here it's pink! Funny eating pink it makes your plate a kind of Easter egg experiment with the other colors collected for the meal.
Been dancing more often as exercise is limited and I cannot do push-ups and the like for fear of inflaming my right arm's tendon's like I did last year so for now there is dancing and walking and practicing scales for 2 hours a day. My grade school music teacher always liked to call practicing of music "Empire, building empire!!!" It's fun to remember the lessons that I learn then about practice and such and apply them now as I am still learning how to express myself in the musical realm. I have also been working more on some new music it's more spacious and sparse then some of my older songs, going for a "word picturesque" effect than flat out lyrics. One week left and then it's over the the great green isle for a few days and then home to Jersey.

Financial Panther

Have you ever had the desire to off your land lord when you didn't have rent. if so you can for a nominal fee purchase a panther to kill your intended victim in a very natural and bloody way.
call 555-987-4444 for more details
all billing is discreet.

Feathers for Eggs

Easter in this corner of the world is an odd affair at least to the eyes of a westerner. They have somehow combined the easter bunny and Halloween into one big event with a twist of course. You go door to door with feathers on the end of sticks and then exchange them for chocolate eggs also girls dress up as witches and boys dress up as bunnys haha.
on the music front I have finally got the speed thing down and I am starting to be able to throw cords into solos and such. been having fun with Elvis' "in the ghetto" having the crowd hold out and sing along with the "in the ghetto" echo part (if you know the song, if not look it up) and then the very last time we play conductors and hold the note out for as long as they have air.
I have noticed some things on the street in Stockholm, all of the sidewalks are made with 1 foot squared stones and so you can actually measure how far you walk by how many stones you traverse. oh and they also have braille stones for the blind; for instance if you are getting near a bus stop there will be a line of these stones from the street to the other side of the walk with dots on them and then when you get to where the door of the bus will be when the bus stops the stones have lines towards the bus so ingenious I love it! they have the same around the entrances to the subway stops and at street corners. I will get pictures and illustrate it for you better.
Oh and then there is the culture class that goes on on the boat. Middle aged conservatives and punk metal heads living in harmony while dancing side by side on the dance floor.
haha

Helsinki Town/St. Paddy's Day

"Meet me in Stockholm, baby, where love is found
Take a real slow boat, to Helsinki town
The land of the midnight sun recalls to me
Meet me in Stockholm, were we can be free"
A guy from Texas wrote this song for square and line dancing you should look him up, Angie Meyers, I know how much you love to line dance. Today I got off the boat and walked down the Promenade from the harbor, it is such a lovely day I am almost too hot in my fleece. Finally have fallen into some sort of schedule or at least I began practicing guitar yesterday. I relearned how to play scales and man I have been making a lot of work for myself the way that I was playing them. Let's just say that in 2 hours of practice I picked up considerable ground in my left hand's abilities.
Happy green to all you Irish folk out there I had a lot of Jameson's to remember you all by and we played a full set of Irish songs to boot. Meeting many people from the states I think the count is somewhere between 10 and 15 people I ave met from all over the US. Last night's tally included 4 girls from NYC and 3 guys from Boston all of them up to no good and living up to the stereotype that Finn's can drink us under the table no matter how many shots of Jagermeister you don't do. I am REALLY itching to be home and playing original music I mean this is all well and good over here but there is something about not being able to play whatever you want that kills it for me. I am trying to make the best by practicing and making up fun riffs and solos for "nothing else matters" and "Hotel" which I think I have covered already but I just can't stop laughing when we play those songs.
more to come
davey

Miss the Sunrise When you're up all night!

Friday night when we had off in Stockholm we were put up in the Hotel Columbus a very old hotel that has been in operation for something like 200 years! so very cool. James and I caught some dinner at a very nice restaurant across town and made it back to the hotel by 1 am. I thought I would sleep after a long day and a good meal. haha sooo wrong I was up all night. I was able to catch a nap in the morning after breakfast for 2 hours. Then it was down the hill to the boats again where upon checking in my room wasn't clean yet so I hung out with Jair-Rohm the guy from New Brunswick. I tried to take a nap twice but it didn't take so it was off to play at 10 pm which was a blast we made a good deal of tips and sounded good to boot. imagine that. And still the sleep eluded me I hung out with the dance band after our gig and didn't hit the hay till 4am, two days awake. However I am happy to say that I think that I have found a good thread to start lacing my songs together in an album that will become my first (how many of you have heard that before). For now it's back to jet-laggedness and the odd feeling in the stomach when you're up too long. But honestly you should really catch the sunrise if you are going to stay up all night it makes everything better.

New Home Just Like the old home!

Got on board the new boat and low and behold the old Troubadour is from none other than New Brunswick, New Jersey haha. Just had an hour long conversation about the good ole days (that I wasn't there for) and the list of who's who when you play the name game. For the ones who know about it this guy helped found LoopersDelight.com a place that has at times helped foster that piece of equipment that makes it sound like there are 2, 3, 4 of me while I am playing. SO cool. small world. he live down in Philly now so that may of some music making in the future. more to come
Davey

Halfway there

One last idle hour of nothing to do, so I write to you. Ha! Maybe that’s a new song idea…we shall see. Life at 24 miles an hour might be another as well for you see that is about the speed we travel on an average depending on weather conditions like wind and wave and whether or not we are going to be late to dock. But I digress; you see when I get on the next boat the more illustrious “Gabriella” which is the princess to my “Amorella” on which I have been sailing I will have all day to explore the city of port. Like tonight for example we have a hotel in Stockholm so that we can meet up with sister’s ship tomorrow afternoon.
Last night James and I played one of the most epic sets of music this boat has ever heard we had them wrapped around our little fingers of flying fusion. I got off stage and like I do most nights I tried my luck on the blackjack table, which I was rewarded for triply so I have now made back most of the money I spent on keeping occupied. There has been a melody game we have been playing on stage where I try and work the opening riff of dueling banjos into the solo of every song I have so far worked into such varying titles as Leaving on a Jet Plane, Hotel California, Wish you Were Here and believe it or not Under the Boardwalk no one has caught on as of yet. Got off the boat in Stockholm last night and played soccer in the park with a couple of the guys from the crew, man I am out of shape, although I did surprise myself as to my soccer skills that I learned way back in kindergarten on memorial field in Berkeley Heights. I can still remember playing goalie and being damn good at it for the simple fact that I was bigger than everyone and could jump from one orange cone “goalpost” to the other and stop shots ha. I like reliving childhood in my head from time to time historical daydreaming is what I like to refer to it as.
Thanks for all the comments I will be blogging much more regularly in the coming days, I miss you all and can’t wait to see some of you (haha just kidding). To those on the west coast I am on the way soon, to those down the shore I am amped for daily Anchorage exposure when it’s warm, and to my dear sisters thanks for the historical daydreaming.

Davey

Fantastical Flying Feet

The Entertainment dept. of Viking Line threw us a party last night which was held on the Sauna Deck of the ship. When I say "us" that includes the song and dance crew also on board for the California theme running for the next two months on board all the ships. I don't remember all their names as they are kind of difficult Estonian/Russian names however there are three dance couples and a singing couple all very nice and funny. After donning swimsuits and wetting down in the shower it's into the sauna itself for a very hot half an hour and then into the hot tubs all was good. Well I decide to go back into the sauna and on the way I slipped on the tile floor and jammed my right foot underneath a door spraining my foot pretty badly. Thankfully icing it down right away and being very easy on it I am back to walking and getting off the boat which is why you are getting two posts today. More to come tomorrow.

I now understand Tom Jones

I remember as a kid there was a Saturday morning cartoon "Fog Horn Leg Horn" a rooster that was trying to teach stuff to a kid rooster in training, "I say I say I say comhere boy." One such cartoon was about the rock-star/Elvis rooster that had all the hens in the yard fainting and clucking while he played his guitar and sang. I wouldn't say that any of the women in the pub Sunday afternoon were fainting but there was a group of 15 or so "happy" women who one by one began removing their bras and throwing them on the stage one of which may or may not have ended up on James' head while we were playing and stayed there. Alas I have no photographic evidence to prove the hormonal shenanigans that we were the recipients however multi-generational it ended up being. Suffice it to say Tom Jones makes a lot more sense now that I have passed this test of sorts.

Phi Beta Flintstone

With uggs! and ahhs! They sauntered down the hallway until a few of them came into view they were Fred and Wilma and they were walking tall with clubs and tennis shoes on the hunt in search of beer! First James and I thought that they were British party boys flying over to Sweden to have a ruckus time and lay savage to the Scandinavian water ways but when the four turned into no more than 75 college kids dressed up like the Rubbles and Raquel Welshs (from 1000 B.C.) we had no idea what we were dealing with. When I took a walk at set break they were everywhere with there black spotted orange shower curtain ponchos and sneakers, bone-through-the-nose/head plastic gags, Wilma Flintstone “white rock” necklaces and leopard print “prehistoric” miniskirts. And as if that wasn’t surreal enough there was a crew of Iraqie boys running around taking pictures and loving life on the “outside,” three pieces of a Finnish Heavy Metal Band with no name and in search of a bassist and they all wanted to hear more Bob Dylan and Neil Young. So we gave it to them with mucho gusto ending the set with “Wonderwall” and a very inspired rendition of “Hey Joe” wild solo and all. Life is now complete! Hahaha! Oh and I am thankful for Anchor Steam because Finnish beer tastes like popcorn.

no sleep till Turku!

The general state of mind for most of the young people on the boat is as such; "I'm only on the boat for a week and then I get off for a week so why not have a good time!" so why not have a good time! Today was the change of the guard so to speak for the people working on the boat, sailors, cooks, shopkeepers, bartenders.....etc. Which made last night a very late night for many more than just myself. It all started with the free drinks that were bought as tips by several of the travelers enjoying themselves while we played, and as it would be Jpat doesn't drink so I get two beers. It all works out so well. Then it was to the fun club (where the big bands play) to learn a little more about poker and blackjack from my friend the dealer Mikke. I end up breaking even every time I play so I keep playing. Although I did win 25 Euro from the video poker machine off 20cents. Then on to the disco where four of us hung out with the DJ talking about global politics, the Upright Citizens Brigade, and why "deep house" dance music has nothing on a good James Brown song (it was three against one on that one). After watching all the underage kids trickle off the dance floor we closed the disco and moved into the kitchen/back bar area and partied until 6 in the am. I am happy to say that my jet-lag is now over with but I sleep all day; however I was actually up to eat breakfast which was caviar on toast, soft boiled eggs and jam. mmmmmm. then sleep. zzzzzz.
weather is warm, no ice on the water, customers are tipping well and I am happy.
miss you all.
davey

Silence no more!

Jet lag should have been totally avoided at all costs when the Wright brothers took up the cause of the birds and terradactyls I don't remember being so uselessly tired last year. I mean if they had just given up on the sand and left the crossings of the Atlantic to boats and bottles housing messages I would be playing music for Americans and Europeans crossing between such exotic locales as London, the Canary Islands, Amsterdam and of course tossing cookies to the monkeys on Gibraltar. Instead we rush to cross the oceans as if they are the main drag in town and you see a friend over there by the newsstand on the other side of the thoroughfare and quickly cross to meet them only to realize that you stepped in pooh on the way. That pooh my friends is the very thing we need to get rid of it is the jet-lag of modern day air travel and currently I am suffering from not enough sleep....and I love it.
Nothing crazy has happened yet but I will try tonight and see what happens on the boat of adventure!

Rainin and the singin in it.

Left the hostel this morning in a drizzle got a chance to try out my new boot's water-proof promise. Happy to say that they are impermeable to the elements, so far. The backpack is as well holding up to be a great idea much better than the rolling bag from last year although because it is so large and heavy I am not sure if I should have gotten the smaller one. Getting on the boat in an hour and then its "off we go" will have much time to write but not much internet access for the next two weeks so bear with me if the posts are long winded. I will also be posting some philosophical and political musings on my other blog. theonlyson.blogspot.com

all for now. ta ta

davey

Rainin and the singin in it.

Left the hostel this morning in a drizzle got a chance to try out my new boot's water-proof promise. Happy to say that they are impermeable to the elements, so far. The backpack is as well holding up to be a great idea much better than the rolling bag from last year although because it is so large and heavy I am not sure if I should have gotten the smaller one. Getting on the boat in an hour and then its "off we go" will have much time to write but not much internet access for the next two weeks so bear with me if the posts are long winded. I will also be posting some philosophical and political musings on my other blog. theonlyson.blogspot.com

all for now. ta ta

davey

Rainin and the singin in it.

Left the hostel this morning in a drizzle got a chance to try out my new boot's water-proof promise. Happy to say that they are impermeable to the elements, so far. The backpack is as well holding up to be a great idea much better than the rolling bag from last year although because it is so large and heavy I am not sure if I should have gotten the smaller one. Getting on the boat in an hour and then its "off we go" will have much time to write but not much internet access for the next two weeks so bear with me if the posts are long winded. I will also be posting some philosophical and political musings on my other blog. theonlyson.blogspot.com

all for now. ta ta

davey

Jam at the Angel

Got on stage tonight with the band at Engelen and played some Marley and Cash. Tomorrow night I am getting the set break as well as a couple tunes with the band. all for now it's 2:00 am do you know where your children are?

Stockholm Gets Small

The hostel we are spending the next two days in is called "citybackpacker" amenities include free coffee, internet and a large bucket of pasta to cook for dinner. I got adventurous and made a penne pasta with sliced red pepper, garlic and pine nuts pressed into a balsamic reduction with Grana Padano graded cheese, mucho delicious. I then jumped into my new sleeping bag for a test run and was off to stacking zzz's. Got up dressed for the mildly cold weather and stepped out the front door of the hostel and took a left, not quite sure where the night would take me but excited and well rested from an afternoon nap and meal. Walked down the promenade of shops towards the King's palace and old town and there it was; Engelen! Live music in a bar/venue that has been operating since 1910. On-stage all week is a Swedish cover band going by the name "Van Grogg" with a good mix of modern and classic rock, all around nice guys to boot.
As I walked back to the table service area of the joint there was a blackjack table with a crowd so I decided to stand and watch awhile. Picking up some American accents I asked where they were from and low and behold Sea Bright! Holy shit! The one man "English John" as he said he was know at Donovan's also has a mug at Basil T's ha ha what are the odds (mug 307 or 370 he couldn't remember which). Small world indeed, he knows Jay Rock and the Bowler's and half the cast of characters that make up our small little town on the beach. I made friends with the door man who promised me free admission the next time I stop in as well as meeting the owner and getting his phone number for booking when I have night off. Whew! what a night! Now midnight but more like dinner for you.
Happy and Healthy

The Only Son

Here We Go Again

I want everybody out there to think really hard about where you sit right now. Where are you? Let it sink in. What kind of chair, sofa or sit-upon holds up the rear? That's really all I have for now with the late arrival of my airship from Chicago I am sitting on a hard seat in the B terminal of the Newark Airport waiting for something to happen. soon soon it will and then you will be laughing and I will be happy. I might just have to miss the boat for a good story!