roadblog - Canadian tour 2018 pt. 1
Canadian Tour - Day 1
(07/03/18)
Boarded my flight to Montreal at Schiphol airport, Amsterdam. Captain’s name is van Velzen, who’s supposedly remote relative Robin is currently fixing the last details of his solo album release on 9pm Records. Few minutes ago I had a fb chat with someone from Poland about booking a couple of shows for my upcoming little tour out there. Another few minutes prior to this I exchanged some notes re. the artwork of my new album, which is currently being mixed by Frank Mollena in Nuremberg, Germany. This is all getting somewhat confusingly international. This whole DIY business with all it’s pros and cons has begun to take so much time that I kind of lost track of the pleasures of touring and a lot of the things that are reason for what I’m doing in music. It’s straining. It adds to the physical exhaustion that comes with a tour. Just can’t see how to get out of this. Maybe there is no way.
Canadian Tour - Day 3
(09/03/18)
Good idea to start with an off-day in Montreal at my friend Briga’s place. Basically a day of fixing things that broke on the way in, buying stuff that stayed at home and running around on this windy, snowy day. All plans visiting places I always wanted to see blew and went awry. Instead I had the opportunity to visit a truly Quebecois hardware store to buy a screwdriver and screws from a grumpy man and an amazing hat shop on Saint Catherines, the Henri Henri, purchasing a navy hat from what I would rate the best hat salesman I met so far. This is how a hat shop has to be like. And a hat salesman. No less.
Before getting on the Greyhound to Peterborough I read a post some places in Nuremberg are opening their terraces/patios this coming weekend due to +16°C and sunshine. While I’m here worrying if my coat will be enough to survive in this still snow covered country. Particularly as the presumably really cold places are yet to come. Spring is something different I’d say but fortunately for now temperatures are comparably mild. Not like those -15°C in Prague last weekend playing with the Holycopters. Looking forward to meeting Wax Mannequin, Jenny Omnichord/Bird City, Sean Conway and all the other great folk from that last Canadian tour 2016. Excited to perform the new material.
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Crossed the Missisippi river on my way to Peterborough. The first moment here that made me feel - like it did the first time - “Alright, now I’m here. Now I’m finally in that vast country on that big other continent.” The difference on this tour will be the distance. This time it’ll be further west. This time it’ll be all the way to the end of it. Coast to coast. More or less.
Couldn’t help a little smile at Ottawa bus terminal. Two obviously retired men in security guard uniforms security-checked all us passengers. They had the time of their lives I bet. Once in their lives being customs officers. Or something close at least. Dream come true. For some reason they didn’t check my instruments or bags, maybe I didn’t look threatening enough. Was tempted to ask what this was about… fear of Quebecois invading Ontario? Or … Fins? In a funny way they were more German than German customs officers. Or more Swedish than Swedish customs officers… no, that’d be too much. No one can be as Swedish as Swedish customs. In a stern tone I was advised to move my trolley sideways to make it a straight cue. If experience hadn’t taught me life get’s a lot more complicated making stupid remarks in situations like this I’d have loved to make them.