January 2011
Showing posts with label tour diary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tour diary. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Toronto
1/14/11
We leave Brooklyn at 7am to try to beat the blizzard descending on New York. It snows the whole way to Toronto but we manage to stay ahead of the storm and we make it over the border with time to spare. We are all a little skeptical about driving 10 hours to play a show at this tiny club but when we get there I ask the promoter if he has a hot tub and HE TOTALLY DOES! YES! It really does pay off to ask everyone you meet on tour if they have a hot tub. He promises that we can go soak before the show but that we HAVE to stick around the club for dinner. It turns out that the club is in the basement of an amazing rustic-gourmet restaurant run by a bunch of incredibly handsome Toronto hardcore dudes. AND as luck would have it they are all big fans of the band and they really want to cook us dinner. AMAZING. We are served a whirlwind of gorgeous food all introduced by the equally gorgeous chefs who hover around us attentively as we eat. Swoon! We have bone marrow, calf liver pate, pork shoulder confit, little pumpkin raviolis and an entree of seared ELK LOIN served with whole carrots and foraged mushrooms with dark greens and beets. WTF. So rugged. So Canadian. So awesome. After dinner, as promised, Mark takes us back to his place to soak in his hot tub and play in the heated pool. It rules. We roll back to the club for the show and it is super packed and everyone is really enthusiastic. The crowd is pressing up into our space in the corner and I think I maybe hit someone in the face with my headstock cuz it is so crowded. We were gonna try to get a head start and leave for Chicago that night but Mark insists that we stay with him and we decide that we might as well continue to take advantage of his excellent hospitality. We wake up super early the next day and take off, and I drive for hours across the flat northern plains listening to Earth while everyone else sleeps in the back.
Parts and Labour
Toronto, Canada
January 2011
1/14/11
We leave Brooklyn at 7am to try to beat the blizzard descending on New York. It snows the whole way to Toronto but we manage to stay ahead of the storm and we make it over the border with time to spare. We are all a little skeptical about driving 10 hours to play a show at this tiny club but when we get there I ask the promoter if he has a hot tub and HE TOTALLY DOES! YES! It really does pay off to ask everyone you meet on tour if they have a hot tub. He promises that we can go soak before the show but that we HAVE to stick around the club for dinner. It turns out that the club is in the basement of an amazing rustic-gourmet restaurant run by a bunch of incredibly handsome Toronto hardcore dudes. AND as luck would have it they are all big fans of the band and they really want to cook us dinner. AMAZING. We are served a whirlwind of gorgeous food all introduced by the equally gorgeous chefs who hover around us attentively as we eat. Swoon! We have bone marrow, calf liver pate, pork shoulder confit, little pumpkin raviolis and an entree of seared ELK LOIN served with whole carrots and foraged mushrooms with dark greens and beets. WTF. So rugged. So Canadian. So awesome. After dinner, as promised, Mark takes us back to his place to soak in his hot tub and play in the heated pool. It rules. We roll back to the club for the show and it is super packed and everyone is really enthusiastic. The crowd is pressing up into our space in the corner and I think I maybe hit someone in the face with my headstock cuz it is so crowded. We were gonna try to get a head start and leave for Chicago that night but Mark insists that we stay with him and we decide that we might as well continue to take advantage of his excellent hospitality. We wake up super early the next day and take off, and I drive for hours across the flat northern plains listening to Earth while everyone else sleeps in the back.
Parts and Labour
January 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Londontown
12/14/10
Kate and Margot and I sleep in at Luke's while Frankie goes off to do a solo photo shoot/interview at some ungodly hour. Luke tries to get me to eat marmalite on toast for breakfast and I hate it, but I love his cozy kitchen and adorable flatmates and the lovely mug of tea and toast with jam that I end up with. We toss our bags in the van and head to the studio to meet up with Frankie and record a couple of songs for a radio spot. It is a gorgeous sunny day and the band is super tight from 3 weeks on the road so we totally nail the tunes. Luke and I sit around drinking tea and putting strings on two busted up acoustic guitars that someone brought us for the in-store we have scheduled next while the rest of the girls track their vocals. Margot and Kate and I goof around outside singing and feeling the English Christmas vibe while Luke brings the van around and Frankie runs off to do another interview. We load the van back up and dash off to the club to soundcheck before we head back out to do this Christmas party in-store thing. We are starving by the time we actually find the place and we drop off the guitars and go for fish n chips at a super posh place around the corner. Then we have plum pudding and mulled wine at the store and bang out 3 songs unplugged style for a crowd of holiday shoppers as Frankie Rose and the Oats, our secret acoustic jam band alter-ego.
Fa la la la la
London, England
December 2010
12/14/10
Kate and Margot and I sleep in at Luke's while Frankie goes off to do a solo photo shoot/interview at some ungodly hour. Luke tries to get me to eat marmalite on toast for breakfast and I hate it, but I love his cozy kitchen and adorable flatmates and the lovely mug of tea and toast with jam that I end up with. We toss our bags in the van and head to the studio to meet up with Frankie and record a couple of songs for a radio spot. It is a gorgeous sunny day and the band is super tight from 3 weeks on the road so we totally nail the tunes. Luke and I sit around drinking tea and putting strings on two busted up acoustic guitars that someone brought us for the in-store we have scheduled next while the rest of the girls track their vocals. Margot and Kate and I goof around outside singing and feeling the English Christmas vibe while Luke brings the van around and Frankie runs off to do another interview. We load the van back up and dash off to the club to soundcheck before we head back out to do this Christmas party in-store thing. We are starving by the time we actually find the place and we drop off the guitars and go for fish n chips at a super posh place around the corner. Then we have plum pudding and mulled wine at the store and bang out 3 songs unplugged style for a crowd of holiday shoppers as Frankie Rose and the Oats, our secret acoustic jam band alter-ego.
Fa la la la la
London, England
December 2010
Friday, June 10, 2011
Glasgow
12/12/10
We drive North to Glasgow and understand less and less of what people say to us at rest stops along the way. The sky darkens and birds fly south. We get stuck in traffic and almost die of boredom. I drink the Wodka from Hamburg straight from the bottle and earn the nickname "Old Iron Balls" which I quite like. We are playing at Nice and Sleazy, where I remember going with Andrea 10 years ago when we were in Glasgow. Strange. It takes us forever to get there and the energy is kind of off the whole night. The promoter thinks I am the merch girl which is totally annoying but his jolly nature and incredibly thick Scottish accent kind of make up for it. I talk to a guy after the show who offers to buy me a drink but is confused when I ask for a Scotch and tells me that this bar has great White Russians. He wants us to come to some 80's dance party after the gig but we decline and head for the Etap instead. We want to go see Harry Potter in the theater next door but it is too late. There are drunk girls in tiny dresses and cheap platform shoes and too much makeup tottering around this Etap and we have to switch out of the first room we get because it smells like vomit. There are stains on the wall of the next room and when I pull the covers back on the bed I freak out because THERE IS A PLASTIC SHEET ON THIS BED!!! Turns out I just pulled too many sheets back but it still seems totally creepy. We fall asleep trying to get Kate to appreciate Zoolander on Frankie's laptop and I have strange dreams.
The Shire
12/13/10
We spend the night in an apartment above a club in downtown Manchester and are looking forward to sleeping in and hanging out the next day, but instead we are woken up by the proprietor banging down the door super early in the morning to kick us out. We have breakfast at the restaurant downstairs and are planning on going to the Salford Lads Club but soundcheck in Sheffield has been moved up to 4pm and we have to go.
We drive through the countryside and the light flickers through the clouds and herds of sheep dot the hills and it looks just like All Creatures Great and Small. I see hobbitholes everywhere and entertain myself taking pictures out the window of the van. We are so happy to have the ipod dock in the van back and Frankie DJ's from Luke's ipod and we listen to Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush over and over again.
Jolly Old England
December 2010
12/13/10
We spend the night in an apartment above a club in downtown Manchester and are looking forward to sleeping in and hanging out the next day, but instead we are woken up by the proprietor banging down the door super early in the morning to kick us out. We have breakfast at the restaurant downstairs and are planning on going to the Salford Lads Club but soundcheck in Sheffield has been moved up to 4pm and we have to go.
We drive through the countryside and the light flickers through the clouds and herds of sheep dot the hills and it looks just like All Creatures Great and Small. I see hobbitholes everywhere and entertain myself taking pictures out the window of the van. We are so happy to have the ipod dock in the van back and Frankie DJ's from Luke's ipod and we listen to Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush over and over again.
Jolly Old England
December 2010
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Crouch End
12/11/10
We drive through the night into England at last. Luke picks us up at the studio in the patched up Duchess and guns it as soon as we touch down on British soil. He is thrilled to be back on the wrong side of the road. Driving into London in the wee hours of the morning is exciting and familiar and it feels so good to be heading for Luke's house and not another Etap. We drop Frankie and Margot off at Frankie's friend's grandmother's posh pad downtown somewhere and head for Crouch End. We unload the spare beers and our bags from the van and grab falafal from the place on the corner. The comforts of home are trancendantly good, if only for a night. We stay up for hours listening to records and drinking beer and shooting the shit while Kate drifts in and out of sleep on the floor. I sleep on a too-short couch and wake up early to tea and toast and a walk to the charity shop down the road where Kate scores an AMAZING felt jacket and red sweater that she wears for the rest of tour. Luke whips up a hurried version of the proper English breakfast he promised us and it is freaking delicious except for the cultural misunderstanding over the proper way to cook bacon. We pick up Margot and Frankie and Luke takes us across Abbey Road before we head north to Manchester.
Come Together
Abbey Road, London UK
December 2010
12/11/10
We drive through the night into England at last. Luke picks us up at the studio in the patched up Duchess and guns it as soon as we touch down on British soil. He is thrilled to be back on the wrong side of the road. Driving into London in the wee hours of the morning is exciting and familiar and it feels so good to be heading for Luke's house and not another Etap. We drop Frankie and Margot off at Frankie's friend's grandmother's posh pad downtown somewhere and head for Crouch End. We unload the spare beers and our bags from the van and grab falafal from the place on the corner. The comforts of home are trancendantly good, if only for a night. We stay up for hours listening to records and drinking beer and shooting the shit while Kate drifts in and out of sleep on the floor. I sleep on a too-short couch and wake up early to tea and toast and a walk to the charity shop down the road where Kate scores an AMAZING felt jacket and red sweater that she wears for the rest of tour. Luke whips up a hurried version of the proper English breakfast he promised us and it is freaking delicious except for the cultural misunderstanding over the proper way to cook bacon. We pick up Margot and Frankie and Luke takes us across Abbey Road before we head north to Manchester.
Come Together
Abbey Road, London UK
December 2010
La Mode
Somebody buy me these Louboutins....
Paris, France
December 2010
Silver Screen
Paris, France
December 2010
Vivienne Westwood Realness
Paris, France
December 2010
Frankie
OUI
Paris, France
December 2010
Goodbye Amazing Alice in Wonderland Alexander McQueen Dress that made us all look like Veruca Salt in the Garden of Earthly Delights I promise I will never forget you....
Paris, France
December 2010
Paris, France
December 2010
Paris, France
December 2010
Don't fuck with Kate Ryan she will slay you with radness....
Paris, France
December 2010
THE MARGS
Paris, France
December 2010
Silver Screen
Paris, France
December 2010
Vivienne Westwood Realness
Paris, France
December 2010
Frankie
Paris, France
December 2010
OUI
Paris, France
December 2010
Goodbye Amazing Alice in Wonderland Alexander McQueen Dress that made us all look like Veruca Salt in the Garden of Earthly Delights I promise I will never forget you....
Paris, France
December 2010
Paris
12/9/10
We emerge from the catacombs in a daze, blinking against the light and the huge snowflakes floating down from the sky like tiny crystaline parachutes. Everything is covered in a thick blanket of snow and soft grey light and I feel a deep peace coming out of the cool wet boneyards. The alter of human remains tunnels deep into my psyche and soothes my raging heart. Deep underneath the city of light the boundaries of our bodies dissolve and everything is still. We are all equal in death. And it is snowing in Paris! LIFE IS AMAZING.
12/9/10, cont.
We tromp across boulevards and skirt narrow side streets until we reach the Seine and Notre Dame. The slush has soaked completely through my boots and my feet are wet and freezing cold but I don't care! The giant Christmas tree is ablaze in front of the cathedral and the snowflakes keep getting bigger and bigger. My receptors are wide open and my energy is humming and I feel calm and safe and perfectly balanced on a string of magic moments. I lean against the great portals of Notre Dame and let it wash over me. Inside the cathedral is yet another world, old and beautiful and sad and imposing and filled with majesty and utterly convincing in its godliness. I light a candle for my mother at the feet of Joan of Arc and reach out for some shared life force, tangled and violent and brutal and anchored with tender moments unspoken by history. There is a choir of angels singing somewhere - literally, I can't tell where it is coming from - and I think I would give ANYTHING to be here to hear the great organ bellow. I cry a little bit and step back out into the snow.
Our Lady
Notre Dame de Paris
December 2010
A Snowy French Ryan
Paris, France
December 2010
12/9/10
We emerge from the catacombs in a daze, blinking against the light and the huge snowflakes floating down from the sky like tiny crystaline parachutes. Everything is covered in a thick blanket of snow and soft grey light and I feel a deep peace coming out of the cool wet boneyards. The alter of human remains tunnels deep into my psyche and soothes my raging heart. Deep underneath the city of light the boundaries of our bodies dissolve and everything is still. We are all equal in death. And it is snowing in Paris! LIFE IS AMAZING.
12/9/10, cont.
We tromp across boulevards and skirt narrow side streets until we reach the Seine and Notre Dame. The slush has soaked completely through my boots and my feet are wet and freezing cold but I don't care! The giant Christmas tree is ablaze in front of the cathedral and the snowflakes keep getting bigger and bigger. My receptors are wide open and my energy is humming and I feel calm and safe and perfectly balanced on a string of magic moments. I lean against the great portals of Notre Dame and let it wash over me. Inside the cathedral is yet another world, old and beautiful and sad and imposing and filled with majesty and utterly convincing in its godliness. I light a candle for my mother at the feet of Joan of Arc and reach out for some shared life force, tangled and violent and brutal and anchored with tender moments unspoken by history. There is a choir of angels singing somewhere - literally, I can't tell where it is coming from - and I think I would give ANYTHING to be here to hear the great organ bellow. I cry a little bit and step back out into the snow.
Notre Dame de Paris
December 2010
In the Great Hall
Notre Dame de Paris
December 2010
Our Lady
Notre Dame de Paris
December 2010
A Snowy French Ryan
Paris, France
December 2010
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