Oh hey.
SO we had a bit of a crazy time in Wales. A bit of a crazy time. It all started as we were driving in to Cardiff, feeling mighty proud of ourselves for successfully repairing an amp in London and then making it to Wales on time, and all for a reasonable price! The first guy we see in Cardiff, on the outskirts of town, he's wearing crazy purple shoes, and looks like kind of an odd bro. I jokingly say, 'so THAT's what a welshman looks like!'. 20 minutes later we walk in to the venue, and who is sitting there, but our welshman with the purple shoes. WHat?? How did he do that? We never got a chance to speak with him....but little did we know we would see him again the next day...in much less fortunate circumstances. I thought he was a good omen, now I think he might have been a bad one...as far as omens go. If you believe that hogwash!! Which I do.
We played a smooth show at 10 Feet Tall in Cardiff, then decided we needed some fish and chips comfort. According to our handsome sound man, we needed to hit Dorothy's, a chippy who's been there since the dawn of time. So I'm hunkering down guzzling my Scotch egg and curry chips (YES I AM), when who should saunter over but Rollie Pemberton (aka Cadence Weapon), a man from our very own home town of Edmonton. Um!! SO we're all hugging and stuff, when some more canadian sounding hipsters stumble out of the chippy with curry chips. I realize it's Japandroids- Dave used to live in my apartment and I still get his mail. Curse!! Actually he's just registered his address change so that doesn't happen anymore thanks Dave! SO anyway, the magnitude of this- Running into buddies from Canada in the middle of the night at a random fish and chip shop...well! THat's something isn't it? Turns out we'll see them all again at Primavera next week.
The next morning we leave our host's house only to find our van has been broken in to. BLehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. THe side window is smashed, and they've stolen a bag full of pedals (the gear, fortunately, is still safe and sound in the back). The window has been covered up by a good samaritan named Peter who left a note for us with the police contact info and saying he was very sorry this had happened to us. We waited for cops, got the full CSI fingerprint dusting ordeal on with, and as we're watching all this happen...WHO should show up but the guy in the purple shoes!!! He just saunters by!! WHAT?? Bad omen, I tell you. But then, we go back to try and find our previous night's host, who seems to have left in the meantime...when a voice from the apartment below asks us if we are Hot Panda. Turns out it's Rob from Los Campesinos....who just played in Vancouver at the Electric Owl where Heath works. He helps us out with his internet and a dustpan, plus shows us how to get to the music store. Crazy!!
We took off to get the glass repaired....in the back of our minds thinking we're not going to make it to Liverpool tonight...but somehow we do, we make it 20 minutes before we have to play, borrow a whole bunch of gear...play...and......we made it! we made it. we have triumphed through the crap, again. And had some very strange run ins!
And ate scotch eggs and curry chips. Yum!
Too tired for words.
Hot Panda
Friday, May 18, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
So this one time, in England, I fell in a river. Twice.
Pip Pip everyone. Pip Pip!
We've been on the old Island for nearly a week now. Jolly jolly pip pip ho! Yes they all talk like that here, and frankly, friends...it's contagious. Pip!
Ummm, but getting real. Our island life began in Brighton- a lovely seaside town if I do say so myself- at the Great Escape Festival. We got to hang out with lots of Canadians...weird seeing your Saskatoon and Edmonton buddies in Brighton of all places, but there it is. Had a great Canada blast party with the Sheepdogs, Slow Down Molasses, Born Gold, and Jordan Cook. Got day drunk! Ate japanese food! had tea by the sea and gossiped about minor Canadian celebrities, and it was Good! We didn't get a ton of time there, but we did manage to make some curry with our host Liam and watch the Mighty Boosh. Everybody look at the moooooon!
We played in Norwich next. Everybody told us it would be scary. Actually, it was lovely. We played in an old Church, on top of graves and corpses galore! Great stuff. Plus every single staff member there- from the sound guys to the bartenders, were the most attractive venue staff AS A WHOLE to date (no offence other bars!!). But damn. That was some attractive staff! Just sayin'.
Next came paradise. I am lucky enough to have the best family ever. My sort of aunts and uncles own a bunch of holiday cottages in Whitby, and donated one to the panda cause during our 3 (MUCH NEEDED) days off. We're talking a hundreds-of-years-old fisherman's cottage by the sea in Whitby. Picturesque as fuck. We were plunked right down by the bottom of the 199 steps that lead up to the ruined Abby on the cliff where Dracula lands in England in the story. First things first we get treated to this massive curry dinner courtesy of best family ever. Then we sneak up the cliff in the middle of the night, scale the wall to the Abby, and have the greatest mischevious panda bonding session ever...drinking red wine while looking down at the lit up town, up at the stars, and out over the ocean. It's hard to describe how quiet and amazing it was, sitting under all that abandoned stone...i think there were some photos taken...we'll have to get those up here soon.
The next day we walked several kilometers down the beach down to my other uncle-ish's pub at Sandsend. Now, we, as Edmontonians...we dream of fish and chips but we never realize what we're truly missing as land-locked prairie kids. Now we know. Now we know. This fish, according to Iver, was probably still wriggling as of that morning. Battered in golden delight, it sat there...making us silently weep for what we never knew we didn't have. Mmmmmm. Best fish and chips ever. Best family ever!! After that meal we all passed out and didn't wake up till the next day....we probably needed that.
The next day we went kayaking on the river Esk. I fell in twice. I don't want to talk about it really, except that my abs hurt today from all the hysterical laughing I was doing as I rowed back to the docks soaked to the bone and fending off a menacing swan with my oar....Um!! We ate more delicious food, tried to find ghosts in our cottage to no avail, and jammed with some pretty cool teenagers in an old Vickerage. Not bad, for a holiday!
Well our time in paradise is up...time to return to the world of rock and roll, which brings us to Exeter tonight, at the Cavern pub, which is where i'm sitting now! About to rock!
We should go, but we love you. We really do!
XHP
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Bye Continent!
Dear continent of Europe, goodbye! Today we set sail (on a train under the sea) to a little island that is still technically part of you but nobody refers to as 'The Continent'. As we leave your incredible hospitality and mischievous charm behind, we'll wipe the dewy tears from our hot cheeks....Oh ok. We're gonna miss it. Not like the UK isn't great, so looking forward to Brighton tomorrow, but man.....you were good to us, Continent.
Our last couple of shows were interesting...I was so excited to see Munich but we were so wiped by the time we got there, and the venue was kind of on the outskirts of town, and had band apartments above it...I'm ashamed to say I saw nothing of Munich except what was out the van window. So lame!!! I'm not about to be a complainer....but come on, one night in Munich, and you have to work?? Sometimes being a musician isn't fair :(
We then had a relaxing night off in Cologne, all of us again completely wiped, which was nice...us and our host Tommy watched Alfred Hitchcock movies and talked about American politics, and it was all very refined. We actually did manage to get out and see the Dom that day...then crawled back into our sleeping bags shortly after haha!
The Ghent. Oh Ghent, with your incredibly charming old buildings, canals, impeccably dressed hipsters, and delicious looking bistros where you get to make your own meatballs (yes this is a thing- and it's called Balls and Glory!!!). We were so unlucky inside of you... Yeah although the show went reasonably well, the club was cool and the town is, as previously mentioned, gorgeous...we had a bit of a set back when Heath snapped the headstock on his guitar, then I crushed my middle finger in a bathroom stall door (don't ask), then Heath got really sick (food poisoning?). Lucky for us though Ghent is also full of the nicest folks in the world apparently. Our sound guy Lieven (of the band Wax Dolls.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUBjJlROXKc yup!!!) was kind enough to LEND US A GUITAR FOR THE REST OF THE TOUR. I say this in all capitals because....WHAT??? Clearly we're not in North America anymore Toto!!! A man we had just met gave us his guitar in total trust, saying that musicians have to look out for one another and he hoped someone would do the same for him. Um!!! So kind, I was bowled over. Not only that but he took Heath's guitar in to the shop to get fixed while we go...we'll exchange them back later on our way to Spain. Crazy. So Crazy. My finger's a little better, too. So!
And last night in Paris was so great. At first I was a little unsure if anyone would come, since it was a holiday....but in true Paris form the kids started rolling in around gig o'clock, and thus the night began! Saw my lovely friends Maggie and Arno (pretty sure I'm spelling this wrong, sorry buddy!) an old Edmonton expat and her lovely Parisian husband. Mags it has been much too long. Spent most of the night snuggling with her little dog Charlie, which pretty much made my life! And randomly a slew of old improv friends happened to be in Paris so spent the night catching up with people I haven't seen in far far too long!! So nice, plus the kids seemed to enjoy the show, which, despite playing in a cage (i had to play in a cage!! ack!!) was really really fun. Gotta come back here sometime soon...
And with that we're gone! No more bread and cheese for breakfast, but I think I'll live!
Adieu tout le monde, until Spain...
XOXOXPANDA
Our last couple of shows were interesting...I was so excited to see Munich but we were so wiped by the time we got there, and the venue was kind of on the outskirts of town, and had band apartments above it...I'm ashamed to say I saw nothing of Munich except what was out the van window. So lame!!! I'm not about to be a complainer....but come on, one night in Munich, and you have to work?? Sometimes being a musician isn't fair :(
We then had a relaxing night off in Cologne, all of us again completely wiped, which was nice...us and our host Tommy watched Alfred Hitchcock movies and talked about American politics, and it was all very refined. We actually did manage to get out and see the Dom that day...then crawled back into our sleeping bags shortly after haha!
The Ghent. Oh Ghent, with your incredibly charming old buildings, canals, impeccably dressed hipsters, and delicious looking bistros where you get to make your own meatballs (yes this is a thing- and it's called Balls and Glory!!!). We were so unlucky inside of you... Yeah although the show went reasonably well, the club was cool and the town is, as previously mentioned, gorgeous...we had a bit of a set back when Heath snapped the headstock on his guitar, then I crushed my middle finger in a bathroom stall door (don't ask), then Heath got really sick (food poisoning?). Lucky for us though Ghent is also full of the nicest folks in the world apparently. Our sound guy Lieven (of the band Wax Dolls.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUBjJlROXKc yup!!!) was kind enough to LEND US A GUITAR FOR THE REST OF THE TOUR. I say this in all capitals because....WHAT??? Clearly we're not in North America anymore Toto!!! A man we had just met gave us his guitar in total trust, saying that musicians have to look out for one another and he hoped someone would do the same for him. Um!!! So kind, I was bowled over. Not only that but he took Heath's guitar in to the shop to get fixed while we go...we'll exchange them back later on our way to Spain. Crazy. So Crazy. My finger's a little better, too. So!
And last night in Paris was so great. At first I was a little unsure if anyone would come, since it was a holiday....but in true Paris form the kids started rolling in around gig o'clock, and thus the night began! Saw my lovely friends Maggie and Arno (pretty sure I'm spelling this wrong, sorry buddy!) an old Edmonton expat and her lovely Parisian husband. Mags it has been much too long. Spent most of the night snuggling with her little dog Charlie, which pretty much made my life! And randomly a slew of old improv friends happened to be in Paris so spent the night catching up with people I haven't seen in far far too long!! So nice, plus the kids seemed to enjoy the show, which, despite playing in a cage (i had to play in a cage!! ack!!) was really really fun. Gotta come back here sometime soon...
And with that we're gone! No more bread and cheese for breakfast, but I think I'll live!
Adieu tout le monde, until Spain...
XOXOXPANDA
Saturday, May 5, 2012
The Swiss Family Rüegsegger, and other Swiss tales.
Alright, did I say my mind was blown last time? Well this time, my mind resembles baby food. Mashed carrots or pureed cauliflower...or something mushed and nasty! We drove out of Switzerland today, and I was actually choking up a little. Must we leave? Must we really??
After the show in Zurich, everybody told us all about this crazy venue we were playing the next night, called Bad Bonn. You'll think you're going the wrong way, they said. You'll be driving around in the middle of nowhere, and you'll think Tom Tom has taken you somewhere very strange indeed (she often does...). But just keep going and you'll find it. As we drive up, we realize just how accurate that description was....there's a sign hanging outside the venue cheekily exclaiming "Where the HELL is Bad Bonn?". It's in the Swiss mountains, in the county surrounded by farms and a gorgeous lake. If anyone has played in Canada, kind of similar to the Black Sheep Inn...but there's no town. Amazing hospitality once again, and the list of people who asked me to say hi to the promoter, Dukes, said something about how famous the venue is in this country. We played with this lovely woman, Matana, just her and her voice and her saxophone...she was amazing and got us all worked up and excited when we found out she had played her sax o the last Godspeed record.....coooool. Plus we saw sheep with little bells around their necks, AND we tried green sugar (mint sugar). Someone here told us that if you eat something you've never eaten before you get to make a wish. I'll get to make a lot of wishes this trip!! More about that in a bit though.
The next day was a radio day. We did two acoustic sets, one in Luzern (dairy land wooo!), and one in Zurich on Swiss national radio. This is a big thing for us, because we have never ever ever played acoustically before...um! so we're practicing in the van on our way to Luzern like, what should we play?? But it worked out ok, plus our new album cover made kind of a stir on the National radio- we found out what the german word for tiny penis is...um!!! Schabilis! Funny that that got said in front of 100 000 thousand people...eeee.
That night we got put up by Tatjana and the rest of the Rüegsegger clan. We met her at our Zurich show and her and her family were kind enough to host us the other night. I mean, like I said...mashed potato mind, these guys were so SO nice to us!! We got fed this massive dinner, then played the french card game 'réflexe' all night with the whole family! We learned the word 'coupable' and 'haut les mains' and got really good at slapping piles of cards! Plus Tatjana's mom made this amazing fresh raspberry pie with swiss cream in the middle of the night, which we happily scarfed down with the bottles of wine they kept plying us with...they had the sweetest kitties and we could not have been taken in by kinder people. So crazy. So unbelievably nice. Wow!
Then last night in Nyon, Switzerland, we played a 2000 year old tunnel built for Julias ceasar!! The venue was called La Parenthese and reminded me so much of Zoobizarre in montreal, only actually ancient. Plus everyone spoke french so I didn't feel like so much of an ass...I felt mostly understood! Pretty nice :) Also I tried horse steak with fries and red wine for dinner. Sorry guys but mr. Ed was delicious....It was sort of unbelievable. Met some gallant gentlemen, one of whom worked for the Red Cross and was a former food critic....we had lots to talk about! I left feeling rosy in me cheeks....that's for sure!
SO like I said, it was hard to leave Switzerland today...
Literally and emotionally...Literally as in Heath got swabbed for drugs at the border into Austria!! We were all sweating buckets but they let us go anyways...heh.
Ok, well I gotta go! See you soon!
XOPANDAS
After the show in Zurich, everybody told us all about this crazy venue we were playing the next night, called Bad Bonn. You'll think you're going the wrong way, they said. You'll be driving around in the middle of nowhere, and you'll think Tom Tom has taken you somewhere very strange indeed (she often does...). But just keep going and you'll find it. As we drive up, we realize just how accurate that description was....there's a sign hanging outside the venue cheekily exclaiming "Where the HELL is Bad Bonn?". It's in the Swiss mountains, in the county surrounded by farms and a gorgeous lake. If anyone has played in Canada, kind of similar to the Black Sheep Inn...but there's no town. Amazing hospitality once again, and the list of people who asked me to say hi to the promoter, Dukes, said something about how famous the venue is in this country. We played with this lovely woman, Matana, just her and her voice and her saxophone...she was amazing and got us all worked up and excited when we found out she had played her sax o the last Godspeed record.....coooool. Plus we saw sheep with little bells around their necks, AND we tried green sugar (mint sugar). Someone here told us that if you eat something you've never eaten before you get to make a wish. I'll get to make a lot of wishes this trip!! More about that in a bit though.
The next day was a radio day. We did two acoustic sets, one in Luzern (dairy land wooo!), and one in Zurich on Swiss national radio. This is a big thing for us, because we have never ever ever played acoustically before...um! so we're practicing in the van on our way to Luzern like, what should we play?? But it worked out ok, plus our new album cover made kind of a stir on the National radio- we found out what the german word for tiny penis is...um!!! Schabilis! Funny that that got said in front of 100 000 thousand people...eeee.
That night we got put up by Tatjana and the rest of the Rüegsegger clan. We met her at our Zurich show and her and her family were kind enough to host us the other night. I mean, like I said...mashed potato mind, these guys were so SO nice to us!! We got fed this massive dinner, then played the french card game 'réflexe' all night with the whole family! We learned the word 'coupable' and 'haut les mains' and got really good at slapping piles of cards! Plus Tatjana's mom made this amazing fresh raspberry pie with swiss cream in the middle of the night, which we happily scarfed down with the bottles of wine they kept plying us with...they had the sweetest kitties and we could not have been taken in by kinder people. So crazy. So unbelievably nice. Wow!
Then last night in Nyon, Switzerland, we played a 2000 year old tunnel built for Julias ceasar!! The venue was called La Parenthese and reminded me so much of Zoobizarre in montreal, only actually ancient. Plus everyone spoke french so I didn't feel like so much of an ass...I felt mostly understood! Pretty nice :) Also I tried horse steak with fries and red wine for dinner. Sorry guys but mr. Ed was delicious....It was sort of unbelievable. Met some gallant gentlemen, one of whom worked for the Red Cross and was a former food critic....we had lots to talk about! I left feeling rosy in me cheeks....that's for sure!
SO like I said, it was hard to leave Switzerland today...
Literally and emotionally...Literally as in Heath got swabbed for drugs at the border into Austria!! We were all sweating buckets but they let us go anyways...heh.
Ok, well I gotta go! See you soon!
XOPANDAS
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
to be treated like gold is a very rare thing indeed.
Well, my mind just got blown.
Last night in Zurich we experienced something we have very very rarely experienced before. The most incredible hospitality known to man? Possibly! So we arrive at the club- called Viadukt, to give credit where credit is due. Waiting for us with a local cheese platter and another one covered in mouth watering meats and fig bread and pickles, and some local beer are the two loveliest hosts we've encountered in our many years on the road, Suzan and Stefan. They actually help us load into the club, and tut tut me trying to carry the heavy stuff. They've arranged and paid for gorgeous spotless hotel for us, and they feed us...they feed a three course meal- the juiciest, most succulent lamb I have ever had covered in fresh thyme, roasted asparagus and polenta cakes....gahhhh.... and oh they've made sure we have all the organic beer and wine and fruit and juice and whatever we want and and and...... The show was great, there was a fire pit outside and the kids nearly bought us out of all the merch we brought. then, they stayed and chatted with us for hours, making sure we had road pops to walk home with. THEN they invited us back for a free lunch today! I ate fried chicken extraordinaire...and this amazing salad well... anyway. I could go on forever about this food, cooked by stefan himself, but...I don't have time! There's this girl playing sax on stage right now at this venue we're at....and I want to go watch.
But first, quickly, holy crap. It's so nice to be treated with respect, and to be welcomed with such incredible hospitality. It's hard to think about going home and touring in North America again after our last three shows in Europe, all three of which have been just fricken great. I mean. I can see why all those jazz musicians back in the day kept coming over here to tour, again and again.
More soon!
XOpandas
Last night in Zurich we experienced something we have very very rarely experienced before. The most incredible hospitality known to man? Possibly! So we arrive at the club- called Viadukt, to give credit where credit is due. Waiting for us with a local cheese platter and another one covered in mouth watering meats and fig bread and pickles, and some local beer are the two loveliest hosts we've encountered in our many years on the road, Suzan and Stefan. They actually help us load into the club, and tut tut me trying to carry the heavy stuff. They've arranged and paid for gorgeous spotless hotel for us, and they feed us...they feed a three course meal- the juiciest, most succulent lamb I have ever had covered in fresh thyme, roasted asparagus and polenta cakes....gahhhh.... and oh they've made sure we have all the organic beer and wine and fruit and juice and whatever we want and and and...... The show was great, there was a fire pit outside and the kids nearly bought us out of all the merch we brought. then, they stayed and chatted with us for hours, making sure we had road pops to walk home with. THEN they invited us back for a free lunch today! I ate fried chicken extraordinaire...and this amazing salad well... anyway. I could go on forever about this food, cooked by stefan himself, but...I don't have time! There's this girl playing sax on stage right now at this venue we're at....and I want to go watch.
But first, quickly, holy crap. It's so nice to be treated with respect, and to be welcomed with such incredible hospitality. It's hard to think about going home and touring in North America again after our last three shows in Europe, all three of which have been just fricken great. I mean. I can see why all those jazz musicians back in the day kept coming over here to tour, again and again.
More soon!
XOpandas
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
EUROPE ONCE MORE
Oh hello, here we are! Blogging again! We're in Europe! Once more!
Landed two days ago via some very convoluted cheapoair routes...Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Frankfurt, Brussels...all of these were hit by at least one panda on our way here. It took us from Friday till sunday afternoon but we finally made it to our friend jasper's house in Amsterdam. it happened to be Queen's night in Holland that night...which basically meant all the british tourists wore orange and got loud and drunk. Change the colours around and remove the cobblestones and canals and you might as well have been on Granville street during the playoffs. After not sleeping for three nights and then emerging from the airplane into that...well it was VERY surreal...seeing jasper and eating at our favourite falafel joint and wandering around was great but didn't real feel real. Actually nothing felt real until I finally slept...then I realized...I am gone!! I don't have to work again for a month! I'm in the middle of fricken idyllic canal-spotted holland which is chalk full of herons and lambs and tulips and windmills...and I don't have to go home for a month!! YES!
Last night we played in Freiburg for a lovely and very forgiving audience (first show in europe= all the gear is broken and you have to work out all the electrical kinks) who made us do two encores despite all the sound blops that kept happening. The hotel last night had heated towel racks, and we got fed schnitzel and snickers bars- so I say we're doing ok, for a start!
Take care all ye friends and fans! Zurich HO!
xThe Pandas
Landed two days ago via some very convoluted cheapoair routes...Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Frankfurt, Brussels...all of these were hit by at least one panda on our way here. It took us from Friday till sunday afternoon but we finally made it to our friend jasper's house in Amsterdam. it happened to be Queen's night in Holland that night...which basically meant all the british tourists wore orange and got loud and drunk. Change the colours around and remove the cobblestones and canals and you might as well have been on Granville street during the playoffs. After not sleeping for three nights and then emerging from the airplane into that...well it was VERY surreal...seeing jasper and eating at our favourite falafel joint and wandering around was great but didn't real feel real. Actually nothing felt real until I finally slept...then I realized...I am gone!! I don't have to work again for a month! I'm in the middle of fricken idyllic canal-spotted holland which is chalk full of herons and lambs and tulips and windmills...and I don't have to go home for a month!! YES!
Last night we played in Freiburg for a lovely and very forgiving audience (first show in europe= all the gear is broken and you have to work out all the electrical kinks) who made us do two encores despite all the sound blops that kept happening. The hotel last night had heated towel racks, and we got fed schnitzel and snickers bars- so I say we're doing ok, for a start!
Take care all ye friends and fans! Zurich HO!
xThe Pandas
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