DAY 4-LEEDS AFTER GIG, LEEDS TRAIN STATION ANF PARTING WAYS
So we go off to Leeds Train Station with Marshall and Ed off to London and Me and Bobbo to Glasgow.
We all go to exchange some money in the train staion and this drunkin nut starts hassling bob, asking him for 20pounds-i thought he was gonna urinate on our luggage-very interesting to see how each of us handled the guy-bob didn't know whether to punch his lights out of stare at him, i was laughing at the situation, lucy was gettin nervous and gave him some money to hit the pike and he left.
we say our goodbyes to lucy and get some food at this little pub-type restaurant in the station for tea and burgers.
Ed goes off to hit the restroom which is outside the pub and all of the sudden alarms go off to evacuate immediately-we all look at each other, like what is going on, and this official looking gentleman runs into the pub yelling "GET OUT OF THE STATION NOW, LEAVE EVERYTHING AND GET OUT NOW!"
Shit, we move fast, getting our gear, and leave the station, anticipating in my minds eye the impact of the explosion as particles of brick and debris penetrate my soft tissue, throwing me through solid objects, body parts detaching, all until the last brief moment of total awareness has left-knowing that this is the last existing moment of your life and that it was not totally unusual to end in some terrorist attack.
apparently a false alarm, as some unattended baggage set off the need for immediate safety-Marshall and Bob are huddle behind their own shadows prob. thinking the same as I-and i am also thinking, where is ed-shit, he is in the bathroom-in the chaos he comes strolling down the hallway as the false alarm has cleared us-he was stuck in the bathroom-prob. the safest place to be during an attack.
whew....
hugs and goodbyes to see ed and marshall off.
Glasgow awaits and we are plenty tired...
THE CINEMA SOLORIENS & THE COSMO-DRAMA performance at Victoria Hall
After a warm introduction from Alex-sensitively mentioning that perhaps Sun Ra is watching the performance unfold.
Before the lights dim and my films engage-i tell ed that i want him to start out fast, right out of the gate, sorta rhythmic space-chord-opportunity to clear my mind and to honestly clear out audience members that don't really want to be there-get 'em out!
Booom! We are off! Rocket No. 9! Zoom, zooom, up in the air, zooom!
Nice turn out, the Hall was filled in very nice.
Some moments i really wasn't pleased with the direction the music was going with the films-always tension, my images with sound, musicians playing to my films. i really dig playing with ed (really love when he plays up on his kit with his feet) and my percussive manner of playing just about every instrument i play (even reeds) makes for some interesting moments-some really nice drum and bali xylophone raga went very nice and dug it very much.
Marshall soloed a very pretty, lyrical flute piece.
His keyboard and EVI work was very interesting for the Hall.
Some of my more outre sax solos really fired me up. I really try to set off like i may never play again, that this is it, give all the lung power i have-indestructible!
in the corner of my eye, I see Marshall's affirmed nods as I develop my sound-language, with him, all the while following each note I blow and shape-more fuel for me.
This other interesting moment, which happened in Aarhus was that we got into another space-funk jam that is really not in the plans but just unfolded though Bob's driving guitar chords, Ed picking up rhythms and all just falls in line. great time-all goes by fast and lasts forever.
real warm round of cheers and applause from the Leeds crowd.
i take the mic for q and a from the audience. The Leeds crowd was very sensitive to the imagery-members noticing even specific books in my library featured in Biblioteca Sol Oriens, name dropping Adam McLean and finding the visual language of Alchemy fascinating. I enjoyed talking with the crowd, usually my favorite part aside from the music-may like it even more because it is such a direct moment to connect-i feel the comfort as the planet gets smaller and our collective sensibilities are revealed honestly and with sincerity-so rare now.
LEEDS-VICTORIA HALL, Soundcheck and gig!
Time to set up the gear and get to showing some films and swingin avant-rock.
Wish i could say that the set up went well, the staff was diligent and helpful, but the whole time we were in the UK is was wrought with electronic gremlins.
We kept blowing out fuses in Marshall's amp for his EVI and I could not get my power converter to work-prob. blown fuse which we needed for Bob's effect pedals. So we had and emergency trip to the most impressive hardware, electronics store i have ever been too-clean, organized, helpful staff,and they had the fuses i needed-still they did not work, step up converters didn't work, step downs did not work and i had been completly out of touch with deb and the blog (which is why this is all diary entries from the past)-no internet connection because out batteries went dead. tough.
so bob stocked up on 9volts for his effects and we had to go to the music store for bob to get a inexpensive distortion petal because the amp was a little "off" sounding.
The Leeds crew helped us tremendously, always accommodating and courteous, providing transportation to shuttle us to and fro-and back to Victoria Hall.
SOUND CHECK got off better, ed was way over mic'd but the bugs we could work around and honestly the acoustics in this place were incredible!
Marshall had performed in just about every world-class venue so not much surprises him. Marshall turned to me to say that this venue was a real treat.
DAY 2-Heathrow to Leeds
After a hot and stuffy flight into London, we spilled out into Heathrow airport. I realized I lost my superfine sunglasses that deb made for me in toronto-most likely in carry on baggage checkpoint while going outside for some fresh air w/ bob and ed. i really dug those glasses and feel abit of the bad omen comin on-i just never lose me glasses-abit unsettling, everone assuring me that they are in my luggage somewhere, i know that they were in my coat side pocket and then they were not...shite
heathrow is pretty intense, much like jfk, especially after a long flight the airport seems to flow against you, like you are way out of phase with the space you are presently in. then off through customs and to baggage claim. getting that passport stamped seemed like more questions than i remember, but through with no prob. baggage claim we get our gear and bob goes out of the airport to smoke a fag and can't get back in-security giving him the hassle while we are waiting for him not knowing where he is or if he is waiting on the other side, however if you go to the other side and he comes back to where we were, good luck ever finding each other for most of the day-we got a car ad driver to catch up with-finally he turns up and off to the first breath of fresh air since we g0t to london-her name is sarah, a friendly sweetheart that graciously accepted the challenge to transport us and our gear to leeds.
after introductions and some light banter, more goofin and some roasted eggplant sandwiche, and some much needed coffee to get back in step we were off to car to leeds.
great little van with a snub nose front. sarah had a great cure for all of us in a car full of pressurized cabin addled brains and sleep psychosis sufferers-dub, a cd case full of roots music and fantastic dub.
we skanked our way through the busy highways of london cutting through the rush hour and jackrabbit stop and go traffic arteries and sarah's weighted lead foot. i dozed on and off smiling and enjoying the countryside as we leave london far behind.
we get into leeds and into our hotel where we meet up with lucy, also professional and chaming.
we get our room assignments. marshall and ed in one and me n bob in the other-move our stuff up the elevator (see pic) and move in. get cleaned up abit while lucy picks up a tiny practice amp for bobbo-nice one too, right at the front desk and much appreciated-like an early xmas present (see pic)
That evening we went out on the town to check out Leeds-we met up the Festival Director, Alex King-very nice, professional-top notch! Got to have a much needed beer finally, Stella, though it would be something a little more local but Stella was pretty much what they has and i do love Stella soooo...
We went back out into the cold night to grab some dinner that was set up by the Festival.
The restaurant was called Darbar, fantastic Indian food in a palatial setting.
really great food. during dinner i was really feeling the disconnect for a moment-that instant where you have no frame of reference-i was here one instant and now i am, well not certain where-i could be anywhere. Marshall and i make some eyecontact and start to gabbing. So often Marshall is centering to me. He just knows me so well-how i am eating, job got me down, homesick or when i am learning at crucial times in my life and noticing the signs.
