Summer touring in Oz...

Well folks it's been a nice couple of weeks back here in Australia, a chance to breathe a little after a decent little stretch of shows on the other side of the world. An unforgettable experience as I have said before, but no doubt the Australian coastline will respond in kind in the coming months - it never seems to disappoint. A part of me always feels sad to leave Europe towards the end of the year, but a quick trip to the beach usually settles any lingering doubts about the decision. It's a good place to come home to.

Anyway just a quick email today to give you a look at the upcoming tour dates (below). Melbourne next week, then NSW for the rest of the summer. Would love to see you if you're nearby, would love to hear from you if there's any other places you think I should visit. Because as you may have guessed, I do like visiting places. It's one of my favourite things to do...

Cheers for now, see you out there somewhere...

Renny
ox

www.rennyfield.com
www.facebook.com/rennyfield
www.youtube.com/rennyfield
www.twitter.com/rennyfield

TOUR DATES, 2013-14, CLICK HERE

Till next time, thanks for the memories...

Three and a half months, 40 shows, a bit of recording, two weddings, a whole lot of driving and a few dodgy kebabs and now here I am, back in Australia, a bit exhausted on the one hand but extremely thankful on the other that music continues to give me some incredible opportunities. Still no Kombi van, but these things take time (especially when they become vintage collectors items, who's idea was that anyway? Dear me.). The highlight? Well the people I'd have to say, I love meeting new people. Good people. In different parts of the world. People you barely knew 6 months ago who are now good friends, sure to be a part of your life somehow in the years ahead. The lowlight? Well not to get all TMI on you, but that'd probably be taking a dump beside the autobahn on an old metal toilet with no seat. Come on folks, we've all been there, it sucks. But if that's the worst that can happen to you when you play 40 gigs in Europe, then I reckon that's alright. (Sorry it's just the first thing that came into my head, never question the muse...!)

Sunday night in London was the final show of the tour, a real pleasure to share the stage with some very good friends and share the experience with a good few more who'd made the trip down on a rainy old Sunday evening. In no particular order, thanks to Evanjack, Schrav, Jimmi Nolan, Redvers Bailey, Tom Figgins, Emily Dolan Davies, Diana from Berlin and finally Jay on the desk for a wonderful night of music. Couldn't have asked for a better way to finish the trip! It seems a shame to leave London again in many ways, but Sunday's gig reminded me there'll always be a place for me whenever I return, either as a resident or a visitor. It's a nice feeling to have, a feeling of belonging, of being part of a community, the type of feeling that's not always easy to find when you spend so much time on the road. And it's nice to know that wherever I am in the future, my friends in London will still be a part of the journey, even if we're not always in the same place.

So to round off the tour blog, let me say a final thanks to everyone. And by that I mean EVERYONE who's played a part in the tour over the past few months. Too many to name individually, but rest assured I've made a mental note of each and every one of you as I've been typing this final entry. It's been a heck of a trip, one I'll never forget and not the last by any means. Sooner or later I'll have to stop somewhere sure, put some roots down for a while, but for the time being there's places to see, people to visit, discoveries to be made and music to be shared. In the short term there's also a beach waiting for me in Avalon, where I'll likely nod off for the next week or so before hitting the road again. Will be taking a bit of a break from the interwebs for a while (let's call it some time out to work on the base tan...) but I'll be back with more news soon enough. Till then stay well, keep smiling and keep singing, even if its just in the shower. Or in a toilet beside the autobahn for that matter, that's ok too. A little strange perhaps but completely fine if that's your calling. For those of you who'd like keep track of my whereabouts over the next few months, best to visit the website and navigate your way from there. More dates to come this week...

www.rennyfield.com

Will leave you with a little clip from last week in London, recorded with Evanjack and Redvers in Scotty's basement. Fare thee well folks, fare thee well x

Now I've really lost count, London...

Well folks I've made it back to London, suitably cold and grey for my arrival, although in fairness there was a bit of sunshine for the flight in which gave me a nice view of the Thames and the various famous old landmarks. Not forgetting the London eye-sore of course, that beacon of all things naff tourist. In more recent news, I've just cut myself on a loose razor in my bag for the third time this trip. Whoever invented the phrase "third time's a charm' obviously didn't have this in mind because it's not a charm at all, it's a real pain in the ass. And now as I'm typing I have to hold my right hand in such a way that I don't get blood on the keyboard. Dear me, it might be time to go home and unpack the suitcase for a while. But what a trip it's been....

Saturday I drove up through the mountains of Northern Italy and into Austria (below), where I took a break for a night in Innsbruck. In a moment of blind inspiration / temporary insanity, I decided it would be a good idea to go busking at the Christmas markets. This despite my moral stance against early-onset christmas markets such as these, being the middle of November and all, it's really taking it a step too far I think.... Anyway there I was trying to extract as much warmth as I could from each of the two degrees celsius on offer, and in between the hand rubbing/blowing I managed to sing a few tunes for the people of Innsbruck and other passers by, who were kind enough to shower some affection on me by way of small denomination coins, enough to buy myself some further love handle enhancement for the beaches of Australia, this time in the form of a big old Wiener schnitzel, apple strudel and wheat beer. It's a good thing someone invented rash vests... Still, Innsbruck was beautiful, I could happily live there, no problem. Maybe I could learn the ski jump too. I wanted to be a ski jumper when I was younger, having been inspired my the infamous "Eddie the Eagle" at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, remember him?? What a legend. Such was my determination to follow in his footsteps I actually rang the Australian Olympic Committee to see what I'd have to do. Alas, reality prevailed, as it so often does. But for a brief moment I imagined myself flying through the air, emulating one of my childhood idols, and I still remember how excited that made me feel....



So anyway here I am a musician not a ski jumper (also quite exciting in a far less life-threatening way), in the city this latest adventure started, taking shelter from the cold in a cafe in Bethnal Green, waiting for my Yoga class to start in an hour or so, thankfully in English for the first time in a couple of months... It feels a bit surreal to be honest, hard to believe Europe proper has been and gone. But I haven't really got to the reflection phase just yet, I think I'm still in travel mode. Looking forward to a brief rest when I get home to Sydney, then it's back into it again for the summer. I used to get a bit stressed about not having a proper base, being on the road so much, lacking a sense of place. But I've learned to live with that. And I know that that time will come, it's just not the way things are at the moment. So what's the use in worrying? Better to appreciate the opportunities I'm being granted by the status quo. And know that I'll have a good few stories to tell the grandkids, which is important I think. My own grandparents have set me a pretty good benchmark.

By the way did I mention THIS? I think I did. Sorry to repeat myself, but we'd love to see you if you're in London this Sunday. The big farewell spectacular spectacular. More spectacular than your average spectacular. Can anyone reading this remember the last time I held one of those...? The years go by so quickly. Best make the most of them while we can yeah?

Bye for now... x

Day 50-something, I've lost count, Umbria, Italy

Hello again folks, greetings from a record store in Perugia. Not where I'm staying, but I took a day trip here instead of going to Rome. It seems a shame to be so close to Rome and miss out, but you know by that logic you could do all sorts of things all the time and end up being very very tired (this is the usual logic I live by, hence the expert knowledge on this style of travelling). So for once, I've decided to take it easy for a few days, and accept that there will be future trips to Rome, or maybe not, or maybe somewhere else, but right now I'm enjoying Umbria, a beautiful part of the world in it's own right. Why am I here? Well because of a Yoga class in Avalon, obviously. Because as we all know if you attend a Yoga class in Avalon, you end up meeting someone from Italy, who then becomes a good friend and invites you to stay with her in Gaglioli for a few days (pictured). And you'd have to be mad to pass up an offer like that. Even madder than being 2hrs from Rome and not visiting perhaps...?! Peace. I'm at peace with this decision.

And in addition to thanking my good friend Sara for inviting me to experience Umbria for the first time (and playing flute with me last night!), I must also thank her sister Valentina, who runs a vintage clothing shop in Foligno (Vintageroom Foligno), the venue for last night's concert. I'm not entirely sure how much of my ramblings were understood by the mainly Italian-speaking audience, but I've had a similar problem with English-speaking crowds in the past, such is the nature of my oft-nonsensical banter between songs (although I'd like to think I'm on the improve....). And comprehension aside, it was great to play my first gig in a vintage clothing shop! Why did I have to come all the way to Italy to do that I wonder? I'm not sure exactly, but I'm glad I did. And I'm glad I started going to Rick's Yoga classes in Avalon, for the Yoga and the new friendships. Anyway here I am with the beautiful Trabalza sisters of Foligno/Gaglioli, not long after the show, when we'd all finished having a late night cup of herbal tea. Why drink beer when you can have tea with honey? This is my type of place!

And so that'll do me for the time being, it's been a relaxing few days and a nice little wind-down in Umbria. The picture below is from Assisi, of St Francis fame. A special place indeed. Tomorrow I'm heading north again, back to Berlin, then off to London for the last show of the tour. Would you like to come along? You really should, it'll be awesome. Guaranteed awesome. My very good friends are playing, and I hope to have a few more friends there to celebrate the end of a wonderful few months on the road. Click here if you'd like to find out a little more...

Ciao for now! x

PS - Anyone in Innsbruck tomorrow?

Day 53-4, Trieste

Well no sooner had I left the sprawling metropolis of Ljubljana*, I found myself in the beautiful Italian coastal town of Trieste. And all of 5 minutes later, I was inhaling some of the finest local gelato I could get my hands on, a very dangerous situation when you're yet to visit the chocolate festival being held the same weekend. Regular readers, all 2 of you, will know that I have inherited a very sweet tooth somewhere along the way, the type which is constantly on full alert for anything which may sate my appetite for sugar, even briefly. I won't say Gelato was the main reason I was looking forward to visiting Italy, but on a scale of 1-10 for importance it was sitting comfortably around 15, so I was very happy to find what I was looking for in quick time, albeit with the help of some local knowledge - thanks Nadja! In fact, if it wasn't for Nadja, not only may I have returned to Australia without experiencing an authentic Italian 'Gelateria', but I might never have been able to play a concert in Trieste in the first place. Having previously lived in Marburg (you might remember I was there a few weeks back?**), Nadja had played host to a few different Vondo artists over the years, so when Lena put the call out a few months back Nadja, having recently moved to Italy to complete a PHD, put her hand up to suggest Trieste. And the rest, as they say, is history. (Just out of interest, who says that? Who is the 'they' that is referred to when we say 'as they say'? Does anyone know these people? Do they go around making up sayings? These are important questions, and I'm afraid I don't have an answer, but it's great to sit and think about them whilst you're waiting for your clothes to dry in an Italian Laundromat, wondering if there's time to look for gelato when they're done. Of course there is. There's always time for Gelato...)

*Lovely old Slovenian capital with a quaint village feel, in no way resembling a sprawling metropolis

**One of my hosts from Marburg this year, Jan, was down in Trieste for a few days as well. Great to catch up and swap some touring tales over pizza and gelato. Safe travels!

So we all had a little wander round Trieste on Saturday night (home to a fairly stunning grand old Piazza - pictured), during which time I was able to meet the hosts for Sunday's house concert - Federico & Ljuba - lovely people, and a great source of local knowledge. Nadja had stayed at Fede's house when she first moved to Italy, about 15mins drive from the centre of Trieste, up a few hills and round a few bends overlooking the ocean, the type of roads that make you feel like you're in a James Bond movie or something similar. You know I once played golf with a James Bond in Sydney? True story. He wasn't all that good at golf, but I'm sure he could have outrun me on the road to Fede's house, nestled in the tiny village of Santa Croce. Not that I would have been hard to outrun mind you, the view on the way up was quite spectacular, and as much as the inner Alpha commercial in me wanted to scream around the tight turns with the wind through my non-existent hair, I was far more happy to take my time and stare in wonderment at the Mediterranean. Quite romantic I must say, even when you're driving by yourself. Here's another photo that does it no justice whatsoever. I came away this year without a camera, an 'iPhone only' trial of sorts. Next time I'll bring the real thing...



A big thanks to Fede and Ljuba for having me to stay, and for hosting a great concert, my first in Italy, funnily enough falling 2 days after the 4-year anniversary of my being a full-time musician (a small fact I must have missed in the craziness that was Biarnica pri Marici in Ljubljana). It's funny I remember I was in a recording studio in London at the end of the first year, and a part of me didn't know what the hell I was doing. Like I wasn't connected to it all just yet. At that stage, I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to do it - I was worn out, I didn't have much money, I was lacking inspiration, and I still wasn't sure I was on the right path. But still something kept me going, call it stubborn determination, call it perseverance, call it lunacy....?! And I can't tell you what changed exactly, nor when it changed, but three years on I feel a lot more settled in my journey, I have a far greater appreciation and acceptance of the path I'm on, and I'm aware that invariably I'll end up where I need to be. I guess that's just life isn't it....

For once here I don't have any photos of the concert, a slight oversight on my part, but you know perhaps you've already seen enough pictures of me playing the guitar. So I'll leave you with a photo of the local gelato instead. Very tasty indeed. And for 1.30/cup (2 flavours) an absolute bargain when compared to the extortionate prices we all have to pay in Sydney. I'm sure if you went at the rate of one scoop per day, by the the end of the year you would have spent an amount of money which roughly equates to a return airfare to Italy. And that, my friends is food for thought....



Having a break for a few days whilst I sample Olive Oil in Umbria. Back soon x

Day 52-3, Ljubljana

Well good morning folks, typing this update whilst sitting in a tiny village just outside the Italian city of Trieste, listening to an old Italian couple discussing last night's Bolognese sauce, possibly suggesting some minor improvements for next week's family gathering. At least in my semi-tourist / semi-romantic mind, that's what I think they're talking about. So that's all I need to know for now, certainly makes for a nice change from yesterday's early morning soundscape, which consisted of a couple of Slovenian builders and a very loud drill. One of those higher-than-normal pitched drills that sort of chips away at your being... Anyway, that was Ljubljana. Or so it said on the sign when I drove in. But there's a high chance the venue for the gig (also the place I was sleeping, albeit not in the strictest sense of the word sleep given the music went till 5.30 and the drill started around 7...) was in fact a parallel universe of some sort, such was the nature of the surrounding buildings / graffiti / interior decorations. Quite something to behold, feel free to scroll down for a few more pictures. Certainly in this case I think a picture does actually tell a thousand words, even if most of those words are in Slovenian...

As it happens, the show in Ljubljana would never have taken place had it not been for a chance conversation on the bus from Stanstead airport around this time last year. I wouldn't normally talk to people on buses from that airport, not in London anyway, because there's a good chance that 90% of the time they wouldn't talk back. But you know, if you're willing to fly to Stanstead airport in the first place, I guess there's a higher than average probability that you're also the type of person who doesn't mind chatting to a stranger on a bus for 90mins, if only to pass the time whilst reminding yourself never again to fly to Stanstead airport. And so I got chatting to Ursa, who in the time since has become a good friend of mine, and 12 months later there I was in Ljubljana, about to play a a show which never would have been possible without a chance meeting on a bus in London. Life's twists and turns hey. And by some strange coincidence, it was a perfect addition to the tour in between my gigs in Vienna and Trieste! Meant to be? Of course. Thanks so much Ursa for your kindness and generosity, your help organising the show on Friday night, and for the tour of Ljubljana. Here we are at the castle yesterday with Ursa's boyfriend Marcel. Wonderful to have met you both, hope to see you again soon!

Parallel universe jokes aside, Friday night's venue (and the surrounding area - Metelkova) was one of the more unique places I have ever played. A sort of mini-Berlin, but more underground and less hipster, I am told it was an old military barracks which was taken over some 20yrs ago by squatters, and has since been converted into a thriving night-spot for locals of all ages to come and get lost in a series of clubs and bars. A vegan kitchen as well would you believe, although my appetite was somewhat lacking after our trip to the local Bosnian restaurant earlier in the evening (see pictures below...). My concert was held in a bar called 'Bizarnica pri Marici', run for 20yrs by a local Ljubljanian, Marica, who just happened to be a fan of a couple of Australian songstresses - Lanie Lane and Mojo Juju! What are the chances of that?! A generous spirit with a passion for live music, more than happy to host a visiting Australian for the night. One of those people you always remember meeting. A big thanks for having me, and thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a great night. One of the most memorable of the tour. Cheers!

And so to the pictures... more news from Trieste tomorrow, I'm off to chocolate festival before tonight's show. Ah chocolate. Always a good tonic for the soul.... x

Pictured with Marica, the morning after the night before. Sorry about the finger, I think it was one of the builders....

Ljubljana by night

Dinner at the local Bosnian restaurant.... It was only a month ago I was doing a vegan challenge! Well at least I can say I've sampled all ends of the diet spectrum.... Pretty tasty, but I came nowhere near finishing it.

Inside Bizarnica pri Marici...

Wall posters, Bizarnica Pri Marici...

Toilet artwork, Bizarnica Pri Marici...

Artwork outside in Metelkova

And finally Footrab? Rabbifoot...? I'm not sure...

Also there's a hostel in an old prison here if you feel like a crazy night out in Ljubljana some time...
www.hostelcelica.com

Day 50-51, Vienna

Hello again, greetings from Vienna! Three countries in three days, hey it's a life. Had a very interesting conversation on the way here from Munich. Met a young fella at my gig who needed a lift, and knowing from previous experience that a conversation with a real person always beats the often fruitless chatter in my head, I was more than happy to help a brother out. And so there we were - a professional musician and a professional online poker player (I had no idea there was such a thing!), each giving the other a window into an alternative existence. And I think somehow both of us were interested in the perceived gamble the other was taking with the lives we've chosen. On surface level, you'd think the stakes were far higher trusting your fate to an online poker table, but after carefully dissecting both occupations for the best part of 5hrs in the driving rain I'm not so sure. I guess risk is a state of mind, each path comes with its pitfalls, nothing in life is guaranteed. Often our expectations determine the outcome.

And so, no sooner had I left my new friend in Vienna, I found myself standing on a stage at The Loft, watching a hat being passed round a room full of people who could choose to throw some money in, or not, depending on why they thought of my performance. Hence the point I was making above... Fortunately in some respects the risk was shared last night, with a nice bunch of fellas from Northern Ireland, More than Conquerous. I was reminded once again why I enjoy the British and Irish music scene, there's something in the songwriting that appeals to me in a different way than that which would be deemed 'popular' or 'successful' in Australia. Not a positive or negative, just a personal affinity I often feel for some reason. The guys last night had some great tunes, it was a very fortunate twist of fate that we ended up on the same bill, not least because I was able to have a good chat with native English speakers for the first time in a while. It's not that I don't enjoy the 'three-quarters' English conversations I've often been having for the past two months but even so it was nice for us to say what we needed to say to each other without the need for further explanation. Genau. Yes I know I should be the one speaking the local language, believe me I've tried, in future I hope to be able to do that. And in fairness to a lot of the people I've met, I actually can't believe how good the general standard of English is in Germany (and Austria for that matter), particularly with the younger generation. It certainly makes things a lot easier than they might have been 20-30 years ago. Amen to that, in many respects it's one of the reasons I'm able to tour here in the first place.

Anyway it was a great little gig, hope to be back another time soon. Not just to play at The Loft, but also to experience the city of Vienna, which is perhaps the most majestic of all the places I've seen this trip. The various palaces/castles/churches are really something to behold. Just incredible. You could say it feels like you're in a fairytale at times if it didn't sound so cliche, but I think you get the idea.... I would have spent more time wandering around soaking it up had I not decided to be an environmental activist for a couple of hours, specifically as part of a human windmill flash-mob for a local organisation called Global 2000, which was promoting clean energy (as an alternative to coal, nuclear at al). There's a good chance I'm in one of the local papers today, I just hope I'm not picked up by some sophisticated online encryption device and banned from travelling certain places as a terrorist threat. But you know, they seemed like a nice enough bunch of folks, I never really felt like an 'activist' in the truest sense of the word, and in any case it was a cause worth supporting, even if I couldn't understand most of what was being said in between the choreography time-outs. And if that all sounds confusing, you can watch it on youtube here... Thanks to Jelena for the invitation, and the brief 'Vienna highlights' tour, pretty impressive indeed.



And you know I could tell you about my busking experience as well, the over-zealous shop-keeper who told me to move because I was annoying, the kind policeman who also told me to move because it was illegal, the Museum Quarter opening I attended last night, a host of other things that happened yesterday really, but it's time to drive to Ljubljana, a city famous for it's irregular use of the letter J, probably a few other things too - I'm looking forward to finding out. A final thanks to Nessa, Clara and Bella for putting me up here for a couple of nights, more great people. I've been in luck with my hosts this trip, really. When I eventually have a place of my own again, I'll have to make sure there's a few spare couches at the very least! Bye for now... x

Day 48-49, Strasbourg/Munich

Morgen all from Munich, where I'm rapidly typing away before jetting off to Austria with my new rear tyres, but more on that later... I'll start this blog in Strasbourg, where I was fortunate enough to spend Monday hanging out with some good friends of mine from Sydney. It's not everyday you can take a 90min drive and end up in France, at least not when you're living in Sydney, and not every day you get to see an old church organ as spectacular as this one, at the 'Notre Dame' Strasbourg. One can only imagine the immense power you must feel at your fingertips when you sit down to play a few hymns for people on a Sunday morning. Not to be blasphemous, but the first word that came to my mind was... Jaysus!!! It's no wonder most of the organ players you see are a bit long in the tooth (German readers, that means 'old'). Once you get started, I imagine you never want to stop. Much like I felt in one of the local patisseries earlier in the day. Another blow to the tour waistline, which is very much looking forward to having a good run-around on the beaches of Australia. Preferably in 40+ temperatures for quicker results. Ouch. Anyway thanks K-team for a great day out! I hope you don't mind me using this photo... but you all look Großartig! (English readers that means 'Great!'). Travel safe...

And so to the next port of call, the 'Pit Stop' automotive centre in Mannheim yesterday morning, to get a new rear tyre, which of course quickly became 2 new rear tyres, and very nearly a whole new set had a kind man at the shop not translated the various murmurings and gesticulations for me. It's ok folks, the front tyres are very safe, but in fairness I did need to change both the rear tyres, not least because of a nail protruding out of the back left, which might not have been so great exploding at 150km/h on the Autobahn somewhere... And the love affair with old cars continues. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, they spring another surprise on you. Fortunately I seem to be making just enough cash from each gig to keep myself ticking over here, although the juice pictured did appear to possess a slightly bitter taste for some reason... Still, I am safe, I am still moving, I am still going to be in Vienna. I still haven't had to touch the credit card. Alles gut.

Last night's gig in Munich was at the Trachtenvogl, a former clothing shop which for 90yrs specialised in Lederhosen and other assorted local fashions. Christian, the manager, took over the premises and converted it into a bar 10yrs ago, but it still retains a bit of that old mystique (see pic below). Which makes it a great place to stop in for a beer and a bite to eat, and a pretty cool place to play a few tunes on a Tuesday night. A bit of a noisy crowd at times, but then when you're rolling in from the other side of the world and nobody has ever heard of you, I don't think it's fair to expect everyone to be giving you their undivided attention when they've strolled in for a drink and a yarn with friends. I still enjoyed myself, we managed to pay for today's tank of gas, and I got to play in front of a big old set antlers, which was a first for me, albeit a little spooky perhaps from front on...! A big thanks to the girls who took this photo, also for the numerous self-portraits which are now on my phone! Ha ha. Had a great time, met some cool people, the show rolls on. A final thanks as well to Christian, who put me up last night at short notice here in Munich, and gave me a great big breakfast this morning to load me up for the trip to Austria. A very generous host indeed, will have to return the favour some time in the homeland. That'll do me, signing off from Germany for a little while. Austria, Slovenia and Italy still to come this week. Cheers for now... x

Day 46-47, Dusseldorf/Mannheim

Greetings from Mannheim folks. Just spent the day in France catching up with some friends from Sydney. As you do. Now back here to rest up tonight before the trip to Munich tomorrow.... Thought I'd begin this entry with another look at one of my favourite parts of travelling - the crazy things you discover, by chance, when wandering around a new city. Things like, for example, an American street wear shop which doubles as an African art gallery. Just in case the average NYC fashionista wants a wooden model of a topless African Lara Croft to put next to his collection of snap back baseball caps. Or conversely, if the average African art collector wants a puffer jacket and some skate shoes to wear to the next exhibition opening. You'd have to say that both scenarios are about as likely as the owner of the shop reading this blog. But you know, funnier things have happened. In which case - West side. 'Sup yo. I waz diggin' it. But why waz you shut my man? Labda kando wakati.

Anyway, in addition to being the city where art meets fashion, Dusseldorf was also home to a great little bar called Bistro Schwesterherz, the venue for Saturday night's concert. A big thanks to Kyung at Stadt Klang for the invitation to perform and the all the guys at 'the bar' for a great night. (I was about to write the initials of the bar there before realising that would be entirely inappropriate...) A real treat as well to be joined my my good friends Bo Terry and her boyfriend Anne from Amsterdam. I wouldn't have known Bo but for a gig I played at a squatters house in Amsterdam back in 2008. The organiser of the show Henk, who has sadly since passed away (still one of the nicest people I have ever met), mentioned a friend of his was travelling in Australia and I should get in touch... and so began a great friendship, the kind I wouldn't have had if it weren't for music. Bo is a wonderful performer with a beautiful voice and a real warmth to her stage presence. I guess that's because she doesn't try to be anyone she's not, always the best type of artist. And even though it was only a couple of songs, and even though I can understand precious little of the Dutch language she sings in, it was still lovely to hear her again. Great music is always great music, regardless of the language in which it's performed. Thanks Bo!

(A quick thanks here as well to my host Eun-san, who took me on at short notice, even though he already had another guest in his one-bedroom apartment. Much appreciated!)

And so I continued on south towards Mannheim, for Sunday night's show, but there was the small matter of a very famous racetrack to attend to on the way. Namely the Nurburgring, one of the most iconic racing venues in the world and for good reason. A 21km circuit winding its way through the forest country around Nurburg, a true test of driving in every sense of the word. I figured it was worth stopping in to check it out, maybe catch a bit of amateur racing if I was lucky... What I wasn't expecting was that the Nordschleife would be open to the general public, and that anyone could rock up and take their car for a spin on the circuit, with no speed limit! And so 10mins later, there I was, flying around the Nordschleife in the tour station wagon, a 1990-something Meroon Opel Omega, heavily laden with luggage and musical equipment, watching the various BMW's, Porsches, Audis and Lamborghinis fly past me whilst I tried to take a photo or two to remember the occasion (no I wasn't meant to be doing that...). It's a good thing I listened to the girl at the ticket desk when she said 'keep to the right if you're going slowly'! Eventually I turned off the camera and put the Opel through it's paces as best I could with my safety in mind, a truly incredible experience, albeit a fairly uninspiring sight I imagined for the average onlooker waiting for the various sports cars to unleash their fury. Or so I thought, for as I was coming to the completion of my final lap (I only drove 1.5 laps, it's not cheap!), I dropped a gear and took the racing line around a sharp right-hander, and looked up to see an old dude giving me big old fist pump (which I assume is also the international symbol for 'I can see you're driving a shit car, but good on you anyway'). And as stupid as it sounds, that made me feel pretty awesome. Worth a toot of the horn, even if I nearly came of the track as a result of trying to find the horn. Rock and roll.

And finally, after all the excitement of the Nurburgring, I found myself in Mannheim Sunday night at the new home of Julia (Lena's counterpart in the Vondomachine), who has recently moved here to study music management at Germany's famous 'Popakademie'. Another bedroom concert, my second in three days after Friday night's show with Kent in Frankfurt, testament to the fact that if you've got a decent space with a few people, it really doesn't matter where you play a gig. Given the size of the rooms over here in Germany they are always blessed with plenty of options. I wondered what it would be like playing to a room full of music management students, I guess because a part of me knows what it might be like playing to a room full of music management students in Sydney.... But as has been the case the whole time through this tour, they were both welcoming and accepting of who I was and what I'm doing. It's not to say that everyone 'likes' what I do, I'm sure there are people who have different tastes and I don't expect to be everyone's cup of tea, but the general attitude over here is one of appreciation, they take the time to listen before forming an opinion, and as I've said before it always makes for an enjoyable experience. Great to see little Jules again, who toured with me for a couple of weeks last year. A big thanks for organising the concert, and to the rest of the guys in the house for having me to stay for a couple of nights. All the best with the rest of your studies, will see you again in the future no doubt!

Woah that's a long one. Time to go to Munich. More news tomorrow... x

Day 44-45, Frankfurt

Well I realise there's a slight lack of consistency creeping into the blog here, at least on the regularity front, but don't take it personally folks, there literally wasn't an opportunity to open the laptop the last couple of days. I've had important things to do. Playing gigs, catching up with friends, and attending German Yoga classes for example - the latter being an interesting experience when you don't understand the language, even moreso when an attempted handstand topples forward and nearly kills the girl in front of you. But you know, I learned the words for inhale and exhale, a sequence which was repeated at far greater frequency following the aforementioned incident, and fortunately 'sorry' is a word used just as much over here as the local alternative - Tschuldigung (easier to say than it looks, thank god) - and when uttered with a gesture of conciliation and a good old fashioned Aussie smile, all is forgiven. At least it seemed to be. I didn't understand what she was mumbling under her breath. Anyway where were we? Yes Frankfurt - the city where old meets new, as you may have gathered but the photo, touched up ever so slightly with the help of Instagram. (Anyone else on that? Come find me!).

The curious thing about Frankfurt, as was pointed out to me last night, is that it's really the only German city with a 'Skyline' in that typical CBD sense. Fans of progressive architecture would be thrilled. Not unlike the odd touring musician who's been looking at 12th century churches for the past 6 weeks. But I jest of course, as I said in my last entry I don't think I could tire of seeing these beautiful old European cities. It's just that Frankfurt has an air of sophistication about it that is somehow alluring, albeit in a completely different way to the more traditional towns I've been visiting.

So to the main purpose of my visit which, in addition to learning hand stands in German, was catching up with my good mate the brother Eastwood, swapping a few travellin tales (that's the name of his new album by the way, it's brilliant....) and performing a great little house concert Friday night for a few folks Kent had met whilst busking a few weeks ago (thanks Svenja for the pic!). We also managed a spot of busking ourselves earlier in the day, which ended up being a rehearsal of sorts for the evening's performance, also a little test of endurance on account of the arctic chill that is slowly creeping in over here. I draw the line when my feet start to go numb, say nothing of the fingers which become incredibly useless for anything other than rapid strumming in these situations (cf. this song I wrote in the Irish winter). But we survived an hour or so at Merianplatz, and the concert later that night was great fun. Turns out one of the flatmates had a nice keyboard we were able to use, so there we were, two old mates from Sydney, doing the same thing we've been doing together for years, only this time in someone's bedroom in Frankfurt, in front of 30 or so people we barely knew. Cheers to that. What a trip. Will look forward to more of the same in the future, wherever in the world we might be...

Thanks to everyone who came along, thanks to the brother Eastwood for a great couple of days, and thanks to Jasmin and the rest of his flatmates for having me to stay. For those of you who don't know the story, Kent met Jasmin at Circular Quay whilst waiting for the bus to Newtown. A year or so later he's now living in Frankfurt with a German girlfriend. How about that. See you in the summer guys. Love from Dusseldorf x

PS - This blog was typed on my iPhone en route by foot to meet good friends from Amsterdam in the heart of Dusseldorf. Dutch friends I know from Australia, Bo even played saxophone on my last record when she was there. True, have a listen..! We truly are an international community.

Day 43-44, Nuremberg/Halle

Well it was a shame to leave our penthouse apartment in Bern, but two days of driving awaited us - first to the beautiful old city of Nuremberg (pictured), then to last night's show at the Golden Rose in Halle, dare I say it, another beautiful old city. It would be tempting to start labelling some of these these places as 'typical' german towns/cities, and I guess they are in a sense, but not in a way that makes them any less captivating on first visit. Especially coming from Australia. And despite the architecture bearing similarities, each town still has its own sense of place about it. Maybe it's different if you've grown up in this part of the world, but a beautiful city will always be a beautiful city, no matter how many times you look at it. If only I had a little more time to delve into the history of it all, but this is the nature of touring, and I guess sometimes just looking is appreciation enough. Especially on a day like this...

Last night's show at the Golden Rose in Halle was pretty special. The oldest tavern in town we're told, and a lovely room for acoustic music. I was having such a great time, I played for a good 90mins before I checked my watch, it was only the guy nodding off in the back row that made me think perhaps I should wind things up... But even then, I kept on playing after the show, unplugged, at a table with friends, for another 20mins or so. And I left with a nice feeling about that, because after all, that's what music should be about. Sitting down, relaxing, singing songs with friends, all of us sharing in the experience. I'm not saying I don't enjoy 'concert' environments because I do, very much so. But when the performance is over, the lights fade and the volume goes down, as long as there's a guitar and a few people about, you can still all have a bloody great time. At least until the singer realises his voice is about to pack it in... A big thanks to the my new friends in Halle, and to my good friend Diana for making the trip from Berlin to sing some BV's again. A great night indeed. Wunderschon. With two dots above the o.

And so to the last part of this blog, the most important part really, where I must say a big THANK YOU, or VIELEN DANK!!! to my tour manager Lena (pictured left here with Vondo Jules in Berlin), who is leaving me to go walkabout in the jungles of Peru. For those of you who don't know the story, I first came to Germany 5 years ago and met Lena at the train station in Magdeburg, where she'd organised a 'gig crawl' at a few of the bars in town with a local band - Once Upon a Rooftop. I've returned to play in Germany nearly every year since thanks largely to Lena's efforts (along with her Vondo counterpart Julia), booking shows here and there, putting me in touch with others who might be able to help, and just generally offering a great deal of assistance for someone coming from the other side of the world. In that time she's also become a great friend and supporter of mine, and it's been nothing other than a real blessing to have met and been able to work with her, progressing in our on ways but also being able to share in that progress at different times along the way. This has been the longest tour so far, and a great deal of work went into into the planning and preparation, not to mention the day-to-day running/organisation/trouble-shooting along the way. None of it would have been possible without Lena's persistence and determination, but also her passion for independent music, and her vision for the VondoMachine as a platform to connect artists and audiences in a way that is real, enduring, and mutually beneficial. Something that the big labels etc, in a popular sense at least, struggle to offer. I'm sure there'll be more chances to work with Lena in the future, and I'll look forward to that when the time comes. But for now, it's goodbye and thanks. For the tour, for the company, and for helping me to be vegan for nearly a week. Damn those home made scones. Travel safe Leneberg! xx

Day 42, Bern, Switzerland

Light switches. Why does every country have different light switches? There's a line in one of my songs somewhere that says 'help me switch the light on, help me understand'. And maybe this is the point where art imitates life. Maybe it's not as philosophical as first intended, maybe it's as simple as switching a light on in a different country. Because I don't understand. I don't understand at all. This is Switzerland's offering. It's sort of like one of the older ones in Australia, but there's a little circle round it. Why do you think they need that? And yet over in Germany most of them are big and square. I'm not sure what to expect when I get to Austria, Slovenia and Italy but one thing's for sure a world of excitement awaits. The type of excitement one can only appreciate when they've been playing gigs and living out of a suitcase for the past two months. Tally ho.

This is the view from our penthouse apartment this morning in Bern, quite spectacular really with the snow-capped peaks of the swiss alps in the background, done absolutely no justice by the average smartphone. I decided to travel with my phone only this trip and no proper camera, on account of me rarely using the proper camera when I have it. As expected, I wish I had the proper camera. Will have to figure that out a little better in the future... But photo quality aside, it's not a bad spot to play a house concert you'd have to agree. No doubt we're in one of those buildings that most of the local residents look at and think 'why did they ever build that?!', but the thing about those buildings is - it's all about perspective. When you're staying at the top of one they're fucking fantastic! A big thanks to Janine, Yvonne and the rest of the gang here. Also my old friend Sam from Sydney, who'd driven from Neuchatel* to be here. Always nice to see a familiar face on the other side of the world. (*The 'a' in Neuchatel is meant to have a little triangle on top of it. Ah European alphabets, they just can't make their mind up over here can they? Light switches are the least of their worries!)

Finally, if you caught yesterday's blog and you've put two and two together you'll realise that, being in Bern, we managed to get our car fixed in Freiburg. Well not necessarily, we might have taken a train.... But here's a picture of the mechanic counting through the tour CD sales to prove that yes, the car has been repaired. Insomuch as it is good enough to keep rolling on for a few more weeks. Just enough to play a few more gigs, see a few more views, and meet a few more cool people, like the guy below perhaps... And at the end of the day that's all you can ask for isn't it? Well, you could probably ask for some other stuff. A bit more sun. A decent flat white. A vintage Kombi. A house by the ocean maybe. But I guess some things are worth waiting for... Driving to Nuremburg today, isn't that famous for something? I'll have to look it up. See you soon x

Day 40-41, Freiburg

G'day from Freiburg, on the edge of the famous black forest, another pretty little German town which sadly will be remembered as the location of the great tour car calamity. On two fronts in fact. The first, a speeding fine, potentially not too expensive on account of me doing about 45 in a 30 zone, still frustrating nonetheless given the 30 zone was between the hours of 10pm and 6am, this to prevent excess noise in the area, because as we all know a car travelling 50km/h makes a god awful racket when compared to a car doing 30km/h. Say nothing of the fact that the car travelling 30km/h takes nearly twice as long to get past the houses that are apparently being protected from the noise, nor of the fact that the average visiting motorist who, upon seeing the unmistakable flash of a 'Blitzer' at 1 o'clock in the morning, perhaps an hour or so after finishing another nice concert on the other side of the world, decides to scream the loudest obscenity possible out of his drivers side window, thus waking up the entire neighbourhood. (Ok so I didn't do that, but some part of me would have felt some justice had been served, however petty that may seem....).

Continuing on, there is a second part to the great car calamity. A far more bitter pill to swallow in many respects, but one of those things that just happens when you are driving thousands of kilometres with an old car. Namely, the funny noise you need to have checked out (the one which is always far less noticeable at 50km/h than it is at 30), just in case it's serious, just to make sure you can finish the tour, whereby the local mechanic rubs his hands in delight at the sight of two unsuspecting victims rolling into his garage on a Monday morning, takes the car to check it out for an hour or so, then calls you to explain the repair bill will be one thousand Euro. Say it again, one thousand Euro. But as with all things vehicular, there's nothing that can be done. And in fairness to the local mechanic, he seemed like a nice enough sort of chap, not the type to rob us blind. And it's wonderful when you have driven old cars all your life, because you can arrive at a place of complete peace and acceptance with such unspeakable tragedies on the road. And if we're being honest, maybe it wouldn't have happened with a newer, more expensice car, but maybe there would have been two funny lights on the dashboard instead, the kind that seem like meaningless trivialities until the guy at the workshop tells you the computer needs to be replaced. And then a thousand Euro would seem like a drop in the ocean. Ah well, C'est la vie as they say. C'est la vie. And at a time like this, perhaps it's appropriate to post a little song I recorded at the breakfast table yesterday morning - one of Bobbie D's old classics - Don't think twice it's alright. A very rough version it must be said, but a title that is entirely befitting of the current state of affairs.

Click here if you'd like to listen to the song, you can hear Lena packing in the background and you'll have to turn the speakers up very loud but you'll get the idea. Nothing fancy. Just a guy playing a half size guitar at a breakfast table. Cool.

On a final note, perhaps a much clearer note than most of the ones I was hitting in the aforementioned recording, I should mention my excursion to the local football match yesterday, to watch Freiburg vs Hamburg in the Bundesliga. My first trip to watch top tier European football (believe it or not I have still never been to see the Premier League), and a memorable one at that. Made even moreso by the fact that the guy standing next to us, upon hearing that I was a touring musician from Australia, decided he simply had to buy me a local beer. Which I have to say went down quite nicely whilst watching a few blokes chasing a little white ball round a field in front of 25,000 or so of their nearest and dearest, a crowd filled with the type of passion the average Waratahs supporter could only dream of. And if you thought the whole car thing was bad luck, spare a thought for the poor goal keeper from Freiburg, who had to endure his own calamitous chain of events, namely three horrendous goal keeping blunders that led to the home side's 0-3 defeat. And not one of his team mates offered the slightest gesture of consolation the whole time. And maybe that's why I don't feel so bad today. The poor bloke. I feel for ya. I realise you'll probably never read this blog, or even understand it for that matter, but I still felt the need to address you in the second person. Keep your chin up mate. C'est la vie.

Thanks to our host Chris for a great couple of days here. And the Vaubar for a cool gig on Saturday night. That'll do me for now, I'm off to Switzerland. I hope. We still haven't picked the car up... Fingers crossed..... x