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
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