Too many things I want to write, don't know where to start. I'm not sure when I wrote my last blog; must be a long time ago. I would love to write about the show I played in Paris, but it seems too long ago to write a decent tour blog.
Two weeks ago I played a solo show in Dormagen, which is near Cologne and Dusseldorf. As you might know, carnival is one of the most important times of the year in that area - especially in Cologne. That's why I decided to travel via Dusseldorf where I did some sightseeing. I noticed a lot of police officers in the town and all the people seemed to be worried - I had no idea why and continued my sightseeing trip, even though many people looked at me as if I was a criminal. I was later informed that a guy killed two people, injured others, burned houses and was still on the loose. Imagine me walking around and taking pics... Must have looked strange for the people who knew what was going on. Even though it's cruel what happened, I still have to smile thinking of what I must have looked like. Anyway, I took the train to Dormagen afterwards. I played there last summer at a festival called "Horremer Markt". I was treated very well by Steffi (who introduced me to the local promoters) and her family - 'thank you' if you're reading this!
When we arrived at the venue, a band called "Food for the Monkeys" was doing the soundcheck. They were a lot of people on a small stage; however, I loved their sound! A mixture of folk, jazz and pop. Definitely worth checking out! I was very happy to see that they had an E-Piano on stage. It's a pity that I cannot take a piano with me when playing solo. Thus, songs like "Where are you now?" or "The Stranger" are rarities in my solo gigs. Before the show I was sitting backstage, listening to some Bob Marley tunes and wrote the setlist. I love challenges! In Paris, I played a song that I wrote the same day on the train. I promised to myself that every gig must have its challenge. So I decided to play "The Stranger". The last time I played this song solo must have been in 2009 I guess... Since Sam joined the band in 2011 we completely re-arranged it. As much as I love the new band version, there is something mysterious in the piano version that I still enjoy.
I decided to play another song on the piano: "Love Letter" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. I had never done that before; but it's one of my favourite songs ever. I need these kind of challenges. I remember when I played in Geneva last year; I played the same set as I did the day before. I was too convinced that I knew all lyrics and chords by heart. As you might imagine, I failed... Even if it's just one new song, or an old song, or a cover, it keeps my brain working during the whole concert.
The audience in Dormagen had a good energy that supported me after a long day of travelling. "The Stranger" was one of my personal highlights. I hammered into the piano, shouted at the audience and whispered the words of the angel of death and the angel of life. The next song was "Where are you now?". It is probably one of my most personal songs I have ever written. However, after playing it over and over again, the emotions change to routine. Not in Dormagen though: I hadn't played it for a while and therefore became very emotional while singing it. Another - unexpectedly - emotional one was Nick Cave's "Love Letter". Maybe it was the fact that I played one of my favourite songs for the first time... I don't know.
The reason why I publish this blog so late is that I wanted to include some footage. Thanks to Dominik for filming! I tried to embed the video, doesn't work for some reason. Just click on the links below to watch the videos:
I'm pretty creative at the moment. Working on a lot of new material and other projects. I'm very interested in writing desperate love songs at the moment... But that's a topic for another blog - soon.
Hope you're all well. Always good to hear from you. Back soon with new dates and other stuff.
All the best,
Gion x
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