Where's the foundation?: June 2010

Wednesday 30 June 2010

13

Only 13 people downloaded my new album. 13! It took a good two weeks to make, cost around $2000, I'm giving it away free and I emailed it out to 6301 'fans' of which 1134 opened the email and yet only 13 downloaded it. 13! How disappointing. I mean.... 13. That's very low. Just 13. Jeez. 13? Do I need to write better music or better emails?

Be the 14th.... http://thejackstaffordfoundation.com/fr_music.cfm

Homecoming

A real nice show in De Nieuwe Anita last night. They're such lovely
people there.

Tomorrow I'm in Cafe Noorderlicht in the North of Amsterdam. An
outdoor show of two or three sets between the DJ. Should be nice.

Tuesday 29 June 2010

(Sort of) home

Couchsurfing in my own shop.
Good to be back in the Dam.
I play at De Nieuwe Anita tonight which is always a great show.

Monday 28 June 2010

That was Iceland

I had a great week in Iceland. Four shows and many more friends.
Svavar Knutur was a fantastic performer. The best I've seen. He showed
me around his homeland with such enthusiasm. It ended on a sad note
with a visit to his village and I saw where his father died in an
avalanche. I got a real insight into a truly genuine guy.

Saturday 26 June 2010

Goodnight to the locals

Skimming

Neither sunrise nor sunset

2.30am rainbow

All thanks to YouTube

Karaoke after party crazy Icelandic style

Show in the North of Iceland

In Isafjordur. The 'real' Iceland

Driver

He sang all the way. 8 hours of gibberish

7km long tunnel

The view

A beautiful (but long drive) 8 hour drive.

Local celebrity

Svavar is a big star in the Fjords

The bride sings

To an Icelandic wedding

Driving

To the Western Fjords

My crew

You make fast friends on the road and I feel like I've known these
guys for a while. In the summmertime more than half the people in
Iceland are foreigners.

Seabear

I saw a good Icelandicband last night after my show. Check em out www.seabearia.com
The local equivalent of the Arcade Fire. The singer looks like a
young Christopher Walken which is never a bad thing. That's not makeup
baby, that's life. On the whole I've been disappointed with the
appearance. I expected everyone to look like Bjork but they just look
Danish. I'm heading up North today. Maybe that's where the pixies hide.

Friday 25 June 2010

Blue Lagoon

I made it to the Blue Lagoon. Thats me behind the camera. Definitely
worth it Pablo. Travel tip: go on your way too or from the airport,
because you have to pay for that bus anyway and it saves a bit. It
would have been extra good after the long flight.

Too many options

I've mostly seen the World Cup in the English Pub

Thursday 24 June 2010

Hjalmar, Icelandic reggae

Seeing some of the local talent this evening. My show went well. I did
it as a play for a change.

Midsummer night preparations

They're Lithuianians though. Unfortunately Iceland doesn't celebrate it.

Jetlag in Reykjavik

3am in Iceland is this bright. It doesn't get dark. Jetlag is a real trip here.

Wednesday 23 June 2010

Booking Reykyavik

Missed out on a nights sleep last night, with the short overnight
flight that I didn't sleep on, but today was too full to sleep. Myrra
Ros, a local artist, took me around the bars and I got shows on Friday
and Sunday to add to Thursdays show, all in bars within a stones
throw. Everyone knows everyone in Reykjavik. If only all towns were
like this, booking would be a weekly walk.

Iceland

I've arrived in Iceland on my birthday. It's nice and sunny. It's hard
to pick a defining image so I'll just go for this Viking that
overlooks the city. They're big on Vikings here. Vikings and pixies.
It's smaller and less grand than I thought it would be. Refreshing
after Toronto and it's G20 preparations. That was a living breathing
police state. Surreal with it's huge fence cutting up downtown and
windows boarded up and sculptures covered with wood and everything not
tied down taken away, like they're preparing for civil war. I'm off to
the thermal baths to forget all about it.

Monday 21 June 2010

Audience participation

Sunday 20 June 2010

Svavur Knutur

A delightful Icelandic artist. Delicate or hilarious. At his best
singing about diaorrea, hating Danes and Leipzig. Hate songs are the
best.

He can get me a show in Reijkavik on Wednesday and then drive to see
the Western Fjords at the weekend. I didn't even know there were
fjords. So suddenly my week is sorted at the last minute.

I also met someone from Hawaii for a show in May.

And at my showcase there were some well-known Canadian journalists.
All good stuff.