Barefoot running shoes

(I know that's an oxymoron) for running on tiptoes. Supposed to be better for your body. Everyone in the future has them. And they're good for a reductionist such as myself because they're compact and replace running shoes and flipflops. AND I'll need less socks. A very exciting development!

Home depot

He runs a foundation business. Not my kind of foundation, the things
under houses.

First stop

Meet up with my brother

1st couch

With MA in Austin. That's her name not her level of education. Her
first couchsurfer. I'm honoured. She's very brave having some strange
guy coming to stay for four days, even though none of my charges have
ever been proven.

To Texas

Off to Austin for SXSW the industry schmooze-fest today. I'm nit
playing, just observing. I could have paid $500 and attended all the
seminars and events. The old Jack would have burnt himself out trying
to see everything, but I'm not a searcher anymore. There are plenty of
free events I've heard, with everyone offering free food and drink
just to get an audience. I've made no plans, I'm just going to wander
round and see what I see.

I need a rest after these four days. It's quite tiring in the studio.
Not that I did much but sit around after the first day, but it
requires attention and they're 12 hour days. The drama is another
factor from all the characters involved. Yesterday afternoon for
example, Kevin was threatened by the owner of the last studio who says
he owes him money, then he fell off his chair cutting his leg open,
and one of his other clients, a 19 year old lad had come off his
medication and called up to discuss suicide. In the evening an old
country star came in to record for a couple of hours, smelling like he
hadn't washed in a month. A pretty quiet day.

But from chaos often comes greatness and I'm delighted with what we
achieved.

New video

The videos finished already - in two days. The guy must have been editing through the night. America hey - what a country ;)

The searcher - found

Finished. What a productive four days. An album, a video and now a single.

It should come with a health warning as it's very catchy and wears a groove in your brain. May cause brain damage.

Download

Still searching

Bass and guitar first today with Lou.

The song is my My Way, and we are using it as a template. Kevin did
live sound for Paul Anka (who wrote My Way) and worked on the crew for
Frank Sinatra and Frank Jnr, so he's heard My Way more times than
most, which is very useful.

We put lots of strings on yesterday and coming in to hear it today
with fresh ears it sounds really wonderful. The best track we've done
so far. OK the strings are from a keyboard but they play nice rifts
which is what matters.

Drums

After the success of yesterday (18 acoustic tracks, the start of one
studio track and a music video) today us really dragging. Now we're
just working on The Searcher, and it's elusive.

The house on the hill

I'm staying with Kevin and his girlfriend for these days in an old
farm house in the Pennsylvanian countryside.

Music video

And in the evening it's filming a music video for Every Moment
Matters. We worked around the strip mall, in and out of shops. I tell
you, everyone wanted to know about the band and where the video would
be and if they could get CDs. What a good promotion idea to do in the
afternoon around a town before a show.

The searcher

Working on a new track called The Searcher, seperate from the album,
which will take up most of the next three says. Chris the pianist is
adding piano first.

Back in the studio

Different studio but still with Kevin. He split from the last two. The
drama and characters and unhinged musical misfits that come through
this place is hilarious. A studio would be a good setting for a soap
opera.

I recorded 18 songs today and will use the best for an acoustic album.

Dinner

Soup if I buy it myself. Or if the venue offers then it's whatever
they have (probably pizza). Or a night off and I'm couchsurfing then
it's go with the flow.

Tonight I'm staying with Natascha and Garrett. Garrett is cooking a
curry. Two Indians in one day, luxury.

They're musicians as well and playing on Saturday so I have a social
calendar already.

I spent the day in cafes after I got the museums out the way. Booking
and arranging couches two weeks ahead do there's no panic.

The receptionist at the comfort inn was beyond speechless when I told
her about the couchsurfing concept and that I was off to stay with
strangers.

Lunch

Ideally an Indian buffet like today.

Breakfast

People often ask me what food I eat on the road (mostly my mum). For
breakfast it's oatmeal, fruit or whatever the host offers.

The hotel was well-situated

Ben Franks grave

Lots of walking

The liberty bell

Back in the US of A

A genuine American bar

It's strange that it doesn't feel strange to be here. It feels very
familiar now after so many visits. That's the downside of travelling a
lot, the magic wears off.

Philadelphia is quite rough. It's nice in the old historic centre but
the rest is quite beaten up. Not anywhere near as bad as lots of other
US cities, but it just reminds you that America is a poor country,
with wealth concentrated in small areas.

I went out for a bit last night to get in sync with the new timezone.
There was Phili's weekly couchsurfing meetup in a nearby bar. Instant
friends.

I got a fantastic response to the last mail. I think putting the route
map in helped. I have 4500 people on the mailing list now - more by
the end of this trip I'm sure- but don't usually get many responses.
This captured peoples imaginations a bit more.

It may look smooth and well organized to the casual observer, but
there's a lot of chaos. Mostly because I have too much to take care
of. The long term booking, advancing (checking with venues two weeks
before), working out somewhere to stay every night a week in advance,
promotion, flyers and stickers to print, flights and cars to book, it
goes on and on. And because it's so annoying when something goes wrong
(only last night i arrived in the hotel to find i'd booked the night
before by mistake - $100 gone) you keep having to devote more time to
planning and less to actually doing something nice. It really wears a
groove in your brain playing over the same records, from the moment
you get up in the morning. In the end you have to accept the chaos and
that a whole lot of things will go wrong. Money will be lost, shows
will be cancelled, there will be many empty venues, and last-minute
panics. There just aren't enough hours in the day when it's just me
and I have to eat, sleep and travel. The picture is more beautiful the
further away you stand.

House Concert - Eindhoven, NL

Belle my house concert host. A young entrepreneur.

Well that was a great end to the tour. 50+ people out on a Monday
night was fantastic in my old home of Eindhoven. And seeing all my old
friends was even better. If I could play House Concerts like that
every night I'd be happy.

Derek and his family were wonderful. He opened the night with an
upbeat set of Scottish songs.

A few things to sort out today in Amsterdam before tomorrow's flight.
It's nice to leave on a high.

Breakfast

My host family in Amsterdam at feeding time.

De Fles - Amsterdam, NL

Catching up with old friends in Amsterdam.

Bag man

Two more shows to go before the US on Wednesday, but heading back to
Holland makes it feel like a chapter ending already.

I've improved so much over the last two months (it felt like a whole
lot longer). Mostly in the art of travelling. Every day I get a little
more relaxed and a little happier.

I started with a full bag and it got fuller. Books, guitar effects
pedals, small towel, pills, spices for cooking, porridge, spare
clothes, sleeping bag. Essentials that I would swear to you were
absolutely essential for my needs and well-being.

These were habits and objects that I would always have kept in my
house, but after a month of lifting a heavy bag up and downstairs and
there things in there you've never used, you start to wake up slowly.

Plus the fact that you're staying with people or in hotels that
already have most stuff. They gave me bedding and breakfast. There's
soap in everyone's shower (I only take a little).

All of which is only interesting to me because I'm the bag man.

I also bought a book called 'teach yourself Ayurveda'. If everyone
read this book, and followed the simple instructions, hospitals would
be empty.

As for the performing, which is a short thing I do at the end of the
day, that's been improving, as a result of me feeling better as much
as the repetition. I'm singing in a lower voice and the amusing songs
are fading out. I've written new songs and inevitably want to do them.
It's good I'm recording next week. I can put a lot of songs to bed and
move on.

F&K - Hamburg, Germany

A noisy bar show. This jazz band played afterwards but we left to go
to the Hasenshakel. I've played there before and have been emailing
about playing the Reeperbahn festival in September, but it's best to
go in person.

I left the girls night out there and took a taxi home. Bed before
midnight, a good night.

Up early and on the train to Amsterdam. I didn't see much of Hamburg.
It's a great city, but you can wear yourself out sightseeing. I willl
linger next time. Now I have a good host. Yvonne has worked in a few
bars and knows some more places to play.

Dinner in Hamburg

I'm staying in Hamburg with Yvonne, a friend of Katriin, and had a
nice curry before we drive through the snow to the show.

Avant-garde

If I get a gig another in an art space, and they have a projector I
can hook my laptop up to, then I'm going to do a three hour
performance piece called 'Booking'. Revenge for all the art I've been
subjected to over the years.

Lea my couchsurfing host in Kiel

Prinz Willy - Kiel, Germany

A very big quiet audience so I had to work hard. Noisy bars are much
less effort. I think I should tone down the English though as a few
said they didn't get it afterwards. Nice place though. Good job i
played a Friday. The busiest night. They have music every night but
it's a little out of the way.

Prince Willy and Julia

The face of the Prinz.

Snow in Kiel

There were a few flurries of snow when I started playing and 5cm by
the end.

Best buy

That Eurorail ticket has to be one of the best things I've ever
bought. 1st class was the same price. Free newspapers, just a shame
they're German; hassle free; comfortable. A real joy.

Whereas those cowboy boots.... They were a bugger to break in (i
picked up too small a pair by mistake), and now they're not warm and
there's no grip in the snow, I don't know how the cowboys managed.

Samsonite ain't what it used to be

Couchsurfing

It was good to see Kariin again. I have been homeless (or should that
be homefull because I have lived in a different place every night) for
8 months now and she was the first place I couchsurfed so it was kind
of a homecoming.
People who haven't done it have a strong reaction when you tell them
about couchsurfing. "my God you let stangers into your house?" or "my
God you stay in strangers houses". If you read the right papers it's
been proven that 92% of the people we don't know are rapists,
murderers and paedophiles.
What you don't realise until you've done it is that there us a
couchsurfing type of person: ultra-social, outgoing,
conversationalist, etc. Well-travelled, therefore open-minded. Making
a good easy-going host or a careful considerate guest.
So when people offer to ask their friends to put me up, I usually say
I'd rather find someone through couchsurfing. You can see their
profile and reviews and find the best people for you.
I prefer older people. They are more likely to have a spare room.
Couchsurfing is packed with 20 something backpackers who want to
return the favour. But they usually share a house with five other
people and you sleep in the over used communal room or on a floor in
the room with them. And there are few things worse than driving 9
hours ready to crash to find a party in progress (you can tell I'm not
a natural couchsurfer, that would be a delight for most).
So the old retired couples are best if you can get them (there aren't
many on there), to wash your clothes, make you dinner, scrub your
back and read you a story. Maybe even host a house concert for you
so you don't have to leave the house. Ah the quiet life.

The Quiet Man - Bonn, Germany

A great crowd, a great night. I came off my fast in celebration. I had
a bowl of soup. It's the glamourous life for me.

Gale, an Englishwoman in Bonn got me the show, she saw me last time I
played in Bonn at Katriin's birthday, who I was recommended to via a
band called Hobopop on couchsurfing. It's a long chain. That was the
third time I'd played in Bonn. The two times before that was in a bar
called Mausefalle (mousetrap) and no one came.

An Irish Pub packed with couchsurfers. An excellent formula. I should
really try a different approach to booking. It's more time-consuming
but more worthwhile, to find audiences rather than venues. Getting
booked is the easy part, it's getting an audience that takes time.
Maybe I should join facebook finally? No, I still can't face it.

Steinbruch, Duisburg - Germany

I've played there three times and Sebastian the booker is a very bice
guy, and I stay in his house. It's starting to be nice coming back to
the same places and see familiar friendly faces (I thought I would get
bored) but it's good to know where everything is... the venue, a
swimming pool, a good Indian, where the wifi is, where has good tea
and cakes, who sells the Guardian, and how to get around... The simple
sustenance you need.

I played with a couple from Italy, Francesca and Zeno, and Stef the
regular host of the evening. I played nearly all new songs so wasn't
as polished as normal. And I'm still not finished with the fast so
there wasn't much to do in the venue. Eating and drinking took up a
large part of the day I now realize.

Baden-Baden break

Baden Baden was a break from the temptations of touring. I stuck to a fruit fast to clean out my system. In the morning I would climb one of the hills overlooking the town and then go to the Friedrichsbad and soak in the thermal waters. It was mostly naked old men of the larger build. Not a memory I will treasure.

In the afternoon I was entoombed in my hotel room working on songs for the upcoming recording session and trying to shake the beast of booking from my back. It would have been easier with a bottle of wine instead of the fruit bowl, but it's only with suffering that one can truly appreciate pleasure.

 Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Arrrrrghhhh

Booking has to be one of the worst jobs known to man. Large parts have melted down over the past few days trying to finalise North America from mid-March until the end of June. It's so difficult planning for all these towns I've never been. It's hard just to get an answer. Then even harder to get the right date. Then a bar says yes but is it a good bar? I don't have time to find local acts and ask them the best venue. And then will that night be busy? I'm finally just going to put it to bed. Enough is enough. If I have some time later I can fill in the gaps but this will have to do.

Finance

Something else people ask a lot (mostly my father) is do you make enough money to live doing this? Yes. All the shows pay now. Some better than others. House concerts at the high end, coffee shops at the bottom. Switzerland at the mountain top, Spain in the valley.

My only expense is travelling (and lunch, venues provide dinner and accommodation or I couchsurf)

January/February/March: 3 month Eurorail pass €1432
April/May/June: Return flight to the US€600, €2042 rental car and €1000 gasoline
July/August/September: Travelling to festivals est. €2000
October/November/December: 3 month Eurorail pass €1432

Apart from the gasoline, they're all Bought in Holland so I can deduct the 19% sales tax. So my monthly travel rent is €574. Not bad I think. Cheaper than staying in one place!

It's not the way to make a fortune of course, but it pays in other ways and I'm not in it for the money.