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Winter 07 U.K. Tour
The Princess Tour Diaries (Eve's Version)
So here I am in very, very cold England with the first chance to sit down and start the diary for our February Tour, 2007. We’ve been here for 6 days now and let me just say that a lot has happened and I am going to try to remember it all. The fact that I am 6 months pregnant may play a part in my memory recall. One of the things that happens when you are pregnant is you lose your mind. It certainly has happened again to me this time round!
My friend Mattie has dubbed this the Princess Tour! She says since I am pregnant I need to let people do things for me. No lifting, no pulling no pushing…. Just eating, singing, and sleeping. So far, I’ve managed to sit back and let everyone else do the work. Marc and Jim have been great and many of our promoters have pitched in to help as well.
We left on Wednesday, January 31st, and flew from San Diego to Dallas. For the first time ever, I upgraded to business class this trip and let me tell you… that’s the way to fly. We were delayed an hour in leaving because of a snowstorm in Dallas, but managed to make it on time for our flight to Gatwick Airport. We landed on Thursday, Feb. 1st at 10:00am GMT - made it through customs and set off for the rental car. We rented a mini van, with the emphasis on mini. One thing we find touring England is that we learn something new each time. This trip is that a mini van in the States does not mean the same thing in the UK. If you want a larger van you need to reserve a people carrier. Since they were all out of anything even close to what we needed to fit all our luggage and equipment in, we had to take the Volvo station wagon instead. We met up with our friend Josh who had all our equipment and CD’s for the tour (a huge thanks to you Josh!!) and packed the car up for our 5 hour drive to Bury and our first gig of the tour. We were jammed into this car and couldn’t really see Jim in the back seat at all it was so tight. If you know anything about our band you know we are notorious at getting lost and this was going to be a tight schedule with no time for that kind of nonsense. For some unknown reason, we didn’t get lost once!! And even managed to make the trip in four hours, with time to drop off our luggage at the hotel before we went on to the Met!
The Met is one of our favorite places to play in the UK. The staff is amazing even helping us load in our equipment and the sound in that room is amazing. Line 6 is sponsoring us with guitars, and the boys took there time getting to know their gear and set up for a wonderfully easy sound check. They fed us and even sold merch for us!! I like being a princess.
The Black Hearts opened the night for us and got a great response from the crowd. Our set went very well, however, we were a bit silly with jet lag! During the show Marc jinxed us by commenting on the fact that we hadn’t got lost the entire trip up from Gatwick… that did us in for the next day. After our set we said hello to all who hung out afterwards for CD’s and autographs. Then it was load up and drive back to our hotel where we crashed very hard and all seemed to get a good nights rest.
Friday, Feb 2nd- We drove back down to London to play at Bob Harris’ Americana compilation CD release party at the Borderline. We were very excited and honored to be included on the CD as well as be asked to play the gig. Bob chose our song “The Ballad of Kate Morgan” from our Nothing But The Truth CD, on Hippie Chick Twang Records & licensed through Proper Records of UK fame.
We made it down to London proper in about 2 hours; actually great time. Unfortunately, it was another 2 hours of getting lost on the streets of London to find the venue. The problem with driving in London is that there are no street signs up on the road - they are occasionally found on buildings so it is very easy to get lost. We decided that the driving motto for this tour is, “Welcome to England – now get lost”!!
Once we found the venue it was to be a quick sound check and then off to our hotel to get ready and come back to meet friends and hang before the show. Unfortunately, we had our car broken into and my cell phone bag, which was on the floor of the passenger side was stolen. They broke the window with a glass bottle and grabbed the first thing they thought was valuable. Fortunately, I had my cell phone with me. Unfortunately, my American cell phone was in the bag along with the charger and all the contact info for the company we rent from. So, I was on the phone to the police and to the rental car place as well as the cell phone company. It put a damper on our plans but hey, my brand new lap top was on the floor in the back seat which they could have easily grabbed…. things can always be worse.
Jim and I rushed back to the hotel and Marc stayed with the car as the police were supposed to drop by. I got ready as fast as I could and we took a cab back to the venue with a driver who could barely speak English. However, he did have a GPS system and got us there 5 minutes before we had to go onstage. Our show was short but sweet and Bob Harris was fantastic as usual and very complimentary toward us. I met his wife Trudy and she was a sweetheart. Our agent Bob Paterson was there as well and I met his fiancé Lucy. Alan P., Mik Gaffney and Gary Harries from Proper Records/Distribution showed up to represent as label support. It was a family affair and great to see so many of our friends and fans in London.
Saturday, Feb. 3rd- We took off to Farndale, which is in North Yorkshire early in the morning as Google maps said it was a 6-hour drive… but we made it in about 4 hours!! And that’s with getting lost too. We stopped off in Nottingham to swap out cars and of course, they only had one that was smaller; a Saab station wagon. The good news is that it has the word “Turbo” in it’s description, and the boys loved driving it. On this tour Marc and Jim drove and I was the navigator.
Farndale is only 30 miles North of York, however, it is very remote and we were lucky there was no snow, as we never would have made it up the mountain. It’s near The Moors National Park and it’s breathtakingly beautiful. Of course, all I kept thinking about was the warning line from the movie An American Werewolf in London – “Stay off the Moors”!! Our cell phone wouldn’t work up there so we were out of contact with our families… that was a bummer. It’s amazing how dependent we all are on our cell phones… at least I am.
We played in a very small venue called the Band Room built for the local silver band (brass band) in the 1920’s. It was quaint and warm inside which was good because it was 2 degrees Celsius and very cold out side. Willy Mason opened the show; he is an up and coming artist on Virgin records, and a big reason the night sold out. He’s toured the UK many times and has a loyal following. We were thrilled to meet him and hung out afterwards at a rented house where we were treated to a wonderful home cooked meal of lentils and sausages with Rhubarb cobbler for dessert. They also had great wine but I was content to drink sparkling water. It was during this show that we learned the equation for Celsius and Fahrenheit from a fan in the crowd. I asked the crowd between songs if someone could explain it to us and our friend Helen yelled out, “Double it and add 30”. So 2 degrees Celsius is 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Uber cold!! Especially since it was in the 80’s all week in San Diego! We definitely want to come back and stay for a few days with our families next summer. Thanks to Tony & Nigel for putting the gig together for us!
Sunday, Feb. 4th- We loaded up the car again in the early morning hours. OK, Marc and Jim did, and let me tell you it’s like a puzzle with each piece needing to be in the right place or it won’t work and they have to start all over. I took a few pictures on our way out and you can see for yourself what a gorgeous place North Yorkshire is.
We were on our way to Stourbridge, and where as this past summer Mick Willets, the promoter, had to meet us at a junction to direct us in, this time we found it on our own!! I think he was a little bit impressed. We stayed and played at The Talbot Hotel; originally a 16th century coach house. We finished our sound check and I think the wear and tear of the first 4 long days of travel finally caught up to me. I had to go lay down and put my feet up. Let me tell you, I was so happy that I could walk to the gig instead of having to drive.
I missed the first opener, Rachel Mainstone, as I over slept. I did get to hear her later in the tour in Leicester, more on that soon. Next came our friends Dave and the Varmits!! A great group of guys playing acoustically for the first time – and they sounded great! It was a full house and we had a great show. Marc mentioned he remembered an 82 year old fan who was sitting up in the front row, during the show. Lesley stopped the show to let Marc see the new song book he was learning as he had just picked up learning the guitar this past year. Just proof that it’s never too late to start learning a musical instrument! We finished up and said hello to many people we’d seen this summer with the band and a few who said they’d seen us three times now! After everyone left, Mick ordered pizza and we sat around with Dave and the Varmits talking about music. I said my goodnights and crashed hard. I was definitely looking forward to a day off!
Monday, Feb. 5th- We took our time leaving Stourbridge and enjoyed a 2 hour drive to Nottingham. It was our day off and we were in search of a good curry meal. We hadn’t had Indian food yet and we needed a fix. Once we checked into the hotel we went into town and couldn’t find one Indian restaurant openL we cilled out the rest of the day. I crashed hard that night and slept very well.
Tuesday, Feb. 6th - It was VERY cold and we had our gig at The Maze in Nottingham. It was our first time there and I was hoping for a good night. It was also our first gig of three with the band, Winter, opening for us. They are from Sweden and we really enjoyed them. Pete and Ian, the promoters, took good care of us, even helping load into the venue and let me tell you it was COLD!! Our show was wonderful that night and we played to a whole new group of people. We look forward to going back again with the band.
Wednesday, Feb. 7th – It was another day off and we decided to stay in Nottingham. It was a good thing too because poor Jim threw out his back the night before and was in so much pain he had to stay in bed all day. Marc and I did laundry and then looked for a wireless connection so we could check our e mail. We hadn’t really had much luck with it so far. We found a free connection in a very cool coffee, tea and chocolate shop called…..
The owner, Graham, was very helpful and although my brand new computer couldn’t hook up, Marc’s did so we were able to get caught up on some business e mails back home and touch base with family and friends. I also had an amazing hot chocolate and the baby and I were very happy!! I watched a Cary Grant movie on my computer that night and turned in early.
Thursday, Feb. 8th - A huge snow storm was supposed to hit all the southern counties the next day and we were off to south London that same day. I woke up at 5:00am and looked out the window… no snow. But later at 9:00am when I got up and looked it was completely covered. We were a bit worried to travel as all the news stations were warning not to get on the roads unless you absolutely had too. But the show must go on so we were off to The Half Moon in Putney for our gig there that night. With all the warnings, the motorways were practically empty and it worked in our favor. I took many pictures of snow on the way down from inside the car. Kind of nerdy but we never see it in San Diego. BTW, it was over 80 degrees there on this same day.
We made it down to Putney in about 2 hours with plenty of time to rest before the show. I wondered if anyone would show up with the snow situation and many of our friends were unable to come out because of the black ice warnings for the roads. Our gig here this past summer was one of the hottest days they’d seen in a while. So now we come back and it’s snowing… go figure! Happily about 50 people showed up and Winter played with us again. One of our favorite sound men in the UK, Doon, works at The Half Moon, so we knew it was going to be a great sounding night. Alan, Lily and Paul from Proper Records along with Victoria and her twin sister, all showed up and I was very pleased to see them there. It was a great night - a small but mighty crowd!! It sure takes a lot to keep the Brits from coming out to support original music. God bless ‘em!!
Friday, Feb. 9th - The next day we were off to Cranleigh to play the Arts Centre. We had never been down to Surrey so we didn’t really know what to expect. Our friend Julian Lewry was promoting the show and we looked forward to seeing him again. We stayed at a very quaint B&B above a pub and were thrilled to make our first appearance at the Arts Centre. Julian’s long time friend, Bryan, came out to help and we got to know them both a bit better over dinner. They are both huge music fans and just want to bring some of their favorite artists down to Surrey. Our kind of guys!! 100+ people showed up there and since it was just us all night we performed 2 sets. We received a great response and are looking forward to going back with the whole band next time.
Saturday, Feb. 10th - Found us driving North to Buckingham. What a cute town!! We are finally getting the hang of driving while trying to interpret road signs and seem to be getting lost less and less with each passing day. I finally figured out to just follow the signs to the city center and start looking from there… it seems to be working. This is another venue we hadn’t played at and our last night with Winter as an opener. We met Mike Trotman, the promoter, for the first time and our booking agent Bob Paterson came out with Winter. It seems Mike and Bob are old friends and I can see why. They both work very hard helping to put bands in front of as many people as possible and usually for little return. The venue used to be an old church (painted salmon colored no less) and was given to Buckingham University. They use it for an Arts Centre and Mike rents it out to put on shows. We loved playing here. Another night of all new faces and new converts.
It was bittersweet to say goodbye to Winter, but I’m sure we’ll play with them again next time we come to the UK. We are looking forward to a day off in York tomorrow!!
Sunday, Feb. 11th - We had an easy drive up to York and Marc’s sister guided us in to town to the B&B we were staying at. I finally got my princess bedroom for the tour and was thrilled we’d be staying there for 2 days!! Marc’s sister Linda met us over at the B&B and his bro in law Peter picked us all up after we settled in to take us into town. I was anxious to find the venue as I had left my pillow on the first night of the tour in Bury and my friend John Webb mailed it to the club for me to pick up! We found the club easily enough, since Linda & Peter are locals but alas, my pillow was not there. It seems they had tried to deliver it Saturday morning and no one was in that early. So I needed to pick it up at the post office. Peter offered to do that for me the next day since it was Sunday and I happily accepted.
We walked into town from the venue and did the tourist thing. We saw the Minster - I took a picture of Linda with the boys in front of it. We walked down the shambles which look just like Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies and stopped in to Big Betty’s for a proper English tea! What fun and I just had to have my first scone of the tour – yumm yumm!
Later on that evening we had a wonderful Indian dinner with Marc’s sister & husband and a few friends and then off to a pub to listen to an impromptu jam with a local acoustic folk band. It was a great evening and a nice day off in a beautiful town. If you haven’t been to York you need to make the trip… it’s lovely!
Monday, Feb. 12th - Our gig is here in York so we had a nice lazy day and big news!!! I got my pillow back!! I left it in Bury on our first night and my friend John Webb tracked it down for me and shipped it off to York. Let me tell you my neck is very happy!! I am excited about the show tonight. We’ve been wanting to play in York ever since we started touring the UK. Our wonderful agent, Bob Paterson, finally made it happen and it was a great night. We owe a good turnout on a Monday night to Marc’s sister, Linda’s, wonderful friends!! A huge thanks to everyone who showed up. I always nervous about playing in a club for the first time and the Yorkies made me feel right at home. The venue is very much like The Casbah in San Diego in vibe and sound. It was definitely our loudest gig of the tour. We saw a few people who had seen us play in North Yorkshire there and that was great too! Check out these photo’s from the Fib gig taken by our friend Sam Strickland.
Tuesday, February 13th - We traveled North to Gateshead and I looked for the Angel of the North right away this time as I remember it from our summer tour last year. This was our last stop on the summer tour and we remembered it fondly! Once again, we found the hotel right away and did not get lost on our way to the venue. We are starting to get the hang of these google map directions!! We settled in for a few hours before we needed to get over to the Sage for our sound check. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were treated like super stars and let me tell you it is something you can truly get used to. We a huge dressing room stocked fully with yummy snacks and great English Tea and beer. We had access to a media room and after our sound check we were served a 3 course dinner. Yum Yumm!! The stage 2 room was amazing. It is shaped like an Octagon and sounds soooo good! We had our biggest crowd of the tour, 240 people and this was definitely one of our best sounding gigs ever. I took some photo’s of the audience and had them take one of us. Afterwards we did a meet n greet and the Sage had someone sell our CDs and merch while we signed autographs and said hello to the fans. Tamsin said we can come back anytime we’d like so please look for us in 2008!! Of course, we got lost trying to find our way back to the hotel and actually doubled back 3 times to finally get there. It was one of the few places we were able to get online so Marc and I sat in the lobby for about an hour answering e mails and contacting family. I was finally able to do an iChat with my husband and that was a great Valentines gift, let me tell you. I had another good night sleep with my pillow –AH!
Wednesday, Feb. 14th – Happy Valentines Day everyone!! We made our trek down to Leicester in no time, OK 3 hours, but google said it would take 4.5 hours…. TURBO!! We needed to be guided in to the hotel by our wonderful host and club owner of The Musician, Darren. It was very nice and we stayed right behind the venue. Of course, you couldn’t get there from where we were and had to go all the way around but it made for some interesting wrong turns every time we tried to get there or back! Always an adventure!!
Rachel Mainstone opened for us and was a huge hit with the crowd. She has a wonderful raspy voice and her songs are very soulful.. I was happy to hear at least half of her set this time. It was great to see Mick Willets from Stourbridge again too. I received a beautiful corsage from a fan, Rick and so did Sharon. She would have loved it and was once again asked about and missed very much. Jim put it on the end of his guitar later in the night and it looked great.
We decided to play all love songs in honor of the day and it was a lot of fun. We took more pictures of the audience and the groovy new sign. I received 2 boxes of chocolate, one from Ivor and one from Rick and shared it with everyone at the end of the show. As an added Valentines bonus, we gave out a poster to everyone who showed up:o)
I miss my husband and family very much, especially today.
Thursday, Feb. 15th – YIPPEE!! A day Off!! I’m definitely getting tired. Touring is hard work and takes a toll on your mind and body, but try it pregnant sometime… it’s definitely exhausting and this baby is getting heavy!! We took our time leaving today and drove down to Turners Hill, which is in East Essex. It is a very beautiful area and we only got lost once. We were graciously offered accommodations from our hosts, Simon, Snesha & Ayesha for the house concert, turned into town hall performance the next day. They have a lovely home and I got to sleep another Princess room. Ayesha let me sleep in her room and it was the best night sleep I got for the whole tour!! We just hung out and chilled for the evening. Snesha and Jim made super Yummy vegetarian Indian food for dinner and it was super yummy!!
Friday, Feb. 16th - Shopping in Brighton today!!
OK, OK and a BBC radio interview that Simon set up. Afterwards we had a very nice lunch and then we walked over to the Lanes to shop for family. Simon was very gracious letting me go from shop to shop until I had everything I needed. We arrived back in Turner’s Hill with just enough time to get ready for sound check.
We had a full house, well actually room, which is why the concert moved to the town hall in the first place. There was not enough room for all the people who responded to Simon’s House concert emails at his house! The night was great and I even got a printed list of song requests from Ayesha. It was so good to see our friend Helen Underwood and her parents there. As well as Gaz & Victoria from Proper, who surprised us by coming down last minute! What a treat. We loved playing in such an intimate environment and hope to make it back next summer.
Saturday, Feb. 17th – Stopped at the police station in Crawley, West Sussex to make a report concerning our London car break in as the report was never filed. The woman that helped me was very pleasant and efficient and we were off to Brentwood in no time. We arrived early, about 1:00pm, to our hotel to check in and the front desk person was the first rude person we met on the tour. She would not let us check in early and said we had to come back at 3:00pm. We decided to go eat lunch and came back around 2:30pm and she still wouldn’t budge. I was very tired, a little crabby by now and even tried to pull the pregnancy card. I asked how there could be no clean rooms at 2:30pm but that at 3:00pm they would magically all be cleaned. I sat in the lobby and glowered at her until she finally gave in 10 minutes later and found rooms for us all. I definitely needed a nap!!
I looked at a atlas map we had in the car and figured out a short cut that worked very well getting us to the Essex Arms Club for our sound check and feeling pretty good about my navigational skills. Jim and I went back to the hotel to get ready and Marc stayed behind to have dinner with some our friends Pete and Malcolm and Josh and his son, Thomas. All from Maidstone I might add. Our friends from Bury, The Blackhearts opened the night and I know they were great cause I thoroughly enjoyed them at The Met! A band called Society opened for us and we really loved their sound. They are just getting started and are definitely worthy of a listen to. We had a wonderful introduction from the promoter, Ian Flavill, a huge supporter of Ameriana music and someone who really cares about live music in his area!! Our set was a lot of fun because there were many faces from Maidstone in the audience. It was especially nice to see Alan & Francis Cackett from Maverick Magazine there. Maverick was one of our tour sponsors and the main reason we started touring the UK in the first place.
We made our way back to the hotel with no problems and we are really starting to get the hang of this driving business. Off to sleep with one more show left to go!!
Sunday, Feb. 18th – We went to a wonderful Sunday roast with our good friend Gaz and his daughter Charlotte today. It was a perfect way to spend our last day in England. The restaurant was super yummy and the company was like family. The baby always kicks when mama is eating and I grabbed Charlotte’s hand to touch my belly and she felt him kick. It was the first time in her life she’d ever felt anything like that and she was so overwhelmed by it that she started to cry. So of course, I started to cry. I’ll never forget the look on her dad’s face when he realized why she was so
emotional. It was a very sweet moment. They dropped us back at our hotel and went onto Chelmsford to hang out with Gaz and Gill until our gig started. We had just enough time to get ready for the gig and drive to our sound check.
The venue is called the Bassment and the event is named Altered States. It is a very vibey, intimate room and a great place to see a band up close and personal. Society opened for us again and they were just as good as the night before… we hope to see them again on our 2008 tour. Ian introduced us again and he was so passionate about his love for music and being a fan of ours. It really set the tone for our last show. It is always bittersweet to play the last show, because more than anything you want to see your family and you know it is happening the next day. But the energy and excitement of a final show is intoxicating and it is something you don’t want to end. We invited Society to join us on a Johnny Cash song and they rocked the house! It was a fantastic night and perfect way to end the tour. We said all our goodbyes to dear friends and found the hotel right where we left it. I stayed up late to pack and get ready for our morning departure.
Monday, Feb. 19th – Going Home!! We drove down to Gatwick in Monday morning traffic and stopped at the last services before the airport to meet up with our friend Josh and hand over all our equipment and guitars and CD’s until next time. On to Gatwick we dropped off the rental car and shuttled over to the airport. We were early and there were no lines and did I mention traveling first class is the only way to fly??? We ate lunch in the duty free shopping area and picked up all our last minute gifts for family and friends.
I relived the entire tour on the way home and feel so lucky to be playing music for a living and touring in England. Marc and Jim made this tour as easy as possible on me and they are such amazing musicians as well as cool people that again I must count my blessings. But most importantly, the love of my family and support for what I do means everything to me. I must admit that it is one thing to book a 3 week tour when you are one month pregnant and another to travel and perform when you are 6 months pregnant!! I am very tired and so ready to go home. But this experience is one that I will treasure always… the time I took my son on tour with me to England.
Thanks to all our wonderful UK fans. We love coming over and playing for you all! We will be back soon… and I’ll be a lot thinner!
God bless you all,
eve
Men in Black Tour (Marc's Version)
Day 1 - Arrival and Bury
We flew into Gatwick after a 14 hour flight and were met by good friend Josh, our great UK pal and overseer of all things Eve related ....
Crammed our rented Volvo station wagon to the gills with guitars and luggage and drove all the way to Bury (near Manchester) and didn’t get lost once .... Jim sat in the backseat the whole way and all I could see of him was his nose sticking out from behind his black Taylor bag ....
Played a slightly delirious but well received show at the Met, which is a beautiful performing arts center in the middle of Bury near the high street (UK’s version of main street) ... The Met has a capacity of around 125 in a small theater setting and we drew 105, which was our best showing since first playing there in 2004 ... a talented duo calling themselves The Blackhearts opened the show ...
Missing my wife and kids and it’s only the first day.
Day 2 - Soho/London
Off to London the next day for an appearance at the Borderline in Soho as part of the Bob Harris show ... drove down from the greater Manchester area in a quick 3 1/2 hours and then took another 2 just to figure out how to get into London ... I parked right at the front door of the venue and we were downstairs maybe 5 minutes when the manager came running by us shouting that a teenager was breaking into our car ... we went upstairs and found our passenger side window broken and glass everywhere .... the thief made off with Eve’s American cell phone and a worthless bag but left our 2 laptops in the backseat, proving the thief was really stupid and we were really lucky ....
The Borderline was packed to standing room only, and we performed a too quick 30 minute set and it was over just as we were getting warmed up .. It was nice to look out over the audience and see so many familiar faces - Gaz, Gary and Gill, Jonathan, Jemma, Garry, Owletts friends Roger Price, Chris and Diana Spree as well as pal Carey, Mick and Jane and others I’m probably forgetting ...
Around midnight our window was fixed while we visited with our friends and then we said goodbye and happily made our way back to our Bayswater hotel .. When I opened the door to my room Eve and I almost fell over laughing when I found that I was to sleep in the equivalent of a walk- in closet but made the best of it as that is typical of a ‘budget’ room in London .... Eve played the pregnancy card ( the first of many) so that she could stay in the double room, and yes the other rooms were so small that Jim figured out that he could change the channels to the TV while sitting on the toilet, and I tried my best to answer the phone while standing in the shower but couldn’t quite reach.
Day 3 - Farndale/N. Yorkshire
We performed the next night in N. Yorkshire in a valley (Old Mill near Farndale) just below the Yorkshire Moors ...
Stunning is the best way to describe it and I now understand why my sister Linda has lived in Yorkshire for 40 years .... the venue was named the Band Room and sat just beyond a bridge on a beautiful country road and was filled to capacity with about 130 or so, and we spotted our Gateshead friend Helen Mitchell sitting in the front row ....
A young singer songwriter named Willy Mason opened the show and we figure he’ll be huge as he’s following in the footsteps of other past Eve Selis support acts like James Blunt and Jewel ... us jealous? Nah ...
We were hosted by Tony, Nicki, Jim and Nigel and they put us up in our own huge home called The Schoolhouse which sits on a hillside where sheep roam just outside the windows and pheasants do their best to run under our vehicle whenever we drive anywhere .. after the show some locals put on food and drink for us and we enjoyed the conversation and hospitality ....
Something that’s been on all of our minds since this tour was booked is how 6 months pregnant Eve will hold up to the stress of 14 shows in 18 days and all the travel ahead ... as of now her voice has never sounded better ... so far so good.
Day 4 - Stourbridge
Arrived at the Talbot Hotel, which is a very cool 16th century building that began as a coach house ... we stayed there on our July 2006 tour and were delighted to be back ... the ballroom where we performed was the ‘new’ addition to the place and dated back to the late 1700’s ... had fun watching UK pals Highway Dave the Varmints open for us and they sounded terrific playing completely acoustic ...
We spotted 82 year old Lesley in the crowd and though he was a bit disappointed to learn Sharon isn’t along on this tour he was happy to share his latest accomplishments regarding his progress with his guitar playing and took time out to do this right in the middle of our show .... we’ve promised she’ll be with us next time which made him very cheerful ...
Thanks Mick for bringing us back to Stourbridge.
Day 5 - Nottingham
Day off - We’re in Nottingham, the weather is cold and wet and we’re trying our best to keep warm ...
A quick thought - I love the voltage over here - American is 110 and British is 220, so you can take ice cold water and pour it into the coffee maker and it will come to a boil in about a minute - Turbo! Just like our rental car ...
Day 6 - Nottingham
Performed at the Maze and met up with fans from the Midlands .... some were with us when we played Leicester in July on what was the hottest day of the year, and now we are in the same general area and find ourselves a day or two away from snow ...
The Maze is a music club in the back room of an old pub and has a nice vibe and some very dedicated Americana music fans as well as an excellent sound man (Nigel) ... the band Winter from Sweden opened and played a nice set of rootsy music which warmed up the audience for us.
Day 7 - Nottingham
Day off -
Jim pulled his back right before the gig last night but put on a brave face though he spent most of today in bed and on meds .... Eve and I went into town and did very exciting things like laundry and answering e-mail, though we did stumble upon a lovely chocolate/coffee shop run by a very nice fellow named Graham ... brought some spiced chocolate back to Jim and he recovered enough to come out in the evening with us where we had a pint in England’s oldest inn - Trip to Jerusalem built in 1128 AD or sometime near that, and part of it is built into the side of the castle in Nottingham ... and we think the Hotel Del Coronado is old.
Day 8 - Putney
It snowed like crazy but made it back to London in good time ... show is at 9 and we’ll see if anyone comes out.
Well, numbers were down a bit but still about 60 came out and we were actually happy and sort of shocked to see anyone there ... The band Winter opened and Jim and I are jealous of the young guitarist Henrick, he’s got quite a feel for Americana and is great slide player ....
Played alot of new songs including our UK debut of ‘Welcome to Paradise’ which was warmly received, but the surprise has been how everyone is responding to our new song ‘I Believe in Love’ ... it’s got a catchy chorus and I don’t even remember writing it with Kim and Eve as I was on meds that day to treat a kidney stone ....
Had a few pints after the show with Proper Records friends Paul, Lily and Alan and then back to the hotel and off to bed.
Day 9 - Cranleigh
We’re impressed by the beauty of this small town and are grateful that friend/fan Julian went thru the trouble to book us here ... We met Julian at Guilfest in 2004 and he’s been an Eve advocate since and has attended shows on all of our tours since then ... Julian was ably assisted by friend Bryan who attended to our very need ...
The venue was a schoolhouse circa 1850’s and is now an arts center ... very modern on the inside and terrific acoustics and a top notch sound and light crew ...
We’re astounded again when we appear in a new town or city and lots of people turn up and this was the case tonight as the the reception was warm and enthusiastic ...
We enjoyed the after-show hang and happily accepted a few pints from Paul in return for playing his request of ‘Beautiful Day’ ... Jim and I had fun talking to young up and coming guitarist Stu while Eve signed autographs ... and that’s another thing - I’m touched when I look out into the audience and see people singing along with our music so we must again give thanks to Bob Harris for playing our songs on his BBC 2 program as well as Alan Cackett at Maverick magazine for his strong support and excellent writing.
Day 10 - Buckingham
Still in Cranleigh this morning and the sun just appeared for the first time in days ... missing Paula and the kids like crazy ...
Now in Buckingham and we find it to be just as lovely and quaint as Cranleigh ....
We’re performing in an old church and have just met the promoter Mike as well as our agent Bob Patterson ... Winter will open again ... more later ....
Now back in my room and we are all thrilled with how the evening went ... The place was near capacity with a final count of 125 which continues to blow us away ... we come into a town we’ve never been to and because of past touring and advertising as well as our website all these people show up, and so many know the lyrics and sing right along ....also, we’re meeting a few local promoters on this tour who truly love music and really aren’t in it for the money and this was the case last night in Cranleigh and again here in Buckingham and we’re grateful to them ...
The response given us tonight was fantastic and we’re always happy when they want more, which has been the case everywhere we’ve played; better than a finger in the eye as they say here ... Met up with Alan of Biggleswade and always nice to see him, but the biggest surprise of the night was seeing our friends Gaz, Beth, Gary and Gill ... They drove 3 hours in the rain from Kent to see us and we were delighted ... After the show we mangaged to find a non-smoking pub called the Brittania and shared some great local ale with them and were happy that it wasn’t us that would have to drive 3 hours to get back home ... tomorrow we’re off to York and a day off and I’m looking forward to seeing my sister Linda and bro-in-law Peter.
Day 11 - York
Had a quick drive up to York and went straight over to Linda and Peter’s house which is right around the corner from our B & B .... we met up with them and a small group of friends, and I’m so grateful for our UK tours as it gives me a chance to reconnect with my sister ... We had a great dinner at a fabulous Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant and then took a walk over to a pub for a pint ... some musicians gathered for an impromptu performance and played some traditional local tunes much to our great enjoyment.
Day 12 - York
Show tonight at Fibbers ....
After the show ...
A respectable turnout thanks to my sister and a late summer for an appearance in Gateshead, and we were given an awesome reception ... I was happy to meet a few people who had traveled from places like Gateshead and Nottingham just to see us ... The club is very much like the Casbah or Brick by Brick and it was fun to turn up the acoustics and rock out and Jim introduced a first to the music world - Acoustic wah wah guitar ...
Small world story ... our Farnsdale/N. Yorkshire host (day 3) Tony came out tonight and I found out that he’s been friends with my sister for many many years ... he owns a bookshop in York and is hosting an art show of hers at Christmas.
Day 13 - Newcastle
Arrived at the Sage and we were all impressed ... We performed just outside of it last summer along the Tyne River and only had a quick glimpse of the inside and it was a real treat to be able to perform inside on Stage 2 tonight ... it’s a world class venue with truly perfect sound, very high tech, which reminded us a bit of Space Mountain at Disneyland ...
We drew 240 people here and there was Helen Mitchell again in the front row along with pal Tom .... though we’ve enjoyed all of our shows in the UK this one is at the top as far as sound, lighting and a well stocked backstage area for us ... we’re all on a bit of high right now but tomorrow should be great as we’ll be performing at the Musician in Leicester.
Day 14 - Leicester - Valentine’s Day
It’s hard to be away from our loved ones today but we take heart in knowing we’ll be home next Monday ....
Off to sound check .. more later ...
Had another great gig tonight ... this was our 4th appearance at the Musician and our best turnout yet, and the tone of the evening was much different than most of our other shows on this tour, but in a good way ... very laid back and unhurried and sentimental all at the same time, and it was a time for Eve and I to reflect on 16 years working together as we started this very night so long ago on a stage in Spain...
Eve appreciated Rick bringing her a corsage and he brought one to Sharon too but since she isn’t with us on this tour Jim attached it to his guitar ... Ivor brought chocolates which were promptly distributed and devoured by the band and audience.
Day 15 - Turners Hill
Had a nice drive down today and arrived at our host Simon, Snesha and and daughter Ayesha’s home .. beautiful country out here ... we go to Brighton in the morning to do a BBC radio interview and then back to Turners Hill for the gig, but in the meantime spent some time with Ayesha giving an impromptu guitar lesson ... she’s 8 years old and is a very talented young lady who reminds me so much of my daughter Sierra ....
Back at Simon’s house now and spent a nice day in Brighton shopping in the Lanes - very historic place with very narrow paths and streets .. BBC interview was fun and now we’re off to do the show.
Day 16 - Brighton and Turners Hill
Performed last night at the Arc, a town hall in Turners Hill, and packed the place (not hard to do as it’s not that big but it looks good in writing) ... received a partial standing O from a few and an enthusiastic encore from all ... nice to see familiar faces in the crowd - Garry, Helen and parents, Gaz and Victoria and a few others who caught other shows on this tour .... Won’t see most of them again until our summer 2008 tour and my Sam will be 5 by then!
Everyone keeps asking about band members Larry, Rick and Sharon and we assure them that they’ll be with us next tour, and Larry has promised to wear his Bobbi hat.
Day 17 - Brentwood
Arrived midday and found our hotel situated right in the middle of an American style shopping complex with a TGI Fridays and a Chilis next door ... I hope we don’t infiltrate the UK too much with this kind of thing because England is so charming as is ... we had lunch at an ‘authentic’ New York deli and I think we should make a deal - the British shouldn’t try to do deli and we won’t try to do beer ....
Performed tonight at the Essex Arms in one of the smaller venues on the tour but it certainly didn’t lessen the impact that the audience has on us or we on them ... great show and great fun ... a very cool young British band opened named Society ... nice 3 part harmony and a very funky vibe with a splash of the Stones mixed with Neil Young and Wilco ....
Lots of Maidstone area friends/fans showed up which made us very happy as we didn’t make it out that way for the first time since 2003 ... we were particularly happy to see Alan Cackett and wife Francis here and are always happy to meet back up with Maidstoners
Pete and Malcolm ...
One more day left here and we’re on our way home! Lovely!
Day 18 - Chelmsford
Hung out today with Gaz from Proper Records and oh how the tables have turned as he got lost along the way and had to call Eve for directions to our hotel ... Gaz brought along his daughter Charlotte and we had a traditional British Sunday roast in a pub built in 1450 ... Charlotte cried (really) when she felt Eve’s stomach and felt baby Gulotta move ....
We had a nice meal but I was saddened to learn that when I stepped out to call my wife I learned upon my return that the bread and butter pudding had arrived and no one saved even one tiny scrap for me ...
Day 19 - Gatwick Airport
Performed a slightly loose but fun show last night in Chelmsford fueled by fatigue and a couple of pre show pints ... We invited openers Society up on stage to play a rousing rendition of Folsom Prison Blues and then finished with a sentimental version of Goodbye and then it really was time to say goodbye to so many friends including Gaz, Gary, Gill, Jonathan, Lynn, Charlotte and Nick and many I’m forgetting right now though I can be excused as my excitement level is very high at the prospect of seeing my wife and children ....
Now that we’re at the end of things I can say that Jim, Eve and I are all surprised and happy that her voice sounded as strong on the last night as it did on the first night ... hmm, maybe that’s why opera singers carry that extra weight though they don’t go thru the trouble of getting pregnant to do it ...
Met dear friend Josh (our UK caretaker) at a services (UK lingo for gas station) to return our guitars and amps for safekeeping until next tour ... Sad to say bye to him but happy to know we’ll meet up again soon and happier to be on our way home!
Final thought from Jim - Why do the British take such pride in their Full English Breakfast? Baked beans and hard bacon?? C’mon people! We don’t brag about Denny’s in the States!! Love yer beer though ... See you July 2008!
Cheers,
Marc
Summer U.K. Tour | Days 23-25
Sad, Muddy Goodbyes
Monday, August 1, 2005 | J.F.K. Airport, NYC, U.S.A.
So here I am sitting in the JFK Airport in NYC writing my last blog. We finished our tour yesterday and we're half way home with a 6 hour layover so I figured I've got some time and I might as well write this now. Especially because when I get home I will have been traveling for 20 hours and I'll be super-tired.
Saturday was a sleep-in and pack-for-leaving day. Our gig that night was at the Soul Café in Maidstone. It was a local gig for us and we happily drove the 10 minutes in the van. This was one of the first places we played when Marc and I came over in October of '03. Every time since then it has been standing room only and it was no different this time. Alan Cackett of Maverick Magazine and his crew, including his wife Francis, were setting up the place and we soundchecked with Deke making things sound sweet. We were treated to wonderful Italian food from Zaffa's, the restaurant next to the club and met the owner's wife, Sara, for the first time. Dave Blosse, opened the night with a wonderful 50-minute set. The crowd was with him and it was our last show together...since he is a hometown boy I think he was feeling the love and giving it back. It was a pleasure to share the stage with him this trip and I must say he is a wonderful musician. When we walked on stage for our performance I felt like a home town girl too. The crowd was filled with regulars and many newcomers and the energy was electrifying!
It was a perfect night. We played a long first set and took a break to meet people and sign CDs. One woman told me she changed her holiday plans with a ferry booking and everything so she wouldn't miss our show. That was amazing to hear. We went back up to thunderous applause and finished up our second set with Do You Know Me, the beautiful ballad that is the title track of our last CD. This song has been so special to me for the past few years and of course our producer, Kim Mclean who wrote it, has become one of my dearest friends. I told the story of how I found that song at every show on this tour. For those of you who haven't heard it: we were in Nashville on September, 10th 2001, looking for songs for our new CD. We went to five or six different publishers and listened to around 150 songs. One of our favorites was Do You Know Me. The next day was 9/11 and our world changed. We were stranded in Nashville and we were scheduled to do a songwriter showcase the next night and we thought about cancelling but decided along with some of the other artists that people really needed to hear some healing music at that time and we went ahead with it. It just so happened that one of the other artists in the round that night was the writer of that song, Kim Patton-Johnston (now McLean) and the rest is history. That night of songs was a bonding experience for us and we've been sisters ever since. I wanted to share our feelings of understanding and sympathy with what they had been through in the recent bombings in London and share the message and essence of that song. A song about everyday angels...a song that makes you feel good about being a human being. Something that really helped me heal personally after 9/11 happened here. The Brits are very strong people and they stand united...their determination to live their lives and go on is undeniable. After the show, we said hello and goodbye to many repeat fans who made this trip so special. It was a wonderful night but also a bit sad as the tour was coming to an end soon.
The next day we packed up the van and left early for Poole in Dorset which is a very ritzy resort area. We said goodbye to Rose, Gerry's wife and our house hostess. She is so gracious and kind putting up with 5 musicians and we can't thank the Mansfield family enough for all their support. Gerry and his sons, Rob and Ollie came along for the day and we stopped for Sunday meal somewhere along the way at a pub called The Chicken and Hen. It was our last true British meal together and the right choice...everyone was very happy with their food and I even ordered extra Yorkshire pudding! Of course we all wanted a nap afterwards but it was off to our festival gig in Poole, fat and happy. It then started to rain...this was the England I remembered from last year. I wondered how it would affect attendance. Being from Southern California I know that rain is the kiss of death for any gig...people don't go out in the rain here. But England is so green and beautiful because it rains almost everyday. It doesn't stop them one bit. We arrived at the South Will Rise Again festival at about 4:00pm and our show time was set for 7:00pm. We walked around a bit and looked at all the booths and food available and then I was too cold and back to the van I went for warmth and a cat nap. I got ready in their dressing room and of course it started raining harder. I was thrilled and amazed to see that no one had moved, they just put up their umbrellas and stayed put! It was a great show to end the tour with. From the first chord to the encore the crowd was with us. I had to be careful running around on stage as it was very wet but I managed to work up a good sweat and thoroughly enjoyed our 75 minute set. I signed CDs, t-shirts, autograph books, posters and postcards for 40 minutes and then said my goodbyes to the crew and staff. A huge thanks to Les and Justin and Sharon for having us.
Off to a hotel at Heathrow Airport we went but we were determined to have one last celebratory drink with Gerry! Of course we couldn't find a pub and when we did barely made it in under the curfew. But it was worth it...my last half-pint of Strongbow for quite some time. An hour later we were checking into the Jury's Inn hotel at Heathrow and saying goodbye to Gerry, Rob & Ollie. Words sometimes seem so small for such a large feeling of gratitude. Gerry worked so hard for us and we are so grateful for all his help every time we come over. A huge hug and kiss to you Gerry from me and the boys...you rock! Some other folks I need to thank for making this tour possible: Malcom Mills and all at Proper Records for their support and excitement about our music and the future; Line 6 for sponsoring us by providing the guitars Marc, Jim & Rick played. Check out their website at www.line6.com for a blurb about the boys; John & Helen Webb for their generosity and friendship; my amazing band for being the great players and great people that they are, especially Larry Grano for filling in on drums and bringing all his wacky energy to the mix. And to Bob and Sharon—we missed you both so much and can't wait for the whole family to play together again soon. But most of all thanks to our fans in the UK for making this our best tour yet. We can't wait to see you at all the festivals next year. As they are fond of saying in England...Watch this space!
So here I am sitting at our gate with 2 hours to go before we board for home. I can't wait to see my kids and sleep in my own bed. But I can't help feeling bittersweet. It was an amazing tour full of new adventures and great gigs and getting lost in small towns. I still can't figure out the roundabouts! But I need to be home and do my laundry and kiss my husband and kids and maybe even watch some TV. I certainly have some new songs that need to be written as well. So I will sign off now and count my blessings and get some sleep!!
Peace, love and Pimm's to all!
See you on the road....
eve
p.s.- look for lots of photos and videos from the tour on the site real soon!
Summer U.K. Tour | Days 20-22
English Lit and Geography 101
Friday, July 29, 2005 | Stourbridge, West Midlands, U.K.
The Beehive is a tiny little pub in Swindon that we played on our first tour of England and even though logistically it didn't make too much sense on this tour, we decided to show our appreciation to Andy and the boys and go back and give the good folks there a night they'd never forget. It was barely breathing room only and we had the whole band crammed in there. Needless to say everybody had a blast and they'll be talking about it for some time to come. My photographer friend Geoff Swaine showed up and took some great photos. He works for Rex Features, Britain's leading international photographic press agency. You can check them out at rexfeatures.com. This is an agency so you can only look at thumbnails but you can still see them OK. He'll be taking photos at the festival on Sunday as well.
We've been off for two days and everyone did their own thing. On Wednesday, Marc went to York, Larry & Rick went to London, Tom and I went to Dover Castle and saw the white cliffs, and Jim stayed in Maidstone for a good rest. We all had fun and much needed down time. On Thursday, Marc came back from York, Rick, Larry and Jim stayed in Maidstone and Tom and I went to Canterbury to check out the Cathedral. It is a must stop on any tour of Southern England and like millions of pilgrims before us, we made our way through the town and into the Cathedral to see the shrine of Archbishop Thomas Beckett. For a quick reference, see the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, Murder In The Cathedral by T.S. Eliot and the movie Beckett starring Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton. We said a prayer for a safe return home to San Diego and met the boys in Lenham to hook up with our friends Dani & Pippa for a goodbye drink. Pippa couldn't make it as she works late and they were leaving the next day for holiday but Dani showed bearing gifts...a bottle of Pimm's for each of us to take home! It was a nice ending to a good couple of days off.
It's Friday and we stopped in Statford-upon-Avon for lunch. That's Shakespeare's hometown and another "must see" among so many here in England. I guess we'll just need to keep coming back! Had a nice high tea and saw the amazingly well-preserved town which looks very much like it did in the 1500s.
Stourbridge is in the West Midlands, just outside of Birmingham. Gorgeous countryside with sheep-covered hills and green pastures, straight out of the picture books. The Broadway Inn is a really cool venue that's been around since the sixties when it was named the Starlight Lounge and little Robbie Plant used to play there!! Great sounding room and wonderful folks. Thanks to Mick and Ian and especially to Deiniel and her husband who drove all the way from Cardiff in Wales for the show! Long drive home for us as well. Thankfully Dave and Gerry have all the driving duties on this tour so we can get some sleep. Counting the days 'til we come home.
More later...
eve
Summer U.K. Tour | Days 15-19
Half Moon Rising
Tuesday, July 26, 2005 | Oxfordshire, U.K.
Hello again!
Checking back in after a wonderful weekend. I want to let you know we are having a great tour. Friday found us with a day off at home base. We did things like laundry and rest. Stuff we sometimes don't have time to do when we are home. Many phone calls and emails to family later and I was off to London. It was my first train ride alone and I was feeling very grown up...wait a minute...I am grown up. Oh well it was an adventure for me and I loved it. The boys hung out in Maidstone and went out to a Portugese restaurant and enjoyed the power ballads from the '80s that made it an even more authentic dining experience:0) My husband flew into London on Saturday and boy was I a happy girl!! We took a train to Bedford and met the band at our gig at the Entertainment Shed that evening. The soundman Mark and his daughter Lynne picked us up from the train station and we soundchecked and got ready for the show. This was our 2nd trip to Bedford but a different venue. Dave Blosse opened for us again and did a great job. Marc joined him onstage and they sounded great. When we walked out to play the crowd was completely with us!! It was set up with tables and seats along the walls and standing room only at the back. We played two sets and had many requests for songs. It was a room of people who had seen us the first time and brought friends along to see us this time. A fan we met named Tom from our Leicester show drove out to see us again tonight. Also the record shop owner Andy, who we met in Norwich, made the trip also, as were a few folks from our record label, Proper Records. We must say something about Gaz who works at Proper and comes out to see us at least 4-5 times every tour—above and beyond the call of duty and a true friend and fan. As well as Ivor, who's trying to break some kind of record by seeing over half the shows on the tour! We finished up the night with Long Road Home (a request from Gary and Gill) another song that Larry had never played! It was gobsmacking!
Sunday it started to rain and this is the London I've experienced every time I've been over. Of course, I left my umbrella in my luggage in Maidstone. We bought one with a British flag design to make sure everyone knew we were tourists and went for a walk down Oxford Street. It was a cold and blustery day but hey...we were in London! We had an adventure getting to Putney for our gig that night. We took the tube, but couldn't get to the stop we needed 'cause it was shut down. So back up to the street we went and caught a bus to Notting Hill and then went back down to the underground to catch a train to the Putney Bridge stop. Putney is right on the river and Tom and I walked over the footbridge and found our way over to The Half Moon venue where our gig was at. It is a very famous club and many people have played there. Doon, the sound man, who did a fabulous job BTW, said The Stones, The Who, Rod Stewart, & many more. Dwight Yoakam and k.d. lang played their first gigs in the UK there. U2 played their first gig in England there as well...but they were never asked back 'cause they only drew 25 people! It's a standing club and it was filled up for our show.
Check out this special video greeting from the green room before the gig. The band was on fire and so was the crowd. From the first note to the last chord we rocked! A bunch of people from our label were there and the Artist Relations rep from Line 6 guitars, who have provided us with 5 guitars for the tour, showed up too. We saw Helen and the crew from Brighton who had been to the Komedia show and Adrian & Julian from the last time we played in London at the 12 Bar Club. Gary from Proper was there and he said it was the best he's ever heard us play. Everybody's loving the new song "Any Day." We all felt great and finished up the night with "Tear This Old House Down" and found a crowd screaming and clapping for an encore but unable to give them one 'cause they have a strict curfew. It was a very good feeling and a satisfying night for all. Rose, Gerry's wife, sold all 5 hats we had there!! Bravo Rose! Tom and I caught a cab back to London and had a very nice chat with our Muslim driver. He's been living in London for 7 years and studying politics so he can go back to his homeland, Afghanistan, and try to make the world a better place.
Monday was a day off and Tom and I went to Westminster Abbey and the Portrait Gallery. It was still cold so any excuse to go inside for a coffee was taken. That's one of the best things about London...it requires a lot of walking. Which is good 'cause we've been eating and drinking more than we do at home. We had a meeting with our label, Proper Records, at their offices in London and found out about lots of exciting things going on for us in 2006. We'll keep you posted as they get closer to happening. Malcolm Mills and Paul Riley, President and VP of the label took us all out to dinner for Italian food. There are 4 Italians here and we all agreed the food was Molto Bene!! The company was great, too.
This morning, my husband Tom, Marc, Jim and Larry got to go check out Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded, and got a private tour from Dan Ruttley from the DVD production department, set up by our good friend David Peck at Reelin' In The Years. As they were there Studio 2 was being set up for Paul McCartney who was coming in later for an acoustic performance for a DVD project he's working on. They are all still walking on clouds from that one. Later this afternoon on our way to Swindon we stopped by Bob Harris' house to have afternoon tea with him before our gig. We got to meet his mum, too! Now there's a kind and generous man with a heart of gold. And what stories! We decided he's the Walter Cronkite of music. We could've stayed for days but had to get back on the road after an hour and a half. Had a buzzin' time at the Beehive and saw lots of old friends. A couple days off coming up so I'll get back on it over the weekend.
Cheers and love to you all,
eve.
Summer U.K. Tour | Days 12-14
Spooky Crypts and Yellow Submarines
Thursday, July 21, 2005 | Liverpool, Merseyside, U.K.
Hi all! Wow…what a road trip! Three
days on the road, 2 great shows and a trip to Liverpool for the Magical
Mystery Bus tour and Beatles Museum tour…we were so close and we just
couldn’t resist.
First things first…we started off on Tuesday for our
trip to Norwich around 2:00pm and had a very nice drive with a few
stops for “services”. Here in England they don’t have gas stations off
every exit and if nature calls or your tummy is rumbling and you just
passed a “services” exit, you are out of luck my friend. 'Cause you’ll
have to drive the next 50-60 miles 'til the next one comes up. This is
something we take quite seriously as we learned the hard way a few
tours back! We checked into our acommodations
at the Green Gables Bed & Breakfast and then went off to find the venue. After
passing many cathedrals and the original city wall we finally found the
beautiful Norwich Arts Center and started loading in. I met Stuart, the manager
there and he filled me in on the back story. It was originally a 14th-century church and we were perfoming in the sanctuary—complete with
tombs on the floor and crypts in the walls. It was strangely peaceful I
must say. We did our soundcheck and had our meal and I started getting
ready for the show. Dave Blosse (our driver) opened for us again and I
could hear the audience response from the dressing room! It was
fantastic…after 3 songs Ricky jokingly said… "he’s not opening for us
anymore…he’s too good!” Marc and Jim joined him onstage for his last 2
songs and Dave’s 30 minute set was a huge success! At 9:15 we walked onstage and received a thunderous welcome. It set the night up for a great show. After every song the applause was deafening in that wonderful stone building. I was especially happy to play "Kate Morgan" there and said so when I set the song up. We took a break and kicked it up a notch on the second set. The boys were rockin' and we had a blast. We ended the night with "Honky Tonk Town" and were bribed with applause to come back for an encore…It was only appropriate to leave them with a bit of spiritual rejuvenation so "Tear This Old House Down" was it! Afterwards almost everyone bought CDs and I signed all of them. One man purchased one of every item on the table and I asked him if he was going to be able to eat this week. I signed ticket stubs and posters and T-shirts and even one boy’s mum’s autograph book…which I think was really her grocery list book. Many people were brand new fans thanks to Bob Harris and his radio endorsements and they told me so. Thank you Bob…we feel so grateful to have you on our team:0) We packed up our schtuff and thanked Stuart for a great gig. He wants us to come back next year and we said yes…of course!! We found a kebab shop and got lost on the way back to the B&B but all was well and off to dreamland we went. My mattress was extra firm and I didn’t sleep very well. I was also under the kitchen and heard them bright and early preparing breakfast for the guests.
Needless to say, I was very grumpy on the next drive out and we arrived in great time to The Cinnamon Club to set up for soundcheck. My dear friend John Webb had a hand in promoting this show and we had a wonderful crowd that night. He was there along with his wife Helen and their daughter Rebecca. I’ve known the Webb’s since the ’80s and it was very nice to sing in their neighborhood. This was not a typical show for this Club and I think they were waiting to see how it went. I have to tell you that it was set up with tables in a ballroom complete with 2 chandeliers and we were on a very high stage about 30 feet away from the first tables. Dave Blosse opened again and got a nice response with Marc Jim and Ricky joining him this time for his last 2 songs. I got up onstage and we opened with "Pocket Full Of Stones" by request for Karen! That was a perfect choice and the show found its groove from there. The response was a bit more reserved and I could tell the band didn’t know what to make of it. I remembered halfway through the set that the audiences in the north were a bit more reserved with their applause at first but very enthusiatic with their praise. On the break I went over to our merch table and the response from people was overwhelming. Everyone stopped by to get a CD or t-shirt and told us how much they were enjoying the night. After the break we jumped in and started off with "From Where I Stand" and ramped up to "Heart Shaped Tattoo" and closed again with "Honky Tonk Town." We got a surprisingly rowdy applause for an encore and they even stomped their feet which I told them sounded like a California earthquake. This time I wanted to end the night softly so we played "Broken Things"…one of my favorite songs to sing. You could hear a pin drop at the end…it was very emotional and they loved it. Once again I signed away 'til the last person left and then I went and stayed with my friends the Webbs and the boys went down the street to the Quality Inn. We stayed up reminiscing 'til 3:00am and then I collapsed in the guest room and didn’t move until the 10:00am wake up knock I requested came at my door.
We met up with the band at the club, loaded up the gear, said our goodbyes to John and off to Liverpool we went. We were determined to get our Fab Four fix and Gerry and Dave kindly indulged us. Rick decided to pass on the tours so they went off to a pub and we did the Beatles Museum tour with Audio guide and then took the Magical Mystery Tour Bus to see it all for ourselves. Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields...it was a long and winding road, I tell ya. Our tour guide was very amusing and the bus driver was a great straight man to his comedy. It lasted 2.5 hours and we had had our fill. Unfortunately, a call from home gave us the news of more bombings in London and we were very concerned. No one had any concrete details at first, but we were relieved to hear later that this was a copycat group and that no one was seriously hurt. We have a gig in London on Sunday the 24th and I know we will have a great turnout because terrorists won’t stop Londoners from going on with their lives and they continue to go about their business without fear. They’ve lived through so much worse in the past and are a tough group of people. Thanks for all the phone calls and prayers from family and friends at home. We are having a great tour and looking forward to the rest of it and to coming home safely to San Diego.
Tomorrow is another day off and then we're off to Bedford. "Traveling mercies" to my husband Tom who will be joining me in London on Saturday for the rest of the tour and some much needed vacation time!
Speak soon…
peace and grace in these troubled times,
eve
Summer U.K. Tour | Days 9-11
Oranges and Pimm's
Monday, July 18, 2005 | Maidstone, Kent, U.K.
Hey everyone, checking back in from a great weekend. We hope you had a
good one as well! Saturday morning saw us up and out of the house
early. Unfortunately the van battery was dead so all the boys got out
and pushed it for a jumpstart. The only problem was the van was
backwards and there was no room to turn around. Being the expert driver
Dave is, he managed to make it work on the last try on the way down the
hill. Off we went to the middle of downtown Ashford for their 7th
Annual Folk and Country Fest. Once again the weather was beautiful and
we had a blast…we played for about an hour and received a wonderful
response. Many people said they had heard about this gig from the Bob
Harris Show and we were happy to see Ralph, Bob’s sound engineer we had
met in London, there. It saved me a trip to the Post as I had promised
Bob, Al and Ralph t-shirts and had forgotten them in Maidstone.
Afterwards we walked about for a bit and then it was off to Oranges to
drop off Dave and the PA for our show there that night. We went back to
homebase and all crashed hard for a couple of hours. Then we were back
out to Oranges for a show at 9:00pm that night! Stuart and Dee, the
owners, are such cool people and our friends, Gary (with Proper
Records), his daughter Charlotte, and Garry and Jill, (who had all come
to the afternoon show) were right in front! We played 2 rocking sets and threw a few more songs at Larry that he hadn’t heard before. We played
acoustically because of limited space and Larry was playing percussion
on anything he could find, including the bench behind him and cardboard
boxes with the fans that Gerry bought to blow away the smoke. That’s
the one thing about playing in England that is hard for me…the
smoking in clubs. It kills my throat. We’ve had a law against it in California for so long
now that I forget other places still allow it. But from what I’ve
heard, England is on its way to smoke-free restaurants and clubs, too.
We tumbled out of Oranges about 12:00am and made it to the kebab shop
just before closing for some takeaway fish & chips and Doner (lamb)
kebabs! Yummy greasy food!
On Sunday we played a house concert for Pippa and Dani and their
family and friends at her father’s house in Chilham. We met them at the
Ashford Rugby Club on one of our first trips over and they have been
huge fans ever since! I didn’t know we were going to be treated to a
real English country gathering and was completely entranced with the
whole event. We were introduced to a true English traditional summer
drink called Pimm’s! It looks like ice tea but has a nice little kick
to it. We played in the garden and everyone brought a picnic dinner
to eat after our first set. It was such a lovely setting that we
started the evening out with "Union Mills" 'cause it felt so much like home. Their were lots of
kids there and we played Kim McLean’s song "Angels and Eagles," which of
course went over great. Pippa had made us a request set list of all
her favorites and asked if she could come up and mouth the words to "Do
You Know Me" when we did that song. I told everyone about how I had
first found that song in Nashville on Sept. 10th, 2001 and the next day
was 9/11 and the whole world changed. I said how sorry we were for the
recent bombings in London and dedicated the song to them all. It was a
very moving moment and once again an honor to share a song of Kim’s
that touches so many peoples hearts. The set built up from there and
when we took our first break we announced it was time for everyone to
"G'weat." By that time I had built up a big appetite and the boys were
starving so we had baguettes and cheese and beef and lamb and then
Mick, Pippa’s father and owner of the house, brought out gooseberry
cobbler and summer pudding for dessert. Of course, they had been
lovingly cooked by Brenda, Mick’s partner and we were just thrilled — it
was all so delicious! I can tell you it was a bit difficult to start
the second set after all that food…I could have used a nap first, but
of course that’s when things started hopping. Everyone was feeling good
and I was on my second Pimm’s and feeling quite pleased myself!
Requests for "One Less Monkey" and "Kate Morgan" abounded and once we
kicked into "Heart Shaped Tattoo" and "Passin Thru" everyone was up and
dancing around. Larry kept yelling "Pimm’s!" so people kept bringing him
more and he was a very happy lad. He even sang an impromtu song for our
hosts on the breakdown of "Passin Thru" – it was a big crowd pleaser.
We finished the concert and stayed until the sun went down…about half
9. This was a house concert that I will always remember and I
wish you could have all been there.
Today was another day off and we decided to go to Leeds Castle! You can
check it out online at www.leeds-castle.com There is a virtual tour you
can take and see what we saw today. It has gardens and parklands, an
aviary zoo, a maze and an underground grotto. We took our chances and
went through the maze! Rick and I found our way to the top and then
helped Marc and Larry get there. (Jim stayed back at Maidstone to take
a walk into town and relax a bit.) Leeds has its own vineyard and a
dog collar museum to boot. We watched the falconry show and I must
admit I was a bit nervous…later Rick and Larry said they got pictures
of me at just the right angle of the perch with the bird on top of it
that it looks like the bird is on my head:0) Can’t wait to see that
one!!
We came home and Gerry cooked us dinner. Of course, there are 3
Italians here now and when Tom gets here there’ll be 4…so cooking is a bit
of a free-for-all. I just do the dishes. The boys went out to see Dave Blosse play a gig in
town at The Walnut Tree and I decided to stay in and write this blog! We’ll be uploading pictures as soon as we figure out how to do it. We might have to wait for my husband Tom to get here.
If you get a chance please e mail Bob and Sharon and say hi for us. We
miss them very much!!
You can check out Bob’s daily rants on our website on the message boards.
Cheers for now,
eve
Summer U.K. Tour | Days 7-8
The Re-Furbished Musician
Friday, July 15, 2005 | Maidstone, Kent, U.K.
Greetings. It's still very warm here and starting to get a bit humid, so we feel right at home. Everything here is so green and beautiful from all the rain that is normally falling:0)
We had a great gig in Leicester at the Musician on Thursday. They
expanded the club and it looks great. Holds twice as many people now. The front door is shaped like an acoustic guitar…it’s very cool! It was a 3 hour drive and our sound check was
delayed a bit. We had a few technical difficulties with the amperage
but it all worked out and we had 15 minutes to spare before the show
started. A quick change into my stage clothes and we were only 5
minutes late. I apologized as we were "live" on the Bob Harris show in London only
moments before and then miraculously made it to Leicester in time
for the gig. It was a fun show and we had a bunch of requests and tried
to fit them all in. Poor Larry had to wing it on a few songs (In My Dreams, Broken Things, Son of a Preacher Man) that he’d
never heard us do before, but he was wonderful. It was very good to see my
friend Countryfile Dave who took some pics and sent them to me for the
blog. We stopped and ate curry at midnight and didn’t get back to
Maidstone until 5:00am. The sun comes up at half 4 ( which is how the
English say 4:30am) and it doesn’t go down until about 9:00pm. It can
really throw off your body clock. Needless to say we all slept in and
I didn’t roll out of bed until half 1 – Marc slept in the latest to
half 2.
Today is a day off so we rested until our driver Dave Blosse (who is also a wonderful singer/songwriter and is opening for us on a couple of gigs) came and picked us up at
about 4:30. We took him for a pint of beer at The Cock Horse, a small
pub across the road from his house and then we walked down Pilgrim’s
Way (the original road to Canterbury) and stopped at The Black Horse
(lots of horses around here) for dinner. It was an English dinner and it was wonderful, contrary to what many people think. We walked on
some more and stopped at St Mary’s Church to look at the cemetery. It’s
so strange to see tombstones dated from the 17oo’s. Larry got a lot of
this on film and then we called Dave for a ride home! We’re turning in
early because we have 2 gigs tomorrow. We can’t wait to see our friends
in Ashford.
Speak soon,
eve
Summer U.K. Tour | Days 5-6
My Brighton Beach Memoirs
Thursday, July 14, 2005 | Maidstone, Kent, U.K.
Hey howdy hey, everyone! We are having such a wonderful time here in
England. The weather is holding up and staying warm and it feels like we're back home in Southern California. On Tuesday, we hopped in our van and drove down to Brighton for
our show at Komedia. Brighton is a beach town like San Diego and the venue is located in a very bohemian, artsy
neighborhood and has a built-in vibe. We sound-checked and had a
couple of hours before the gig. The boys went out exploring. We were
just a couple of blocks off the beach. I stayed in the dressing room
to get ready for the show. We started the show acoustic- Marc, Jim and
I went up and played "Trail Of Tears" – the response was thunderous and
we called up Rick and Larry to join us. From there the set built up and
the evening proceeded to be one of the best shows we ever had in
England. It was nice to see Jonathon and Nick all the way in from
London. A bunch of people from our label were there and I met Mike
Spencer, who flew in from Saudi Arabia just to see our show on his way
back to Texas!! The sound and the crew at Komedia were fantastic and we
made a lot of new fans that night. I will look forward to our next show
there:0)
Wednesday was an early start. We took the train to London, Victoria
Station and then the "tube" into the city to meet up with Bob Harris at
the BBC. I was not afraid at all to ride on the London Underground and
we talked about it later that we noticed a similar effect after 9/11.
Everyone was checking everyone out…sizing them up and seeing who was
who. A natural instinct I guess. And just like after 9/11, people were
quick with a smile and a helping hand when we asked for directions.
I think it was 85 degrees and I brought a sweater along just in case it
got cold later in the day….IT DIDN’T! We recorded our interview with
Bob Harris, played some songs and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Bob Harris is like the
Dick Clark of England. Very well respected with an amazing track
record. You should check out his DVD series called “The Old Grey
Whistle Test” to see who he has interviewed in his career. We are so
happy to have him as a supporter and fan of our music. You can listen
online to our interview tonight. Check out the tour link for details. A
huge thanks to Al and Ralph, Bob’s producer and engineer respectively
for making us feel so welcome!
After our interview the boys were on a quest to get to Denmark Street
which is lined with music shop after music shop and of course we got
lost. I was on a mission to eat and we had hoped to eat at an Italian
restaurant that Marc’s sister Linda and brother in law Peter took us to
on our first London visit. After walking a lot farther then we thought,
we finally found it and of course it was closed:0 (I started to get
very poopy and was saved by an all you can eat Chinese/Thai food
buffet.) We all had seconds and then off we went to the music shops.
Since it was Larry’s first time in London, actually Europe, we did a bit
of sightseeing and ended up in Covent Gardens. There were a ton of
street performers and musicians busking for their supper and we
had a great time. It was a perfect day.
As I sit here writing this it's Thursday morning and we are getting ready to leave for our
gig in Leicester. Tomorrow is a day off so I’ll wait for more
adventures before the next update.
Be safe and speak soon,
peace,
eve
Summer U.K. Tour | Days 2-4
Americana
Monday, July 11, 2005 | Maidstone, Kent, U.K.
Well, here we are in beautiful Maidstone and the weather is perfect! Everybody's walking around in t-shirts and shorts. We
told Larry Grano (sitting in on drums this tour) how lucky he is as
the weather has never been this nice on our other trips. Marc says
to tell the fans it's brilliant!
We left home on Friday night and landed in New York's JFK on Saturday morning. Then it was a 7-hour jump across the pond to London's Heathrow airport where the only evidence we saw of the terrorist bombing was a long wait at
Customs. The Brits are such resilient and dignified people.
We met our host Gerry Mansfield and our driver Dave Blosse
(who will be joining us as an opener on a few gigs this tour) and off
we went for curry and English beer!! Yummy!! We drove on to home base
in Kent and off to sleep, happy and full we were.
Sunday was our first gig: The International Americana Festival in Nottingham, and we were
a bit late as we had a flat tire on the van:0 We missed The
Caffreys ( a band of brothers with great family harmonies) and I was
sad as they were a highlight from last year's trip. We had just a little
time to say hello to friends/fans, Ivor, Audrey, Mike and Shirley, Craig Baguley from Country Music People, Colin and Melody. It was great to see everyone. It was 80 degrees
and the crowd was sitting in the full brunt of the sun. I was amazed
that they were still there ready for more music. The show was running a
bit behind but we played a rockin' set and had a
blast. We received a warm response and told them they were all
sunburnt. I later heard that this was the only sun they would probably
receive all year. We sold lots of CD's, t-shirts and Eve Selis signature
hats! We stayed for a bit of the Bellamy Brothers set and then off to
eat and drink we went. This was the 25th Anniversary of the Festival
and Chris & Bev Jackson and their family received a special award for
bringing music and Europeans together for so many years. We are
grateful to be included and look forward to next year.
Today is a day off so we will be resting and sightseeing. Tomorrow is Brighton. Check back in a few days for
the next update. We love and miss you all, especially Bob Sale and
Sharon Whyte who couldn't make this trip.
peace,
eve
Summer U.K. Tour | Day 1
Happy Birthday To Me
Friday, July 8, 2005 | San Diego, California, USA
Well I had an amazing day today! It's my birthday and I spent it with the people I love today! I am all packed and ready to leave for the airport. It's exciting to be going back over to England. I am so happy to see old friends and fans and to meet new ones. With the bombings in London, this is a sad time as well. I hope coming over to play our music will help give a positive feeling to everyone we meet. That is the beauty of music....it touches hearts and heals wounds.
peace,
eve
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