7/19-21/08
I have my Rock Lives! moment of this particular go-round unexpectedly, as usually happens. We’re on a night of unwind in Barcelona after the long haul from Scandinavia, shown around by our aforementioned stage right tech, who lives here. We’ve had great tapas (Inopia, 104 Calle Tamarit); hung at Bar Ramon in the [...]

7/14-18/08
Jazz Odyssey. Our “new direction,” as Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap might have it, begins synchronously in Vienna on our night off. A friend recommends us to the Celeste Café on Hamburgerstrasse, where we might find “digital artists” and musicians, and have a bite to eat. There is food in the upstairs [...]

7/11-13/08
11 hours in transit, comprised of two planes and a longish bus ride, and we arrive at the festival site in Aix-Les-Bain, France. I’m not exactly sure where I am, close to Geneva and the Swiss border, but the town looks ancient enough as we drive through. I won’t be seeing any of [...]

7/10/08
I am having lunch with Opeth.

For the last few years, I’ve been privileged to work with one of my personal heroes: Mr. Lenny Kaye, rock critic, compiler of the Nuggets box set and longtime guitarist for Patti Smith. A few days ago, Lenny dropped a line mentioning that he was about to start a tour of Europe and the Middle [...]