This is it. I'm finally going to write an LOB Act that's all meat and no fluff. Why? Because that's all I've got time for. Why am I so busy? Read and learn.
All's Well That Ends Well
For those of you who endured "Sick Like A Motherfucker" (the sorry tale of the aborted American Wayne Kramer tour in January), the happy ending you've been waiting for is here. I'll be touring Europe with Brother Kramer from April 6 to May 18. For all I've done, I've never truly toured Europe before, so this is an unbelievable opportunity for which I'm extremely grateful. The itinerary as I know it is listed below in three columns: date, city & country (my spelling might be out the window on these because the itinerary came from a European booking agency and the names of some cities might have been garbled in the translation), venue:
Date
City
Venue
April 8
London, England
Underworld
April 9
Paris, France
TV show (unknown)
April 10
Le Mans, France
Bike Race Festival (makes sense, right?)
April 11
Ris Organis, France
Le Plan
April 13
Bordeaux, France
Le Jimmy
April 14
Montpelier, France
Rockstore
April 15
Santander, Spain
Arena
April 16
Vigo, Spain
Odeon
April 17
Bergada, Spain
Jam
April 20
Hamburg, Germany
Molotow
April 21
Odense, Denmark
Rythmeposten
April 22
Lund, Sweden
Mejerlet
April 23
Stockholm, Sweden
Munich Brewery
April 24
Goteberg, Sweden
Karen
April 25
Malmo, Norway
TBA
April 26
Oslo, Sweden
Mars
April 29
Berlin, Germany
Knaack
April 30
Dresden, Germany
Starclub
May 1
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
De Vlerk
May 3
Bielefeld, Germany
Forum
ALL DATES BELOW CANCELLED AS OF APRIL 29:
May 4
Koln, Germany
Underground
May 5
Nuremberg, Germany
Hirsch
May 6
Munchen, Germany
Incognito
May 8
Ebensee, Austria
Kino
May 9
Vienna, Austria
Flex
May 12
Bern, Switzerland
ISC
May 13
Lausanne, Switzerland
Dolce Vita
May 14
Milan, Italy
Tunnel
May 15
Firence, Italy
Auditorium F.
May 16
Biella, Italy
Babylonia
Notes on the above: I always thought that Oslo was in Norway, but maybe that's why they call the itinerary "The Book Of Lies." I'm looking forward to celebrating my 28th birthday in Munchen, Germany, but not as much as I'm looking forward to meeting Thomas Nordegg's sister in Vienna. I didn't know that cybernetic organisms had kin.
A Dream Deferred is a...Dream Realized?
I'll now confess that long before the LOB existed, I wanted to be a columnist. For Bass Player Magazine primarily, but I would have loved a sports or political column if anyone were to have offered. Well, we all know what's happened for me literarily between 1995 and now, so you can imagine my excitement when, out of the blue, Richard Johnston (current editor of BP) e-mailed me with an offer I couldn't refuse--an every-other-monthly column for the mag. Details are still to be worked out, and whatever I do for them won't appear for quite some time, but this is it, folks. The Life Of Bryan is going nationwide. Hard to believe.
OK, Now Give Me A Little Attitude!
SWR has decided that I should be the guy in the new ads fortheir redesigned Workingman's Series line of amplifiers and speaker cabinets. Yeah, you read that right--I'm going to be in an ad for SWR. The photo shoot already took place, and when the ads hit I'll be looking very different thanks to the image consultantry of Kelly Castro and John Ferrante (SWR marketing/advertising whizzes extraordinaire--major thanks to both of these guys) and the makeup wizardry of the girl from Nowheresville, PA, Mary Klimek. The shoot itself made me appreciate what professional models do for a living; they had me in shoes two sizes too small for my mongoloid feet, standing on my tiptoes and leaning ever-so-slightly to the right, looking up into the camera with my neck cocked just a bit to the right while I held my Fender '51 reissue 4-string up and to the left so as not to block the logos on the products behind me. That was when the photographer spoke the line in bold type above this paragraph. For a sneak preview of my updated-for-the-late-90's image, go to www.swreng.com and find your way to the latest SWR Internet Newsletter, where a pic of yours truly awaits. And try not to laugh, please. As always, I owe my life to SWR CEO Daryl Jamison.
I also may be doing some clinics in Europe for The Company, but I don't have anything confirmed yet on that front, other than the likelihood that whatever I do will probably happen in Germany.
Happy Happy Joy Boy
So all this is going on, plus SWR during the day and the seven gigs and seven rehearsals for Kramer, Keneally and Janet Robin before I leave on April 6. To paraphrase Dave Mustaine, music is my business, and business is good. I haven't been sleeping a lot lately, and social activities have been pretty much tossed aside in the face of this insane workload, but now is not the time for complaining. Am I bone tired? Yes. Am I happy that everything seems to be going so well? Somewhere beneath the exhaustion and bitching about my schedule, YES. Very much so.
Like I said at the beginning of this info-only Act, I don't have a philosophical message to encapsulate all of this, other than perhaps it makes for better writing material when things go horribly wrong as opposed to right. But I certainly don't think it's fair to have you slog through the mud with me if I don't share the good stuff with you as well. Right now, aside from the lack of sleep, it's all good. The Keneally gig in San Diego on March 10 was a blast, and I can't wait for the slew of upcoming gigs later this month. Kramer has opened my eyes to a new kind of music, and shit, he's taking me to Europe, so I'm damned happy to be working with him. SWR has been a bruising gig since the NAMM show, but the experience I'm gaining there is invaluable, and when all is said and done they treat me very well. And the Bass Player column...well, I'll save that for the first piece.
Last note: I'm now officially a veteran of the LA music scene. I don't know when it happened, but it just did somehow. I feel like I've aged ten years since the Vai audition, and in a lot of ways I truly have. Whatever transformation that's been in progress from the time immediately after Anti-Cipa-Tion up until now is just about complete. I guess that means I'm a grown-up now. It's not always fun, but at least I understand some things better than I used to. Like ups and downs. Sure, they occur, sometimes in wild, crazy swings. But as long as the midpoint is at a level you can live with, then things are better than you realize.
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