A hole in the net

Friday 8PM, Club Kiste Stuttgart

Jono and I had breakfast in the Hotel Rothouse bar, as the other guys foraged around the neighborhood. It's always good to have a quiet meal. We then walked over to La Catrina to load the equipment into the van, then back to the hotel to load our bags. Even though it was raining we decided to walk around the fancy area over the river, to get Lorenzo a lamp for the merch table and to find a bank to exchange our worhtless francs. Switzerland does not use the Euro, I suspect because they need the income from fees for exchanging money. We were paid in francs, so we couldn't really leave the country with them. Most banks wouldn't exchange our money unless we had an account with them, but seeing how the minimum opening balance was a million dollars, we had to find a lesser facility. That was fairly easily accomplished after a long walk around the high end shopping area, as was the purchase of a lamp. Back to the van in the garage, and a quick exit to Zurich. Or not, as one member of the band whose name starts with a J forgot their passport. So back across the river to the red-light district and the Rothaus. Unbelievably, and quite luckily for J (and for this blogger who is badly in need of content) the Passport was still in the open safe. Crisis avoided, we found our way through the city to the highway, and that was it for Switzerland. I have to mention the classic apartment buildings and endless acres of blooming sunflowers, tremendous additions to my memory bank.

The terrain changed completely as we entered southern Germany. The autobahn carving methodically through the valley and crest of patched cornfields, skinned over the wire mesh of stationery ocean size swells. I thought it looked like west Vermont if it was the size of Texas, but Jono thought it looked Maryland or Virginia. He's probably right. I think we passed through the area known as the Black Forest, but I'll have to check on that. I know our show on Sunday is in Frieburg, which is at the heart of the Black Forest.

It started raining harder, and our only breaks were brief pitstops. I shouldn't mention this in a public blog, but I did something of a very questionable nature, Wifey please forgive me. We went to a McDonalds. I know things get ugly on tour but this was a new low. I only had a McSalad... but I feel so dirty! Rain falling heavier as we got to Stutagart. The country side starts to fade away and the building more dense. We enter one long tunnel after another, always descending, Stuttgart is at the bottom of a well perhaps? We drove through the city center, missing the road that the club was on, and exited the other end, eventually coming out near Mercedes Benz city, with it's factories, museums and buildings of modern architecture, not to mention a huge soccer stadium with a floating roof. Obviously we missed the straat so flipped around to head back. The reason we missed our turn is that the road did not cross the highway but ran parallel to it. With a lucky break we found our selves right in front of The Kiste, and, found a parking spot right in front! The club has taken the VW/Schwinn flyer I threw together, and blown it up to poster size, adding the important informaion that we are from Chicago! Awesome! This is the biggest room we have played so far, but it's still pretty small.

Simple load in except for the heavy rain and set up, we ran through a few songs, then let the opening band set up. They are called Fante Howl, kind of a strange indie rock band, with too many influences to assimilate. We will not be going to our hotel until after the show, so we are stuck here to blog, chat with locals and drink- depending on who you are. Another odd neighborhood around the club. The red light district is around the corner, and next door is a real bikers club- a man outside is wearing his "Hell's Angels Stuttgart" colors. I don't mention this stuff to give me any kind of boho cred, but I do enjoy popping my little American bubble. I came to Europe to play lots of gigs, and if the shows are in colorful areas, well that goes with touring.

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2AM Saturday morning, a flat somewhere in Stuttgart

Very, very enthusiastic audience tonight, but not as much dancing. They wanted the visceral experience, so we tried to give it to them. Loud and fast.... Additions to tonight's set was the premier of the "Star Trek" theme, and the Pyronauts' "Sifaka". The crowd asked for 3 encores, but we only had two in us. We were wiped out. Ralf from the Kilaueas was here and I spent a lot of time talking with him. We will hopefully see him tomorrow.

OK, here is where things get really strange and outside the bubble mentioned earlier. Tonight we are staying at Mischa the promoter's apartment. Of course it is impossible to find parking near his home, but we do, eventually. But it is at least a mile walk with our bags, dragging them over cobblestones the whole way in the light rain. It becomes a desperately bad joke, and when we reach his building, you know he is going to live on the top floor, which, of course he does. Five flights up to Mischa's hermitage. Jono starts laughing hysterically, maniacally even. What else is there to do? This is a first class band flop house, two stark rooms with filthy pads on the floor. Old newspapers and show posters stacked high, a room filled LPs CDs, walls covered with club rock posters of forgotten punk bands. No table, no shower. Unless you were in a punk rock band when you were 23, you can't possibly imagine. Really. Really. Ask me or anyone of us. It's all true. The bubble has been popped!

Mischa cooks up a plate of pasta for us and the story of how tonight came to be unfolds. Lorenzo had confirmed a gig with someone named Peter at the Zwolfzehn, another very nice club in Stuttgart last March, in fact it was one of the first shows confirmed for our tour. Then, just two weeks ago, Peter contacted Lorenzo and cancelled our show, saying that he had forgotten that another promoter had already booked his club for the night. Lorenzo diligently found us another show, and Mischa was recommended to him from a couple sources. Mischa quickly found The Kiste for us, but Peter did not mention the original contract's particulars including hotel. Peter did offer us 100 Euros cancellation fee, which helps some. I haven't known this cast of characters for more than 12 hours, but let me say that if any band is going to be coming through Stuttgart, do not work with this Peter persona non grata.. Lorenzo, who is a very sharp business man, seemed genuinely upset that one of his bands was treated so poorly. I say that, and I hope I don't sound like I am whining, it is certainly no fault of Mischa's or Lorenzo's. Obviously we aren't U2, or even a U2 cover band, but we still need a bed and shower after long drives and sweaty shows.