Living on Trains

Today is Sunday, June 29th. The fourth full day of us being in Europe. I can officially say, that I have spent more time on trains than in a hotel. or possibly, even more time on a train than not on a train. There are pro's and cons to living on a train.

Pro's, you always have a bathroom within a car's distance from you. There are usually restaurants or snack bars on all the trains. We have been traveling in first class (enough said!). I have power outlets on board the trains for typing blogs and such. I get to see a lot of beautiful countryside this way. We can make it to shows on time in different countries. you can sleep and be awake in the same seat.

Con's, You can't sleep well in the same place you have to sit all day. You don't have a large selection of food on board, and it's pricey. You don't sleep well. You have to cram your luggage into small spaces. Sleeping is hard to do in a public place.

Our first show was a little rough. But our second show, last night in Interlaken Switzerland, was pretty cool. there was a HUGE crowd. The venue held 5,000 people, if they were all crammed in there, we played to several thousand at least. The show was smooth for the most part, no hiccups, no glaring mistakes, just good solid music. The crowd seemed to enjoy it a good deal. We had backstage dressing areas with tons of water, coke, and espresso, and true to europe form, beer. Needless to say, I stuck to water and coke-a-cola all night.

Today, I am living on a train, watching the scenery zip by in a blur on a high speed train. the landscape seems to change by the moment, slipping from swiss architecture, into italian. ramshackle buildings give way to lush green vineyards, snaking their way across the ground in neat rows, disappearing into the horizon. The low lying crops fold into the forests of northern Italy, dotted with orange clay rooftops and small narrow streets caught by surprise in a clearing when the train comes roaring overhead. The sky is a hazy blue, streaked with finer whites where clouds stagger themselves over the catholic shrines and hay fields. The train rushes on, held up by the two steel rails beneath it, shimmering before us, and resting behind us, bearing us closer to Rome, where we'll be able to stand in the train station for a few mere moments before another train whisks us away to the Airport in Rome and the waiting plane which will bear us to Albania by this evening.

And with that being said, I am now folding up my laptop, letting the screen shut with a silent click, to study the changing landscape, to take in the Italian language scrawled on train station signs, to glimpse more vineyards hidden between larger buildings, or perhaps to try and find the house that the vineyard belongs to. Ah, Italy . . .

Getting to Kolding or Europe part three.

I started out this morning, bleary eyed, rubbing the sleep form my eyes, which so desperately wanted to stay. I shooed it away reluctantly so that I could finish up last minute details that lingered like dirty dishes that never seem to leave the sink, no matter how often you clean them. I finally got to the airport around 10:30 a.m., lugged my bags up to the counter, received my ticket, and passed through security, whisking through like a fleeting memory that surfaces only too briefly to grasp.

I caught a 12:30 p.m. flight to Newark, and then caught a 6:45 p.m. to Cologne, Germany. We touched down into Germany around 7:30 A.M. thursday morning. The Sun had just cleared the clouds on our accelerated simulated sunrise. It was shining bright, warming the cool air outside, welcoming us with open arms. We claimed our bags, and proceeded to the next long part of our journey. The Trains.

We caught our first train out of Cologne shortly after 10:00 a.m. riding on twin steel rails, the train slightly swaying from side to side, clicking over the tracks, carrying us from station to station for the next several hours. We changed trains about four times total, picking up more band members as we went, until all of us finally arrived together in Kolding, Denmark.

The culmination of our travels ended at the venue, where we were fed a traditional Danish meatballs, grilled chicken, salad and 7-up. The venue was cool looking, an outdoor amphitheater, with tall stone bleachers rising from the ground, in a semi-circle of weathered gray pushing towards the sky just above, where rain laden clouds were pressing back down on us. We finally arrived at our hotel around 10:30 P.M., and I was asleep by 11:00 P.M., curled up beneath the classic european bedding; comforter tucked inside a white duvet, and a single, large, invitingly soft, square pillow.

It was a long day of travel, sparse sleep and food, but we arrived, to the welcome of happy promoters and hosts, and were welcomed with open arms and hearts from the people here in Kolding, Denmark. I am already looking forward to playing tonight for these wonderful people (11 or so hours of sleep might have helped with that!).

Until next time friends!

A Grand Welcome To:

I am now endorsing Etymotic Research. Who are they you ask? Well, for starters, they make great ear plugs, either as molds, called musicians earplugs (which I have been using for years now) or as really good, high fidelity ear plugs which anyone can use right out of the package. One of the many other great things that have created, is killer In ear Monitors. I am currently using their ER-4p In ears, and let me tell you, the response is great, and the noise Isolation is awesome!


So look for more info regarding Etymotic in the coming months, as I will be sure to keep you updated on how these new "ears" hold up on the European tour with The Ranchhands.


Until next time friends!

Threadless.com

So for those of you who do not know about Threadless.com, you should definitely check them out. They print t-shirts primarily, but also do hoodies, onesies, and have even gotten into print art now. The great part about it all, anyone can design for them, everyone votes on the designs, and then they print the most popular ones. It is a GREAT system, and I have several wonderful shirts from these guys. The crew over at Threadless has just recently hooked me up with some great T-shirts for Tour this summer. SO chances are, if you catch one of The Ranchhands shows, I'll probably be wearing one of the sweet Threadless T's that they have graciously sent my way.

If you haven't been over there yet, go now, and check out some of their designs. They go fast, so if you see something you want, snag it quick!! I just recently ordered this one. I also own this one and this one. I probably have a few more too, but i'll make you come to a show to see if I have something different on!


Thanks again to Threadless.com for your wardrobe support for the summer!

Many have asked . . .

. . . what the FUSE look is, etc. etc. Well, after MUCH google searching, I found a picture from opening night. It should give you a better idea of what all is going on, or at least you can see the shiny drums I am playing on! So here it is, "club emmett", playing skins like a madman at FUSE.


(note: I do NOT endorse the website that this picture came from, it just happened to be the only image I could find)

FUSE: Opening night

I just got home from playing opening night at FUSE, the nightclub that I am now playing at. It was a fairly intense night. My hands are super worn out, my arms are tired . . . and I get to do it again monday night, WAHOO!!! The crowds turned out like crazy tonight. I was told they neared 600 people in the club, opening night, and it felt full too!

So here is how a typical night goes at the club for me. I show up around 8:00 pm, check the tuning on the drums, placement, etc. Then I get to hang in the green room for about an hour. At 9:10, I head out, touch base with DJ Tyrus, and then his the stage. Lights go up, and I play some killer grooves and accents while Tyrus spins some tracks. At 9:30, I hop off, run to the green room, and collapse for a little while. Wipe the sweat off, get something to drink, and rest. Then, at 10:10, it start all over again. I do the same thing at 11:10, 12:10, and 1:10. So all in all, I am playing five, 20 minute sets, and taking about 40 minutes to rest my hands, and catch my breath. It's a lot of work!

Anyways, it's late, and I am headed off to bed. You can read more about FUSE on their website.

Cheers all!