field reports from the czech republic : images from the reflecting pool

so, here i am back at the gut city safehouse, decorative stamp headquarters, having finished penning the daily field reports from the czech republic tour, yet still filled with a wish to word but a little more. one last transmission to highlight quite how wonderful a time it was, quite how amazing all of the organisers and listeners truly were, quite how beautiful a country it is, and quite how much i eagerly anticipate returning before too many moons pass. it must be said that, although i was very much looking forward to the tour, to heading to new lands and meeting new friends, one could  never really anticipate quite how much of an amazing experience it would be and how overwhelmingly filled with happiness i would be at this week-long excursion through bohemia and moravia.

as i did not shy away from mentioning on many occassion, the whole reason that the tour transpired was very much due to the marvelous david zeman, who first showed keen interest in arranging a show or two for me after the 2econd class citizen & cars and trains tour of last winter saw those two bold captains traversing the czech republic and crossing his path. in all honestly, it felt like something of an honour to be following in the footsteps of those two awesome artists, and how it gave me much joy to be able to perform a full gambit of songs i had made with 2econd class citizen each night in celebration of the fact. still, david really did perform above and beyond the call of duty in having his speakings with the full czech contingent in mapping out a perfect tour schedule across the lands, the perfect campaign, and one we managed to execute with utmost proficiency.

although i think we can all relatively easily claim to be aware of the cultural and historical significance of praha as well as bohemia and moravia more generally; and as much for my own part, i can claim to have spent the weeks leading up to the tour researching further the histories of the lands and the cities i would be visiting, it is of course quite another thing to be able to travel these lands, and moreover travel through them with the citizens themselves as companions. one of the greatest pleasures of being in tour is that of travelling with the aid of 'local guides' who can offer much more of an insight than any travel brochure or leaflet in the lobby of a hostel or hotel. it is a case of being welcomed into the enviroment with open arms, and being offered the chance to soak up the history, culture and moods of the people first-hand. forever my horizons have been truly broadened by the experience and even for that alone i am truly grateful.

without wishing to delve too far into the profound. i was in increasing waves more and more affected by the kindness of those on my travels, and how i was at each turn keenly reminded of the incredible nature of the collective human experience. of how all of our paths are inextricably woven together and how all it takes is getting to cross paths to discover such a wealth of shared experience and understanding. as i have discussed with many great artists that i have had the chance share experiences with, there is such a great gladness to be had in meeting amazing new people in each city, but also this great tinge of sadness that it shall also mean a great more souls on the list of people to miss in every day life. of course, the heart aches for the impossible time when we can all be together in the same room, that we can introduce the skribble gebibble people to the silver rocket people, when we can introduce the keftes party people to the milled pavement people, and so on... how joyous a time it would be.

so, might i close these field reports with a huge thank you to everyone who made the tour possible, who came out to the shows, who took the time to let me know their thoughts, who i got to share deep and profound as well as daft and silly conversations with, who helped guide me along my path, who 'liked' and befriended me on facebook, and indeed, all of you who have followed these reports over the course of this week, both to review the wording of the nights they were in attendence and those who were reduced to witnessing from afar, yet still keen to show their support. i can sincerely say that i am deeply honoured and grateful to you all... i miss everyone deeply and am following my motivation through the days simply to see you all again.

jamesreindeer

darmstadt, germany

late-march 2012

field reports from the czech republic : within the strange dream

the train journey from tábor to plzeň was something of a soothing dream sequence. the bright afternoon sunlight streaming through the dusty windows of the carriage seemed slightly unreal, my weariness from the tour, the great gladness in my heart, the slowly changing landscapes, the slow line, the small village stops, all came together to create a magical sense of being outside space and time. my path saw me change trains at ražice, another small town stop en route; the sound of birds taking in the new dawning spring, the whilstle and whine of the engines, the sound of a party of very young school children on an excursion. the line meandered on to plzeň and how i was met on the platform by the very cool roman and david, two of the místní borci crew in charge of tonights show. we jumped in the car and ran a few errands including picking up some errant cables and ondřej, the third member of the crew before making our way to the kapsa; a old-time rockers bar and our venue for the evening. we met with the mighty jan outside and the four of us started to load in all our gear and think about the sound-checking process.

with great fortune i was presented with a really awesome meal of fresh salad with rocket, oven-baked potatoes and vegetable moussaka whilst the gents whirred around me weilding cables, laptops, mixers and monitors. the bar was small and the setup limited, but we were very much of a spirit to make the very best out of that at our disposal. excitingly, the very awesome support act for the evening, inau appeared after not too long and how we all got set for the performance. in truth, a little disappointment ran amongst our number as we were very much fighting amongst the regular patons of the bar to be heard above their drunken conversation. very happily though we surmounted the obstacles and, those of us gathered around the PA were all treated to a really great performance indeed. inau got up and chewed first and really chomped his way through reams and reams of lines over a host of nice, slow electronic beats, very cool indeed. i was most keen to take to the stage myself and really enjoyed getting to play the set one last time for the attentive few gathered. again, 'insect forms' and 'subduing demos in the old world' were real favourites, but also 'aqualung zodiak cancer' and 'price of grey' were real treats too, and how there was even time to rock a further freestyle over an edison beat to finish off with. a low-key but most enjoyable performance to be sure, and a great way to leave the czech republic on a splendid high.

after the show, time was short. i was due to be taking an overnight bus back to frankfurt a little after midnight, but there was still a little time to chill with the gang before it was time to bid each other farewell. gladly i got to have the speakings with inau about his alt-rap material and how he fascinatingly explained to me that it is something of a departure from his other musical work, and an effort for him to force himself to speak onstage. i also got to have a splendid conversation with jan about english comedy; something of a marvelously recurring theme for the tour, and a root of most jovial banter indeed. sadly, the time was marching onwards and onwards and it was time to start gathering our gear and leaving the kapsa. our paths would be leading us in seperate directions though so we bid roman, david and ondřej farewell in the bar whilst jan kindly began to accompany me to the bus depot. we rode the tram a few stops and then took a brief stroll along darkened streets, lit with the fluorescent and neon lights from bars and occasionally filled with the odd hooded pedestrian. finally, the bus depot emerged from out of the gloom and, with twenty or so minutes to spare, we took to a bench a spent a little while just taking in the night air. it felt strange to think that the bus would soon arrive and that my journey was almost at an end. still, what a wonderful journey it had been. jan's own tram home beckoned and so we bid each other farewell before i spent the last five minutes waiting alone and reflecting on the long, glorious week now almost passed.

my carriage soon arrived and how i quickly found myself crammed into a full capacity bus, between the window and a rather dour older lady who did not seem pleased to find me as her new travelling companion, and behind a passenger who appeared to have managed to recline their seat to an unbelievably claustrophic angle for my own comfort. still, i somehow managed to take myself away into a zen place for the duration, trying not to focus on being almost entirely incapacitated in movement and breath. gladly my weariness afforded me half-sleep through the night, but i was still quite beside myself with happiness when the dawn began to arise and the towers of frankfurt began to loom on the horizon. i jumped out of the bus into the overcast very early morning light; back by the empty lots, car-parks, fallen concrete slabs and messeturm pyramid reaching high. it felt good to be back in hessen, a different world indeed. but one now richer for my own part with this whole new raft of rich experience sailing through my thoughts and memories. i wandered wearily into the hauptbahnhof and managed to find myself on an s-bahn back to gut city and towards the safehouse and, as the familiar landscapes and stations drew out before me i felt a great sense of peace and tranquility, a great gladness to be returning home, a wonderful joy from such rich travels, from meeting so many wonderful souls and filled with a newfound strength and energy to press on, to create more and to travel further still to share my works with others.

so, might i take a moment to thank all of the dear folk who helped to make my visit to plzeň so very enjoyable. the místní borci crew; roman, jan, david and ondřej, the mighty inau and the brave souls who made it down to the show whose names i did not get to learn. i sincerely look greatly forward to next time.

next report : images from the reflecting pool

jamesreindeer

field reports from the czech republic : on the banks of the draining jordan

david and i drove out of praha, into the south bohemian countryside under a beautiful hot spring sun, relaxed and on course for the city of tábor, a site with great biblical connotations, david's hometown and for some unknown subconscious reason the seemingly most symbolic stop of the tour for me. as we left praha we stopped at a gas station to pick up david's friend václav who was hitching a ride with us and also planning on making it to the show later. we listened to cassettes on the tape deck and talked long on a variety of subjects, including that of the facts in the case of václav's position of monitoring the power-plants of central eastern europe, a job with some resonsibility for sure. václav jumped out just outside of tábor whilst david and i continued on to his family home for a spot of tea and cake and a catch-up with his very cool young terrier by the name of terrence, who graciously kept us entertained whilst we took a little late afternoon air in the garden. still, time was a little short and the light was beginning to fail as we had an appointment to meet veronika and her younger brother jan to be photographed by the young man in question with his grandfathers vintage camera from the 1950's in the old town. david and i met them both on the street and how jan quickly guided us to his prefered spot outside tábor-budova zemědělské školy and with such charismatic professionalism made a series of three shots of the three of us, working quickly to capture us before we lost the light completely. i must say that it was such an honour and a privilege to get to me jan and to be photographed by him. a quite exceptional individual indeed, and one i cannot help but think the world will here a great deal more from in the future. with the photography in hand a spot of dinner was in order. david, veronika and i stopped out at a rather nice spot for a very civilised meal, replete with much jovial banter before it was quickly time to head to the orion music club for the show.

the orion music club is a very cool spot for sure. a basement club sunken low in the old town, heavy stone corridors, and a sequence of steps leading down to a large main room with arched ceiling, bar and stage; a wonderfully hospitable owner, cheery staff and, as i discovered later in the evening, the teenage haunt of david and veronika and their circle of tábor friends. vložte kočku, the outstanding support act for the evening were already sound-checking their near-incomprehesibly complex setup, a staggering mix of live drums, piano, electronics, electric bass, modulated violin and twin-vocals. i snuck into the booth behind the sound-man's spot and set up my merch, pooled over some of the recent photographs i had taken and generally took my enviroment whilst david and veronika were reduced to busying themselves with organisational components of the night. still vložte kočku were soon through with soundchecking and almost directly undertaking their performance. gladly, within their first couple of songs the friday night crowds began to arrive in their droves, easily the most audience members on the tour and a really splendid bunch indeed. vložte kočku played exceptional well indeed, still how tough it would be for me to describe their sound in terms of genres, i would recommend first-hand investigation above all else. by the time i took to the stage i was in great spirits and very keen to perform and how it was another great show. the sound was absolutely sublime and how i had all the time in the world to play my set to an attentive audience as well as a friday night crowd propping up the bar at the far end of the room. 'insect forms' was once again a real treat to perform, as was 'subduing demons in the old world', another song rapidly becomming a live favourite.

too soon the show was already over, but how i was almost directly thrown into a series of wonderful interesting conversations back at the merch table. a number of really kind words from folk purchasing themselves some treats as well as a great conversation with veronika's very awesome mother zuzana, who very kindly offered up the information on a czech writer by the name of bohumil hrabal who she thought i might be interested in, subsequent to her witnessing my own humble performance on stage. i was most deeply honoured indeed. and how, in learning that she is an english teacher, i then found myself having the pleasure of a protracted conversation with two of her former students; the very lovely markéta and marie, who were keen to have me learn how much they enjoyed the show, but also keen to practice their english too. such wonderfully nice people indeed. still, the hour grew later and a lot of fond farewells were said before our number was reduced to the key core of david, veronika, myself and the very exceptional bára, a school-friend of david and veronika who was gladly introduced to me as the music crowd began to depart. the four of us stayed longer into the night, just talking jovially, larking about and enjoying the night. still, as always the hour pressed on and, despite managing to protract our evening with an excursion to the newly-established turkish kebab shop, our places of slumber were calling. we bid the awesome bára farewell at the taxi rank and jumped in a taxi back to david's home. a spot of tea in the kitchen with young terrance for company and it was time to fall into a peaceful slumber after such an enjoyable evening.

our alarms awoke us at the decadent hour of a quarter past eleven. still, david had to shake me to be sure i would arise, we must not have drifted away til a little after four o'clock the previous night. a wonderful breakfast in the form of a full traditional czech family dinner with his parents was in order, a most sure way to fuel the furnace indeed. the glorious weather was still upon us, perhaps even warmer than the day before. i took a tea out on the balcony and basked in the sunlight awhile before david came to join me. we just sat in the warmth for a little while, reflecting on the past week and thinking about gathering ourselves to meet veronika in the old town for a little afternoon stroll together before i would have to head to the train station. we made our way to the old town, through the narrow, cobbled streets to žižka's square and the foot of the kostel proměnění páně na hoře tábor, the church of our lord's transiguration, a beautiful gothic-style church with a baroque spire, which i took the opportunity to steal inside to capture an ambient field recording. veronika soon arrived and the three of us took a stroll through the narrow streets under the hot sun, winding our way off the hillside to the banks of lake jordan, set below the old town, and currently being drained in an effort to clean the site, possibly with the risk of unearthing unexploded ordinances from the war and strains of the black plague from the middle ages. time will tell indeed. still, the immediate time was calling me towards the trainline to plzeň. david and veronika kindly escorted me to the platform and we bid each other all fond farewells in the bright sunlight. it had been such a wonderful adventure with them, and how i was saddened to say farewell, but with gladness also, to think that our paths may well cross again soon. i found myself a seat as the train pulled out of the station, north-west to plzeň, to the last show of the tour and first thoughts of the slow journey home.

so, might i take the opportunity to thank everyone who made my visit to tábor so special indeed, david and veronika, zuzana, jan, bára, markéta, marie, koniatko, marek leka, vložte kočku, all the folks who made it out to the show, all who blessed me with such kind compliments and all those whose names i did not get to learn... til next time indeed!

next report : within the strange dream

jamesreindeer

field reports from the czech republic : one thousand years on the banks of the vltava

the trainline steadily wound its way north-west, leading us gently out of moravia and back into bohemia. the landscape pitched and undulated, rose and fell. farmlands, wooded regions, worn symbols of agriculture and industry in successive waves. my head was weary from the lack of sleep, yet the weather had begun to show signs of the springtime, bright sunlight warmly illuminating the landscape beyond the carriage window, willing my eyes to remain open to take in the sights. my thoughts lead me on a path from praha to ostrava to brno, and now built themselves a steady anticipation of returning to the captial and of the show at the mighty final in the evening. i arrived at praha hlavní nádraží mid-afternoon and found myself sat on a bench outside, just taking in the air, waiting a little while for captain david to collect me. after but a short while he keenly emerged from amidst the crowds of folk swarming around the busy scene and we rode the metro back to his residence, but not before stopping off at a splendid bakery to secure some tasty treats to take with tea back at base. a little internet-related activity was necessary before david, veronika and i planned to take to the streets of the captial for the afternoon, that we might afford me the opportunity to soak up more quarters of the city whilst the time existed.

we stepped out onto the street and boarded a tram heading in the direction of pražský hrad, high up on the hillside overlooking the vast ancient city beneath it. the tram-line wound its way through many and various quarters as our path winded on and our altitude slowly rose, and whilst both david and veronika kindly took great care to explain to me many and various pertinent details of the various notable sites on our path through the historical streets. at last we reached our stop and stepped out into what had become the bright sunshine of a spring afternoon in the city, such glorious weather for the time of year. our first port of call was the resturant of david's older brother, who graciously welcomed us and prepared a rather splendid lunch of mozzarella, tomato and basilicum panini's for sustenance. having taken our fill we walked out to find ourselves at the foot of pražský hrad, and how it is a staggering site indeed. it should be noted that both babel fishh and i share a strange grim fascinating with the cathedral of our lady of strasbourg and how i can safely assure both himself and all readers more generally that it has been seriously warned. pražský hrad is absolutely stunning and simply must be stood before humbly at some stage in ones life. we descended the cobbled streets into the malá strana, crossing the karlův most into staré město, past the lennon wall, the národní divadlo; a whirlwind of impossibly beautiful architecture, deep rich history and overwhelming romanticism which lead us forward into the dying light of the dusk and the slowly approaching need to make it to final ready for the show.

in the weeks leading up to the tour, in my communications with david, i was quickly schooled in the immense importance of the silver rocket collective within the praha and indeed whole czech underground music scene. in flambouyant colloqualism they perhaps might be described as the godfathers of the czech scene, orginially making their beginnings in the always strong punk culture within the region but also expanding their fields of influence to encompasses ever-widening circles of high-quality underground music, and quite how much of an honour it was for me to be able to garner their support in my praha show, as well as more general promotional material on their vital website in helping to promote the whole tour. i was therefore very keen to get to meet and shake hands with their mighty leaders, perhaps most-notably the near-legendary aran who is a man of most imposing stature but, as with all great leaders, also a man of very considered words and incredibly kind and warm in equal measure. my only regret of the evening being that we did not get to converse as much as i would have liked, although briefly discussing the outrageous news that they organised the praha earth & mount eerie show at the end of the month was something of a treat to be sure.

still, the other reason i was so excited about the evenings show was in anticipation of the performance of david and veronika within their band nod nod, who would graciously be performing support duties. as we descended into the basement of final and they began to set up their equipment and as the guitars, bass, drums and vocals started to sound out in preparation of the performance i knew something very special was going to transpire, and how i was indeed absolutely blown-away by their performance. perhaps one is best to imagine a mixture of melvins and slint with a devastating vocal to rival even that of winterismyname from the knertz collective. standing in the first line being crushed by their steam-roller of extra-slow sludge riffs was just a wonderful experience and the best live show i have seen in some little while. somewhat stunned by their epic riffery i took to the stage myself and performed what ended up being a really enjoyable set. a little sound issues plagued me, but the audience proved to the most attentive of the tour, really keen to listen to my humble explanations and reasonings behind each song and how i was most grateful. once the show was over we ascended the stairs to collectively  prop up the bar until the early hours of the morning, which proved to be the most amusing night indeed. a wonderful mixture of british-comedy-influenced banter and serious philosophical thought; the conversations too diverse and too many to begin to detail in these brief lines. suffice to say the slow somewhat-drunken stumble back to the apartment and subsequent snack-time back in the kitchen proved to be the most relaxing end to a really special evening.

the next morning rolled-around quickly indeed. our pace was to be a little gentler though as david had explained that we would be driving on to tábor that afternoon, which is not a great distance and would therefore be able to afford ourselves a slighty slower pace in preparation of leaving the city. i did not hesitate to fix myself a nice long shower as well as a strong cup of tea whilst the guys put together a really nice lunch for us all. a little online activity whilst david ran an errand or two and then the other guys began a mild siesta which subsequently found me standing out on the balcony just surverying the scene, a beautiful azure spring sky above and a bird of prey circling high within it, dipping and sailing in sublime waves. the air was so tranquil and warm and how, in returning from his errands, david did indeed inform me that it was a really hot sunny day, the perfect day for a nice drive into the south bohemian countryside for sure. we gently gathered ourselves, bid his flat-mates a fond farewell before descending down to the street into the warmest of spring air, locating the car and thinking about the drive back to tábor, and the nights performance at the orion music club. praha had treated me so very well, and how it was a little sad to have to bid it farewell for now, but i am already greatly filled with the keenest of enthusiasms to return before too long.

so, might i extend my most heartfelt thank to all of the wonderful folk who helped to make my visit to praha such a wonderful joy and success in equal measure. to the wonderful david and veronika for their incredible kindness and the staggering nod nod for their unrelntingly epic music. to the whole silver rocket family; aran and petr especially, to honza and marta, ondrej, honza and all of the kind folk who made it out to the show, and all whose names i did not get to learn... til next time indeed!

next report : on the banks of the draining jordan

jamesreindeer

field reports from the czech republic : sunken beneath the ancient streets

the train line to brno found me gazing long out of the window, taking in the moravian countryside and penning some words in my trusty tour notebook. as the landscape stretched out before me and my pen moved across the page an image sequence of the last days came upon my mind, a zoetrope montage of sights and sounds in incrementing waves. the passage to brno only serving to reflect and amplify these waves; the beautiful countryside, settlements and industry and finally the ever-building city slowly coming into focus. core members of the staggeringly marvelous keftes party contingent graciously met me on the platform at the hlavní nádraží, offering warm greetings and strong handshakes. we made our way through the busy rush hour streets by tram til arriving at the mighty boro club, perhaps the only alternative venue left in the whole city. we descended stone steps into its maze of underground rooms and passageways, thick with the musky smell of sunken ancient stone. a splendid meal and a few drinks, a little light conversation along with the arrival of the kyklos galaktikos folk saw the evening begin to gather its full momentum, as folk started to arrive and the show started to display signs of impending commencement.

with great gladness, during the souncheck and otherwise, i had managed to strike up something of a blossoming friendship with martin, the very awesome soundman for the evening. we talked long on our mutual musical tastes as well as music productions ideas and techniques, which also involved him revealing to me that the city of brno contains many abandoned undeground buildings, sunken rooms and a labyrinth of passageways. we talked on gathering field recordings down there at some stage, as well as on his experiments with arduino to create software controllers and the ongoing experiment of him building his only multi-band parametric eq. awesome indeed. so, by the time it came to the performance, it was quite clear that we were in very safe hands indeed. kyklos galaktikos took to the stage first and unleashed an awesome set somewhere between electronic alt-rap and full-blown theatrical performance, something very impressive indeed. in speaking to their bold leader, it became apparent that they are indeed from the praha theatre world and the alt-rap side of things is a rather new development, very cool and pertinent information indeed. gladly it was soon my turn to take to the stage too and how the performance was so enjoyable, such a warm crowd, and one keen to listen in to all the various musical selection i had prepared for them. especially enjoyable was my performance of the new 'insect forms' song, produced by the mighty 2econd class citizen, a new live favourite for sure.

still, the show always races by when you are enjoying yourself and, despite us all managing to protract it with an encore or two, it was time to pack away the gear and begin to think about propping up the bar for the rest of the evening. it must be said that the keftes party people are a fantastically decent bunch, a great deal of fun to hang out with and most fascinating in equal measure. our conversations were filled with talk of the wonderful interconnexion of the different folk in the different cities with the underground music scene in the czech republic, on comparative studies of religion in relation to specific elements of beat culture, on the czech gangter-rap scene and on the aesthetic pleasures of the glaswegian accent amongst a myriad of others. time was, as always, against us though as the night steadily pressed on for the small hours. we evacuated the bar en masse and took to the brno streets, our number finding our way back to the hlavní nádraží by tram before being reduced to begin to go our seperate ways via additional buses and trams. i would find myself being very hospitably boarded in a wonderfully old housing block complex, rusted iron door leading into a large hof with small apartments lining three sides. a little juice in the doorway taking in the evening air was very much in order before taking myself away into the slumber, the hour so late already and the next morning's start to be an early one.

i awoke to a gentle murmuring of my name at some very early hour in the morning. not much time til i would have to take the train back to praha. just enough time to jump up, brush my teeth, gather my possessions and then take to the street with the marvelous pavel, who would be guiding me back to the hlavní nádraží. we rode the early morning tram through the bustle of brno as he told me a little of the history of the quarter we were riding through, we talked about the next keftes party and of my hopes that i might return again myself before too long. we arrived in good time and pavel kindly helped me to fix myself a ticket for the journey as well as fixing himself a refreshing drink. all too quickly it was time to say goodbye  on the platform though as the train to praha slowly pulled up. we bid each other farewell as i boarded the train before finding myself a seat and started to anticipate arriving back in praha once more, of the evenings show and of my gladness to see david and veronika again.

so, might i extend my deepest thanks to the keftes party family and all those who made it to the brno show, i am most grateful indeed. thank you to pavel, ondrej, michal, irena, martin, the kyklos galaktikos family and everyone else whose names i did not get to learn... til next time!

next field report : one thousand years on the banks of the vltava

jamesreindeer

field reports from the czech republic : the yugoslav partisan

the train journey to ostrava found me travelling east as the sun slowly begn to set in the west behind me, my path leading out of praha, out of bohemia and on into moravia, to the third largest city and the industrial steel heart of the republic. gladly, i was met at the train station by the very awesome zuzka, who had arranged the show and was kindly affording me a place to sleep for the night. we rode a bus a few stops through the city til finding ourselves arriving at the plan b hardcore cafe, an L-shaped ground floor bar with a small stage at one end and a few fußball tables at the other. i was quickly introduced to a host of splendid individuals and soon found myself discussing english culture as well as assessing the grammar on a philosophical thesis on post-modern culture presented to me on a netbook screen betwixt beer and ashtray. it felt really good to have arrived at last and how the show would commence forthwith.

a few soundchecks snags gave way to what would be a really great evening of music. first to take to the stage was the very impressive mc boss, who delivered a series of less-than-one-minute songs, replete with matching animation projections and words from a small notebook. sadly my incredible lack of understanding of the czech language prevented me from appreciating quite the extent of his talent, which was surely clear to all and sundry around me. ryba v řesu was up shortly after that, a formidable two-man team replete with one plague doctor mask and one suit from another century. something complex and electronic, reminding me of the mighty alitotetro in some ways. already it was time to take to the stage and how it was such an enjoyable performance indeed. the tuesday night drinking crowd were clearly ready to be a listening bunch too, and even ready to dance a little towards the end of the set. i had brought an hours worth of songs with me, but still had to dig around on the computer to find a beat to freestyle over for the last number, gladly a gem from the mighty edison proved to do the trick just right.

the night wove on amidst more drinks and really fascinating discussions on music, the local history, the local underground music history, as well as the importance of language, of the singularly interesting prospect of the english language and the importance of not dumbing it down, of being aware of its possibilities and that they should be exercised, save for it being reduced to a lowest-common-denominator form of universal communiction... time was already racing by, and so zuzka and i took to the street and made our weary way past the empty tram-stop, down near-deserted streets filled with neon-lit bars and nightclubs, beneath the trainlines in fluorescent-lit underpasses, and finally between soaring towerblocks, between talls trees and across mudded lawns. by the time we reached zuzka's apartment sleep was the only thing we were good for, as we drifted away to the low humming sound of the city and gentle breeze coming in through the open window.

the next morning saw me sleep late, late indeed. mid-day has not-long-since passed before i finally stirred to the sound of zuzka typing away on the other side of the room, the light muted from an overcast day. not longing having sat up and got online to post my thanks for the previous night and the anticipation of the brno show in the evening, had zuzka presented me with a formidable bowl of pasta which was quite the welcome breakfast for sure. i took to the balcony afterwards with a little tea, to take in the days air, to study my surroundings, to reflect on the show of the previous night. sadly time was against us and how zuzka kindly lead me back towards ostrava hlavní nádraží to follow the line to brno. a romanian man outside the station told me that i looked like a yugoslav partisan, thinking that the louder he talked, the more i might understand. zuzka and i bid each other farewell on the platform as i boarded the train to head back west towards brno.

so, might i briefly take the opportunity to thank very muchly the kind folk of ostrava for looking after me, for sharing their tales and thoughts and for such an enjoyable show and indeed evening. thank you so very much to zuzka, indoš, osvald, jirka, petr, jonaš, taňa, brda, krystýna, dalibor and all the folk whose names i did not get to learn... til next time!

next field report : sunken beneath the ancient streets

jamesreindeer

field reports from the czech republic : automated sunrise

having returned back safely to the gut city safehouse, rested awhile and attended to all of the pressing decorative stamp-related chores, might i begin to reflect on the facts in the case of the last week, of my first official tour of the czech republic and all that transpired therein. such a wonderful time indeed, to be sure. my mind spirals and reels with the myriad emotions and new experiences now finely caught up within it. i was so keenly looking forward to the tour, not least of all since it has been some long eighteen months since i was last on the road, keenly looking forward to playing a host of news shows, meeting a host of news friends and, how without a doubt, all of my expectation were greatly surpassed in successive waves. i find myself deeply in debt to all the kind folk who helped to make it a possibility and look forward to being able to thank them all directly across this series of reports. it is my intention to post a report a day over the next week to fully detail all of the pertinent events surrounding my travels through the history-steeped lands of bohemia and moravia.

field report number one : automated sunrise

my journey began outside the south entrance of the hauptbahnhof in frankfurt, sitting on a fallen slab of concrete beneath dim fluorescent streetlamps, between empty lots and temporary car-parking sites, awaiting the eleven o'clock overnight bus to praha. just gazing out across the scene, looking up at the lights of the frankfurt skyline; the giant neon yellow pyramid of the messeturm staring back at me, reflecting on my upcoming passage into new territories. gladly, the journey through the night was painless indeed as dawn saw me reach praha in time to gently begin to illuminate the staggeringly beautiful city before us. only my second visit to this magnificent capital, and how keen i was to see more of its staggering architecture, learn more of its rich history and to collect as many field recordings and photographs as possible. my weary way lead me down into the metro system and en route to meet the splendid david zeman, the incredibly talented individual who took the first steps in making the whole tour happen, and who would quite quickly become something of a rather good friend.

david lead me back to his apartment where i quickly found myself laid-out on a fold-out bed for a little further rest after a splendid cup of green tea with jasmine and a slice of fruit-cake. as i drifted back into the dreaming i could hear his flatmates talking and laughing in the next room, just beginning their days, my lack of sleep elongated the scene into a dream sequence before the dreaming took hold. still, mid-day was soon upon me and how i slowly stirred to find myself reasonably lucid and keen to take to the streets to explore the city a little before continuing my journey to ostrava for the evening's show. it was at this point that i happily got to meet david's girlfriend and band-mate veronika as the three of us made our way out into the afternoon sunshine to fix ourselves a spot of lunch.

the weather was very much trying to present itself as spring-like as we strolled up the street, talking jovially and discussing the coming days, for my own part my gaze was attempting to take in every aspect of the city surrounding us, the beautifully ageing buildings, the worn paving stones, the street names. we descended down into a cellar-bar and ate a much needed lunch as david and veronika happily revealed to me tales of their first meeting and of their musical exploits. sadly, time was marching and the hlavní nádraží was calling. just enough time to have a brief wander through a small park near their residence, one featuring a most unexpected huge basilica, somewhat mimicking al khazneh at petra in it's emergence from a steep rock-face. with my bags packed it was time to bid david and veronika farewell for now before boarding the train to ostrava filled with a great gladness at how all was so very calm and well indeed.

next report : the yugoslav partisan

jamesreindeer

insect forms

gentle readers, much would indeed appear to be afoot. i have just yesterday returned from my first official tour of the czech republic and can report that it was an overwhelming success indeed. the limited edition vinyl version of 'foreshore reverie' is at last upon us, i found myself recording a steady series of songs before taking to the road, and the next decorative stamp release is already very much in the works. much to mention indeed. so, please anticipate this being the first of a series of reports i shall be posting throughout the course of this week, in order to try to accurately convey all of the various details of all of the various strands for your reading pleasure, and with a keen view to keeping you informed of all that has occurred thusfar and all that looms ever-closer on the horizon.

so. where to start indeed? ...an inkling creeps upon me. i must confess to being particularly excited about the upcoming album from my dear brother and close-collaborator aaron aka 2econd class citizen, and yet more excited at the release of his 'outside your doorway' 12" which features a wonderful musical collaboration between ourselves, keenly aided and abetted by the astonishing miss jenny blackbird. it has been some long moons since we three have all worked together on a song, and how i can gladly report that the result far surpasses my initial high expectations. it is something really very special indeed and i can scarcely wait til it will be released via the majestic equinox records on 27th april.

entitled 'insect forms', our song is actually a reworking of the track 'identity' from the recently-released and insanely cool vinyl postcard set which naturally sold out in five minutes. aaron sent me the track and suggested a theme for me to perhaps work along, which suited me fine indeed and gave me the chance to word a very specific, detailed lyric sheet. something quite lucid, weighed heavy with clear meaning, yet allowing me room to exercise my poetic wants in equal measure... and how i could never fail to be inspired by aaron's beautiful music and, not least of all, the wonderfully elegiac strings of miss blackbird.

so, please do be sure to keenly anticipate the release date, please do seriously consider picking up a copy of the limited edition vinyl release, and do please find yourself keenly poised for the album itself. have yourself a wander over to the equinox website where you can read all the pertinent facts in the case of the release, and already there would appear to be a splendid review of the 12" over at the mighty beats, breaks & big smiles for your perusal too... and should you for some reason be a little slow on the uptake, make sure to 'like' 2econd class citizen on facebook, bookmark his website and demand he play a show in your town soon!

keep safe, more reports are imminent

jamesreindeer

field reports from the czech republic

although now no longer breaking news, i am still very much keen to share further facts regarding my upcoming tour of the czech republic, to be transpiring between 13th-17th of this month. suffice to say, i am really excited about the prospect of taking to road again, having been cooped-up in the decorative stamp headquarters for what seems like the longest while. but, much further still, i am exciting to get to play a host of shows where i have not played shows before, to meet a host of new friends and to take in a host of new cities, new architecture, new avenues into rich history.

the tour shall be winding its way across the country, taking in ostrava, brno, praha, tabor and plzen; five shows in five days, something of a whirlwind, but one surely to be filled with much excitement and good times indeed. it is a real honour and a privilege for me to embark on this journey, and how i would do very  well to extend my greatest of thanks to sir david zeman for making it all possible. do be sure to wend your way to one of the performances should the distance and finance not be too much of an inconvenience... and do expect detailed field reports, should you be reduced to witnessing the spectacle from afar.

keep safe, be well

jamesreindeer