SPRING INTO SUMMER 2007 NEWSLETTER (Covering March 9 through July 21, 2007)
Too true, my friend, too true.
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So, summer is a time for reading books. Everybody's got their "summer reading list," things they want to have read by the end of the summer. Well, apparently you are considering adding my recent book to your list, since you are here. But before we begin, I just wanted to offer a little philosophy that I try to live by as found on a sign in a grocery store.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. A tale of two musicians. Last you knew, we hadn't even paid our 2006 taxes yet. (Well, some of us still haven't, but that's a story for another day.) So we must travel way back into March 2007 in order to pick up the thread . . .
Yummy!
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The first place we headed was Ham Lake, MN. This is the place where ham sandwiches are made, I think. Well, I know they deal in wild game, but maybe pigs are too domesticated. As you can see from the banner, there were two main events that month at the church where we played, and people could get tickets to one or both events right there at the Welcome Center. (I never could figure out if Wild Game Feed was an activity or a meal.) Also, right there in the narthex (Latin for "lobby"), they set up one of those jumping air things like you see at the local carnival. Yeah, like right there in the narthex! (Latin for "lobby.") They said we were too big to be jumping on it, but if we stuck around we could enjoy the Wild Game Feed. Unfortunately, we could not stick around, because we had to dash off to Denver.
When we arrived at the airport, we watched everyone's skis go around the vertical bag claim thing, and once again resisted the temptation to climb into one of the compartments . . .but just barely. Got our stuff and drove on downtown to the THIS church. Michael had to get creative with his mic stand, but he was successful because mic is really just part of his name. As I recall, we had tacos beforehand, and had a really fun time in the beautiful sanctuary with the taco-fed people. But we couldn't stay around too long, because we had to (get this) travel to Tucson, in arid Arizona.
Yep: Minnesota, to Colorado, to Arizona. I can't tell you how thankful we are for airplanes. Had a nice time once we got inside out of the sun, and played for an enthusiastic group who—like us—were seeking air conditioning. We had a great time, and the air conditioning just made it that much better. (If God had wanted LOST AND FOUND to play Arizona, we'd have airplanes and air conditioning . . .and I guess we do, so . . .)
The next weekend, with St. Patrick's Day looming, we headed back to the great Midwest to play in Wisconsin. Except that's not really true. I headed to Newark Airport, but all the flights in and out of New York were cancelled because of too much air conditioning in the form of snow. So, I took a train to Long Island to get my car, then drove to Pittsburgh where I got a flight to Chicago, to make the second concert of the weekend, which I did. That night, we played in Wayne's World, Aurora, IL. It was St. Patrick's Day; people wore green; we danced a jig on the Blarney Stone, and so forth, and had an Erin great time, (as in, "excellent!"), and then headed south to Ohio.
Slidegrass State
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We were hoping to arrive in Anna, of Ohio, and we did. A few ladies made the trip up from Kentucky, and they don't call it Bluegrass State for nothing. We had the grand time one would expect under such circumstances, and then headed for the airport. Michael flew home and I waited for my delayed flight that finally took me home, despite the snow.
"I'm getting very very sleepy . . ."
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The next weekend, in some complicated vehicle retrieval, we met up in Pennsylvania where we spent the weekend with some Youth Leaders from the Lutheran Church in that state. Among the interesting things that weekend, our friend Jonathan Green came over from his house in Maryland and brought along his video equipment so we could film a version of our bike trip presentation for the Early Years Boxed Set. Since he's a professional, we were out of our league. Michael suggested we just cut down on costs and do a shadowgraph version of the whole thing. Jonathan would have none of it, and insisted on using his professional equipment and one of those clacker things, which seemed to hypnotize Michael until it actually clacked when, I assume, he couldn't remember anything that had happened to him. Anyway, we had a great time with these folks, and they were a great audience for the video recording (which Michael woke up for).
That Sunday night, we ambled over to Ambler, part of Pennsylvania, where we played in quite the historical church. As I recall, they were celebrating their 250th anniversary. (And you thought your parents were old!) We had a really swell time, and they hosts held on to our van for like a month for us, which was really kind of them, since we've got one seriously big van.
The next weekend, we traveled to Texas, heading for Houston, and met up with our long-time friend JD Struckmann. Michael flew in a day early and visited the school where JD teaches. I delayed my arrival by one day and visited the school where I pay tuition. The concert was great fun, and we enjoyed ourselves appropriately. Then, in the morning, we both flew home to our respective coasts for Holy Week, which was a super busy week in New York.
Before anyone knew it, it was April, and time to go get that van we left in Ambler. So, I went and got it, and then headed west to meet Michael in Illinois for a concert in Champaign. (That's a city, people.) It was a mighty big room, but the enthusiasm of the attendees carried the day, and all was well. In the parking lot, they had this special mailbox. Not sure what to make of it, except that maybe people in Champaign are mailing a whole heck of a lot of flags!
Nice Name, Huh?
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From there, we popped over to Peoria, imbedded in Illinois, where we played a nice concert for the nice people. The next day was April 15th, which reminds me to show you this storefront I found at some point on one of my drives. Can you imagine calling your store "PRO Tax?" I can't imagine they'll get much business with a name like that! Anyway, on tax day we played Platteville, within Wisconsin. There's a university there, and since we arrived early we spent a little time hanging out watching the track meet. (I mean, a track and field event, not some kind of social event for the track.) In my opinion, the pole vault is the most interesting of all these track-meet sports. (But the other events would be considerably more interesting if someone were chasing all the runners.) Our concert was in the student union type place, and we had lots of fun in the big, bright space. The next morning we both flew home, and took a week off from travel. My daughter Eleanor and I played a couple of songs at a local talent show (one hates to get rusty, after all), and then Michael and I met in Madison, and then made it to Menasha, which is in Wisconsin. Played a fine concert for a fine group of fine listeners, and then headed south.
"You and what army?!?"
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The next night we managed Monroeville, where I found this sign on a can in the lunchroom. I can't figure out if it's a recycling campaign or a threat by Ohio's detractors. We had two opening bands that night, so we were a bit intimidated by the time we hit the stage. Still, the people were nice to us, and a great time was the type we had.
From there, we retraced our steps back Wisconsin's way, and delved into in Des Planes (as in, " . . .boss!") The church there had lots of books they were giving away, and I got a great one from the 50's on setting up bulletin boards. Then we headed home for a few days, until we sprinted to Springfield, of Ohio, where in the morning we played a couple times at a juvenile detention facility, and then in the evening wheeled over to Wittenberg University. A few things of interest here. In the chapel where we played, they have an altar over to the side that has what appear to be the KJV titles for our songs. I have taken the liberty of giving you the second line in each case, so you can more easily make the translation into modern English.
"Does this room make me look small?"
Small Room for Small Thoughts
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Also, we were delighted to be reunited with our pals Alathea, who always bring a touch of class to our shows. Everybody looks tiny against that background. Beforehand, I took a few moments to meditate in the meditation chamber. I have to say, it wasn't the most comfortable space in which to gather one's thoughts. It would have been nice to linger there in Springfield, but we had to race on our way because the next night, we played in East Northport, or Eastnorth Port, or Eastnorthport, or East North Port. Whatever you call it, it lives on Long Island, which is far away from Ohio. Again, we were thankful for planes, and thankful to our friends Justin and Jason for the sound equipment, and thankful to the hosts and those who came out to see us for hosting us and coming out to see us respectively, and thankful for our daily bread.
The next day, it was back to Ohio, where we were wowed in Wapakoneta, which means "White Pants." (Can you even believe we fell for that?) Two good things especially stood out about this concert. 1) Our friends Alathea were once again soothing the listeners prior to our abrasion, and B) Nobody called the Fire Marshal, even though we definitely exceeded the room occupancy restrictions. Plus, on top of both of those treats, we had a great time having our collective leg pulled as to the actual meaning of the word, "Wapakoneta."
Michael Strikes Again!
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From there, we proceeded to Pontiac, in Illinois. (It seems the locals pronounce it, Ponny Ack.) Two interesting things here as well. A) Our friends Alathea graced the ears with their sound, and 2) Michael picked up a new nickname: Lioncrusher. After that we went home. And the next thing we knew, we were in
GERMANY!!!!
Let's just start with a few pictures to get you acclimated . . .
GOT IT, PEOPLE?
GERMAN METAL
CONCERT IN OUR UNDERWEAR?
HOW'S THAT FOR A PREPOSITION?
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The interesting thing about touring in Germany is, well, everything. We were there to play at the Kirchentag ("Church Day"). This is a huge event, where everybody in the country is invited. I think about 100,000 of them accept the invitation each time and, with us and our friends and families, that number soared to about 100,012. We were scheduled to play at various venues, some of which were great, and some of which were . . .uh, interesting.
Probably rolling in his font right now.
Watch out for that candy!
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Another great thing about Germany is that they understand that a professional needs his or her gum. So I was pleased to see that they had a much better sense of how to package that stuff. Anyway, the second day there, we went to a town called Eislaben. We played a concert in front of the very font where Luther was baptized. (I mean, Martin Luther, not Luther Vandross.) The local pastor showed us around the two churches in town and even (get this) pulled the relic out of the altar to show us! As the story goes, this is the jawbone from St. Nicholas. Then, we went into the library upstairs, which was like being on the set of a Harry Potter movie. There were books in here that were written around the time of the reformation, some of which would have been used by Luther when he preached in this church later in life. (I mean Martin Luther, not Lex Luther.)
The next night, we played in Hanover. On the way, we stopped at a fine German restaurant called "Burger King." Michael was super psyched about the balloons they give out with their coffee. A band called Aufwarts played before we did, and they were awesome! Somehow we got the bright idea that I could introduce them, reading the entire introduction in German. As you may know, I do not know any German. So this introduction was the cause of much hilarity at my expense. But the people weren't laughing at me; they were laughing at the floor, because they were doubled over guffawing. But it's okay, because everyone's got to mangle a little German once in a while.
Then it was time for a little Kirchentaging. The first venue was for the international visitors, which was perfect, because that described us. The guy who introduced us was wearing a kilt. (Clearly, an international visitor as well, since it was not made of leather and had no suspenders.) As for us, speaking English didn't peg us as visitors, but not understanding German definitely did. (I have come to realize that English is the type O of languages.) As you'll see in the photos from here on out, my camera was experiencing some major malfunctions. Ordinarily, I would just use my phone to take pictures in such an emergency. However, my cell phone is a lot like me: it doesn't speak German, so it was useless as a substitute. Some photos will look posterized. I'm not trying to be all artsy and stuff. I am a photojournalist in this band, not an artist.
After that, we had some time to wander around the displays. I will now give you a couple of pictures of the kind of stuff we saw . . .
Watch out for that candy!
Well, what if we sang a capella?
Does this stoll make my hands look fat?
Who's the creepiest?
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There is a beautiful cathedral in Koln where the Kirchentag was held. We spent lots of time walking around in it. In some ways, it was cool to have a gathering in this place. But if you ask me, there's something just not right about people leading bouncy worship tunes on this stage right out front. Of course, there's something not quite right about this statue being right out front, either.
Our next gig was in a random spot along the river, where people would be walking by, busily not hearing or noticing us. Since there was no electricity, or stage, or megaphones, we decided to sit this one out. Michael and Christian did a little fancy work on the sign. We went for coffee instead, putting all our eggs in the church/bar gig, later that day.
So, after coffee at a local German coffee shop called "Starbucks," we headed over to the church/bar and checked it out. There was a band playing, and there were not a lot of people. (Though there was enough volume that you really didn't have to be inside to hear them.) The gig was fun, but r-e-a-l-l-y dark. The next day, my family arrived, and we all met up outside the convention center and marveled at how white the wall was. After we gathered the troops, we went and did touristy stuff until it was the absolute hottest time of the day (i.e. 15.30) and headed over for our dusty parking lot gig. We told people they would be crazy to stand around on the dusty rocks and watch us, so those who could find shade stayed. Most people left with our blessing. Sometimes people could duck under the Eins Luftballoon that this guy was carrying around for advertising. (I think the Burger King place should give them away with 60oz coffees.)
One cord to rule them all.
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After that gig, we passed by another of those gas-guzzlers and compared the guitar for size. Seems like it would work for Michael's late-in-life solo career, but not for LOST AND FOUND. Anyway, that was our last Kirchentag gig, and we headed off to Homberg, to the home of the Utpatels, where they provided cake for Eleanor's birthday and we taught them the obscure old favorite, "Happy Birthday to you." The next morning, the Utpatel children sent us off with their dad who continued driving us all over the land of giant fans until we got to our old standby gig, Niederwiesa. (As an aside, the Germans are not big on air conditioning. But, in my opinion, these big fans they have all over to keep things cool must take a lot of power to keep spinning like that. Air conditioning would use less power, and it seems like Germany is windy enough without all the fans blowing stuff around. Just my two pfennig.) During the soundcheck, Eleanor and Michael started playing a couple songs together, and I wondered if I might have been replaced. Had a great time in Niederwiesa, and then headed back in the dark to Homberg. An interesting thing about being Germany, is that all our U.S. gadgets have to get charged through this one 80-pound converter. It works fine, and I think it's safe, but man does it look funny.
After that, it was time to enjoy a splendid backyard barbeque, before heading off in our various journeys to get back to the USA. I picked up this handy travel book to keep track of my driving when I got back home. The thing is, in an English-speaking country, this book would have an entirely different purpose, right? And as a friend pointed out to me, who needs to keep track of that?
After a week or so at home, readjusting to the time zone difference, we headed south. First stop was naturally Nashville, where we played for the folks at IMPACT, held at Lipscomb University. They had a really great stage setup, with giant inflatable Egyptian things. (They were far more interesting than I am making them sound.) From there, we sauntered to South Carolina to play once again at the LCY (pronounced "Elsie Why") convention. Had loads of fun, and were reunited with lots of long-time friends. One young lady asked Michael to wear her sunglasses for a song or two. He was happy to do so. I have to say, they looked fine on her, but they are not all that flattering on some people. (If you get my meaning.) That Sunday, Michael drove north and I sat around the Columbia Airport waiting for storms to clear until eventually getting home.
The first week in July, my family and I spent time back in Ohio, watching fireworks, and cowering from corn. (Well, I seem to be the only one who senses the danger lurking in these insanely high cornfields. The rest of my family actually walks right up to the stuff!) The next week, we began a three-week swing, from which I am writing to you. First up, my family took me to meet up with the distance-driving Michael in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. It was fun to have them along. This was the first night we were able to offer the finally finished LOST AND FOUND Early Years Boxed Set. After my family headed back to NYC, Michael and I drove south and headed for Huntington, which is in West Virginia. We played a concert at night, and then played some songs at worship the next morning. Had a lot of fun, and raced further south to make it in time to knock out Knoxville. (Okay, that one was a stretch, I know.)
Starting our week in the city that surprisingly once hosted the World's Fair, we played a concert at the church of our pal Eric Murray, who looks surprisingly a lot like someone in our band. (If I had a picture of him, you would see what I mean.) Had a surprisingly large crowd and had a predictable fantastic time. The next day, we headed downtown and spent a few days with the young people at IYC, which is the name they take when the Free Methodist youts gather in large arenas. We had all sorts of great times, including when a couple of fellows in tiger outfits joined us on stage during our "Lions" song. Not exactly the king of the jungle, but they were on the right track. A highlight for us was a workshop they let us do where we talked about our bike trip. Also, we got to hear Kendall Payne play some of her awesome songs. All in all, a great week.
From there, we drove at lightspeed to Lamoni, inside Iowa, where I now sit writing you this little missive. Or, what I mean is, this epic-length description, occasionally employing haphazard alliteration, covering the travels and travails of the band, LOST AND FOUND.
I'll begin the next letter with our time in Lamoni, and hope it will be a little sooner than it took me to get to this one. (This amount of time covering takes a lot of time to cover.) Be sure to check out the Photo Phrenzy on your way out the door.
Hope you're having a great summer, and that we'll see you sometime in the coming months.
Later on,
george
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