Just a small message to promote the new Mpodia (former muziekpodia.nl) website. Have a look here.
It just went béta. I think it looks really neat and is easy to navigate. But I might be a bit biased. So feel free to check it out and send your feedback.
Let’s make this the best resource for concert dates, reviews & more!
So here’s a quick post to prove I did not completely forgot about this place. 4 Plugin updates since my last login to WP. That’s an indicator of neglect, right? Well, I was kinda busy.
I’ve been to Bruges, which as you might know is a themepark in Belgium. Took some pictures too. Might post them next week. Still got some pictures from Leiden too. Which is slightly less pretty, but a whole lot less artificial.
I upgraded the instrument department by trading my Kendal-bought Italia Imola for a Fender Jaguar last week (and can’t stop playing it since). My first truly decent axe. I plan to do some minor upgrades: Swap the current tortoise pickguard with a white one so it looks like Johnny Marr’s white-on-white. Maybe upgrade the buzzing bridge too. I found the offset guitars forum to be a good resource (and highly addictive).
Reviews… need to do some of those as well. Got a small pile of albums to do. And my first real interview is coming up. I will have a chat with David Kitt before / after his Melkweg gig, the 13th. Looking forward to that.
SUMMER MUST GO. Sales in Bruges. Summer sure got the message. That weekend was the last decent one...
And what a great edition of Haldern-Pop it was! The weather turned out way better than forecast, while the atmosphere was relaxed as ever. A serious infection almost spoiled it for me but luckily I only missed Thursday and enjoyed the rest. Personal fav’s where Patrick Watson, Grizzly Bear, BLK JKS and HEALTH.
A lengthy review can be found over at muziekpodia.nl. My friend Yorick took loads of pictures which will be up on his website. So make sure to check Urbanex.nl.
Tags: Haldern-pop, muziekpodia.nl
Here’s why:
First of all, after a disappointing Decembersists newsletter listing NO date in the Netherlands at all they made up with a second email last Friday, announcing:
On Saturday, November 21st, The Decemberists will perform at Crossing Border festival in The Hague, Netherlands. The band will be joined at the festival by The Monsters of Folk, Steve Earle, and Grizzly Bear among others.
So Portlands finest prog-folk quintet will bring their rock opera to the lower countries after all. The message confirmed that Becky Stark and Shara Worden will join them, like they did on the US leg of the “Short Fazed Hovel” tour.
I’ll be there, in the front row. That’s for sure.
Secondly: Twitter finally proves practical today as Grizzly Bear Edward Droste posted:
Exciting news alert!! @st_vincent will be supporting us for our European Fall tour dates starting with the the London show Oct 31st!
This includes their Melkweg gig on the 9th of November. Yay!
Great gig! Maybe a short review later.
Deerhoof was quite amazing yesterday. Great atmosphere too.
Good 1st day of de Affaire. I’ll be there tomorrow to see st. Vincent. Looking forward to that.
For some reason this amateur pop-journalist managed to sneak trough a loophole in the accreditation procedure: I got a press ticket for Haldern-pop!
Needless to say I’m surprised as well as very excited. I’ve been taking my pilgrimage to the German town of Rees-Haldern for a few years in a row now and it’s really a unique festival. Small scale, nicely laid-out, excellent line up and an unmatched atmosphere.
My scribbles will be posted over at the usual place. Going to search ebay for a nice pair of Aviators now.
FREITAG:
Hauptbühne
Port O’Brien
Anna Ternheim
Final Fantasy
Grizzly Bear
Loney, Dear
Paolo Nutini
Im Zelt:
Asaf Avidan & the Mojos
Soap & Skin
Woodpigeon
Noah and the Whale
The Temper Trap
Tonfisch
SAMSTAG
Hauptbühne
Fettes Brot
Andrew Bird
Dear Reader
Bon Iver
iLiKETRAiNS
Patrick Watson
The Maccabees
The Soundtrack of Our Lives
The Thermals
The Vals
Im Zelt:
BLK JKS
Mumford & Sons
HEALTH
Hjaltalín
Little Boots
William Fitzsimmons
Blitzen Trapper
??
Hauptbühne:
Gravenhurst
Zelt:
Colin Munroe
Alexander Tucker & The Decomposed Orchestra
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Tags: Haldern-pop, muziekpodia.nl
Even though the Lake District feels closer each visit it took me 12 hours to get home this time. After a relaxed train ride from Oxenholme to Manchester airport and a fairly painless flight to Weeze my car’s cooling system failed. No big surprise since it was hissing and leaking on my way to the airport last Wednesday, but annoying nonetheless. After some help from a local tow service (to drag me across the Dutch border) and the Dutch road assistance I finally got home at 8 in the evening.
All this waiting gave me plenty of time to read.
The Other Hand is not great, but it’s still hard to put down. Maybe some more about the book once I finished it.
The holiday itself was great. A busy combination of wedding preparation (and all the chaos that goes with it… and I didn’t even do that much), reuniting with old friends, meeting new friends and finally enjoying the scenery (almost forgot to do that).
I don’t have any pics to prove all the above. My cam stayed in it’s bag most of the time. My mate Yorick took loads of pictures though. I’ll post a link as soon as he has them sorted.
Thanks to Paul and Vicki for staying there. And thanks to the lady at the check-in desk for not charging me for my bag, although it was 2 kg too heavy. My guitar made it home without a scratch. Found out yesterday that it really was a bargain. Yay.
Luke & Louise: Congratulations again! Hope you enjoy your honeymoon.
Tags: Holiday
Last week was a short one, and crammed with fun stuff preventing me from doing some decent writing on this place or elsewhere. Too bad I can’t type and ride bike at the same time. Anyway, things are piling up, and everything I do seems to take twice as long as it should.
Still on the list: Finish a review on Jason Lytles‘ “Yours truly the commuter”. Write a piece on the guy’s gig in my new favorite venue, Doornroosje, last Friday. Review Iron and Wines’ latest album, which is probably great. Try to write something sensible about “Veckatimest“, which is definitely great.
No idea when all of this will be up. Must be this week though, because next week I’m off for a short trip to the UK. Looking forward to that.
Great performance of the Decemberists on Leno last Thursday. Strange to see this song out of it’s context. Works great though. I really hope Shara and Becky join the band on their European tour.
Tags: Tubespotting