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Back “on the road” again – soon
Bands do pre-productions before recording their albums, I’m in the “pre-travel” stage at the moment. Time flies, before I know it, the madness that I experienced last year, is about to be repeated.
Although I’m not an organized person in general, there are some things that I am very particular about, and one of those things is planning my gig-travels.
It wouldn’t work if I wasn’t, there’s a lot to keep track of. It’s not just “buy plane ticket, get accreditation or buy concert ticket, book hotel, done“.
I’m sitting with Excel-sheets and files, building my own personal tour which is going to last on-and-off starting June and for the rest of the year. I buy flight-tickets when they’re the cheapest, sometimes just a one-way ticket because the return ticket might be a lot cheaper next week, sometimes next month – I just keep checking and grab it when the prices are the lowest. But thast also requires that I keep track of all the one-way tickets so I don’t get stuck somewhere.
Renting cars, finding the right hotels, closest to the venue, the airport, train station or whatever else seems the most practical. Printing maps, in case the GPS doesn’t work…
After that one time in Germany when I went to see Jon Oliva’s Pain (in Aschaffenburg I believe it was) and ended up on a hill where there was nothing but very puzzled cows and sheep, I’m trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again. :)
[The hills were alive – with the sound of….cows! Beautiful scenery, but somehow you can’t quite enjoy it when you’re lost…!]
That particular time was the worst ever. The GPS (which I got rid of, for the record…) was WAY off. The printed directions from Michelin wayfinder were if possible even more off. I was lost in some godforsaken little german village and asked a young couple for directions but they didn’t speak English at all (or didn’t want to) and my German is pretty limited. There was nobody else around.
I called the hotel that I was looking for, the receptionist sounded terrified because she had to speak English and either way, she couldn’t even explain how to get to the hotel! Pretty remarkable. I even called my friend Mari in Sweden who usually steps in as my First Aid when I get in trouble on my trips, but she wasn’t home. And above all, the cellphone battery died…The trip from the airport to the hotel, which was supposed to take 40 minutes, took 4 hours! I finally found my way, after stopping at every open pub and gas station I could find, asking for directions. By the time I got there, the band had already left and gone to the village to have dinner. I was stuck at the hotel, choosing from a wide variety of wiener-schnitzel in all shapes and sizes, in the hotel restaurant….!
After an experience like that, you make sure to take every precaution to eliminate similar situations in the future. :-)
Not that I could have forseen the nightmare in Thessaloniki, Greece last summer either…
Finding the hotel was one thing… I took the bus from the airport to save a few bucks. But the directions on the hotel website were WAY off and I realized that the bus was just going in circles, and I saw the airport 3 times on that one journey! The bus driver didn’t speak English at all and the people I asked on the bus were either tourists themselves or they didn’t speak English.
I remember telling Gus (Firewind-Gus) about my experience in his home-town and he was surprised that his contrymen weren’t better at handling tourists. It’s probably hard to know unless you are one yourself. :) The people were extremely kind, much like Italians, they are more than happy to help, whether or not they know English, but in this case, no go…
Bus ticket…Cheap but it didn’t exactly save time…! :)
I finally got help, once again emergency-central Mari had to guide me through the streets of Thessaloniki by phone, with the help of Google maps – letting me know when to turn left or right. I finally found the damn place.
But then two days later there was a taxi-strike in Thessaloniki and I couldn’t get back to the hotel after the festival that I had just been at, at the stadium. The last bus had left, no cabs, and I was far away from the hotel. This time a super-nice Greek guy who I had been in touch with on YouTube, helped me by talking to people I met on the street in Greek and then translating it to English to me so I could find the way to the last night-bus! I made it in the nick of time.
Stuff happens when you’re out travelling. It’s part of the adventure I guess. It’s never cool when you’re in the middle of one of those situations, but you get a huge kick once you’ve solved it – usually with a bit of help from friends (and sometimes strangers).
I’ve been home a month or two now and I can feel how my spirits are getting kind of low already. I live for the travels and the music. If I don’t get that, life feels boring as hell. You need something to get your kicks, whatever it is. Friends, gigs, movies, short trips maybe just to the next city just for the change of environment.
I remember many years ago when I tried an online-dating site out of pure curiosity (and left it after just a week!) and most guys who contacted me said that their “hobbies” were quiet evenings at home, nature-walks, red wine, cooking…. Hey, all that is cool, but if that’s ALL there is, I would die of boredom! I’m better off as a vagabond-loner. :)
People also ask me if I’m going alone on these trips and why. It’s simply because it’s hard to find people who have the same idea of what the journey should be about. To me it’s ALL about the music. I rarely go anywhere to be a tourist.
Most people want to do all kinds of stuff and then go to the gig in the last minute. I’m the opposite – I plan everything around the actual gig. I want to be in the front (or else I can’t see shit), so I get there early. I don’t go shopping, sightseeing, having coffee, beer or whatever – and if I do, it’s if I’ve got plenty of time or if I got there the day before.
Most people want other things. It’s usually because they don’t travel so often, so when they do get the chance to go somewhere, they want to get as much as possible from the experience. It’s so individual what you want out of a trip.
I go alone and I’m so used to it that it’s definitely not a problem, quite the contrary.
Also, traveling with other people is the ultimate test of which people you “click” with and which people you will never ever travel with again. Cause you’re stuck with eachother for 24 hours at least, and in that time, some peple can start getting on your nerves and some are a delight to hang with. You just never know until you’ve been there.
Well, this year I’m going on my own, looking forward to every single adventure I’ve got ahead of me. And with Steel Panther on their way back to the UK in the fall, I wish I could just find something sticky to glue myself to their tour bus and follow them everywhere! :)
Maybe that’s exactly what I’ll do.
The unmasking of Steel Panther
I spent almost two full days just clicking my way through Steel Panther history. I wasn’t really looking for anything to begin with, but as I started finding stuff, one interesting fact lead to another and it became an obsession…!
I mentioned to my friend Mari that many people have found my blog by searching for terms like “Lexxi without wig” or “Steel panther no wigs” or “Does Satchel wear a wig?“.
I can’t believe they haven’t already found all this stuff! Her only response was: “Most people don’t have the patience for that sort of thing. It’s the journalist in you that comes out“. Maybe.
I truly get a kick from this stuff. Who ARE these guys?
It’s like Kiss back in the day – everybody wanted to know what they looked like before 1983. The mystery would drive people crazy.
Well, since the Steel Panther-guys are basically always in character during their interviews, you won’t get anything out of them. So if you want to know what lies behind the wigs, the spandex and the jokes, you’ve got to find out for yourself.
I’ve visited some pretty godforsaken, forgotten places on the Internet Graveyard today.
MySpace proved to be an underrated museum of interesting stuff. There were old blogs from 2004 that invited fans of The Thornbirds (also named The Ducks) to gigs for free or to five or ten bucks at the door. Little did they know, I’m sure, that tickets to their future band Steel Panther would go for 40 bucks a piece in the UK eight years later.
There were all these old home-made homepages that people used to create before there was any social media out there – even before the days of MySpace or Facebook. It’s been an interesting journey today! I still don’t have ALL the pieces of the puzzle, lots of things I still don’t get. Like whether or not there is an affinity between the band’s manager Glen Parrish and Russ Parrish (aka Satchel).
They sure look a lot alike if you compare photos – it’s the same jawline. Just speculating – I don’t know, but I’m sure there are people out there who DO know. I just haven’t stumbled upon anything yet that would confirm it, so I’ll just save that for another rainy day. :-)
[Steel Panther manager Glen Parrish – family or just pure coincidence…?]
I started at Twitter, clicked on an interesting name, which took me to a personal webpage, which took me to a personal Facebook-account – which took me to….everywhere…!
Next thing I know, I’m looking at family- and vacation photos and old band-videos, photos, MySpace stories and blogs and old webpages and cool stuff on YouTube!
So….. This is not even half of it, but who knows, maybe there will be a “Part two” in the future. For now, if you ever wondered what Steel Panther looks like “incognito” – here you go!
Still very cool guys -wigs or no wigs!
STEEL PANTHER – UNMASKED
Travis Haley – Russ Parrish – Ralph Saenz and Darren Leader.
Better known as… Lexxi -Satchel – Michael and Stix
This is what they looked like then this whole thing began….
And sounded like this (Love Rocket):
LEXXI:
SATCHEL:
STIX:
MIX OF PIX – click your way through them all – live pix of Satchel’s and Stix’ former band The Thornbirds and more. This first pic is of Travis and Russ (Lexxi and Satchel):
There was plenty of info on Satchel’s musical past, in the form of videos and old interviews, yet he is the only one I haven’t found on any social media sites. So, if you’re digging for personal stuff on him, good luck – it’s not exactly under your nose if you’re looking for it.
Seems like he really prefers his privacy when he’s offstage, respect to that.
But if you’re curious of his “old sins” music wise – here’s some old shit for you to enjoy…! :-)
The Atomic Punks (Van Halen-tribute band that included Michael Starr as “David Lee”) at the Velvet Jones, Santa Barbara, CA – October 22, 2005. Includes former guitarist Russ Parrish – tuning problems with his Frankenstrat.
THE ELECTRIC FENCE – with PAUL GILBERT (around 1991)
The Electric Fence – Paul Gilbert, Russ Parrish, Jeff Martin
Notice at 0.49 where Lexxi’s future “hair flip” probably originates from! ;)
This also includes Billy Sheehanwalking out on stage with a birthday-PIE. :-) Great stuff, I LOVE Paul Gilbert!!
THE ELECTRIC FENCE – with PAUL GILBERT and guest ROB HALFORD
The Electric Fence – Paul Gilbert, Russ Parrish, Jeff Martin
THORNBIRDS
And there’s the HOT dude Russ in FIGHT – too pretty to fit in really. :-)
And last but not least…. just a few interesting links – I wish I had saved all of those I discovered today, but like I said – maybe in a part two. :)
Russ Parrish – Ratchet 2002 – Metal Sludge
http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=421&Itemid=52
Danger Kitty – Michael Diamond
http://www.usatoday.com/mchat/20010508001/tscript.htm
BAND WAR AND PEACE
http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/war_and_peace
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Fant(h)astic – Steel Panther back in the fall
It looks like 2012 won’t be much different from 2011 concert- and travelwise. While 2011 was very much a Gus G/Firewind year, this year will be slightly different. Or actually QUITE different. I’ve fallen like a rock for Steel Panther, I think I even got a few bruises in the process…!
A friend told me just the other day how he had showed a female friend a Steel Panther-interview (I believe it was mine actually…) and her comment was that she “didn’t get it“.
Maybe no wonder, you would have to have been around for the whole eighties glam- and hairmetal era to “get” Steel Panther. At least you’ve got to have some knowledge of the scene to be able to pick up on the jokes, which in essence is a huge exaggeration of everything that hair metal was all about when it was at its peak.
It’s pretty much a parody of Poison and Motley Crue really. :-)
I’m stuck on YouTube every single day looking through Steel Panther-stuff. I’ve become a junkie, it’s funny as shit, and there’s TONS of it!
I really wanted to go to London on Saturday and see their last show on this European leg of the tour, but it’s way too expensive. Can’t believe the flights are so expensive for London this particular weekend?! It’s usually cheap, so I don’t know why it costs so much now all of a sudden.
If I manage to get a cheap last minute-flight I’ll go, but if not, it’s cool. There is a “Plan B”.
I was thrilled to see that the band is coming back for 3 extra shows in Germany this summer – AND a whole UK tour in November!
Oh yes – I AM going, no doubt about it! Manchester for sure – Manchester rocks. :-)
This is a “feel-good”-band. It’s just about having a good time and I’m all for that! The live-shows, the ripoffs of classic hard rock anthems and the silly lyrics, it’s all part of the package and will make it worth the time and money spent travelling all over the place to see them.
One time was all it took, now I want more..!
If I live on crispbread and water next month, I’ll even be able to see two shows in Vegas in July.
Hm. Yes. I think I will. I most definitely will. :-))))) Vegas (and men in tights) – here I come!
Rockers and groupies – why they need eachother
My friend Vera from Russia came to visit me Friday & Saturday, and on Saturday morning she came out with this book that she found in my book- and magazine-piles. :) Well, I just had to buy a book that had a title like THAT…! She was flipping through the pages, changing her facial expressions for every new funny or interesting fact she read in the book, but there was of course a lot of laughing.
One of the things that one of the “rock stars” answered when asked what he thought was a complete turnoff, was that he didn’t like if the girl had any insecurities. She had to be confident, that was sexy.
It got me thinking. It’s a well known fact that the things you don’t like about yourself, are also the things you will dislike in other people. And it’s not really a secret that musicians aren’t necessarily the most confident people in the world.
Steel Panther used that as a joke at the show the other day – “Our drummer isn’t as handsome as the rest of us, yet he gets laid! Do you think he would ever get laid if he wasn’t in a band? Hell no!”
That was a joke, but musicians often admit that they became musicians because it would “get them chicks”. So, for some reason, they didn’t quite believe that they would be able to “get chicks” just by relying on their own personalities, by just being who they are – plain and simple.
I’ve written about this before, attention-seeking rock stars, who are addicted to the admiration they get from fans, and of course the kick they get from feeling desirable by women (preferably women that other men want). It gives them credibility – and insecure people need that.
That’s also the reason why rich and famous men tend to marry models and actresses – to show OTHERS what they got. It’s like any other posession – a new big TV, a flashy car… That generates more admiration, which in some cases seems more important than true love.Which brings me to “part two” of the whole equation. Many groupies have the same issues – they are looking for validation just as much as the “rock star” is. By scoring a rock star, they think that “if I could get a guy like THAT who could have any other chick he wants, then I must be worth something!”. The guy is thinking the same: “If I can screw chicks like THIS one, who wouldn’t give a rats ass if I wasn’t in a band, I must be worth something!”
Probably not in those words, but you get my point.
[Jon Bon Jovi with some lady who most likely was not his wife ;) ]
There are quite a few issues on both sides, most likely. Why do rock stars screw around? Because they can, because it reinforces the idea that they need to have about themselves – that they are attractive and desirable.
They can brag about it in interviews (hello Motley Crue) and get little teenage boys to look up to them. Teenage boys who are probably being told to piss off when approaching a girl – so they need heroes to show them how to get away from that whole “evil circle”.
It’s pretty interesting to witness the whole thing. Even more interesting when the rock stars are being treated like heroes for getting all the girls – whereas the girls are being treated like sluts for doing the same thing and for ,probably, similar reasons.
Human interaction and common psychology is probably the same everywhere, not just in music, but that short comment that “they must be confident” just got me thinking, Cause the question is if the girls are getting the same thing in return.…?
Small things are actually saying a lot about the “studs” in bands. I used to think Nikki Sixx was cool, but he is screaming so loud for attention on a daily basis that I’m beginning to feel sorry for him. I wonder if he feels his life would even be worth living if all that attention was taken away from him for a week or two? Would he survive?
I don’t “look up” to rock stars the way I used to anymore. The internet has given away too much about them, When they’re not content with the attention and admiration they are already getting, but are begging for more through their Twitters and Facebooks, it just starts getting ridiculous.
I don’t mind the “normal” updates – I’m talking about those who need to let the world know when they went to take a dump and how much they produced, that sort of thing…Let us have a little bit of mystery at least, please. :-) It’s just an interesting thing to sit and reflect on, on a Sunday evening….
Not so Electric… Boys
Electric Boys were playing at KB (KulturBolaget) in Malmö Friday night. I expected the place to be jam-packed, cause it was Friday, people just got their money, and most of all, Electric Boys has always been one of the absolutely best live-bands in the country.
Singer, guitarist and songwriter Conny Bloom joined Hanoi Rocks in 2004 and was a member of the band until 2009. That same year, Electric Boys reunited and is now back making cool music together and rocking crowds from north to south.
I’ve followed the band from day one, pretty much. My personal memories include a cookie-war backstage at KB many years ago when the club was situated in another part of town.
Just as we had turned their dressing room into a cookie-crumble mess and stomped the cookies into the carpet, the OWNER of the club walked in (oh, f***k…).
It’s one thing that the BAND does that, but I was supposed to be this respectable reporter from one of the the main newspapers in the country, Kvällsposten, back then. I’ll never forget the look on the guy’s face when he saw the mess – and then spotted me, being in the midst of throwing one of those damn cookies at the drummer. I guess that’s what’s called “being caught in the act”.
Another time, also at former KB, the band invited me to come and sing their song “Electrified” with them later that evening. We decided this during the interview, and the reason why it even came up was because I showed up at the interview with my bag full of microphones and cables cause I came straight from my own band-rehearsal.
Anyhoo – I was nervous as hell so I spent most of my evening in the bar, “calming my nerves” as it were…. I ended up being in the ladies room barfing, just when they announced “Electrified“. Very classy indeed.
And as if that wasn’t enough, I went straight to the front row, still feeling like crap, and fell asleep with my head resting on one of the stage monitors – during their show…! You know you’re pretty hammered when you manage to sleep with your ear in a monitor – especially during an Electric Boys gig.
I’ll never forget that. Blame it on my youth! :-) Thank god I don’t do that sort of stuff anymore.
The point is – I saw these guys everywhere during the early 90’s, they have always been a very active touring band, playing everywhere, anywhere, always setting the bar very high. To this day, every time I hear their name, I know that they’re going to kick ass.
But for whatever reason, March 23rd, 2012, wasn’t the best day in Electric Boys’ history. I guess that by any OTHER band’s standards, it would have been good. But with Electric Boys, you expect so much more, because they actually ARE “electric” when they go onstage.
Friday night must have been a pretty bad day for the band for whatever reason. I heard rumors about Conny being sick, which could explain a thing or two. They played well – except for one part when drummer Niclas Sigevall lost a beat, but he quickly got back on track after having three band-mates looking at him with faces that pretty much said: “WTF??”.
The only thing that was lacking, was that main, most important ingredient – the “magic spark” – that extra energy that separates a great band from a good band.
Electric Boys have spoiled us over the years. We got used to them being the band that would simply turn any dull old place into the party central of the year. Friday night was an exception.
Whatever the reason was, I’m not holding it against them.
Anyone can have a bad day. If it’s only once every 20 years, that’s cool by me. :-)
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[Great party song, good performance, but not quite up to Electric Boys-standards.
It’s entirely my fault though that it’s hard to tell by this video as the only sound my camera is picking up is the guitar monitor. :)]
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