Miss Massive Snowflake Queen’s Headache European Tour March 27, 2008 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Miss Massive Snowflake has been in Europe for two weeks now. The first week we spent at my brother Shadd’s house here in Kaiserslautern. We took a day trip to Burg Eltz, a beautiful 900 year old castle hidden in a cul-de-sac like valley, where my family / band relaxed, ate lunch, took pictures, and played soccer. We visited Koblenz where the confluence of the Mosel and the Rhine meet at a statue of William the I of Germany riding on his steed. We gazed over this triangular vista from the impenetrable fortress, Festung Ehrenbreitstein, and sang, danced, laughed, and shielded ourselves from the cold wind that attacked from the rivers below. Meredith (my wife), Marley (my twelve year old daughter), and I ate leber-knödel in Gimmeldingen whilst drinking a Riesling from the local vineyards in the rain during a fest celebrating the blossoms on the almond trees which turn the rolling hills a beautiful pink. The food here has been excellent, the conversation stimulating, the beer and wine uplifting, and the love of music and family has been life affirming. Miss Massive Snowflake is my musical / familial art project. I write the songs and then recruit different family members for different recordings and tours. We have just released our fourth release titled "Queen’s Headache". It is an electro-acoustic romp that denounces war and isolation in favor of love and family. The music ranges from hip-hop inspired by my kindergarten class (my day job is a preschool teacher), to orchestrated pseudo-classical instrumentals, and love tinged R&B sing alongs. Check it out. Miss Massive Snowflake is on it’s second European tour and we have played two shows on this jaunt so far. Casey Jarman at the Willamette Week has asked me to do a multimedia tour diary of our excursions and this is my first missive. Our first show was at Club Lice, a small house party type show here in Kaiserslautern. On this tour I am using an acoustic guitar, laptop, projector, and various family members help out on certain songs with lyrics, percussion, and keyboards. Since this was a small show I hooked the computer up directly to a television and performed solo playing a mix of acoustic songs and karaoke style prerecorded tracks. The visuals are a mix of movies that Marley has made, as well as slideshows and films that I have assembled of my artwork, photos, and video clips. Everything went well and the audience who joined into the sing along in their Germanic accented broken English. Some t-shirts and cds were sold and friends were made and duly impressed. Meredith, Marley, and I then rented a VW Golf and Garman Navigational unit and headed off to Vienna in a blinding snowstorm(Massive Snowflakes). Some tense moments arose but I must admit that I enjoy driving 100 miles an hour when I know that I won’t be pulled over for speeding. We arrived and received the keys to ourAustrian booking agent, Wolfgang’s, flat. We were lucky enough to be near the city center and spent the next three days walking around looking at the remnants and memorials of the the Hapsburg’s long rule. We enjoyed a small orchestra playing the hits of Mozart and Strauss, saw original art by Austrian Masters’ Klimt, Wacker, and Schiele as well as an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art on math in art featuring works from Dürer to Sol Le Witt. Miss Massive Snowflake’s Vienna show was at Fluc, a small smoky bar with an excellent soundman named Fred. The soundcheck was thorough and the chinese meal was an all you can eat buffet. Be on the lookout for the new MMS song mentioning three Americans eating Chinese buffet in Austria. This wonderfully beautiful and neutral country is one of the last bastions of unencumbered and blatant smoking. It seems that everyone over 12 is constantly puffing in bars, restaurants, palaces, and museums. Marley wore a scarf over her face while she performed and I nearly lost my voice by the end of the 50 minute set. The people clapped, laughed, and seemed to enjoy themselves. Once again we sold some merchandise, collected our guarantee and got the hell out of that smoke filled room. The next morning we woke up early and headed back to Kaiserslautern through many snow flurries and even more traffic. Now I am back in Kaiserslautern at the Lice Club with lice killing shampoo slathered all over my head. The whole freaking band got hit by Austrian lice and there are five people in underwear in a small bathroom nitpicking through each others hair. Earlier today I practiced with my nephew Sören (12) and neice Saskia (10) on drums and keyboards respectively. Watch the short video attached for some film clips, slideshows, and a live recording from the Lice Club. Tomorrow at 7:30 I board the train to Dresden for a show at AZ Conni with Lack from Denmark. Thanks for reading, thanks for caring, and check back in a few days for more writings from Europe. Miss Massive Snowflake is over and out.
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen’s Headache European Tour March 28, 2008 On DB ICE Train 1557 to Dresden
I am currently sitting on the train listening to Ennio Morricone. I have taken a short nap since last night’s sleep was very short due to staying up late cleaning other’s heads. I feel refreshed and the sunlight is streaming in through the window of my train car. We are passing a small village surrounded by farming fields. It has yet to snow today which has been quite a regular occurence on this trip. I guess this is a good thing when your band is called Miss Massive Snowflake. Sort of like extra promo. We will arrive in Dresden around 2 pm or 14:00 since we are in Deutschland. I will be met at the train station by Kai Lautenschläger who is a foreign exchange student that lived with me for a year in Billings, Montana in 1988 for our senior year of high school. He was from Essen, Germany and can play piano and cello wonderfully. He is now a doctor, married with children, and lives in Dresden. The last time I visited him Germany was still a divided country. I am looking forward to seeing him. I am going to try and recruit him to play some cello tonite on a few songs. Even though I am far from Billings, Montana, tonite is a sort of a twenty year class reunion for the West High Golden Bears class of 1988. Besides Kai being there, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Cory Vielma, will be at the show also. He is one of the few Golden Bears that I still keep in contact with besides Kai. Jamie Smith / Danghead being the other. Cory is a married man like myself and he now lives in Berlin with his wife Suzie. He performs music as the Sadnesses and we will be sharing a bill at ZMF in Berlin next week. I am sure that there will be some collaboration between us in each of our sets too. In the late 90’s Cory and I had a band / project called Revenge from beyond the Grave and released the cd "Fuck you with my Dead Dick" on Jalopy Grotto Records. We were also on a Nillacat compilation. Who know maybe we will perform the party classic "Jesus / Dildo". Anyways, Cory is driving down to Dresden tonite from Berlin to see me and Miss Massive Snowflake perform and tomorrow we will travel together up to Berlin. Cory has not seen Kai since high school twenty years ago. Growing up in Billings, Montana pre-internet was a weird time. Cory, Jamie, and I were continually called "Fags, Wavers, and Homos" by the meathead jocks and gun packing ranchers we went to school with. Now everything we liked then is pretty much mainstream culture now like skateboarding, punk rock, weird art, and baggy pants. I will forever be indebted to Cory Vielma for turning me on to Nick Cave, the Descendents, Septic Death, Die Kreuzen, the Misfits, Corrosion of Conformity, D.R.I., Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and so much more. I may not listen to most of the punk now but it set me on the path of following one’s own unique vision and Miss Massive Snowflake is definitely unique. Who else has band members who are from 4-44 years of age and with some on the Autism Spectrum. We are a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, multi-gender, multi-sexual ammalgamation of artists, friends, and family members who want to show the world that love, trust, hope, family, friendship, laughter, beauty, and song are so much more powerful than Marshall stacks with loud guitars played by people singing of pain, isolation, and disenchantment. I now sign out of today’s journal with a large hug for you and yours. I hope that you continue to read these thoughts, memoirs, and happenings of Miss Massive Snowflake as we travel through Europe. Don’t forget to smile at a stranger, kiss the ones you love, and if you can, please end the war. A Goose in Vienna
Gender Bender
Cory and Kai Golden Bears
Into Berlin
Beer Goggles
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen’s Headache European Tour April 1, 2008 Berlin, Germany
Quite a few fun-filled days have past since I last wrote. I have been in Berlin for 3 days now. Cory and I have been staying up real late with his wife Susi, but let us now do a quick recap. Upon my arrival to Dresden back on the 28th I was met by Kai’s wife, Valentina and their 2 year old daughter, Leah. We went back to their flat in the Neustadt which is only a few minutes from the club. I took a nap then looked at some photos of their family while drinking espresso. Kai returned from work and we celebrated Shabat with a braided challah and wine. Ate an excellent Italian meal because besides being Jewish, Valentina comes from the north of Italy and Italians are all great cooks from my many experiences there. Kai and I went to the club and when we showed up, Lack from Denmark was sound checking. They were really loud so we sat in the green room eating fresh grapes, strawberries, drinking beer. and talking until they were done Sven was the sound man at AZ Conni and when it was my turn to sound check it took all of maybe 10 minutes to mic up my acoustical nylon string guitar and get a good vocal sound. The hard part was adjusting the projector that the club had to show my visuals through, but thanks to Kai we got a fairly good resolution picture up on the screen at the back ot the stage. The show started at 9:15 and I came out and played a great set to a full room of people but I think it may have been a couple songs to long. The crowd was definitely mostly there to see Lack and my breakdance routines mixed with pleas for peace that are part of my set left a lot of quiet people staring at me with confused smiles. I ran the merch table during Lack’s incredibly tight Jawbox style set and then Cory, Kai, and I packed up and went for a tour of the historical sites of Dresden. It looks like the buildings in the city are all really old like most of Germany, but during World War 2 the allies bombed Dresden and in one night the entire city center was flattened and around 25,000 people died. What you see now is a bunch of buildings that have been rebuilt to look like the original ones that stood there. A sort of Disneyland type facade. The next day was Saturday and we ate a lavish German breakfast full of many different meats, cheeses, breads, jams, butter, yogurt, a soft boiled egg, and coffee. Cory and I wished Kai well and we hit the road to Berlin. A short drive full of talking of old times and listening to good music. When we reached Berlin we stopped off and purchased a bunch of Turkish food, then went to Cory’s flat where I met his wife Susi and we all devoured the flat bread, tapenades, olives, and other dishes which I know not the name of. Rested a bit and then hopped on the street car (signifying we are in East Berlin) until we transferred to the train (meaning we were in West Berlin) to the club. It took us quite a while to find the entrance but we finally found it and OVO was just finishing their soundcheck. I have toured with OVO 6 times I think. With some tours in Europe and some in America. They are great friends of mine and two of the sweetest people I know. Bruno, who is half of the band, booked most of my German shows so I thanked him profusely for everything and then Stefania (other half of OVO), Bruno, Cory, Nicoletta, Olivia, and I went out for Moroccan food. I had an excellent falafel plate and a coke. Since I was now in the presence of three Italians we then went and had an espresso after the meal in a very smoky Turkish bar filled with all sorts of nuts in baskets and men with mustaches. I had an incredible tasting dried date. West Germany is the name of the club I played at that night. To reach it you climb three flights of stairs and come into a room that looks like an old office space. It is mostly a white tiled long room with the ceiling tiles broken out and electrical wires exposed everywhere. That night was the owner Paul’s birthday and the club was packed, packed, packed. It seems that everyone was smoking and most people were fashionable and quite good looking. I opened for OVO at around 11 pm. It was wonderful to see Bruno and Stefania right up front. They have never seen Miss Massive Snowflake before. All the other tours I have done with them was from when I was still playing trumpet in Rollerball. I could tell that they totally enjoyed it. I was very chatty and told jokes and stories between songs. I shortened my set to only 40 minutes (down from 50) and it seemed to be more powerful. Some dancing ensued and the crowd ate it up. Berlin was ready to have a good time and I delivered the soundtrack for them. Ovo played a really good set and then Stefania and I hung out at the merch table, which we have done many times, and sold, sold, sold. Berlin is very international. I met a girl from Portland who knew Larry Yes. I talked to people from America, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, Poland, and that is only the ones who told me. The sound of the room is so cool. So many languages being spoken. My German is getting better and I really understand a lot of what people are saying, but find it hard to enter a conversation. I have spent about 6 months in Germany if I combined all of my trips here. I also took it in High School. Cory has lived here 5 years now and it seems that he would be considered fluent. Since I am in Europe and the bars don’t close until the people go home, the dj played and the people danced. Cory and I caught a taxi back to his house around 4 am. We slept and slept. Bruno puppets Bruno with friend
The next day was Sunday, March 30. We slept late, ate breakfast, and finally left the house around 4. We went to a massive flea market. Cory and I are planning on using some puppets on the show wednesday. He purchased an alligator and I bought a duck. We will be performing an old song we wrote in Boulder, Co back in 1997 at Jamie Smith’s house with puppets. Bruno, Stefania, Nicoletta, and Olivia met us at the market and we ended up just kind of standing around a booth that was run by a good friend of OVO’s who makes handmade stuffed animals. They are all really cool and they look like something that you would buy at Missing LInk on Hawthorne street in Portland. I bought one for Marley as a present and also purchase a present for Meredith at the jewelry booth next door. Meredith and Marley are now both back safely in Portland because of work and school respectively. We have been keeping up with each other through the email. What a wonderful world. So now I am in Berlin for two more days with a show tomorrow night. As I said at the very beginning of this entry, Cory, Susi, and I have been staying up late. Looking at old photos from Cory and my skateboarding days over 20 years ago and drinking beer that is cheeper to buy than water. I experienced the Absinthe ritual and drink and that is kinda weird, but I think you’d like it. I hope that someone is enjoying reading this because it is pretty fun to keep track of what I am doing because otherwise I might really forget. Look for another journal entry in a few days after the Berlin show and once I have begun traveling around Germany with Stefania and her solo project ?ALOS. Tschuss. Miss Massive Snowflake European Tour video 2 ..
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen’s Headache European Tour April 3, 2008 Driving to Rostock in the van
I am sitting in the back seat of the tour van. Stefania, Nicoletta, and Tiziano are in the front seats and are from Italy. The show tonite is in Rostock at a club called Stubnitz which is an old Soviet Tanker that I hear is totally Mad Max style inside. I have been playing live music for 20 years and have never performed on a boat, so I am quite excited. I will be touring with ?Alos for the next five days / shows. Tiziano performs as Bob Corn and he played with Miss Massive Snowflake and the Sadnesses last night at ZMF in Berlin and then tonite at Stubnitz. I have went from being surrounded by German speakers to Italian speakers overnight. My German is ok and my Italian is alright but it is hard to switch gears so quickly. My brain is currently stuck in German mode and the Italian is buried deep. I have not been in Italy for 2 years, but I need to start warming up because I will be there in a week. Luckily everyone speaks a bit of English in this van. The show last nite went really well. Cory and I took the S bahn to Stefan’s, the ZMF promoter’s, house and met up with Tiziano, Stefania, and Nicoletta. Stefan made us pasta which I found to be a brave move considering his house was full of Italians. It was very good. He was not able to go to the show because he and his girlfriend, Pina, were going to Istanbul at 9 for a wedding. We all thanked him profusely for the show and the food and then we walked to the club. ZMF is in a basement and is a really cool brick cellar type of room. We did a quick sound check and then went out for an espresso. Upon return I quickly started playing music from the dj table. I had told Stefan that we would dj for the evening as well as playing live so that we could make just a little more money. The people started showing up around 10 and Bob Corn took to the stage around 10:30.
Tiziano with van
I had heard of Bob Corn from Larry Yes back in Portland. They had done some touring together in Italy last year and they are similar styles. They would be a perfect double bill. Acoustic guitars and songs from the heart. Songs of love, loss, hope, and want. The crowd numbered around only 50 people but everyone was very intrigued and stayed quiet for his songs. Cory performed next as the Sadnesses. He is a performance artist as well as a musician and his outfit was a loud green shirt with 47 sponges sewn to it. He wore a cowboy hat that had hair sewn onto the brim and Susi had made 48 cupcakes that day to hand out during the song "Take a cupcake". She and Nikola wore french maid outfits and handed out cupcakes to the crowd while Cory yell / growled to "Take a cupcake" at them. His set up is comprised of some tape decks, an ipod, a Mr. Sample, and various toys. He is funny as hell and besides doing a cover of "The greatest love of all", we had worked out the song "Motherfucking Ducks must die" which is a song that we wrote over ten years ago. We performed it with puppets and then I joined him for a rap song called "Bake me a Cake". I kinda flubbed some words but overrall his performance was a laugh riot and his finale consisted of him unplugging his tape player, wrapping it in bubble wrap, putting it in an envelope, stuffing that in a box, gift wrapping the whole box and then handing it out to a member of the crowd. You could still hear the tape player slightly playing the song inside. The cool thing is that the woman who took the box was also having her birthday that day. Crazy timing, Serendipity, Coincidence? Who knows but art and life work out so cool sometimes. The Sadnesses
Susi handing out cupcakes
The Sadnesses Cupcakes
Subway of Berlin
By the time I played the room was fairly full and the time between The Sadnesses and my set was only as long as one Brother Danielson song. I have been moving songs around in my set and last night’s set was perfect. The timing of the acoustic songs into the prerecorded track songs was extremely fluid. It was the best performance of the tour so far. People laughed, screamed, clapped and even sang along during "Good Night" which is a sing a long that I have been doing. After the show I sold some merch and then talked to a guy about possibly showing my artwork at a gallery in Berlin, which would be really cool. During the song "New Dark Pope" the visuals are a slideshow of a bunch of my paintings and he had been really impressed with them. Cory took to the DJ booth and I spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking a bit to much possibly. European Tour Video Four .. I notice the battery on my laptop is nearly out so I wish you all a good day.
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen’s Headache European Tour April 4, 2008 On Board Stubnitz, Rostock, Germany
I am sitting at an oval table across from two girls and a guy who are smoking cigarettes at 10:20 a.m. We are all on board Stubnitz which I think is probably the most unique and interesting club I have ever had the experience of playing at. As I mentioned yesterday, Stubnitz is a large sea worthy vessel that is somtimes in Rostock and sometimes in Amsterdam. The Stubnitz Promoter, Anna We arrived around 5 pm last night and came on board. The CJ Boyd Sexxxtet was soundchecking and if I thought that their instrumentation was interesting, (Cello, Bass Clarinet, tiny drum kit, and bass) it was nothing compared to their performance later. We were greeted by, Anna, the local promoter and she showed us our cabins and made us feel very comfortable. We explored the ship and took lots of photos. Stubnitz is a completely contained club. The crew made us an excellent dinner of stuffed red peppers, potatoes, and a splendid cucumber salad. While we were waiting for the show to begin the crew completely transformed the room we were to play in. The stage was in the middle of the room, sort of like a catwalk, that could be viewed from all sides. The Stubnitz crew draped fabric, and wove flowers all around the stage, multiple projectors and lights were arranged and the feel of the ship went from industrial to very homey quickly. The people began to show up around 10 and Tizio began his set as Bob Corn around 10:30. He is completely magical. He has a shy demeanor but smiles and introduces each song with a quick description. I have always enjoyed the lyrics that people write when English is not their first language. Tizio is no exception. The phrases he puts together are improper but to an English speaker like me they really give new meaning to what he is saying. ?Alos took to the stage next. I have only seen Stefania perform in OVO and so I was excited to see what she would do by herself. Her costume was a sort of cosmopolitan woman of the 1920’s except she has drawn scars on her face. She enters the room to the sound of a train over the PA. Her stage set up is a sewing machine with a contact microphone attached. She uses prerecorded tracks and a some loop stations to tell her story of a woman arriving in a town and finding work at a sewing factory. She puts on a work shirt over her dress sits at the sewing machine and sews a small stuffed figurine with a heart attached to it. The sewing machine provides rhytthm and she raises and lowers the arm to make a large clunk in time with her abstract chanting and singing. I was completely engrossed with her performance. She finishes the stuffed figure and then rises from her sewing machine to cuddle the doll and sing a song of love for it. She takes off the work jacket, reattaches her shawl and leaves the stage with the doll. You can purchase her dolls as well as cds and underwear that she has sewn at her merchandise area. ?Alos is performance as well as music and that is straight up my alley. ?Alos Soundcheck
?Alos Merch Table
CJ Boyd Sexxxtet
So now the CJ Boyd Sexxxtet took the stage and after making sure that all the instruments were tuned and mic’d up. The three men and one woman completely stripped off all of their clothes. They then proceeded to play an improvised set of beautiful music. They were listening to each other so intently and playing such intense music I would close my eyes and when I opened them I would notice that they were totally naked and this was really a unique experience. I have been naked on the stage before in the midst of some sort of frantic freak out, but this was a different presentation. The nudity did not seem to be for the audience but for them as performers to be open and raw and immediate. It is an experience and band that I hope all people get to have. Find them and see them. I will not give a recount of my set because as usual, I was the jam. I entertain, I make people laugh, and I give the people confusion and drama. Stubnitz was no exception except that Stubnitz is completely exceptional. All of the bands and the Stubnitz crew hung out after the show until around 4 and then Tizio and I went to our cabin and I got into my bed which was way to small for me. I slept poorly and arose around nine. I went to the front of the boat and like in the Titanic movie I raised my arms and smiled. What a wonderful experience and club this is. I hope that everyone has the chance to come to Stubnitz and ciao!!!Drunken Drawings Stefania at Stubnitz
Stubnitz and Circus
The Stubnitz Bell Miss Massive Snowflake Queen’s Headache European Tour April 6, 2008 In a soft bed in Weikersheim, Germany
Hi, the time is around noon and I am laying in a wonderful bed in my own apartment in Weikersheim. I have already been to the table where fresh bread, cold cuts, cheese, jams, and coffees were put into my mouth. I came back to bed because neither Stefania or Nicoletta are awake yet and this bed is very wonderful. We have a short drive to Frankfurt today so we are going to walk around this beautiful little town and hang out with Felix and the crew from W71. Since last I wrote, we arrived in Leipzig and went directly to Noch Besser Leben. This was the first show of the tour where the hospitality was not excellent. There was no soundman and no one to really let us know what was going on. The club itself was an apartment on the third floor of a beautiful old building. You can tell that Leipzig is in former East Germany because lots of the buildings are gray boxes but this building was much older. Stefania and I helped each other with our sound checks and even though I had asked for a beamer (projector) in my rider, the only person who we could find named Georg didn’t know anything about it. He was kind enough to track one down though. The show started at 9:30 and Stefania was completely engrossing as usual. When it was my turn to play, the club was packed from front to back. During my last song, The New Dark Pope, I took off my shoes and shirt, which I then tried to stuff into my mouth. Stefania’s performance is pushing me to be extremely theatrical. I am doing lots of popping and locking as well as some floor moves. I have loved break dancing since I was around 12 and my name was "Lightning". Jeff Rotvold or "Jet" and I would go down to our local grocery store, Kon’s, in Billings, Montana and put out cardboard play Grandmaster Flash or Nucleus and put out a hat. I don’t think we really ever made much but I am still using those moves and I am almost 40. Graffiti in Leipzig Alley In Leipzig
Even though smoking is illegal in bars in Germany, everywhere we have been to is engulfed in a dense cloud by the end of the night. I was really tired and since we were sleeping in the same building I went to our cold room and got under two down comforters and called Marley and Meredith back in Portland. Meredith was at work but I got to talk to Marley for a bit. I wished her good luck on her first soccer game which I was going to miss and told her I loved her. I then promptly passed out. I awoke the next morning and took an excellent hot shower and then when Stefania and Nicoletta were up we left and went out for breakfast at Cafe Mule which was recommended by the bartender, Fatima, the previous night. She was right it was excellent. Cafe Mule in Leipzig
We then piled in the van and headed off to Weikersheim. We arrived around 7 and Felix was there to meet us. It was completely opposite then the show in Leipzig. He instantly gave us sandwiches, beer, and coffee and made us feel at home. W71, stands for Weikersheim 1971, which is where and when the club began. They do lots of great shows like Peter Brotzmann, Han Bennink, and now us. Weikersheim is a town of 3,500 people and is on the Rommantischer Strasse in Germany, which is a famous highway that winds through Germany’s many vineyards, past old castles and churches, and into lots of small romantic towns just brimming with old world charm. Felix and the other people who run the club have made it their mission to bring world class bands and unknown artists to their town. The woman who made us an unbelievably good dinner of asparaus soup and tortellini with spinach has been working at the club since 1972. It is an incredilbe community of people who have definitely impacted the culture of their small town. It is a model that should be replocated world wide. If you are touring Europe you should most definitely play at Stubnitz and W71 when you are in Germany. ?Alos was even better than her previous shows which is pretty amazing because she is always outstanding. Her bobbin on the sewing machine ran out of thread and like when a guitarrist has to change a string on stage, she just wound new string on the bobbin and continued her performance. The puppet that she made last night was so cute that I asked if I could have it. She usually keeps the performance puppets and sells ones that she has made at home but since we are so freaking tight she said yes. Thanks Ste. I began my set with ten minutes of babbling and jokes in German. I am able to have quite good conversations now but my German tour is nearly done and then Italy comes and my brain needs to switch gears and my tongue gets all tangled. The crowd was extremely into my set and when I had finished I sold tons of cds and shirts. The back of my tour shirt has all the cities I am playing at listed on the back and they were so excited to see Weikersheim listed with Rome, Vienna, Berlin, and Milan. I totally love this place. Once again I drank to much and I am thankful for Stefania for getting us safely to our apartments late last night because I barely remember leaving W71 and the drive here.
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen’s Headache European Tour April 8, 2008 Kaiserslautern, Germany
I am back once again at my brother’s house for the final time of this tour. I arrived here last night from Frankfurt after a series of trams and trains. I was happy to take a shower and shave after accumulating quite a bit of dirt over the past 4 days. It is the morning of the 8th of April and I am here alone because the kids are at school and the parents are at work. I realize that I have not been alone for a while and this feels good. When Saskia is out of school at 1 we will go downtown for lunch and ice cream. Felix At W71
"Old Weikersheim building
Weikersheim castle gardens
Weikersheim is charming
Let me start where I left off back in a warm bed in Weikersheim. I relaxed and around noon the W71 crew arrived and since Stefania and Nicoletta were still sleeping, we decided to go walking around this small charming town. We went to the city center and looked at the church which was began in the 11th century. We discussed how all the chain stores in the area are ruining the small businesses in the town. I told them how my home town of Billings, Montana is surrounded by all the chain stores and that all across America every city is looking more and more alike. It is sad, because local flavors are being lost to some homogenous giant that is somewhat appealing because you can save a quarter. One thing that America doesn’t have is old castles and churches and the castle in Weikersheim itself isn’t super big but it does have an immaculate and huge garden filled with flowers and statues. We walked through the gardens and talked about our lives. My love of Portland and their love for their community. Way back in the early 70’s they thought of moving to a big city but instead they decided to stay in their small town and bring the world to them. It was an inspiring tale of staying true to what you want from life and being able to expose yourself to art and music by bringing artists who show art and musicians who play music come to you. The only thing better than an young freak is an old freak and these people were truly awesome. I returned to our quarters and Stefania and Nicoletta were awake. We ate some food, drank some coffee, and hit the road to Frankfurt. Just to let Frankfurt know that Miss Massive Snowflake was coming the snow once again came down in massive snowflakes from the sky for most of the short drive. We arrived at Borsigallee Wagenplatze around 5 pm and it was fairly easy to find. We had been told to take the exit and go left, next to the shopping mall was a big 5 story parking garage, next to that a gate with a dirt road that went into the woods behind. We followed these directions and as we drove into the woods on the dirt road, we began seeing all sorts of old trucks, trailers, old circus wagons, lean to’s, and all sorts of strange homes. Borsigallee Wagenplatze has been around for 16 years and the people who are part of the community there live completely off the grid and squat the land. They range in age from a 4 day old baby who was born in a circus wagon without running water to old men who live in their trucks. Most of the people are in their twenties and thirties and everyone is extremely polite and kind. They obtain their energy from lots of solar panels strewn about everywhere and on all the vehicles or small windmills. The club itself is built of wood scraps, old signs, tarps, and whatever they could find to keep the elements out. Pete and the rest of the crew made us a wonderfully warm spicy soup and salad that was perfect because we had been walking around in the snow taking pictures of this unique place out in the woods. The kitchen was a carnival wagon and was heated by a wood stove. After warming up we went to the bar and did a sound check. Pete had to shut down the generators after sound check and get the power up and running again. The people started arriving around ten and ?Alos kicked off her set around 11. The wood stoves kept everyone warm and smiles abounded amongst these modern people who have managed to live independently from society. Something that could not exist in America where all land is owned and property is more important than people. European Tour Video Five/?Alos .. After Stefania’s and my set, Pepe the bartender, turned on the car stereo that is hooked up to a battery and the whole place began dancing. Since it was Stefania, Nicoletta’s, and my last evening together we just danced and danced to the music. I was abstaining from drinking anything because Felix at W71 had given me so much whiskey and beer, I thought that my body could use a break. I have no idea what time we returned to our guest wagon but it was really warm because Nicoletta had come to it after the show and before the dance party and started the fire in the wood stove. It was kind of like a sauna but that was ok because outside was really cold. We awoke around 11 and the snow was falling (making Miss Massive Snowflake legendary to the folks of Borsigallee Wagenplatze). They had made us a breakfast of hummus, Rhubarb soup, fried tofu, and bread and it was delicious. We all said our goodbyes, thanked everyone for the excellent hospitality, and left this magical community in the woods outside of Frankfurt, Germany. Stefania and Nicoletta dropped me off at the U bahn (tram) which I took to the S bahn and then boarded the Deutsch Bahn (train) to Mannheim, where I transferred to Kaiserslautern. I arrived just in time for dinner at my brother’s house. Sabine had made chicken enchiladas and they were delicious. After dinner we went out for some beers at the local brewery with Sabine’s twin brothers, Michael and Andreas. We all sat around drinking, eating, and discussing my many trips to Germany over the last twenty years. It was a wonderful time and I am always happy to be around my family which is extended all over the world. Take care and I will write more after my show in Graz while I am on the train to Italy to see my good friends there. Everything here is perfect except that I am totally missing my wife, Meredith, and our daughter, Marley, who is back in Portland and who on Saturday won her first soccer game of this spring season. Good job, Tsunami of the Laurelhurst Football Club. Nicoletta and Stefania
Nicoletta and Stefania at Borsigallee Wagenplatze
Wagen
Snowflake at the Wagenplatze
The Kitchen at Borsigallee
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen's Headache European Tour April 9, 2008 on train to Graz, Austria
I wasn't going to write anything today, but I have been riding on the train for around 8 hours and I have been alternately sleeping and reading 20,000 Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne and need a new diversion. I just transferred in Bischoffhofen onto my final train to Graz where I will arrive around 5:30. Postgarage is only around a kilometer from the train station so I am planning on walking there. I need a walk after mostly sitting all day. Yesterday afternoon I spent with my brother and his family. Picked up Saskia from school at 1 and then Sabine, Saskia, and I all walked down to the stadtmitte (city center). I had a bratwurst and pommes with mayo and Saskia had a currywurst. We did some shopping for groceries for dinner and then I purchased a new zip up sweatshirt. It has a really cool neckline and it was pretty cheap. I love downtown Kaiserslautern because it is a fussgangerzone which means that there is no traffic allowed and all the shops are open and the cafes have tables out and people are eating, drinking, and enjoying life on a beautiful sunny day. Not a flake of snow in sight. Unless you count Miss Massive Snowflake. Saskia purchased me a gelato and we walked back home. Shadd came home from work and we had pasta with ham and peppers in a cream sauce plus pork chops. I love pig. Shadd, Sabine, and I drank some beer I had brought from Weikersheim that Felix had given me from a one man brewing operation there. Super smooth. After dinner we went for a walk and shot some basketball in the park. My brother has lived here for 25 years and I have been coming here for around 22 or so. We always go for walks after dinner and yesterday was the perfect last day for me in Kaiserslautern. It was like a hundred other days that I have had there and that is comfortable. I am sure I will be back and we will once again do the same thing. Goodbye German family and band members. Woke up this morning at 5, packed my bags, called Meredith and Marley to wish them a good sleep back in Portland (where it was 9 at night), and then my brother drove me to the train station. I have really enjoyed the sights of riding through Austria by train. The Alps are huge and the train goes right through them. We went right by a ski resort and I could watch the people coming down the slopes. When I had a lay over in Salzburg, the weather was really warm but you could see snow on all the surrounding hills. I thought about watching the Sound of Music over and over with my mother when I was a kid and how much I still love that movie and how much I still love Julie Andrews. Austria is quaint, gorgeous, inspiring, and most definitely alpine. The houses are so cool with the orange roofs and dark wood with carved designs on them. The train goes through farm land, small town, ski resort, tunnel, farm land, small town, tunnel, etc. A quick note about the European Tour Video number 6 is that after my show at Borsigallee Wagenplatze in Frankfurt one of the men who live there gave me a cdr with video clips of my show that he had recorded with his phone. I just popped it in my computer here on the train and it looks and sounds really good. You can only see my silhouette against the projections but I put some funny moments together so that you can see them. Hope you like it. I will write more soon I am sure. Thanks to all the people who have been reading this and e-mailing me saying that they like it. I will keep it coming for 12 more days and 6 more shows. After tonight in Graz I will be heading down to Italy for a reunion with some more old friends. Alan Perini who has organized two painting shows for me in Vedana Olona and Milano a couple of years ago has also set up a new painting show to coincide with this music tour in Varese. Thanks for everything.
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen's Headache European Tour April 10, 2008 Graz, Austria
Greetings. I am sitting in a large room with the windows open and it is a beautiful day outside. It is around 9 a.m. and Spring is here in Austria, unless it starts snowing again. The blossoms are on the cherry trees out my window and people are outside talking. I will spend the day here in Graz and catch an overnight train to Milan where I will meet up with my Italian brother, Alan. I arrived at the Graz HBF (train station) and looked at a map of the area. I found the route to walk to Postgarage and had no problem finding my way. I have my computer bag over my shoulder and I carry my acoustic guitar in one hand and roll my suitcase with the other. I had not eaten much so I stopped at a Kebab stand and despite multiple warnings from multiple people I ate a Döner Kebab. On the course of this trip Cory, Susi, Sabine, Shadd, and Kai have all warned me about eating at random Kebab shops because there are so many cases of food poisoning from the meat. I stared that rotating meat stick in the eye and took my chances. It was yummy and only 1 Euro 50. Once inside Postgarage I did a soundcheck and then just sort of sat around talking with Maru, the promoter. The local radio station came and did an interview with me and it was really cool because he had listened to the cd and had some really intriguing questions. I was expecting it to be rather bland, but he was already a big MMS fan and was even a bit nervous to talk to me. We spoke of skateboarding, Rollerball, Prince, Danielson Famile, love, politics, and I rambled on probably a bit to long but he was really into it. The walls of Postgarage are all old copper circuit boards that are backlit and it gives the room a warm and wonderful ambiance. My Austrian booking agent, Wolfgang, showed up and we talked about the tour so far and drank beer until I began my show. I was the only act that night and so I talked for about 10 minutes before beginning my show. The audience was really quiet and respectful and I could tell they didn't know what to do. Sometimes I am just sitting singing soft acoustic songs and the next minute I am standing on my head on the edge of the stage or walking through the audience trying to make them dance with me. As I have mentioned before, Austria loves there cigarettes and last night was no exception. It was thick enough to choke to quote one of my songs, but after the show I stuck around and talked with Wolfgang, Maru, and Max, who was to be my host and whose house I am currently sitting in. Max and I left the dub around 1:30 and walked with my stuff to his house and I was starving so we were lucky enough to pass a Wurstl stand and were the last people to be served. I had a delicious currywurst with lettuce and tomato on a fresh bun. Max, who claimed to be a vegetarian, had one also. We arrived at his house and he showed me my bedroom. He said that the furniture and bed that I was to be sleeping in was purchase from Hitler's aunt and that she had said that he had slept in the bed that I had slept in. That is pretty freaking weird if it is true. I slept great and had dreams about being the cook at Hoda's on Belmont in Portland. I awoke and made coffee and sat around with one of Max's roommates who is still drinking beer from the night before. He is very nice but a bit out of it. He has drawn me a map of Graz on how to get to the city center, where there is a market and museum, and has recommended that I take the lift up the mountain that is in the center of town. So now I am off to explore Graz, Austria with my hand drawn map. Tschuss.
Possibly Hitler's bed?
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen's Headache European Tour April 12, 2008 Malnate, Italy
I have just arose from bed and coffee is being made in the Bialetti Moka pot. It is wonderful to be back in Italy. I love this country, it's people, it's food, it's wine, and it's landscape. This is my fifth time to tour in Italy and each time is a unforgettable experience. I am staying at my good friends, Alan and Eleanora's new house. I was last here two years ago and they were living separately, Alan in Marchirolo and Eleanora here in Malnate. Now they have purchase their own place together in Malnate and are working on restoring it. I left you, the reader, back in Graz and now I will let you know what has transpired since then. I drank a whole large Moka pot of coffee, which I know is too much for me, but it tasted so good. I would feel it for hours. Then I left my host, who was drinking and smoking, and went out into the beautiful town of Graz with my hand drawn map. I followed it to the city center where there was a small but beautiful farmer's market happening. Lot's of flowers, plants, and vegetables were on display. I sat down on the edge of the market at a small cafe and ordered a large breakfast of pork medallions with sautéed vegetables and potato croquetten, which is a small tater tot like food but made with mashed potatoes. They are delicious and super soft inside but fried and crunchy on the outside. MMMM.... After sitting for around an hour eating and watching people, I strolled through the skinny winding streets of Graz. I came across what was obviously the modern art museum, a large black bubble building with vents on the top. It looks like some sort of alien spaceship that has landed in a classic European town's center. The Kunsthaus Graz was designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier and is quite an architectural wonder. I went inside, paid my seven Euros, and entered this wonderfully weird sculpture that doubles as a building. As I mentioned earlier, I had drank a bit to much coffee that morning and I was starting to feel it. I was sweaty and feeling a bit like I was on drugs, but when I entered the first space I became completely disoriented. The walls of the Kunsthaus were all covered in mirrors and the artwork was all extremely contemporary with flashing lights, video projections, strange animations, and weird videos. There was some sort of school field trip going on and as I walked around in a delirium of coffee preteens ran around laughing and flirting. It was completely surreal experience and looking back it was a perfect way to take in all that visual input. My favorite piece was by Los Carpinteros and was a real wall that was made of cinderblocks exploding from the center. The small pieces and shards that flew out for around 20 feet were suspended in the air by mono filament line and it was like a moment of time stopped in the middle of a bomb blast. I tried to slowly weave my way through the pieces but the security came and stopped me. Panorama of Graz
I left the Kunsthaus Graz in a daze and was happy to find out that my entrance fee covered all the museums in Graz. I crossed the Mur river and went to the Neue Galerie Graz. The first floor was filled with photos of all types from the early days to the most contemporary. I was happy to see some strange early Man Ray but once again when I look at contemporary art, which is so often full of isolation and despair, I was renewed with my pledge to myself to show the world beauty and happiness in my own art and music. These modern artists who make tons of money off of negative and disturbing images are well off and they show there art to people who can afford museum prices and don't have to get down and work with the poor or disabled. They can just live in their own alienation like a warm jacket and the curators say "look at how he dissects this modern world!" Here I am not talking about journalists or war photographers who actually document the horrible things that mankind does to each other, but to artists who wrapped up in self importance try to out do each other with the degradation and humiliation of humanity. Well even if it is cheesy, I am going to continue to do social work and work for social change in my art and with my day job, a non profit that helps the homeless, the working poor, children, their families, and kids with autism and disabilities. So if you wanna work with smeared shit, Mister Artist, come and clean up some kid at my work who has autism and can't control himself. I spent the rest of the day on top of a hill that is in the middle of Graz and is topped with a castle. I slept on the grass in the sun on top of dandelions and small white flowers and was happy to be alone in a foreign country as an ambassador of peace for the United States, which may be a contradiction in itself, but nevertheless here I was and I was content. Train Station at Bruck
I caught the 8:21 p.m. train to Bruck and transferred to a night train that took me to Milano Centrale overnight. I slept in a sleeper car with a Slovakian man with deep gouges on his hands who snored loudly and a young Colombian man who had extremely smelly feet. Alan met me at the station around 9 a.m. and we spent the rest of the day talking, napping, and reading. At 7 in the evening I went with Alan and Eleanora to their Capoiera Angola class. I had never done this dance/workout/fight before but had been exposed to it when Marley had taken a class of it at Buckman in the 4th grade. The teacher was from Brazil and was happy that I had come and joined right in. We began by playing music together and chanting and then he switched on the same music on a cd and he showed us moves. He spoke no English and through my poor Italian and just by moving my body, he showed me some of the moves. After two hours I was doing small handstands and doing this dance that originated in Angola. It was quite the workout and I was really sweaty. When I arrive back in Portland I am going to see if Meredith and Marley would be interested in doing Capoiera together with me.
An American in Italy learning Capoiera from a Brazilian Man.
Exhausted Alan, Eleanora, and I came home and ate a splendid dinner. They broke out some expensive and dense Balsamic vinegar from Bologna that we ate on Grana and we drank wine until I could not keep my eyes open anymore. I went to sleep and now, here we are.
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen's Headache European Tour April 16, 2008 On train from Milano to Roma
Today is a bright and sunny day. One of the few that I have witnessed on this spring tour. I have seen lots of rain and lots of snow. The train is just pulling out of Milan and I am excited for the 4 and a half hour train trip south to Rome. I have been busy and have not had a chance to update this journal in a while, so now I will give a recap of the prior days events. Saturday the 13th was spent relaxing, chatting, and eating with Alan, Eleanora, and Eleanora's family. We went to her mother and father's house for lunch and spent the time trying to converse in broken English and broke Italian. This was our second meeting. We first met when Miss Massive Snowflake did a small tour of Italy in 2006. Marianne, from Rollerball, and I were over here because we had two art shows of our paintings in Milano and Varese that were organized by Alan. There was a ton of snow then also. I guess that the name Miss Massive Snowflake is even more fitting here in Europe. That evening some friends came over for an excellent meal. Eleanora made a roast and potatoes and Alan's aunt made a lasagna all from scratch, even the noodles were fresh. My old friend Paco and Serina were there as well as some new friends that I had made the previous evening at the Capoiera class, as well as a wonderful man/musician who goes by the handle, Mr. Henry. We all sat around the table and had course after course of food, drank bottle after bottle of wine, and talked about music, art, and of course, politics. Sunday was the day to vote and the discussion got heated and was often punctuated with the wonderful curses of Catzo (sp?) and Minkia. Berlusconi is once again running for president here in Italy. He is a very, very rich man and besides being a politician he also owns the TV stations, Milan's soccer team, and has the other politicians in his hands because he pays for the apartments, clothes, and lifestyles of these men's secret girlfriends in Milan. He is a close friend of President Bush and his policies are on the far right. The evening reminded me so much of when Bush was running for his second term and all the young people who are on the left were angry/scared but were hopeful that he would be defeated. We all thought that the people were not dumb enough to stand behind this stupid man who started wars and lied to the public. Well, he won and though all the people at the table that Saturday night voted the next day, Berlusconi won the vote on Sunday. While the people of Italy voted, I boarded the train to Bologna for a show on Sunday. I arrived around 3 and walked to the Lokomotiv Club. No one was there when I showed up so I spent around two hours sitting in the park adjacent to the club watching soccer games between young men. I strummed guitar, drew some pictures, and relaxed in the sun for the first time in a while. Paolo showed up and opened up the club around 5. It is very large and very nice. The video screen on which I showed my projections was around 20 feet tall. We went next door to a Bar to get an espresso and I was completely surprised to find Bruno there. Bruno booked around half of the shows I did on this tour and I last saw him in Berlin two weeks ago. We had said our goodbyes because he was going on tour with Jason Molina and then recording a new Bacchi di Pietra cd in Firenze. He had decided to come and check out my show on the way back to Berlin. We discussed our respective tours and talked about some big personal changes in his life. We went back to Lokomotiv and did the sound check, ate pasta, drank beer, and enjoyed the rest of the night. The stage at Lokomotiv is huge and so I had the opportunity to do some serious dance moves, which I fully took advantage of. I was doing all sorts of breaking, popping, locking, and even some floor moves. I tried a back flip but didn't land it. My body is acquiring quite a collection of bruises, scabs, and pains. I am excited to get back home and get a massage from Torria Lee, my personal masseuse. I was approached after the show by a guy who runs a label in Italy and we began the discussion of possibly doing a cd together. This would be great. Bruno and I spent the night in the back room of the club on some soft futons and woke up early for a train to Milan. When we arrived we had some focaccia and an espresso and said our goodbyes. He was off to do some errands before he had to catch a plane to Berlin that night to see ?Alos perform at the Volksbuno with Baby Dee. I took the long succession of trains out to Malnate and spent the rest of Monday afternoon sleeping/snoring on Alan's couch. Monday evening came and Alan and I went to Mr. Henry's to record some music. The two of them have a band called Luche Libre and I was invited to do some recording with them. We began with some acapella improvisations and finished with an absurd fairy tale that I made up about a small bear (orzetti) and a gay viking. Part of the story was in my horrible Italian and part in English. We laughed and laughed and had much fun. We are going to do some more recording on this upcoming Saturday before my last show for this tour in Milan. When Alan and I arrived back at his house around midnight, Eleanora was watching the election results and they were sad. Berlusconi and his far right party who are against immigration, are racist, and want to split Italy in two between north and south had won. Not a single left wing candidate was left in parliament. I feel the pain that the young people in Italy and the left wing are feeling right now. I was so pissed and depressed when Bush won his second time. The right wing always has that soft air of fascism and hate, but they somehow know how to make the common people vote against their own best interests. They use patriotism, fear, religion, and the phrase "family values" to breed hate and make the divide between the rich and poor an ever increasing gulf that may never be filled by a downwardly mobile middle class. Alan, my italian manager, is the best
my shoes in Milano
Tuesday, I awoke and slowly got ready to head to Milan from Malnate, which translated means "badly born woman". I met up with Gigi the promoter for the show that night at Biko. We went to his flat and he showed me some films he has made. He is and excellent cinematographer and I was really impressed with his work. He set up a small area in his kitchen and I performed a couple of songs on guitar for his camera. We also did an interview. He is a promoter and has web site where he posts a series of musicians performing solo in his kitchen along with the interview. Around 6 we went to Biko club for the sound check. The main topic on everyone's tongue right now is the elections. People are pissed off and sad for their country. It has been different to tour as a solo musician as opposed to touring in Rollerball. One of the funnest parts of touring is being in new situations and areas all the time and sharing these experiences with your good friends. I have spent quite a bit of time alone with people who barely speak my language and since I don' t have the option to be in an insular environment with good friends, I find that I am forced to speak to others and that has made this tour really special. I have had way more conversations with new people then I usually do, and with what is happening politically in Italy right now, most of those conversations have been centered around governments, politics, social change, and unrest. People here are not happy with what just happened and they want to talk to me about what I think. This is wonderful because I usually start each concert with the phrase, "I am an ambassador of peace from the United States of America". Many of my songs from Queen's Headache have political and social based lyrics in them. This is what I want to do with my music and life. Through talk and action we can make change and I am doing what I can with my art to spur debate and thought. These are troubled times and we need artists and people to address what is happening in the world head on. My set is timed with the projections that I use and besides the first couple of shows which were around 50 minutes long, my show has been clocking in around 42 minutes long. I don't do encores but last night the mood of the room was so involved with my set that as soon as I was done with my last song, I went directly in to two more numbers. The crowd was ecstatic and I really feel that I affected each and every person in the room. The laughs and applause was huge. I sold quite a few cds and my T-shirt supply is nearly depleted. This is a good thing. I want to take as little back to the US as possible. The end of the night was spent speaking with people about, you guessed it, the political situation of the world and Italy. They are realizing that they have five more years of struggle against the right wing. I wish all my Italian friends and acquaintances good luck and may your country not crumble like my own is doing currently. Salute and Chin Chin.
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen's Headache European Tour April 16, 2008 On train from Roma to Milano
Ciao and good day. I am returning to Malnate today after two glorious days in Rome. I have not had access to the internet for a few days so I have not been able to post my latest writings. The tour is drawing to a close and today, I am dirty, unshaven, and ready for a shower, which I will take as soon as I arrive at Alan's house in Malnate again. I have just finished reading "You don't love me yet", by Jonathon Letham and it was full of plot and longing like most modern books. I enjoyed it and read it quickly. I arrived in Roma and was greeted at the train station by FR of Vonneumann, which is a band that Rollerball has performed with here in Roma in the past. Amanda and had done some quick recordings in 2001 together and my trumpet can be heard on one of their older releases. We have loosely stayed in touch over the years and it was a pleasure to see him again. We drove wildly through the streets of Rome as only a true Roman driver can. There is no order to the teaming mass of cars, trucks, scooters, motorcycles, and pedestrians. Any opening becomes a lane and the drive is continually punctuated by curses from fellow drivers. I love it and the next time I am in Italy I realy want to try driving in Rome and the southern section of the country. Driving only gets wilder the farther south you go, in Naples, Catania, Palermo, and the curses become longer and more complex and filled with imaginative situations. After relaxing at FR's house for a couple of hours we headed to Vonneumann's studio. I reaquainted myself with the other members of the band, loaded up their gear, and FR and I left for the club, but first we stopped at a wonderful shop and purchased a pizza bianco which is more like a sandwich than a pizza. The bread is a flat bread that is possibly only about a half hour old, a half an inch thick, dusted with sea salt and is split and stuffed with mortadella and mozzarellla. Food in Rome is hard to describe to Americans because we are so used to prepackaged and premade food. The culture of food here is fresh, fresh, fresh, and artisan. The mozzarella is so soft and water runs down your arm with each bite, the mortadella is sliced so thin it is impossible to believe. I watched the butcher slice paper thin slices and then lay them out on my bread. This is wrapped in paper and served to you while around 50 other people swarm about you purchasing pastries, oils, vinegars, marinated olives and artichoke hearts. Each one waving a little ticket in the air with their number on it. We reentered the streets in FR's tiny Ford and while scooters hovered around us like flies beeping their horns FR told me that he would need to leave for Spain around 6 the next morning and that his mother would be giving me a tour of Rome the next day. He was going on Holiday with his girlfriend to Spain and the only ticket he could find was unfortunately while I was there. We arrived at Traffic Club and unloaded the car. I did a soundcheck and then Vonneumann did theirs. They sounded quite a bit different than the last time I saw them. More of a solid rock band than the experimental glitch I had witnessed previously. FR plays trumpet now and he credits me with being his inspiration for starting. He began after seeing Rollerball play in Rome 7 years ago. I find this sort of strange because for the most part I have quit playing trumpet. I laid it down on December 12th, 2006, when I quit Rollerball at the Dunes in Portland, OR at a Noisy Pig concert. For around four years I had been wrestling with the idea to stop playing the trumpet because I was becoming more interested in songs then sounds in music. Rollerball had become a much more technical beast then what it was when I originally joined in 1996. I was having a hard time keeping up and my passion was no longer in the trumpet which I had played for around 15 years at that point. I had improved drastically from the beginning but I had reached a plateau and the instrument that most interested me now was one I had always been criticall of, the guitar, that bastion of musicians who overplay and fill every moment with some sort of silly lick. FR of Vonneumann
Giovanna, my lovely Roman guide
Melted Scooter
Palatino
Vonneumann at Traffic in Rome
My voice is the most important part of my set now. I do a combination of Karaoke style music and acoustic guitar based songs. I chose the acoustic guitar because it is transportable easily and does not need anything but a microphone, much to the chagrin of most soundman. Tonites soundman was Teo and he went through three mics searching for the right sound and one that didn't feedback. I sing very loudly and pronounce my lyrics clearly, even in the midst of writhing on the floor or swinging from the rafters. Lyrics, vocals, message, and showmanship is what is most important to Miss Massive Snowflake currently. For many shows on this tour I have eschewed a microphone on my vocals in favor of loud singing from the diaphram and walking around in the crowd. Lorenzo the bartender brought Vonneumann and I each a pizza margherita and a beer which we all devoured and then ventured into the streets for an espresso, the wonderful ritual that follows nearly all meals in Italy. When we returned, I watched some high action foosball and then the bands began. Vonneumann pulled me from the back of the club to the front and I watched them with complete attention as they performed. Tony, reminding me of Bill Horist at times, and as the trumpet and clarinet intertwined I became nostalgic of my old instrument and when I return home I will pick it up and maybe have some fun with it again. Thanks Vonneumann for a great concert and for organizing a show for me in Rome. It was completely wonderful. My set is on fire, and since I have been performing the same set for nearly three weeks day in and day out, I have complete command of my songs and my audience. I can make them laugh and astonish them when I want. I am an actor, jester, musician, ambassador of peace, and I make myself completely approachable after the show. I walk around talking and selling cds, asking questions and thanking people for attending. I have made many fans and nearly nightly the soundman, bartender, organizer, and promoter all buy a cd, if I don't give them one instead. I find this truly encouraging because they see lots of music and usually are the rather jaded ones. We returned to FR's house and as I went to bed he packed his bags for his early flight to Spain. I was asleep when he left and when I awoke at 9 a.m. the next morning I was completely refreshed and ready for my day with FR's mother, Giovanna. She lives right next door to FR and I went over around 10. This was an interesting day because Giovanna speaks no English and my Italian is scattered and the verbs are full of the wrong tenses and endings. We had coffee and then ventured out into the lively streets of Rome. First I had her stop at the same place I had eaten with her son the night before and had the same pizza bianco. I needed to purchase some gifts for Meredith, Marley, and a few other friends and I figure you can never go wrong with food. Pates, vinegars, sweets, chocolate, and oils are coming your way friends that are reading this. Giovanna drove first to a hill that overlooks Rome. I believe it was called Giancolo and is named for the two faced god, Janus. A soldier fires a shot every day at noon and she pointed out some of the taller structures and ruins of Rome. Giovanna is very knowledgable of her city and I wish that my Italian was better so that I could have understood every word. She showed me where Nero lived, Aphrodite's temple, buildings built by Mussolini, where St. Peter was jailed, a hospital in the middle of the river where people were quarantined during the plague, and all of these came with a historical lesson that I sometimes understood and other times just smiled and said "non capisco". After a few hours of "talking" we both needed to give our brains a rest and she decided to sit at a cafe and read while I explored the colliseum, Rome Forum, the Palateno, and other sites that are overrun with tourists for a good reason. Some of these buildings are 2000 years old and are still standing and people are able to go in them and they are in no danger of falling down, while in America sports stadiums are built that barely last twenty years. Oh, how our culture has diminished in quality and technique. We are happy to have a phone that lasts three years or a house that is only seventy years old. We don't require longevity and so we are given crap. Everything is Pop. The Colliseum in Rome
Forum is bello
The Forum is incredible
We returned to Giovanna's and I went to FR's apartment and relaxed. I wrote some postcards, took a nap, and called Meredith and Marley. Marley had overslept and was at home because she had missed her ride to school. Meredith was at work and I talked with both of them and told them that I was excited to come home and see them. It is hard to tour without them, but in four days we will be back together. I have a fat wallet because touring solo means you get all the money and this tour was well planned out and well executed. A total success. I can't wait to come back next year and do it all again with even more shows and possibly some more band or family members. At 8 I went to Giovanna's and she made me a most wonderful and typically Roman pasta with Parmesan and meat from the jaw of a pig. This was followed by a fried chicken dish, than salad, and finished off with biscotti dipped in a Sicilian wine. Meals in Italy are important and are not hasty. We enjoyed each other's company and I was impressed with how much my Italian had improved in one day due to forcing me to speak it solely. We said goodnite and I went back to FR's apartment for a long night's sleep. I eschewed going out with Tony and the other members of Vonneumann for bed at the early hour of 11 pm. I arose this morning had a typical Roman breakfast of espresso and a cornetto (pastry). She called a Taxi for me and I had a one last crazy ride through Rome, which I believe is my favorite city in the world, with a talkative cab driver. I boarded the train, finished my book, wrote this journal, and now in five minutes we arrive in Milan. What a perfect way to end this writing. You can expect at least one more entry in this tour diary and then this incredible experience will be over and I will be home at last. Ciao.....
Gothic Catholic
Miss Massive Snowflake Queen's Headache European Tour April 19, 2008 Malnate, Italy
I am sitting at Alan and Eleanora's kitchen table with my laptop in front of me and a white rose that was a present from Eleanora the other night peaking over the top. My last show of this European tour was last night in Milan and today will be spent relaxing here at the house and then going over to Paco's house on the lake to see his boat that he is building and to eat some magnificent food I am sure. I will tell you all about that in my final journal entry which I will write tomorrow on the plane back to Portland where I will be reunited with my wife, Meredith, and my daughter, Marley, whom I miss very much. I returned to Malnate on Friday from Rome. I took the succession of the train, to the Milano Metro Underground, to the smaller train which services the smaller outer towns around Milano. I arrived in Malnate once again around 5 and was a little worried that I was late because on top of having a concert in Varese that night, I was also having an art show opening of my paintings. I walked from the station to Alan's house and he was just getting ready to drive the 20 minutes to Varese to begin hanging the paintings at Sancho Panza. He was happy to see me and glad that I had finally arrived. I really needed a shower so he took the artwork and called Mr. Henry who would pick me up in an hour and then we would both head together to the club to meet Alan. I took a long shower and rinsed off three days of Italian funk and felt much better. Mr. Henry arrived at 6 and we headed out to Varese. When we arrived Alan and Davide, the local curator and promoter, were busy hanging paintings of Mae Starr's (Rollerball) and mine in the gallery part of the venue. The show will be up for two weeks and is a wonderful collection of remaining work that is a couple of years old which was first shown at galleries in Milan and Vedano Olona when Mae and I did a small Miss Massive Snowflake tour and art shows in 2006.
Mae Starr's head on a chair
While Davide and Alan were busy with the paintings, I did my sound check and got the projector set up with the help of Mr. Henry, who was opening the show that evening. Mr. Henry uses an acoustic guitar and sits in the middle of the room next to a table with his cds set out on them. He uses no microphones and is a complete joy to listen to. When the paintings were hung and the sound check was done, Alan, Davide, Mr. Henry, me, and the rest of the Sancho Panza crew went upstairs to the wonderful restaurant and dined on an excellent pasta followed by a molten chocolate cake that was so rich I could barely finish it, and I can and do eat everything all the time. I love food and eat everything that is served to me wherever I am. The last time I was in Varese at Sancho Panza I was served Lardo which is straight fat from a pig that is spread on bread. Wonderful with a bit of salt and it would make Anthony Bourdain salivate I am sure. The concert began and Mr. Henry let the room have it. Everyone circled him and he played his songs with total heart and conviction. There was a small dog in the audience named Janice and after every song when the room exploded with applause, Janice, would begin barking, making everyone laugh and clap louder for her and Mr. Henry. A wonderful circle inside the physical circle surrounding Mr. Henry. The room was full by the time Mr. Henry finished and I took to the stage. Maru, the capoiera instructor who I met last week, was there and I was excited for him to see my excellent dance moves. Not as disciplined as in his style of dance but I can move better than most men who are nearly two meters tall. Just like with Mr. Henry, Janice the dog, barked after each of my songs. This encouraged me to bring her into my set and I began crawling around on the floor barking and making Janice go wild. This of course made the audience ecstatic and by the middle of the show, the audience had joined into the action and were clapping and stomping along with each of my songs. I am a huge fan of audience participation and Varese was the most involved of this entire tour. Feeling inspired by Mr. Henry I did parts of the show from the middle of the room and not on the stage. People were freaking out and when Good Night (the sing a long song) came around, there were at least 50 people trying to sing the lyrics and howling, stomping, clapping, and laughing. A lot of musicians try to break down the barrier between stage and audience but I completely succeeded in making the entire audience part of Miss Massive Snowflake that evening. Thank you Varese, Thank you Alan and Davide, thank you Janice, and thank you Mr. Henry. MR. Henry
Alan, Eleanora, and I got home late that night and we were all a bit buzzed from the energy of the crowd and beers so we decided to do some telephone calling at 3 am, which is 6 back in Portland. We started off calling Meredith and Marley but they weren't home, so we switched over to Rollerball members but neither Mae, Monte, or Gilles answered there phone. We finally got a hold of Amanda who had just gotten off work and who claimed to be reading my tour diary on Myspace when we called. We talked and joked and made plans to see each other next weekend in Portland after I return to the US and she returns from a short trip to Palm Springs to see her mother. I woke up first on Saturday which is my modus operandi because I barely ever sleep longer than 6 hours much to the chagrin of my body, but as soon as I wake up my mind begins thinking and returning to sleep is not an option. After Eleanora and Alan arose we sat around drinking coffee and chatting. A very relaxing morning was spent together and the sun outside was beaming down and Spring seems to finally be here. For lunch we ate pizza outside in the garden and talked in depth about what I am trying to achieve with Miss Massive Snowflake. The conscious act of trying to make positive art that affects people and brings them joy and laughter and hopefully makes them act on these feelings to help others less fortunate then us, to quote my song "Swing of Hair". Around three Alan and I met Mr. Henry at the Malnate train station and headed once again to Milan for my show at Sound Metak which is shop run by Xabier Iriondo who everyone in Italy I have met knows about. He was in one of the largest Italian indie bands and then quit at the height of their fame to pursue experimental music and to open Sound Metak which is a boutique like store specializing in exotic instruments and strange music. It is a very beautiful store that has a gallery like feel but is completely warm and inviting. His mother and father were both there and they help him run it and since I am a huge fan of family this made Xabier even more endearing then he already was. We talked and exchanged t shirts and cds and he told me of seeing Rollerball every time I had played with them here in Milan. He also said that he respected my decision to quit a band that was really good and respected to pursue my own passion, regardless of what others thought, because he had done the same. The show began around 7 and the first band was an improvisational band consisting of 6 members, two from France and 4 from Italy. Xabier was part of the group and he played a table top 10 string guitar that he had designed and he did some really interesting things with it. Clothespins, marbles, steel wool, and other gadgets were employed to coax sound from the guitar. When they were done I was ready to play my last show of my tour here in Italy. Since the space was not very large I decided to use Mr. Henry's technique and play acoustic with no mic, not even for the prerecorded songs that come over the PA. I find it truly amazing how loud and strong I can sing sometimes. I think that most of the bands that probably play here are more improvisational and experimental. Most of the crowd was clothed in black and everyone was extremely quiet and respectful. I broke the silence with some bad jokes and did my set. I played guitar better than usual and was happy that these fans of strange music stayed around for my set of singer/songwriter material and positive hip hop. Xabier, his mother, Mr. Henry, and Alan were right up front and they gave me great energy to do my over animated and theatrical set with their big smiles and warm hearts. Lots of people look confused but by my final song which was made by Italy's own Jacopo Andreini and is partly a rap in Italian I could tell I had made some lifelong friends and fans. Everyone wants to feel warm and fuzzy. Even the most jaded hipster with crossed arms can't help chuckling to what I am doing when it is happening. Spring in Malnate
Alan and Mr. Henry on the train
After the set Xabier lavished me with praise and gave me 4 10" vinyl records that are part of a series he is releasing with international artists along with Wallace Records. He also asked me to be on a forthcoming release. I am so excited to be part of this split 10" series because some of the past artists are really excellent. Mats Gustaffson, OVO, ZU, and others have all been on this series and I am happy to join there ranks and to be on vinyl again which I haven't been on since the late 90's. Mr. Henry, Alan, and I had to run to the train station after the show because the last train to Malnate left around 9:30. We had some small hold ups and we missed the train, so we took the train as far as Sorrano and then Eleanora and her aunt came and picked us up. Thanks alot for not leaving us stranded. When we finally got home around 11 I had a small snack and went straight to bed. Of course I awoke early and I set about writing this journal. I plan on writing a small entry tomorrow about my day at the lake today but the music part of this tour is over and I have had lots of memorable experiences, made many new friends, reconnected with old ones, and even more opportunities have presented themselves. In Berlin I was asked to do some artwork for a documentary on a woman who is an ex-junkie and also a small gallery expressed interest in showing some of my visual artwork, a label in Bologna might release my next cd, and Sound Metak wants to do the split 10". This tour has been wonderful and I don't think a single bad thing happened except for Meredith and Marley not being able to do the whole tour with me and for us to have to be separated for three weeks. Thanks to everyone for everything, thanks to Casey Jarman at the Willamette Week for suggesting this diary and for also posting the entries at the WW website, and thanks to everyone who took their precious time to read it.
Gender Bender
Cory and Kai Golden Bears
Into Berlin
Beer Goggles
Bruno
puppets
Bruno with friend
Miss Massive Snowflake in Berlin
Tiziano with van
The Sadnesses
Susi handing out cupcakes
The Sadnesses Cupcakes
Subway of Berlin
The Stubnitz Promoter, Anna
?Alos Soundcheck 
?Alos Merch Table
CJ Boyd Sexxxtet
Drunken Drawings
Stefania at Stubnitz
Stubnitz and Circus
The Stubnitz Bell
Graffiti in Leipzig
Alley In Leipzig
Cafe Mule in Leipzig
Felix At W71
"Old Weikersheim building
Weikersheim castle gardens
Weikersheim is charming
Nicoletta and Stefania
Nicoletta and Stefania at Borsigallee Wagenplatze
Wagen
Snowflake at the Wagenplatze
The Kitchen at Borsigallee 
Possibly Hitler's bed?
Panorama of Graz 
Train Station at Bruck
An American in Italy learning Capoiera from a Brazilian Man. 
Alan, my italian manager, is the best
my shoes in Milano
FR of Vonneumann
Giovanna, my lovely Roman guide
Melted Scooter
Palatino
Vonneumann at Traffic in Rome
The Colliseum in Rome
Forum is bello
The Forum is incredible
Gothic Catholic 
Mae Starr's head on a chair
MR. Henry
Spring in Malnate 
Alan and Mr. Henry on the train
My Malnate Home
Roman Pizza