We are !wichtig!

This weekend was Glastonbury festival. I didn't go. For the first time in years, I did not lug instruments around and across that sprawling mud. Nope. This year, instead, I went continental, I went to play Berlin’s sun-and-fun-filled

Fusion Festival.

Fusion is held on what was once a soviet air training base, in the former DDR (Soviet bit of Germany. The Eastern bit). The stages were old aircraft hangars and we were issued foot and drink stamps. (A lot of them. Maybe, even, too many. On our last morning, I had to have a fajita and a banana smoothie and a fresh-squeezed orange juice and a waffle and a chai latte for breakfast to try to use them up. I still didn’t. I feel this is, perhaps, not an exact parallel to the situation in the actual Soviet state.)


Our accomodation was one giant tent with ten canvas stretchers all in a row. Very much like a world-war-one hospital tent. Quite possibly an actual was a world-war-one hospital tent.

Along with the loads of food and kitsch/nostalgia hospitality, highlights of Fusion include:

-The fact that the festival was totally sold out (55,000 tickets, I think), despite the fact that none of the acts are announced until after all tickets are sold. Meaning these audiences aren't out to just-see-the-big-names, they come, and cheer and dance and make you feel really great, and see everything. A music festival, not a celebrity-spotting-event.

-There's a free bus that leaves every 30 minutes to take you to a lake for swimming.

And, finally:

-Getting a big sticker that says "!WICHTIG!" to put on our van. We're keeping that.

co-op coup

So. It's the world cup. Right now. And, as a proud Canadian, I don't really care much. I mean, it's not the OLYMPICS or anything. But, whoa, this country, this UKland, certainly does care. And uses that care to sell things, like yogurt and small sausages.

Consider, if you will, this gallery of products I found lurking at my local Co-op:


Pizza. An appropriate football-watching snack-food. Also, it's round. Like a ball. In 2-D.


Cheese-in-wax. Festive! Also, somewhat round.



I'm not sure what a 'Frube' is, but I think it involves yogurt. Which could help if you were, say, playing football but also felt bloated.


Coke, of course.


And, of course, Pepsi.


And where would professional sporting be solid blocks of calorie?


And, finally, soccer-ball-shaped-buns. Because you are what you eat. Or, rather, you are good at playing games that involve things that look like what you eat. Go England!

weektime.

Ever wondered what a Week-In-The-Life-of-a-Freelance-Violist is like? Come on, we all have. Well, no need to wonder any longer! Here, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else, is a breakdown of one of the most this-is-almost-a-real-job-like weeks I've had yet.



Sunday (30/5/10):
The Cedar (my band. You know that) are in Germany! Again! This is our third day of a little three day tour. We play two gigs. One of them is in the German Garden of Eden (see photo, above). Ben H. and Neil think this is awesome.





And the other is at some kind of German festival. This was my other favorite band there:




Monday (31/5/10):
The band drives home. We pass through Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, some water, and England. I edit some writing in the van and we make Band Plans For The Future. We make Ben G. wear this so we don't forget who he is:






Tuesday (1/6/10):
Morning: Sleep and run off the tour.
Afternoon: Teach some violin and viola and general love and appreciation for music.
Evening: Meet uni students for one-on-one chats about their final portfolios. They give me funny awesome presents.



Wednesday (2/6/10):
Morning: gig testing microphones at Peter Gabriel's studio. Fun! Just a regular quartet practice, really, but all recorded on a million microphones. And free lunch too!
Afternoon/Evening: Gig in London with Benjamin Brunel's Band. So. Lots more driving. Then gigging at a great place that had black sesame ice cream. Then driving again. Hometime = 3am.



Thursday (3/6/10):
Morning: gig recording string parts for a hilarious top-40 pop album by a guy who used to do the music for Riverdance. Worst thing: they filmed some of the session to use in a music video. And none of us had had any showers, or sleep. Best thing: the AWESOME SKINNY CAT they had at that studio! Look! (Remember, I've had no shower or sleep. Focus on the cat, please.)









Afternoon: Teaching the violin/viola/etc. Also a tiny 10-minute powernap in the supply closet.
Evening: gig at Gascoyne place, with the lovely and talented C. Williams, playing Amelie and Tango stuff mostly. Free food is good.



Friday (4/6/10):
Morning: gig recording for Dr. Meaker, an awesome drum and bass guy in Bristol. He has some gold-fish in a big tupperware.
Afternoon/Evening: gig in Birmingham with Ben Brunel band again. More driving. Great venue! The Glee Club. Check it out. Our opening act is some kind of experimental group who mostly eat marshmallows.



Saturday (5/6/10) (today!):
DAY OFF! Yes! Run 16km. Swim in the river. Go to the circus. Life is great! Life is great.