Malmo, Sweden 15 June 2013
Beginning today, a new look... properly indented paragraphs. After so many years of pecking these notes out, about a month ago I switched the composing of them to Text Edit after the platform I'd been writing on lunched several attempts in a row. Never the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to technical things, I didn't realise people write these "blogs" (a word I dislike) off-line and then up-load them. In a daring move this morning, I tried the tab key and viola!... indentation becomes reality rather than a wish. I am really swinging along now on this glorified calculator.
NOTE: After viewing the up-loaded version of this post, the platform has squared everything up in spite of what I want. Disregard the above un-indented paragraph. Computers are not my friend.
Next order of business is an apology about yesterdays posting. Computers are very powerful tools and combined with my own pre-coffee writing we managed to move the good city of Gothenburg from Sweden to Norway. I never dreamed the strength we wielded together and now the computer is my very best friend. Terribly sorry Goteborg, it has been corrected and you are now back where you belong... in Sweden.
I've had some kind responses to my note the other day about Johnny Smith. I can't overstate the importance of his contribution to the guitar and what a beautiful player he was. For those who may be interested in reading a little further, here's a link to an article in Vintage Guitar about his passing http://www.vintageguitar.com/14237/legendary-guitarist-johnny-smith-passes/ and another from the Washington Post
It was an hour flight to Copenhagen, just enough time for Liz to serve up a delicious Cobb salad with freshly sliced roasted chicken, avocado, hard boiled eggs, bacon and blue cheese. We drove a half hour from the Kobenhavn airport, across the bridge to Malmo, Sweden where we played to 5,000+ at the Malmo Arena. All of us enjoying being indoors again after the cold and whipping winds of last night. A particularly well played and relaxed show, music simply tumbled out of everybody and the sound was incredible. It was the fifth show in a row and here's to our hard travelling, hard working crew that makes this happen every night. These gigs don't happen without a crew to get the equipment from city to city and make sure everything is set, working and maintained. Electricians, riggers, sound, lighting, instrument technicians, caterers, etc. We stand on the stage for a couple hours having a helluva good time playing some tunes, but it is the crew that gets the show to the correct city and set up. These are folks that work so hard and seldom get the recognition they so deserve. Hat's off, salute and thank you.
A runner to the hotel in Malmo. Part of the same chain we stayed in Gothenburg, this Elite Plaza also boasts a Bishop's Arms Pub with it's many beers on draft. We all piled in. It's highly unusual to find the British brewed London Pride outside its country of origin and rarer still to find the heartier ESB. We're all intimately familiar with ESB because we've drunk so much of it as the studio we record in with Mark is walking distance from the Fuller Brewery where it's made. There's a small pub on the premises of the brewery that naturally serves the freshest of their beer and we often end up there after the days recording. The Bishop's Arms has both these beers along with so many others and the ESB was exceptional, right on par with what's enjoyed there at the brewery. A warm and welcoming vibe in these pubs and if the Elite Plaza chain got anything right, it's their Bishop's Arms pubs.
Here's to indentation someday.
So long,
Richard