Do the art but don't do the shit

We're in Marseilles right now having finished recording some audio and video with our buddy Jerome and crew at Divine Madness. I've been looking forward to this as I've felt like we've desperately needed good video for a long time. Last night in Milano was a tough show although I really loved the space (Biko club) and all the wonderful people that work there. I played Happy birthday for Fikri's little girl before the show which was hilarious but during the show I really blew my voice out. I could feel it coming on for a few days now as the hard living was catching up to my throat. We had to wake up at 8 in the morning the next day and drive all the way to Marseilles to make it in time to record and I was freaking out a bit that I wouldn't be able to pull off singing for the recording. I really wanted to get good versions of 2 new songs called drowning and Triumph of Delusion. Fortunately my body and my mind rallied (just barely) and it came out really good. One of these days we'll have proper video up of Steve and I (I think that has been holding us back in a lot of ways). Before Milano we spent a day or so hanging out in the Cinque Terre, a small collection of towns along the Ligurian sea. The water was incredibly refreshing. We slept outside on the side of a mountain in the car with the windows rolled down. Steve has been pointing out that there is an incredible smell of jasmine, magnolia, and orange blossom everywhere we go (a possible contribution towards my throat problems as I feel like I could eat the air to get at the pollen). I think I may be one of the few musicians who actually eats much healthier on the road. I find it much easier to avoid eating late at night and I eat a ton of fruit and well cooked meals with fresh ingredients. Actually I suppose that's the product of touring Europe (or perhaps California as well). We spent the couple of days before that hanging in a villa outside of Parma. It was originally built in the 13th century. I was nervous about the show because there wasn't a sound system (just a couple amps) and we needed to play very softly so as to not disturb the neighbors. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun and very interesting. Steve played with brushes and I did a lot more soundscapes and subtle dynamics than I would normally do. It got the gears turning in my head about different ideas for musical projects I've been pondering. Bologna the night before was a bit crazy. There were three bands and the first one didn't start until 11:30pm. Consequently we went on incredibly late. The show was at a big squat called X Mercato 24 (it used to be a market hence the name). Steve and I were commenting that it is amazing how counter culture steam punk kids dress and act alike all over the world. There aren't as many subtleties as you'd think.
It's the day of the Marseilles show which I'm very much looking forward to. This tour has been fascinating thus far as Steve and I have very contrasting styles of traveling. I think for him it's a bit more of a vacation vibe and I lean towards the all work and no play direction. It's been a helpful contrast. I never would have normally gone and swam in the sea figuring it was too far out of the way and would waste money. Also, I'm trying to get better at relaxing and soaking up my surroundings rather than worrying over details and pondering the future (much of that still needs to be done as there are always more details of this tour to take care of to say nothing of working out future touring and plans. That's life when you are your own booking agent, manager, tour manager etc...). I naturally want to stop at markets and supermarkets to get my food and eat it on a bench somewhere where as he leans towards sitting at a cafe or restaurant. He's been a godsend as far communicating with people and hanging. I can be a bit antisocial and with him here I am able to hover in and out of the collective hang without offending anyone. Anyway, as Eric said yesterday (he's the gentleman that kindly lent us his space called Divine Madness where we recorded), "do the art, but don't do the shit."