…Irish Muckle Elephant Food

Day 3 – Lucerne to St. Gallen and back again!

Today is the real start of the tour! Our first gig for the ‘We Steal Flyers, Winter Tour 2016’ is in Gallus Pub in St. Gallen, Switzerland This is a new venue for us and also a new area of Switzerland for us too. A nice exciting way to start the tour off!

Waking up and grabbing a coffee was the first thing on my mind! Then I had a little work to do online and get my diary up to date or you wouldn’t have any of these to read. We are in and out of Wi-Fi and travelling a lot so the days will be a few days behind mostly but at least you can still keep up with what is happening on the road and in our adventures around Switzerland.

After my work was done, I managed to squeeze a shower in whilst I listened to Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats blarring out my laptop as I got myself ready and packed my little ruck sack with bits n pieces for the show.

Derek and I left the hotel around 3pm with our guitars and matching Karrimor backpacks and headed to the back of ‘Legends Bar’ on the other side of town, which is where I performed live in Switzerland for the first time in a window sill of the bar, when I came over in March 2010. Our good friend Bill used to own the bar back then but unfotunatley not anymore.

We met up with Mark, our frog squashing tour manager and jumped in his Mercedes BritBeat machine ready to head over to St. Gallen. We headed off on the road after an old guy in the biggest black car in the world shook his leather fisted gloves at Derek for trying to get in the side door of the van from the road side. We shot off through the many traffic lights and crossings of Lucerne and found our way to the motorway when Mark pulled out his ACDC album for the road trip! Yeshh!! We made a quick pit stop for some weird crisps, blue fanta and other weird nom noms for the rest of the trip to St. Gallen. The drive took around 1 hour and 45mins and then about 20mins driving around the bar in circles trying to find how to get to it.

We Steal Flyers – from UK – Irish Music?

We nipped inside after Mark came out laughing and told us to go see the size of the place and how much gear we would need.We also ntoiced the outside advertisement on the wall you can see above. The bar was a little bigger than my kitchen at home! An Irish themed, square bar in an old upstairs building on a main street full of great little nicknack’s on the walls and ceiling. There was an in house Pa System that we could link into and we just needed our mixer, mics and micstands. The whole building was on bit of a slant and I nearly fell over twice bending over plugging leads and my pedal in and then losing my balance. It wasn’t a lot, but enough to make everything feel very strange. It almost felt like the place was moving when you looked around.

Once we sound checked we headed across the road to a Thai Restaurant called Big Elephant. We are always fed well over here and looked after. The meal was amazing and I actually felt a little full up to sing. We had a little time to relax and have a Guinness and a few of Marks whiskies in the bar before we started the show though. Mark was doing a whisky tasting in the opposite corner of the bar while we played music. The Whisky & Song works really well together in some of the bars and hotels in Switzerland.It also means I get to try out a few sneaky whiskys while we play. Win Win!!

‘Whisky & Song’ with The Whisky Experience

We had a great fun first gig with one of the staff taking off into his own version of La Bamba in the 3^rd set after I simply strummed a C chord between songs. Everyone joined in and had a huge sing along in the smallest pub of ever! It was also great to see people singing along to ‘Apple-cart’ too which is one of our new songs to come on the new album which isn’t even out yet. We performed a live take of Apple-cart when we were in the Shagnut Studio recording the album and you can see it below. We have some great news of the new album coming soon too so keep your ears and eyes peeled.

Gallus Pub in St.Gallen, Switzerland

After we packed our little bits and pieces up we jumped back in the BritBeat Machine and headed back to Lucerne for around 1.30am, headed back to the hotel over our little night time bridge and I got a little caught up with some more work online until my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer. Luckily there was no weird little witches running around in my room and I got myself a good little sleep. The next gig for us two Flyers is in Baden, Switzerland. A great little English style bar with a nice stage area with plenty of room to shake our legs. Speak to you after the show! 😉

www.facebook.com/westealflyers

Jason – Amazing Adventures Always

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Travelling Hobo Shaggy!

Ive just came back from my spell of gigs in Luzern in Switzerland..   What a time I had away and what an amazing place with the best people..

Me , The Legend...Bill and the Flintmiester

I didnt really know what to expect at all as this was my first time away gigging in another country but I have to say..  this definately wont be my last..

The whole experience was great and I managed to make some great contacts from it all so il definately be back over there soon.

Heres a video of me playing in Legends bar which has to be the best bar in Luzern..its a bit dark as its from a little handycam but youll get the idea and theres a few clips from the train ride home in there too!! ..  A massive thanks to Bill for helping to make this possible..  I couldnt have done this without his help and also Flinty for helping to arrange it all.

And a few photos too ..

Bloody cold it was!

Top UK guitar vocalist.. hehehhehhe!!

Where to next??  we shall see..   but until the next adventure..  Toodleeeeeeeooooo!!

LEGENDS... Best bar in Luzern!!

Signing out! Shagmeister!

Follow up to the big 3 ohhh!!! part deux!!

What a Weekend.

YOHOOOOO!! What a weekend its been and its took me till Tuesday to feel even remotely normal!!

To kick it off we were at the Isabella as part of the Bellacoustic night and the party for my 30th Birthday (although it wasn’t till Sunday). The night kicked off with Ickle Daryl Burns opening up with his set and went on till closing time through out all the players.

First of all thanks to all the players who gave there time to play … Daryl Burns, Clear Blue Skies, Micky Oliver, Hague, William West and the rest of Stolen Tom, which includes Sav playing the drums on Harrys Hat miced up… Hahha what a belta! We also had a SPECIAL GUEST appearance from Milinda doing her thing to La Bamba hahahhaha!! No Microphone Needed!!

Also thanks for everyone who came down for a beer and wished me happy birthday for Sunday… The missus and everyone else who helped organise it all as well… Paul & Kay from the Isabella for letting us take over the bar for the night…. all the people that bought me pressies!! (WEHEYY!!.. finally got an Acoustic Magic Clock!!) and anyone else who was hanging about listening to the music!! I Had a great night and it was a hell of a turnout. CHEEERS!!!

ME.. Blowin my cake across the pub!!!

After That we all piled back to my house for a party till the daylight started popping through in the morning.. and all the drink was gone.. The birds were singing away when half the people left and I  couldn’t move and was crashed out on the floor!!

Saturday daytime was a dead day literally and I felt like Sav was still playing that helmet as a drum .. apart from it was on my head this time .. OWWW!!!

On the night time we went over to Sunderland , The Independent to see the Stephen Fretwell gig ive been waiting on for months… and it was another cracking night although I struggled to face a drink. Got some cracking photos though for the Nocturnal Images website and had a canny chinese meal while we waited on the doors opening…

Then it was Sunday and I am now officially 30 ..  hahhaha … good thing or bad thing?? Well have to wait and see I guess … I was gigging at Bubbles in Ashington with The Acoustic Magic Team supporting Greg Griffins of the band Proud Mary who has been on tour with Neil Young. Canny eh??

Again another cracking night and it ended with Greg taking to the stage. What a voice on the guy .. and a brilliant set .. look forward to catching him again some time and I’m gona pester him to take his part in the All Acoustic page too.. so il let you know how that goes!!

I Finished off the night by necking as many test tubes as I could get my hands on , which michelle at that point decided to stick them on her hands and do her edward scissor hands impression and I managed to stroll in at 3:30am blotto!! … and then I spent the whole day lying around on Monday!! Pleased I put in the holiday from work … as there was no chance I could have made it!! Like someone else from work who didn’t manage to get there…hahahha.. *cough * shelly *cough * ..

Once again thanks again to all who made the weekend what it was!!

Cheers Big Ears!! Shaggy!!!

Rod Clements @ Bubbles

Another great new gig to get under my belt this week. Rod Clements was one of the original members from the band Lindisfarne and for those of you who dont know who they are then youre probably either too young or youve been locked in the basement by your dodgy father who only feeds you on a sunday!!

Me and my beard!!

Anyways.. Derek from Acoustic Magic managed to sort this out for me and got us the gig supporting Rod Clements at Bubbles in Ashington…what a belta and it was amazing to share the stage with such a Legend!!!!

The running order was Clear Blue Skies, Hague, Myself and then the Fabulous Rod Clements who blew me away with his fingerstyle and slide guitar playing. Having already had a listen on his myspace I didnt really no what to expect from him playing solo but was pleasently surprised .. Damn he can play!!!!!!!

Hague

The night went great and Hague pulled a new song out the bag especially..  and also his Tightrope Walking song ,which was the last one he wrote I believe, is slowly becoming my favourite of his set!!

Clear Blue Skies had there usual mental banter about them while standing on one leg…. and Derek gave me a shot glass with a straw in it while I was on stage which…. turned out to be lager??? hahahha…  oh and it was also Hairys birthday so he got the dedication of Land Down Under on the night..

We also got the chance to get our photos taking at the end of the show with Rod and thanks to Terry T-Shirt for doing all the photography on the night once again!!

Hahaha Check out the finger!!

Hairy with his belly out!!

All in all another great gig for Acoustic Magic which keeps on going from strength to strength..

So to all the Acoustic Magic team , Rod Clements and Hairy for his birthday!!!

WEYHEEEEEEEY!!!!!

…. Yellow Submawha??

Just received some great news in about a gig on Febuary 25th 2010. 

Ill be playing at the “CAVERN CLUB” Liverpool as part of the Acoustic Magic Team and itll be £5.00 a ticket for those wanting to travel down…

For those of you who have been locked away since you were born in a shed..  and havent heard of the place..

The Cavern Club is one if the most famous Music Venues in the world.. and heres a little snippit about the place!!

The Cavern Club is a live music club at 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. Opened on Wednesday 16 January 1957, the club is where Brian Epstein was introduced to The Beatles on 9 November 1961.

Heres a photo from outside the venue .. and the sculpture of john lennon!

..and a link to the homepage!

THE CAVERN CLUB – HOMEPAGE

So here’s to the night of sharing the stage with some of the best musicians in the world along side some great freinds from Acoustic Magic!!

I no its a year to wait but … .. f*^k… i cant WAIIIIIT!!

Shaggy!! big thanks to Derek for sorting this!!