Chicago and Denmark... and LA

Just back from Denmark. what an amazing trip. It began with the two-day Gaelic Park Irish Festival in southside Chicago. This festival has been continually running for 23 years, and is one of the best organized Irish fests in the country. We shared the bill with some outstanding talent, such as the Makem and Spain Brothers band and the Bridies (from Lord of the Dance). Obviously, the Young Dubs were representing the rock side of Celtic music!

Thank you to all who came out to these shows. Our fans in the midwest are real music people...

So sooner had I got acclimated to the Central time zone, that the band and I left Chicago that Memorial Day monday and flew to Copenhagen. We performed 5 nights in a row, ranging from small clubs to large clubs to our final night at a huge festival in Jelling, in central Denmark.



It’s an amazing opportunity to play in another country, another part of the world. The difference in attitude of a foreign audience is an experience that every performer should know. Not better, not worse, but a refreshing perspective both on and off stage.

The backline company, Larsen Sound, did not have a Marshall to provide so instead I used a stock Vox AC30. Hello old friend. Without a hot plate, I had to run through my Boss DS-1 Distortion which sounded amazing, for the most part. Next to a Framus Ruby Riot, the AC30 is my fav combo amp.

Once back in LA, I had the pleasure of recording guitar tracks for a song by Southern California John Carrillo... If I had to, I would describe his music as lo-fi pop... check him out on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/johncarrillo.

This Thursday, June 11th the Young Dubliners kick off the June tour in Grand Junction, Colorado. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Bob
June 8

And now, a little travelling music...

So the summer tours with the Young Dubliners are just around the
corner. Memorial Day weekend will be the big send-off with a pair of
shows at the Gealic Park Irish Festival in Chicago. Fortunately, the
band has a couple of weekend trips recently to dust off the chops and
duffle bags, get all the carry-on items packed, and generally get back
in "life on the road" gear.

On Saturday April 29th we appeared at the McDowell Mountain Music Fest
(MMMF)in Scottsdale, Arizona. Also on the bill were the Flaming Lips,
Matisyahu, and Railroad Earth - all great bands. As we played, the
wind was fierce, and whenever I leapt into the air for a powerchord,
I'd land a foot or so back from where I started!

The following weekend found us in Alaska, where we played Anchorage,
Fairbanks, and Homer, down the Kenai Penninsula. Nothing compares to
travelling to a remote part of the world to play our music for
unsuspecting and appreciative locals.

I am currently back home, preparing for next week's tour. After Chicago, we fly immediately to Denmark for 5 shows, including the Jelling Festival, where we share the bill with Texas rockers ZZ Top. As I go through my gear to ready it for the travels, I am led to share this tip:

Every month or so, pull all of your connectors out of the pedals on your pedalboard, and wipe them with very fine steel wool. The ends are prone to oxidation, this prevents connections from developing noise - or quitting altogether. And like a computer keyboard, try to blow the dust off your board while you're at it.

Thanks for reading! I'll tell you all about international music in a couple of weeks!

Skol,
Bob