Radio show in front of a live audience in the south of Holland. A beautiful old small city with a historical cobblestone town center. Good sound and friendly people. Ray is in Germany so it's just the 3 of us tonight. Very relaxed and the songs feel good after 2 weeks on the road.
My set:
1. Nobody's Girl 2. Buddy Holly 3. Little Satellite (on Dobro) 4. My Brother Mike 5. Richie
11/25/03
Radio show in Hilversum early and then an all afternoon show in Amsterdam mixed in with live poetry and literary discussion. It's great, the chance to meet and interact with so many people. I'm beginning to get the picture of the Dutch soul (if one can generalize)-they're exactly like me! Overheated at times and cool and reserved at others. Just like Joni Mitchell said, "You want to get moving and you want to stand still, and somewhere in the middle the longing gets filled." Interview and show in Haarlem tonight.
My set:
1st show
1. Little Satellite (on Dobro) 2. Long Drag Off A Cigarette
2nd show
1. Nobody's Girl 2. Richie
Haarlem, Holland, Patronaat
It's all too much and never enough. Warm crowd. It's been a long day and it's a bit hard "getting the plane off the ground" tonight, still I think we delivered the essence. The P.A. is rock 'n roll style-big volume and not a lot of subtlety. People come up to talk afterwards and seem to love the music, which of course is very gratifying, to state the obvious.
My set:
1. Richie 2. Nobody's Girl 3. Buddy Holly 4. Why's Your Skin So White 5. Just My Imagination
11/26/03 Leeuwarden, Holland, Harmonie
Leeuwarden is one of my favorite places in Holland. It's a separate world unto itself. Way in the north of Holland with it's own dialect and culture that somehow relates back to early Viking days. The venue is a beautiful modern theatre complex. Great sound and a nice crowd of 150 or so. I get to talk with some of my email friends from earlier shows I've done here.
My Set:
1. Richie 2. Nobody's Girl 3. Buddy Holly 4. Little Satellite (on Dobro) 5. For My Wedding
11/27/03 013 Club, Tilburg, Holland
3 hour drive through fog and bumper to bumper traffic. Not fun. Nice small club that is part of a bigger music center. Full house-Nice to be able to see the faces up close not blinded by the stage lights. I've really been enjoying the Dobro on this tour. These are the first shows that I've played it standing up and I'm finding more fluidity with it. I need to write more songs to play it on. After the show hanging out with my friend Sancho from Hamburg, Mathieu Brandt, a Dutch blues artist who recorded my song "Stealing Hubcaps," and my email friends from Brussels who are graphic designers. They've done CD covers for my long time friends Mike Ruff and Bill Gable. Small world.
My set:
1. Richie 2. Little Satellite (on Dobro) 3. Buddy Holly 4. Nobody's Girl 5. Just My Imagination
P.S. Ray sings a funny and funky song that mentions the names of various performers from Austin and tonight he improvises something for each of us on stage. For me he sings: "Larry John McNally, Larry John McNally, He does not sing "Red River Valley," He can afford to be late, He makes all his money from Bonnie Raitt" I think maybe they should inscribe these words on my tombstone!
11/28/03 Vlissingen, Holland, Arsenal Theater
The tour is speeding up. The towns fly by. Vlissingen is the original Dutch name for Flushing, a part of New York City. Don't forget that New York was once New Amsterdam. A beautiful seaport town that reminds me of Maine coastal towns in winter. Close to Belgium. Excellent sound which means I can sing and play with subtlety and nuance. Nice crowd of 100 or so, though I think that I am the one least known here. It's obvious after each night from the CD sales, who is best known in each town.
My Set:
1. Richie 2. Nobody's Girl 3. Buddy Holly 4. Little Satellite (on Dobro) 5. For My Wedding 6. Just My Imagination
11/29/03 Nijmegen, Holland, Lux Theater
College town. Nice complex with art house movie theater. I could live here. High quality sound again, which means I don't have to push my voice and all the whisper and depth of the singing comes through. One of our better shows, I think. The people are "with us" and "the plane lifts off the ground."
My set:
1. Richie 2. Nobody's Girl 3. Buddy Holly 4. Little Satellite (on Dobro) 5. For My Wedding 6. Just My Imagination
11/30/03 Klaaswaal, Holland, Newland
OK, it's a western themed club and restaurant, complete with mechanical bull, just south of Rotterdam in the countryside. Most of the acts that play here, from the looks of the future show posters, seem to be solid country, and solid country I am not. It's funny though, I grew up in Maine where country music is prevalent and I always loved Merle Haggard and all that raw attitude, even if it's not obvious to my listeners. After the show some fans of mine from previous shows come up to say hello and have CDs signed. Goes to show that you never know who's out there in the crowd. Ray is clearly the star of the evening. He even sings "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother" his classic Texas hippie song from back in the day. I'm always sentimental about Holland at the end of the tour. This is my 6th trip. I'm treated well here despite the prolific blunt Dutch opinions that I'm subjected to and nearly being run over by ardent bicyclists every day! By the way, my mostly requested song in Holland is "Black Guitar" for reasons I'm unsure of. Back to the USA to begin work on my new album. Good-bye Holland. I'll see you soon again I hope.
My set:
1. Dandelion Soul 2. Little Satellite (on Dobro) 3. Nobody's Girl 4. Richie 5. For My Wedding 6. Just My Imagination
