Anticipatie in aanloop naar: Flamin’ Go Fest op 26 augustus 2023
Wat kan ik nog vertellen over mijn geliefde The Black Flamingo dat ik niet al eerder en lyrischer deed dan in mijn tweedelige ode in de serie rond Whiskey Dick & James Hunnicutt? Veel waarschijnlijk. Want ondertussen is mijn gevoel mijn plus-familie daar te hebben gevonden alleen nog maar versterkt. Dat lees je hier nog wel eens, als ik ertoe kom. Ik heb nog heel wat stukjes in mijn achterzak (lees: mijn Google Drive) zitten. Over de double bill van Kevlar en Dalver, of die van Freddie Webber en Berang, en over de passage van Luna en de Maanstenen aldaar. Ook nog een serietje rond Joey Henry, dat begon met pre-FOMO omdat hij eerst in Den Oude Ketel kwam en ik wist dat ik spijt zou hebben als ik dat niet had meegemaakt eens hij dan uiteindelijk passeerde in de Flamingo zelf. (Ik ben naar beide optredens gegaan, ver over mijn grenzen. Maar het was het MEER dan waard.)
Eindelijk, na maanden vergeten dan toch de selfie met Jo & Polexia!
Want als Jo zegt dat ik moet komen, dan kom ik, no questions asked. En ook, zonder goed te weten waaraan ik begin. Want ik had de laatste tijd niet de tijd om muziek te ontdekken. Enfin, ik maakte de tijd niet, een werkpuntje van mij. Vanaf nu is muziek ontdekken een mogelijk stukje zelfzorg dat ik oppik, wanneer ik mezelf dwing tot rust en zelfzorg. Ik moet mezelf soms dwingen daartoe, jawel, anders loop ik mezelf geheel voorbij. Maar goed, daโs een ander verhaal, voor een andere blogreeks. Punt van deze paragraaf is, Jo kent mij (en mijn muzieksmaak) na 6 maanden beter dan ik mezelf ken. Ik weet dat ik op zijn oordeel kan vertrouwen. Daarom staat deze zaterdag 26 augustus al maanden omcirkeld in mijn agenda. Deze zaterdag is het namelijk tijd voor Flaminโ GO Fest. Vlammende GAAN in het Engels, geen feest voor flamingo’s. Al zijn die natuurlijk ook altijd welkom. Strijk maar neer!
Vorige week gaf Jo me nog een korte synopsis van de groepen die daar zullen aantreden. Ik noteerde niets (in mijn glimmend nieuwe schrijfschrift, bye bye Google Docs!) en daarna overdonderde Joey Henri me alweer volledig met zijn muziek-medicijn-groepstherapie, dus ik ga zelfs niet proberen het te ontrafelen en iets zinnigs te recapituleren. Ik weet enkel dat ik elke keer โOh ja, check, klinkt DIK in orde!โ dacht (en of zei) na de info die hij verschafte per band. En dat ze allemaal stuk voor stuk PAARS AS FUCK klinken. Dus, geloof in mijn geloof in de uitstekende muzieksmaak van Mister Black Flamingo himself en komt dat zien. (Of zoek ze zelf even op via de Youtubes, Spotify, Bandcamps en andere sociale netwerken van deze wereld.)
Vier topbands, een barbeque met Flaminโ Go pilli pilli saus van Yannick Zwijsen (NIET voor gevoelige zielen/magen) en een Free Podium? Count me in!
Toegang is 15 euro voor enkel de muziek & en 25 euro als je ook een vleesje wil. (Ben je Veggie? Geef dat dan zeker door, ook met uw wensen kan rekening worden gehouden!)
Zeg nu zelf, dat is gรฉรฉn geld voor een festival in tijden van graai-flatie. Drank is bovendien beschikbaar aan zeer democratische prijzen.
Wil jij er ook bij zijn? Stuur dan een gele briefkaart naar een van de bands of slide into the DMโs van The Black Flamingo op Instagram en Facebook en schrijf je op voorhand in. Want het is een privรฉfeest, enkel voor de meest Paarsen der zielen.
Ready for part two in my love song to the Brakrock festival? It is all about the Purple People I met on my first day on festival grounds.
Before going into this festival, I hatched the plan to bring my rainbow pillow (see: Punk in Drublic where I had it signed by Spike of Me First & Fat Mike of NOFX) and have it signed by everyone I met at Brakrock because of the music. Fan, band, merch people, organiser, it didn’t matter. Everyone is part of the music. Midway through day one, I realised I would have to get a second pillow for day two. Thatโs how many amazing people I met. I connected with some of them, but not with all. So if you see yourself here and weโre not friends on any sort of social, hit me up!
Meet the Purple People of Friday, August 4th 2023.
It already started on the road to Brakrock. We got a little lost but soon found a group of people who helped us get on track. One of them was Andrea, who came all the way from Italy. He switches between Brakrock and Punk Rock Holiday each year to get in his punk music fix during the summer. We hung out before the gates opened and had a nice chat. Weโd run into him and his friends a bunch of times throughout the festival. Before Good Riddance we were waiting frontstage and there they were again! We shared a drink and some laughs and happily waited for the mayhem to start. (More on that later!)
We got in first through the gates, but had to wait a bit for security to show up. Meanwhile I spotted a bearded bro called Michael sporting a Barbie shirt in the queue so obviously I yelled at him that I loved his shirt.
Just before running onto festival grounds, he and Liz stopped me. Liz let me know that she made the shirts herself and was going to make me one. โค She is also in a band, seems like a bad ass with an awesome personal style, so I’m pretty sure we’ll be fast friends. Check out her instapage and give her a follow!
Walking in, I spotted a photographer and asked if I could use her pictures for the blog. She was kind enough to agree, so you’ll see some of her amazing pictures shine in a few of the coming blog posts. Follow Lad & Misfit photography on Insta & Facebook!
Next up we were at the Wood Stage for The Stitches. I spotted a guy rocking out in his mobile scooter and a lady with a walker. Wanted to take their pictures and tell them the sight of them made me happy and hopeful to know that even if my body completely gives out over the next couple of years due to my chronic pains, I’d still be able to live my best life at festivals. I didn’t get the chance because not much after I spotted this trio!
I was triggered by all the patches on the vests of Nick (left) & Thomas (middle) at first, the nice headband on Ilona second and their cupholders third. (A Brakrock gift from a few years ago, it turned out!) But when Nick turned around, I spotted something even more special: his Puzzled Panther shirt!
I knew then that I HAD to talk to him, because the only chance to get that shirt, was by seeing Gogol Bordello on their tour. Fervent readers of this blog know I was so blown away by that performance, it changed my whole outlook on life, birthed Polexia Miller and had me coin the phrase ‘Purple People’.
I kind of ignored his friends and latched on to Nick, (Sorry dear Ilona & Thomas, next time we meet I want to get to know you as well, you seemed LOVELY!) because my journalist nose sniffed a Story. Yes, with a capital S! Nick is a HUGE Gogol Bordello fan and has been following them for years. In 2008 he met his now wife at their show in Tilburg & he proposed to her on stage at a Gogol Bordello show in 2017. Since then, they’ve become friends with Eugene & were invited backstage at Jera on air where they also met up with Puzzled Panther. Nick also has a radio show called Le INIT Live on a local station in Goirle(but you can stream it online) of which the tagline does not translate do English. For the Dutch/Flemish readers it is: ‘Harde muziek & slap gelul’ ๐
You’ll meet them again in the next bits of the blog where they immediately lead me astray from my well thought out plan. No hard feelings though, because what they led me to, led to meeting these two amazing people! (And also their band which will feature in the next post.)
This lovely green haired person is Ty Miller, guitarist extraordinaire for Public Serpents, Trying To Get By(with Jesse Sendejas from Days n Daze who stole my heart on Punk in Drublic last year. You might spot them in some of my pics because I proudly wore my DnD shirt for this occasion.) and Voice of Addiction. He’s a full time musician & caregiver to his girlfriend back home. This talk made me realise even more how important it is to support the bands by seeing the shows, buying the merch and yelling about how great they are on this blog. So many of the bands and artists I love are struggling to get by on doing what they love, following their dreams and bringing music to the people! Without them, there wouldn’t be festivals like this. So give a listen to all the above bands, like and share their stuff and go see them when you get the chance! (And don’t worry, I will spend some more words on all those bands on this blog, when I finally catch up with everything I still have to write about and find a minute to give them a proper stage.)
This super nice fella is Eric Molina who filled in for the sax player of Public Serpents. He just met them on monday and was along for the ride on their Friday gig! He’s a pupil of The Slackers’ Dave Hillyard and stars as the saxman in a few of his own bands/and does session work for: Los Mal Hablados, Mephiskapheles & the Israelites. We realise we’re missing the Slackers so our band of merry misfits skip to the Wood stage again, accompanied by Ty and Eric who also don’t want to miss that good shit!
After The Slackers & before Funeral Dress it is time to sit the fuck down and have some food. Sorry, The Dickies, I’m afraid I’ll have to catch you next time! Luckily, Emmy was on her way to see you, but I managed to get a quick pic in. We had met at the Funeral Dress gig at Parkpop Mechelen (will be featured in the Funeral Dress post) through a mutual friend. She’s also in her own band called Vettig Front who’ve been at it for years!
Time for some R&R with the people I came here with and their friends also referred to as the merry band of misfits above!
Bottom right with the sunglasses is Yannick, top right is Senna. They’re both in my favourite local band The Rabids and are set to be a part of our own as yet unnamed band we’re in the process of setting up. The one with the glasses and hat is Stijn, who we recruited as a second guitartist & backing for the same project! In the middle with the glasses you can spot Glenn & top left is Stylo.
Off to see Funeral Dress when I spot my sunglasses twin in the audience. I forgot to ask for his name or have him sign my pillow because I was losing my friends who were pushing for the front. Nice to meet you, man with The All Star Wedding Band sunglasses! See you at one of their shows!
No selfie with this man, rocking out to Funeral Dress with Emmy from before, but my infinite thanks! His name is Dyke and he got my pillow signed by the band, made sure it wasn’t ruined when it got wet and got me the setlist and a Stef Punk Pick to boot! Much obliged, sir!
I see a pair of white sunglasses and think I’m about to meet The Slackers’ Drummer. Bummer, it isn’t their drummer, but he IS in fact a drummer! How much of a crazy coincidence is that? Too big probably. My sarcasm meter wasn’t on and I noted he was a drummer for Zeeland Refinery, which isn’t in fact a band. ๐ Oops. That’s what trying to do 100 things at once gets you. Oh well, nice to meet you anyway Da Pee & girlfriend!
Next up I am super front stage getting banged up left and right right next to the mosh pit during Good Riddance and I am in awe of this persons moveable selfie stick. I asked for his insta but regrettably forgot to hit follow so I am still yearning to see his videos and connect.
This is the security volunteer who didn’t know what hit him (probably also literally as well as figuratively) seeing the mayhem during the Good Riddance set. He’s more of a Hip Hop & House fan but said he loved the vibe of the crowd so much he’d be back next year. He put my pillow on the stage to safeguard it from being broken in the press of people and also made sure Good Riddance left their signatures! Not to mention, his anticipation to the incoming crowd surfers made sure I didn’t get hit in the face and could enjoy being in the middle of the action for once. Thank you! He’ll make another appearance in the Me First part of the blog!
These lovely chiro ladies who’d also never been to Brakrock but will be volunteering next year too!
Waiting for Me First to start, I met Joost, straight from Waddingveen Netherlands. He was there for the 3rd time, especially for The Toy Dolls. We had a lovely conversation about cheese. He’s also part of my Me First story I am saving up. We’d meet again front stage the next day, in the pouring rain, just before The Toy Dolls took the stage.
Another quick ‘I LOVE YOUR SHIRT’ encounter. I was on my way out and it was too late to follow up with actually making friends, but it’s always nice to meet a fellow upside down man. (Stranger things reference for anyone wondering WTF I am on about.)
End of day one! In part two of the Purple People of Brakrock, we meet some nice merch handlers and the youngest rock chick of the festival!
Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023
I am a little sad and angry. Maybe even a LOT sad and angry. How did I manage to miss this festival for ten consecutive years? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I might never forgive myself. Because holy shit, this was the best experience Iโve ever had at a festival. It was SO great; from the beautiful location, the lovely people, to the atmosphere & ambiance it was all TOP NOTCH. That mix between nature, culture and music is FANTASTIC. From now on, itโll be an essential part of my summer.
This is the first part in what promises to be a fun series of posts about Brakrock, and it is all about the festival itself! Itโs not some run of the mill thing and needs a bit of explaining. Next part will be about all the lovely people I met there. After that I will dedicate a few blog posts to all of the amazing performances and artists I got to enjoy.
1: That location!
I mean. It has everything. Green surroundings, wildlife water and culture. Brakrock is located around the ruins of Castle ter Elst, a listed monument in Duffel. Idyllic doesn’t even begin to describe it. Just look at this picture! There was shade from the trees on the first day, relief from the rain under those same trees on day two. Seeing Pennywise rock out while lounging near the river and still hearing the chirps of crickets was its own kind of magic.
Plus, because I had press access, I got to check out the pretty deer grazing and met the chickens and birds hanging out backstage. Thanks again to Kim @Brakrock for providing me with my accreditation, it meant the world to me to enjoy this beautiful festival as press. And I promise, you won’t be sorry! Cost per post is going to be pretty damn low! ๐
2: Green as fuck
Brakrock is an eco-friendly festival and I love it. They’ve been doing it since before it was the norm for festivals too! The cup for cup system was great (take notes Parkpop Mechelen & Lokerse feesten, you’re doing it wrong). You pay one token for a cup and get a new cup every new drink. No hassle, just easy eco-ness. And you get your full token back for your deposited cups. (Though I must say, I did keep a few pink cups because they’re just so sturdy and amazing to have as a memento.)
Same for food stuffs. And whereas the food was on the pricey side (as everything seems to be these days), the fries were actually really good! As opposed to other festivals I’ve been to this summer where I got yellow cardboard sticks. Good fries shouldn’t be this hard for Belgians, come on! Kudos to the food trucks.
During the festival, there were people picking up the trash that did get thrown out. But there wasn’t much, I noticed. And not many cigarette butts because they provided cigarette shaped ashtrays all over + you got a free ashtray envelope if you asked. Lovely to see the location will probably look much the same after two days of the festival as it did before. Aside from the muddy trampled grassy bits, but that’s something that should be easily remedied.
SO. Many. Great. Bands. I took the time beforehand, to write out an itinerary of what I wanted and NEEDED to see. Fortunately most of it was easily combined running from the Wood to the River and back again. I had to only make two hard choices to get a full workable list. I think next year I will add more Ruin stage bands because I let myself get sidetracked a few times and I got a pleasant surprise each time.
The annotated list after two days of running around and changing my mind
I probably also missed a bunch on the Belgian Beer Bar stage, but unfortunately choosing is losing and as a new friend said ‘you miss more at a festival than you see.’! I also had to sit out a few shows because my body was protesting all the fun I was having, but I still had a very filled timetable. And it wasn’t exactly a punishment to rest up in that lovely scenery. โค And I still got to enjoy things from afar.
I managed to go to all my must-see’s, knocked off a bucket list band and discovered more than a few new hyperfixations!
4. The stages!
Walking the grounds before the start of the festival.
Four totally different stages with a different feel and atmosphere. The main stage is by the River and is a big’un. Aside from the front stage area, there’s also a nice seated side area to rest up if it’s all getting to be too much, or if you want to stay out of the press of the crowd.
The Wood stage is a great experience as well. A little closer to the bands, a little lower and more accessible. Lots of shade and a few wooden resting areas for when the mud got too bad. And it’s right by the pond, overlooking the Ruins.
Then, the Ruin stage behind the castle ruins. A lot smaller for an intimate vibe. Right up in the face of the bands and artist!
At Maritiem cafe ‘t Anker, last but certainly not least, was the Belgian Beer Bar stage for intimate acoustic performances. Only managed to see one show there, but it was a doozy!
5. The organisation & volunteers
Such wonderful people, every last one of them! Everyone was so nice and just happy to be there. You will meet some of them in the next post. I want to thank everyone I encountered and hope to see you again next year. You are the backbone of this amazing festival that I will try to never miss again.
So, next up is a post about all the Purple People I met on my two day stay on festival grounds. Before going into this, I hatched the plan to bring my rainbow pillow (see: Punk in Drublic) and have it signed by everyone I met because of the music. Fan, band, merch people, organiser, I didn’t matter. Everyone is part of the music. So next up, Part 2: The people of Brakrock. And don’t worry, we’ll follow them to the music afterwards!
Brakrock – Kasteel ter Elst – Duffel – August 4th & 5th 2023
Part 1: An ode to The Black Flamingo Part 2: An ode to The (Purple) Black Flamingo people Part 3: Whiskey Dick and James Hunnicut: Live @ The Black Flamingo Part 4: Post show Purple Flamingos!
I missed seeing Whiskey Dick and James Hunnicutt perform at Muziekcafรฉ Titanic, a day after their wonderful performance at The Black Flamingo. Sadly I would be in Amsterdam and miss another gig at this amazing place I still need to check out. Iโve heard of so many great bands playing there already. I will be led there soon, I am sure. (Donโt worry, I also had A LOT of fun in Amsterdam, first with the incomparable The Interrupters and afterwards in a pianobar. More on that later.) But no fear, there was still to be a sequel!
So, this story is going down at Den Oude Ketel in Heist-op-den-Berg, 19th of June. Fun fact, if you look that place up on Google Maps, you can see the show advertised on their window. Itโs as if the Google Maps people were like โWe have to commemorate this special event by sending out our mapping carโ. I canโt say I blame them.
Now, this was my first visit to Den Oude Ketel, shamefully, because if that place was near me, I would probably live there. I was too focussed on the performances and the experience to really look around and take it all in, but I am pretty sure youโll be finding me there more and more in the not too distant future. From the few impressions I got, it felt like a very Purple Place.
James Hunnicutt @ Den Oude Ketel | Photo : Bakkie Photography โ June 19th 2023
Big shout out to Robin aka Bakkie Photography for being so kind as to share his pictures of the night with me. Thank you very much, I had a REALLY hard time choosing since there were so many great ones. โค
Before we travel to Heist-op-den-Berg though, I need to tell you about the road to the show. I had been exchanging excited messages with Jo again throughout the day. I was humming โDonโt let teardrops fill your eyesโ ALL DAY. I had collected four jet black feathers during a long walk in my surroundings. Iโm not sure why I picked them up, which I voiced out loud. Someone told me finding feathers meant someone wanted to tell me something. Okay. I didnโt put two and two together. I was too excited to see my three new favourite artists, to read into the synchronicity.
It had been a HOT day. I wanted to wear something nice, that didnโt feel too constricting. I turned over my whole closet, nothing worked and in a panic (time was running out fast) I picked some things at random, figuring I am okay with the outfit. Too hot to even care, really. I step into the car to drive myself to Heist and notice them. The feathers on my dress. Like the feathers I picked up during the day. Like the feathers between the strings in Jamesโ guitar. (Check them out in the pic below, it’s a little blurry because the focus is on the Reverend, but you can just make them out.)
Whiskey Dick and James Hunnicutt @ Den Oude Ketel | Photo : Bakkie Photography โ June 19th 2023
My playlist on the radio seems haunted by songs that connect me to my father. I laugh along with this fun soundtrack, that seems so specific for this drive. When I pass a cart drawn by two Belgian Draught horses (Also a shared passion!) it gets too much and I say out loud โYeah dad, I hear you. I am on my way there.โ After I park, a brief struggle ensues with trying to get the electric car charged. I eventually give up and run after someone I suspect is going the way I am. He wasnโt and I am not where I need to be. Shit. I start running again, this time in the right direction. I finally located Den Oude Ketel.
I am greeted by a loud โJulie, you made it!โ and a hug. It takes my frazzled and heatstruck brain a while to understand what happened but I finally utter an enthusiastic hi back to Fritz. I see James and get the same genuine and excited welcome. I see all the Purple Flamingos sitting at a table, surrounding the Reverend. I do what I normally donโt EVER do, go up and hug the Reverend and even give him an awkward kiss on the cheek out of pure consternation of ‘what is my life right now’.
Later that night, the awesome Tiho would help me make sure I got this picture with all three musical magicians or magical musicians (I’m not sure which of these is the more accurate statement, so I am leaving them both.) together.
Julie plus three magical musicians or musical magicians, Fritz, James & the Reverend. (Look at me beaming through tear stained!)
My mind is melting, both from the heat and the welcome and I end up yelling to the table something along the lines of โHI AND I LOVE YOU GUYS BUT I NEED A DRINK I AM SO HOT WHAT IS THIS HEAT I HATE ELECTRIC CARS.โ And run in without even checking in and letting the bar people know I did pay for my ticket. A quick look around while waiting for my drink says this is a place that would be my go to bar if it was a little nearer. Den Oude Ketel has that great dive-bar energy I love, with nice people all around. I gather my manners and go say a proper hi to everyone, hydrated and ready for a great night.
James Hunnicutt @ Den Oude Ketel | Photo : Bakkie Photography โ June 19th 2023
James Hunnicutt starts off pitch perfect as always. He claims he gathered up two to three frogs in his throat over the last few shows, but if that is how he sings with frogs in his throat, I should invest in frogs. Now, this is where I stopped taking notes. I was too transfixed to even try and put it into words right there. I was swaying on my feet, drinking in the music. All around me I saw smiles and happy people. And then the moment was there, I heard Fritz call out โthatโs my cueโ and run to the stage. It was time for the song (and dance) I have come to love so much.
What you don’t see in this video? Me, sitting on the floor in front of the stage, filming with one hand, and dancing along with the other. The more he sings โdonโtโ, the more teardrops fill my eyes and stream down my face, past my huge smile. Now, usually, crying on the floor of a dive-bar wouldnโt exactly be a good sign mental health-wise. In this case, it is the culmination of a mourning process and I have found peace.
James Hunnicutt @ Den Oude Ketel | Photo : Bakkie Photography โ June 19th 2023
Notice the black bird sticker on this guitar? Yeah, part of the feathery synchronicity. I could go on, superlative after superlative about how great Jamesโ voice actually is, but much like the video I took, I donโt think my words can do it justice. You just have to experience it to know just HOW good it is. By the way, I am not sure if I already talked about his guitar playing. Because of that voice, you might forget to notice how incredibly well and with how much passion he plays the guitar. It is really a sight to see and sound to hear. This video doesn’t do it much justice, but try to hear through the awful sound quality. It’s also got a little of that lovely Fritz Hetfield/Cash bass as a cherry on top!
It is break time. Time to go back to the terrace and get a little breather in the night air that is slowly cooling. A few drops of rain bring a delightful relief from the heat. And then we spot it. A HUGE FULL RAINBOW. At 10pm. MAGIC? Yes. Tiho saves the day again by running in and bringing out the rainbow man we believe is responsible for this spectacular sight.
Another huge thank you to Jo for taking this impossible shot of me and James (rainbow tie dye shirt and feather dress included), somewhere under the rainbow in Heist-op-den-Berg. In the process of revelling at the beauty of nature, we almost missed Whiskey Dick starting their set inside. We run in, just in time for an epic time.
Again, what can I say about these men that I haven’t already. That voice, that guitar playing… It is mesmerising to the point where I barely have the words to describe it. It also made me forget how to make decent videos because all I could find on my phone was this short bit that doesnโt come close to doing them justice, but I am sharing it anyway.
Again, I was paying too much attention to the show and didn’t take that many notes. One of the few notes I have that makes any sense is ‘Fuuuuuuuuuck, that guitar‘. I also mention that I am prepared to believe the Reverend when he says that what he does with his guitar is magic. And that heโs even better than Kyle Gass from Tenacious D AND HE DOESNโT EVEN KNOW IT.
The Reverend – Whiskey Dick @ Den Oude Ketel | Photo : Bakkie Photography โ June 19th 2023
But you can tell from these above and below pictures just how much he enjoys making the music. You can practically SEE the magic coursing through his veins.
The Reverend – Whiskey Dick @ Den Oude Ketel | Photo : Bakkie Photography โ June 19th 2023
I go on to write about Fritz that heโs the best goddamn rhythm guitar Iโve ever heard, more energetic than Jack Black, and I donโt say shit like that lightly.
The Reverend – Whiskey Dick @ Den Oude Ketel | Photo : Bakkie Photography โ June 19th 2023
I write to my dad: ‘Heavy metal honky tonk, who ever thought we’d have a genre that fit both of us equally’. Yeehaw, motherfucking Yeehaw man!
And somewhere in all this chaos of feelings they start to play this song. I’d heard it first in The Black Flamingo and it had the same effect on me as Teardrops by James. They wrote this song for Dimebag Darrel, but in my mind it was instantly linked to my dad and my (and our) fallen heroes in music. From Johnny Cash to Luc De Vos. My dad used to text me religiously when there was anything to do with either of those artists on tv. He understood the love for the person behind the music as much as I do.
This video is almost 20 years old, that’s about how long they have been playing together!
So they are playing this song, and exactly like in The Black Flamingo, I start crying again. Having noticed this, Tiho rushes over and I am quickly comforted by an understanding and consoling hug. The musical magic of the Purple People emphasises again that I am exactly where I need to be in space and time.
Right before the show is about to end, there is a special treat! The sound man of Den Oude Ketel takes place behind the drums and plays a song with Whiskey Dick and James who has been the honorary third member for these past few songs. Kudos to the sound man by the way, the music sounded spectacular all through the night. Having followed bands around a little, itโs not always a given that the sound is so well balanced. (Come to think of it, thatโs a compliment I also have to extend to Jo and crew at The Black Flamingo because the sound is always spot on there as well.)
I will end this with the following song. Fritz was delighted so many people turned up to see them on a lousy Monday night. He told us โHereโs where we tell Tuesday to kick our ass.โ He was right, Tuesday did kick my ass because I left there way later than anticipated and drunk as hell on music. I have no regrets.
JAMES HUNNICUTT & WHISKEY DICK – Monday, June 19th 2023 – Den Oude Ketel, Heist Op Den Berg
Part 1: An ode to The Black Flamingo Part 2: An ode to The (Purple) Black Flamingo people Part 3: Whiskey Dick and James Hunnicut: Live
Part 4: Post show Purple Flamingos!
So the show is over, alas. But it is still coursing through me. It is now part of my blood and my genetics. (I know that’s not how genetics work, that was a hyperbole.) But I am walking on air. I totally forgot to yell at Jo. Like I could ever yell at him. I talk some more with the Ann/Mia about everything music. (I cut her off quite abruptly mid conversation when Whiskey Dick was starting. Sorrynotsorry. You get it!) And then I am suddenly next to this man.
The Reverend. My thoughts have not found the proper order in my head so I loudly proclaim something along the lines of: HELLO DO YOU KNOW HOW GREAT YOU ARE AND WHAT IS THIS MAGIC ARE YOU A WIZARD. (Yes, I have the uncanny ability to talk without punctuation when properly fired up.) He accepts the weirdass compliment, that was actually a question, with a blushing smile. He just does something he tells me. He doesnโt really know what he does, he just jams out. He didnโt have a classical background in learning music. It seems to me he doesnโt know HOW MAGICAL he is! This is not false modesty. I probably embarrass him more by doubling down on my point that they might even be better than my beloved Tenacious D. I use more superlatives, then tell him thanks for the show and turn around so other people get the chance to gush to him.
I think of how the talented people in the movie Soul go into their zone when they make music. How their talent takes over and they are one with the artform they choose. (Or which has chosen them.) I believe the Reverend has talent like that. So much so, he doesn’t even fully grasp his own gift. I am reminded of this quote by another very Purple Person.
It doesn’t stop being magic just because you know how it works.
Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men
I almost bump into Fritz. I go on another tirade of DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE BETTER THAN TENACIOUS D and vaguely tell him why I am there. How Jo lured me into them without me even knowing it. How theyโd gone from people Iโd never heard about to ONE OF MY FAVOURITE bands with just this show. He seems pleased with being the love child of Hetfield and Cash in my mind’s eye. I tell him in as few words as I can manage about my dad, the synchronicity, the Purple People and the birth of Polexia Miller. And he totally GETS all the weird rambling crazy that spills out uncoordinatedly from my mouth.ย
We talk some more about band ideas and personas. I tell him about something I have in the works and even though it is partly impossible for him to understand what exactly it is, he still understands and loves the gist of it. I make another mental note about Los Bastardos and how I need to hear more about it asap. Also, the 20 other bands the three men are in. I have a big back catalogue ahead of me!
And then Fritz calls in James Hunnicutt whoโs being fussed over by some other fans. I tell my same story and about how I am going to write about this night and that it might (will most definitely) turn into a series. James listened transfixed to my idea about being the rock journalist and the band-aid and how my blog is just that. He is so much into the idea that he invites me along for Muddy Roots, to come as their guest and tell the story of that amazing festival in between.
He understands how me doing this because of and for the music, can also be a big help to the music, artists and festivals. Artists are almost never good at self promotion. So I yell about how great they are for them. So they donโt have to. (Also because I can’t stop it. It is an affliction. A wonderful, magical affliction, Lisa!)ย
Unfortunately it would later turn out Muddy Roots doesnโt share this vision for the future (Yet), so no guest-pass for me. It is probably for the best, because my body was rejecting my rock and roll lifestyle, and Iโm not sure if Iโd have survived a three day festival at that point. Though another of my new musical obsessions Van Tastik played a fantastic set there, I am sad to say I missed it.
But something tells me Iโll be seeing him soon. And there’s talk of a Muddy Roots trip with the Flamingo people for next year, so there is that to look forward to too! Plus, for anyone interested: Whiskey Dick and James might be coming back to The Black Flamingo next year, but I digress.
At some point I start gushing to James about his impossible voice, in much the same way as I talked about the Reverendโs guitar playing. He reacts in the same completely-oblivious-to-his-own-actual-talent way. These people are special. And they donโt even know HOW special.
After this sea of words floating from my mouth towards the musicians, returned by their encouragement and interest, I am left with three big bear hugs and a huge smile on my face. (If it wasn’t yet clear from the above photos.)
My dad is in ALL of this. He is here, in the music. In the people. Theyโre all so goddamn Purple. This is where I am supposed to be. This is what I am supposed to do. This is what it is all about.
Somewhere in the chaos that is this night, I get to talking to two very bearded dudes. One of them had already signalled to me with a thumbs up during the performances. โListen first, talk laterโ, he said between songs. (My kinda person!) Afterwards he asked me if this was the first time seeing all of this. (Was it that obvious? Yes.) He had seen me fall in total love throughout the entire night. My WOOโs getting louder and longer, and tears and smiles beaming on my face. He is Rob and the other one is Papa Juice , former owner of Bacchus cafรฉ, apparently one of the hotspots I have the misfortune of missing in its existence. (I think that man represents a series of blogs in itself, so Iโm not even going to take that side step now!) You can hear James mentioning him in the intro to Bad Girl.
Important to know is that the one guy (Papa Juice) owned a bar and the other guy started frequenting the bar. Why, you ask? Because of the music, obviously. His daughter, who is about my age, told him to come see a gig there with her. And then dad never left. Heโs seen Whiskey Dick there before and followed the music to The Black Flamingo. This story is special for so many reasons. The music, the family connection and the new start it represented to him. So unbelievably symbolic for this night and this music and this month of synchronicity that is June.
After some more talking, I discover that Papa Juice has a corvid tattoo (I forget if it was a crow or raven) and he brings in James because he has one too. And you already know of my obsession with this subspecies of bird.
And with this, I set the stage for part five and the road to Den Oude Ketel in Heist-op-den-Berg where I will meet all of the above Purple People again for the next James Hunnicutt/Whiskey Dick double bill I will attend. The road to it was both literally and figuratively littered with feathers.
Part 1: An ode to The Black Flamingo Part 2: An ode to The (Purple) Black Flamingo people Part 4: Post show Purple Flamingos! Part 5: Whiskey Dick and James Hunnicut: Live @ Den Oude Ketel
Part 3: Whiskey Dick and James Hunnicut: Live @ The Black Flamingo
Stardate, Wednesday the 14th of June. We have finally arrived at the centre of it all. It is a beautiful, hot summer day. In driving up the yellow sand road towards The Black Flamingo, it clicks I have never seen this place in the daylight. It is even nicer and more peaceful than I could ever imagine. The little chapel with the Mary statue draws my attention and drags me back in time to my childhood. My dad would have loved this and probably hung it in his backyard, as well. I donโt have much time to mull on this however, because the music pulls me into the doors.
You have to know first, Jo and I have been excitedly exchanging messages about the night. He sent me a picture of three bearded men who seem to be having a good time in the garden of The Black Flamingo.
I ask who is who in the picture, so I have a better idea what to expect for the night. Somewhere my wires got crossed and I thought I was going to see a Reverend-something (There are a lot of them in the type of music I am expecting.) as the opener and that Whiskey Dick was a James and a Fritz. I had a vague idea I was in for a good night.
Iโd never heard about that Reverend, but the attempts at listening to Whiskey Dick, (While simultaneously trying to tame my hyperactive brain into writing about other music.) had proven entertaining enough. And as I said, word from Jo was good enough. He was VERY excited, so I knew it had to be GOOD. I was amply amped for Whiskey Dick. I thought I was prepared for what was coming. I settle into one of the comfortable recliners and let the notes start to wash over me.
I WAS NOT PREPARED! Not in the slightest. Because first I am totally confused about who I am seeing. Thatโs the Reverend! Wait, is he a Reverend? No, his name is James. Oh. Okay. Who cares about names anyway at this point. THIS IS AMAZING. I didnโt write down much, because most of the time I was just staring in awe. Funny that Jo captured this song Bad Girl when it is one of the only ones I reference in my notes. (Great minds and all that!) Listen to THIS!
I barely remember where his performance ended and Whiskey Dickโs began, because they like to get on stage with one another. So next up is a jumbled mess of two performances that intertwined so much Iโm not even going to try and untangle them. So from now on we have three key players. There is James (Hunnicutt), the opening act and occasional backing vocals to Whiskey Dick. (Weird to call him that, because his voice could never (and should never) just be in the back, but we will get to that.) Then we have Fritz and the Reverend who make up Whiskey Dick. Now that I got the confusion out of the way, letโs get on with the show.
James Hunnicuttโs voice is indescribably great. At one point he praises Fritz for his great bass voice but James goes from high to low without batting an eye. The notes are crystal clear and he can hold them for impossibly long. I am sitting there, absolutely gobsmacked. Thinking of all the ways I was going to yell at Jo: HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN! Nicely, mind you. As I said, I get loud when excited.
So, THAT VOICE. But more than that, he pounds his guitar and moulds it to his words. Chords that go so deep you can almost feel it in your teeth. His string gives out, but he plays the song until the end. But it was his final song, so thatโs a nice magical way of rounding up.
The audience wants more though. He gives in with a request by one of the audience members. I later find out she is a really nice lady, who breathes music and lyrics as much as I do. This is her tattoo. Her name is Ann but her alter ego is Mia. (MIA! Like Gorki. In my head at least.) She told me the whole story but I was too entranced to write it down. Look at what it says. It could be my new life motto.
Sheโs followed James Hunnicutt for years now. I totally understand why. The song is โDonโt let teardrops fill your eyesโ. He starts playing it, Fritz and the Reverend do a silly dance in the back and sing along. The more he sings โdonโt let teardrops fill your eyesโ, the more teardrops fill my eyes. See for yourself.
(The dance you see happening behind James is a thing that has started during a show when he felt sad to play that song. People from the audience started dancing it behind him to make him feel better and encourage him. From then on, it has been almost mandatory to dance the dance. If that isn’t Purple as fuck, I don’t know what is.)
The nonsense in between the songs is Purple. James, Fritz and the Reverend are three friends making music and touring. They love what they do and they love doing it together. (There is talk of them actually doing it together, as Tres Bastardos, but I will go into that another time. I will find out more, but what I heard made me SQUEE with joy.) It all adds a layer to the magic. They have voices and sounds that go all through your body, to the tips of your toes. This is the kind of mindfulness I can dig. Feeling the music rush through you, both physically and emotionally. James takes a seat in the audience while Whiskey Dick takes the stage. He pets Caramel and comments on HOW GOOD his mates are.
So I already told you a bit about Fritzโ voice, so I had already settled down on that while writing my next notes. I start off by going crazy about the Reverend and his guitar playing. I address him directly: โReverend, seriously, one would start believing in God seeing such virtuosity. Effortless virtuosity no less, while chain smoking and quickly putting his butt between the strings and batters away on them. This is also where I call him the silent force of the group and compare him to Kyle Gass from Tenacious D.
You must know by now I am a HUGE fan of the D. The day before The Black Flamingo show, they had played at Vorst Nationaal. I hadnโt been there and up to this point I was a little bummed out. Jo and Tiho had gone and I had been SO jealous and reliving my night with Tenacious D in my head. Let me tell you. Whiskey Dick made me forget about missing Tenacious D. Like, Iโd seen that and I hated Vorst Nationaal anyway. And the energy of this band reminded me so much about what I had lived there.
At this point, I feel the need to mention that by calling the guitar picking Reverend the silent force, I am not saying Fritz isnโt completely fantastic in his own way. Because the power chords he pushes from his guitar are mental. And that voice, itโs like James Hetfield and Johnny Cash had a love baby. Actually, the music also holds vaguely in between those genres. They themselves call it Yeehaw Metal and I am here for it.
I am in love with that voice, and entranced by that guitar playing. How the fuck do you get that kind of sound out of a very normal acoustic guitar. At one point it sounds like intricate violin playing. I see the Reverendโs feet move over the pedals in front of him and am completely transfixed. I make a note to ask him after the show โHOWโ.
I feel like I am in second grade. I remember liking my teacher so much, he always made me smile. At one point I asked him if I could stop smiling, because my face hurt. This is how I feel right now. I am in the comfortable embrace of the nice couch letting it all wash over me and wrap me like a warm blanket. A metaphorical one, because it is still really hot out. Pour one out for our fallen heroes they sing. This is life.
All good things must come to an end, so unfortunately itโs the same in this case. But they didnโt leave without going out with a bang. There is one song they havenโt played. It was especially requested for Misses Black Flamingo, who usually doesnโt attend, but who was front and centre for Whiskey Dick. The song is a cover of Purple Rain by Prince. He is one of those artists I donโt have much of an opinion about one way or the other. (Yes, that happens!) But Whiskey Dickโs rendition of the song made me a fan of Purple Rain. Not only because it has Purple in the title. It was a perfect ending to an already perfect night.
Iโm not only enjoying that cover immensely through my own eyes and ears. Most of that song I am watching this scene of mother and son bonding over so many different meanings to a song. Not just what is in the words, but what it represents to them. To Tiho it is about his friend who died too young. But he is with us in spirit, because his picture is a permanent fixture on the wall of The Black Flamingo. There may be a lot of music loving spirits here.
It is the end of the show but not the end of the night because I still have yet to meet these three amazing human specimens. And some other class act people.
But Iโll have to keep that for Part four: Post-show Purple People. Because there is still so much story to tell.ย
JAMES HUNNICUTT & WHISKEY DICK – Wednesday, June 14th 2023 – The Black Flamingo, Nijlen
Part 1: An ode to The Black Flamingo Part 2: An ode to The (Purple) Black Flamingo people Part 3: WhiskeyDick and James Hunnicut: Live Part 4: Post show Purple Flamingos! Part 5: Whiskey Dick and James Hunnicut: Live @ Den Oude Ketel
Part 2: An ode to The (Purple) Black Flamingo people
At this point in the story, weโre hanging out post Clyde McGee/pre Pete Bernhard in the lovely sunny garden of Tequila Tattoos. The two little doggos that hang out there flit from person to person, demanding pets everywhere. Thatโs how we get to talking to Mister Black Flamingo himself, weโll call him Jo, because thatโs his name and also very much shorter than writing Mister Black Flamingo himself. Heโs accompanied by his son Tihomir (what a fucking BAD ASS name, by the way!) and since weโre all animal lovers, we bond instantly over the nice dogs.
I took a while before I realised who I was actually talking to. (That happens a lot more to me than you would think, especially when there are animals nearby.) When I realised he was the owner of THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD, I suddenly remembered I used to do this thing called writing. Like in general, but also more recently, specifically about music. I tell Jo that I would love to write a piece on the best hidden venue in the world and start telling him what kind of articles I already wrote. “Yeah, I did this bit on Amanda Palmer and also this photo thing on The Dresden Dolls”, full-on expecting the only half interested “who?” I usually get it when I tell people about my idols hyperfixations. But, get this. He not only knew of them, but he really liked them.
So in true Julie style, I start bombarding him with questions and recommendations and I go into full hyperfixation mode. If I hadn’t already lost my audience at the “who?“, this is where the rest usually take off. But not in this case. I had found my match, someone who is as hyper-fixated on music as I am. It wasnโt the longest of talks because we had to cut it short for the Pete gig and after that I got distracted by the whole setlist thing.
When I got home, I sent him the link to Amandaโs solo gig in New Zealand which felt so much like the one I wrote about in Antwerp. As you can maybe tell by the above, my self esteem was apparently so low, I wasnโt expecting much of a reaction. But then. He responded in exactly the way I would have. He GOT it. And we havenโt stopped messaging since. Whatever kind of crazy theory, idea or brain fart I throw at him, he just simply gets and runs with it.
Him, and his band of merry vagabonds at The Black Flamingo, might be just as much the instigator to my Purple People vision as that specific song by Gogol Bordello is. A lot of the synchronicities I talked (and will talk) about between the first Pete Bernhard gig and today have also been related to the music, The Black Flamingo as a safe space and all the people surrounding it, and Jo and his son Tihomir in specific.
The synchronicity in threes has not stopped since. Jo sees them everywhere now too, much like the Purple People. I am infectious! I start the Pete, me and The Devil Makes Three series off with a reference to a certain black flamingo with pink on the inside and me as a pink flamingo who is black on the inside. Turns out we’re both just different shades of purple.
Also birds. (Another hyperfixation of mine, go figure!) Lots of synchronicities with birds and feathers. Not just flamingos; black, purple or otherwise! Like the Crane, which I use for a nickname since my name is Van Craen. Turns out Jo has a taxidermy Crane. The road to WhiskeyDick and James Hunnicut was also littered (both literally and figuratively) with them (feathers, not cranes, thankfully), but I will get to that in one of their parts of this series.
I genuinely believe that I missed that first The Rabids gig for a reason. I feel like I needed to discover The Black Flamingo exactly when I did. A bit earlier and I might have missed the magic and the synchronicity. Life had knocked me out. I was battling my inner demons when my dad first suffered and then died. Nothing made me happy or hopeful. The world was too dark to see the pin pricks of light. Another thing I feel deeply (Not necessarily believe, but FEEL, so I chose to believe in it.) is how my dad had a hand in getting me there. It was all so intrinsically linked to each other with so many weird and wonderful signs and timings, it has been a helping thought in healing.
Nothing wrong with your brain…just a little bit jumpy I guess ๐
Jo
So what I have found here is a place full of people where I donโt have to pretend to be normal, because normal is boring. They see the passion behind the awkward and clumsy and are fully passionate about something too. They see the Purple. They ARE the Purple. I give a crazy band idea and everyone is in for it. (To be continued!) I blurt out all the wrong words in the wrong order and they understand the meaning behind the uttered words. When I am worried if my crazy theories and stories on here are even remotely understandable to read, I get a message that tells me they are.
In discovering new friends at The Black Flamingo, I found enough light in the dark to start up my old blog again, and then in turn synchronicitously getting back in touch with all the people I forgot I counted as friends. Music is one of them, but I also mean some actual Purple People in my life which have resurfaced. So for them, but also for all the people struggling with depression or burnout or whatever you (want to) call it. You see enemies everywhere, but thatโs only because you are looking through the wrong glasses.
In the words of The Rabids:
AND YOU SEE ENEMIES EVERYWHERE FEEL LIKE YOU DON’T BELONG ANYWHERE YOU FEEL ABANDONED BUT YOUR PEOPLE ARE STILL THERE DON’T TELL YOURSELF THAT THEY DON’T CARE
The Rabids- Enemies Everywhere
And while simultaneously giving me LOADS to write about, Jo and The Black Flamingo, and everything that happened in the wake of my first visit there, gave me the actual confidence to find and use my voice again. So I started writing, writing and writing and I have barely stopped since. Meanwhile, Jo is always one of the first ones to read and like my blog. Better yet, he even started his own blog about music. While you wait for part three in the series, in which I ACTUALLY see the band for the first time and talk about their music, you can go read his The Blog Flamingo!
Beware though, you might also go down the rabbit hole of hyperfixation on music, because I canโt believe some of the things he recommends to me. Like, I canโt believe they havenโt been in my life until now and HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED THIS!
Like this guy. Wait for the voice. My immediate thought was ‘My dad would have loved this!’
So when this man tells me to not forget to come check out WhiskeyDick at The Black Flamingo, I say YES. Even though I have no idea who they are and bad imagery in my brain links them to about the complete opposite of what they turn out to be. Even though I barely have the time to even think about listening to them since it seems thereโs a show every day. So I say fuck it, and just go.
PS: There is a ridiculous lack of photos in this post. Itโs the musicโs fault. See, I went there last Saturday in my Flamingo-est of outfits, fully prepared to take just one pic with Jo and Tiho and some internal shots of the place. I was NOT going to write about the bands there, I didnโt CARE HOW GOOD THEY WERE. I was there with a purpose. To enjoy the music and to get some pictures and hang out with nice people. About Three seconds into Kevlar, I was writing merrily away in my notes, and though I did notice SO MANY things to photograph for this post, I just simply forgot.
So one day, I will add photos. Or make the photos into another thread of this series, who knows. Thereโs also talk of a blog dedicated to all the animals at The Black Flamingo, I heard. (Where, who told you that?) But for the next few posts, this series will finally talk all about WhiskeyDick, James Hunnicutt and why the fuck they are so special. (And all of the synchronicities in between. And more of the Purple People.)
Onto part 3: Wherein WhiskeyDick and James Hunnicutt rock The Black Flamingo and leave me unexpectedly crying.
Part 2: An ode to The (Purple) Black Flamingo people Part 3: WhiskeyDick and James Hunnicut: Live Part 4: Post show Purple Flamingos! Part 5: Whiskey Dick and James Hunnicut: Live @ Den Oude Ketel
Yes, you read that title right. This is a series about a band and their opening act, but in this specific post I will not mention much of either. I am pretty sure they will understand. (I will sing their praises loudly and proudly later, donโt you worry!) But this story begins somewhere in March, long before their actual gigs in June. Long before I had even heard of these three men. (Three! It is ALL connected.) The story of The Black Flamingo and its people (and amazing animal friends) is too integral to the story of the music. And moreover, too integral to the story of me and of DownSideUp.
It all began with an invitation to see Static. โIt’s in this little place in Nijlen, you will love it there!โ Here’s the band at rehearsals in that very same place! (They are the artists in residence, yessiree Bob!)
I remember hearing good things after their (and my) friends of The Rabids played there in August. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend that gig, but fortunately they made me a video! (And I have had the pleasure of seeing them play at The Black Flamingo since this all started.)
So, two months after sticking my toe in to feel the water at Trix with Amyl and The Sniffers (who also got their very own three parter), I venture out to see live music again. As you can read in that post, the timing of the Amyl and The Sniffers gig had been horrible. I did not feel like going out. I couldn’t give two fucks about music at that point. But that band sparked something in me, kickstarting me for the night everything changed and the light went on again. I wasn’t sure about going out to see Static that day, but because I really like them and was curious what all the fuss about The Black Flamingo was about, I reluctantly ventured out.
I now note, trying to track down all the dates, that I unknowingly crashed Jo’s Birthday Bash! (Happy belated birthday Jo, I’ll try to do better next year when I actually already know you before crashing the party.) Anyway, I had a great time. I talk to a few people I haven’t talked to much before and discover there is a BAR CAT.
Not just any bar cat, meet the beautiful and cuddly ball of fur that is Caramel. (LOOK AT THOSE PAWS.) She loves live music (unless it gets too loud *cough*Static*cough*) and milk creamer from a fancy plate. Anyone that knows me, knows I have now fallen in love with this place the second I laid eyes on her. There is music, nice people AND a cat? And the nice man behind the bar gave me a creamer to give the cat. I mean. That’s like my perfect night out, can I get a season pass please?
So as you can tell by the above video, Static was really nailing it as well. The night was a success. Not a mind blowing success yet, but at least I had something resembling fun. It got me into gear again and I went to a few more shows before finally driving back on the yellow sand road towards The Black Flamingo at the end of March. I had been told some Pete guy would play there. You know, from The Devil Makes Three. Had you told me then about the ride that one night would take me on, I would not have believed you.
Julie and Caramel the cat bonding before or after The Rabids gig.
As you can tell from my three part love song, I pretty much fell in love with music again that night. I realised music needed to be a big part of my life again. And that I needed to hold it there, because it is such an important puzzle piece to surviving in a world that is not made for me. Music and animals are my only two off-switches. Without them, my head is constantly on high volume. I need loud music or purring to achieve silence in my head, something like that.
We already had tickets for The Devil Makes Three in June but I decided to go see Pete at Tequila Tattoos about a week later. (Still kicking myself for missing the Titanic gig. I had no excuse!) It is there that I finally meet mister Black Flamingo himself. But that story is for part two. Yup, just decided The Black Flamingo gets TWO parts in a series about a band and their opener. It is just that great a place. And I promise it is connected. I believe wholeheartedly that James, Fritz and the Reverend will understand why I have to write this all down before I can get to their bit.
Let’s just conclude I have found my new happy spot and my newest favourite venue of all time. It’s not open to the public (yet), but I’m sure if you ask nicely, someone could let you know how to find that beautiful yellow sand road, that leads to a place of happiness, good people and fucking great music.
And I’m pretty sure that one day a band like Nirvana will only have played at The Black Flamingo before hitting it big. And then everyone is going to claim they were at that show that had only twenty to fifty people in the audience. And I will know which people were actually there. Because the people around The Black Flamingo have a different shade of Purple. It nears black, but holds all of the pinks inside!
I leave you with The Rabids with Clarity at The Black Flamingo. For your viewing and listening pleasure, while you wait anxiously for part two in the series. More ode to The Black Flamingo and its people incoming!
So, I have been hinting at this so-called review in a fewpostsnow. I labelled it a concert review, but it has turned into so much more than that. It’s an ode to music, punk spirit, Purple People and community. My notes started off in Dutch, but then quickly veered into English because of all of the people who touched the experience. (Iโm sorry if this is confusing, but this is just how my mind works.)
Plus there’s another part to Gogol Bordello that isn’t even about the music or the people but is highly relevant in the world right now. By this I mean their activism and support for Ukraine. (I will definitely touch on that , but will have to expand on that subject in yet another post because there is just SO much to tell).So in saying all this, English makes my little voice louder, and that can amplify their message too. So there. Another three parter. Plus a Fourth. Which will really be the Fifth. (Hey, did I just declare a triology in five parts. Speaking of kindred spirits, I mean!)
It was done. Gogol Bordello has left the stage. I am left behind very fulfilled, wandering around smiling a bit, before checking out my coat and finding the merch stand. I had already decided on the t-shirt I was going to get while waiting before the show. (Sadly I have yet to wear ANY of my merch since June was so FUCKING HOT. But itโs fine, new threads for Autumn, when my body can handle sleeves again!)
I quickly tell my preference to the lovely lady behind the stand and note Eugene walking back there. Sadly he is on his way backstage again, probably completely knackered after such an energetic show. No matter, I had been lucky enough as it was in the last week and months, I wasnโt planning on making band friends that night. I also add one of their lovely (and super practical) totes to my purchase, after seeing the proceeds go to support Ukraine.ย
Sergey Ryabtsev and Julie
I turn around and who do I bump into but Sergey Ryabtsev aka mister electric violin himself! I manage to get him to sign my bag in pink sharpie, (Yes, I might never use this beautiful, practical bag again for irrational fear of it washing off. I will still very much enjoy and cherish it.) and have a quick picture taken. After ‘smoothly’ blurting out how much I loved the show and his playing in particular, I leave him to enjoy his after-show breather.ย
On my way out the door, I suddenly decide to turn back. During the show, the opener Puzzled Panther came on stage for one of the songs, and it just registered in my brain that they were the lovely ladies behind the merch. I venture over there and swiftly bond with Victoria Espinoza and Kay Buontempo who hail from NYC and have just been picked up by Gogol Bordelloโs label.
Improvised photoshoot with Kay and Victoria of Puzzled Panther and Julie
I tell them how sorry I am to have missed two seemingly bad ass women on stage and promise to listen to their music. As is usual with Purple People, they arenโt mad I missed their show, but really enthusiastic to tell me all about it. At this point, there havenโt yet been any releases, (that I am aware of, correct me if I am wrong in the comments!) but I am anxiously waiting to tell you about it when they do release something!ย
What I did find was this lovely excerpt from a live show they did with two of their songs. I’ve also seen bits and pieces on the Puzzled Panther Instagram as well, so give them a follow and wait with me to add them to all the playlists!
Dumb European as I am, I comment to Kay: ‘Oh, you’re from NYC, like all cool merch people I meet. Do you know Joey Steel and Van Tastik?’ Of course she doesn’t, because one isnโt even from NYC (Van Tastik, he lived in the NY area but has since moved all over and now lives in the Netherlands) and NYC itself has a population nearly the size of Belgium, but I just get so excited.
Like I didnโt already think there had been too many weird coincidences that week, Kay drops the bomb on me when subsequently asking me if I normally speak French because I have a French accent in my English. The same question one of those broad NY area merch people, Fallen Reverend Van Tastik, had asked me not two days earlier. Feeling like this is synchronicity nudging me along, I end up buying a Puzzled Panther shirt as well. I thank these amazing Purple People, tell them I will write about their music and almost hop skip out of de Roma, drunk on music and life yet again. It is right then and there that the idea to Polexia Miller is born. I will write my own Almost Famous story. Letโs see how this ends! But first, read on about how it starts!
At this point, I am floating on clouds through the streets of Antwerp, back to the car that had eventually been parked about a half an hour walk out. It is a nice night and as soon as we leave the Turnhoutsebaan, it gets pretty quiet and we donโt see any passersby. A few silent streets into our journey I hear some English from a street corner and turn my head. I turn back. I do a double take. This CANNOT be. It is the three Brits I lost between the encores. This is Polexiaโs time to shine!ย
Letโs finish what we barely started here. I begin an on the road type interview and try to take as many notes as I can. (I fail miserably to write anything down coherently, but I still got the gist of it all. Note to self, use recorder.) I ask them if itโs their first time in Belgium, which as it turns out, it is. Not only that, but they hadnโt really thought about a visit and had just followed Gogol Bordello because they rocked their socks off. They saw them a week earlier at Slam Dunk Festival in Leeds(For all that is holy, look at that line-up. I need to incorporate festival vacations!)
They came back from the festival, went on a leisurely trip to their friends in Normandy to eventually end up in Belgium for the show. It had been a good but also very rough week on them since they told me they had been drinking since the previous Wednesday. (The night this takes place is Friday in case anyone wants to do the math.) Though the conversation and information is a scattered chaos at best, I must say they hold their drink well. (I would have toppled over somewhere on the first Thursday probably.) And I thrive on chaos, so this is my โnormalโ and I am enjoying every minute of our half hour walk. Because yes, they need to be in almost the same place as we do, because the universe has made it so.
As a beer loving Belgian, I canโt help but ask how theyโre liking our beers since their version of Stella is watered down. The poetic words โI wouldn’t poke Stella with the dick of an enemyโ were followed by the second ode to Pimmโs I had heard in ever. (Apparently it is like the nectar of the gods. So much so that when The Rabids played the coronation party at the British store Stonemanor, they ran out and there was a public outcry. Which was then followed by the first ode to Pimmโs by an amazing British woman I still need to tell you about. Anyway.)
A great tit sits at the top of a pine tree – Lasse Nystedt
A lot of other amusing profanities are thrown around that I won’t repeat here, because some things are better off the record. Speaking of record. That part I forgot, to take an actual picture of the guys. At some point I had tried to shoot a video of their rendition of ‘Start wearing orange’. (My incapacity to do three things as well made me fail this miserably.) Well, Ian and Tobyโs rendition. Tim mentioned that they had been changing the word Purple for whatever they could find the whole trip and it had been bugging him to bits.
Then, out of nowhere they give up on the Gogol and go straight for MMMbop. (Read here why that song/band is so important to me.) In my confusion (also, I was trying to cross a street and not get run over) I missed filming it. Lucky for me they pretend-believed me when I said my camera was off. If only for 15 glorious seconds.
Tim, Ian, Toby (and also deceased asshole cat Ralph), it was a pleasure meeting you and I hope to see you on my musical travels again! Have fun going viral, maybe!
Looks like we made it to the end! There will still be a part four, about the Gogol Activism, but I have another live music story to tell that needs to come first. I am not yet sure how many parts it will contain, but it is also FILLED TO THE BRIM with the Purpleest of Purple People.
GOGOL BORDELLO – Saturday June 3rd 2023, De Roma Antwerpen
So, I have been hinting at this so-called review in a fewpostsnow. I labelled it a concert review, but it has turned into so much more than that. It’s an ode to music, punk spirit, Purple People and community. My notes started off in Dutch, but then quickly veered into English because of all of the people who touched the experience. (Iโm sorry if this is confusing, but this is just how my mind works.)
Plus there’s another part to Gogol Bordello that isn’t even about the music or the people but is highly relevant in the world right now. By this I mean their activism and support for Ukraine. (I will definitely touch on that , but will have to expand on that subject in yet another post because there is just SO much to tell).So in saying all this, English makes my little voice louder, and that can amplify their message too. So there. Another three parter. Plus a Fourth. Which will really be the Fifth. (Hey, did I just declare a triology in five parts. Speaking of kindred spirits, I mean!)
I had made it in time. The show was about to start. To contain myself, I start typing basic notes. As usually happens when seeing bands, I discover they made new music since I got to know them. (I am very lax in following up on things that are not hyperfixations. That does not mean I love something less, it just means it hasn’t seared itself into my brain yet for some reason.)
Always good to see new music! Solidaritine is the full studio album from 2022. Even better to see is that, in true punk spirit, it is not just a collection of nice sounding notes and chords to dance to. It is a rebellion to the Russo-Ukraine War, taken on tour even as far as the actual frontline. (That’s that WHOLE other blogpost I was talking about. I am not going to go in it, because by now you must be sick of me bait-and-switching you. Just be aware at this point, new music exists. I feel I have to mention this fact on my honour as a journalist, because I will not be able to be neutral when I go on.)
I quickly rush over to the bar to get hydrated before dancing my ass off, but to no avail. The line is too slow and the first tones of Gogol Bordello are sounding out. Oh well, I follow the music, skipping into the beautiful hall that is de Roma and I am instantly smiling.
The energy is purple today. Gogol Bordello radiates something unique from off of that stage. A vibrant life energy, as strong as the sun. You are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Rhythmically moving your body to the tones, as if controlled like a puppet on a string. It takes you over. Their unique sound, their full-on enthusiasm, mixed in with what looks like absolute chaos. That’s the way I like my music! It is exhilarating. It breathes life into a whole room full of people who are transfixed in happiness. It is a sight for sore eyes.
Gogol Bordello @ De Roma | Photo : Mathias Verschueren โ June 3rd 2023
It’s just an instant party from note one, is what I am saying. We are all the Purple People here and you can’t help but feel a part of something bigger. Unlike most Belgian crowds, this one dances and screams with joy. It’s all that purple, it bleeds out.
Meanwhile, the interval workout my Fitbit is telling me I am in, is wearing me out. These guys play no slow songs, I really have to work on my cardio for next time. But itโs all good, I have some notes to take to try and explain what is going on and why I am so ecstatic here.
A lot of my notes are about beautiful instruments again. Firstly I notice the gorgeous seafoam green archtop (not resonator) guitar that singer Eugene is handling. Then I go on to mention the electrical violin with a resolute โfuck yeahโ behind it. I am impressed by a solo the violinist Sergey was playing which I wrote down was a painful song that reminded me of El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge. (A huge plus in my book, I cannot tell you how much I love that movie and that soundtrack.)
I also get pretty excited about the โfucking accordeon lady, yeahโ further on in my notes. I also note she strapped a giant drum to herself and banged her heart out. Unfortunately, I was too far off to see who I was mentioning and my pictures are not helping. I also wrote ‘see X rocking the Banjo‘ but also have no photographic proof of banjos on stage to reference the great X. I am sorry for not being able to name these, clearly amazing, musicians. YOU ROCK so much I have no way of finding out who to shout this at!
Gogol Bordello @ De Roma | Photo : Mathias Verschueren โ June 3rd 2023
Thereโs nine people on the stage dancing around the fire. The lung capacity of Eugene is impressive, how he can sing, jump and bellow out the words is an impressive feat to witness. This band has the same breaking-down-the-house energy as SONS did in this very same room. No wonder I had to be reminded of them pre-show. When the band is just as drenched in sweat as their audience you know itโs a good show. Insert teaser pic from the last post:
During-show-selfie up the top of the stairs at de Roma. Sweating and smiling. (THE sign of good music!)
The best mosh pit breaks out, people are surfing across the heads like thereโs no tomorrow, so I run upstairs to the balcony to get a better look. I stop to take above selfie of my happy face and head in. What an amazing aerial view of the party of bobbing heads and bodies below! I sit myself down, (mostly because a nice man asked me to get out of the aisle, but happy to grant my body a little much needed rest.) and enjoy a few more songs like this. Excuse this crappy video quality below, but it serves to just to give you an idea of the mayhem and beauty of it all.
Then I hear it. I get up and thrust my Roma Feestbier in the hands of my compatriot. (Literal HOLD MY BEER moment.) I run up the aisle and see a like minded spirit doing the same. I call her out: โwe have the same idea, youโre doing exactly the same thingโ. We smile broadly, both rush downstairs and start dancing to ‘Start wearing Purple’. I dance so fast as to blur the reds and blues of my dress into pure purple. I lose her in the crowd. Besties for life, still, nameless person. โค
There’s a little lull in the music. Is it over? A break? Someone saw that I was unsuccessfully trying to Soundhound a song, and comes over to help me out. (Somewhere in the dancing confusion, I lost track of where I was in my notes, so I had to go full on investigative journalist on myself to find out what song I was even referencing. Turns out it was the song I compared to El Tango de Roxanne earlier and is an Angelic Upstarts cover called Solidarity.)
Alright, thanks again Joris from Ruddervoorde for helping me out. I asked him if he’d ever seen a Belgian audience go wild like that and if he had danced himself. And he agreed he hadn’t yet seen that level of enthusiasm and he’d danced himself. He is a big fan and his last time at de Roma had also been for Gogol Bordello. The encore starts up and we lose eachother in the sea of happy, sweaty people.
More hopping around ensues and I keep stepping on my dress that is really too long for this. Itโs all good and well. (I notice my preferred personal space circle gets a lot smaller in a happy dancing crowd, oddly enough. I donโt even mind the people bumping into me or getting drinks poured over me (usually). Itโs just what happens when weโre having fun.) Gogol Bordello keep on playing encore after encore. This band is indestructible!
So many encores already, that in another lull between encores I think they canโt possibly play anymore, so I strike up another conversation with some people near me. Turns out they canโt help me with my โenthusiastic dancing Belgiansโ question since theyโre British. They do confide in me that they were dancing like crazy because of the band and the beer.
I almost follow them out for their smoko, but decide against it when I hear some more music blasting off the stage. No way I am missing even a second of this party. Bye unknown strangers, no way Iโll ever find you in the crowd after the show to finish this story. (Spoiler for part three: I DO find them, in the most unlikely of places and they serenade me with MMMbop. Proof incoming.)
In short. Gogol Bordello is life. The music and the musicians are amazing and wild. The crowd is a joy to be a part of. Itโs not just a show. You make friends here. Itโs a place to just enjoy life. Itโs a world of its own. Full of purple people. Full of hope.
The end of part two. Part Three will contain all after show events. Which includes:
The lovely ladies of Puzzled Panther, the opener I sadly missed!
A meet and greet with violinist Sergey.
A chance encounter with three Brits, long thought lost.
Huge thanks (again) to de Roma for the beautiful professional shots I get to use. Featured image in this post also by Mathias, as shown in part one-ish.
Huisfotograaf Mathias Verschueren en Jef: <3!
GOGOL BORDELLO – Saturday June 3rd 2023, De Roma Antwerpen
Eindelijk, eindelijk, zoveel eindelijken! Eindelijk terug zomer. Eindelijk terug festivalgronden. Eindelijk lukt het me eens om vrij te zijn op Brakrock. Eindelijk mijn eerste Brakrock dus, een absolute schande en groot verdriet dat dat tot nog toe niet gelukt was. Vorig jaar pikte ik wel Punk in Drublic van dezelfde organisatie mee, en we weten allemaal hoe dat is afgelopen. (Te lui om te klikken op de link? Het was daar KEIGOED!)
Melvin DnB set – Punk in Drublic – Foto: Captured By Jonas
Dit jaar denk ik dat ik, zeker tegen dan, mijn zitkussentje weer zal nodig hebben. Misschien heb ik er zelfs stiekem wel hele fijne plannen mee! Volledig in de spirit van Polexia. Wordt vervolgd ๐
Op mijn allerliefste bucketlist der optredens staan (voorlopig) nog twee bands die ik ook zo ook al een paar keer op het nippertje misliep. Bij nader inzien, zelfs beide wanneer ze op Brakrock speelden, als je het kan geloven. The Toy Dolls en The Vandals wil ik al jaaaaaren live bezig zien. Beide bands met hun heel eigen, herkenbare sound. Van die nummers die opspringen in een playlist en waar je instant vrolijk van wordt. (Zo leerde ik ze ook kennen, in playlists van anderen en elke keer ik keek omdat ik een goed nummer hoorde dat ik nog niet kende was het een van beide bands. Daarna heb ik hun volledige back catalogue maar ineens in mijn playlists gesmeten.)
Ergens in de winter al was ik dus al plannen aan het smeden. Want THE TOY DOLLS komen dit jaar naar Brakrock. Het moest ook ineens een ticket voor twee dagen worden want Me First and The Gimme Gimmes komen er ook terug naartoe en jah, die ga ik nooit laten passeren, en al zeker niet op 15km van mijn voordeur. Overigens, ik zag Dolls bassist Tom ‘Tommy Goober’ Blyth al eens eerder met The Gimmes in juni 2017 in de AB. Synchronistische cirkels enzo.
Dusja, er is er hier eentje zeer excited voor 4 en 5 augustus! Goede vooruitzichten en ondertussen kan ik nog even bekomen van deze zalige maar kapot vermoeiende maand. The rock and roll lifestyle is wearing me out, y’all! Maar I wouldn’t change it for the world, want het brengt me ook ZOveel energie.
Tussendoor ook nog wat bijschrijven over alles wat ik hier nog niet genoteerd kreeg, zodat ik tegen dan zeker terug op schema zit voor lofzangen aan deze en alle andere bands die ik daar ga zien. Ik ga nog rustig de volledige timetable afwachten voor ik daarin verdere plannen maak. Er staan alleszins al bands genoeg op de shortlist als je die affiche ziet! (Ik ben trouwens ook instant gecharmeerd door de poster met de skatende eenden-madam, dat spreekt. En Willy is de nieuwe StuBru, maar da’s voor een andere keer!)
Het zal zichzelf wel uitwijzen waar ik moet zijn, ik moet gewoon de muziek en de mensen volgen, zoals elke keer!
So, I have been hinting at this so-called review in a fewpostsnow. I labelled it a concert review, but it has turned into so much more than that. It’s an ode to music, punk spirit, purple people and community. My notes started off in Dutch, but then quickly veered into English because of all of the people who touched the experience. (Iโm sorry if this is confusing, but this is just how my mind works.)
Plus there’s another part to Gogol Bordello that isn’t even about the music or the people but is highly relevant in the world right now. By this I mean their activism and support for Ukraine. (I will definitely touch on that , but will probably have to expand on that subject in yet another post because there is just SO much to tell).So in saying all this, English makes my little voice louder, and that can amplify their message too. So there. Another three parter. Plus a Fourth. Which will really be the Fifth. (Hey, did I just declare a triology in five parts. Speaking of kindred spirits, I mean!)
Yes, this song again. I know they have others. Bear with me.
Weโll start at the beginning and that is long before the concert even started. Actually, The Devil Makes Three were probably not even back on their tour bus yet, after an exhilarating performance at De Casino. Was walking to the car, drunk on music and experiences, as usual after a show. I was so happy about my night with the Three and SO looking forward to the show I will eventually start to describe. (I promise.) Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw this beautiful human walking ahead of us.
The Purple People energy is high in this picture!
I caught up with him and possibly yelled at him: ‘DO YOU KNOW GOGOL BORDELLO!’ (Yes, it was a question, but not framed as one.)
He didn’t seem frightened or taken aback by this sudden attack on his way to the station.
No, he in fact did not know what a Gogol Bordello was. He in fact had known what a Devil Makes Three was for THREE YEARS before seeing them that night.
It was his mom who recommended he see this show. HIS FIRST EVER MUSIC SHOW YโALL. Because of all the bullshit that caused the lockdowns and the annus horribilis 2020 that set everything in motion. The year I had to put reviewing on hold, even though I had only started a few months earlier. The day I thought of my first Polexia Miller post. Two days before the birth of the actual idea behind it. That day was the day he saw the show of the band he had loved deeply for years. I can SO relate to that.
In my adrenaline filled excitement I either forgot to ask for his real name, or forgot to remember it. (BUT my brain DID have the forethought to ask for his Insta so I just sent him a frantic message. Second time I had to do this in a week. No wait, third! Anyway, it’s Noah, HI NOAH! ) Itโs all good, who needs real names when weโre already 100% on the same-energy level and already planning drinks?
Now. We’ve finally arrived. The wait is finally over. It is Saturday. It is time to mix among the Purple People. I am BURSTING to the core. So much so that I have to throw myself out of the car about a 10 minute walk from de Roma in Antwerp, because we HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR PARKING FOR 45 MINUTES. We had already missed the opener, I was starting to get really anxious, so I gave myself a breather. Shit. My partner in crime, still driving the car hopelessly around, had the tickets. SO CLOSE. Okay, donโt panic. He sent them. NO, itโs SONS! (Though I wouldnโt mind going back, I am just here for a different sort of mayhem today.)
After another frantic, and probably not so nice (sorry, I was really overwhelmed) call, I get the right tickets. I walk in awkwardly and finally find a place to sit (also awkwardly). But who do I spot with my kaleidoscopic eye, but yet another kindred spirit!
Julie + her spirit person and outfit inspirator: Regula ‘Queen of Baking’ Ysewijn.
Of COURSE she is a Purple Person. A true free spirit, who brings colour and beauty into this world. I am by no means a Master Baker, but I am in absolute love with both the UK & Flemish version of The Bake Off. (It used to have Sandi Toksvig before she grew tired of merengues.Now she’s on one of my other favourites QI. But I digress)
So seeing the Queen of Baking (and fashion) there, after my mini freak out, (you probably can’t tell, but I had been crying just seconds before.) felt like the best possible omen. (Spoiler – because this is getting long- IT WAS!)
Gogol Bordello @ De Roma | Photo : Mathias Verschueren โ June 3rd 2023
We made it. Part two will ACTUALLY contain a written record of the ACTUAL performance. Pinky promise. (I think you may have just witnessed the birth of a new hyperfixation.) Spoiler?
During show selfie up the top of the stairs at de Roma. Sweating and smiling. (THE sign of good music!)
The end. For NOW!
Huge thanks to de Roma for the beautiful professional shots I get to use. Huisfotograaf Mathias Verschueren en Jef: <3!
GOGOL BORDELLO – Saturday June 3rd 2023, De Roma Antwerpen
Ik ben een vrouw van vele woorden. (Vraag maar aan wie me kent, of kijk hier gerust even rond.) Vandaag even niet. (Geloof me niet, het zijn er uiteindelijk toch wat meer woorden geworden. Had je iets anders verwacht hier?)
Enerzijds heb ik mezelf verplicht eens twee dagen letterlijk plat te rusten en geen ellelange stukken te beginnen waarin ik me helemaal ga verliezen. (*Kuch* Gogol Bordello *kuch*) Iets van uw grenzen kennen en respecteren.
Anderzijds omdat ik gisteren een grens genegeerd heb om toch maar deze The All Star Wedding Band te kunnen zien. Mijn lichaam vertelde me dat ik eigenlijk niet NOG een avond vol enthousiast rondspringen en brullen aankon. Goh, technisch gezien waar, want mijn verplichte rust vandaag is niet zo moeilijk vol te houden gezien mijn lijf als lood voelt en toch niet veel meer kan (en wil) dan liggen. (Sent to you van uit mijn geweldige tuinstoel!) En mijn stem ligt nog ergens in Poederlee. Wat er dan nog van overbleef na Antwerpen en Sint-Niklaas alleszins. En niet dat ik die hier nodig heb eigenlijk.
Maar dan krijg ik dit schitterende beeld doorgestuurd, dat van me werd gemaakt tijdens de set van The All Star Wedding Band op HeggeRock. Dit is Polexia Miller in levende lijve in 1 beeld. De foto vertelt het verhaal en verder hoef ik er eigenlijk niet teveel woorden aan moet vuilmaken. (De woorden tot hier tellen dus al niet he!) Here goes:
The All Star Wedding band is een coverband van Me First and The Gimme Gimmes. Meer nog, ze gaan verder waar MFaTGG begon en trekken hun eigen lijn in fijne eigenzinnige covers. Ze spelen de platen die jij kent, je moeder, je grootmoeder en zelfs je tiener (en misschien de kleintjes ook als #likeme ze al gecovered hebben.)
Het is altijd een FEEST. (Zie foto) Plus, je geniet er jaren van na, want ik denk dat eindelijk alle confetti had gevonden die we meebrachten sinds de laatste keer we ze zagen eind 2021. (Zie foto)
Die keer in 2021 gebeurde er overigens iets speciaals. In mijn grootste fantasie vroeg de zanger van ofwel Me First and the Gimme Gimmes of die van The All Star Wedding Band me mee op het podium, want ik ken zo goed als elk nummer in alle richtingen. En die keer gebeurde dat dus, he! Ik riep enthousiast en met een al compleet kapotgezongen stem dat ze O Sole Mio moesten spelen. Deden ze, maar alleen als ik mee deed. Challenge accepted!
Deze keer mocht ik de Olivia Newton John parts van Summer Nights meebrullen! (Helaas was mijn fantastische fotograaf van dienst op dat moment ook te afgeleid om hier beelden van te maken.) Dus, moet ik nog meer zeggen? Misschien dit:
Mark is Knap!
Zie ze genieten met haar drumstokje!
Oh, en aan bangelijke zanger Tom: onderstaande is waarom ik zeker wรฉl de tekst kende. Of hoe รฉรฉn man een generatie tienermeisjes met een onrealistisch (maar hartverwarmend) beeld van liefdesbetuigingen opzadelde.
Verder alleen nog: GAAT DAT ZIEN! Ze komen naar zowat elk dorp in Belgiรซ. Ik ben alvast duchtig data in mijn agenda aan het markeren!
Deze reportage in drie delen is iets waar ik al even op broed. Ergens tussen de zeven en twee maanden ofzo. Ik moest er eerst iets anders uitkrijgen voor het allemaal een logisch gevolg van elkaar werd. En natuurlijk wachten op het laatste deel uit de trilogie voor ik ze kon schrijven.
Geniet van deel een, op een van mijn meest favoriete plekken van de wereld. De rest van het verhaal? Hier zijn Deel 1 en Deel 2.
Part 3: Pete Bernhard als een van The Devil Makes Three LAST STOP: De Casino, Sint Niklaas – 1 juni 2023
The Devil Makes Three @ De Casino| Foto: Sven Dullaert – 1 juni 2023
Ok, nu moet ik proberen iets te maken van de notities van het optreden van The Devil Makes Three. Een kleine opgave, want het is weer een complete chaos van (halve) woorden en (half afgemaakte) gedachten. Ik ga er gewoon een ding van maken en bij elke reportage de slechtste/beste stukken copy pasten en in een lijstje te gieten. Ik noem het: een deel van mijn charme.
In de gevleugelde woorden van dit fantastische drietal: “If you wanna do wrong, do wrong right.” Hierbij: The Devil Makes Three, als beschreven door enthousiast persoon die niet goed kan typen zonder fouten tijdens het dansen:
Ode aan de banjo:
Banjosolo
Banjosolos!
Morher did bes she could done good banjolo, wie had er van 10j Julie gedacht dat ze zou gaan voo banjosolos (auto Johnny cas)
Cooper McBean (en zijn banjo) @ De Casino| Foto: Sven Dullaert – 1 juni 2023
Bon, ik had het dus wel voor de banjo van Cooper McBean. Heel, heel, heel hard. Banjolo hard! (Nieuwe catchphrase, check!) Maar ik heb ook gewoon iets met bepaalde instrumenten. Ik wist nog niet dat ik het had met banjo’s. Altijd wel een leuk geluid gevonden, maar sinds dit optreden is het een absolute favoriet geworden. Wat die man met dat ronde ding deed was onbeschrijflijk. Zie bovenstaande BANJO lijstje als klinkend bewijs. Tienjarige Julie zou me trouwens ZO oncool vinden. Maar dat kind wist nu eens NIKS van muziek.
Hier het nummer dat ik in het laatste puntje vaag en vol spelfouten probeer te omschrijven, overigens.
Over de instrumenten gesproken. Relatief nieuwe aanwinst MorganEve Swain (2020 was ergens gisteren toch, in muziektermen?) en haar schitterende contrabas. Net een van de instrumenten die ik zou inkaderen, als er dan niet nooit meer geluid uit kwam. Kijk, bas is altijd al cool. Contrabas geeft een volle klank en heel andere sfeer die perfect aansluit bij de sound van deze muziek. Of zoals in het (deze keer verrassend leesbaar) noteerde: “Omg cello bas is het meest sexy instrument, sorry saxofoon” en “Heerlijke bassiste”.
MorganEve Swain @ De Casino| Foto: Sven Dullaert – 1 juni 2023
Ik vind het overigens heerlijk om een relatief ‘klassiek’ instrument in een andere setting te zien. De blazers in Ska-sound van The Rabids, de viool bij Gogol Bordello, een vleugelpiano die bijna als percussie wordt gebruikt door Amanda Palmer. (Bij The Dresden Dolls speelt ze op een elektrische versie, maar heb me al vaak afgevraagd hoe de vleugel in die context zou passen.) MorganEve bespeelt haar contrabas alsof het een extensie is van haar ledematen en dat is zo mooi om te zien.
Pete Bernhard en MorganEve Swain @ De Casino| Foto: Sven Dullaert – 1 juni 2023
Pete Bernhard en MorganEve Swain @ De Casino| Foto: Sven Dullaert – 1 juni 2023
Ik lees verder: “All hell to the greatest esales/oh hell.” WAT? Waar wou ik daar nu weer mee naartoe? Ah, misschien weer een nummer. Ahja. Maar dus geen hell , noch esales (al snap ik dat mijn brein of autocorrect die fout maakte gezien mijn verleden op een klantendienst.) Het was: “all hail, all hail, to the greatest of sales” uit onderstaande:
All hail – Live! (Hier nog met ex-contrabassiste Lucia Turino.)
Soms slaagde ik er wel in om het nummer (alleszins enigszins) juist te benoemen.
Haleluh? Heerlijk!
Jubilieeeeeee (There will be a Jubilee, n.v.d.r.)
Graveyard of dreams (The Graveyard, n.v.d.r.)
“Twee keyhole guitars omg hartjes” schrijft enthousiaste muziekinstrumenten-leek Julie op bij het zien van volgend beeld. Ondertussen heb ik het eens opgezocht, in plaats van het kind zomaar een naam te geven, en het zijn dus archtop gitaren. (Anders dan deze van Clyde McGee overigens want dat is dan weer een resonator of dobro gitaar. The more you know!) Hoe ze dan ook officieel mogen heten, elke keer ik keyholes zie ben ik al verkocht. (Ook al hebben ze een heel andere sound. Maar ik ben niet kieskeurig, ik hoor het beide gewoon graag.)
Cooper McBean en Pete Bernhard @ De Casino| Foto: Sven Dullaert – 1 juni 2023
Had ik nog puntjes? Het zal wel zijn!
Jammy guitar links solootje (Ik vermoed dat ik bedoelde dat Cooper zijn banjo inruilde voor de archtop, zijn naam niet meer wist en het dan heb aangeduid als de linkse gitaar. Ik geef mezelf punten voor het goede gebruik van links. Tenzij je natuurlijk van achter hen aan het kijken was, dat spreekt.)
Eigenzinnige versie bekendste (Kijk, ik ben slecht in titels, maar ik vermoed dat ik hier onderstaande bedoelde. Ik kan ook niet garanderen dat het voor mij bekendste nummer, ook effectief hun bekendste is. Ik ontdek muziek op een heel chaotische manier.)
De versie die ik hoorde voelde nog anders aan in mijn gedachten, maar hier heb je al een idee hoe het live toch al een tikje anders klinkt.
Ik weet niet vanwaar ik het haalde trouwens, maar ik had in mijn hoofd dat ik niet veel meer ging doen dan wiegen zoals in The Black Flamingo en Tequila Tattoos. Denkfout! IK was vergeten hoe dansbaar de Duivelse versie van Pete was. Toch was ik blijkbaar verbaasd dat er gecrowdsurft werd. (Lees: ‘Crowdsurfen onverwacht’ n.v.d.r.) Opnieuw een denkfout van mezelf, want: waarom zou een uiting van complete vrijheid (en ook vertrouwen in je medemens om je te ondersteunen) alleen maar kunnen beleven bij pakweg punk en metaloptredens?
The Devil Makes Three @ De Casino| Foto: Sven Dullaert – 1 juni 2023
Aflsuiten doen ze (alvast in mijn relaas) met een nummer waar ik het volgende over schreef: “Gonna get high, in het publiek zijn we dat al.” Een natural high dankzij de geweldige muziek dan toch. (Al kan ik natuurlijk alleen maar over mezelf spreken. Weet ik veel welke soort Bluegrass daar in allemaal de zaal circuleerde.)
Het optreden is gedaan. Mijn verhaal nog niet. (Niet stoppen met lezen, er komen nog twee KEIgoeie artiesten aan bod!)
Cooper McBean, MorganEve Swain and me (also three). Zie mij blinken! (Van zowel blijdschap als adrenaline, dopamine en zweet van al dat rondgedans.)
Ik moet eerst schaamtelijk toegeven dat ik het voorprogramma zo goed als helemaal gemist heb. Niet door verkeersperikelen deze keer, dat excuus heb ik niet. De merchtafel was mij aan het roepen. Ik ging โsnelโ โdat shirtโ halen. โDat shirtโ werden er twee en ik deed er ook ineens een bandana en een poster bij. Ik mocht het van de lieve merchdame allemaal laten liggen tot na de show zodat ik mijn poster niet beschadigde. (En andere mensen niet raakte met het projectiel dat mijn veel te volgestopte handtas zou worden.) Dubbel dank, want als ik dat niet had gedaan, had ik ook geen poster gekocht tot na het optreden en waren er ook geen meer. En dan had ik deze foto niet gehad.
Pete Bernhard(One devil), me and the Devil makes Two! In totaal met vier. Ik ken mijn wiskunde.
Plots word ik afgeleid van rechts. De merchman van voorprogramma The Bones of J.R. Jones vraagt me of ik Franstalig ben, want blijkbaar heb ik een Frans accent in mijn Engels. (Toevallig genoeg de eerste keer ooit dat ik dat hoorde en ik hoorde het nog spontaan van 2 onafhankelijke andere Engelstaligen in dezelfde week. Iets met synchroniciteit.) We raken aan de praat want hij is een Italiaanse Amerikaan, die eerst naar Frankrijk verhuisde en dan naar Nederland. Ik noem hem een ereBelg en zeg dat hij nu nog enkel Duits moet kunnen en dan blijkt dat hij dat ook gewoon kan. Laat ons stellen dat er een veeltalige discussie ontstond over communautaire problemen, rednecks, religie en geloof en anarchie. Wie mij een beetje kent weet dat ik ondertussen het gevoel heb mijn soulmate tegen het lijf te hebben gelopen, haha. (Ik discussieer nogal graag en dan liefst over onderwerpen waar je volgens de normen vaak beter niet over praat. Of toch niet wanneer je iemand nieuw leert kennen.)
Julie en bestie Van Tastik
Blijkt dat hij naast merch verkopen van Mister Jones ook een โday jobโ heeft: hij maakt zijn eigen muziek onder de naam โVan Tastikโ. In de woorden die ik ergens op het internet vond, om maar aan te geven hoe hard hij op deze blog thuishoort:
Welcome to The Church of the Fallen Reverend VAN TASTIK where I tell people to โShut up and Danceโ. Music is meant to bring us together, this I know!
En serieus man, hoe goed is die? En weer zo’n resonator, aaah.
Bon, instant besties dus, maar ondertussen heb ik wel nagenoeg het hele optreden van The Bones of J.R. Jones gemist. Ik verontschuldig me na de show bij de man zelf en geef mee dat hij minder entertainende merchmensen moet inhuren. Ik beloof hierbij ook plechtig dat hij zijn eigen post krijgt, want hij was een absolute ontdekking voor mij in de stukken die ik wel zag. Hij had รฉn een resonator รฉn een banjo, hoe kan een mens geen fan zijn.
The Bones of J.R. Jones @ De Casino| Foto: Sven Dullaert – 1 juni 2023
En die stem, dat komt nog al eens binnen. Groot bereik, warme weemoedige klank of zoals ik het iets plastischer uitdrukte in mijn notities: “Fokking sexy stem.”
En, heeft er iemand zich al afgevraagd waar Nico blijft? Wel, die is voor de derde keer aanwezig samen met Cedric. Ze waren ook al in de Flamingo en toen hadden onze levendige persoonlijkheden elkaar al aangetrokken. Dankzij Nico ben ik eigenlijk ook mee op โtourโ gegaan naar Tequila Tattoos, want anders had ik mogelijk niet eens geweten wat ik tussen Pete in maart en The Devil Makes Three in juni had gemist. Waarvoor dank!
The Bones of J.R. Jones en Julie
Waarvoor NIET dank? Awel, ik zal het eens zeggen, se! Als Nico je ooit iets over mijn eerbaarheid vertelt, mag je hem zรฉker niet geloven. Het ging weer over de setlist van vorige keer en ik glipte tussen de gordijnen van De Casino om snel te vragen aan de lieve merchlady of zij dat toevallig voor mij kon scoren. Nico had mijn move snel door en bracht zijn eigen pleidooi door te suggereren dat ik een groupie en geen band-aid ben.
Ik laat u met de laatste gevleugelde bedenking die ik maakte: Can I get a selfie with the instruments?
Want ja, ik ben ZO een groupie. Eentje die laaiend enthousiast is over de muziek en vooral foto’s en handtekeningen wil om het moment te kunnen capteren. Want heel eerlijk, toen ik hoorde dat Pete Bernhard naar The Black Flamingo kwam had ik wel een “Van The Devil Makes Three” nodig voor ik wist om wie het ging. Als ik je muziek KEIGOED vind, maar (nog) niet in hyperfixatie zit kan het best zijn dat ik je gewoon voorbijloop. Zwaai gerust naar mij, de kans is groot dat ik je muziek wil bespreken of in elk geval eerst ontdekken!
Laat Nico je dus nooit iets wijsmaken, hij is gewoon JALOERS! ๐
PS: Ook een dikke merci aan Sven Dullaert voor zijn schitterende foto’s van het optreden. Veel beter dan mijn vage smartphone foto’s. ‘t is dat deze pagina al veel te zwaar geladen is, anders gooide ik de rest er ook nog bij.
Deze reportage in drie delen is iets waar ik al even op broed. Ergens tussen de zeven en twee maanden ofzo. Ik moest er eerst iets anders uitkrijgen voor het allemaal een logisch gevolg van elkaar werd.
En natuurlijk wachten op het laatste deel uit de trilogie voor ik ze kon schrijven.
Geniet van deel twee, op een van mijn meest favoriete herinneringen dit jaar. (Tot dan toe althans) De rest van het verhaal? Hier zijn Deel 1 en Deel 3.
Part 2: Pete Bernhard (met Clyde McGee), eerste Europese solo tour SECOND STOP: Tequila Tattoos, Hulshout- 9 april 2023
Het is symbolisch. Het is de verjaardag van ons pa en daarom ben ik hier. Daarom spelen ze hier. Synchroniciteit. Ze, want Pete Bernhard is herenigd met zijn tourbuddy Clyde McGee voor een bijzonder mooi intiem optreden.
De sfeer voor het optreden is ontspannen. Het is een van de eerste echte lentedagen en we zitten in de tuin van Tequila Tattoos. We zijn omringd door fijne mensen, schattige viervoeters en een gevoel van anticipatie. Er wordt gelachen, geaaid en gedronken. De eerste gitaartonen klinken van binnen en we schuifelen allemaal achter elkaar aan naar een plekje in de Tattoo shop.
Opnieuw: instant liefde voor het instrument. (Ook weer een thema in deze reeks.) En daarmee bedoel ik zowel stem als gitaar. Wat een mooie, warm-diepe sound heeft die man! Een absolute aanrader als je hem ooit in een van zijn gedaantes (solo of met The Bridge City Sinners of The Milltailers) kan zien? Niet denken, gewoon GAAN. En de gitaar? Ja, daar heb ik een zwak voor, zowel naar geluid als vorm. Helaas krijg ik voorlopig geen zinnig akkoord uit mijn vingers geperst, anders had ik er minstens al zo รฉรฉntje! (En dan nog liefst een blauwe, zoals Eugene van Gogol Bordello, maar da’s voor later!)
Zie die gitaar. HARTJES.
Na de show sprak ik Clyde even aan om te laten weten wat het me deed dit soort muziek te mogen ontdekken op de verjaardag van mijn pa. Ik weet niet meer exact wat er gezegd werd, maar het liet me alleszins achter met een heel warm gevoel.
Een kort sfeerbeeld. Onthou zeker de man in het oranje kostuum en de top hat. Hij komt later nog terug!
Dan werd het tijd voor hoofd act Pete Bernhard. De muziek komt bij mij even hard binnen als in The Black Flamingo. Ik sta daar wat op mijn voeten te wiegen met een gelukzalige glimlach op mijn gezicht. Ik beweeg door de ruimte en raak in (fluisterend, geen zorgen) gesprek met Cedric, iemand die bij het vorige optreden ook aanwezig was. Ik kan me ook niet meer exact herinneren wat er werd gezegd maar het ging over burn-out. Het waren alleszins begrijpende woorden over de natuur, rust opzoeken en dergelijke meer. Alweer iets dat je kan verwachten in het publiek van een optreden. (H)erkenning. Schoon toch?
Excuses, ik heb geen goed beeld van Pete alleen omdat ik te hard bezig was met te wiegen en glimlachen.Ik ben dan ook schrijver en geen fotograaf.(Voor deel 3 รฉn Gogol Bordello heb ik wel deftig beeldmateriaal gefixt. Enfin, ons Polexia met haar grote mond heeft dat geregeld.)
Na het optreden liet diezelfde kerel mijn autistische brein, geheel onbedoeld, achter met het grootste mysterie van mijn leven. (Overdrijving. n.v.d.r.) We stonden samen te wachten aan de geรฏmproviseerde Merchtafel. Komt daarbij: de man met het kostuum. Hij heet Nico en is een belevenis op zich. (In de beste zin van die woorden, mocht daar twijfel over bestaan.)
Er ontstaat een speelse schermutseling tussen Nico en mezelf om wie de originele set list krijgt en wie de kopie. Ik heb verloren en door die hele heisa ook mijn kans gemist om mijn setlist getekend te krijgen.
No worries, want die van de eerste show was al geannoteerd รฉn gehandtekend door Pete. Ik zie nog de kans schoon om een van de prachtige tourposters te bemachtigen en laten signeren door beide artiesten. Veel beter.
Suck on that, Nico! (Pas op, hij komt NOG eens terug, he! Derde keer voor wie mee aan het tellen is.) Mijn setlistkopie krijg ik zeer uitgebreid en op geheel onleesbare wijze alsnog ondertekend terug. Schrijver van dienst is weer die Cedric, die zich op dat moment alleen maar als ‘De broer van Franky’ wil kenbaar maken. Komt daarbij dat mijn brein zijn hoofd plaatst op de man die me eerder in The Black Flamingo vroeg of ik ‘de zus van de Spijker’ was en het mysterie was geboren.
Toevalligerwijze kwam ik hem in deze Week Der Optredens tegen bij The Chats. Daardoor weet ik dat de broer van de Franky gewoon Cedric heet en helemaal niet mysterieus, maar gewoon lichtjes dronken was. (Ik liet hem trouwens achter met mijn eigen mysterie, (of dat beeld ik met toch in.) waarover later meer! Het is hier nogal iets met al die cliffhangers tegenwoordig, seg. En de haakjes.)
De Merchvangst van de dag, trots uitgestald op de tafel waar later mijn Kapsalon (dat ik niet opgegeten kreeg van de pure adrenaline) zou gebracht worden, door een man die het schouwspel met een zeer geamuseerde blik aanschouwde.
Deze, voor u als lezer mogelijk onnodige, zwierige zijsprong om aan te geven dat het hier niet alleen om de muziek maar om de verbondenheid draait. Ahja, en de traditionele selfies natuurlijk:
About keeping in touch with your inner child (and following all your old dreams.)
Okay, you might view *ALL OF THIS* (gestures wildly to this blog) by now as a dramatic midlife crisis. I call it keeping it touch with your inner child, because they knew what was up. (Maybe not necessarily about everything, but about the most important things.)
Anway, I was recently advised, (among many other things, but this one was the one I struggled with.) to use prayer as a means of getting through bad thoughts or moments. Not in a God shall smite Thee way, but more like any form of higher power you believe in. And I don’t really believe in a deity or other higher power. I mean, I love and worship Mother Nature daily, but I wouldn’t ask her for help with my issues. (She has too much work already, saving the bees.)
But the answer was so clear to me and has been staring me in the face with every blog & social post Iโve written in the past couple of weeks. I believe in the concept of synchronicity. I was pretty sure I wrote about it on my old blog, which Iโm slowly trying to rehaul over to the current iteration. I was looking for that post and came across this one from 2010.
Written on the THIRD of June in 2010. The last few weeks and months have revolved around the number three in way or another. Just check this series called Pete, Me, And The Devil Makes THREE for instance. (A tour in THREE parts, full of THREES.) In the last crazy week of performances, Gogol Bordello finished the bill at De Roma onโฆ You guessed it, the motherfucking THIRD of June of 202THREE, 1THREE years after writing that blog. (I know, I know, I should get to writing that Gogol Bordello love letter, but I am BOMBARDED BY SYNCHRONICITIES in THREES, so give me a second to catch my breath. – Also, I am writing this bit from the future where the review of the actual performance of the band is done: read it here!)
What does Gogol Bordello then have to do with anything I hear you wondering? (Aside from me accidentally finding this above song while simply looking for a gif and wondering how this would sound in a Gogol-Flavour.) The world needs this Eugene, the universe is telling me to tell you!). Well, they’re the Purple People. (I’ll explain later) What I mean is that I found community and meaning in music last week, in so much more ways than one. Walking out of de Roma that THIRD of June, I made a decision.
I am going to stop trying to see which parts that could fit me, and focus again on the parts that have always fit. Writing. Music. Yes!
After which I, by the way, totally accidentally located the THREE Brits I was trying to interview between the two encores. (That’s a show in THREE parts, in case you were counting.) I had lost all hope of finishing that bit of the story by then. They were the only people we crossed on a half hour trek to the car. They sang me MMMbop which was synchronicitous in and of itself. My sis and I went to see Hanson together a few times now. They’re amazing musicians. Also, did you know they are a TRIO and the last show we saw was their 30TH Anniversary tour? Just saying.
The first one we were going to see, I missed because Amanda was in town and my sister understands my hyperfixated brain a little. But then Taylor and Amanda were playing not just on the same night but also the same venue. And when I saw them kick a ball backstage at Trix, my brain almost exploded. That performance you ask? The 3x3RD of the 2X6TH month of 2017 if you were wondering. But that weird and random link just settles it for me.
This as a complete aside just to mention all the THREES, but the rest of the Gogol Bordello Brits and their lovely rendition of MMMbop will grace this blog soon.
But, asides aside. The thing is, just yesterday I used that very same video (from the Prime Zomer van de Kijker campaign in 2010, not 2008 as I believed.) to cast my newest alter ego, Polexia Miller to this website, who is entirely based on THE MOVIE I AM PROMOTING IN THE CLIP.
Yes, I am yelling. (Sorry, I get excited.) Yes, this all might not mean anything. It probably doesnโt, and Iโm realistic enough to know that full well. Theyโre stupid coincidences. But I am choosing for them to mean something.
Just like the jackdaw (another hyperfixation) that ‘followed’ me on my way to a big day, was the one I saved last year, wishing me luck this time. (Like any and all jackdaws I’ve since encountered.)
Just like I am choosing to see any reference to Johnny Cash as some sign from my dad.
Just like I am choosing to believe this came on my path (both literally and figuratively) for a reason. To learn to accept the donut, but also to see and appreciate the donut-givers.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually actively chosen to believe in something. And now I wholeheartedly CHOOSE to believe. In something that brings me great comfort. That some people could even find odd and stupid. I choose it and I own it. And it is goddamn liberating.
And that is what being a Purple Person is all about to me. That’s what my newest original soundtrack song means to me. Choose Purple. Choose anarchy from your own thoughts.
So that’s what I am going to do. Be the best purple version of myself, doing the things I love best. And I can never really tell what language the thing is going to take. So I am going to keep switching I am sorry if that is confusing to any readers out there, but I hope you appreciate the liberty I can feel by not limiting my creative quirks. And I think that no limits is best with the Gonzo Journalism style I’ve apparently adapted.
(Disclaimer: all the purples you see on this blog have been a personification of my inner Purple Person. I only very recently became obsessed with this song. Another beautiful synchronicity.)
“That groupie”? She was a Band-Aid! All she did was love your band. And you used her, all of you! You used her and threw her away! She almost died last night while you were with Bob Dylan. You guys, you’re always talking about the fans, the fans, the fans; she was your biggest fan, and you threw her away! And if you can’t see that, that’s your biggest problem. And I love her! I love her!
William Miller – Almost Famous
Pete Bernhard(One devil), me and the Devil makes Two! In totaal met vier. Ik ken mijn wiskunde.
The Chats at Trix – Josh Hardy, Matt Boggis | Clumsy Crane
Julie and Dec Martens at Trix november 2023
Amy Taylor (Amyl and the Sniffers), Clumsy Crane and Seriously Hilary at Trix in november 2023
Post-show selfie with the one and only AFP
I got this picture courtesy of the only person I ever met at an AFP thing who was weird in a bad way. He let me know he snapped this pic (way better quality than my selfie) so I added him on messenger and then he turned full creep in 2 seconds. At least it brought me this picture. Photo credit,: THAT guy.
Me, Edward Ka-Spell and the I can Spin a Rainbow merch (Amanda Palmer & Edward Ka-Spel – Trix – June 9th 2017)
Julie Van Craen WebWijf Zondag Zondag
I just established my new alter ego. (Yes, yes, as if I needed any more. At least this one is not getting her own Instagram page.) Her name is Polexia Miller, she is the person I turn into when I experience (live) music.
She is part Band-Aid, part Rock-Journalist (and full on badass), so she gets the best of both worlds. The name is completely and lovingly inspired by the movie that made me want to be a (rock)journalist: Almost Famous*. My most feel good feel good film of all feel good films. Try to say that three times.
Or, try and say โfantastischโ as much as I do in the above video reviewing the movie for Prime. (Never before released to the general public.) The synchronicity (again, sorrynotsorry) of finding this today in the depths of my neglected Youtube archive made me get over the cringe of seeing myself say โfantastischโ over, and over, and over. (And over, and over.) But it doesnโt matter because I was still fucking right, that movie is a classic.
Iโll probably never really write about movies anymore because I still find it hard to recommend a film without spoiling the plot. But thatโs the beauty with rock (whatever that means) journalism. The only plot I can ruin is whether or not you should get that ticket.
Iโm pretty picky about what I go see, because I want to see SO much. I donโt think Iโve ever written a review for a performance I didnโt like and I probably won’t.
More to come still with Part 2 and 3 of Me, Pete, me and the Devil Makes Three, Gogol Bordello, The Interrupters and Brakrock soon. (Also The Rabids, but that is awaiting important input!)
So anyway, enjoy Polexia Millerโs wacky adventures in live music land and see where it goes!
*Along with April O’neil in the series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 1987. (Earlier she was apparently a computer programmer, later she became a warrior. I think the eighties got the most sexist version, but still, she was a good role model for young me.) Same goes for Rory Gilmore from Girlmore Girls, her dedication to be a journalist was the second influence. And I said I never had female role models. For shame.
Deze reportage in drie delen is iets waar ik al even op broed. Ergens tussen de zeven en twee maanden ofzo. Ik moest er eerst iets anders uitkrijgen voor het allemaal een logisch gevolg van elkaar werd. En natuurlijk wachten op het laatste deel uit de trilogie voor ik ze kon schrijven.
Geniet van deel een, op een van mijn meest favoriete plekken van de wereld. De rest van het verhaal? Hier zijn Deel 2 en Deel 3.
Deel 1: Pete Bernhard, eerste Europese solo tour FIRST STOP: The Black Flamingo, Nijlen – 24 maart 2023
Sugar Cane – Live @ Black Flamingo
Het begon allemaal met een zwarte flamingo met een roze binnenkant. (Ik ben zelf een roze flamingo met een diepzwarte binnenkant, dus wij komen goed overeen.) De underground & goed verscholen private music venue The Black Flamingo is niet te omschrijven in een kort paragraafje. Binnenkort lees je hier een epos van liefdevolle woorden, eens ik ze samengeraapt krijg.
Disclaimer: De synchroniciteit van het cijfer drie in deze post is HOOG. Het gebruik van de term synchroniciteit trouwens ook.
Het was maart en de donkere wolken boven mijn hoofd begonnen eindelijk een beetje te vervagen. Tijd om me terug volledig op muziektherapie te gooien nu mijn energieniveau het weer aankon. Afspraak in de verborgen parel van Nijlen, voor de allereerste solo tour in Europa door Pete Bernhard van The Devil Makes Three.
Wat was het mooi. Wat ben ik verliefd op zijn gitaargeluid en zijn stem. Wat maakte het me emotioneel en nostalgisch. Hoe graag had ons vader dit gehoord! Tijdens de doodse muziekstilte in 2020 bracht hij Harmony Ascension Division uit, zijn derde solo plaat na Straight line (2009) en Things I left Behind (2006). Het is de soort Americana die je bij je hart grijpt en opwarmt. Gooi daar een paar goed gemikte covers tussen en je hebt een avond vol geweldige muziek.
De brede smile hieronder vertelt de rest!
De traditie van de post-show selfie zet zich verder. Wist ik toen veel wat er nog ging komen. Check de Pete Bernhard bandana, awkwardly placed op mijn eierhoofdje. (Kan je Merch-aankopen trouwens als onkosten inbrengen als rockjournalist? Asking for a friend.) Bovenaan de post bewonder je trouwens de setlist, met aanduiding van het enige nummer dat hij niet speelde.
Goed, spijtig genoeg, tijd om te gaan! Niet lang wachten, want binnen twee weken zien we hem alweer Live in Hulshout. Wordt vervolgd in deel 2!
We vertrekken. WACHT! *Springt uit auto om deze wazige foto te maken* Deze boodschap komt niet voor niets vandaag op mijn pad.
Ik haalde het aan in je grafrede. We begrepen elkaar niet altijd, maar vanaf een bepaalde leeftijd (aka voorbij mijn onuitstaanbare Get Ready fase) lukte het wel. Dankzij muziek. Er is ondertussen zoveel muziek die ik je nog wil laten horen.
Het begint al met al de nummers waarvan ik altijd al dacht, ahja, dat moet ik hem eens sturen. Waarna ik dat dan prompt niet deed natuurlijk.
Kijk, ik geloof niet in een hiernamaals of hoe je het ook wil noemen, maar het voelde vandaag echt of je met me meereed naar ons mama. Ik rij Zaventem binnen en Johnny Cash klinkt plots door de boxen. (Ok, toeval natuurlijk, er staan 100 van die nummers in mijn playlist.) Ik kom bij jullie thuis en ik hoor Brainpower op de radio. (Niet het nummer dat ik beschreef, maar hoe vaak komt het zelfs nog voor dat je Dansplaat hoort?)
Ik rij terug naar huis en hoor twee nummers van die ik je wil laten horen en begin te denken over hoe ik al die nummers hier het beste verzamel.
Het nummer stopt en begint daar toch wel Ballad of a Teenage Queen te spelen, mijn favoriete nummer toen ik jong was. Je vond het altijd geweldig dat ik zowel de diepe Cash stukken als de hoge harmonie uitbundig en luidkeels meezong in de auto. Want HOE VAAK hoorden we dat nummer niet in de auto bij jou?
Bon, hier maak ik uit op dat je het goed vond. Fijn om te horen. Plakt er daar nog eens Americana van The Offspring achter want ja, veel van de muziek die we deelden is Americana. (Ok, ok, Iโm reaching maar just give me this) En dan begin ik de eerste post op te maken en bij het zoeken naar de nummers op Youtube springt onderstaander op.
Ja gast, ik weet hoe algoritmes werken. Maar dat het net DIT Gorki nummer is, dat precies elke keer uit mijn lijst van de honderden nummers in mijn algemene playlist gepikt werd toen ik op en neer reed tussen Mechelen, Vilvoorde en Zaventem. Dat vind ik straf. De synchroniciteit is HOOG deze week. Staat er een volle maan ofzo? (Yep, gisteren. Ik geloof niet in spoken, maar wel in energie!) In elk geval, als er nu nog docu’s over Luc De Vos op de tv komen ga ik ze sowieso missen. Jij was altijd degene die stuurde ‘Jul, documentaire over X om Xuur op (meestal) Canvas.’ Nu moet ik het zelf uitzoeken.
Het idee voor deze post is beginnen rijpen dankzij Peter Bernhard (The Devil Makes Three) en support Clyde McGee (Bridge City Sinners) die ik ergens in maart beide solo bezig zag. Het gevoel dat ik hem nu wel MOEST schrijven werd veroorzaakt door alweer een synchroniciteit van het leven. Kom ik deze week bij De Casino voor het optreden van The Devil Makes Three en wie zie ik daar boven de bonnetjesautomaat wanneer ik even vastgeklemd wordt in een doorgang :
Johnny Cash giving me the finger. Jij had die foto ingekaderd op je kast en ik liet ooit voor jou deze karikatuur maken. Toevallig genoeg door de vorige eigenaar van mijn huis Jan Op De Beeck. Alsof ik het woord synchroniciteit nog niet genoeg gebruikt heb op dit blog, maar als dit geen synchroniciteit is, dan weet ik het niet.
Het moment dat ik mezelf terug vind en mijn (bijna) beste leven leid, lachend en dansend op de tonen van de muziek, na een diepgaande conversatie over anarchie en de alternatieven. Net dat moment zie ik deze foto als bevestiging van de richting die ik in moet slaan. Ik voel je over mijn schouder meekijken hoe ik mezelf maak.
Ik word nu รฉcht rockjournalist, papa. In welke vorm dan ook. Je gaat nog van mij horen! En zelfs als jij mij niet meer hoort, en ik allerlei onnozele toevalligheden probeer te bundelen om mezelf beter te voelen, dan hoor ik je toch nog spreken in de noten.
Hier zijn ze, al de liedjes die ik nog wilde laten horen in een playlist. A work in progress.
Zeven maanden. 242 dagen na je begrafenis heb ik eindelijk de plaats gevonden om dit te delen. Zowel letterlijk als figuurlijk.
Jij en ik, wij begrepen elkaar niet altijd even goed, maar we vonden elkaar terug in heel wat kleine en grote dingen. In de dialect-taal die je me leerde. Ik neem nog altijd mijn โkazekeinโ en mijn โvareusโ als ik het te koud heb.
Onze liefde voor dieren, hoewel we ze in een ander licht graag zagen. (Niettegenstaande ik je wel heb gezien, die ene ochtend om 6u toen je dacht dat we nog sliepen en jij vrolijk tegen mijn konijn aan het brabbelen was.)
Onze liefde voor bloemen en planten. Als we je een naam vroegen hoorden we steevast de latijnse benaming. Dat volgde je op met waarom het wel of niet een goede plant was voor onze tuin en desnoods enkele alternatieven. Onze tuinen dragen de groene sporen van je tips en hulp.
Maar bovenal vonden we elkaar in onze gemeenschappelijke liefde voor boeken en muziek.
De boeken, dat klikte altijd wel. We moesten je niet vragen om een nieuwe haarspeld van toen misschien 50befr, maar wanneer we naar het boekenfestijn gingen, waren alle remmen los. Dan zag je twee kleine Van Craen-tjes achter de grote Van Craen huppelen, elk met stapels boeken hoger dan hun hoofd.
Bij de muziek heeft nog wel even geduurd voor ik het echt goed besefte. Hoe lang ik me niet een beetje schaamde dat je me elke dag op dezelfde vrolijke bassige gitaartonen en het ritme van Johnny Cash afzette aan school. Hoe lang ik je wel niet plaagde met dat afgelaste optreden van Johnny Cash ergens eind jaren โ90. Hoe lang ik het me ga beklagen dat we het nooit samen hebben meegemaakt.
Omdat ik nu mijn eigen woorden niet vind, leen ik er enkele van jouw en mijn favoriete artiesten en schrijvers.
Ik lees de advertentie De zwarte omlijning benadrukt de essentie Omschrijving voor die andere dimensie De letters van je naam, ze branden in m’n netvlies Emoties hectisch, ik wil rustig blijven Maar ‘t lukt me net niet
Op veel te jonge leeftijd, is van ons heengegaan Zoveel niet gezegd, zoveel niet gemaakt, zoveel niet gedaan Maar je moest waarschijnlijk gaan
Maar woordeloos kom ik tot m’n zinnen Wetend dat die echte pijn nu gaat beginnen De klap en de leegte, het besef van het verlies M’n hersenvlies kraakt en net zoals servies Breekt de spanning heel gemakkelijk Het leven is vergankelijk, soms verachtelijk Altijd van tijd afhankelijk
(Gert-Jan Mulder – Brainpower)
Veel later, toen ik je muzikaal al veel beter begreep, kwamen onze twee meest uiteenlopende stijlen in dit nummer samen. Origineel een van mijn alternatieve favorieten, maar door โjouwโ Johnny Cash op het einde van zijn leven in zijn ultieme vorm gegoten.
Beneath the stains of time The feelings disappear you are someone else I am still right here.
Trent Reznor – Nine Inch Nails | Johnny Cash
Nog zoโn nummer waarin onze muziekwerelden samen kwam, (Ondanks ons meningsverschil over de beste uitvoerder, al ben ik daarover ondertussen ook van mening veranderd.) was het deze:
Well people Iโve been here before Iโve seen this room and Iโve walked this floor And itโs a cold and itโs a broken Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen | Jeff Buckley
Je leerde me samen met Mama Willem Vermandere kennen. Dankzij hem leerde ik mezelf en de door jou zo aangespoorde creativiteit beter kennen.
En dat zal ik allemaal blijven doen, met jou van in gedachten meekijkend op wat ik maak.
โIk leef allang in de verbeelding, daar heb ik mijn huis gebouwd, vanaf mijn kinderjaren.
โLaat liever de vogeltjes van uw verbeelding los. Volg mijn kronkels en krabbels, Geeft u over aan de doedels en de droedels, Metamorfosen en raadsels, ketters en god-zoekende ongelovigaards.
โMens, schrijf! Breng de kar van uw gedachten in beweging?
Willem Vermandere
Een andere nederlandstalige woordsmid die ik van je erfde zei het dan weer zo:
Wanneer de eerste schemering aan ‘t einde van de dag De kamer langzaam donkert Zie ik de vage schaduw Van de bank waar jij voor het laatst Te rusten lag Dit was altijd het stil moment dat jou het liefste was Na een dag van tijdloos zwijgen En onbestemde handeling Zoals ‘t verwonderd openslaan Van een boek dat je graag las
Je bent niet meer Je bent niet meer Je wist niet terug te komen Je was al eerder heengegaan Dan je afscheid had genomen
Boudewijn De Groot
Of in de woorden van mijn favoriete schrijver:
No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someoneโs life is only the core of their actual existence.
Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken? Speak his name.
Terry Pratchett
Elke keer ik onderstaande playlist die ik voor je samenstelde, speel noem ik in stilte je naam.
DownSideUp 