Damo

Damo Suzuki with the Whole: Member (Bass, Electronics), Stolle (Guitar, Electronics) and Christian Wolf (Drums, Electronics) http://kulturbuero.jugendamt-of.de/

Whole is getting one of my permanent band. Whenever I perform around Frankfurt, they appear as regular sound carrier band if it’s necessary. They are trio. They explained me that they didn’t perform together for a while. Member now lives with amount of musician together and he feels good. Member and Stolle are playing together for decade, there is chemistry between both of them. So, they have an another project together.

Stolle is not from Frankfurt, he lives in Karlsruhe around 1 and half hour drive by car. Tomorrow I perform there. Christian has some side project, at this stage he performs with Samba band. To perform with Whole is easy thing. Even I didn’t perform with them for a year, it’s sound like we were in rehearsing room for long time together preparing pieces. They perform psychedelic music. I have to say this kind of sounds is actually my nature. When I perform here, light shows are arranged, every time performed by Kosmik Klaus and Andreas from Knittingen. They make fantastic light show and they made a couple of times with Whole and my performances and others. Michel Koch is nice intelligent guy who books concerts here at this venue and some social arrangement for young people. He is very social, explained me that he has project with 200 young terrible teenies making music together to get them on better social. And now he have more kids and he had to separate two groups. Now 400 kids join Michaels project. I think he do great job.

I perform here for three times. All those above mentioned positive people together nothing negative things will happen. Already sound check was fantastic, even we can play further. Just wait for audience, drink sparking wine….and relax. In Germany there is not that much followers for this sort of music. Many German rock bands from 70’s has problem to arrange shows in own land…..including myself. But, tonight I had better feeling then I saw some people showed up slowly filled up the space. “..and this time “Michael said, he made much announcement about the performance. Now here is result. It’s nice to perform at least this amount of people.

UK London @ Bardens Boudoir Damo Suzuki with Makoto Kawabata (Guitar)

We arrived London, had hours to relax, and went to Gerald and Sylke.. The venue is quite complicated to reach from Crouch End, not good connection and have to walk some blocks. I’ve been performing here few times. This performance is remarkable as the club owner thought Makoto and I perform as duet and didn’t invite sound carriers at all, even not guitar amplifier for Makoto.

We start to walk on the stage, equipment was almost loaded. We should get at least guitar amplifier for Makoto. Anyhow we managed two members of Kits, an Australian band from Melbourne, now based in London, joined us spontaneously (I will meet them in two months in Melbourne)and Glyn, the flute player. I sat at merchandising spot, Shingai from Noisette said me hello but, I didn’t recognise her as she changed a lot. (Another hairstyle!) She joined Network performance in Aberdeen a couple of year before. A

ll members of Bo Ningen, London based Japanese band. Everybody of the band is so skinny…like sticks (“Bo” in Japanese), “Ningen” means human being. You can imagine 4 (young) Japanese John Cooper Clarks.

After the show as usual took taxi to Crouch End, sat at their kitchen, drink and relaxing for a while. But, I slept almost none, as I had to take my flight to get 1st train to Stanstead from Tottenham Hales. So, I didn’t have time (they’re sleeping) to say good-bye to three of them. It was short and nice trip with Makoto, an excellent guitarist. He said some days before, He is getting taste of creating time and space of the moment with ever changing local sound carriers, unfortunately it was too short……

Damo Suzuki with Joe Garcia (Bass), Makoto Kawabata (Guitar) and Statck (Drums)

Quite often I had to experience, British rail makes repair on weekend. I was supporting to pick up Makoto, when I came to the place he stayed for two days by taxi, he went already to station. I found him at in front of the station in middle of lots of passengers, all they were informed instead train, and they have to take connecting bus to next positive destination. So we had to take bus to Gloucester and change to train.

Bristol is not first time, I performed a couple of times. This time with other sound carriers. We bring ourselves into one of those business hotel, rest and eat-in. Took taxi to the venue for sound check. The venue was filled up with music fans already when a band opens the show. This time I had not that time in Bristol. We performed 2 sets with two different formations of Bristol sound carriers. Visual of concert you can see here

1st Set: Damo Suzuki with Charles Hayward (Drums, Electronics), Makoto Kawabata (Guitar) and the Courtesy Group: Dave Baker (Drums), Dave Cochrane (Bass), Chris Cundy (Baritone Sax, Bass Clarinet), Saul Hillier (Bass), Al Hutchins (Voice) and Hidehiko Nagai (Guitar)

2nd Set: Damo Suzuki with Makoto Makoto Kawabata (Guitar)

3rd Set: Damo Suzuki with Charles Hayward (Drums, Electronics), Makoto Kawabata (Guitar) and Pram: Rosie Cuckston (Vocal), Harry Dawes (Theremin, Trombone, Stylophone), Matt Eaton (Guitars, Keyboards, SFX), Laurence Hunt (Drums), Sam Owen (Bass) and Max Simpson (SFX, Samples)

One break day, moved to Birmingham. Return to London Waterloo station to Euston then Birmingham, 2nd largest city in England. Picked up by young Pakistani taxi driver, a close friend of Al, he will take care about us this afternoon. Al have to work, so Al arranged him, every time I came to Birmingham, he attends me.

Walk through city center, we went to German Christmas Market. It’s strange…why German Christmas in Birmingham? Even this is biggest and longest (early November to December 23) German Christmas Market outside of Germany. I tried some German sausages and naturally Gluhwein, which you never miss at original German Christmas Market. Gluhwein is warm wine mixed with some herbs and sugar…it makes you warm, but I guess it’s easy to get headache if you drink some glasses, take care!! It’s not my drug…just I wanted to invite both friends for a bit of German Christmas taste. I bought muffler at the market. It was quite expensive. It’s silk. My Pakistani friend was claiming the shop about high price and after he advised me,” if you buy something first you have to ask me. Price like here is not really correct to tourist like you.” (Thanks) After I’ve got very easy answer why German Christmas Market in Birmingham…Frankfurt is partner city of Birmingham since some years. Oh, all those partner city stories. It’s only good for politicians who enjoy to be invited and visit those partner cities, no relation at all for normal citizen. (By the way Cologne has around 30 partner cities all over the world.) Makoto wanted to go to friend’s record shop that has released some of Makoto’s stuff. Anyway if I travel with musicians, they like to go to record shop…is this market research? Probably Makoto is one of busiest musician on releasing records. There must be any hundreds he has done. Creativity never ends.

I stayed at sound carrier friend Al, who has been arranging Network performance in Birmingham since first show. Makoto stay at the house with four or five young people, some of them is sound carriers tomorrow night. I guess he had good time drink together with them. At the venue, the performance day, beside our space there was also band playing. Some of sound carriers I performed already here like Hidehiko, who married to English lady (I’d never see her until now) with two kids. With Charles I performed several times, we said see you in January. On January 16th, we meet again in Reggio Emilia, he will perform his solo act.

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peteashton/sets/72157610717158435/

Damo Suzuki with Makoto Kawabata (Guitar) and local sound carriers (I didn’t have information, if someone knows, please inform me) http://www.mrkyps.net/

Cheap flight is not that cheap, even would be more expensive than established liner flight. Clearly answer we’ve got this day. They ask much money for overweight. They accept (at this stage) until 14 Kg, overweight they ask you extra charge like if they’re thief. I had to pay 15 euro for maybe only one Kg over weight. Poor guitarist with guitar, effects, etc… Makoto had to pay 115euro (!!!) extra charge. They charge you things they can make money. (even now a day they charge using toilet…now, you know which airline I’m talking about) They are a pioneer on this field, and it’s good, people found to travel cheap….it was just beginning, now they are dressed in wolf’s costume, searching for victims. OK..our pocket is getting light..

Around an hour flight reached to London Gatwick airport. Then picked up by two sound carriers, drive through dark clouds directly to the venue in Poole. The venue has posters for future concert on wall, There are posters tight together hanging on the wall from famous or popular artists and bands for a first brick. One or two spell different….all posters of tribute bands. Between all those posters you find “Damo Suzuki’s Network featuring Makoto Kawabata” very shy placed on the wall. Maybe this one is also not original…one might think. The venue is just renovated a couple days before and huge backstage room is witness of it. Sound carriers sit on sofa, drink tea, beer whatsoever, people here seems to be very comfortable. Review at
http://reverbsnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/review-damo-suzuki-kawabata-makoto-with.html

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