Damo

Damo Suzuki with Dan (Guitar), Len Del Rio (Percussion), Tommy Grenas (Guitar), Rafter Roberts (Electronics), Andy Roubillard (Drums) and Zach (Cocktail drums)

Tommy and Len drove me to San Diego. They will perform together with San Diego Network. I was laying at back seat try to sleep. If you have gout, impossible to sleep in the night. In the Night pain attack you harder. Today I have much pain and if I think next one week I have to keep on travel, it’s really like hell. This pain don’t let you sleep. you can imagine of hard toothache..but, it’s much more horrible, Because, with toothache you can walk. Hum…how shall I traveling alone?

When we arrived the venue, there were three FBI men with dog. One at the venue informed us there was call that someone put bomb somewhere in or around the venue. Terrorist? Panic? Supporting band comes and later San Diego sound carriers..we’re quite early there as we thought we cannot get there in time for traffic jam. Always better early than late, it’s my policy, you can do anything, look around, you can read book as well. Anyway for me it doesn’t matter with this pain. Everywhere I go this unfriendly solution bite me.

San Diego is so closer to Mexico, Many people in audience were from Mexico. They asked me when I will perform in Mexico? Humm…it’s interesting to perform there , but, I have almost no contact. After show we stayed at one of sound carriers place, small after show party until late. I have to wake up early tomorrow, so I tried to sleep.

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJxa391-BAI

Damo Suzuki with Len Del Rio (Percussion), Michael Esther (Guitar), Tommy Grenas (Guitar, Bass, Keyboard), Chris Guttmacher (Drums), Ryan Kirk (Guitar, Bass), and Kevin Lee (Theremin, Moog)

With LA sound carriers, I released one double METAPHYSICAL TRANSFER and half of double CD HollyAris. I didn’t see them since 2002 (except Tommy, Len and Kevin, they performed once in between in Cologne, so I had opportunity to see them)and now, we perform together…this is one of my personal highlight for this west coast tour. To meet old sound carrier friends. Perform with them is almost perform with my own band, they know each other well and there are many characters. Fortunately this time I have time to stay few days in LA.

Yesterday afternoon, I arrived, Tommy and Michael from Farflung picked me up we went Tommy’s place where I will stay until 4th. I was his place for three times, Tommy and Cassy has now three dogs. one is small very temperamental one and very curious about anything. Tommy and Cassy brought me to Little Tokyo for shopping, you can buy anything here, there is also huge Japanese supermarket. Even there were old (maybe they are not that old…like me) collecting money as volatile. It’s kind of thing suddenly you doubt yourself where you are now? In the night, I cooked foods for all LA Metaphysical Sound Carriers.

Nice to see all of them since all these years…finally I got work permits and work visa after all these years. I was almost forgetting about my gout story. Gout is horrible pain on foot bones and such a pain, sometimes you like to cut off own foot away from pain. It was sickness for rich man, people say. Then why I? It comes also from alcohol…When you are forgetting something it’s comes suddenly unexpected. I may stop drink alcohol….no, no I’m not such heavy drinker, just I drink a bit…I mean measurement of people thoughts is no limit and difference.

This happened before performance begun. I was tired and unconscious, sitting at merchandising. Sound Check has done without Chris who was lost in traffic jam. Now I feel slowly that I’m getting Gout again… It’s horrible, if this happens in during tour. I have to go to San Diego…then long journey to UK for ATP festival… I was sleeping at merchandising and suddenly a young girl from audience waked up me…You should wake up and go onto the stage….

Was nice concert…but, that pain and if I think I have to live together with this for a couple of weeks…it’s horror movie. Next day I stayed at Tommy’s home, it’s not easy to move…. And an another next day, Tommy and Michael took me to pier Venice Beach for fishing. Tommy remind this pier is longest in California even he means longest in US…. Anyway I had to walk this long pier with that’s nuts pain. Way was so long, yes, very long. But, just sitting it may OK…..We’re expecting tonight we can eat enough fishes. Hope is hope..reality came sometimes just opposite, like comic.

After one and half hour to meet first fish, coast security guards told us we have to move quick as possible from this pier, they’re waiting big wave and it will be very dangerous. So, we had to go back no fish in basket…..on the way back we went to organic department store and bought (fresh) fish…Anyway we enjoyed fish!!!!

Damo Suzuki with 3 Leaves : Tim Cohen (Drums, Keyboard & Delay), Chris Cones (Guitar in the key of flab & delay), Diego Gonzalez (Bass, Oud, Guitar & Delay), Warren Huegel (Drums & Delay) and Josh Pollock (Sampler, Guitar & Delay)

I am a traveler, but sometimes nice to stay for two or three days at same place like now at Brian and Amanda’s. Oakland and San Francisco are so close. San Francisco is one of my favorite city. It has own charm and nostalgy..Hill up and down, all those wooden old pretty houses.. Early afternoon Brian and Betty, is a friend of Holger Czukay (Always I think world is such a small pot…I meet so often people I know or knows somebody I know) brought me to an interview in Radio station where, I guess I was a couple of years before…well…I’m not sure.

After we went to Little Tokyo..to eat some Japanese.. They dropped me at the venue, where I performed twice already, very tiny space. I orded Jameson, a pretty girl served me double..it was long time to wait, but I enjoy watching at people from smoking room with Jameson in hand. Go along the street, many drinking people, poor people..the street is living, many police car with siren. Julia is the girl, who contacted me through internet a couple of days before and she is happy to be sound engineer tonight, she was there at first.

Then my friend Bill and Sue came with their friend. Bill and Sue came from San Juan Island, Washington. He lived here in San Francisco for a couple of years during hippy time. Then today’s Network member 3 leaves came finally….I know two of them, Warren and Josh. Both I performed already once here at same venue. Warren is friend of my friend in Frisco visited her flat. Josh, last time I met him when he performed with Acid Mothers Gong on same stage, in London a couple of years ago. Audience was quite mixed young and old ..it’s nice mix. Bill wanted take me to fish restaurant..again we couldn’t make it. Tomorrow I have to leave for Los Angeles. But, I am sure I will meet Bill and Sue very soon….

Review :

Damo Suzuki with Mike Guarino, Robert MacManus, Bonnie Mercer, Derek Monypeny and Jake Rodriguez

Port of Oakland is 4th biggest port in States. Oakland International Airport is somewhere around here. Arrived from Portland. North of Oakland is famous university Berkeley and west side just drive through Bay Bridge is San Francisco. Wendy brought me to Portland International (Surprisingly there is direct flight to Japan, I found) Picked up by Chen. At Chen’s house I met two sound carriers from Melbourne (I stay there every wintertime, so feel familiar) Bonnie and Robert even their trio band Grey Daturas supported Network performance once…in early 2007 in Melbourne.

They told me they are going to join Network tonight. Most of my performance, with whom I perform is arranged by local promoter, so sometimes I don’t know until short before stage with whom I will perform with. Even if I have information it’s doesn’t help me that much as most of sound carriers I perform for first time. Chen drove me to my host Brian and Amanda. I will stay here for two days.

Tomorrow’s show in San Francisco, is just near. I had performance once in Oakland. At not interesting venue….That time I was touring West Coast with LA sound carriers. To day’s venue is art space. So, they have to improvise stage and all equipment and so on… I went quite early, it had taken quite a lot of time all slowly showed up…..

There are some visual stuff at YouTube, just to inform as follows http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsorbALFJbQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jNdY2bH_c