Stockholm Years CD launches, August - September 2005

Here's a run down of all the gigs straight from the horse's mouth...

VELVET LOUNGE, AUSTRALIA [28/08/05]
I have mixed feelings about this gig... Essentially it was a Jack & the Beanstalk gig with the idea being that we would play semi-acoustically. This idea was scrapped after I nearly destroyed my acoustic guitar at rehearsal trying to keep pace with the band. We all played electrically and it turned out for the best.

It was a frantic lead-up to show due to everyone's other commitments in August combined with the fact that the guys had a bunch of new songs to learn. I think we pulled if off with all the panache that you'd expect from a bunch of old hacks that we are. There were many "lost" and "loose" moments but we made them look and sound like rock n' roll. Cheers guys.

Many thanks to the mainly friends and family crowd who turned up. Would have been nice to make some money on the night and sell some more CDs but that's the way it's always been my friend.

PIKKU-TORRE, FINLAND [02/09/05]
Turku is probably the only city in the world where I exist only as rock star, I love going there, this was about my sixth visit. I have never ending gratitude to Mikko from Ben's Diapers and Rhythm Barrel Records for this.

The gig was the 7th anniversary of Mikko's "Flavour of the Month" club. By the time I walked on stage the full-house sign went up and I was playing to a room packed with 250 appreciative punters. This is more like it! Shame you need to be so far home to get it. It was a much younger crowd that I remember from any of my other tours but I guess this was the first time I wasn't playing my own bill there. I enjoyed all the other acts on the night and by the time of the after party - I was so shitfaced. I hadn't been this drunk since the last time I was in Finland. Suomi, I love you!

JAM AKUSTISK, SWEDEN [21/09/05]

I picked up this show over there thanks to my good friend Mårten Lärka (who is also known as Mårten Olsson from the Trimatics). The venue was a guitar shop and it was so cool. A totally attentive crowd literally sitting centimeters away. I really enjoyed this one and it was great to play 'Yellow & Blue' with Mårten, a song that we co-wrote on the album.

MATKULTUR, SWEDEN [26/09/05]
The Stockholm CD launch proper and another gig that turned out different than I expected. I solely organised and promoted it which is kinda hard when you're on a family holiday in another country. It was a cool little bar in a very hip part of the city, Magnus Karlsson and I rehearsed during the sound-check and had fun delivering semi-acoustic renditions of most of the songs off the album. Not as much fun as my 3-something year old daughter had however, who hijacked the stage after about the third song. The father in me and all my friends in the crowd thought she was very cute and charming but my rock-star persona wanted to send her home in cab.

In the end, none of this really mattered. By the time Micke Englund walked up on stage with beaten Stratocaster in hand to play guitar on '(unofficial) Goodbye' it was poignant finale to a wonderful trip and celebration of an album that will always have wonderful memories for me.

Cheers,
Joe

October 2005