UK/Europe TOUR 2023
This is my first-ever attempt at a “tour blog”, fifteen years into my life as a touring musician. It only took having a bunch of students to motivate me into doing this! (Thanks, guys!)
The below is MOSTLY for my violin (and one cello) students at the Newtown Suzuki School, but I suppose it might be interesting to some others as well. Enjoy!
May 23, 2023
Practice Show in Putney VT
May 25, 2023
First Show
Deaf Institute, Manchester UK,
Putting the Bass together! This instrument was made by Upton Bass in Mystic CT, and designed to come apart for easier flying. The neck is completely removed and packed in its own case and checked on the plane. At the first show, it’s my job to re-set-up the bass, which involves securing the neck, which has a metal piece that slides into the body and is tightened with a hex key, installing the endpin, tailpiece, and setting the bridge. I can adjust the string height by moving the neck forward or backward.
May 26 2023
Bodega, Nottingham UK
Here’s a fun photobooth gif of the band and our tourmate, The Bones of JR Jones
May 27 2023
The Garage, London UK
May 28, 2023
THEKLA, Bristol UK
May 30 2023
Groningen, Netherlands
May 31 2023
Paradiso, Amsterdam NL
Waaaaay back in February of 2010, my late-husband Dave and I brought our band Brown Bird to Europe for the first time. We were playing the opening slot for a bigger band, and it was our first time overseas. I don’t think we’d even quit our day jobs yet! This was by far the most exciting thing we’d done as a band so far, and most of that tour is a bit of a blur for me.
Yesterday I had the absolute joy of returning to the same venue I’d played all those years ago: Paradiso, in Amsterdam Netherlands. This time I played as part of The Devil Makes Three, my and Dave’s good friends and the band who gave Brown Bird our biggest boost into the world of full time touring. We played to a sold out crowd.
June 1 2023
De Casino, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
June 2 2023
Köln, Germany
This video is actually from the greenroom in Belgium. I didn’t get a chance to make a video in Köln!
June 3, 2023
Weisbaden, Germany
June 4, 2023
Munich, Germany
Today we are tired. It’s been a long several days, but tomorrow we’ll have a “day off” which really means spending 7+ hours in the van traveling to Berlin, but not playing another show until Tuesday.
The really wonderful thing about today was that I got to see two friends from Switzerland who came 5 hours by train to see me and brought Swiss chocolate with them! They are fans who have become friends, after they traveled to Rhode Island years ago to meet the artist who created my previous band’s album artwork. My late husband/bandmate and I lived upstairs from the artist and when we met Saskia and Lukas we became fast friends. I’ve only seen them maybe 5 times in the last 8 years, so it was wonderful to spend some time with them.
Speaking of my previous band (Brown Bird), I also met a fan tonight who has a tattoo that matches mine: the album artwork of Brown Bird’s album “The Devil Dancing”! Meeting her made my night!
