Concert Review: Patrick Watson at Alix Goolden Hall - 14/11/12

Before attending last night's Patrick Watson concert at Alix Goolden Hall, I considered their latest release, Adventures in Your Own Backyard to be a front-runner for my favourite album of 2012. Last night's show sealed the deal and, judging from the comments I heard coming out of the theatre, everyone else in attendance would likely say the same.

As most truly incredible experiences go, it's hard to pick highlights; the entire set was a 90-minute long highlight that I wished would never end. Fittingly, opening numbers included the first five songs off of Adventures - a mesmerizing performance of Lighthouse was a particular standout.  We were also treated to a sweet rendition of Into Giants - slightly interrupted by a fits of laughter from the band who struggled to maneuver out of each other's way as they as they performed the piece around a single microphone in a cramped space at the front of the stage.

A neat extended version of Luscious Life was one of my favourite moments - partially because it was one of the songs I was hoping we'd hear. Somewhat surprisingly, Watson also lead the audience in the obligatory sing-along offering. The results were as you might expect. When someone of Patrick Watson's artistic caliber commands you to sing along on one of his best-known songs - in this case, Big Bird in a Small Cage - you might hesitate at first but, once you realize that he's actually serious, you take a leap and give it your all.

The real "pinch me I think I'm dreaming" moment came during the encore. The band performed Cinematic Orchestra's To Build a Home, the original recording of which featured Watson on vocals. If you're familiar with it you'll know it's an epic, emotional roller coaster of a song and it lost none of its hypnotizing drama in a haunting stripped-down rendition.

After the crowd's second standing ovation we were all left wanting more. Remembering the experience now, I believe that had it gone on forever it still wouldn't have been enough. Check out one of their live concerts and you'll see what I mean.

Halloween Playlist for Everday Listening

Every holiday seems to have it's list of if-I-never-hear-this-song-again-it-will-be-too-soon musical "favourites" and Halloween is no exception. "The Monster Mash" makes me cringe, but not in a good way, and I really don't want to listen to "Thriller" again. That said, I thought I'd put together a playlist of songs I currently enjoy listening to that fit the Halloween theme. I also included a few creepy oldies that I expect won't be in any danger of being overplayed by your local classic rock radio station.

Vampire, Pink Mountaintops
Outside Love, 2009

On first listen, Pink Mountaintops' music comes across as light and fun, but don't be fooled. The more familiar you get with their brand of dreamy psychedelia, the more you might start to perceive a discreet twisted quality lurking beneath the surface. Sweet but sinister lyrics drive the point home, "So kiss me, please kiss me...I'm done turning blue."

Additional Halloween bonus: the person who made this video synched the music with clips from the awesome Swedish horror flick, "Let the Right One In".



Mother Mother, Ghosting
O My Heart, 2008

This might be the one song on this list that doesn't quite belong. Yes, it's about a ghost in love with a living person, but he's just too well-adjusted. He's finished with the poltergeist parlor tricks most other ghosts play in order to get noticed. He's getting rid of his sheet and demanding that his love interest recognize him for what he is! Lack of creepiness aside, "Ghosting" is my favourite song from "O My Heart" and always worth a listen.



Bloodflow, Smog
Dongs of Sevotion, 2000

When it comes to being wryly disturbing, Bill Callahan takes the cake. I've noticed many reviews describe his music as vulnerable and melancholy. Really? I mean, I get the warm and intimate quality of his unadorned vocal stylings but doesn't that closeness come across as seeming a little too hot under the collar and bordering on claustrophobic when he starts singing things like, "No time for a tete-a-tete/Can I borrow your machete?"



Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz, Mr. Bungle
Disco Valonte, 1995

There are some creepy doozies on this list, but this is the creepiest of them all. It starts out on a tame enough note with a retro, Ed Wood-inspired prelude that quickly spirals into madness. We're treated to a Tom and Jerry pandemonium-tinged hook, a manic wild west showdown theme, weird scatting in a made-up language that sounds kinda German and kinda demonic, and a freaky 'gotcha!' fade-out that makes you wonder if the nightmare will ever end. It's fun to listen to, but whatever state of mind Mike Patton was in when he wrote this song, I don't ever want to go there.



Bela Lugosi's Dead, Bauhaus
1979

This is the one song that often makes an appearance on cheesy Halloween playlists that I will make an exception for. After all, this list could use a good dance song. It may not have a catchy beat but I really did enjoy dancing to it back in the day. Going by the release date that was 30 years ago. Now that's scary!



What Halloween themed faves are you listening to these days?

2012 New Music Finds

My Cynic's New Year test press by Horse Feathers. Signed!

I've always been a bit of a music addict. Lately I've been buying a couple of albums a month...okay maybe more than a couple of albums. What can I say? 2012 has been a great year for music.

Of the albums I've purchased so far this year, these are the ones that have made it into heavy rotation in my playlists.

"Lonesome Dreams" by Lord Huron
Released October 9, 2012

"Lonesome Dreams" is the first full-length release by this L.A. based band and I LOVE it. Like many of the new bands I've become interested in over the past couple of years, Lord Huron's music is lush and layered with dreamy harmonies and infectious rhythms.

Note: If you're going to look into this one, I'd also highly recommend their previous two EPs, especially "Mighty".



"Cynic's New Year" by Horse Feathers
Released April 17, 2012

This is the album I most looked forward to at the beginning of 2012. Horse Feathers' previous release, "Thistled Spring" was my favourite album of 2010 and I anxiously awaited more. In fact, if there's anything that I could possibly criticize about this album, it's that it might have fulfilled my desires a little too perfectly. "Cynic's New Year" is filled with the same beautiful and melancholy, richly orchestrated music found on "Thistled Spring". Well, I'm not tired of it yet.

By the way, I finally had the chance to catch these guys in concert this year at the Rifflandia Festival. It was one of the richest and tightest sounding live performances I've ever experienced. Really now, how easy can it be to make a bowed saw sound fabulous in a live setting?



"Adventures in Your Own Back Yard" by Patrick Watson
Released April 16, 2012

It recently came as a shock to me to learn that not everyone loves Patrick Watson. I mean, what's not to like? His soul-piercing falsetto, or the fact that he doesn't write the kind of music you can 'rock out' to, or that he smokes on stage during performances? Whether or not he is an acquired taste, I have to say this, anyone who likes Patrick Watson is a friend of mine.

"Adventures in Your Own Back Yard" is a wonderful album. Every song is stamped with that characteristic gorgeous and graceful je ne sais quoi and yet every song is uniquely its own. It's the current front-runner for my favourite album of 2012.



"The End of That" by Plants and Animals
Released February 28, 2012

The first time I heard of Plants and Animals, I was watching them open for Grizzly Bear. It was one of those great experiences where I ended up liking the opening act more than the band I'd come to see. Plants and Animals are a solid indie rock outfit that puts on the some of the best live performances to be found these days. Though I expect some would not agree, I think "The End of That" is Plants and Animals' most pop-infused, accessible LP to date.



"Vision" by Grimes
Released January 31, 2012

My boyfriend laughs every time I say, "Montreal is on fire these days", but I don't think anyone would argue with the idea that it really is a hotbed of fantastic music as of late. In case you haven't noticed, of the five bands included in this list, three of them are from Montreal: Patrick Watson, Plants and Animals, and Grimes. Even when it comes to genres of music I don't usually like, I end up enjoying what Montreal has to offer.

Grimes' "Vision" is a perfect example. It's electronic, which isn't a genre I'm usually into, but it's also way more. Grimes' music is creative and fresh in a way that you'll just have to listen to to get an idea of.



If you have any suggestions for other new music I should look into, I'd love to hear them!

My Favourite Places on Vancouver Island: Broken Group Islands, PacificRim National Park

Broken Group Islands by kayak

Trip details:

Route: Port Alberni to Seachart Lodge via the MV Lady Rose

• Day 1: Seachart to Hand Island
• Day 2: Hand Island to Clarke Island
• Day 3: Clarke, Wouwer, Gilbert and Effingham Islands, return to Clarke
• Day 4: Clarke Island to Gibralter Island
• Day 5: Gilbert, Reeks and Nettle Islands, return to Gilbert
• Day 6: Gilbert to Seachart, return to Port Alberni via the MV Lady Rose

Location: Pacific Rim National Park, west coast of Vancouver Island

Trip costs:

• Kayak rental, ferry, ferry kayak transport and park fees, $370 per person
• Food: About $45 per person for 6 days

Our ride to Seachart Lodge:
Frances Barkley Ferry, MV Lady Rose

Our Broken Group Islands kayak trip was one of 3 kayaking overnighters we did around Vancouver Island this summer and was by far my favourite (though, I gotta say, they were all pretty spectacular). We were fairly lucky with the weather, crossed paths with seals, sea lions, otters, eagles and humpback whales, and, with the exception of a couple of slightly choppy channel crossings, encountered ideal paddling conditions.

We spent 6 days and 5 nights in the islands staying one night at Hand Beach, 2 nights at Clarke Island and 2 nights at Gibralter. We also toured by the other 4 campsites in the park. The best campsite we encountered was on the westward facing beach on Clarke Island where the sunsets were beyond description, the water was warm enough for swimming and we enjoyed one night of storm watching and one night of meteor viewing (gobsmacked, I tell you!)

Broken Group Island Tips

• We didn't come across any water sources in the park, though we did hear of a possible water source on Benson Island. We brought 4L of water per person per day (about 25L per person for 6 days in total) and found it was just enough.
• Most of the beaches are picked clean of smaller pieces of driftwood for campfires, but you can usually find ample supplies on nearby less busy islands. We would often set up camp and then head out to make a quick stop on a nearby island to load up our kayaks.
• The small beach on the east side of Nettle Island is a great place to stop for lunch or hang out if you've got some time to kill before catching the ferry at Seachart. For whatever reason this beach has the softest sand I've ever encountered in the north-west.
• Most of the culinary offerings in the ferry canteen on the Frances Barkley are pretty okay (from the point of view of someone who has been eating out of a backpack kitchen for close to a week), but steer clear of those hotdogs - unless you happen to enjoy fried baloney sandwiches.

Check out my Broken Group Islands photoset on Flickr.

One last stop before heading to Seachart to catch the ferry. We havethe beach all to ourselves :)

My Favourite Places on Vancouver Island: The Forbidden Plateau,Strathcona Provincial Park

Trail marker on Mount Albert Edward,
Forbidden Plateau, Strathcona Provincial Park

 
Trip details:

• Route: Paradise Meadows Trailhead to Circlet Lake to Mount Albert Edward summit and return
• Distance: Trailhead to Circlet Lake, 10.5km, Circlet Lake to summit, 6km (total 33km round trip)
• Maps and park details: Strathcona Park on BC Parks website
• Location: Strathcona Park, Mount Albert Edward on Google Maps
• Trail difficulty: Easy to moderate
• Our total trip cost:$110 for 2 nights camping and 3 days of hiking
  
  • 2 nights camping ($5 per night, per person), $20
  • Food, $40
  • Gas, $50

Though I wouldn't call a round trip from Paradise Meadows to the summit of Mount Albert Edward an easy hike, it's definitely one I'd recommend to people who have a bit of hiking under their belts and are looking to cut their teeth on a slightly more substantial trip. As summits and backpacking over nighters go, the easy to moderate hike up to the campsite is relatively short - about four hours - and once you're there you can set up basecamp and hike with a lighter pack on the moderately difficult climb to the summit. Depending on the weather, the hike up the mountain can be dangerous in spots and requires a healthy fitness level, but we encountered a few children on the hike this past weekend as well as some very fit light hikers who were completing the entire circuit in one day.

We set out from Victoria after work on Friday and arrived at the trailhead parking lot 3 and half hours later. Facilities at the parking lot are sparse but there is a pit toilet and an information centre open during the day. We camped at the parking lot that night and hit the trail just before 9am the following day.

The hike to Circlet Lake from the trailhead begins with an easy stroll along wide boardwalks past many pretty lakes and flowering meadows. 3km down the trail we reached Lake Helen Mackenzie, where we stopped for a quick break before continuing on to Kwai Lake. From this point on the trail gets a bit more difficult and less well maintained with a few moderate gains in elevation and patches of snow (even in early August).

We arrived at Circlet Lake just before 1pm and were happy to snag the last remaining site by the water. After a quick dip (it was a bit too cold to enjoy a swim) we set up camp and enjoyed an afternoon relaxing by the lake and taking in the views. Our more ambitious neighbours spent the rest of the day checking out the ridge across from the lake which they reported was a great hike though it required a bit of bushwhacking.

The next day we started out on the trail at 9am to summit Mount Albert Edward. The first part of the hike is the most difficult and includes a steep climb up to the first plateau where we were rewarded with a nice view of Moat Lake. With all the snow, we lost the trail a couple of times but it wasn't too hard to spot the rock pile markers as it was a clear day. We did hear reports that navigating the trail can be very difficult in foggy conditions.

After the first plateau there's another short and slightly less steep climb towards the ice fields. If the weather is clear bring your sunscreen because you're going to bake like a potato. Having underestimated the amount of sunscreen required for the trip we both suffered from nasty sunburns by the end of the day. Wear lots - I mean, gallons. A word from the wise, though warm temperatures might temp you to wear a tank top, I'd also recommend loose fitting, light coloured clothing that covers your back and shoulders. One other note, a man we encountered in the campsite the night before had suffered mild heat stroke on the mountain the day before so take it easy if you need to and make sure you drink lots of water on the way up. There are plenty of ponds along the way where you can fill up your water bottle.

The final approach up to the summit is loose gravel and a bit steep. Watch your step! We reached the top shortly after 1pm and spent about an hour resting and marveling at the views before beginning our descent which took another 4 hours. We arrived back at our basecamp around 6pm. Some of the other groups we encountered at the summit spent the afternoon summiting Mount Jutland or Castlecrag returning to the campground just before sunset between 9 and 10pm.

If you're up for a moderately challenging hike with some priceless high altitude views, you'll likely find a trip on the Forbidden Plateau to be just the ticket. We had an unforgettable time and I can't wait to go back. Gobsmacked, I tell you!

Check out my Forbidden Pleateau Flickr set.

What's in my backpack (well, kayak). All set for Portland Island!

Looking forward to this weekend's kayaking adventure. We're planning to do 20km of paddling and a 10km hike around the island. Fingers crossed for good weather!

My Favourite Places on Vancouver Island: Roche Cove and Matheson Lake

Matheson Lake

In my books, Vancouver Island takes the cake when it comes to Canadian hiking experiences for 3 reasons, gorgeous landscapes, an abundance of hiking destinations and, last but not least, a welcome lack of mosquitoes. Until we moved out here I'd never dream of spending extended amounts of time in the outdoors without a healthy supply of Deet, but I soon learned to save some weight and leave the stuff at home. It was one habit I was very happy to break.

Hiking options on the Island include the world-class West Coast Trail, the scenic Juan da Fuca and the technically challenging North Coast Trail (my favourite long distance trail on the Island). Many day hikes are easily accessible within a short drive of the Island's main centres. One of our favourite go-to short hikes is a just a five-minute drive down the street from our place.

Matheson Creek

Even though we've been out here for 4 years and hike on a regular basis, we still often come across new hikes to explore. This past weekend, we spent an afternoon enjoying the trails at Roche Cove and Matheson Lake. The two parks share a border in East Sooke and combined make for a great mid-length hike with trails that range from easy to moderately difficult. Most of the trails wind through a cool and shady rainforest with occasional views of the lake and the cove.

As an added bonus - the kicker that makes this one of my favourite spots on the Island - when you're ready to take a break you can scope out a nice, quiet swimming spot as you make your way around the Matheson Lake loop. Great for cooling off on a hot summer day!

If you still have some energy after the hike, you might want to drive the short distance to close-by Aylard Farm at the trailhead to the East Sooke Coastal Trail and do a little beachcombing before heading home. It's gotta be said that Roche Cove and Matheson Lake's close proximity to East Sooke is the main reason we haven't visited this trail sooner. I won't say anything further about it here, but you can read more about the East Sooke Coastal Trail in this post.

Trip Info

Roche Cove Trailhead on Google Maps
Route: Cedar Grove to Galloping Goose to Matheson Lake Loop Trail, return via Galloping Goose
Hike length: Approximately 8km
Hike duration: 2-3 hours, 4 hours with a swim at Matheson Lake
Roche Cove website
Matheson Lake website

Read more about my favourite places on Vancouver Island.

Summer sky on our evening workout

Never met a bowl of soup I didn't like

We stopped at a restaurant in Chinatown on a rainy afternoon to dry off and have a some soup. Delicious!

The Other London, Part 7: The best things in life are free

Getting picked up by a roadie who could drive us in through the Roskilde festival 'stage door' was a boon a half at the end of our hitchhiking journey. Not only did it mean we would save the 70 pound entrance fee, it also afforded us the luxury of being able to kick back and relax for the last few hundred km of the journey.

Oddly, I discovered these are not, in fact the types of incidents one looks forward to sharing with friends. They just end up seeming too far into the incredible category to sound real. At least they do in my estimation, which is why I often leave out this particular recollection when reminiscing with friends around the campfire on summer nights….but you and I are not sitting around the campfire, are we?

Now, I'd played in bands throughout most of my adolescence, and had debatably spent an above average amount of time hanging out with music industry folk, but this was my first experience, albeit an indirect one, with a group that was actually doing well enough not to have to drive their own shit around. Yes, the situation was a bit of an anomaly on many levels. I surveyed the interior of the vehicle with marked curiosity. There was a second empty bench seat, spotlessly empty, I might add, and beyond that a cargo area piled with neatly stacked almost new looking cases. There didn't seem to be one stray piece of garbage, cigarette butt or miscellaneous unmentionable in sight. It was unlike any touring van I'd ever seen. I wondered what the band thought of it…

I stretched out on the empty bench and fell asleep…

…but not for long. Within the next half hour, Brit had picked up 3 additional hitchhikers - a pair of girls and a boy who was hitchhiking solo, all from Denmark.It seemed the plan was to arrive at the festival with a full house. So much for travelling in rock 'n' roll luxury. As the Scandinavians now outnumbered the, well, non-Scandinavians in attendance, the conversation switched from clipped English to lovely sing-song Danish, which John spoke, it seemed, fairly fluently and I had obviously never encountered before. This left Brit and I to develop that odd add-liquid-and-mix familiarity one experiences when one is on the road and in the company of someone you really share nothing in common with other than the fact that you both happen to be from the same, very large, continent.

I came to like Brit very much in a big brother kind of way over our short journey together. He has a fun-loving roadie with a big laugh who obviously was always looking for a party - a real dark horse. In the afternoon we stopped for lunch in the downtown area of some pedestrian area of a Danish city whose name I've forgotten. There were buskers playing by the side of the cobblestone street and I stopped to listen to one as we passed. Realizing I had not yet had the opportunity to visit a money exchange and therefore had no money to give, I asked Brit for some change. He quickly handed me the contents of his pocket which I threw into the busker's empty case. A few blocks down the street, Brit asked me what I'd done with the rest of the money.

"What money?" I asked, "I gave it all to that guy"

"All of it?" Brit asked pausing ever so slightly in his gait.

"Yes, all of it," I confirmed.

"That was the equivalent of $40!" We came to a halt staring at each other. This revelation came as a total shock to me as the highest denomination coin we had in Canada at the time was the one dollar loony. It seemed unfathomable to me that a small handful of coins could be so valuable. Brit shrugged. "How generous of you," he remarked with a smile and then continued on his way.

Yes, I for the 5-6 hours of my life in which I knew Brit, I liked him very much.

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A few friends have asked me to write about how I came to use the name, theotherlondon, so here it is: a collection of stories from June 1993 to October 1994 that include my experiences working in Switzerland and the UK; my engagement to a German blacksmith in Paris; our road trip across North America in a ’67 Volvo with an Australian footballer, and oh yes, my introduction to something ‘new’ called the Internet. You can find the first post here.

At the summit of Mount Tolmie watching the storms roll in along withhalf the population of Victoria

At the summit of Mount Tolmie watching the storms roll in
along with half the population of Victoria

The Other London, Part 6: Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream

"Now, I'd already accepted that in agreeing to hitchhike in a foreign locale with a relative stranger, I'd acquiesced to practicing a higher than average level of tolerance for getting myself into potentially risky situations, but in this case, my instincts got the better of me."

Do you have any idea how far down the road you'd have to travel to safely pull over on a straight stretch of a busy European highway? Let me tell you, it's pretty damn far. So far, in fact John and I almost didn't notice we snagged a ride on that particular leg of our hitchhiking odyssey across Holland and Denmark.

"I think we got  a ride", John yelled over his shoulder as he took off down the highway his knapsack bouncing in a rather uncomfortable looking way from his shoulder.

Despite John's apparent sense of urgency I hesitated, not registering that we had actually managed to flag down one of the vehicles that had been zooming past us at autobahn speed and greater for the past 20 minutes. I squinted into the distance.

"Wait! Where?!" I managed to scream back before he was out of earshot.

John screeched to a halt, "Down there!" he waved ambiguously and with some measure of impatience into the distance before taking off again as fast as his haphazardly hoisted baggage would allow.

I kept my spot and squinted into the sunlight. A good kilometre, maybe closer to two kilometres, down the highway I noticed what appeared to be a speck of a conspicuous looking windowless black van. Now, I'd already accepted that in agreeing to hitchhike in a foreign locale with a relative stranger, I'd acquiesced to practicing a higher than average level of tolerance for getting myself into potentially risky situations, but in this case, my instincts got the better of me. Something told me there was something terrifically out-of-the ordinary with this arrangement. Meh.

A short second later I was running after John with my own backpack bouncing irritatingly from side to side at my back - those things just aren't designed for running. And yes, it turned out we had managed to secure a ride. By the time I arrived at the parked van, panting and out of breath having sprinted three kilometres with 30 lbs of weight on my back, John was already perched in the passenger seat with a  huge, 'I told you so' grin on his face. More than that, it was somewhat of an 'you're-not-going-to-believe-our-dumb-luck' grin.

Our benefactor, Brit, was on-route to the festival with the Lemonheads' gear in tow and offered to not only drive us to the festival, but also to get us in for free. Seriously. I kid you not.

Our ride to Roskilde

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A few friends have asked me to write about how I came to use the name, theotherlondon, so here it is: a collection of stories from June 1993 to October 1994 that include my experiences working in Switzerland and the UK; my engagement to a German blacksmith in Paris; our road trip across North America in a ’67 Volvo with an Australian footballer, and oh yes, my introduction to something ‘new’ called the Internet. You can find the first post here.

Peanut butter cup super s'more. Oh yeah!

The Other London Part 5: Tomorrow never knows

The last 100km leading up to the festival grounds were the toughest going. Competition was fierce at the off ramps. Yes, hitchhiking may have been falling out of fashion in those days, but I suppose when you have 93,000 people camping at a music festival, a small percentage choosing to travel via the romance of the open road - just for sentimental kicks - could easily cause the amount of congestion we encountered. In the early afternoon, the day before the festival, John and I found ourselves standing in a lineup of about 10 people waiting for a ride. And most of our companions appeared to have been waiting for quite a while.

After about an hour of fruitless waiting, John turned to me and asked what I thought about trying our luck on the highway. Earlier on in our journey, the idea of flagging down a ride with with vehicles whizzing past at speeds in excess of 150km/hour+ might have seemed intimidating. At this point, anything seemed all right as long as we didn't have to actually cross the highway (I never got used to that craziness). In full knowledge that we were about to commit a hitchhiking faux pas and jump the line in securing the next available ride on that particular stretch of highway, we hightailed it out of there as inconspicuously as we could manage.

And a ride did pick us up within a few short moments on the highway. One that drove us all the way up to the gates of the festival - through the backstage entrance nonetheless. Of course, I jump ahead of myself,  but had I known that upon our arrival at the festival grounds - my first introduction to the European music festival experience, or really any music festival of similar scope - that John and I would be accidentally separated and I would find myself in a cattle run of 93,000 strangers with no tent and therefore, no place to stay for 3 days, I might have tried a different approach. One that at least entailed a stop at the nearest camping store or better yet, sussed out hostel accommodations in the vicinity. Lucky for me, however, I had no idea how things were about to unfold.



I'm not sure exactly, but I believe this was the song I played to land an invitation to hitchhike to Roskilde.

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A few friends have asked me to write about how I came to use the name, theotherlondon, so here it is: a collection of stories from June 1993 to October 1994 that include my experiences working in Switzerland and the UK; my engagement to a German blacksmith in Paris; our road trip across North America in a ’67 Volvo with an Australian footballer, and oh yes, my introduction to something ‘new’ called the Internet. You can find the first post here.

Kinsol Trestle, one of the tallest wooden trestles in the world

Wednesday evening workout, heading up to the summit

View from the trail leading to the summit of Mount Douglas

The Other London, Part 4: You say goodbye and I say hello

We said goodbye to the German punks who had driven us across the border just outside the customs area and walked down to the on ramp which was only a few hundred metres away.  As luck would have it, we were picked up after a relatively short wait - and a relatively short wait on that particular journey meant about an hour. We were offered a ride by a German hippie sort named Karl with long straight hair, wearing sandals and Birkenstocks. He had an immaculately clean Volvo and had always dreamed of going to Canada. His interest in hearing about Canadian landscapes was insatiable.

Having completed a trip across the country on the Trans-Canada the year before, I had plenty of material to contribute to our discussion.  After our first stop John and I switched spots so I could break our usual routine and take the front seat.  We easily chatted away the 100 km Karl originally offered to drive us, which lengthened into the next major city and by the end of the afternoon became an offer to drive us all the way to Flensburg, on the German/Danish border.

Part way through the journey, Karl shared his sandwiches with us and at dinner time, he paid for our dinners. When we approached Flensburg he pulled over to call his girlfriend and consulted with her before inviting us to spend the night at her place. In the morning, he mentioned, his girlfriend's brother would be driving into Denmark and could give us a ride as far as Kolding.

I grew to very much like Karl and his girlfriend Marlene during that part of the trip. They were a bit older, but not by much, and I imagined that given the opportunity, we could easily become friends. They were both very keen to visit Canada and mentioned they would look me up if they ever happened to travel across the ocean to visit.

But those days were different. I don't think I knew what an email address was at that point. Facebook and Twitter were over a decade away and, as I was traveling, I had no phone number and no fixed address to pass on. The short of it was, I had no contact info to give them, other than to let them know that I was from London (the other one, in Ontario, Canada) and that they should try to find me in the phone book if they ever happened to pass that way. Hopefully I'd be there...

As I had come to understand on previous trips - realistically there was next to no chance that any semblance of an ongoing relationship would come out of our meeting. I think that's a big difference between then and now. When you traveled people would come in and out of your life for a short span of time and when you said goodbye, it was almost a given that you were saying goodbye forever. Sometimes that was a great, and sometimes not so much.

---

A few friends have asked me to write about how I came to use the name, theotherlondon, so here it is: a collection of stories from June 1993 to October 1994 that include my experiences working in Switzerland and the UK; my engagement to a German blacksmith in Paris; our road trip across North America in a ’67 Volvo with an Australian footballer, and oh yes, my introduction to something ‘new’ called the Internet. You can find the first post here.

The Other London, Part 2: Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour

John had estimated the distance from Amsterdam to the Roskilde Festival in Denmark to be about 800km. A distance he felt would be coverable within a 3 day time span which, in my uninitiated estimation, seemed overly generous. Having only been in Europe for a few days, I was still in full-fledged, ignorant tourist mode, and gauging the undertaking by North American standards,  I thought it more reasonable to expect the journey would take us a couple of days. One day if we were lucky.

I quickly realized the difference between hitching rides in North America and hitching rides in Europe was that hitching rides in Europe was a bit of a dog-and-pony-show/milk-run where you had to be prepared to stop at every village - and I do mean every village - along the way between point A and point B. To be fair, things were the same in North America, but with major epicenters spread out a reasonable distance, at least you'd feel like you're getting somewhere with each ride. In Europe, most folks seemed only to be traveling to the next village which, if you were lucky, might be a good 10km away. Sigh.

Likewise, it took us one full day - over 10 hours on the road - to get from Amsterdam to Arnhem, Holland, a paltry 100km away.  Our tedious progress encompassed 8 rides including: a business man who drove us to the outskirts of Amsterdam where his car promptly overheated, a minibus of high school kids on a band trip, a farmer who let us ride in the back of her produce van, and other assorted fun.

Here's some useful European hitching how-to from back in the day, in case you're interested:

1. Make sure you have a big pad of paper with you and a thick black marker so you can display the name of the next village to passing vehicles. It's inadvisable to write down the name of your final destination as anything further than 20km away will likely overwhelm your audience if they bother to look.


2. It is, or was, illegal to hitch on the open highway in most countries in Europe. The acceptable spot to wait for rides is at the top of an on ramp. Where major highways intersect, this of course means that when you are dropped off at an off ramp, you will need to cross the intersecting highway on foot to get to the next on ramp. A side note here, once you've made it half way across the highway, you'll likely find those concrete barriers are actually much higher than you might expect. Also, the smooth sides make them very difficult to climb over with a 30 lb backpack on your back. Good luck!


3. As hitchhiking partners go, you'll have an easier time finding rides if you travel with a girl. Lone males or two males will receive less offers. And as far as numbers go, the maximum size of your travelling party should be limited to two.


4. It is expected that you will be open to engaging in idle chitchat throughout the duration of your ride. Remember, your driver is a person who has invited a couple of strangers to share their confined space for a period of time. They are overtly social creatures and there are no 'free rides' to be had. Even the fact that you don't speak a common language won't get you off the hook. You can expect to answer questions like 'Where are you going?", "What do you think about [insert current country/closet village]?" and "What is [insert name of your home country] like?" over and over and over again. And then some.

Our last ride of the day was kind enough to drive us all the way to the nearest hostel in Arnhem which happened to be a Christian youth hostel. In my experience these establishments are dependably very clean, very efficiently run and, most notably, very not fun. Well, we really only needed a place to shower and crash before hitting the road early the next day. The hostel staff were at least open-minded enough to allow us to stay in the co-ed dorm though we were not a married couple. We were given bunks beside an elderly grandma and grandpa (or should I say, oma and opa) -like German couple who folded their socks neatly on top of the sandals at the foot of their beds.

As we were crawling into our bunks at the early hour of 10, it was already past 'lights out' time. The dorm was in semi-darkness and filled with the sounds of snoring travellers. John, who had maintained a respectable we-hardly-know-each-other distance throughout the day, stepped up to the upper bunk where I was already snuggled into my sleeping bag to whisper good night. His gorgeous eyes shimmered silver in the dim light. And he kissed me. Swoon. I mean, ew (well, not really).

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A few friends have asked me to write about how I came to use the name, theotherlondon, so here it is: a collection of stories from June 1993 to October 1994 that include my experiences working in Switzerland and the UK; my engagement to a German blacksmith in Paris; our road trip across North America in a '67 Volvo with an Australian footballer, and oh yes, my introduction to something 'new' called the Internet. You can find the first post here.

The Other London

A few friends have asked me to write about how I came to use the name, theotherlondon, so here it is: a collection of stories from June 1993 to October 1994 that include my experiences working in Switzerland and the UK; my engagement to a German blacksmith in Paris; our road trip across North America in a '67 Volvo with an Australian footballer, and oh yes, my introduction to something 'new' called the Internet.

Part 1: She's got a ticket to ride

On June 24, 1993, I flew to Amsterdam on a one day ticket with vague ideas that I hoped to spend the summer, or at least a month or so of it visiting Italy, Spain, Greece and if my money lasted, Egypt or Israel. You'll eventually notice that I visited none of those places, and ended up in a  bunch of countries I never dreamed I would ever set foot in. Funny how those things can happen when you don't have a set plan.

I enjoy traveling alone. It can be lonely and maybe a bit precarious at times - like when you pull into a train station in a seedy part of town at 3am in the morning with no idea where you're going to stay - but it also has its benefits. The perk I appreciate the most is that you get invited on all sorts of adventures with groups of people who are looking for some fresh company but can only make room for one. And most groups can usually make room for one.

I'd like to mention that I in no way intend to suggest that it's a good idea for young girls to go traveling alone to any part of the world. I've been lucky to have never ended up in any truly dangerous situations, but I've heard reports of others who have. Frankly, amongst the other young girls I crossed paths with who were also traveling alone, I never encountered any of these unfortunate damsels. But who's to say.

My first few days in Amsterdam I got invited to join in on a few promising outings:

Option 1
A couple invited me along to Turkey, a country they had recently returned from. They had traveled back to Amsterdam to pick up belongings they had left behind and where excited to get back to what they described as the most beautiful landscapes they had ever seen.

Option 2
I met a fun and friendly group of students from Bath who were coming to the end of a three-week summer road trip on the continent asked if I might be interested in catching a ride with them to visit their home turf where they promised bustling student nightlife and interesting architecture.

Option 3
Most temptingly some fellow Canadians who had rented a VDub bus for the summer and were heading to Spain asked if I might like to join them. Well, Spain was on my 'itinerary'...

Option 4
On my second morning in the hostel - Bob's Youth Hostel, which had been highly recommended by a number of friends and didn't disappoint - I was <mumble> playing guitar in the hostel cafeteria </mumble> when a gorgeous Norwegian with amazing blue eyes asked if I might like to go see Neil Young in concert. I happened to be playing a Neil Young song at the time.

[caption id="attachment_197" align="alignnone" width="300"] Screenshot from theotherlondon blog circa 1993[/caption]

"But isn't Neil Young  touring North America?" I asked/responded wishing I'd showered before heading down to grab breakfast, or at least brushed my hair. "I have some friends who were just caught one of his shows back home."

"Maybe he was there," the Norwegian answered in that slightly American sounding accent I discovered most young Scandinavians have when they speak English. I later learned that many of the American films and televisions shows they have access to aren't dubbed into their native tongue but are shown in their original format, thus their dependably excellent English.

"He's here now," the Norwegian continued. "He's playing at a music festival in Denmark in three days. If you'd like to see him, you can come with me. If you'd like." He flashed a drop dead gorgeous smile.

"How are you getting there?"

"I was planning to hitchhike. It shouldn't take any longer than 2 or maybe 3 days to get there."

Hitching through Europe to a music festival? It seemed a no-brainer that this was the way to go. Oh, did I mention he had amazing blue eyes?

What I'm Looking Forward to at Sasquatch 2012

[caption id="attachment_129" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Crowd shot on the terrace at Sasquatch 2010"][/caption]

Every year I faithfully do up a schedule for Sasquatch and every year I end up with an experience completely unlike what I'd planned. Nevetheless, here I am, doing it again…

I've provided links to the sites for the acts I've included in my highlights. If you're interested in checking out any of the other bands, visit the Sasquatch site for info and links.

Saturday
Reptar (Bigfoot) 12-12:45
I Break Horses (Bigfoot) 1- 1:45
Said The Whale (Yeti) 1:20-2:05
Blitzen Trapper (Sasquatch) 2:10-2:55
The Civil Wars (Sasquatch) 3:15-4
Kurt Vile and the Violators (Bigfoot) 4:05-4:50
Dum Dum Girls (Bigfoot) 5:10-5:55
Metric (Sasquatch) 6:40-7:40
tUnE-yArDs (Bigfoot) 7:30-8:30
The Shins (Sasquatch) 8:10-9:25
St Vincent (Bigfoot) 9-10
Jack White (Sasquatch) 10-11:30
The Roots (Bigfoot) 11:30 -1pm

Highlights for Saturday
Though I Break Horses is a little outside what I usually listen to, quite a bit of their dreamy electronic goodness has been on frequent rotation on my iPod for the past few months. I seem to have a soft spot for Swedish bands as of late. Civil Wars is another must see as Barton Hollow made my list of top ten releases last year. Love their rich, acoustic melodies and sweet harmonies. The overlapping Metric and tUnE-yArDs concerts is a bit of a dilemma, but we'll deal with that later…

Sunday
Hey Marseilles (Sasquatch) 12-12:45
Greylag (Yeti) 12:15-1:00
Reignwolf (Yeti) 1:20-2:05
Trampled By Turtles (Sasquatch) 2:10-2:55
Blind Pilot (Sasquatch) 3:15-4:00
Hey Rosetta! (Yeti) 4:35-5:20
M. Ward (Sasquatch) 5:25-6:10
The Head & The Heart (Sasquatch) 6:40-7:40
Zola Jesus (Yeti) 7:50-8:50
Beirut (Sasqutach) 8:10-9:25
Bon Iver (Sassquatch) 10-11:30

Highlights for Sunday
Though I'm of course looking forward to the heavy-weights, The Head & The Heart (who put on an amazing show at Sasquatch last year), Beirut and Bon Iver, I'm very keen to catch Greylag and Reignwolf on the Yeti stage earlier in the day. My favourite shows in past years at Sasqutach have consistently played the Yeti stage and I'm guessing it's one of these two bands that will deliver my favourite performance of the festival. Either that or M. Ward might take the cake.

Monday
The Sheepdogs (Sasquatch) 12-12:45
Grouplove (Sasquatch) 1:05-1:50
Ben Howard (Bigfoot) 1:45-2:30
Damien Jurado (Bigfoot) 2:45-3:20
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Sasquatch) 3:15-4
The Joy Formidable (Sasquatch) 4:15-5
Feist (Sasquatch) 5:30-6:30
The Cave Singers (Bigfoot) 6:50-7:35
Tenacious D (Sasquatch) 8:30-9:30
Beck (Sasquatch) 10-11:30

Highlights for Monday
Hands down the act I'm most looking forward to at Sasquatch 2012 is Damien Jurado. I usually try to steer clear of bands I've already seen in hopes of discovering new favourites, but in this case and a few others, there's no resisting. Though I can't say I'd ever go out of my way to see Tenacious D in concert, I am expecting the show will be a welcome break from the norm in the closing hours of the festival. Last but hardly least, I've got 20 years worth of reasons to look forward to catching Beck in concert.

By the way, if you're looking for packing tips for the festival, you could check out a post I uploaded last year.

See you there!