tag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:/blogs/latest-news?p=4Latest News2018-11-24T10:44:59-05:00Steven Wright-Markfalsetag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47968102017-07-31T08:34:26-04:002022-04-25T13:39:55-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 29th (Day 39): Lord, I Was Born a Ramblin Man <p>Today was a day that we were looking forward to for a while now, as we were going to Maidstone to play the large <a contents="Ramblin Man Fest" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ramblinmanfair.com">Ramblin Man Fest</a>. It’s an interesting event, that mixes indie rock, country, blues, and a healthy dose of 80’s heavy metal. You might not think that Jessica Lynn belongs in a festival with such bands as Extreme, Dokken, Glenn Hughes or UFO, but there we were. </p>
<p>The event has 4 stages – including a “Groove Rider” stage for indie rock (which was being headlined by the awesome <a contents="Rival Sons" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.rivalsons.com">Rival Sons</a> today), and we were playing the “Outlaw Country” stage, opening for incredible guitarist <a contents="Kenny Wayne Shepherd" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kennywayneshepherd.net">Kenny Wayne Shepherd</a>. </p>
<p>We arrived at the festival at our scheduled time of 11 am, and having played many festivals at this point, I’m sorry to say that this was extremely poorly run in regard to getting the artists inside. Events like this are enormous, and it’s important for the staff to guide everyone properly to where they need to go, but we were misdirected numerous times. We were even told to park, unload our instruments, and as we stood at the gate, instruments in hand, obviously looking like a band, we were told by security we couldn’t enter the very gate we were told we had to go into by someone else. And, Jessica had to get inside quickly because she had an interview scheduled. No one had a clue was going on, and it was truly frustrating. </p>
<p>But after a few missteps, we finally met our artist liaison Hannah who sorted everything out for us...so we had our credentials, and were guided to the side of the stage where we could park and unload our gear...and from that point everything ran smoothly, and the staff inside the event was very helpful (especially the incredible stage crew run by Adam!). <a contents="Caitlin Koch" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.caitlinkoch.com">Caitlin Koch</a> (From “X Factor” season 1) was up first on the Outlaw Country stage, and while she was doing her set, which included our new friend Steve Marks (no relation, but he’s the guitarist from our tour mates <a contents="Gasoline &amp; Matches" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://gasolineandmatchesmusic.com">Gasoline & Matches</a>, playing bass this time for her), we were getting our gear together in the wings. The large crowd loved her – she got an awesome reaction, so we were getting psyched to get in front of them too. </p>
<p>The stage was in a large tent, which was all for the best as it rained on-and-off throughout the day (and sometimes quite hard). At 2 pm, it was time for our set, and we kicked things off with a cover of Brooks & Dunn’s “Play Something Country,” which pulled the crowd right in, which at this point not only jammed the entire tent, but I could see the crowd spilling outside, trying to see inside. As we went through our set, it was obviously that this was the most enthusiastic audience we’ve played to so far on this tour…and we were definitely feeding off their energy. I thought this was a great show all around. Here’s a shot during our show...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/a1b68b449b91beb8be65c8ac9411290f91f2cf90/original/20507097-10159061210945510-3774041082222052261-o.jpg?1501504070" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>And here's what it looked like from the stage… </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/9068ee22e56bab24b630c3202888b55702fc3169/original/20451648-10159057308925510-9093074564097807266-o.jpg?1501408098" class="size_l justify_center border_" />After our set, we had a meet-and-great session in another tent on the grounds, with Jessica and the rest of us signing autographs, posing for pictures, and talking to fans. The positive reaction was overwhelming…and I think it’s safe to say at this point that the U.K. really loves Jessica Lynn. </p>
<p>After that, the time was our own, so we had lunch in the artist catering tent while mingling with some of the other bands, then had a drink in the VIP area, and did some browsing in the tented shops on the grounds. I caught some of Glenn Hughes’ set on the main stage (heard him do “Burn,” and man, that dude still can sing!). We finished by watching the super fun <a contents="Steve N Seagulls" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://stevenseagulls.com">Steve N Seagulls</a> band back at the Outlaw Country stage, and then after the long day…we were all wiped out and it was time to go. </p>
<p>We hadn’t yet checked into our hotel, so we first went there, and found there was a snafu with our reservation, which was made by the promoters. It was all worked out, but we had to chill in the lobby for a while, so Brian and I ducked into the lobby bar for a really well-made Bloody Maria while waiting. We finally got up to our rooms, quickly showered, and then met down at the hotel restaurant for a late dinner (first at 10 pm). </p>
<p>It was a bittersweet day for me, because although today’s show could have been my favorite so far on this tour…it was also my final show for this tour. Unfortunately, I had important prior commitments back home in the U.S. before this tour was fully booked, so as I write this I’m at London’s Heathrow Airport waiting to get on my plane back home. </p>
<p>Fortunately, the Jessica Lynn Band are an insanely-talented bunch of musicians, so in preparation for my eventual early departure they’ve worked out alternative arrangements, for which Jessica is going to have to play a lot more guitar during the set. It restricts her performance ability a little (hey, it’s tough to run around the stage AND play guitar AND sing at the same time!). But no matter…they are going to continue winning every audience over for the remaining few dates on this tour. </p>
<p>And because of that also, this is going to be my final entry in this Tour Diary. If you want to know what’s been happening in Europe with the band, you’ll have to ask them yourself! </p>
<p>So to conclude, I want to thank Jessica, Steve, Peter, Victoria, Bob, Matt and Brian (and Wilma too, who left us last week) for an incredible 6 weeks on the road. It’s been an amazing journey, and I couldn’t imagine taking it with a better bunch of people. I’m going to miss you guys…now go out and show ‘em how it’s done! And I'd also like to thank you too, for following along on our adventures here with me in this Tour Diary. Thanks for reading and commenting!</p>
<p>And since I’m still in the U.K – cheerio, for now…</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47967922017-07-30T04:59:36-04:002022-04-25T13:40:18-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 28 (Day 38): Live in London <p>As it has been on many days during this tour, the Jessica Lynn Band started the day on Friday with breakfast at our hotel, packed the vehicles and hit the road toward London, where we were playing tonight. The drive was pretty uneventful, and took just a quick break at Starbucks at a rest stop to refuel ourselves. </p>
<p>After a little while, we finally reached the outskirts of London, and I enjoyed watching the scenery from the window of the van. Each city we’ve visited has its own personality, and London revealed its own right away from the look of the buildings, the iconic “Underground” signs, and the phone booths. </p>
<p>Our show was at a club called “The Lexington,” which is just outside the heart of the city, and it was a very cool place. Downstairs, it looked like a pub, with lots of people hanging out seemingly having a great time. Upstairs, it’s a concert venue that reminded Brian and I a bit of The Bowery Electric in NYC. </p>
<p>We met up with our UK tour mates Gasoline & Matches and each did our sound checks, during which we rehearsed our final tune “Johnny B. Goode” together, just so we could tighten up the transitions and soloing order. We had so much fun doing that, I knew this was going to be another great show together. </p>
<p>Before the show, Jessica did a lengthy interview in the dressing room for a new country music TV channel that's launching in the UK, and then it was showtime. And I was right about the show...we had a great crowd, and it’s interesting to see them drop their inhibitions as the set progresses. Yes, they were with us from the start, but by the time we hit our last couple of songs everyone was dancing, arms in the air, and having as much fun as we were. What’s been really cool to see is that many people are now coming to our shows and singing along with a bunch of the songs…they’ve heard the single on the radio, or bought the EP. This kind of international recognition feels really good, I must say. </p>
<p>During our song “Roadhouse” we each take solos, and we love interacting with the crowd while this is going on. When Steve took his guitar solo, he jumped off the stage and down into crowd. One female fan got so excited she threw her drink, ice and all, right in his face! I have no idea what she was thinking...I’ve never seen anything like it. How he kept his composure and kept his solo going was beyond me…guess the man is just a true professional. (Good job, brother!) </p>
<p>After the show we mingled with fans, and said a sad goodbye to our new friends in <a contents="Gasoline &amp; Matches" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/GasolineandMatches/">Gasoline & Matches</a>. I watched some of their set again tonight, and the more I hear their songs, the more I love them. Please do yourself a favor and check them out…I’m super impressed with this crew, both musically and personally. Here's a shot of all of us together...<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/69175606542b627079512521ffcc3163fd11fbdd/original/img-5374.jpg?1501405115" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>But then it was time to leave and drive to our hotel (we hadn’t checked in yet, as we had to get right to The Lexington this afternoon). The route took us through the heart of London, and it was great to see Big Ben and much of the city during our journey. I wished we could have had some time to really explore the city, but I had to remind myself that a tour is not a vacation…so I’ll just have to make a point to come back. </p>
<p>When we arrived at our hotel, we found it was a lovely, old-school place on a golf course. But it’s only a short night here, as we once again have to be on the road early to get to the big Ramblin Man Fair in Maidstone, where we’re playing the “Outlaw Country Stage” (there are 4 stages at this festival) opening for Kenny Wayne Sheppard. </p>
<p>I had never played a concert in London before, but have always wanted to…so today was a good day. Crossed something off my bucket list. Next report from Ramblin Man...</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47954262017-07-28T11:38:07-04:002022-04-25T13:40:44-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 25th – 27th (Day 35, 36 & 37): To the North in the U.K.<p>After a great day off in Liverpool on Monday, we awoke on Tuesday to a long travel day…a 5 hour drive north to head towards Glasgow. As we got further north in the U.K., the landscape suddenly changed to the rolling hills that might associate with Scotland. But as is typical for the weather here, it was colder, grey and rainy. </p>
<p>But because Glasgow is a long drive, we broke up the trip and stayed the night in the small town of Wishaw. The hotel too was a tiny, and not at all guest-friendly in terms of policies and services. It also looked like what you’d expect a typical small Scottish town to be, but I have to be honest…it’s really not my thing. Kind of decrepit, and all grey and brown. Here’s a pic from my window… </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/2296305b31a4a116ff65f84e78650d52ec7babef/original/img-5349.jpg?1501255732" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We did have a great dinner at a local hotel/golf course, but once it was Wednesday morning, I was very glad to be out of there and on the road. We made the rest of the trip that morning to Glasgow, checked into the hotel (another ridiculously tiny room. One thing I’ve noticed in Europe is that many chains pass closets off as hotel rooms…which is something we thankfully never see in the U.S.). </p>
<p>Although we didn’t get to spend any time there, Glasgow looks like a nice old city, with some modern touches here and there. We got the venue to sound check, and met the band members from <a contents="Gasoline and Matches" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/GasolineandMatches/">Gasoline and Matches</a>, the band that we’re playing the next string of dates with here in the U.K. Besides being a great bunch of people (AND, they kindly let us use their entire backline for the 3 dates we’re doing with them), they are also a terrific band. Great musicians, nice harmonies and really catchy tunes (I woke up with one of their songs in my head this morning). It’s a pleasure to get to play with them night-after-night on this UK stint, and we truly could not have done it without them. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/747172c05cd9caf387ebabaa8eefee68ca770910/original/img-5362.jpg?1501255707" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>This was another club show, and surprisingly, it was one of the best audiences we’ve had on this tour. From the very first song, they were singing along and having a blast. The show felt more like a party than a concert, and all of us – bands and audience alike – had a great night. </p>
<p>Thursday morning we hit the road again for another long drive to head back down south to Wolverhampton. Our show that night was at the Slade Rooms (named after the 70’s U.K. glam band Slade, who are from the area). It’s a well-known venue that hosts many touring acts, and it was a great room. David, our soundman for the night, did an awesome mix. </p>
<p>After the show, Jessica did a radio interview in our dressing room with a DJ from a local station, and it’s great to see more and more of these types of things happening. Both radio and the press are starting to pay attention, and the reaction has been excellent. Check out this piece that ran in a Glasgow newspaper… </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/eaad0e2190c4186688be42e91f030b769d580efb/original/img-5363.jpg?1501255656" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The crowd was a little more subdued at this show in Wolverhampton (and I can never figure out why some audiences go crazy and others are more reserved, when we are essentially doing a similar show each night), but it still was a solid performance. </p>
<p>If you’ve seen us live, you might recall that we often end our set with a version of Johnny B. Goode where we trade instruments and solos…it’s a lot of fun, and for tonight we asked our tour mates Gasoline and Matches to join us onstage for the tune. We’re a big band to begin with, but tonight we now had 13 people on stage for this final tune…and it was a ridiculously good time! It was a great way to end the night. </p>
<p>Friday morning, we’re hitting the road already again, making the drive down to London where we all play together again at The Lexington Club. It’s always been a bucket list item for me to do a show in London, which I have not done yet…so I’m really looking forward to this. Will write my next diary entry from there…</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47916532017-07-25T13:19:11-04:002023-12-10T13:07:17-05:00Summer Tour Diary - July 24th (Day 34): Beatlemania<p>Although I’m most often associated as a guitarist/keyboardist in a country band these days, I’ve been in all kinds of bands over the years, playing everything from synth-pop to heavy metal. But I’m also a solo indie rock artist playing music that’s often categorized as “power pop” – and like many musicians in that genre (and others, of course) , I’ve been heavily influenced by the Beatles. </p>
<p>In fact, it’s safe to say that the Beatles are the reason that I do what I do. For me, there hasn’t been a band since that has had the same impact on music, culture and society as they have had. Their songs are timeless…I recently listened to the remastered 50th anniversary of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, and was astonished at how fresh it still sounded – both musically and sonically - so many years later. </p>
<p>So when the tour was being routed and Jessica first told me that we were going to have a day off in Liverpool, the birthplace of the Beatles, I was thrilled. I have always wanted to come here, and as Peter is also a huge fan, we decided we were going to go into full-on tourist mode. He and I started the day alone, and walked from our hotel to Albert Docks on the Mersey River to visit “The Beatles Story” museum. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and a very nice walk through this vibrant town. On the way, we saw the Magical Mystery Tour bus… </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/2e949c898f4bd0c2ac8cb53006aff793b84c17a4/original/img-5251.jpg?1501002715" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Once at the museum, via a self-guided audio tour you walk through the history of the Beatles…when they met as school kids, their first efforts playing music together, their first club dates and recordings, and all the way through their astronomical success, eventual breakup and solo careers. </p>
<p>There were many displays that recreated famous places in their history such as The Cavern Club and Abbey Road Studios, but as interesting and well done as it was, both Peter and I wished that they had more original and authentic items….as in a real museum. Some of the guitars on display were only reproductions, for example. But here are some things that were original and very cool to see:</p>
<p>John's piano that was used on many recordings...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/b56dd348dfda4b52e8898e47140923fa4f8fa410/original/img-5284.jpg?1501002718" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>One of George's guitars...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/928917ab66217c17ea13b31d51f6bc5503567b00/original/img-5286.jpg?1501002764" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>George Martin's handwritten notes from studio sessions for some pretty famous songs...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/0de5d6bc2f4a4de6042693db6e7fa2afeed783f8/original/img-5277.jpg?1501002768" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>After a short rest back at the hotel, we were then joined by Jessica, Steve and Victoria to take the National Trust tour of John’s and Paul’s childhood homes, and this is what I was most excited about….you actually get to go inside the homes where they grew up, and for a Beatles geek like me, this is a very big deal. </p>
<p>Because of street crowding and traffic you’re not allowed to drive there directly, so we had to go to a complex run by the Trust called Speke Hall, where we boarded a mini bus to take us to our destinations (like I said, we were being tourists!). The first stop was Paul’s house at 20 Forthlin Road, which was modest “council housing” – essentially government-built and subsidized housing for low income families, as homes were scarce back then because so many buildings were destroyed in World War I. Just standing on the walkway that led from the sidewalk to the front door, I could image a young Paul (he moved here when he was 13) coming in from school. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/5c24f1f603cd031c16cdf5bd446ef94f997d6b3c/original/img-5304.jpg?1501002753" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We were brought inside, and were instructed that we couldn’t take photos (otherwise I’d have many to post here). The first stop was the “front parlor,” which was a small living room with just a sofa, a couple of arm chairs, a little fireplace, a tiny box of a TV, a record player, and piano where the family would gather to sing songs, and where Paul learned to play. Our tour guide, Sylvia, gave us a fascinating look at the life of Paul’s family in the house, and told us that in the very room we were standing, Paul and John sat together to write many of the Beatle’s classic tunes. </p>
<p>We then went to what was supposed to be the dining room, but instead was used for band rehearsals with a drum kit set up in the corner. Paul’s dad Jim was a musician and songwriter too, and the family was very supportive of their son’s ambitions…although Jim did not like rock and roll. To imagine the young Beatles standing and rehearsing in that tiny room actually gave me chills. This very room played a big part in their musical development, and it was unreal to be there. </p>
<p>We were then shown the rest of the house and told stories in each – the small kitchen, the backyard (with the pipe that Paul used to climb to sneak into the house through an upper window past curfew), the bedroom Paul shared with his brother Michael until their mother, Mary, died of breast cancer when Paul was just 14…after which he moved to a smaller bedroom at the front of the house. </p>
<p>When we were ending the tour, Sylvia (who at this point knew that we were a band) said that if any of us knew how to play any Beatles songs on the piano, we could do it. The whole band pointed at me…and at first I was in disbelief. You mean, I can play piano in Paul’s living room??!? But of course I jumped at the chance. With all of all of the talk of his family, and his relationship with “Mother Mary,” naturally I had to pick “Let It Be,” and played a verse and chorus with the other tour members (a small group of 12) singing along. This was truly a special moment in my life - to play one of Paul’s songs in the very room where he and John composed many of their early hits. It was an experience I will never, ever forget. </p>
<p>From there, we got back on the bus and were driven to the house where John lived for around 16 years, from the age of 5 or so. In contrast to the modest, working-class council housing where Paul lived, John’s house is in the Mendips section of Liverpool, which was clearly more middle class. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/c351427480c34d760407bd70f9f287254e8a3c10/original/img-5315.jpg?1501002746" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The house actually belonged to John’s Aunt Mimi, who raised John during that time. As we entered the house through the back door into the kitchen (because Mimi was a bit of a snob and reserved front-door entry for “important” visitors like doctors and clergy), we were told of the first time that Paul came to the house to work with John, and the intense scrutiny he received from Mimi and the family. However, he was far more polite and well-spoken that what Mimi assumed a council-house kid would be, so he passed the test. </p>
<p>Unlike at Paul’s house, where we learned more about him, his musical influences, and the birth of Beatles music there, the tour of John’s house was really more about Aunt Mimi, the sacrifices she made for the family, and her relationship with John. I found Paul’s house tour to be more interesting, but still – it was surreal to stand in the living room where John first rehearsed with his first band, The Quarrymen. </p>
<p>We were left to explore the house on our own, and it was also surreal to stand in John’s tiny bedroom, where he developed into one of the greatest musical and artistic forces in modern history. Imagining him there sitting on his bed right there in that room with his guitar, working on his songs, also gave me chills. </p>
<p>As a huge Beatles fan, I’ve known a lot about their early days and musical history, but after seeing their childhood homes and hearing these inside stories about their formative years, I walked away with an even deeper understanding and appreciation of who each of them are, and what they accomplished. From these very humble beginnings, they launched a revolution that truly changed the world. It certainly changed my life.</p>
<p>After the tour, we went out to dinner and then made the final stop in our Beatles pilgrimage…the famous Cavern Club, where the Beatles got their start as a young band in Liverpool. The entrance to the club is not the same as where it used to be, but much of this underground space is still the same...and after seeing old black-and-white films of the Beatles playing there, it was incredibly cool to be standing there in front of that famous stage. </p>
<p>There was a guy playing guitar and singing, doing some Beatles songs of course. The place is honestly rather touristy now, but we embraced it…and while Steve and I threw back a pint of bitters we bought some t-shirts and such. We then made the walk back to our hotel, and marveled at this hip, lively town, even on a Monday night.</p>
<p>Perhaps because of its musical heritage, and also because of the great surprise this city turned out to be, I have to say that Liverpool was one of my very favorite stops on this tour. I’m so grateful to Jessica for routing the tour through here, so we could experience everything. and I hope to return one day to spend even more time exploring. </p>
<p>But in the morning, we hit the road again….making a 4 hour drive north to Glasgow, where we play on Wednesday.</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47897522017-07-24T08:39:50-04:002024-02-27T04:50:39-05:00Summer Tour Diary – July 22nd and 23rd (Day 32 & 33): Rockin the Aerodrome and heading to Liverpool<p>It was another lazy today, with everyone sleeping late and then grabbing food in different places for a quick lunch. Once again, the only place open right near our hotel was McDonalds. It’s unreal to me that restaurants spend so much time closed, when they could be serving food and making money. And it was also disappointing to me that it was yet another meal at an American fast food restaurant. </p>
<p>When we got there, we discovered they were doing a promotion day for the new Minions movie, and the place was mobbed and swarming with kids to see the costumed characters they had here. Took forever to get our food, and it sounded like a kindergarten playground at recess. Oh, and I knocked over a large display by accident, almost knocking Steve in the head. (I should mention that I frequently am the “bull in the china shop” – the band calls me “Wreck-It Wright-Mark”….pretty accurate.) </p>
<p>Once we finally got the hell outta there, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the show, and met at 4 pm to head over to the Aerodrome in Cambrai. It’s famous as the place where Louis Blériot frequently flew out of - who is known for making the first flight across the English channel from France to Great Britain in an airplane.</p>
<p>And being an aerodrome, we were playing in an airplane hangar, and if you know anything about sound there’s almost no worse place to put a band. With the high ceilings and hard reflected surfaces, sound bounces around like crazy and it’s difficult to get a good mix. Our sound check was riddled with feedback, low frequency hums and other trouble. It took quite a while, and although we weren’t really satisfied with the results at the end of it, there’s a limit to what you can do in a venue like that, so we stopped around 7:30. Although, I should mention that our sound man Philippe did as good a job as possible, given the fact that he was trying to mix 8 people playing multiple instrument in this airplane hangar. It's a thankless job, so I just want to say "thank you!"</p>
<p>After sound check, we were taken backstage and had the best catering we’ve had at any show so far. So many fresh and delicious salads, different types of fish, freshly-baked French bread, apple tarts and more. We hung out there until show time, and when we reentered the hangar to play, we saw that the place was mobbed with people. </p>
<p>Most of the crowd was behind barricades around 20 feet back from the band, with other VIPs allowed in the front. It was a little strange as most of those VIPs were seated off to the sides, but the main crowd was completely getting into the show from the very start. Despite a bit of a rough stage mix, I thought we played well…there was a lot of energy both on stage and in the audience. I think this is a cool shot from the show...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/54a01feaa5b7e1553bdbc9468475e431479b8f84/original/img-5220.jpg?1500853186" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>As we were approaching the end of the set, Peter asked someone if they would open the barricades and let everyone up front…and they did. At that point everyone rushed forward…and this is when the place really started going crazy. It was an absolute blast.</p>
<p>When the show was over, there was an hour-long meet-and-greet that Jessica had to do, because so many people wanted to meet her, take photos, and get autographs. We signed quite a few ourselves and posed for lots of pictures with fans (which it's fun to see surface on Facebook the next day). Here's one with some of us and our new photographer friend, Remo...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/49ea5674f4b9c3437ef2d3201baac4ae7b6efa40/original/img-5217.jpg?1500853186" class="size_l justify_center border_" />And I have to say…the French fans are incredibly warm and generous. Jessica was given so many gifts – photos books, DVDs of other performances we did in France, frame pictures with lovely sentiments written on them. It was clear they genuinely loved Jessica and the band…and visa versa. </p>
<p>Once that was over, we once again went backstage for the after party, and it was quite the bash. Champagne flowed…and I mean FLOWED…bottle after bottle came out, there was never an empty glass, and all the VIPs and promoters were there were us carrying on, having a ton of laughs, acting completely silly…it was a ridiculous amount of fun. Oh, and did I mention lots of champagne?</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/d890dfa961366337a6671a8a3f38b3b7fbf9b54c/original/img-5205.jpg?1500853190" class="size_l justify_center border_" />They also gave us all more gifts…special candy from the region, wine, beer and more. Their generosity and hospitality were overwhelming, and it was among the most fun times we’ve had on the tour. My face actually hurt from continually laughing. </p>
<p>But at around 1 am, we had to leave as we have a long journey in the morning…driving from Cambrai to Calais, then ending our long stay in Europe (over a month!), getting on the Channel Tunnel train, taking us across the English Channel to the UK, followed by a nearly 10 hour trip north and west to our next destination.</p>
<p>We left for our trip on Sunday at around 10:30 am, and drove an hour-and-a-half until we reached the Channel Tunnel, which was a very interesting experience. Upon arrival, there were long lines of cars having their tickets checked (it's like buying an airline ticket, and about as expensive, for a vehicle). And then there's UK border control. Since we're a traveling band, we had work visas so we had to be pulled over to the side and go into an immigration office where they checked all of our papers, passports, and asked questions about the shows we're playing in the UK, how long we're staying, etc.</p>
<p>Once we cleared that, we drove to the loading area, and you drive your vehicles on to a train. Definitely an odd experience, but it was really cool. It was a quick 35 minute ride...and then we were in the UK! And being in the UK, that meant driving on the left side of the road. If you've been reading my blog, you know that Steve (who is driving our large van) just learned how to drive a stick shift here, and now he was suddenly faced with the extra task of navigating the roads, driving the "wrong way." And I have to once again say...he nailed it. He said he just had to think more about where to go when making turns, but he already seems like an old pro at this. Great job, brother!</p>
<p>It was a long, nearly 6 hour drive to Liverpool, where we're staying for a couple of nights. I had no idea what to expect of this city, as I had heard it had been a bit of a depressed industrial/shipping area. Well, I was wrong, and very pleasantly surprised. Liverpool is actually a vibrant, hip, young community, and we're staying in an area that reminds me a bit of Soho or the East Village in NYC. Once we got settled in our hotel, we hit the streets for dinner, and although it was late on a Sunday night, all the bars and clubs in the area were rocking -- jamming with young, good looking crowds. </p>
<p>We had dinner at an English pub with some great local draft beer, and the headed back to the hotel to pass out after our long day on the road. We have a day off tomorrow, which some of us are going to spend doing all of the touristy Beatle things here in Liverpool. I'm a huge Beatle fan, so for me this is a pilgrimage to the holy land...and I can't wait.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47876022017-07-22T06:07:13-04:002024-02-27T04:50:39-05:00Summer Tour Diary – July 20th and 21st (Days 30 and 31): The Show That Never Was<p>We had quite the late night party with friends in northern France last night, but had to be up fairly early today so we could hit the road for an afternoon show in Eppe-Sauvage. After yet another delicious breakfast (this time with the freshest papaya I’ve ever had), we got ourselves together and started on our way around noon. </p>
<p>The venue, which was about an hour-and-a-half away, is a vacation spot for families, and they do regular concerts there over the summer. We knew this show wasn’t going to be as big as some of the others we’ve done on this tour, nor was it a cool small club gig (like we did in Amsterdam and Munich)…so this looked like it was going to fall in between. </p>
<p>But as we were driving and just about 20 minutes away, Peter (who had gone in advance with our friend/promoter Jean-Marc to deal with the backline) called us to break the news…the show was cancelled. </p>
<p>WHAT? WHY? It seems that when the two guys showed up, they learned that the outdoor show was to be moved indoors to a convention center, because of the threat of rainstorms. (Bad weather has definitely plagued us at certain stops on this tour). So they went to the indoor venue, which was locked up. They found the person in charge, and, there’s really no other way to put this…the guy was a belligerent asshole. </p>
<p>He said he refused to open the facility until he felt like it, insulted both Peter and Jean-Marc, and then proceeded to go sit down and eat lunch with his buddies. Jean-Marc approached him again to tell him that we needed to start setting up, at which point the guy jumped up and started screaming, getting in Jean-Marc’s face, cursing at him insulting them further, screaming that he didn't know why they booked "this shit band"…and they knew we were in a bad situation. </p>
<p>Now, Jean-Marc has produced many other events here, and has a great relationship with the people who run the venue, but he never encountered this jerk before. Unfortunately, all of his other contacts weren’t there today…so he had to deal with this guy. And after this serious confrontation, Jean-Marc and Peter decided that this wasn’t going to go well when the guy in charge is hostile and hates us from the start. And he wouldn't even let us in to set us anyway. So they pulled the plug on the show. </p>
<p>When the rest of us arrived a little while later, we met at “Willy’s Frites” (“frite” places are incredibly popular here) and talked it all over. Jean-Marc was really shaken by the incident (I felt really badly for him), and we were in disbelief that a venue would book a band on tour, and then treat them like this. </p>
<p>The news of what happened took to Facebook, with Jean-Marc posting the true story about what happened, and getting lots of support from fans who were planning to come and were expressing their disappointment. And that's a shame, because we hate disappointing anyone, but this was really out of our control.</p>
<p>But after having lunch and talking this over, we decided to head back to the Manor to do some other things. We got back in the van, and I immediately fell asleep (still exhausted from overall lack of sleep). And, I was so tired that I missed the excitement on the ride home – slept right through it. </p>
<p>From what I heard afterwards, Steve was driving down the highway, when he suddenly started staying “Oh my God, Oh my God!” No one knew what was wrong until he pointed at what got his attention…a HUGE spider that was crawling across the top of the windshield, on the inside. And I mean extremely large. </p>
<p>It only made a quick appearance, and quickly scurried back to where we’ve discovered that it’s living…in a space just above the rear-view mirror. Once we got back to the Manor, we tried to get coax it out, but with no luck. I was awake then, and did see it peak out for a moment, and yeah - holy crap - that thing is big. So…yeah, we’re now driving around with an extra passenger, in the form of a giant spider. Perfect! </p>
<p>But since we didn’t have to do this show today, we had some extra time now and had been meaning to shoot some video at the Manor, because the backdrop is just so beautiful. So today, we finally got to do so! We shot a few scenes for the video being produced for Jessica’s new single, “Crazy Idea,” and even did some live acoustic things too. Very productive, and lots of fun.. </p>
<p>And on a side note, we’re getting daily updates from radio stations in the US who are adding the single to their rotation, and featuring Jessica on their websites. A few days ago we received this chart of the daily streams by radio stations, and the single was at #4...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/80cda4e857265a711e8788891000dcf497e9b35e/original/screen-shot-2017-07-22-at-9-23-56-am.png?1500708338" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> It’s great to see such a positive reaction from the industry! It would be awesome if you'd call your local country radio station and request it...</p>
<p>Anyway – at this point it was already approaching 9 pm, so we all went out to dinner at a great restaurant in the nearby town of Cambrai. When we returned to our last night at the Manor, we all gathered outdoors in the backyard with our host Thierri, sipping French champagne…talking and laughing until the wee hours. It was a perfect way to spend our final night here. </p>
<p>And also sadly, this was our last night with Bob’s wife, Wilma, who has been on this tour since the start, and has been doing SO much to help out…handling merch sales, taking video and photos during our shows, giving us sound advice from house during sound checks, and of course…keeping Bob in line (the hardest job of all! We don’t call him “Tiger Bob” for nothin’. ;-) ) </p>
<p>Thanks for everything, Wilma! We’re going to miss you on the rest of this journey. </p>
<p>On early Friday morning, Wilma took a car to the airport, and the rest of us met for our last incredible breakfast here, And during breakfast, Thierri came in to tell us that one of the cats who live there (and there are many) just had kittens! We ran outside and there was Patrice, holding two tiny, newborn kittens. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/57098bb594d58d843b4a107a6927d60243953289/original/img-5182.jpg?1500650959" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We then packed up, and sadly said our goodbyes. I can’t even really express just how special this place is, and how wonderful both Thierri and Patrice are…so it was truly hard to leave. Here's a shot of all of us right before we left...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/bdc5a40a1d36c3e5502967d4d0b3a9f42eea7a74/original/20226576-10159010137240510-298184764-o.jpg?1500651020" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>But as much as we didn't want to, we had to go…and headed down the road to our new hotel, which is actually also quite beautiful, with flowers everywhere. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/bb92070bc619d88661dda10f069d9dd240286377/original/img-5195.jpg?1500651127" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Once we checked in, we took this day again to rest, change strings, catch up on work, and just relax (and I wrote this blog post). We again met for dinner to go to one of Jessica's favorite places here, and I could see why she likes it so much. Fresh, delicious food, great wine, and our good friend Jean-Marc joined us once again too.</p>
<p>Once back at the hotel, we gathered on the beautiful outdoor desk to just enjoy the rest of this summer night. It was also Ed and Carol's last night with us, so we then said our goodbyes and went up to our rooms to pass out.</p>
<p>Tomorrow is our last European show for the moment, playing an Aerodrome here in France, before we leave for the UK on Sunday. Will have a show-day report soon...</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47861642017-07-20T13:12:01-04:002022-04-25T13:42:44-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 17 - 19th (Day 27, 28 & 29): Manoir de Louis XXI <p>After our show on Sunday with ZZ Top, and our “After Party Tour” after party at the hotel, Monday was the first of three days off! So we gathered for breakfast around 10 am, as we were to check out to get to our next destination (more on that later). Peter and Steve were getting picked up at 11 to go to Enterprise, where we were getting our next vehicles for the remainder of the tour. </p>
<p>If you’ve been reading this blog, then you know the problems we had with Enterprise in Paris at the start of the tour. Well, I guess the only good thing I can say about them is that they are consistent…that is, consistent in completely screwing up. Because just like last time, despite confirmations, calls and assurances, on the morning of the pickup they didn’t have EITHER of the vehicles we needed. Again. </p>
<p>I’ll spare you the details, but we wound up sitting around the hotel lobby (we had to check out of our rooms) for FOUR HOURS while we waited for them to find appropriate cars (which they should have done before Steve and Peter got there). And the large passenger van had manual transmission…and no one in our entourage drives a stick. So, get this…the Enterprise rep was giving Steve manual driving lessons in the parking lot. I’m not kidding. It’s ridiculous…but I have to say that Steve rose to the occasion and is now doing a great job with his newly-learned skill. Thanks, Steve!</p>
<p>Once we finally got our gear and instruments loaded, we were on the way to a place that Jessica, Steve, Peter and Victoria have visited before on prior trips to the area…the <a contents="Manoir de Louis XXI." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.manoirlelouisxxi.com">Manoir de Louis XXI.</a> They have raved about this place…its beauty, the setting, the wonderful owners Thierri and Patrice – so we couldn’t wait to see it. </p>
<p>We arrived an hour later, and I have to say that their praise was not overstated. This place is simply incredible…almost magical. It’s exactly what you’d think a French Manor would look like, and the vibe here is just so tranquil. Jessica really wanted us to experience this place, and I can see why (thanks, Jess!). I could get used to a lifestyle like this. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/7e80f1c8f765557a7300ede30f31b7cb0793d62c/original/img-5118.jpg?1500570429" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We settled in when we arrived and all hung out on the beautiful grounds. Later in the day we met our French friends Jean-Marc, Melina and Ben, Brandon (who made the trip with us from Valenciennes so we could all hang together a bit longer here), and Ed and Carol from NY, and all went to a huge group dinner that Jean-Marc incredibly wound up picking up. SO generous, and what a fun evening. </p>
<p>When we got back to the Manor, Jessica cracked open a bottle of very special Armagnac (a bit like a cognac) that was presented to her, with her name on the label and wood box that enclosed it, at our show in Mirande. We had a few cigars too, courtesy of Ed…and it was quite a special moment, sitting there in the beauty of this place, sipping our drinks and having a smoke. </p>
<p>Tuesday morning, we awoke to a legendary Manor breakfast that the guys who have stayed here before have told us about. At a gorgeous table setting (which changes daily), we were served fresh-squeezed fruit juices, bread and pastries picked up that morning from a local French bakery, jams made right here from fruit grown on the property, excellent coffee and more. It was absolutely heavenly. Did I mention I could get used to this lifestyle? </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/4fc9c5f57461fad0ca665ef91552354a132c502e/original/img-5138.jpg?1500570548" class="size_l justify_center border_" />And, Thierri and Patrice are incredible hosts. And, so much fun to hang around with! I feel like we’re spending a long weekend at a friend’s house. If you're ever in the north of France and want to have an unforgettable experience, I highly recommend looking into staying here. I'd certainly come back (and I hope I get to do so).</p>
<p>But after breakfast - I had work to catch up on Tuesday, the girls went shopping in town, some of the guys went to see a tank that was unearthed here from a historic battle, and other just spent the day hanging around a relaxing. A few went out to dinner, and some of us (including me) stayed behind to simply have a quiet night </p>
<p>On Wednesday, we had planned to go to Paris, but we hadn’t really looked into the logistics earlier. It turned out to be a longer trip than we thought, and with thunderstorms in the forecast for the day, it was decided to forgo the trip. I have to admit I was disappointed, as I’ve never spent any time in Paris…but I suppose this is a good reason that I’ll have to return and explore the town another time. </p>
<p>Instead, after another exquisite breakfast, we took a journey to Lille, a nice town about an hour from here. We had a group lunch outdoors in an old section of town, and then split up (girls went clothes shopping, guys visited a few guitar shops). We then left for a barbeque being hosted by Stephanie and Greg at their home, who are involved with some of the shows we’re doing here, and who we met at the ZZ Top show the other night. </p>
<p>Others from the events were there too – Jean-Marc (who made a great salad!), Lise and Didier, our NY friends Ed and Carole, and about 20 people all together. We just hung out in their large backyard, played some games, drank wine and beer, and ate a feast (and I mean a FEAST) prepared by everyone. Stephanie is an incredible cook and hostess, and her mother made some delicious desserts. </p>
<p>The time flew quickly – we were there from 8 pm until 1 am! – but we finally said our “goodnights” and returned to the manor to get some sleep. And well need it after running around all day, with a show tomorrow…with details to follow.</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47830872017-07-18T05:38:08-04:002022-04-25T13:43:04-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 16th (Day 26): Opening for ZZ Top!<p>After last night’s show at the Mirande Country Festival, 5:15 am came way too quickly. But that was when the alarm went off on my iPhone, signaling the start of a very long, but quite exciting day. We gathered in the parking lot of our hotel at 5:45 am to load all of our luggage and instruments (which is a considerable amount for 9 people on the road for nearly 2 months), and made the 45-minute drive to Toulouse Airport in France. </p>
<p>Once we got there, we returned our rented vehicles, and then checked in to our flight to Paris. Unlike the horrible experiences we had with prior flights on this tour (because of the misery inflicted upon us by Alitalia), we were pleasantly surprised that our new airline, Air France, rewarded us with a hassle-free and terrific experience. In contrast to Alitalia, who I never care to fly again, Air France was truly a pleasure. </p>
<p>We arrived in Paris on time, and after a little difficulty finding the drivers who were dispatched to bring us to our hotel (Charles de Gaulle airport is a huge place, and it wasn’t easy to connect), we were on the road for a nearly 2 hour drive to get to our hotel near where were playing tonight with ZZ Top. </p>
<p>And about our new hotel…I had mentioned that a recent hotel was one of the smallest I had ever seen. Well, this one brought “small” to a new level of absurdity. I’m rather surprised at what’s considered to be acceptable accommodations in some places here, but it really wasn’t a big deal because we were only here for one night. </p>
<p>We had around 2 hours to shower and get ourselves together for the show, and then were picked up around 5:30 and driven to the festival site, which was very different than what we first expected. </p>
<p>When we first learned that we were going to play the “Arena de Hainaut” with ZZ Top, we assumed it was in an arena like Madison Square Garden. But when taking a look at the venue online, I discovered that the “arena” is actually a large exhibition center, like the Javits Center in NYC. So, I thought we’d be playing indoors in an airplane hanger-styled environment. </p>
<p>But as we were communicating with the production team a couple of days prior to the event, we learned that this was actually another outdoor music festival, taking place in the venue’s parking lot. So when we arrived, we saw the huge stage they erected, and the mobs of people who had been there all day to see 6 other bands that had played throughout the day. </p>
<p>We were driven around to the back of the building, and brought indoors to the makeshift dressing rooms constructed from tents, and were reunited with some friends we’ve made at other events here in France. We hung around a bit, and got ourselves ready to do our set as the last band to play before ZZ Top. </p>
<p>At 7, we were able to quickly have our gear set up on stage. Fortunately, every promoter on this tour is providing us with backline (which means that the larger items we can’t take on planes – drums, amps, keyboards – are rented for us in each place), so we just had to get our guitars and pedal boards out, test it all out, get a quick monitor sound check…and by 7:30 we were ready to go. </p>
<p>Although we had been scheduled to play a 40-minute set, everything had been running a bit early here (almost unheard of at a festival), so the organizers told us we could play a bit longer if wanted. Um…YES, of course we would! So we had a quick conversation about what 2 songs to add, and after a brief introduction by the festival’s emcee, we were off to the races. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/042181f551bba032a463d6edd18c9f8521d79c26/original/19990348-1909647785959741-4230734930090570649-n.jpg?1500370412" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Despite the very quick set up and sound check, I thought the onstage mix sounded great (which always helps with our performance), and there’s really nothing like have a huge stage to play and run around on. Looking out at the crowd, I could see that many were getting into the show right from the start, and there were also some familiar faces in the crowd…including our friends Ed and Carol who flew in from NY to be here with us for a few days; our new friend Brandon who we met backstage at the Nurburgring show in Germany; and Didier and his daughter Lise (who was celebrating her 16th birthday today). </p>
<p>But I could also see that others were watching intently, but still deciding whether they liked us or not. And let’s face it…don’t we all do that at concerts? When we see a new band that we haven’t heard before, there’s always some time spent soaking it all in before we form an opinion. </p>
<p>Fortunately, it didn’t take too long before we won everyone over, if I must say so myself. The crowd was responding enthusiastically to everything Jessica was doing – clapping along at the intro of songs, dancing, singing along, raising their fists and waving their arms back and forth in the air. Here's a shot of the crowd from the front side of the stage during our set...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/d0cbb4e798c331142f83b0f93c25b6eaba0027c3/original/20108649-10213357143547108-2057848900581556817-n.jpg?1500370415" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Looking out at the big crowd doing all of this, I actually said to myself…”appreciate this, Steven.” After all, it’s not every day you get to open for a band like ZZ Top, and a get a reaction from an audience like this. </p>
<p>The set went off without a hitch, and by the time we were finished with our last song and left the stage, the crowd was chanting for more. The emcee came out to edge them on, and we returned to do an encore cover of Elvis Presley’s “That All Right, Mama,” which was a fun, upbeat way to end the show. Here's Jessica with the crowd just before our encore...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/331424814f165e69f85722308b52a2167838e7f5/original/20155749-1609590399086376-8329986933481926574-n.jpg?1500370415" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Especially after only around 3 hours of sleep the night before, and also tired from flying to Paris that morning, we were pretty exhausted and soaked in sweat from the show…but we were all on such an adrenaline high. After our gear was quickly packed up, we went back to the dressing room area to have a quick dinner. </p>
<p>I think many people assume that when bands play together, everyone is hanging out together backstage and having a big party. But in reality, that rarely happens. And in ZZ Top’s case, they deliberately kept themselves (and even their crew) isolated from everyone else involved with this show. We’ve played with other big artists before, like Keith Urban, who keep themselves hidden on their tour buses right until show time, so this kind of behavior is not completely unusual….although I have to admit it was a bit disappointing. I’ve always been a fan and it would have been cool to chat a bit. </p>
<p>But when the guys finally emerged from their dressing rooms, they hit the stage with “Got Me Under Pressure” and proceeded to rock the place for an hour-and-a-half, running through all of their hits. Steve and I watched a tune from the side of the stage, and then all of us caught some more of the show from the “pit” up front. Was rather cool to be onstage (sort of) with ZZ Top...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/03276bed3fbf4c3966e73357e1db024d19a8716b/original/img-5054.jpg?1500370428" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I thought the guys sounded awesome (Billy's still an incredible guitarist), and the audience loved the show. When their set was done and the crowd was starting to file out, many noticed that Jessica was in their midst, and she got mobbed pretty quickly with requests for photos and autographs. Security instantly saw what was going on and rushed in to keep things in order, and it was great to see that kind of fan reaction. So many people told us how much they liked our show…it was a very cool moment. </p>
<p>After hanging backstage a little longer and saying our goodbyes, we were taken back to our hotel, where we kept the after party on our “After Party Tour” going in the lobby with some friends until 2 am. I honestly don’t how we lasted that long on so little sleep, but I think we were all still high from the show we just did with a legendary band in front of thousands of people. Not a bad way to spend the day. </p>
<p>And after this, there are three days off in the French countryside, which we’re leaving for in the morning. And after this hectic, but rewarding, weekend…I’m ready for a little down time before our next shows starting on Thursday. </p>
<p>Next stop – Masnieres, France!</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47811192017-07-16T11:22:15-04:002022-04-25T13:44:37-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 15th (Day 25): Church Country <p>It was a show day on Saturday, as we're playing the Mirande Country Festival. And we were pretty excited to do it too, since Jessica was on the cover of two local newspapers, we had just received the news about our Top 10 entry in the radio download charts, and besides that, we hadn't done a show in a few days. But since the show site is not too far from our hotel, we didn’t have to leave too early to get there. And since we’re right outside of the beautiful town of Auch in France, some of us decided to take a little sightseeing trip in the morning. </p>
<p>Peter, Victoria, Bob, Wilma and I (I always seem to be either the 3rd, or 5th, wheel) piled into our Citroen and drove to town. We parked right by a canal, and walked to the famous <a contents="Auch Cathedral" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Auch#ref271391">Auch Cathedral</a> (also known as the Cathedral of Saint-Marie), built in the 1500’s. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/5824e7b543e356f09ebbc9b2abd554b7f3bf43ff/original/img-4967.jpg?1500218306" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Since <a contents="D’Artagnan" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Batz_de_Castelmore_d'Artagnan">D’Artagnan</a> was born 30 km from here, there’s a statue of him as you climb the large, majestic stairway to the church. Here's our own Three Musketeers...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/b72342ee8d4c8986fdf1cb564be71bf915d542dc/original/20108350-10213334232134337-6701761512690903960-n.jpg?1500217921" class="size_l justify_center border_" />As you make your way up, there are impressive views of the town below. And perched high upon the hill is the cathedral itself. I could go on and on about how beautiful it was – the stained glass, the ornate wood carvings, the paintings, the structure of the building itself and its rich history…but this tour diary ain’t a history lesson! If you’re interested, check out the link above…but suffice to say, we spent an hour inside and were mesmerized. Very glad we made this trip. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/126e40b3b01ee9bf8975d373d30c35d74fc5a73d/original/img-5016.jpg?1500218149" class="size_l justify_center border_" />But then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the show, which we did, and got to the show site around 4 pm. As often happens, production was running late, so we had about an hour to kill, which we spent visiting vendors at the festival. </p>
<p>When it was time for sound check, we did encounter a few issues, including a loud, rapid clicking sound that was coming from my amp, from Bob’s amp, and even Jessica’s wireless vocal mic. The sound crew was trying to isolate the problem, and eventually got it under control…but this extended our sound check into a nearly two-hour affair. </p>
<p>We had dinner outside in the hospitality tent, and although everyone was so kind and gracious, I have to be honest…the food was pretty inedible. The information we advance to the shows lets them know that two people in our entourage are vegetarians (Jessica and Victoria), and all they had that they could eat were hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and French fries. For the rest of us, we had steak which was so tough it was impossible to chew, and was first served almost completely raw (we had to send it back, but it was pointless). </p>
<p>See? As I’ve said before, it’s not all glamour and spotlights out here on the road! </p>
<p>But none of that really mattered, because we were there to play, and just a little after our 9 pm show time, the MC came out and introduced us as “Jessica LINE.” That was good for a laugh. But once we started playing…we discovered that this was probably the best crowd we played for so far on this tour. Clapping along with the start of every song, big reactions, dancing, and a very loud chant for an encore when our set was over. The sound and lights were also among the best we had so far. Here's a snapshot of Jessica and I taken from backstage during the show...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/f12dba7f041ce60b7852130c729d5db242468bee/original/20046442-1607232092655540-3980852058399602606-n.jpg?1500217926" class="size_l justify_center border_" />After the set, Jessica met a bunch of new fans at the merch table, but although we usually like to hang out with the producers and other bands after our shows, we had to get out of there as quickly as possible. It was already after midnight, and we were scheduled to meet at 5:30 in the morning to catch a flight to Paris, for our show opening for ZZ Top on Sunday night. </p>
<p>I’ll file my next report from there…</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47793432017-07-14T18:04:22-04:002022-04-25T13:45:38-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 12th - 14th (Days 22, 23 & 24): Great news from the South of France <p>I’m once again putting a few days in a single diary entry, and which is a mix of the mundane, with an unexpected and exciting twist at the end. But to begin, as you've probably noticed if you've been reading my posts, much of touring is time spent simply traveling, which is nothing more than long hours sitting in a vehicle. And that’s how we spent the last couple of days here in France. </p>
<p>We left Evian-les-Bains on Wednesday morning, and began the long drive to the south of France. The drive itself was quite beautiful and constantly changing. As we left Evian, we had spectacular lake and mountain views that looked distinctly European. As we got a little farther south, we were surprised that it looked almost exactly like the southwest of the United States…large, rocky formations on the mountains…even with an old castle perched on top every now and then… </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/168c0f951a2c606c4fa960cf34043ca6a7e86924/original/img-4908.jpg?1500050124" class="size_l justify_center border_" />And as we got even further south, it started looking like desert territory - could have been Arizona - which was something I did not at all expect in France. It took us around 6 hours to reach our destination, just outside of Montpellier. Our hotel was probably the strangest yet – and the smallest yet. We could barely fit our large suitcases and guitars in our rooms and still have room to walk around the beds (Brian smartly started walking on and over the bed to get around). At one point we had 6 people in one room and it looked like that famous scene from a Marx Brothers movie. But, we were only staying for one night, so we made the best of it. </p>
<p>We left around noon on Thursday, and had intended to take a little side trip to the Mediterranean Sea, which we discovered was only about a 20 minute drive. It was quite hot, so we thought it would be a perfect place to spend an hour and grab lunch. However, we had some major issues with the GPS in both vehicles right near our hotel location. Something was jamming the signal, and we could not find our way (GPS had no idea where we were). We quickly discovered we were not heading to the beach, and instead, were heading to our next destination, so we just continued the trip, and unfortunately, never made it to the beach. But the drive was also incredibly scenic, with more castles and old churches on our route, along with the most beautiful large fields of sunflowers… </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/c3d8981d80d35f5f675678af416626f320042738/original/img-4917-2.jpg?1500050159" class="size_l justify_center border_" />We spent almost 4 hours making the trip, and finally arrived in Auch, France, where we’re spending 3 nights. After we checked in to our hotel, we wanted to get something to eat (we were starving and had only had breakfast, since we didn’t make it to lunch on the Mediterranean). So we drove into town, which is another pretty little French village. We found a brasserie with an outdoor area that looked nice, so we sat down, ordered some drinks, and then asked for the menu. </p>
<p>But...we were told that they weren’t serving food that day! It seems businesses are run very differently here, and couldn’t imagine that a restaurant would not serve food on certain days. But our waiter was a nice guy, and through broken English, broken French, and the help of Google Translate (which has become indispensible on the trip), he suggested a place that had authentic regional cuisine in a beautiful outdoor setting, about 10 minutes away. He called and made a reservation for us. </p>
<p>We piled back in the car, and had the hardest time finding this place (again, our GPS had us at the destination in the wrong location). But we finally found it, and at 6 pm, after not eating all day, we walked into this very unique spot. It looked like the backyard at a chateau, with a swimming pool, different seating areas, and a very cool vibe. We sat at our table, and the waiter asked us what we wanted to drink. Yes, we wanted to order drinks, but we were starving and asked for the menu. Guess what? He told us that they don’t serve dinner until 8 pm. Two hours away. Soooo…once again, we got up and decided to just head back to our hotel, where the restaurant opened at 7 pm. </p>
<p>We made a brief stop at the grocery store on the way back, and I should mention just how inexpensive everything is here. I bought some snacks (nuts, chips, fruit), a six-pack of bottled water, and two bottles of French wine, for a total of $15. That’s less than a single bottle of that wine would have cost in the U.S. But after all this struggle simply to get a meal, we were finally dining outdoors on a nice patio at the hotel, eating freshly grilled steaks, fish, salads, veggies…all fresh and delicious. After a couple of hours, we all retired to our rooms, finally satisfied. </p>
<p>On Friday, we had a good fresh breakfast at the hotel, and all did our own stuff again – working, guitar maintenance, etc. It was a pretty quiet day until I received an email from GrassRoots Promotions, the radio promo organization that’s helping us get Jessica’s new single, “Crazy Idea,” played on country stations in the US. </p>
<p>I opened the email, and there was the “Play MPE” chart, which lists the most downloaded and streamed singles for the week…and “Crazy Idea” entered the download chart at #9! We’re up there with names like Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, and Dierks Bentley, and ABOVE others like Dan & Shay, Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson and Kelsea Ballerini (can't see those names because they're below the Top 10 in the screen grab of the chart). Check it out!...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/9279d53fccf3f2730da8a42b71488dc209cfc5d0/original/mpe-downloads.jpg?1500050135" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>AND, we hit #7 on the streaming charts...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/d70e9df456b0fc86f8176eca334f28e90a023fdd/original/mpe-streams.jpg?1500050131" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I went around knocking on everyone’s doors, and we were all outside our rooms in happy disbelief. Even cooler, Jessica is the only artist in the Top 10 on that list who is not on a major label…the only indie artist. Needless to stay, we’re pretty damn stoked and excited for what may lie ahead. </p>
<p>(BTW – I’ve been keeping my blog relatively “commercial free” – but if you haven’t done so yet, please <a contents="check the single out and download it on iTunes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1250812191?ls=1&app=itunes">check the single out and download it on iTunes</a>, <a contents="play it on Spotify" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2EsNHFSgNaTHW9FvYecSte">play it on Spotify</a>, and also, if you’d be so kind, please call your local country radio station to request it!). </p>
<p>So after this great news, we gathered for a bit of a celebratory dinner, and after a walk into the countryside afterwards, went back to our rooms to get some sleep. Because staring tomorrow, we have a big weekend of shows ahead, playing the Mirande Country Festival on Saturday, and then opening for ZZ Top at the Arena du Hainaut in Valenciennes, France.</p>
<p>Reports to come soon…</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47753382017-07-11T17:45:37-04:002022-04-25T13:46:16-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 10th and 11th (Days 20 & 21): Vive la France! <p>Our long run in Germany came to an end on Monday, after a final breakfast at what was one of my favorite hotel so far on this trip in Bad Salgau. It was a great finish to an amazing time we had here. Still buzzing from all the fun of the Biker Days Fest this weekend, we hit the road for a fairly long ride today, which took us along beautiful, scenic roads and into Switzerland. Since they are not part of the EU, this was the first checkpoint we hit on our trip where we were pulled over and asked for our passports. </p>
<p>After checking us out and realizing we were not a threat (silly Swiss), we got through, and for me, it was a bit of a trip down memory lane. I used to go skiing in Switzerland with my family when I was a kid, and we passed through towns I remembered visiting way back then. </p>
<p>And as long as we were here, we decided to take a break from the driving, and stop for lunch in the city of Bern, Switzerland. This place is simply gorgeous…old buildings, lovely architecture, cobblestone streets…I felt as if I took a step back in time.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/4a7775918dafb5fa1cb8a8fe49c07fb702b704f2/original/img-4831.jpg?1499809070" class="size_l justify_center border_" />After eating at a nice outdoor restaurant, we browsed a few shops, bought some chocolate, got some great coffee, and had to hit the road again too soon. </p>
<p>The next part of the drive was truly breathtaking, and we made our way through quaint, old towns in the French part of Switzerland, right on a lake with the mountains rising in the distance. There’s a certain beauty here that simply does not exist in the United States (which, of course, has its own unique beauty). Wish I could have shared some pictures, but they're hard to get from the window of a speeding car.</p>
<p>After a couple of hours we arrived in Evian-les-Bains, France (literally right down the road from where the famous water is bottled), where we’re camping out for two days, as we make our way further into the south of France over the rest of this week. We arrived at our hotel, which is nestled in the hillside, and checked into a couple of apartments here. </p>
<p>But although the hotel looks nice on its website, and it’s in a beautiful area…this place leaves a lot to be desired. Dirty rooms, stained sofas, musty smells. And once again, it’s a battle to just stay connected to a Wifi network…constantly getting kicked off, and terribly slow (a real pain when there’s work do to). Especially after the wonderful accommodations we had over the last two days, this is a stark contrast. But again, that’s touring…you win some, you lose some. </p>
<p>After getting settled in, we drove down the mountain into town, and took in the spectacular waterfront views, right after the rain subsided.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/83a7484132afebaf33dc8860d95f487ae089341f/original/img-4857.jpg?1499809042" class="size_l justify_center border_" />We even got another rainbow, this time over the Casino that's right across the street from the lake...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/c63c46380f61ac05e750f06b3164ce6e0f65b751/original/img-4871.jpg?1499810539" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We attempted to get into a couple of restaurants, but it was already late….some were closing down, some were going to do so soon and didn’t have any tables, so we eventually wound up at an Italian place. Yes, I would have preferred a French bistro, considering our location, but this was our only option …and it turned out to be a great one. After some wine and delicious pizza, we headed back to our temporary homes...happy, satisfied, and tired from our long journey today. </p>
<p>On Tuesday, I’m sorry to say that there's nothing exciting to report, and this was another one of our “chill” days. No outings, no adventures….just everyone doing their own thing – a visit to the local supermarket, laundry, work, exercising, a few sitting poolside…but it was good to once again recharge and catch up on everything. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/6f25e0bd5f8cc5e2e2b37030caca2a6ca56ed304/original/img-4885.jpg?1499809087" class="size_l justify_center border_" />There also shouldn’t be much to report on Wednesday either, as we’ll be on the road again for around 6 hours as we head to our next destination in Saint-Jean-de-Vedas, where we’ll be for a couple of days. I'll post my next update from there -- until then!</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47727162017-07-10T14:27:26-04:002022-05-31T08:37:24-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 8th and 9th (Days 18 & 19): Biker Days Festival <p>Week 3 of our tour continues! We awoke Saturday morning to have a delicious homemade breakfast at the Rumpelstilczhen guesthouse, sitting under a canopy right on the edge of the farm. A perfect way to start the day. </p>
<p>We then made the drive from there to our new hotel - The Kleber Post Romantik in Bad Sangau, which is much more to my liking. After the industrial wasteland of Neu-Ulm, and the bare-bones stay last night (though charming), I finally feel like I’m a “real” hotel again (but still, the rooms are hot boxes). Very modern design (with Philippe Stark lamps and Panton chairs), which I love. </p>
<p>After checking in, at 1:30 in the afternoon we were picked up in a couple of brain new Mercedes vans, and ushered to the site. As we got closer, it was impossible to drive directly in to the festival grounds, because of the throngs of bikers riding through the streets. At a biker fest, those who are riding definitely have priority, as it should be. So we parked a couple of blocks away and walked in with our guitars. We went to the stage, got our backline gear sorted out set up, and wired everything up. Sound check went off without a hitch, and then we had some time before our show at 6 pm. </p>
<p>So we walked around, bought more cool stuff, and started our show about a half hour later than we should have, because it had been raining once again...and raining hard. Seems we’ve had some bad luck with weather on this tour. But it all stopped just in time for our new delayed start time, and I have to say…this was an awesome crowd. I thought this was an excellent show, and by the end we had the entire audience dancing, cheering, and having as much fun as we were having. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/2c42de60521c50f6c1a4caf7990795730ff8c850/original/img-4785.jpg?1499627437" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>But two songs before the end of our set, the show organizers came onstage to tell us that their weather radar showed a huge storm blowing in, and that we had to cut our set short for safety reasons. We manage to do those two more songs, and even squeezed in an encore because the audience was screaming for one…and who are we to say “no?” We can handle a little bad weather! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/794a2269c6cd6a5a4fd1b061f9efef1c8914e517/original/img-4787.jpg?1499627438" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>But as soon as we were done…BANG! The heavens opened up, and everyone scattered into the large festival tent where other bands were going to be playing later. We found our way to the same lakeside restaurant where we ate lunch yesterday, and by the time we were seated on the outdoor deck, that storm passed, and clearing skies presented us with a beautiful rainbow over the lake.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/ade9331f4e8295bcfec66e8145f081d83e139460/original/img-4781.jpg?1499627422" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>After dinner we went back to join the festival crowd, and took in an awesome 80’s cover band in the tent (which is the perfect entertainment for this crowd. They sang along with every song and treated this band like the rock stars they were emulating). It was quite the party - what a great vibe in there. We had a few good German beers (what else would you expect at a biker festival in Germany?), and first got back to the hotel pretty late. </p>
<p>We awoke on Sunday to the most incredible buffet breakfast we’ve had on this tour yet. Like I said – I LOVE this hotel. And before too long we were back in the vans heading to the site for day 2 of the festival. </p>
<p>In contrast to the mobs of bikers yesterday, today was decidedly more family oriented, which gave the festival a very different feel. I thought we did a good show, but because of the different crowd it was definitely more subdued. But we still managed to raise a little hell when we were joined onstage for a couple of tunes by our new friend (and fellow Biker Fest performer) <a contents="Ski King" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/The.Mighty.Ski.King/">Ski King</a>, and that was a blast. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/6932ec37e2bf399896a1ba0a445c4e335bc716d2/original/19756574-1539571412730578-1643957710947692884-n.jpg?1499641784" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>And here were are together after our show...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/d8e90f23e80517606ef83d819d55fce9e8936bef/original/img-4812.jpg?1499627460" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We all had dinner together again, with Ski King, at our favorite new waterfront restaurant, and by the time we were done and walked back to the festival site, we found that everything was being torn down. I always find it slightly sad when you see an event getting taken apart, but all good things must come to an end, I suppose. We met SO many cool people here – too many to mention by name – and we had an amazing time with everyone from the organizers and their families, to the fans and the vendors. </p>
<p>But it was time to say “goodbye,” and so we did, but not before taking a group pic with the guys who ran the event - Henrik, Helgi, Thomas, Robin and Axel - before we were driven back to our hotel...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/b44301ac5cf63005348f61cbb60fb97f3a4cb138/original/19944452-1599732076738875-6411375926807395189-o.jpg?1499641791" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Once we got back, some of us spent a relaxing couple of hours in the spa on the hotel rooftop, in the sauna and hot tub. Not a bad way to end the day. But just as I thought we were calling it a night, Matt discovered that we could watch Eurotrip online (which is something we've been meaning to do, since we're covering so much of the same ground on this tour). Yeah, it's a pretty stupid movie, but that's the point. So we hooked my laptop to the TV, and Jessica, Steve, Matt and I stayed up late watching it my room, and we laughed our asses off. "Mi scuzzi!"</p>
<p>In the morning, we will have to bid a sad “auf wiedersehen” to Germany, as we start the long drive over a few days to the south of France, for shows next weekend. Europtrip!</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47718072017-07-08T06:21:15-04:002022-05-31T09:31:01-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 7th (Day 17): From Industrial Landscape to Beautiful Countryside<p>In my last post, I mentioned that I had stayed behind at the hotel to work on Thursday, while the rest of band went to Munich to visit with our friends and sponsors <a contents="Klotz Cables" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.klotz-ais.com/?cl=1">Klotz Cables</a>. It was a highly productive day for me, and when I finally finished everything I had to do, I went downstairs to have a beer on the outdoor patio. </p>
<p>About 20 minutes later, the band walked by and they told me tales of visiting the Klotz offices, seeing the sights in Munich (including a river right in the city where people surf!), and incredible food and drink in a beer garden. </p>
<p>But then I was handed a package and told to open it. It was a large Klotz bag, and inside was a box. When I opened it, there was a Klotz cable inside. I was really happy with this gift, as their cables are truly the finest in the business. But then Steve said…look at the cable right by the right-angle plug. And there, stamped on the cable, was this...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/6170c76d5ac4538b63052a32e691118ba0921abe/original/img-4760.jpg?1499509030" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>They had given me my own personalized Klotz cable! I was blown away. What an incredible, thoughtful present (everyone in the band got one), and I have to thank Frederic, Rene and everyone at Klotz and for being so damn awesome. If you’re a musician, please do yourself a favor and check them out. </p>
<p>In the morning we piled in our vehicles and took the relatively short ride to Pfullendorf, where we’re playing the Biker Days Festival on Saturday and Sunday (think Sturgis in Germany). Our hotel wasn’t ready when we arrived, so we first went to the festival site, which is located at a water park. But this is not like such a park in the U.S., with water slides and such. Rather, it’s a gorgeous lake on which people water ski, wake board and surf while being moved around by a pulley system. Pretty cool. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/3136e7424a6706f9ce0d0c26c6855f4fd87785a4/original/img-4749.jpg?1499508958" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We sat and had lunch, and then went to our hotel for one night, the Rumpelstilzchen – a quaint little, old fashioned bed-and-breakfast in the countryside, right on a farm.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/a981c46fa842da84cb77809c2ae2264691abf637/original/img-4756.jpg?1499508992" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The accommodations were spare, but good enough…but I again had work to do and the Wifi was awful. It’s amazing how difficult it is to get reliable phone and Internet service in many places here, which is something we take for granted back home. (By the way, another thing sorely lacking in Europe is any sort of ventilation in hotel rooms. No air conditioning, and no fans. It's 90 degrees out, and our rooms are saunas. Not at all comfortable. I love the beauty of Europe, but I'm frankly not a fan of sweating my ass off as soon as I get out of the shower!)</p>
<p>Then after resting a bit, we went back to the festival site, which was opening that evening. I sat at the restaurant on an outdoor deck, right on the water, and worked for a while. What a nice office for the evening. We all met up around 8 pm for a great dinner lakeside, and then walked around to see the band that was playing and did a little shopping in the vendor area (we got some new stage wear). There’s a lot of very cool stuff here – going to have to take a look over the next couple of days. </p>
<p>We left around 11 pm, drove back to our hotel, and gathered on Peter and Victoria’s outdoor patio…drinking beer by candlelight and taking in the beautifully clear night full of stars, with its almost-full moon. Before too long, we all retired to our beds to rest up…we have two show days in a row coming up at the festival. Looking forward to playing again!</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47688812017-07-06T07:19:26-04:002022-04-25T13:39:00-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 5th & 6th (Day 15 and 16): Music in Munich <p>The start of our third week on the road found the Jessica Lynn Band all doing our separate, every day things…laundry, working out, changing guitar strings, or just resting. But we met up at 2 pm to drive from our hotel in Neu-Ulm to Munich, where we were playing <a contents="The Rattlesnake Saloon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.rattlesnake-saloon.com/WILLKOMMEN.html">The Rattlesnake Saloon</a> Wednesday night. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/4ad0ed6ad64cdd50de1db4127b04962678a10973/original/img-4742.jpg?1499339564" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We were surprised to find the venue in a residential neighborhood of Munich, but learned that Bruno, the owner, opened this place 33 years ago and saw the homes spring up around him. He wanted to open a place that wasn’t on a commercial street, because his intent was to make it a real music destination, and not just a bar that people randomly wander into. As a result, he said they never have fights, drunks in the streets, or problems with their neighbors. It’s a very unique situation, but it clearly works.</p>
<p>And for further evidence there are the photos of all the country and blues “names” who have graced the stage here over the years, the most-recent being guitar great Albert Lee. I personally love places like these, as they are steeped in history, and it's so cool to see all of the posters on the wall of the stage, featuring so many of the artists who have played here. Here's a shot of the stage after our sound check...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/a55f1b3e34ef4ca4cdb63c47471ff19a42353056/original/img-4746.jpg?1499339559" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>And, Bruno and his wife, Gabby, were such gracious hosts. We sampled some of their own line of Rattlesnake Beer, and I had my first Mexican meal of the trip (their menu is heavy with American and Tex-Mex fare, with some German specialties mixed in, of course). After dinner, we all just hung out and played with their very cute little dog, Dancy.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/b64a091393dd20c960f284621915e0b6f4309f0b/original/jess-dancy.jpg?1499339554" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>A little while later, our friends from<a contents=" Klotz Cables" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.klotz-ais.com/?cl=1"> Klotz Cables</a> came in, and it was great to see them! Klotz makes super high-end audio cables, and they have been a tremendous supporter of the band. We all use their cables on stage and in our home studios. We’ve only have the opportunity to see them and hang out with them out at NAMM in California, so it was a great to see them on their home turf…they’re based right here in Munich. </p>
<p>Then at 8:30 with hit the stage, and it was a solid show. We had a little mishap during “Kiss My Class,” as Brian’s bass drum pedal broke. The beat dropped out, but he went to the toms to keep it going as Matt tried to fix the pedal while Brian was still playing. It was a bit rough, but we made it through the song, and fortunately Bruno had another pedal…so we replaced it, and the show continued. And, it's a lot of fun playing smaller venues, as we get to be more up close and personal with the audience, in contrast to the larger festivals we've also been playing. Don't get me wrong - those large shows are incredibly fun, but it's also fun to mix things up.</p>
<p>Afterward we hung with our Klotz friends, and spoke with many cool people who came out to see us play, including some who we had met at our Nurburgring show (if you’ve been following my blog, it was a couple of those we had “gloved schnapps shots” with after that show). </p>
<p>But my favorite moment of the evening came when Jessica found me and said that a couple had driven a long distance to come to the show, as they were looking forward to hearing their favorite song of Jessica's live -- “Better Than That.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the set tonight, but never wanting to disappoint fans, Jessica and I took out our acoustic guitars, and along with Victoria joining us on background vocals, the three of us played the song for them completely unplugged while sitting on the edge of the stage. I love impromptu, intimate musical moments like this. </p>
<p>But about an hour after the show was done, we had to leave as we still had over an hour drive back to our hotel, where we all arrived after 1 am, and promptly passed out. A great evening.</p>
<p>I'm once again putting two days in this one post, because on Thursday everyone is going into Munich to spend a day off with our friends from Klotz, who are going to show the band around Munich. Unfortunately, I have a lot of work and communications to catch up on, so I am staying behind at the hotel to get things done. But trust me, what I’m up to is going to be boring as hell for you to read, so there’ll really be nothing for me to post. But if you want to know what was up with the rest of the band on this day off…you’ll just have to ask them yourselves! </p>
<p>Next up for us is travel to our next destination on Friday, as we get closer to Pfullendorf for a big biker festival that we’re playing this weekend. Of course, I’ll update you then. And, by the way, thanks for continuing to keep up with our exploits!</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47673532017-07-05T03:48:58-04:002022-04-25T13:39:30-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 3rd & 4th (Day 13 and 14): Germany, Old and New<p>I'm going to once again put a couple of days in a single post, which starts with us leaving the Nurburgring on Monday to drive closer to Munich for our show here on Wednesday. As soon as the races were over here, this place instantly became a ghost town – it went from throngs of people to nobody. So, we had a very quiet breakfast buffet at the hotel (had the whole place to ourselves), and we hit the road. </p>
<p>5 hours later, we arrived in Neu-Ulm, which looks like an industrial district, mixed with some residences. Our hotel is also incredibly industrial and spare…not my favorite place, frankly, and we’re here for days. That’s one of the uncertainties of touring…the quality our hotels. Sometimes, we’re surprised with incredible accommodations, but other times, it’s a disappointment. This place leaves a lot to be desired, but hey – we've had great hotels so far on this tour, and it’s a place to rest our heads a night, if nothing else. </p>
<p>We were hungry after we checked in, and tried to find someplace to eat. Not easy in an area like this. The hotel has a restaurant, but it was closed, so the only place that looked somewhat decent near here was a diner at a movie theater. Unfortunately, it wasn’t decent – we won’t be back. But after leaving our late lunch/early dinner, we stumbled upon a huge supermarket, so we went in and stocked up on some basics to have in our rooms. </p>
<p>After that it was mundane stuff…did laundry at the hotel (which was MUCH needed as we hadn’t found laundry facilities yet, and we were traveling with too many dirty clothes), had a couple of drinks downstairs, and then called it a day. </p>
<p>Tuesday was a different story. It happened to be July 4th, and it felt strange to be so far away from home, where there was no indication at all that it was a holiday. Since it was a day off, we decided to do something fun, and we took about an hour drive to Schwangau to visit the <a contents="Neuschwanstein Castle" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle">Neuschwanstein Castle</a>. I had been there once as a child when visiting relatives in Germany, and Peter had always wanted to go as he used to play a video game that took place in the castle, and it was a bucket-list item for him to see it in person. </p>
<p>Once we arrived, we found ourselves in a storybook Bavarian town in the shadows of the magnificent Alps. Classic German architecture and design, outdoor restaurants serving classic German cuisine and, of course, lots of great beer. However, the place was jamming, and when we got on line to buy tickets to admission to the castle, we found out that we’d first be able to get in 5 hours later. </p>
<p>After a little debate, we decided to make an entire day of hanging around here, and got tickets to see both that castle and another right in the town – Hohenschwangau. We first ate lunch (I had weisswurst, a German pretzel and beer), then visited that castle. The grounds and views were beautiful, and the tour was very interesting as we learned about the King and his family.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/d7bd746c8b13d6865a30d1923944ee23f926d6cb/original/img-4652.jpg?1499240454" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>But it was a rather quick tour, and we were once again strolling the streets. One thing about this band…it’s a bunch of real characters, and we’ll usually act up, do really silly stuff, and generally get into trouble. Among other things, Steve and Brian stripped down to just about nothing to take a dip in the beautiful Alpsee Lake, which had the clearest water you’ve ever seen. Lots of laughs ensued, especially when they emerged from lake in just their underwear and attempted to get dressed...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/fdd5410a630ac107172eb8b4baf59b9537c4f02d/original/img-4681.jpg?1499240574" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We then hiked up the mountain to the Neuschwanstein castle, and although we’re all in pretty good shape, we felt it in our legs (by the end of the day, the health app on my iPhone said we climbed 64 floors). When we got to the top, the views were absolutely breathtaking… </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/93068ee0a2762a24ece6d475cb85967c08ef6bfb/original/img-4699.jpg?1499240635" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/d38f39630a4b4c891c9a2058cb76378317fd1493/original/img-4715.jpg?1499240728" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>And the tour of the castle was well worth the wait (and the climb). It’s too long a story to get into here, but the history of “Mad” King Ludwig is both fascinating and tragic. He had a deep interest in medieval castles and had this one constructed in that style, but with such elaborate detail, and groundbreaking conveniences for the mid-1800’s, including running water, flushing toilets, an intercom system and more. </p>
<p>Another thing about this band…we seem to make friends wherever we go. As we were in the Throne Room, our tour guide turns to us and asks….”Are you guys a band?” Turns out he’s a drummer, and we had a nice chat with him after the tour…and he’s coming to our show now in Munich. </p>
<p>We ended the tour by taking another 15 minute hike to a bridge that goes over a gorge with a waterfall, from which you have yet another amazing view of the castle.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/abe30f937044b13ffd9e7cb9e1955d413982872f/original/img-4731.jpg?1499240788" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The walk down from there tested the strength of our legs further, and when we finally got the bottom, we were tired, hungry and thirsty. </p>
<p>So what else to do but find another classic German eatery? We did, had more great German beer and delicious food while sitting outside in a flower-studded patio. By the time we were done it was nearly 9 pm, and what had been a bustling town was now quiet and serene, and it was nice to stroll back to our cars and enjoy a last look at the beautiful scenery in the stillness. </p>
<p>So it was back to the hotel, where we all essentially dropped in to bed…bodies tired, but definitely worth it at the end of an amazing day together in Germany. </p>
<p>And tomorrow – it’s show day in Munich!</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47648722017-07-03T19:54:09-04:002017-07-06T07:32:17-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 2nd (Day 12): A Day at the Races <p>After last night’s show at the Nurburgring in Germany, we had a day off today…always welcome on a day after a show. The Dorint Hotel where we’re staying here has an amazing free breakfast buffet, and for some reason I was so hungry I ate like I hadn’t seen food in days (which was definitely not the case – we’ve been eating really well on this tour. Perhaps a little too well.). </p>
<p>Right after breakfast we met with one of the organizers of the event, Thomas, who very kindly offered to give us a personal behind-the-scenes tour of the track and its operations. Unfortunately, it was a crappy day again today…mid 50’s and raining, so it was frankly less than pleasant walking around and being outside for much of this, but it was still worth it. </p>
<p>We started at the main racing operations building, where they have the racing control center, broadcast facilities, and do all the play-by-play racing announcements. We got to watch the start of one of races from a great private balcony, and it was really cool to see. Here's a shot of the command center...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/9ed1ca1854d6a96f86b481e27032e319b70d03d7/original/img-4587.jpg?1499106718" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The bad weather also kept many people away from the race itself...check out the lack of crowds in the stands just prior to one of the races, as the trucks are in position ready to race...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/b13e6a14cf896b89ff32f214e2385281d6f3f185/original/img-4594.jpg?1499106883" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>But still, the infields had mobs of people, so I think fans just didn't want to sit still in this weather, which is too bad. Thomas told us that it's either like this, or sunny and hot. When you come here, you have to be prepared for both summer and fall, as you might encounter either.</p>
<p>And about those races…this entire festival was based around truck racing. That’s right, they race truck cabs around the Nurburgring racetrack. Unlike Formula 1 or other races, they have a 160 km speed limit on the trucks, because it’s just too dangerous if they go faster (apparently, there was a bad accident one year). But it’s pretty funny to see these trucks racing around a course. I used to love Indy car racing when I was a kid, so this was a real throwback for me. </p>
<p>We moved to the other end of the track to watch the remainder of the race, and then saw the victors get their awards at the winners’ ceremony on the infield. </p>
<p>And after that – once again, it was just a low key day. Nothing much else exciting to report. Had dinner, and all went to sleep early (I bet you think this is a really boring band!) </p>
<p>We hit the road again tomorrow to drive closer to Munich, where we play on Wednesday…and of course I’ll update you on our travels tomorrow/ Till then..</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47642342017-07-02T08:31:09-04:002017-07-06T07:32:46-04:00Summer Tour Diary – July 1st (Day 11): Rocking the Ring (Nurburgring, that is)...<p>We awoke to our first of many days in Germany, at the enormous <a contents="Nurburgring racing complex" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCrburgring">Nurburgring racing complex</a>. We’re staying at a hotel right on the racetrack, and it was cool to see cars and trucks speeding around the track while we were having breakfast in the hotel restaurant. </p>
<p>Fortunately, we have a late “call time” today (the time we’re supposed to gather to get to work) – 2:45 pm. At that point, we’ll get shuttled to the festival area on the infield of the track to do our sound check, and Jessica has an autograph signing there in the afternoon too. </p>
<p>Until then, we had what most might consider a dull day – just hung around our hotel rooms and relaxed. But with an often-busy schedule, and a full show tonight, we take our rest and quiet time when we can. So we did. </p>
<p>And as scheduled, we met and were shuttled over to the festival stage. There’s always an air of excitement when arriving at a site like this….so many crew guys working on the huge stage; the testing of video projection gear; drums and such on rolling risers being moved around for the different bands; and standing on that stage looking out on a huge empty field that will be filled with bodies later on. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/d7ed6ad9c3068e19f3731921d7dc56d706d4ba06/original/img-4489.jpg?1498997908" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Sound check went smoothly, and we went to the hospitality tent to have a bite (and a German Bitburg beer, which we decided we don’t care for too much, after having a few of them since we’ve been here), and then just relaxed in our trailer. </p>
<p>The Germans seem to run everything with precision here, and prior to the show we were told that our sound check ran too long (not our fault though!), so we had to cut a few songs from our set. We talked it over and made the decision which few to chop, and then it was showtime. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the weather here has been lousy…highs in the mid 50’s and raining. So of course this affected attendance (I, for one, wouldn’t have wanted to stand out there), but we still had a good crowd (many of whom were under umbrellas) who were with us from the very first song. Great audience. And the production at this event was first-class, from the staging to the sound to the lights to the video. Here are a few pics from the show… </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/beec1de0c5faca2729a022de6ce1dc2408fda990/original/img-1269.jpg?1498998239" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/32d5d469310e0e5b9faab57899326df851a640d3/original/img-1314.jpg?1498998247" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/44c176987f38e41dc00c85ea1cde55e61bd0be68/original/img-1293.jpg?1498998239" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/0dbf9070b817076aa5b664caeea22fca07088bc9/original/img-1298.jpg?1498998409" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Afterwards, Jessica first did a long meet-and-greet near the stage, and then it turned into quite the party backstage –beer flowing, more food, lots of laughs with the other bands and their entourages, and the whole thing wrapped up with fireworks. As we were being driven from the show site back to the hotel, we drove through more of the festival grounds, and it was a scene unlike anything I’ve ever seen before…literally thousands of truck cabs with horns honking and lights flashing parked side by side, with attendees walking the grounds checking it all out. </p>
<p>When we got back, a group of people recognized us from show and insisted we meet them in the hotel bar for a drink. Who are we to say “no?” We met for a beer, and schnapps (which everyone had to drink while wearing a white glove, for some reason that I never understood), and it was a fun way to cap the evening. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/eaca5051a877db3de4208e8937fb0467ec271892/original/img-4504.jpg?1498998622" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>After some more shenanigans in the hallway (hey, I DID say there was lots of beer flowing), we all went into our rooms and passed out. Hard. It was a long day, and a good one at that. And...a day off tomorrow, when we'll have a chance to watch the races and explore the grounds.</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47636172017-07-01T05:48:03-04:002017-07-06T07:32:52-04:00Summer Tour Diary – June 30th (Day 10): Goodbye Holland, Hello Germany <p>After a wonderful 4 days in Holland, we awoke this morning to continue the next leg of our journey, which takes us into Germany for the next 10 days as we play shows all over the country. (Full tour schedule is <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.jessicalynnmusic.org/shows">here</a>.)</p>
<p>But after checking out of our hotel (which we are leaving sadly, as this was a great place to stay for a few days), we first stopped at the home of another friend of Wilma and Bob’s… Sjanneke, who lives in <a contents="Nijmegen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nijmegen">Nijmegen</a>. </p>
<p>We pulled up to the front of her house on a tiny street, and found that she lives in an old auto mechanic's garage that she and her husband converted into one of the most beautiful, modern living spaces I’ve ever seen. I could definitely have moved in there. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/57ab33be557bd2cbf2600a67fb015443e4d0f3ca/original/sjanneke.jpg?1498902227" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Sjanneke served some delicious homemade apple pie and coffee, and then we took a short walking tour of Nijmegen....what a beautiful little town. Some of the buildings here date back to the 1500's and 1600's (such as these in the photo below). Wilma used to come here all the time when she grew up in Holland, and she and Bob even have some history here together (including sharing their first kiss at the beautiful local church). </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/186380d5a6394abca7de5e9f5ecf38afcebee1c2/original/nijmegen-square.jpg?1498903681" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>This town had such a cool vibe…almost like Amsterdam, but without the crowds and crazy scenes. We had delicious authentic frites (with mayonnaise, of course), visited the church (where the church organ was being played…one of the most beautiful and majestic sounds on earth, in my opinion), and browsed in the shops. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/3e95c66605bec71ae6867651736b2f57435530af/original/pipe-organ.jpg?1498902196" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>After an incredible lunch that Sjanneke prepared for us, we unfortunately had to hit the road to get to Nurburg, where we’re playing Saturday at the big <a contents="Truck Grand Prix" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.truck-grand-prix.de/festival/">Truck Grand Prix</a> at the <a contents="Nurburgring" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.nuerburgring.de/en/home.html">Nurburgring</a>. Yep, they race truck cabs around this track (that should be something cool to see). There’s also lots of entertainment as part of this 3-day festival, and we’re doing a set Saturday night at 7:30 pm (followed by fireworks). </p>
<p>It was a beautiful scenic drive through Germany, and when we arrived at the track it was quite the hub of activity. But we got checked in quickly, and settled in our rooms. </p>
<p>And although I’d love to share tales of excitement, much of touring is represented exactly by what we did last night…met for dinner (I had wienerschnitzel and beer - what else in Germany?), and then went to our rooms to pass out. We have a big show here, and are saving all our energy for this. After all, that’s why we’re on the road!</p>
<p>Will post a full report on our Nurburgring show tomorrow…</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47628452017-06-30T13:52:26-04:002017-07-06T07:33:25-04:00Summer Tour Diary – June 27 - 29 (Days 7, 8, 9): Holland Daze<p>It's been a few days since I've posted a new diary entry, and decided to take a little break and cover a few days in a single post. Because after Monday night’s show at The Watering Hole in Amsterdam, we found ourselves with 3 entire days off...and I took those days off from writing too. Since we’d done a couple of gigs in a row and lots of traveling, it felt great to be stationary with no place to have to be for a little while. </p>
<p>Which meant that everyone slept late on Tuesday, and met for lunch at our favorite new outdoor restaurant at the hotel. Then it was a trip to the Zoo on the hotel property – quite large and much nicer than I expected. I made it through some of it (got to see some very cool owls and other birds), but I had to get back to my room to get some work done…so I parted from the group to do that. </p>
<p>But I heard they had a great time, and a lemur even jumped on Steve’s back. Very friendly! (The lemur, that is…not Steve. Don’t pet him. Ever.) </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/dfcad7f386d7e72b6325d4cf72d8f81216d95455/original/stevelemur.jpg?1498844294" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>When it was time for dinner, we looked up a few places online. We found a place we liked, punched the address into our GPS (if you’ve been following my posts, you can see where this is going already, can’t you?), and took off. It seemed like we were driving a very long time, but we finally pulled into a nice residential neighborhood. We found the address, which was a residential building housing a holistic medical practitioner. Definitely not an eatery. </p>
<p>GPS screwed up again. But for some stupid reason, we still trusted it and had it search for nearby restaurants. After a couple of additional missteps (including it bringing us to a supermarket which was closed), we finally found a restaurant. Parked, went in…but were told they were only open for drinks. SO…back in the car. </p>
<p>At this point it was already after 9 pm and most restaurants near our hotel stop serving by then (was surprised that this town shuts down so early). So it became a race to the only place we knew that might be open….McDonalds. </p>
<p>But we made it, and yeah, we totally confused the nice cashiers with our complicated orders in English, but they figured it out, we got our food. Maybe I was just starving, and I’m not really proud to say I came across the Atlantic just to eat in McDonalds, but you know what? It was really great. Fresher than anything I’ve had in the US. </p>
<p>Made it back to the hotel without getting lost (for once), and was surprised to find that the bar was still open. So we got a beer, and sat outside in front of a fire. A great way to unwind and finish a day off. </p>
<p>On Wednesday, we met for breakfast, and then hit the road at noon to head into Amsterdam. We had been there on Monday to play our show, but that took all of our time and we didn’t have a chance to explore…and this is what we were going to do today. </p>
<p>After our experience driving in Amsterdam on Monday, we vowed NEVER to do that again, so we opted to take the train. Like most places in Europe, the train system here is excellent…clean, reliable, on time and easy to navigate. We hopped aboard the local station, changed trains in Utrecht, and an hour later arrived in Amsterdam. </p>
<p>The station there is massive, but we met up with one of Wilma’s old friends, Marischka, who is from the area and accompanied us to help show us around. We walked down a long street to the Palace, and the New Church, and took in the unique beauty of this city. The streets were mobbed with tourists like us though, which gave the place a feel that was a little too much like Times Square, for my liking. But that’s just what happens when there’s a cool place that many visitors want to see. </p>
<p>As we were walking, we decided we wanted to try to visit the Anne Frank House. We were unable to purchase tickets online, so we had to try to get them at the house itself. Well….as we got closer we noticed a mob of people snaking around a curved block, and realized that this was the line to try to buy tickets. It was already getting later in the afternoon by this point, and we didn’t know if we’d get in. </p>
<p>So we walked to the front of it, saw the façade, took a few pictures, and went on our way. It’s a shame – I would have loved to see the museum. Have to do some better planning next time.</p>
<p>But at this point, everyone wanted to do separate things, so we split into 2 different groups. Peter, Victoria, Wilma, Bob and Marischka went to the area where we played on Monday. The rest of us decided to do the touristy “Heineken Experience Tour.” (Hey…it came highly recommended.) </p>
<p>We found a cab to take us there, and saw another mob outside. But we quickly figured out that we could buy tickets online and get in right away…so we did that. But it seemed very disorganized from the outside. There was no orderly line to get in, and as we walked through with crowds of people, we’d stumble upon a presentation that was already around halfway through, and difficult to hear. We looked at a lot of large empty copper tanks, saw a pen with a couple of horses (this was supposed to represent how they made deliveries back in the day), and then were faced with another huge line going up 3 flights of stairs. </p>
<p>When we got to the top (and we were now going through this place and not seeing much of anything for 40 minutes), we were told that reason for the delay which was that the ride broke down, and we were being diverted to the tasting room. And the ride is the main attraction. We quickly figured out that we just paid too much money to wait on a long line simply to get a taste of Heineken. So we asked to be taken from the line, brought to the ticket desk, and given refunds. They understood and complied without an issue, but wow – what a waste of time. </p>
<p>Once outside, Steve and Jessica wanted to grab a bite to eat, but Matt, Brian and I wanted to explore the town a bit more, which we wound up walking for hours. I loved that no matter where we went, there were beautiful streets, buildings and canals everywhere. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/63751aed82fc43560d4c432c9bc468f89654247a/original/canal-day.jpg?1498844482" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We hug out in a coffee shop, had a great Italian dinner, and then took the train back “home” and met up with others at the hotel. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/85d599ee82f699b1130e6497843893ce7f41ce95/original/matt-brian-amsterdam.jpg?1498845049" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Which brings us to Thursday – yet another day off (and I have to be honest here…I’m looking forward to playing again.). Guy Balbaert, who is one of the co-writers on Jessica’s new EP, met us for breakfast and we spent the day together – went on a very relaxing boat ride, walked around the zoo a little, and had an afternoon marketing meeting. Cool stuff happening in the Jessica Lynn camp!</p>
<p>Dinner brought us to the home other friends of Wilma…Herman and Janny…who made us a lovely dinner, and we had a nice relaxing evening with them (and thanks for that!). Once back at the hotel, we sat outside by the fire pit again with a final drink on our last night in Holland.</p>
<p>And on Friday morning, we hit the road for Germany for the next adventure...playing the big Nurburgring racetrack on Saturday. Till then…</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47585542017-06-27T09:30:28-04:002018-11-24T10:44:59-05:00Summer Tour Diary – June 26 (Day 6): Navigating Amsterdam <p>After last night’s show in Caudry, we were already up relatively early and got on the road at 9:30 am to start the drive to our next stop - Amsterdam. First part of the trip was very scenic, winding through little towns, and then we hit the highways that brought us out of France, through Belgium, and finally into Holland. </p>
<p>As we entered the country, it had a personality all its own that we hadn’t seen so far in Europe. There were authentic old-fashioned windmills, rows of little houses facing the canals, and people bicycling everywhere. We found our hotel (via some “restricted access” unpaved road…I should mention that GPS here takes you to some odd places here), and it’s a beautiful spot. The rooms are more like duplex loft suites, and there’s a zoo and aviary on the grounds (which we get to visit as guests of the hotel). </p>
<p>When we checked in around 2 pm we were all starving, so we went to the restaurant that’s part of the hotel. It’s situated right outside the aviary in a beautiful setting, and unlike the heat we had in Italy, it’s been very nice out, so we sat outside and had a great lunch – the food was excellent. We'll certainly be back.</p>
<p>But after that, we had to get ready to get to the show, and within an hour of leaving lunch we were “show ready,” and driving into Amsterdam proper (our hotel is around a half-hour away in the neighboring town of Alphen Aan Den Rijn). </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/22cf7b58c1bc3b18cee2ed95b1f4a5726189bdc8/medium/amsterdam-sign.jpg?1498569798" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Now, please let me digress for a minute…I’m a born-and-bred New Yorker. I’ve grown up among crowds on busy city streets, and I even learned to drive (and took my road test) in New York City. I’ve also driven countless times among crazy LA drivers. But nothing, and I mean nothing, could have prepared me for what I saw when driving there today...not even Wilma Riedel (wife of pedal steel player Bob Riedel, and on tour with us handling the merch sales), who is Dutch, who tried to tell me what it’s like. </p>
<p>Fortunately, I was not behind the wheel…that thankless task was left to Steve and Peter. I don’t really know how Peter handled it, but in Steve’s car I can tell you that I thought we were all either going to die or kill someone. Why? </p>
<p>First – as I mentioned earlier, the streets are so confusing here that they even confuse GPS. At one point, it had us DRIVING ON THE TROLLEY TRACKS, praying that we weren’t going to get hit by one…but we had to continue driving on them until we hit an opening in the road (we couldn’t jump a curb). </p>
<p>Then, GPS told us that we had arrived and “your destination is on the left.” What was actually on the left was a canal. Nope, that’s not the club, sorry! </p>
<p>But the real danger? The bicyclists that Wilma tried to warn us about. Yeah, I see and deal with them on NYC streets, but we arrived in Amsterdam during afternoon rush hour, and they were like swarms of bees coming at you from every direction…and they always have the right of way. It’s almost impossible to anticipate where they are going to come from, and where they are going to go. And the sheer number of bicyclists was astounding.</p>
<p>And in the midst of all this, there are those trollies. At one point, our GPS was telling us to make a left turn….but there were endless streams of bikes blocking that turn, and a trolley heading right for us. And when we actually got to make that turn, GPS had us heading the wrong way down a one-way street. We all agreed that it's unbelievable that people aren't regularly injured or killed. Seemed like a highly-dangerous system of transportation.</p>
<p>But we FINALLY made it and found a parking spot a few blocks away from the venue, which is in the middle of the busy tourist district, and impossible to drive through. So we dragged our guitars, pedal boards and such through the crowded and narrow streets that were lined with cool little restaurants, cafes, shops and music venues. It was a very cool scene.</p>
<p>Here's Brian, Matt and I when we finally got out of the car alive..</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/f73e0074bc63fc2a4a9f4cc198b00efe21526c29/large/3-in-amsterdam.jpg?1498569901" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We found our way to The Watering Hole, where we were playing tonight. The place is not unlike numerous rock clubs I’ve played over the years….a long bar to the left, pool tables in the back, and a room to the side with a stage (one that was a little too tight a fit for an 8-piece band). </p>
<p>But we squeezed in there, did a quick sound check, and after dinner upstairs we were ready for our 9:15 show. At first, after playing large stages at festivals so far on this tour, this club show in front of a smaller group of people who were essentially out to party, made it feel a little strange. At first I felt a little disconnected with the audience, but at some point the whole thing just “clicked” - and we were all on the same wavelength. </p>
<p><em>By the way – here's a disclaimer…The views expressed on this blog are mine alone, and are my own observations and feelings. The others on this tour might give you a totally different take on how a show went. Or how messed up the driving situation is here in Amsterdam (sorry, Wilma! LOL). We do perceive things differently at times. Good luck getting 9 people to agree all the time!</em></p>
<p>But anyway – by the time we got to the last few songs of the set, people were singing along loudly, dancing, and having a blast. So were we...another successful show. After we packed up, chatted with everyone, and had a few drinks, we grabbed our gear and walked back to the cars. All the places near the club were rocking, with people spilling into the street and seemingly having a great time...late on a Monday night.</p>
<p>But as we walked further from the club and closer to where we were parked, those very same streets that were spilling over with bikes and cars in the afternoon, were suddenly quiet, peaceful. As we walked along a canal, with the lights from the homes that line the canal glistening in the water…it felt incredibly serene. A far cry from the madness of this afternoon. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/aa5939017273b865fc0bb82a915053d94bbb09af/original/canal-night.jpg?1498569907" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br>And it was then that it hit me…Amsterdam is an incredible place. It has an energy, beauty, honesty and personality all its own. And as we have 3 days off in this area, I look forward to exploring it, and getting to know it a little better.</p>
<p>Wilma is going to take us to a couple of places she knows we'll enjoy, but other than that, the next couple of days are a blank slate. If you've been here and think there's something that we should see or do, please let me know in the comments below!</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47568342017-06-26T10:16:27-04:002017-07-06T07:34:35-04:00Summer Tour Diary – June 25 (Day 5): From Paris to Caudry <p>After <a contents="yesterday’s post" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://wright-mark.com/blog/blog/summer-tour-diary-day-4-when-traveling-sucks">yesterday’s post</a> that outlined our travel troubles, for now I’ll spare you any further stories of grief about the band simply trying to get everywhere we need to be. So let’s just say that there were a couple of additional bumps getting our tour vehicles straightened out…but once we did, everyone piled in with our luggage gear around noon on Sunday, and started the drive from Paris to Caudry. </p>
<p>The drive itself was uneventful, and frankly, a little disappointing regarding the scenery. Yes, we’d pass a picturesque place every now and then, but for the most part it was flat farm land…not unlike what we see when we tour the US. </p>
<p>But after a couple of hours, we pulled into the pretty little of town of Caudry, where we were playing the 35th anniversary festival for BLC Radio. Jessica, Steve, Peter and Victoria came here without the rest of us in the band last year to do a handful of shows, and had met some wonderful people with whom they were reunited when we arrived, including Jean-Marc, who organized this event. </p>
<p>They had set the stage in a town square in such a beautiful area – exactly how you’d imagine a quant European town to be...looked right out of a story book. We had a relatively quick and efficient sound check (although language differences are still a hurdle to jump), but everything was perfectly balanced on stage. </p>
<p>After performances from some local line dancers (it’s amazing to see how popular this is all over Europe), we hit the stage. It’s always interesting to do our show in front of different audiences, and see how they react as we start playing. This crowd filled the square and the street, and were very attentive and focused on what we were doing…but also very polite. Nice applause, but not like some of the crazy crowds we’ve played for previously. </p>
<p>But as the show progressed, you could see them loosening up more and more. And then eventually, I could see some trying to sing along as we’d hit the choruses, dancing, hands in the air...fully participating in the show. And as we left the stage before our encore, we got this shot with a DJ from BLC Radio, and you can see what turned into a really enthusiastic crowd...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/e314e984ad5bb61c3b239af38e0db27e50ce2246/original/caudry.jpg?1498423479" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>For an encore, we did a cover of Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like a Woman," and was great to see this French crowd singing along in English. After the concert, Jessica did a meet-and-greet, followed by dinner with some of the friends the others made when they were here last year. And we could easily see why they’ve maintained these friendships. All really cool people, who made us feel so welcome. </p>
<p>But by 8 pm, many of us hit the wall. It’s been a whirlwind few days since the start of this tour, with a few ups and downs. And having had little sleep so far, I’m already in bed at 10:30 pm as I’m writing this. So much for the myth of a hard-partying band on the road! We have a 4 hour drive to Amsterdam tomorrow morning, and are playing there tomorrow night, and I’m gonna need all the energy I can get! (Yeah, boring, I know....)</p>
<p>So…good night my friends. Until tomorrow, from Amsterdam.</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47565712017-06-25T05:57:47-04:002017-07-06T07:34:38-04:00Summer Tour Diary – June 24 (Day 4): When Traveling Sucks <p>After last night’s show and #afterparty at the Voghera Country Festival, we were lucky to have a nice slow start on Saturday morning. We all had a late breakfast, and then met up with country singer <a contents="Jo Dee Messina" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://jodeemessina.com/wired/">Jo Dee Messina</a>, Jen Swirsky (one of Jessica’s best friends and writer for country music site <a contents="NashvilleGab" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://nashvillegab.com">NashvilleGab</a>, who also works with Jo Dee), along with her band and crew. </p>
<p>It was still hot as hell in Italy, and as Jo Dee and band were starting the sound check for their headlining show on Saturday night, we climbed aboard our air conditioned bus and started the journey for our next destination…France. </p>
<p>Please note: what’s about to follow has nothing whatsoever to do with music, and rather, is all about the pain of traveling. So if you don’t want to hear about that, turn back now! But for those of you sticking with me, here’s our story… </p>
<p>We had no problem getting to the airport, but once we arrived there, Alitalia reared its ugly head again. In my <a contents="first post" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://wright-mark.com/blog/blog/summer-tour-diary-day-1-hitting-the-road">first post</a>, I shared our miserable experience with them flying from NY to Milan. We had one more leg to fly with them from Milan to Paris, and man…this reinforced just how little they care about their passengers. </p>
<p>Jessica, Steve and I were the first at the check-in counters, they took our bags, and it all went normally. But when others attempted to do the same thing, they were told that Alitalia wouldn’t let them check their bags for another hour. And with 9 people on tour, there are a lot of bags. </p>
<p>We asked “why” that was the case, when they already took bags for the same flight from some of us. We got more insane double-talk about a supervisor changing something with the flight, but despite asking more questions and arguing our case, we were all left standing (or sitting on the floor) near check in for about an hour. And they couldn’t have cared less. </p>
<p>I also mentioned in my first post how tricky it can be to travel by air with guitars, and how they should not be checked in as luggage. As this was a smaller plane, Jessica, Steve and I actually had an extra ticket each….for our guitars. Yep, my seatmate on the plane is my guitar case. </p>
<p>But despite being told by Alitalia that this was their policy, and forcing us to pay for 3 extra tickets, when we got to the gate, once again a gate agent starting questioning whether they were going to let us onboard with our guitars….EVEN THOUGH WE HAD TICKETS FOR THEM. We were actually already through the gate and waiting to get on the plane, when a gate agent found us to once again question us about the guitars. </p>
<p>This isn’t about safety. This is about gate agents making arbitrary decisions that run counter to their own company’s policy, and hassling their passengers. And like last time, they kept people waiting on line a long time, with no announcements at all. Horrible airline. </p>
<p>But like last time, the flight was easy, and we had finally arrived in Paris! All we had to do now was to go to Enterprise, pick up the two large tour vehicles we are renting for the next month, and then make the two-hour drive to Caudry, where we are playing the next day. Easy, right? </p>
<p>When we got to Enterprise, we were informed that our vehicles weren’t there. No explanation as to why that was the case. Just…”sorry, they don’t seem to be here.” They offered us other vehicles, but none were large enough for 9 people, large suitcases for each, and instruments. </p>
<p>I'll spare you all of the details, but to make a long story short – we wound up standing in the Enterprise parking lot for THREE HOURS while they tried to sort this out and get us the vehicles we needed. By this time it was 11 pm, and they only got their hands on one vehicle we could use, so we had to be put up in a hotel overnight here at the airport to wait for the other one to arrive in the morning. </p>
<p>So now we had an entourage of 3 vehicles take us and our stuff to the IBIS Hotel here are Charles De Gaulle Airport, which is nice, but with rooms far too tiny for us, luggage and gear. </p>
<p>But, its only one night here. With this change of plans, we now have to get up Sunday morning, drive to right to our sound check in Caudry , and then play a later afternoon set at a show that celebrates the <a contents="35th anniversary of French Radio BLC" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/153788/article/2017-04-26/une-centaine-d-artistes-en-concert-gratuit-pour-les-35ans-de-radio-blc">35th anniversary of French Radio BLC</a>. </p>
<p>If you’ve made it this far, thanks for listening to me vent. I hope that my next post is a helluva lot more fun….</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47560592017-06-24T11:10:46-04:002023-03-30T04:53:01-04:00Summer Tour Diary – June 23 (Day 3): First Show at the Voghera Country Festival<p>It’s our last full day in Italy, and also the day of our first show – playing the <a contents="Voghera Country Festival" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.vogheracountryfestival.com/?lang=en">Voghera Country Festival</a>. But before our musical duties took over, we had time for some fun, so we decided to go horseback riding here. </p>
<p>Francesca and Lola (daughters of Carlo, the owner of Cowboy Guest Ranch where we’re staying) are both accomplished at barrel riding and roping (see? Told you Western culture was big here), and they saddled us up and guided us on a nice trail that wove through local farmland. It was serene, very relaxing, and the perfect way to start the day. </p>
<p>But the real reason we’re all here – playing country music – brought us together in the afternoon, when we did our first sound check. Normally, these sound checks are pretty straightforward…everything gets plugged in, routed to everyone’s individual floor monitor mixes or in-ears, we get the right sounds, we play a few songs as a test, and then we’re ready for the show. </p>
<p>So today, the first challenge was the extreme heat. It was probably around 100 degrees in the large airplane hanger-like building where the concerts are being held. So, we were sweating. And I mean SWEATING. Maybe this is TMI, but by the time we were done, my clothes felt like I jumped in a lake (and I wish I had). </p>
<p>The other challenge, which is something we’ll likely face at other stops on this tour, is the language barrier. Yes, we all use Google Translate on our phones, but that’s too time consuming with all we have to communicate and accomplish in a defined period of time. Fortunately, one of the guys associated with the festival, Nick, speaks English well, so we found ourselves with an interpreter who was able to communicate with our monitor engineer. (Thanks, Nick!) </p>
<p>Still, it took over 2 hours to dial everything in the right way, and when it was done we all retired to our rooms for a little rest. OH – except for Jessica and Brian, who once again did the workout thing. (I already felt I had sweated at least 5 pounds away). </p>
<p>But after a light dinner, it was time for main event. Today is the first day of the festival, which has many vendors selling clothing, cowboy boots, hats, belts…almost anything remotely Western. And the large dance floor in front of the stage was taken over by groups of line dancers, which transformed the space into something that would have been right at home at a country music festival in Montana. Very cool. </p>
<p>And at 10:30 pm. – showtime. I’d say it was a very good show…not perfect though, as we did have some monitor issues even after that long sound check. Things kept cutting out of my in-ear monitors, making it difficult to lock with some of the others at times. And Bob, our pedal steel player, was having some strange issues with his amp (it almost sounded like there was a chorus effect on it, but there wasn't). But then again, we probably notice the little things more than the audience, because we got a great reaction from the crowd of Italian cowboys and cowgirls. Some even chatted me with me afterwards and told me that although they’ve been coming to this festival for years (this was the 10th anniversary), ours was the best show they’ve ever seen here. </p>
<p>As always after the show, Jessica was out at the merch table meeting fans, taking photos with them, and signing autographs. An interesting twist that we didn’t anticipate is that we don’t know how to properly spell a lot of foreign names…so each person had to first write their name down on a piece of paper, so Jessica could properly sign their CDs for them. Just one more thing you learn on an international tour. </p>
<p>But then of course, there’s the #afterparty! The drinks flowed while we hung out with our new Italian friends, winding up sitting outside having hamburgers, hotdogs, fries and corn-on-the-cob at around 2 am. (I’m going to have to watch this diet so I don’t blow up). It was 4 am before some of us got to sleep, and I’m not gonna lie…I definitely have a headache the next morning as I write this. But it’s nothing that a little Advil and a lot of water can’t fix. </p>
<p>Day 4 is a travel day, as we fly to Paris and then drive to Caudry, where we play the next day. So…goodbye Italy, and “Ciao” to all our new friends – Gio, Ellie, Carlo, Stefano, and everyone at the Voghera Country Festival. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/7554af15e89e33a728cb3dc06f4d9089cf21e765/medium/pass.jpg?1498313986" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
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<p>Next post will come from France. Till then…</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47547102017-06-23T06:28:53-04:002017-07-06T07:35:17-04:00Summer Tour Diary - June 22 (Day 2): A Day Off in Milan<p>After getting settled in at Cowboy Guest Ranch in Voghera, Italy on Wednesday, we awoke on Thursday with renewed energy…and a day off! Touring can sometimes be grueling – playing until late at night, waking up early the next morning, driving a crazy amount of hours, pulling into a venue, soundchecking, playing the next show, packing up, getting just a few of hours of sleep before getting up and doing it all over again. </p>
<p>So when you have a day off, it can often be spent simply sleeping to re-energize. But since we’re still at the very start of this tour, we were up for an adventure. </p>
<p>After breakfast at the hotel, we took a 45 minute train ride from Voghera to Milan, and then found our way on the Metro (their subway system) to the huge Milano Centro plaza outside of the <a contents="Cathedral Duomo" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.duomomilano.it/en/">Cathedral Duomo</a> , a spectacular church that’s famous for being the home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/a7139d5605ad140b8aec79bfbc287095693e45f7/medium/img-4256.jpg?1498214044" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Unfortunately, the line was too long for us to wait to get into the church (we only have a few hours to spare, and there was much we wanted to do), so we walked around town. One of the things that always has impressed me about European cities is their history. At around 240 years old, the United States is a relatively “young” country. But when in Milan, and seeing buildings that were constructed as early as in the 1300’s, you get a different perspective on time and the history. </p>
<p>As we went sightseeing, we visited the famous <a contents="La Scala Opera House " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/index.html">La Scala Opera House</a>, the <a contents="Castello Sforzesco" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.milanocastello.it/en">Castello Sforzesco</a> (The Sforza Castle, built in the 1400’s) and had an authentic Italian lunch in the high-fashion shopping district, in the shadow of Gucci. </p>
<p>We headed back on the train around rush hour, which was interesting to see. What struck me is that most people were far better dressed than commuters I typically encounter on NY trains. Style and fashion seem to be more important to a larger group of people here. </p>
<p>When we returned to our home at Cowboy Guest Ranch, Jessica, Brian (our new drummer) and Peter (bass) worked out in the extreme heat (it’s been over 90 degrees every day). As much as I like to do that too, I passed on that option and got some other work done on my laptop instead. </p>
<p>We all reconvened for a big group dinner with the whole band, our hosts, and other people involved in the festival. Afterward we went to The Saloon here which was featuring a local group, the <a contents="Lucky Star Country Band " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/theluckystar.countryband">Lucky Star Country Band </a>. Yes, there are local country bands in Italy, and even better, lots of Italians who have completely embraced American country music culture. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/1c9ebb9a1805eb785051eb51119af5c97222596e/medium/img-4286.jpg?1498214187" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
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<p><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>The Saloon was filled with many Italian men and women in their best jeans, western shirts, cowboy hats and boots…all line dancing and cheering on the Italian musicians in their Western finery. It was quite the scene – highly entertaining. </p>
<p>Knowing Jessica was in the crowd, they invited her up to sing a tune with them, and she joined them for a country rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made For Walking.” Everything wrapped up around midnight in The Saloon, and I was about to go up to my room when someone grabbed Brian (the only other band member left, besides me) and I, and said…”Come outside - Pane, Salami y Vino!” <br><br>And sure enough…everyone in their fine country dress gathered at tables outside The Saloon for exactly that…loaves of Italian bread, locally made salami and wine. Although they clearly embrace American culture, there are certain parts of Italian culture that just can’t, and shouldn’t, be left behind. </p>
<p>So Brian and I joined them, drank some wine, made some new friends, and finally made it back into the hotel around 2 am when everything wound down. </p>
<p>Not bad for our second day on the road! And next up - our first show...</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/47533232017-06-22T13:01:12-04:002017-07-06T07:36:01-04:00Summer Tour Diary - June 21 (Day 1): Hitting the Road<p>Here's my first entry is a Tour Diary I'm going to attempt to write while on the road with <a contents="Jessica Lynn" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jessicalynnmusic.org">Jessica Lynn</a> for her summer "After Party" tour of Europe. Not sure how regularly I'll be able to post, but I'm going to attempt to share an inside look at some of the details of what it's like to be on the road, traveling with a band.</p>
<p>I don’t really know how others feel before the start of a tour, but it’s always been a mixed bag for me. On one hand, there’s the excitement that comes with the start of an adventure - the new cities we get to visit, the new people we get to meet, the fun of traveling with great friends with whom I get to share incredible new experiences. And then, there are the shows themselves…the audiences, the response, and (hopefully) leaving an audience feeling great about what they just saw. </p>
<p>But on the other hand, there are the insanely long hours spent traveling, the exhaustion, the things that inevitably go wrong, the difficulty in saying “so long” to family and friends that I won’t see for a long time. And it was a mix of all of these things that greeted me at the start of Jessica Lynn’s “After Party Summer Tour” of Europe and the UK. </p>
<p>So, as we’ve done at the start of every tour, we met at Jessica’s house a couple of days ago and piled into a large van with all our gear and luggage. After 2 hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic getting out to JFK, we checked in to our flight, only to be met with the longest security line I’ve ever seen. Apparently, all of their screening gear went down due to a power issue just before we arrived, and although it wasn’t working for only 20 minutes, that was long enough to cause a serious backup. </p>
<p>But when we finally got through over an hour later, fellow guitarist Steve Sterlacci (who is also Jessica’s husband) bought a bottle Knob Creek whiskey at the Duty Free Shop, and we all had a little “attitude adjustment” at the gate (thanks, Steve!). And it was needed, because what came next was no fun at all. </p>
<p>One of the biggest issues with flying when you’re in a band is the ability to take your guitars on board the aircraft with you. If these instruments are checked, there’s a good possibility they will come out damaged on the luggage carousel - no matter how good the cases are. Because of this, the FAA has regulations that allow musicians to take their guitars aboard US based carriers, but we were flying Alitalia to Milan…and although we had assurances from many people we spoke with at Delta (who booked the flight) and Alitalia (who operated it), when it was time to board we were suddenly told there was “no more room” for our guitars. Interestingly, this “no space” information came before anyone at all boarded the plane. </p>
<p>We called “bullshit.” We argued. We asked to speak to supervisors. And then the supervisor’s bosses. After a half-hour raised voices, aggravation and double-talk from the airline…we finally won. We got the guitars in a closet on board, and to add insult to injury, when we got to our seats the bin above Jessica was completely empty, with plenty of room for a guitar there. All of this nonsense and frustration was created by Alitalia for no reason at all. Not a great way to treat their customers. </p>
<p>As a band, we are extremely fortunate to work with a number of companies – from gear manufacturers, to hotels, to clothing companies – who support us in many ways…and we are very public in our support of them and ask our friends to do the same. Conversely, when you screw us…we’re equally public about what you’ve done. So with that in mind…I will NEVER fly Alitalia again after this tour under any circumstances. They lied to our faces, and treated us (and other passengers) with total disregard. Mobs of people were waiting to get on the plane, which first started boarding at the time it was supposed to take off. And while everyone was standing on line for an hour, there was not one announcement about the delay, nor any apology. They simply could not have cared less…so Alitalia gets added to the “black list.” </p>
<p>But after that, at least it was a smooth flight. We all slept only a few hours and arrived rather exhausted, but excited, in Milan.</p>
<p>An hour bus ride later and we found ourselves at the “Cowboy Guest Ranch” in Voghera, which is not only where we are staying, but it’s also where we are playing at the Voghera Country Festival on Friday night. </p>
<p>This place is about as authentic a “dude ranch” as you’ll find anywhere. Horses, stables, a completely realistic Western feel (which we know well from the touring we’ve done in the US)…and such a wonderful and hospitable group of people. We had lunch (including getting to try some great local “Piemontese” Italian beer) with the organizers and owners, got a tour, and were made to feel very much at home. </p>
<p>Although we’re all pretty shot, we still met up at 8 pm for a big group dinner – the first of many on this tour. </p>
<p>As I write this, I’m in my bed in my “Montana” hotel room, and about to pass out. And what’s cool is that we have a full day off tomorrow before we do our first show, which is at the Voghera Country Festival.</p>
<p>We’re probably going to spend our day off sightseeing and shopping in Milan. It’s always great to have another full day to settle in and get over jet lag, before the madness (and fun) of playing and traveling night-after-night really sets in. </p>
<p>As I said earlier, as the tour progresses ’ll endeavor to post regular updates here…so stay tuned if you’d like to follow our adventures on the road along with us. And, if you’re reading this someplace in Europe or the UK that we’ll be visiting over the next two months (<a contents="tour schedule is here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.jessicalynnmusic.org/shows">tour schedule is here</a>), it would be great to meet you at one of our shows! Hope to see you there…</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/d461b2231fe259640b5dc6437d1768820541f206/medium/img-4228.jpg?1498114723" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/45785882017-02-06T14:10:48-05:002017-12-04T15:22:50-05:00Bermuda! For me, one of the best things about being a working musician is getting to travel the world. I love exploring everything from small towns to big cities, and meeting so many local residents. And the reason I'm writing about this today is that I (along with <a contents="Jessica Lynn" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.jessicalynnmusic.org" target="_blank">Jessica Lynn</a> and the rest of the band) just returned from Bermuda, where we headlined two dates at the annual <a contents="Bermuda Festival for the Performing Arts" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://bermudafestival.org" target="_blank">Bermuda Festival for the Performing Arts</a>.<br><br>On the day we arrived, we attended a dinner party at a gorgeous home that was hosted by members of the Festival's board, supporters, sponsors and more. It was great getting to know our hosts over a few rum cocktails (made with excellent local Goslings Black Seal Rum), and then having a delicious home-cooked dinner...which, trust me, is something that's quite rare when touring. (The week before, when we were CA, I wound up eating fast food every single day. Yeah...I know, I know.) After a few hours, we had made new friends, and were excited about the next couple of days ahead.<br><br>We spent most of the next morning working with sound engineer John and his awesome crew, getting our stage set, gear wired up, and doing a good, solid sound check. Here's a shot of us on stage just prior to opening the house on our first night...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/5f4b5dfd7312db94971d86fe1e07948b1508725b/large/img-3247.jpg?1486408070" class="size_l justify_left border_" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>The shows themselves went as well as possible. Opening night was actually my first night singing a full-length show of backing vocals, so between that, juggling guitars and keyboards, there was lots to remember (and I think I got like 95% of it). Other than almost taking out guitar tech John Boggi's eye when I spun around to change guitars, smacking him squarely in the eye with my headstock, it was a strong show. I definitely felt more comfortable singing the set by the 2nd night, but that show had a couple of hiccups too...including the loss of stage power to our amps, and the loss of the lighting system for a short period of time. But - the show went on after those were corrected, and what made it all worthwhile were the audiences (which on night 2 included Bermuda Governor John Rankin).<br><br>We had been advised that the Bermuda audiences can be a bit subdued, and yes, although most everyone was in their seats politely applauding when the shows started...by the middle of each show they were up out of their seats, dancing, singing along, making a whole lot of noise, and generally turning the Mid-Ocean Amphitheater into quite the party. Seems Bermuda definitely loves their country music -- all they needed was a little encouraging, and we all had a great time together. <br><br>Afterwards, we were rewarded with an <a contents="excellent review" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.royalgazette.com/lifestyle/article/20170201/jessica-lynn-and-her-band-wow-crowd" target="_blank">excellent review</a> in Bermuda's daily newspaper - The Royal Gazette, who also did a <a contents="feature on an educational session" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20170202/country-singer-stars-at-cedarbridge" target="_blank">feature on an educational session</a> that Jessica conducted at a local school. <br><br>Coupled with a little beach time in those impossibly turquoise waters, I think I can speak for everyone in the band and say that we loved our time there, and hope to return to play Bermuda again one day soon. But for now, we're going to be in NY for the next few months prior to our summer tour...working in the studio, playing a couple of local shows, and working on the show that we can't wait to bring to you later this year.<br><br>Updates from the studio to come soon!<br> Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/45640162017-01-26T12:08:32-05:002017-01-26T12:35:56-05:00NAMM 2017 MadnessI'm back in NY for a bit more than 24 hours after a long trip to CA...both for fun, and for NAMM (which is fun enough on its own). If you're at all into any sort of musical gear, NAMM is probably the closest thing you'll find to heaven on earth. This is an annual convention where just about all of the companies who make instruments, amps, pedals, gadgets, software and services gather to show off their latest developments. This means being the first to try out everything that's going to be arriving in music stores between now and Christmas.<br><br>With nearly 100,000 people there and hundreds of companies occupying the entire Anaheim Convention Center, <a contents="NAMM" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2017" target="_blank">NAMM</a> is enormous...and exhausting. I walked a minimum of 4 miles each day, on top of playing 12 shows in three days with <a contents="Jessica Lynn" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jessicalynnmusic.org" target="_blank">Jessica Lynn</a> and the band. Most of these shows are in the convention center itself, at the booths of many companies with whom we have the great fortune of working...so we played "booth shows" at <a contents="D'Angelico Guitars" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://dangelicoguitars.com" target="_blank">D'Angelico Guitars</a> (although their presence at the show is actually a huge showroom upstairs at the venue), <a contents="RCF Speakers" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.rcf.it/homepage" target="_blank">RCF Speakers</a>, <a contents="Iconic Custom Guitars" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://iconicguitars.com" target="_blank">Iconic Custom Guitars</a>, <a contents="Klotz Cables" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.klotz-ais.com" target="_blank">Klotz Cables</a>, <a contents="Reunion Blues" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://reunionblues.com" target="_blank">Reunion Blues</a>, and <a contents="TASCAM" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://tascam.com" target="_blank">TASCAM</a>.<br><br>Here's a shot of us at the D'Angelico Showroom, where I got to be among the first to play a teardrop-shaped solid body from their new Deluxe line (strung with their new <a contents='"Electronzinc" strings' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://dangelicostrings.com" target="_blank">"Electrozinc" strings</a> created with <a contents="D'Addario" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://daddario.com/" target="_blank">D'Addario</a>)...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/1e9abc6c2b903b40588406ec7dab47133d0a926e/large/dangeliconamm17.jpg?1485386450" class="size_l justify_left border_none" alt="" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Cool new stuff I saw that impressed me include the new line of <a contents="Taylor acoustics " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/new-models-2017" target="_blank">Taylor acoustics </a>(particularly the new 800 Deluxe series), <a contents="Fishman's "Loudbox" acoustic guitar amps" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.fishman.com/products/series/loudbox/" target="_blank">Fishman's "Loudbox" acoustic guitar amps</a>, new <a contents="Gibson" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2017/USA.aspx" target="_blank">Gibson</a> and<a contents=' Fender "American Professional" electrics,' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.fender.com/pages/american-professional" target="_blank"> Fender "American Professional" electrics,</a> pedals from <a contents="Keeley" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://robertkeeley.com" target="_blank">Keeley</a> (in particular, the <a contents="Red Dirt distortion pedal" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://robertkeeley.com/Red+Dirt+Germanium" target="_blank">Red Dirt distortion pedal</a>, which I've already added to my pedalboard), JHS (the <a contents="Ruby Red" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.jhspedals.com/products/guitar-pedals/rubyred/" target="_blank">Ruby Red</a> Butch Walker signature pedal) and Walrus Audio (<a contents="385 Overdrive" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.walrusaudio.com/collections/top-sellers/products/385-overdrive-1" target="_blank">385 Overdrive</a>) , <a contents="Shure's new digital wireless systems" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shure.com/americas/glxd-advanced" target="_blank">Shure's new digital wireless systems</a>, and Creation Music's <a contents="new line of amps" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://creationmusiccompany.com/amplifiers/" target="_blank">new line of amps</a>. And a lot more than that - it's just way more than I can mention here.<br><br>But it's not all work! There's lots of "play time" built into NAMM too, and we certainly had our fair share, including "happy hour" in the Gibson showroom, D'Angelico's annual NAMM party, which this year featured a private performance by none other than Bob Weir (joined onstage by Robert Randolph, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and drummer Matt Sorum), and of course - the insane NAMM after-party at the Hilton Anaheim (which we played late Saturday night for hundreds of fun, and likely intoxicated, members of the industry).<br><br>I've gotta say...I feel extremely fortunate to be in the middle of this every year, and although I'm hurting like I was run over by truck -- it's completely worth it. Already looking forward to next year.<br><br>Were you at NAMM? If so, what caught your eye (and ears)? Let me know...Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/44623072016-11-11T12:18:51-05:002016-11-11T12:18:51-05:00To our Veterans...I just wanted to take a moment on Veteran's Day to say a big and heartfelt THANK YOU to all the men and women of our armed forces. Your bravery, your commitment and the ongoing sacrifices you make are what real heroes are all about. <br><br>When Jessica Lynn and the rest of us in the band filmed our most recent PBS concert special, we were honored with the presence of a number of veterans, who joined us onstage during our version of Neil Diamond's "America." The song never did make the final cut of the show that was aired on PBS, so I wanted to share it with you here today.<br><br>THANK YOU!<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="jpk3YZJtwBw" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/jpk3YZJtwBw/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jpk3YZJtwBw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/44605572016-11-10T11:45:06-05:002016-11-10T11:45:55-05:00Meet Harsh CrowdOne of the things I love doing the most is getting to work with young musicians and bands, which I've had the opportunity to do in the studio a couple of times this year. <br><br>So it's my pleasure to introduce you to Harsh Crowd...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/c9a07da2fff161ed532171747cf19b6acb7389a3/medium/03-harsh-crowd-w710-h473.jpg?1478796258" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>They're a group of 14-year-old women with whom I've been producing an EP - Better - which is out now. They write powerful and catchy songs that are well beyond their years, and what's really cool is that people are starting to take notice. Check this out...<ul> <li>Article in <a contents="New York Times" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/nyregion/harsh-crowd-indie-rock-veterans-at-age-14.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>
</li> <li>Article in <a contents="NY Magazine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/11/meet-harsh-crowd-the-teen-band-co-signed-by-kathleen-hanna.html" target="_blank">NY Magazine</a>
</li> <li>Article in <a contents="Noisey" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/harsh-crowd-return-harder-and-darker-than-before" target="_blank">Noisey</a>
</li> <li>Featured on <a contents="NEXT" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://allthingsnext.com/2016/11/09/week-550-full-show-11_09_16/" target="_blank">NEXT</a> (the best radio show out there for discovering new music) - www.allthingsnext.com </li>
</ul>All of this has just been in the past week - excited to see what's ahead for the band. And tonight, I'm heading to Irving Plaza in NYC to see them open for <a contents="The Julie Ruin" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thejulieruin.com" target="_blank">The Julie Ruin</a> (what a great pairing -going to be an awesome show). <br><br>And finally - here's where you can <a contents="find Harsh Crowd on iTunes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/better-ep/id1170297270" target="_blank">find Harsh Crowd on iTunes</a> - <a contents="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/better-ep/id1170297270" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/better-ep/id1170297270" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/better-ep/id1170297270</a><br><br>If you like what you hear, I'd like to ask that you please support independent music and download their EP. It's only $4.99...you'd spend that on a latte, but instead you get some awesome new music, and the knowledge that you helped support a young band as they start their career. Truly a "win-win."<br><br>Thanks - you rock...Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/44156582016-10-12T09:49:28-04:002016-10-12T09:53:08-04:00Fighting the heroin epidemic through music<p>The heroin epidemic is a serious threat to society, with young, talented, beautiful kids losing their lives every single day. Eight years ago, super-talented 17-year-old singer/songwriter/musician Justin Veatch lost his life to heroin, which prompted his father, Jeffrey Veatch, to start to the <a contents="The Justin Veatch Fund" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thejustinveatchfund.org" target="_blank">The Justin Veatch Fund</a> to educate teens and young adults about the perils of substance abuse...while inspiring them to focus on the arts. The Fund advocates music education and runs a number of incredible programs to foster growth in young musicians. </p>
<p>Jeffrey travels around the country, giving multimedia presentations that educate, inform, and inspire teenagers everywhere. There is also a documentary about Justin called "<a contents='Whispering Spirits"' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.whispering-spirits.com" target="_blank">Whispering Spirits"</a> that you can watch online here - <a contents="http://www.whispering-spirits.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.whispering-spirits.com" target="_blank">http://www.whispering-spirits.com</a></p>
<p>I'm proud to be associated with the Justin Veatch Fund, for whom I've played a few benefits over the years. This year, I'm involved in their annual fundraising concert being held at <a contents="The Paramount Hudson Valley Theater" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://paramounthudsonvalley.com" target="_blank">The Paramount Hudson Valley Theater</a> in Peekskill, NY on Sat., Oct. 15. The show stars "<a contents="Live At The Fillmore" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://liveatthefillmoreband.com" target="_blank">Live At The Fillmore</a>" - a band of incredible musicians who recreate the Allman Brothers album of the same name in its entirety. Opening are the "Justin Veatch Fund All Stars" (who also perform as "Gilbert") - a group of insanely talented teenagers with whom I have the pleasure of coaching for this performance. They're pretty amazing - you have to see them! </p>
<p>It's going to be a fantastic evening of music, with a very important message and all for a strong cause. I rarely come out and ask for things directly...but in this case, I'd like to ask my friends to please support this important effort to help spread the word about the perils of drug addiction...and you'll get to see one helluva concert at the same time. </p>
<p>Here's a link about the show and ticket info, and I hope to see you there! Thanks :) </p>
<p><a contents="http://paramounthudsonvalley.com/events/liveatthefillmore/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://paramounthudsonvalley.com/events/liveatthefillmore/" target="_blank">http://paramounthudsonvalley.com/events/liveatthefillmore/</a></p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/42839922016-07-18T17:26:19-04:002022-05-10T03:52:33-04:00Back from the roadJust returned yesterday from five weeks touring with the Jessica Lynn band, during which we traveled nearly 8,500 miles, visited 20 states, and played a bunch of fun shows for so many great crowds. Two things I love about being on the road - seeing so much of the United States (we truly live in a beautiful country); and meeting so many awesome people. Made lots of memories, and new friends, on this tour.<br><br>But another great thing about a tour, no matter how fun or successful it is, is coming home. Feels great to be back, and I can't wait to get back to work on a few different unfinished projects...including producing a new EP for all-girl group Harsh Crowd, and also finally recording a few of my own new songs. Looking at probably releasing an EP this year. I'm ready - how about you?Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/40411122016-02-14T15:42:24-05:002022-05-18T10:47:05-04:00"Not Your Woman" - first Jessica Lynn video and single<p>Greetings from a freezing-cold New York. Wind chill was -15 when I walked the dogs this morning. Good times. </p>
<p>It's been a busy year so far, having been on the road for most of January (including some great shows at NAMM in Southern CA, and then up north in the Bay Area). We're gearing up for some dates starting again in mid-March, but in the meantime, I wanted to let you know that Jessica Lynn's new single "Not Your Woman" (on which I'm playing guitar and keyboards) was just released today, along with her first music video (directed by Stevie Glass). </p>
<p>Here are the links: </p>
<p><a contents='"Not Your Woman" video on YouTube' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/HdA5vtIpJY0">"Not Your Woman" video on YouTube</a> </p>
<p><a contents='"Not Your Woman" single on iTunes&nbsp;' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/not-your-woman-single/id1072559816">"Not Your Woman" single on iTunes </a></p>
<p>Please let me know what you think, and if you like it, please share the links with your friends! </p>
<p>Thanks...and stay warm!</p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/39683192015-12-29T13:29:04-05:002022-05-10T03:42:05-04:00Goodbye, and hello...<p>Hello - it's been a while! Can't believe it's already time to say "Goodbye" to 2015, and I've clearly been lax in my keeping up with this blog. (Hmmm, I sense my first New Year's resolution). But anyway...</p>
<p>It's been another whirlwind year playing guitar and keyboards in the Jessica Lynn Band. We saw our concert film "Takin' Over" air on PBS stations nationwide; heard the first single "Turn The Key" on many country radio stations; and played more shows this year than ever before. But the real highlight was our summer tour, where we played everything from huge festivals (opening for the likes of Keith Urban, Clint Black, Thompson Square, and a whole lot more) to intimate clubs...playing 23 shows in 20 states over 30 days. It was an amazing experience, and in particular, it was great to meet so many of you out there on the road. </p>
<p>But now it's time to look ahead, and I'm ready to say "HELLO" to 2016. There be more interesting developments with Jessica Lynn -- including the release of her first EP and music video, along with more touring (including a brief CA run during January)...but I also wanted to let you know that I'll be releasing my first new material in quite a while. I've been in the studio writing, and I'm finally ready to start laying down tracks. Not exactly sure yet what direction or format it's going to take, as I'm feeling influences come in from all over the place...but that's part of the adventure. I'm just going to start planting the seeds, and we'll see what grows. </p>
<p>If it's your first time visiting here, please go ahead and join my email list (form is on the home page), and you'll get a free download as my way of saying "thanks," and I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest developments (but not too often - I promise not to abuse your inbox!).</p>
<p>So, I hope you're having a great Holiday season...and have an awesome New Years! See you in 2016...<br><br>Cheers,<br>Steven<br> </p>Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/35396122015-02-18T11:51:03-05:002015-02-18T11:51:03-05:00Hitting the road...There's been lots of activity in the <a contents="Jessica Lynn " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jessicalynnmusic.org" target="_blank">Jessica Lynn </a>camp! We were in Southern CA for NAMM, where we played a bunch of shows, and are now prepping new material that we're going to debut next Friday, February 27th, at Daryl Hall's awesome new club - <a contents="Daryl's House" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.darylshouseclub.com" target="_blank">Daryl's House</a>. (Some tickets are still available <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=5610645&pl=daryl" target="_blank">here</a>).<br><br>But what we're really excited about is...we are hitting the road again this summer for a national tour. We already have a few dates booked, including a few at large country festivals (opening for such huge country stars at Keith Urban). But, it's REALLY costly to keep a 9-piece band on the road..so we're asking for your help.<br><br>To fund the tour, we've launch a <a contents="Pledge Music campaign," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/takinovertour" target="_blank">Pledge Music campaign,</a> and Jessica is offering a lot of really cool and unique items in return for your support...signed CDs and DVDs, set lists, handwritten lyrics, band rehearsals, private shows, personalized songs, a signed guitar and lots more. Every pledge helps, so <a contents="please check it out " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/takinovertour" target="_blank">please check it out </a>and become part of this tour!<br><br>Thanks, my friends...<br style="color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br> Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/34450042014-12-30T10:05:53-05:002014-12-30T10:05:53-05:00Goodbye 2014, Hello......2015! This past year was certainly an exciting one, with lots of great studio work, touring and more. And here's a little musical reflection (and confession) from a couple of years ago...an acoustic, in-the-studio live version of "<a contents="The End of Another Year" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/738134/the-end-of-another-year" target="_blank">The End of Another Year</a>," from my most recent solo album "<a contents="My Plastic World" data-link-label="" data-link-type="album" href="/album/210017/my-plastic-world" target="_blank">My Plastic World</a>."<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="sUkXkkEE6OA" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/sUkXkkEE6OA/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sUkXkkEE6OA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><br>But with 2014 nearly behind us, 2015 is going to be filled with lots of new music, video and a whole lotta shows all over the country. Thanks for sticking by me here, and hope to see you out there.<br><br>HAPPY NEW YEAR!<br><br>Cheers,<br>Steven<br> Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/33707282014-12-07T10:42:51-05:002017-01-16T09:07:07-05:00Daryl's House!Last night, the Jessica Lynn Band had the honor of being asked to play at <a contents="Daryl's House." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.darylshouseclub.com" target="_blank">Daryl's House.</a>..the new music venue in Pawling, NY recently opened by Daryl Hall. They've built the place to look exactly like the music room in his house where his popular "Live from Daryl's House" is filmed, and the attention to detail is amazing...especially the work they put into making it an incredible sounding room. Amazing gear, and the guys who run it (including Pete and Gary) work on Daryl's show with him. (And THANKS guys!)<br><br>We had an incredible (and loud!) SRO crowd, and to boot, it was my birthday yesterday. Not only did I get birthday cake backstage, but Jessica led the audience in a chorus of "Happy Birthday" for me. Feeling truly blessed...love this band, and our fans.<br><br>Next up...we're doing a special, stripped down "Acoustic Country Christmas" performance this Friday, 12/12 at The Paramount Hudson Valley Theater. Fun times...hope to see you there!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146498/fc595344249d504ad030ea4f6fe94cebfbd4a444/medium/img-7376.jpg?1417966919" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/33334592014-11-26T17:01:17-05:002022-05-31T07:50:48-04:00Winding Up The Year....and what a year it's been! In 2014, I hit the road with the Jessica Lynn Band, playing large country music festivals across the county. Earlier this fall, we filmed a concert at The Paramount Hudson Valley Theater (in Peekskill, NY), which was our largest headlining show to date. The show is being made into a PBS-TV concert special, and will air early next year on PBS stations nationwide. Also early next year, you'll find us on the West Coast playing a string of dates, with plans being made now for another extended summer 2015 tour. Exciting times, my friends! If you'd like to be kept up-to-date on my own solo activities, as well as those with Jessica -- go ahead and give me your email address to join the email list (there's a signup form right here on the home page)!Steven Wright-Marktag:www.wright-mark.com,2005:Post/31225342014-08-06T17:27:04-04:002022-05-31T07:29:49-04:00The Dizzy Summer of 2014Hey there - what a crazy (but great) summer it has been. Spent most of it so far on the road with the amazing <a contents="Jessica Lynn" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jessicalynnmusic.org" target="_blank">Jessica Lynn</a> Band, playing all over the U.S. at everything from intimate clubs to huge mega country music festivals. But now that I'm back in my home town in Westchester, NY, it was time to FINALLY update my website to provide a more well rounded picture of everything I've been working on (my prior site was built solely to promote my last solo release, "My Plastic World").<br><br>As I build this out, there'll be music, photos, videos, tour dates, merch...ya know, the usual mix of stuff. Hope you like it -- and please drop my a line any time either via email (<a contents="steven@amplifrier.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:steven@amplifrier.com">steven@amplifrier.com</a>), or through any of the social media links. <br><br>Cheers,<br>Steven<br><br><br> Steven Wright-Mark