Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Photos
To save time I haven't been uploading photos to this blog. if you want to keep updated with them visit my myspace.
Stand Up, Fight Back (Euro tour with xTrue Naturex): Krakow, PL / Olomouc, CZ
"There is no quiet place in the white man's cities. No place to listen to the leaves of spring or the rustle of insect wings. But perhaps because I am a savage and do not understand - the clatter only seems to insult the ears. And what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lovely cry of the whippoorwill or the arguments of the frogs around a pond at night?" -Chief Seattle
Drove out to Krakow, PL for our show yesterday. We originally thought it was going to be in a squat, but turned out to be in a club... which is all fine with me. everyone that worked there was super nice and there was a scheduled "vegan after party" that was advertised on the fliers! Had dinner with some friends at a squat near where we were staying, and then walked across town to the venue. Played to about 50 relatively enthusiastic people, and afterward a group of Polish kids and I had a dance off! They taught me some "traditional" Polish dances and I of course taught them how to moonwalk. The night was filled with dancing, laughter and silly games which means it was totally awesome for me.
The next morning we had some lovely vegan, gluten-free BLT's (or something similar) and packed our things for our drive back to Olomouc, CZ. Don't ask me why we've been driving back and forth, but it seems a bit unnecessary. Anyways, 2 days from now we'll be going to the bone church outside of Prague and I'm REALLY excited about it. The only thing I've set aside that I absolutely need to do here in Europe and nothing will mess this up for me. NOTHING.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
Drove out to Krakow, PL for our show yesterday. We originally thought it was going to be in a squat, but turned out to be in a club... which is all fine with me. everyone that worked there was super nice and there was a scheduled "vegan after party" that was advertised on the fliers! Had dinner with some friends at a squat near where we were staying, and then walked across town to the venue. Played to about 50 relatively enthusiastic people, and afterward a group of Polish kids and I had a dance off! They taught me some "traditional" Polish dances and I of course taught them how to moonwalk. The night was filled with dancing, laughter and silly games which means it was totally awesome for me.
The next morning we had some lovely vegan, gluten-free BLT's (or something similar) and packed our things for our drive back to Olomouc, CZ. Don't ask me why we've been driving back and forth, but it seems a bit unnecessary. Anyways, 2 days from now we'll be going to the bone church outside of Prague and I'm REALLY excited about it. The only thing I've set aside that I absolutely need to do here in Europe and nothing will mess this up for me. NOTHING.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
Monday, March 29, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (Euro tour with xTrue Naturex): Vienna, AT / Bratislava, SK / Brno, CZ / Olomouc, CZ
"there were 3 of us this morning, I'm the only one this evening, but I must go on." -Leonard Cohen
Traveled to Vienna, AT and played a show in a basement venue called I:DA. It was also a benefit for 26 (originally 13) Austrian activists that have been put on trial for "running a criminal organization" and are essentially being charged with laws originally intended for the Mafia. All of these people are on trial for completely above ground, legal activism and they range from more radical animal rights activists to even slightly leftist animal welfarists. It seems most of the evidence being used against them is email and phone call surveillance that proves they've said they 'support' certain people or actions. There are some similarities to another case that's going on in the United States right now as well. you can read about the AETA4 here.
After that was our show in Bratislava, SK in a small cabin in the middle of a park. it was awesome not to be in a big, dirty, irritating and stress educing city for once. plus, a ton of people came out for the show and everyone was super friendly and excited we were there. Keegan broke a string, set his guitar down and was lifted up to crowd surf amongst the 80 or so kids that were there. pretty awesome.
Played tonight in Brno, CZ at a small club. the show wasn't my favorite of this trip, I must say, but our hosts have been awesome and getting to spend time with them at all has been super rad. Plus, it's been nice to just sit and read since no one wanted to come up and talk to me at the merch table today.
hope everyone is doing well!
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
p.s. sick with a cold as of yesterday. Not going to point the finger of blame at anyone, but someone else who was sick apparently thought it would be appropriate to try our food with the serving spoon and then put it back in the pot after having their mouth all over it. what the fuck.
Traveled to Vienna, AT and played a show in a basement venue called I:DA. It was also a benefit for 26 (originally 13) Austrian activists that have been put on trial for "running a criminal organization" and are essentially being charged with laws originally intended for the Mafia. All of these people are on trial for completely above ground, legal activism and they range from more radical animal rights activists to even slightly leftist animal welfarists. It seems most of the evidence being used against them is email and phone call surveillance that proves they've said they 'support' certain people or actions. There are some similarities to another case that's going on in the United States right now as well. you can read about the AETA4 here.
After that was our show in Bratislava, SK in a small cabin in the middle of a park. it was awesome not to be in a big, dirty, irritating and stress educing city for once. plus, a ton of people came out for the show and everyone was super friendly and excited we were there. Keegan broke a string, set his guitar down and was lifted up to crowd surf amongst the 80 or so kids that were there. pretty awesome.
Played tonight in Brno, CZ at a small club. the show wasn't my favorite of this trip, I must say, but our hosts have been awesome and getting to spend time with them at all has been super rad. Plus, it's been nice to just sit and read since no one wanted to come up and talk to me at the merch table today.
hope everyone is doing well!
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
p.s. sick with a cold as of yesterday. Not going to point the finger of blame at anyone, but someone else who was sick apparently thought it would be appropriate to try our food with the serving spoon and then put it back in the pot after having their mouth all over it. what the fuck.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (Europe tour with xTrue Naturex): Switzerland / Germany / Austria / Hungary
So as some of you may have noticed it's been quite a few days since I've updated this thing. There's a reason for that, and I will explain: I somehow contracted some kind of Virus and it's left me incredibly ill the past 5 or 6 days. I'm still not even sure of what I had/have, but whatever it was messed me up pretty badly. There were at least a few days in there when I was unable to walk, and I spent our day off in Stuttgart laid out in someones room for at least 40 hours or so. I had hardly eaten anything, and by the time we left Germany I think I hadn't had a meal in almost 3 days. I had considered going to the hospital, which is a big step considering that I absolutely hate doctors, but I had taken every herbal remedy I could think of and nothing helped even in the slightest. I'm feeling exponentially better now, but I am still a little wary of becoming sick again. I get the feeling I got it from something someone fed us along the way, but I can't be sure on that.
Here's a brief recap (and what I remember) of the cities we've been in:
Played a pretty rad show in Zurich, CH and my only complaints about the show other than being sick was that the kicker table cost money. Except you would pay a euro, and only get enough soccer balls to play half of a game... Doesn't make sense! I played the show standing up which could have ended badly considering I could barely stand. Keegan said he was sitting near me ready to have to break my fall if I tipped over towards the mirrors or something; and apparently it was my sweatiest and most red-faced show I've ever played so if some photos surface on the internet (which they are out there somewhere) feel free to have a laugh. The next morning after staying with yet even more awesome people we tried some authentic vegan Swiss cheese... and oh man, was it good! Even though I was sick it was still amazing.*
Stuttgart, DE was a show in the basement of an old Police station that is now inhabited by a group of Vegan punx and activists. It was a pretty funny place to play a show in I must say, but it was nice to see a holding cell turned into something positive like a music venue. I had made plans to hang out with the sweetest kids, but the morning after the show I was barely able to lift my head to even tell them I wasn't able to go out. such a bummer.
We didn't have a show in Innsbruck, AT but we spent the night at a friends and had a nice relaxing time up in the Alps. Getting to see so much of the Alps has been probably my favorite part of this trip so far, and driving through Austria has been so rad. We had to visit a Land Rover dealer for our first repair of this tour, but since they didn't have the part we needed we just had to weld a temporary one for now until we can find another shop. Luckily MDG is a pretty good mechanic and we don't need to pay all these expensive fees for everything. A couple of times my masculinity has been challenged on this trip (which by the way is totally fine by me) for not knowing much about cars, or for exampled how to start a woodburning stove etc. but newsflash: I hate cars... I do. They're good for touring and that's it. and, I'm from Southern California, when would I have been able to operate, or ever need to operate a woodburning stove? ridiculous. I will never be a "man" in this society and I'm quite proud of that! Gender roles are silly.
Played a small club in Graz, AT and for what I thought was going to be a loud and rowdy show turned out to be really good. The atmosphere suggested that people would be talking over us during our sets, but everyone was actually incredibly respectful, supportive and receptive. Had some interesting conversations and I drank wayyy too much of this local, organic Austrian iced tea that was packed with sugar. So my teeth felt like they were going to fall out of my head, and I couldn't fall asleep until 5 am that night!
The next day brought us to Budapest, HU where we played in a packed practice space. We fit like 45 people in this tiny place and it was pretty awkward and hilarious (photos coming soon). and afterward had some traditional Hungarian vegan Goulash (spell?). The currency here is funny as well... it's strange to be in a part of the EU that doesn't use Euros, but the HUF exchange is like 5 euros to like 2000 HUF (this is a guess from what I remember of last night, i'm a party animal**).
Just woke up and now we're all debating on whether we want to rest all day or go out and see the city... BUT everyones telling us Budapest looks exactly like Vienna because it was built by the same person around the same time. I really don't like cities, so I feel like I want to rest and read but I'll just go with the flow.
For Love and Liberation,
Mike XVX
*I do realize I say 'awesome' or 'amazing' every other word, but this trip has been awesome and amazing... so you'll just have to deal with it!
**I've learned how to say I'm a party animal in 2 different languages so far. and I've also learned several new dances.
Here's a brief recap (and what I remember) of the cities we've been in:
Played a pretty rad show in Zurich, CH and my only complaints about the show other than being sick was that the kicker table cost money. Except you would pay a euro, and only get enough soccer balls to play half of a game... Doesn't make sense! I played the show standing up which could have ended badly considering I could barely stand. Keegan said he was sitting near me ready to have to break my fall if I tipped over towards the mirrors or something; and apparently it was my sweatiest and most red-faced show I've ever played so if some photos surface on the internet (which they are out there somewhere) feel free to have a laugh. The next morning after staying with yet even more awesome people we tried some authentic vegan Swiss cheese... and oh man, was it good! Even though I was sick it was still amazing.*
Stuttgart, DE was a show in the basement of an old Police station that is now inhabited by a group of Vegan punx and activists. It was a pretty funny place to play a show in I must say, but it was nice to see a holding cell turned into something positive like a music venue. I had made plans to hang out with the sweetest kids, but the morning after the show I was barely able to lift my head to even tell them I wasn't able to go out. such a bummer.
We didn't have a show in Innsbruck, AT but we spent the night at a friends and had a nice relaxing time up in the Alps. Getting to see so much of the Alps has been probably my favorite part of this trip so far, and driving through Austria has been so rad. We had to visit a Land Rover dealer for our first repair of this tour, but since they didn't have the part we needed we just had to weld a temporary one for now until we can find another shop. Luckily MDG is a pretty good mechanic and we don't need to pay all these expensive fees for everything. A couple of times my masculinity has been challenged on this trip (which by the way is totally fine by me) for not knowing much about cars, or for exampled how to start a woodburning stove etc. but newsflash: I hate cars... I do. They're good for touring and that's it. and, I'm from Southern California, when would I have been able to operate, or ever need to operate a woodburning stove? ridiculous. I will never be a "man" in this society and I'm quite proud of that! Gender roles are silly.
Played a small club in Graz, AT and for what I thought was going to be a loud and rowdy show turned out to be really good. The atmosphere suggested that people would be talking over us during our sets, but everyone was actually incredibly respectful, supportive and receptive. Had some interesting conversations and I drank wayyy too much of this local, organic Austrian iced tea that was packed with sugar. So my teeth felt like they were going to fall out of my head, and I couldn't fall asleep until 5 am that night!
The next day brought us to Budapest, HU where we played in a packed practice space. We fit like 45 people in this tiny place and it was pretty awkward and hilarious (photos coming soon). and afterward had some traditional Hungarian vegan Goulash (spell?). The currency here is funny as well... it's strange to be in a part of the EU that doesn't use Euros, but the HUF exchange is like 5 euros to like 2000 HUF (this is a guess from what I remember of last night, i'm a party animal**).
Just woke up and now we're all debating on whether we want to rest all day or go out and see the city... BUT everyones telling us Budapest looks exactly like Vienna because it was built by the same person around the same time. I really don't like cities, so I feel like I want to rest and read but I'll just go with the flow.
For Love and Liberation,
Mike XVX
*I do realize I say 'awesome' or 'amazing' every other word, but this trip has been awesome and amazing... so you'll just have to deal with it!
**I've learned how to say I'm a party animal in 2 different languages so far. and I've also learned several new dances.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (Euro tour with xTrue Naturex): Rimini, IT / Trento, IT / Milano, IT / Biel, CH
"Before every inch of forest is covered with concrete, extreme measures must be taken so let's fuck up their machines" -Antischism
Played at a youth center in Rimini, IT, and ate some delicious mashed potatoes and gluten free cupcakes. again, the food on this tour has been so awesome! I had to cut one of my songs short that night because a dog started humping a mans leg RIGHT in front of me... I tried to keep my composure, but after the third time he came back for the leg, and after another man tried to subdue him to get him to stop, I lost it and had to call it quits. That image of the man holding "Pluto" down with both hands, and Pluto thrashing to get free with his mouth hanging open will forever be burned into my mind. hahaha. We also went to the coast to check out the Mediterranean, but there wasn't much to see. a couple of boats, flat water, and tourist changing rooms, shops and rides all closed down for the winter. It was actually kind of gross because it was at a spot where one of the canals empties into the sea, but hey.. it was worth seeing.
The next night was a show in a beautiful house in the middle of a breathtaking valley in Trento, IT. We played in one of the downstairs rooms (which looked more like an art gallery), after playing a Dutch documentary (overdubbed in Italian) about the effectiveness of certain tactics in the struggle for earth and animal liberation. A lot of nice conversations were shared, more food was had, and that night I slept on what looked like a hospital gurney on the third floor. Ran some errands in the morning, took a couple photos of the mountains, waited for our laundry to dry and then headed out.
Played at a squat called "Villa Vegan" in Milano, IT. Apparently they've held it for the past 11 years, and they have an amazing bike workshop and a huge park as a frontyard. When we first arrived they all looked at the Deceptacon (which is a military jeep), and ran for the backdoor. We were confused because we were all waving at them, but when we went inside and talked to them they told us the military does drop by there occasionally to harass them. So, we had to put a sign in Italian on our car that said "calm down, we're just the band", haha. It made for some interesting conversation later as you can imagine. Had a massive family style dinner with everyone in the house, played the show, and slept up in the attic. Though that night, tragedy struck...
I woke up several times in the night hallucinating, and feeling incredibly hot and feverish. At one point one of the many cats from the house was sleeping on me and I scared him/her when I got up to get another blanket. I didn't even know they were there, just saw a shadow dart off of me. The whole morning I was feeling feverish, dizzy and nearly unable to walk. I tried to just push through it, but during the bumpy ride in the Deceptacon it continually got worse and worse. MDG had to let me out a couple times to throw up at a rest stop, and regardless of what position I laid or slept in nothing would relieve the incessant throbbing in my head. it was excruciating, I've rarely had migraines that bad before. I slept through, and hardly remember, going over the border, but apparently they waved us straight through. and once we got to the show (even though it was in an awesome skatepark) I still could not bring myself to stand. After laying in the car for I don't know how long, MDG and our host had to drive me to the flat we were staying at that night, stopping once to throw up outside a gas station, and dragged myself up the 5 floors of stairs to the apartment. I woke up at 1130 that night when everyone was coming back, and even though I slept the whole night I still feel totally fucked. We're not at a very high altitude, so my original thought of it just being altitude sickness seems unreasonable, but still I don't know what's up.
Hoping to be in better shape for our show tonight, if I'm able to play it at all I'm not sure.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
p.s. I've uploaded the photos from this trip so far to my myspace. Feel free to give it a look!
Played at a youth center in Rimini, IT, and ate some delicious mashed potatoes and gluten free cupcakes. again, the food on this tour has been so awesome! I had to cut one of my songs short that night because a dog started humping a mans leg RIGHT in front of me... I tried to keep my composure, but after the third time he came back for the leg, and after another man tried to subdue him to get him to stop, I lost it and had to call it quits. That image of the man holding "Pluto" down with both hands, and Pluto thrashing to get free with his mouth hanging open will forever be burned into my mind. hahaha. We also went to the coast to check out the Mediterranean, but there wasn't much to see. a couple of boats, flat water, and tourist changing rooms, shops and rides all closed down for the winter. It was actually kind of gross because it was at a spot where one of the canals empties into the sea, but hey.. it was worth seeing.
The next night was a show in a beautiful house in the middle of a breathtaking valley in Trento, IT. We played in one of the downstairs rooms (which looked more like an art gallery), after playing a Dutch documentary (overdubbed in Italian) about the effectiveness of certain tactics in the struggle for earth and animal liberation. A lot of nice conversations were shared, more food was had, and that night I slept on what looked like a hospital gurney on the third floor. Ran some errands in the morning, took a couple photos of the mountains, waited for our laundry to dry and then headed out.
Played at a squat called "Villa Vegan" in Milano, IT. Apparently they've held it for the past 11 years, and they have an amazing bike workshop and a huge park as a frontyard. When we first arrived they all looked at the Deceptacon (which is a military jeep), and ran for the backdoor. We were confused because we were all waving at them, but when we went inside and talked to them they told us the military does drop by there occasionally to harass them. So, we had to put a sign in Italian on our car that said "calm down, we're just the band", haha. It made for some interesting conversation later as you can imagine. Had a massive family style dinner with everyone in the house, played the show, and slept up in the attic. Though that night, tragedy struck...
I woke up several times in the night hallucinating, and feeling incredibly hot and feverish. At one point one of the many cats from the house was sleeping on me and I scared him/her when I got up to get another blanket. I didn't even know they were there, just saw a shadow dart off of me. The whole morning I was feeling feverish, dizzy and nearly unable to walk. I tried to just push through it, but during the bumpy ride in the Deceptacon it continually got worse and worse. MDG had to let me out a couple times to throw up at a rest stop, and regardless of what position I laid or slept in nothing would relieve the incessant throbbing in my head. it was excruciating, I've rarely had migraines that bad before. I slept through, and hardly remember, going over the border, but apparently they waved us straight through. and once we got to the show (even though it was in an awesome skatepark) I still could not bring myself to stand. After laying in the car for I don't know how long, MDG and our host had to drive me to the flat we were staying at that night, stopping once to throw up outside a gas station, and dragged myself up the 5 floors of stairs to the apartment. I woke up at 1130 that night when everyone was coming back, and even though I slept the whole night I still feel totally fucked. We're not at a very high altitude, so my original thought of it just being altitude sickness seems unreasonable, but still I don't know what's up.
Hoping to be in better shape for our show tonight, if I'm able to play it at all I'm not sure.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
p.s. I've uploaded the photos from this trip so far to my myspace. Feel free to give it a look!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (europe tour with xTrue Naturex) - Faenza, IT / Roma, IT
"Arise! Get off your knees!" -Amebix
(photos coming soon)
Played at a pretty massive squat in Faenza, IT for a bunch of friendly and rowdy Italians. Got a lesson in how to get your ass beat in Foosball (kicker) only to learn later, after youve been challenged to a match, that kicker is nearly a national sport in Italy. I mean, they take it very seriously. very very. I want to say also that I love when people from other countries totally adopt you into their lives, like some of the kids last night. We had a hilarious dance off, and I taught them how to moonwalk. Plus we bonded over watching their drunk friend puke in the corner while someone tied him to the table with masking tape. so good.
Trashcan fires make life so much more bearable here, and I played probably my most successful show as far as audience participation and merch sales go. And I hate having to count sales in there, but when you're touring its so crucial for the continuation of the trip. plus, the only reason I was able to go on this trip was a massive lend from some of my friends and now I can finally pay it off.
Last night we played in Roma, which unfortunately we didn't get to see the coliseum or any other places of historical significance before the show. but that's totally fine by me, a million people have been there already and it costs money to actually see any of it. and if any of you know me personally you probably know I hate all that touristy shit (most of the time).
Played in a cafe called 'Rewild - cruelty free cafe' (weird huh?), ate some food, hung out etc... you know the deal.
afterward we headed an hour out of the city to our friends place in the countryside. and let me tell you, it is freaking beautiful out here. it felt so nice to wake up in the sun and go for a walk through the woods. there are also horses, dogs and cats out here as well... and very few people. Had a wonderful lunch that our host prepared for us, and we all joked about canceling the rest of the tour and just staying here for as long as possible, haha. Chonga and I also found an abandoned house on the property next to us which was pretty awesome.
Feeling positive, rested and ready for anything... though I hope the rest of this trip goes on without any major complications.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
(photos coming soon)
Played at a pretty massive squat in Faenza, IT for a bunch of friendly and rowdy Italians. Got a lesson in how to get your ass beat in Foosball (kicker) only to learn later, after youve been challenged to a match, that kicker is nearly a national sport in Italy. I mean, they take it very seriously. very very. I want to say also that I love when people from other countries totally adopt you into their lives, like some of the kids last night. We had a hilarious dance off, and I taught them how to moonwalk. Plus we bonded over watching their drunk friend puke in the corner while someone tied him to the table with masking tape. so good.
Trashcan fires make life so much more bearable here, and I played probably my most successful show as far as audience participation and merch sales go. And I hate having to count sales in there, but when you're touring its so crucial for the continuation of the trip. plus, the only reason I was able to go on this trip was a massive lend from some of my friends and now I can finally pay it off.
Last night we played in Roma, which unfortunately we didn't get to see the coliseum or any other places of historical significance before the show. but that's totally fine by me, a million people have been there already and it costs money to actually see any of it. and if any of you know me personally you probably know I hate all that touristy shit (most of the time).
Played in a cafe called 'Rewild - cruelty free cafe' (weird huh?), ate some food, hung out etc... you know the deal.
afterward we headed an hour out of the city to our friends place in the countryside. and let me tell you, it is freaking beautiful out here. it felt so nice to wake up in the sun and go for a walk through the woods. there are also horses, dogs and cats out here as well... and very few people. Had a wonderful lunch that our host prepared for us, and we all joked about canceling the rest of the tour and just staying here for as long as possible, haha. Chonga and I also found an abandoned house on the property next to us which was pretty awesome.
Feeling positive, rested and ready for anything... though I hope the rest of this trip goes on without any major complications.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (Europe tour with xTrue Naturex): Brescia, IT
"gone to bed, god is dead/lies and truth are in my head" -Leftover Crack
Last night was our show in the lovely town of Brescia. Played at the Magazzino 47 which is an old communist run community center across the street from a graveyard. Apparently in Italy the bingo numbers are from 1-90 and each has a meaning; 47 being "the speaking dead"; hence it being across from a cemetary. Also in Italy if you have a dream where a dead relative lists off numbers its required of you to go out the next morning and play those numbers in the lotto... pretty funny, eh? We spent the first half of the night trying to get the fire raging so we could warm up the freezing building, even though so far Italy is the warmest place we ve been since the tour started. and the show itself was a total dog party (meaning there were like 10 dogs running around, barking and partying)*... Which brings me to my next part of the story: our awesome host Gabb taught me how to say "I am a party animal" in Italian, and I announced it to the crowd before and after my set. There were cheers and some woots, Im not gunna lie.
Had a good night of sleep, and woke up with a pretty decent breakfast. Today was also haircut day, so after I cut all my hair off and composted it I hopped in the shower. Now since Ive been in Italy Ive noticed a "light" switch with a long string attached to it in every shower. I decided to try it out but no lights turned on or off, so I though fuck it... probably broken. About 5 seconds later I hear feet rushing up the stairs and Gabbs voice outside my door:
"Mike!"
"yeah!"
"are you ok??"
"uh, yeah. why?"
"I heard the bell!"
"ohhh, thats what that does..."
so apparently its for emergencies... but Gabb says he uses it whenever someone turns on the faucet somewhere else in the house and the shower shoots ice water down on him. Kind of an easier way to say "hey what the fuck!?"
Had a delicious Italian lunch.. and like how many lunches go, we got into a conversation about how eating Polenta is kind of like eat Placenta because the names sound similar. Then the Placenta eating convo went off for the rest of the meal, which was awesome. But I know what youre thinking right now, and the answer is yes: Italians are really passionate about their pasta. Last night at the show the kitchen made me a special gluten free pasta dish, which was only slightly overcooked.. but even this morning Gabb still apologizes about it. I think it might have been really embarassing for him, haha. Food is food when youre starving, and I have been on this trip about 70% of the time(... everytime)**.
For Love and Liberation,
Mike XVX
*an italian dog totally frenched me on the mouth.
**Anchorman quote
Last night was our show in the lovely town of Brescia. Played at the Magazzino 47 which is an old communist run community center across the street from a graveyard. Apparently in Italy the bingo numbers are from 1-90 and each has a meaning; 47 being "the speaking dead"; hence it being across from a cemetary. Also in Italy if you have a dream where a dead relative lists off numbers its required of you to go out the next morning and play those numbers in the lotto... pretty funny, eh? We spent the first half of the night trying to get the fire raging so we could warm up the freezing building, even though so far Italy is the warmest place we ve been since the tour started. and the show itself was a total dog party (meaning there were like 10 dogs running around, barking and partying)*... Which brings me to my next part of the story: our awesome host Gabb taught me how to say "I am a party animal" in Italian, and I announced it to the crowd before and after my set. There were cheers and some woots, Im not gunna lie.
Had a good night of sleep, and woke up with a pretty decent breakfast. Today was also haircut day, so after I cut all my hair off and composted it I hopped in the shower. Now since Ive been in Italy Ive noticed a "light" switch with a long string attached to it in every shower. I decided to try it out but no lights turned on or off, so I though fuck it... probably broken. About 5 seconds later I hear feet rushing up the stairs and Gabbs voice outside my door:
"Mike!"
"yeah!"
"are you ok??"
"uh, yeah. why?"
"I heard the bell!"
"ohhh, thats what that does..."
so apparently its for emergencies... but Gabb says he uses it whenever someone turns on the faucet somewhere else in the house and the shower shoots ice water down on him. Kind of an easier way to say "hey what the fuck!?"
Had a delicious Italian lunch.. and like how many lunches go, we got into a conversation about how eating Polenta is kind of like eat Placenta because the names sound similar. Then the Placenta eating convo went off for the rest of the meal, which was awesome. But I know what youre thinking right now, and the answer is yes: Italians are really passionate about their pasta. Last night at the show the kitchen made me a special gluten free pasta dish, which was only slightly overcooked.. but even this morning Gabb still apologizes about it. I think it might have been really embarassing for him, haha. Food is food when youre starving, and I have been on this trip about 70% of the time(... everytime)**.
For Love and Liberation,
Mike XVX
*an italian dog totally frenched me on the mouth.
**Anchorman quote
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (Euro tour with xTrue Naturex): Arona, IT
"picture me rollin" -2pac
Passed through the beautiful french alps today. Saw some amazing castles, and drove through some of the longest tunnels ever. I didn't get many photos; it was impossible to take a decent one from the freeway through the dirty windshield of the Deceptacon, but you can always just google some, yeah?
played our show in Arona, which was more like a community function than a musical kind of deal. there were a ton of tables set up, people serving food and some total normies there hanging out. i broke a string during my first song, so i didn't have that much fun. but the youth center was (literally) right on this massive lake! it was so so amazing looking, and in the morning i'm going to go out and get some photos of it to show you all. plus, this town itself is really pretty as well. Italy is beautiful so far, but for some reason.. and this may be a cultural thing.. when you really need to get somewhere in the room people will NOT move out of your way for any reason! it was so bizarre. i was carrying a ton of shit out the front door and had to squeeze passed people that were just having a conversation. i don't understand.
so far our stay in Italy has been filled with quotes from inglorious basterds.. (you know like when brad pit says Bon-jore-no! in that heavy southern accent, haha) so to elaborate a bit more on that, I'm probably going to get punched in the face by the end of these next few shows.
sorry these entries have been so short, but i've had little to no time to update this... i do have a life you know. sorta.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
p.s. don't have huge crushes on someone-in-Italy-sitting-across-the-room-from-you-who-was-looking-at-you-all-night-but-were-too-afraid-to-talk-to. it will only end badly.
Passed through the beautiful french alps today. Saw some amazing castles, and drove through some of the longest tunnels ever. I didn't get many photos; it was impossible to take a decent one from the freeway through the dirty windshield of the Deceptacon, but you can always just google some, yeah?
played our show in Arona, which was more like a community function than a musical kind of deal. there were a ton of tables set up, people serving food and some total normies there hanging out. i broke a string during my first song, so i didn't have that much fun. but the youth center was (literally) right on this massive lake! it was so so amazing looking, and in the morning i'm going to go out and get some photos of it to show you all. plus, this town itself is really pretty as well. Italy is beautiful so far, but for some reason.. and this may be a cultural thing.. when you really need to get somewhere in the room people will NOT move out of your way for any reason! it was so bizarre. i was carrying a ton of shit out the front door and had to squeeze passed people that were just having a conversation. i don't understand.
so far our stay in Italy has been filled with quotes from inglorious basterds.. (you know like when brad pit says Bon-jore-no! in that heavy southern accent, haha) so to elaborate a bit more on that, I'm probably going to get punched in the face by the end of these next few shows.
sorry these entries have been so short, but i've had little to no time to update this... i do have a life you know. sorta.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
p.s. don't have huge crushes on someone-in-Italy-sitting-across-the-room-from-you-who-was-looking-at-you-all-night-but-were-too-afraid-to-talk-to. it will only end badly.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (Euro tour with xTrue Naturex): Mainz, DE / Karlsruhe, DE / Lyon, FR
"you're the most beautiful girl in the... room. in the whole wide room." -Flight of the Conchords
So after 3 years, this tuesday I returned to Mainz, DE. I spent some time there a few summers ago with a good friend, and it was awesome to see her again. we had a nice relaxing night at "Haus Mainusch" complete with wonderful food, friendly people and an aggressive game of foosball or "kicker" in Euro speak. Got to ride a tall bike the next day thanks to another American named Nicky I met that happens to live in Mainz (weird huh?).
The next day was our show in Karlsruhe, which was spent with a hilarious and super accommodating host where again we had an AMAZING dinner complete with Sushi and homemade Thai curry! so fucking awesome, i couldn't believe it. the food on this tour has been unbelievable... i usually lose weight when i'm traveling but i think i'm going home fat and sassy this time. Played probably my worst show of the tour so far since i've been sick, and since no one could understand (or ignored) my stupid jokes. Had another awesome meal for breakfast the next day, and received some shirts from an organization that wants to restore the original meaning of the swastika. I don't know how comfortable I am wearing it though :/
Jumping on the bed and looking like a cat
Tonight we're back in France, in the second largest city, Lyon. today was our last show in france of this tour, and though it's been fun it'll be great to get out of the cold that seems to hit so hard when we're here. Hung out with some super sweet kids, again ate a ton of food and saw some of the nicest track bikes i have ever seen in my life. going skating tomorrow morning with our host which i'm very excited about, and then it's on to Italy.
skate to create/skate and destroy,
mike xvx
So after 3 years, this tuesday I returned to Mainz, DE. I spent some time there a few summers ago with a good friend, and it was awesome to see her again. we had a nice relaxing night at "Haus Mainusch" complete with wonderful food, friendly people and an aggressive game of foosball or "kicker" in Euro speak. Got to ride a tall bike the next day thanks to another American named Nicky I met that happens to live in Mainz (weird huh?).
The next day was our show in Karlsruhe, which was spent with a hilarious and super accommodating host where again we had an AMAZING dinner complete with Sushi and homemade Thai curry! so fucking awesome, i couldn't believe it. the food on this tour has been unbelievable... i usually lose weight when i'm traveling but i think i'm going home fat and sassy this time. Played probably my worst show of the tour so far since i've been sick, and since no one could understand (or ignored) my stupid jokes. Had another awesome meal for breakfast the next day, and received some shirts from an organization that wants to restore the original meaning of the swastika. I don't know how comfortable I am wearing it though :/
Jumping on the bed and looking like a cat
Tonight we're back in France, in the second largest city, Lyon. today was our last show in france of this tour, and though it's been fun it'll be great to get out of the cold that seems to hit so hard when we're here. Hung out with some super sweet kids, again ate a ton of food and saw some of the nicest track bikes i have ever seen in my life. going skating tomorrow morning with our host which i'm very excited about, and then it's on to Italy.
skate to create/skate and destroy,
mike xvx
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (Euro tour with xTrue Naturex): Dijon, France / Luxembourg
"even I, as sick as I am, would never be you" -Morrissey
yesterday we drove south to Dijon for the Oi Polloi show and the temperature dropped incredibly. I thought for sure it would get warmer as we headed down, but it was probably a higher elevation. It was by far the coldest I've been on this trip, and probably in my life as well. 3 jackets, thermals, 2 pairs of socks, a scarf, and my hood up and I was still so cold I had to pace around the room. It was even freezing inside the venue! Got to hang out with Oi Polloi a bit though which was awesome... they were probably some of the nicest guys we've met on this trip! The show didn't start till 10 so by the time Keegan was done playing it was almost midnight. Stayed with some friends and their incredibly rambunctious dog who kept trying to eat everything we had. I had to fight him this morning to keep him away from my sleepingbag!
Today we drove north once again for our show in Luxembourg. Delicious food was had, and a lot of running back and forth from the car to keep ourselves from freezing to death. During my set though some people were very upset and offended by a line in my song 'cages'... at the end of the chorus the line is "genocide for the new third reich: FUCK YOU HLS".. so after spending a few minutes arguing (and me expecting to get punched in the face) we had a discussion about comparing animal suffering and murder to the holocaust. I apologized immensely, and said that no one had ever had a problem with that before.. and even in the states we use that comparison a lot in the animal rights community. They accepted my apology, we hung out and now I feel things are ok. It seems like it's only within a group of anarchists where you can be screaming in someones face one moment and then feeding them, giving them a place to sleep and buying their CD's the next. I'm very thankful for that though.
Super sick right now. Apparently my face has been red all day, and even though it's -3 degrees outside I still feel hot and feverish. Hopefully get to sleep in a bit longer tomorrow though; and we have a shorter drive so that should help as well.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
yesterday we drove south to Dijon for the Oi Polloi show and the temperature dropped incredibly. I thought for sure it would get warmer as we headed down, but it was probably a higher elevation. It was by far the coldest I've been on this trip, and probably in my life as well. 3 jackets, thermals, 2 pairs of socks, a scarf, and my hood up and I was still so cold I had to pace around the room. It was even freezing inside the venue! Got to hang out with Oi Polloi a bit though which was awesome... they were probably some of the nicest guys we've met on this trip! The show didn't start till 10 so by the time Keegan was done playing it was almost midnight. Stayed with some friends and their incredibly rambunctious dog who kept trying to eat everything we had. I had to fight him this morning to keep him away from my sleepingbag!
Today we drove north once again for our show in Luxembourg. Delicious food was had, and a lot of running back and forth from the car to keep ourselves from freezing to death. During my set though some people were very upset and offended by a line in my song 'cages'... at the end of the chorus the line is "genocide for the new third reich: FUCK YOU HLS".. so after spending a few minutes arguing (and me expecting to get punched in the face) we had a discussion about comparing animal suffering and murder to the holocaust. I apologized immensely, and said that no one had ever had a problem with that before.. and even in the states we use that comparison a lot in the animal rights community. They accepted my apology, we hung out and now I feel things are ok. It seems like it's only within a group of anarchists where you can be screaming in someones face one moment and then feeding them, giving them a place to sleep and buying their CD's the next. I'm very thankful for that though.
Super sick right now. Apparently my face has been red all day, and even though it's -3 degrees outside I still feel hot and feverish. Hopefully get to sleep in a bit longer tomorrow though; and we have a shorter drive so that should help as well.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
Friday, March 5, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (Euro tour with xTrue Naturex): Lille, FR / Paris, FR
"I'll never choose a different path, and I'll never fucking be like you" -Inside Out
Got to Lille a little early, so we went to the super market where the boyz bought a massive amount of baguettes and assorted foods. We had a food party at the venue later on where absolutely no one could understand what we were saying, so we sat quietly by ourselves. Played the show underneath a series of awesome lights and disco-balls (so sick), and afterward did a short video interview with VegNord (Lille's local animal rights group - pretty rad!). Stayed with some members from the group, where they both could barely understand anything we said (hilarity ensued), but they still made us delicious food and gave us a nice place to sleep. The next morning though one of the cats managed to pee all over and ruin keegan's hat, sleeping bag and shirt... which Chonga and I thought was hilarious! Especially since my things were right next to keegan's that night but somehow went untouched. Maybe those cats and I just had a special thing going on :)
The next day we drove about 4 hours to Paris. We stopped on the side of the road to eat near a wooded area, and I proceeded to throw rocks at a trashcan for awhile. a sketchy car pulled up, and then drove away. immediately after that a womyn in a camper van across from us rolled down her window and started screaming at us in french. i thought she was mad because i was throwing rocks and sticks, making a ton of noise, but we finally figured out she was a prostitute and we were upsetting her business! she was parked there waiting for clients, and when we drove down the road to leave we saw campers exactly like hers all over the place.* apparently that's what that area is known for because everyone in Paris filled in the rest of the story for us while we were telling it.
Played an awesome show in the basement of a club. Met some AMAZING kids as well... and i know i say that a lot but these people were seriously seriously rad. sold a ton of stuff, talked until the owner kicked us out, and now we're staying in an apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower from the street. it's 2 am and i'm fucking beat. so long!
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
*meaning men meet her there, have sex with her in her camper, then leave... sorry if that was unclear
Got to Lille a little early, so we went to the super market where the boyz bought a massive amount of baguettes and assorted foods. We had a food party at the venue later on where absolutely no one could understand what we were saying, so we sat quietly by ourselves. Played the show underneath a series of awesome lights and disco-balls (so sick), and afterward did a short video interview with VegNord (Lille's local animal rights group - pretty rad!). Stayed with some members from the group, where they both could barely understand anything we said (hilarity ensued), but they still made us delicious food and gave us a nice place to sleep. The next morning though one of the cats managed to pee all over and ruin keegan's hat, sleeping bag and shirt... which Chonga and I thought was hilarious! Especially since my things were right next to keegan's that night but somehow went untouched. Maybe those cats and I just had a special thing going on :)
The next day we drove about 4 hours to Paris. We stopped on the side of the road to eat near a wooded area, and I proceeded to throw rocks at a trashcan for awhile. a sketchy car pulled up, and then drove away. immediately after that a womyn in a camper van across from us rolled down her window and started screaming at us in french. i thought she was mad because i was throwing rocks and sticks, making a ton of noise, but we finally figured out she was a prostitute and we were upsetting her business! she was parked there waiting for clients, and when we drove down the road to leave we saw campers exactly like hers all over the place.* apparently that's what that area is known for because everyone in Paris filled in the rest of the story for us while we were telling it.
Played an awesome show in the basement of a club. Met some AMAZING kids as well... and i know i say that a lot but these people were seriously seriously rad. sold a ton of stuff, talked until the owner kicked us out, and now we're staying in an apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower from the street. it's 2 am and i'm fucking beat. so long!
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
*meaning men meet her there, have sex with her in her camper, then leave... sorry if that was unclear
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Stand Up, Fight Back (European tour with xTrue Naturex): Dusseldorf, DE / Leuven, BD
"to take them down we have to use as much fucking violence as they do"-Chokehold
Spent our last day in Dusseldorf with some awesome XVX kids that took us out to a whole neighborhood of squatted buildings, and afterwards ate our first restaraunt meal of the tour at a pretty awesome chinese place in town.* We picked up our gear at Hinterhoff (the venue where we played the show) and set out for Belgium.
(all the buildings are painted differently)
squatter kitty
After a short 2 hour drive we made it to the squat in Leuven which was a beautiful old, ancient building that seemed like it's rapidly falling apart. We explored a massive building behind it as well, and Chonga and I managed to stumble our way through the dark up into the attic and eventually onto the roof. On the way back out I took a different way by myself, got lost, and then found out the exit I managed to reach was locked so I had to stumble my way back upstairs and across the building to find the front. So crazy!
Played a show in the FREEZING cold main building for a group of people, sold some stuff, ate some delicious curry (not thai mind you) and hung out for a bit. The whole show people were concerned about the cops showing up and arresting some of the squatters, but thankfully the police didn't follow up on their promise. So everything went off without a hitch!
after packing the car, I put on my headlamp and wandered into a shed I was curious about across the courtyard. Thinking nothing would be in there I was about to walk out when I realized there was a staircase that led underground!(again, be patient... photos will be up soon!) While wandering through the damp "dungeon" that seemed to go on for quite awhile, I heard the Deceptacon start up and pull out into the street! Worried that MDG assumed I was walking to the house we were staying at, and me not knowing where it was, I ran through the dank cave as fast as I could, up the stairs and down the street after him only to realize he was just re-parking! I sprinted to the passenger side, banged on the window and then opened the door to him staring at me like I was crazy. Almost gave me a freaking heart-attack!
Belgium is beautiful, but it's off to France today. Take care my friends!
Fuck the police,
mike xvx
*I will say the kids in Dusseldorf were a great reminder of how awesome Anti-fa is. and I bought a scarf yesterday that reads "Fuck national pride worldwide. no love for a nation." pretty sweet.
Spent our last day in Dusseldorf with some awesome XVX kids that took us out to a whole neighborhood of squatted buildings, and afterwards ate our first restaraunt meal of the tour at a pretty awesome chinese place in town.* We picked up our gear at Hinterhoff (the venue where we played the show) and set out for Belgium.
(all the buildings are painted differently)
squatter kitty
Played a show in the FREEZING cold main building for a group of people, sold some stuff, ate some delicious curry (not thai mind you) and hung out for a bit. The whole show people were concerned about the cops showing up and arresting some of the squatters, but thankfully the police didn't follow up on their promise. So everything went off without a hitch!
after packing the car, I put on my headlamp and wandered into a shed I was curious about across the courtyard. Thinking nothing would be in there I was about to walk out when I realized there was a staircase that led underground!(again, be patient... photos will be up soon!) While wandering through the damp "dungeon" that seemed to go on for quite awhile, I heard the Deceptacon start up and pull out into the street! Worried that MDG assumed I was walking to the house we were staying at, and me not knowing where it was, I ran through the dank cave as fast as I could, up the stairs and down the street after him only to realize he was just re-parking! I sprinted to the passenger side, banged on the window and then opened the door to him staring at me like I was crazy. Almost gave me a freaking heart-attack!
Belgium is beautiful, but it's off to France today. Take care my friends!
Fuck the police,
mike xvx
*I will say the kids in Dusseldorf were a great reminder of how awesome Anti-fa is. and I bought a scarf yesterday that reads "Fuck national pride worldwide. no love for a nation." pretty sweet.
Stand Up, Fight Back (Euro tour with xTrue Naturex): Amsterdam, NL / Dusseldorf, DE
"your ethics and morals fucked up and stupid/no value for life unless it is human." -Dystopia
spent the last two nights in an amazing squat in Amsterdam, NL. 10 super sweet and friendly people are squatting a 4 story office building that has literally never been used. it was built in the early 2000's and the city has done nothing with it, so now it houses a group of vegan straight edge activists... and about 20 bicycles, haha. Had an awesome time biking around the city, skating out in the sunny, kind of warm weather (and in the squat!) and played an awesome show at MKZ. Everyone person we've met in Holland has been so incredibly nice to us, it's amazing!
tonight we played a show in Dusseldorf, DE to a great group of people as well. Vegan Uprising also tabled the show, with one of their highlights being the Anti-Fa "Inglorious Basterds" stickers reading: (rough translation) "the german sausage party is over!" pretty rad. I'm also almost positive i will run out of merch before the first month is over though, which is worrisome.
been too busy to even stop and think for more than a few minutes, and even as I right this i'm rudely ignoring a group of people so i must go.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
spent the last two nights in an amazing squat in Amsterdam, NL. 10 super sweet and friendly people are squatting a 4 story office building that has literally never been used. it was built in the early 2000's and the city has done nothing with it, so now it houses a group of vegan straight edge activists... and about 20 bicycles, haha. Had an awesome time biking around the city, skating out in the sunny, kind of warm weather (and in the squat!) and played an awesome show at MKZ. Everyone person we've met in Holland has been so incredibly nice to us, it's amazing!
tonight we played a show in Dusseldorf, DE to a great group of people as well. Vegan Uprising also tabled the show, with one of their highlights being the Anti-Fa "Inglorious Basterds" stickers reading: (rough translation) "the german sausage party is over!" pretty rad. I'm also almost positive i will run out of merch before the first month is over though, which is worrisome.
been too busy to even stop and think for more than a few minutes, and even as I right this i'm rudely ignoring a group of people so i must go.
for love and liberation,
mike xvx
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