England had been really quite hot when we left last week. Or so I thought. Then we flew into Tampa, Florida. Heavy, wet heat embraced us as soon as we stepped off the plane, and it hasnt loosened its grip. Once again, we are acclimatising to the familiar dance of constantly alternating being boiled or air-conditioned to within an inch of our lives.
Pete stayed in the UK during this latest US trip as he had to stay home to await a special delivery. This would not normally present grounds to justify missing a tour, but this particular package will apparently be baby-shaped, which is of course wonderful news and we all wish him and family the very best!
Our friend and studio cohort, Mr Ben Allen has kindly stepped in to cover Pete for this tour. This wouldve made for a slightly anxious first gig on the boat, but nothing us semi-professionals couldnt handle. However, as some of you may have heard, Kristian - OUR SINGER - was also unable to make it out with us as his visa didnt arrive in time!
There had been a visa delay at the American Embassy, which was also closed last Friday and Monday due to some wedding apparently causing delays Despite much consternation, begging, and finger-crossing all round, it essentially appears the royal family prevented Kris from getting here on time.
As you can imagine, the absence of OUR SINGER presented more than a bit of a hitch, as we were due to board the Carnival Inspiration for the VH1 Best Cruise Ever, so we had to consider the possibility of cancelling this whole tour. We agreed this was not an option; the thought of letting people down - combined with the lure of free food - persuaded Jamie to bravely step up to take lead vocal duties.
The lovely people at Sixthman (who organise the cruise) agreed to allow us to give this option a go on the understanding that wed be swiftly walking the plank if it were a disaster.
Since Jamie already multi-tasks quite a bit during our gigs, it became apparent that some songs could be particularly tricky. Thankfully, as word of our predicament spread amongst the other acts on board, we gratefully received offers of help from old friends and new to lend a helping hand. As a result, we transformed our gigs into a bit of a jam this was great in several ways as it lent a new perspective to many of our songs with the addition of Zack Daniels jamming along beautifully on banjo, and Mark Bencuya from Yacht Rock on keyboards, despite them never having heard the songs before!
The muso equivalent of Lets do lunch some time is Lets jam some time; both rarely happen in reality, and so we relished this opportunity to do something special. All musicians joined us on stage with little or no notice, and hopefully this highlighted the incredible talent on board.
We were joined by the very affable Bryce Soderberg from Lifehouse, and old mate Ben Sargeant from The Script on bass duties for Amazing (both nailing it of course, despite listening to it only a couple of times), plus the genial Matt Wertz agreed to come and sing Kandi each night, having literally learnt the song ten minutes before we went on.
Brian and Dave from the incredible Alpha Rev (with whom we toured last summer) provided some beautiful violin and cello for several songs, with Casey from the band singing a heart-rending delivery of Hurricanes with us each night. All of which was an honour and a pleasure and we were thoroughly indebted to everyone who joined us. It was a great reminder of what music should be about.
We left the boat happy but unfortunately still Kristian-less, and drove on to support Train at a baseball stadium in Fort Meyers, Florida. We took to the stage, minus all our new friends, as a three-piece just after the sun was setting. We had a great time. My enduring image of the gig was the hilarious vision of Jamies cheat sheet of Kandi getting taken away by a rogue gust of wind - seemingly in slow motion - at a crucial moment during the first verse. Jamie courageously apprehended the wayward lyrics under the gaze of several thousand onlookers, and we were able to continue the song without further catastrophe.
What a start! I cant wait to see what fate throws at us next
Adam x
February 24, 2011
Hello. Wouldnt it be great if there were a boat that went from one beautiful, sunny destination to another, with 24-hour room service, pools, bars, restaurants, and loads of great bands playing every day?
It would probably be called something like the VH1 Best Cruise Ever 2011, and she sets sail on April 28th - May 2nd from Tampa, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico, on the Carnival Inspiration, and Im the captain!
Ok, Im not the captain, but it does exist, and were on it. The other bands that are also aboard are Train, Lifehouse, Colbie Caillat, The Script, Alpha Rev, Civil Twilight, Crowfield, The Daylights, Hope, Mat Kearney, Matt Wertz, Nikki Jean, Ryan Star, Safetysuit, Thriving Ivory and Trailer Park Ninjas.
Its going to be amazing, and a tricky one to justify to everyone at home that we are working hard on and definitely not on a vacation, no.
Tampa, FL to Cozumel, Mexico
On the Carnival Inspiration
February 2, 2011
Hello all!
After much meticulous scrutiny and heated debates lasting into the early hours, we have agreed upon a winner to the Amazing photo competition...
Congratulations to Deborah Butler for the photo below!
Whilst we've run out of prizes for now, the best caption suggestion for this will win the best prize of all; our high regard.
Thanks to all for joining in!
Also, we've just found out that we have the Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC on Thursday, so please tune in!
Finally, please also look out for us on Jay Leno tonight, where I'm currently writing this from, having just checked out Mr Leno's car of the day in the parking lot (a lovely old Plymouth).
Bye for now!
Adam x
January 24, 2011
Hello!
Hope you're all well. We arrived in LA yesterday evening and immediately took it in turns to bask in the LAX evening sunshine whilst the others watched the luggage, since we live in England and find the idea of seeing the sun in January - let alone the rest of the year - quite a novelty.
I'm writing this whilst elegantly ensconced upon our Beachfront Venice Roof Terrace. You may have noticed that I shoe-horned in the fact that I am currently on a beachfront Venice roof terrace, but this is not intended to show off that we're staying in an apartment with a beachfront Venice roof terrace, and was mentioned simply because our apartment has a beachfront Venice roof terrace, so don't be so cynical...
This was a bit of a last-minute trip for us as we were supposed to be travelling to play at MIDEM in Cannes, France, this weekend but two offers came in that we really couldn't refuse; so we are now playing on...
Ellen DeGeneres's birthday bash tomorrow, airing on Wednesday January 26, and on
Jay Leno next week, airing Tuesday February 1. Obviously, we're supremely grateful to both Miss DeGeneres and Mr Leno, and can't wait!
I think we're going to try to squeeze in some radio shows whilst we're here too, so will let you know as and when...
Please look out for us on the shows, and in the meantime enjoy the view from our beachfront Venice roof terrace below...
Cheers!
Adam :)
October 25, 2010
Hello, Adam here. How are you?
I'm pleased to report I'm writing this with a lovely cup of tea by my side, from the comfort of a fully operational tourbus as we wind our way through the desert on a long journey from Las Vegas to Denver. That the bus is moving wouldnt ordinarily be remarkable were it not for the fact that weve just been stuck in a truck stop on the edge of Vegas for twenty hours as a mechanical fault was fixed. This in itself would be considered bad luck enough, were it not for the fact that this fault occurred after only a few hours of boarding the bus yesterday in LA! Anyway, teething problems over, and were back on the road.
Those of you who came to Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Spokane, San Francisco or San Diego would have observed the ice cream van we were previously occupying for the first leg of this tour, so we were naturally grateful to be boarding a tourbus with storage and beds in, even if it was a little reluctant initially to go anywhere.
After returning home to the UK for a light snooze (and a little writing and rehearsing), were overjoyed to be out here again, galavanting around the States and seeing lots of familiar and new faces over the next month. Weve changed up our set a bit and have been trying out some new material and some covers too, which has been great fun. Early days but were all feeling very positive pulling some new ideas together that weve been working on.
There are always too many people to thank, even this early in the tour, but some special thanks so far must go to the ever-genial Matt Paige for helping us out by jumping in at no notice (again) to man the merch stand when the venue guy was absent. Many thanks to our wonderful street teams who have selflessly volunteered to help us out around the country its really appreciated.
Thanks also for the hamper in Portland and the cookies that kept us awake in shifts on our long drive overnight from San Fran to San Diego (the journey had already begun well - us driving off down the street with the vans power cable still attached to the venue).
Thanks to Paul Murgatroyd for his tireless re-tweeting, and of course big thanks to our two honey-based opening bands of the tour so far, Honeychild and Honey Honey (look them up!).
Finally, we must give special thanks to Ellen DeGeneres who invited us back the other day to play our second single, Amazing (it airs this Monday 25th Oct). Despite my defeat at the table-tennis table with Pete, we had a great time and couldnt have been made to feel more welcome.
I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a new member of the One eskimO travelling party Monkey (see pictures of him below taking over Ellen) is a small, furry friend who now accompanies me on my travels and will eventually see his adventures immortalised in a picture book Im compiling for my little niece, Evie. Im pretty confident hes going to win some fans of his own and will eventually be demanding his own trailer, so keep an eye on our Twitpic for more of his escapades before he gets an agent.
Thanks again for your support, and see you somewhere out there, bus-pending...
Adam :)
June 16, 2010
On the basis of evidence so far this season, it seems that Old Blighty and The Land Of The Free are pretty evenly matched this year in the game that you refer to as Soccer, and I as Football. As we rolled into an unfeasibly hot Memphis, Tennessee, despondency turned to despair as we watched England shuffle towards a 1-1 draw against the USA team. We devoured the last crumbs of our humble pie as the States scored a goal that our poor new goalie will not be allowed to forget for some time.
In an effort to raise our spirits, Kristian and I attempted to kick a ball around (were not sporting types) on a roughly ploughed lawn opposite Minglewood Hall, and lasted maybe ten minutes before we gave in to heat exhaustion. Footballs more difficult than it looks.
One thing America indisputably does do far better than the UK, however, is heat. Although now familiar with the routine of following blistering heat with Arctic air-conditioning, it still felt very odd to us to be experiencing ninety-degree warmth at two in the morning, as we did in Memphis the other day, but forgive me - I'm jumping ahead of myself.
After the Gomez tour, way back in March, Pete & I went home for a couple of weeks, Kris to Hawaii, Jamie to LA. Suitably refreshed, we reconvened in New York and spent a week doing radio shows and various bits and pieces, including joining the hilarious Bob Schneider and his lovely band once again for a support at the Bowery Ballroom, followed by a great show (and great sweet potato fries) at our old haunt, the World Caf in Philadelphia. New York, Denver, and Vegas followed, with a show supporting Train in Seattle.
On to LA, San Diego, and finally Coachella festival in Indio, which was a long, fun-filled weekend. Other band highlights for me included Them Crooked Vultures (inspirational seeing Jon Paul Jones rocking out and having a great time), Faith No More (what a voice!), Thom Yorke (percussive and vital, with the brilliant Joey Waronker on drums), Muse (best sound of the festival - straight from the first song) and finally Imogen Heap (total highlight for me - chaotic and dotty, she had a packed tent enthralled by her colossal talent. I can't wait to see her again).
After a whizz around San Diego, Tuscon and Phoenix, Arizona, and finally a great show in Portland, Oregon with Jackie Greene, we returned home again with just enough time to vacuum our dusty homes and to remind loved ones that they still love us (once they figured out who we were and why we were helping ourselves to the contents of the fridge).
Having paid all the bills for the utilities we havent used, we flew straight to Miami and stayed in a hotel that had featured in Miami Vice and Scarface. We enjoyed a leisurely few days that began and ended with swimming in various warm seas, including a great, dysfunctional family day out at the beautiful Beachwalker beach in South Carolina (apparently a top 10-rated US beach), before joining Michael Franti and Spearhead for their US tour.
Weve always lucked out with everyone we've toured with so far, but we really couldnt have been made to feel more welcome by Michael and his band and crew. Within the first couple of days, we were invited to join them in the wonderfully laid-back town of Raleigh, North Carolina, for one of their pre-show gigs they perform outside the venue for fans when the show is sold out, which saw Michael join us on impromptu drum duty for a rendition of Kandi.
Highlights for this tour include playing at Governors Island a tiny island thats a four-minute ferry ride from Battery Park. It was great playing an outdoor gig with the Manhattan skyline to our right. Pete insisted on the audience singing happy birthday to me, which was nice, even though Ive always felt that the happy birthday song is a little too long for all concerned.
The day ended with the first of many barbeques this tour on our little Hobo-beque, followed by Pete and I sleeping under the stars in a car park in New Jersey due to the tourbus generator breaking down, rendering the bus as hospitable as a sauna. Bizarrely, it was one of the best nights sleep we've had so far.
Then Toronto, Canada; NYC; Boston; Essex Junction, Vermont: Hunter, NY (Levon Helm rocked); Detroit, Royal Oak, and Grand Rapids, Michigan; Memphis, Tennessee; and finishing the Franti leg of the tour yesterday in Kansas City.
Now, its a long-held tradition for the support band to suffer some pranks and japery played on them during the final gig of the tour, and Spearhead and crew didnt disappoint. Mid-UFO we were stage-invaded by the guys sporting wrestlers masks, with Franti dressed as a large, dreadlocked chicken. Theyd fashioned a handsome One eskimO superhero cape that they pinned on Kristian, as he and Jamie were hoisted up onto the shoulders of what appeared to be members of Slipknot on a budget. Those who have difficulty visualizing this scene should view the link below.
The night ended with hearty farewells and an almighty storm that certainly helped break the awesome humidity. I dropped my phone outside the bus that night, and was astounded to find it in a puddle the next morning, still in perfect working order.
Weve now returned to Saint Louis, Missouri for the second of our own run of gigs, and are very much looking forward to it. Please feel welcome to join us and supply your own wrestling masks. The dates are up on www.oneeskimo.com and www.facebook.com/oneeskimo
Collectively we have also enjoyed writing more on the road, discussing the next single (?), spending most of our money in Whole Foods, spending the remainder of our money on the buzz of winning new instruments on eBay, followed by the logistical headaches that ensue in figuring out where to get them sent, Pete introducing us to the culinary delight that is frozen bananas, and Jamie and Daniel apparently substituting sleep for The Wire.
As a farewell treat, Id like to share with you this amazing clip of fantastic bass player and great friend of the band, Mr Jimmy Sims, for no other reason than that its possibly the most hilarious thing Ive seen this year. I wont ruin the surprise, but keep an eye on Jimmys magnificent entrance from the right of the screen in the first ten seconds, whilst playing for Mika. Enjoy!
I observed a young owl today who was the best looking bird I'd seen in a couple of days. This measure of beauty can only really be taken with a pinch of salt, since much like a pinch of salt, which cannot be accurately quantified, (for the amount of salt would vary depending on the size of the pincher's fingers), the beauty of the owl would depend on where I'd been for the last couple of days. Since I'd been roosting in trendy areas of London, and not in the grounds of a sausage packing factory in Ipswich, you can now summise that she was very beautiful indeed.
There was one problem with this lovely bird, however, she couldn't smile. When the need presented itself her face screwed up into a hideous mess. I was taken aback. There appeared to be no problem at all with her laughter, it was just the smile, the intermediary stage between frown and chuckle.
I wondered how this worked out with her personal relationships. Would her friends try to keep the mood downbeat, leaving her in the dark about certain relatively cheery situations? Would their conversation focus on tragic world events and the plight of owlkind? Or would they greet her with the most outrageously hilarious stories they could think of, then perhaps fall off their perches in comedic fashion, constantly keeping the mood up with prolonged belly laughter material?
I just wouldn't know what to do...
April 13, 2010
Owl: Events That Shaped Our World
There was once a show. It was a great show. In fact, it was arguably one of the finest, best received shows ever to be witnessed. It was so great that events have been modelled on it ever since show business has never been the same. The performance was of a musical nature. Some of the finest musicians of the time performed song after song in perfect harmony. The audience, probably made up of young men and women, gave rapturous applause after every song.*
The listeners revelled in the atmosphere, dumbstruck by the excellence of the music, and by the end of the show were simply beside themselves. An emotional bond had been formed. As the band struck the last chord of C flat minor the second, the audience went wild. The flautist immersed her instrument in a highly flammable liquid and set it on fire. The harpist placed the stringed beast on a wheel-board and rang out the final notes on roller-blades. The percussionist started to pack away since he had another gig to get to in Shroesbury. The atmosphere was electric!
The audience clapped, and clapped and clapped. They also shouted and cheered and whistled. This was a normal reaction for this group of musicians and they lapped it up. They took a bow and left the stage to devour their modest rider. On any ordinary night the applause would have continued for a short period, until everybody finally agreed to stop and go home. But that was on an ordinary night! Tonight was extraordinary, for the applause simply would not stop. They clapped and cheered and howled and whistled and stamped their feet like a pod of demented music loving seals. The band listened on in amazement as they chomped away on their less than exquisite cocktail sausages.
An hour passed and it became clear from the shouts of 'We desire additional material!', that the reluctant band would have to return to the stage. A crowd-pleasing song was needed, and luckily they had one up their collective sleeves. An almighty performance ensued and the delighted crowd finally dispersed, grinning from ear to ear. This was the birth of the encore.
This should have been a one-off. But when you give something extra, people want it all the time. Ask anybody. Ask Mr. Kipling, for he once had similar troubles with his delicious selection of tarts and fancies. The audience predictably told the world about the amazing show they'd enjoyed, and how a little more had been demanded after the now penultimate number. Crowds across the globe screamed and stamped and simply insisted, not leaving until they'd filled their gluttonous faces with a further slice of entertainment pie. It wasn't long before the phenomenon spread. It spread to all corners of an overwhelmed planet. Shakespeare looked on in horror as the finale of Romeo and Juliet was ruined by hecklers asking for them to come back and take more poison. It didn't take long to have an effect on the world of sport. Marathon runners were in a state of utter dismay on approaching the finishing line as spectators called for another lap. It didn't stop there. For a time the problem moved out of show business and into everyday life. Estate agents felt the pressure of showing of another room after the tour of the house had been completed. Crematoriums were disgraced by mourners insisting on the return of the coffin after it had passed through the curtain. Banking transactions became a nightmare. Life on Earth had descended into chaos.
After a number of years the tide finally turned and humanity saw the error of its ways. History had taught the valuable lesson that one can't always be showered with bonuses one must sometimes just accept what is on offer. This was generally accepted in all aspects of life with the exception of popular musical performances. The encore is still expected to this day. It took a long time to get to where it is today and took on many guises. For a time one extra song was enough to fulfil the demanding crowds' insatiable desires. Soon two songs were requested, then three, then four. One band tried to get around this by refusing to go on at all initially, then performing the whole set as an encore, but audiences just didn't go for it. Another endeavoured to leave the stage after every song, and return dramatically for the next, but this became time consuming and bored the fans senseless. Eventually after much trial and error we were left with what we have today. A band will perform a collection of songs in a timeframe just short of what one would expect, then leave the stage. Every member of the audience will applaud as though it is the end of the show, secretly knowing that there will be more. Some will even pretend to leave and start walking towards the exit. Finally the band will return to the stage and everyone will gasp with joy and look surprised. Two or three more songs will be enjoyed, then everyone will go home satisfied.
All is well once more...
What a charade.
Owl
*It had been decided at some point in history that the best way to show appreciation during any performance, be it musical, dramatic, sporting or comedic, would be to move one's hands swiftly together, palm to palm, and so inducing a loud slapping sound. This sound, known as a clap, would be generated by every member of the audience simultaneously, although not necessarily in time, and repeated at around two claps per second until sufficient appreciation had been conveyed.
March 16, 2010
Hello everyone!
Hope you're all well. We're thoroughly enjoying this latest US leg and having fun meeting you all. Gomez have been fine hosts, and we've had some great gigs supporting them.
Just a quick note to point you in the direction of a couple of links in case you're interested.
Firstly, here's a link to hear the coup session we did on Big Sonic Chill with Amanda...
Here's some random tour photos taken and posted on Twitpic by our Tourmaster General, Daniel Zimman.
Thanks also to those of you who have been posting and re-Tweeting favourable Tweets on our behalf (especially Paul Murgatroyd)...
Also, thanks to the guys I've seen on the interweb asking when we're going to be back and gigging again in the UK - just to say please bear with us; we haven't gone forever and do appreciate your support.
Cheers!
Adam :)
March 1, 2010
The first time we visited a Waffle House, it was in Vicksburg, Mississippi. We woke up on the tour bus and surveyed our limited options from the car park on the outskirts of town, just off a major freeway. It was raining heavily, and we were hungry. Being a bit of a snob, my expectations were not high, but we duly ran across the road with our jackets raised over our heads, and into the shelter of said Waffle House.
Never before have I experienced such warmth! Not the usual disingenuous stock pleasantries, but genuine, unhurried interest - quite the opposite of how youd expect a fast food joint to be. Ive walked into plenty of expensive restaurants that apparently have a policy of actively ignoring you, but Im greeted amiably every time I enter here.
Rather than avoiding them, Ive begun actively seeking them out. In Jacksonville, Florida we enjoyed (to a point) a guy freestyle rapping whilst eating his breakfast. More recently in Indianapolis, Indiana I sat at the bar and pretended to read a book whilst enjoying the banter between staff:
A large, intimidating-looking man behind the counter was archly complaining to his boss, asking why he had been overlooked when it came to scheduling overtime, concluding with,
I got a pretty smile, aint I?! I imagined he possessed a smile that would make children cry.
A man next to me - clearly a regular - expressed mock indignation to the waitress when she referred to me as sweetie whilst taking my order.
Hey, you never call me sweetie!?
That's cos you aint! came the instant reply.
This morning, somewhere on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee I walk in and sit down. A lady comes over after a few minutes and says she didnt see me come in. I said I just snuck in. After a moment, she repeats slowly half to me, half to herself,
I just snuck in - apparently amused, as if what Id said was far more profound than intended. I order poached eggs on brown toast, with a hash brown, and am overwhelmed with unforeseen choice.
How would like your eggs? Soft, medium, hard? - down to where Id like them located on my plate:
On the toast? On the side?
The eggs arrive as they always arrive, and the order is usually a bit of an improvisation on a theme of what I thought Id ordered, but I enjoy being asked all the same. Curiously, the waitress comments to the cook that shes never seen eggs done like that before, so I guess poached is not a popular choice here.
Upon bringing me some more sachets of cream for the endless coffee she keeps topping up, she holds my gaze from underneath heavy, false eyelashes and briefly strokes the palm of my hand with her fingertip as she hands me them. I blush palpably. She then repeats the procedure with the butter she brings me. I repeat the blushing, and tip accordingly.
All this for $5.08! If its been a while since youve visited a Waffle House, I implore you to do so Im beginning to foster a real affection for them.
Adam : )
February 18, 2010
Hello! Now, why not pop the kettle on and let's have a good old catch-up. Do you mind if I do most of the talking though? Great, I'll carry on then...
As always, we're not ones to sit around (unless in transit, which is most of the time), but even by our standards we've been pretty busy. To pick up where I left off - on a personal note - I spent half an hour in the presence of a Genius who was insistent that my computer had a software problem (despite the blatant aroma of Starbucks emanating from my track pad), before declaring that this particular conundrum was outside of his very specific field of genius. I fear this saga will no doubt drag on throughout the tour. I'm sure you're as gripped as I am by my laptop drama, so I promise to keep you informed
Anyway, I got back in time to watch The Who rocking the Superbowl. Fantastic, but obviously not a patch on Ashlee Simpson. We then played at the Living Room in Lower East Side (easiest commute to a gig we've ever had), which was great fun. It was recorded for Sirius XMU satellite channel, which will be broadcast soon.
We had a few more things around NY before ignoring all sensible advice and attempting to travel through Snowmageddon (not my words, CNN's) to Cleveland. Needless to say, we failed after several hours and surrendered to mother nature, stopping for the night in the nearest hotel we could find. Sorry, Cleveland.
However, we did manage heroically to make it to Akron, Ohio the next day, just in time to have dinner at Chrissie Hynde's vegan restaurant, Vegiterranean, which was awesome. The next day we enjoyed another lovely meal at Papa Joe's, Akron, finishing off with a white chocolate pannacotta with port-poached figs and a chocolate stick; anyone who knows me will understand that this will remain the highlight of my tour.
In between the perpetual eating, we managed to squeeze in a performance for WAPS radio and a gig at the lovely Akron Art Museum for the subscribers of WAPS. It was a lovely theatre and a great audience, and we were able to project our animation, so we had a great time, despite me having strained my neck and consequently walking around like C3PO for a week after.
We then drove to Detroit for a gig at the Winter Blast festival, inside The Atrium at the Compuware Corporation. We were not sure what to expect, but after the fastest set-up and soundcheck ever, we were humbled by a large, enthusiastic and attentive crowd and had a really enjoyable gig.
Next up was a gig at Valentine's Day in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Creation Caf, followed by a little performance in San Francisco to KFOG radio competition winners this was filmed and will be broadcast on the interweb soon. Both of which were lovely.
Next up was a first (and hopefully not the last) for us a gig for the ladies of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, UC Berkeley (special thanks to Elise Delagnes). We don't have this sorority/fraternity culture in the UK universities, and were made to feel very welcome as I was presented with an ice cream sundae upon arrival. I think this should happen at every gig, please.
I'm happy to report that today is the first day we're able not only to feel our toes for the first time in a month, but are actually wearing t-shirts. The sun is setting in a blue pink haze to the right of the 5 South highway, heading down from San Francisco to San Diego, where we will play live on KPRI radio tomorrow (Feb 18th) at 2pm, before we guest DJ on KBZT Big Sonic Chill. Tune in for some Michael McDonald and the Grease megamix...
On the 19th we're playing in San Diego on the main stage at the Sunset Sessions at 6.25pm.
After that, we're looking forward to supporting Gomez on some of their tour dates, before playing on the Sunday of the Coachella festival, Indio, California. Apparently it's quite hot?
Before I sign off, we'd just like to thank you all for your support in braving the weather to come out to gigs and being generally lovely. Look forward to seeing more of you out and about over the next few weeks.
Cheers!
Adam
February 2010
Happy belated New Year everyone! Did you have a nice Christmas? Good, good. Yes I did too thanks, it was lovely. Yes it does seem like ages ago now...
Hope you're all well and drinking deeply from the cup of opportunities that 2010 may have to offer.
I'm currently tapping away on my laptop (probably with far too much volume as Jamie often reminds me), sat in our familiar Lower East Side Noo Yoik home-away-from-home, whilst drinking a mug of hot cider; I've been craving it since Thanksgiving, and -7c weather is as good an excuse as any.
There's only an hour until the Superbowl (I LOVE baseball), and only half an hour until my Mac Genius appointment, where it won't take a Genius to work out that the reason my track pad doesn't work is cause someone (me) spilt a cup of boiling coffee all over it.
Anyway, it's great to be back in the US. We all flew in a couple of days ago and went straight into a gig at City Winery. Naturally we managed to retain our reputation as the most disorganised band in the world as it became apparent that we were missing several items of equipment. Thankfully, the kitchen were able to provide some beer crates I could stack up to balance my snare drum on, and we were able to hire in a replacement horn for Jamie that appeared to have been previously owned by someone who was either very clumsy, or very angry.
Considering we hadn't played together for a considerable while, multiplied by the jetlag factor and a few technical issues, it went pretty well.
We then drove to where it all began -- Woodstock! We were pleased to discover that WDST radio have been playing Kandi regularly, which resulted in our being warmly greeted by an appreciative and packed out Bearsville Theatre; it's always incredibly gratifying to have a room of people singing your songs back at you, so many thanks to everyone who came out to see us -- we had a great night and it was a perfect start to what should prove to be a busy time ahead.
Tomorrow night (Feb 8th) we're playing at the Living Room in New York, before visiting Akron, Detroit, Indianapolis, San Francisco, San Diego, LA, Minneapolis, Chicago, Madison, Denver, Seattle, and Aspen. We're playing a gig on Valentine's Day for canoodling couples, and playing several dates supporting fantastic fellow Brits, Gomez (many a cup of tea will be brewed, I'm sure). Plus we're confirmed at Coachella in April too, so there's plenty to look forward to!
As always, please do visit us on MyFace, SpaceBook and www.oneeskimo.com to check if we're playing in your back yard over the next few months.
Look forward to seeing you soon!
Adam : )
Late November 2009
Hello!
I'm writing this from a plane heading for Denver from Philadelphia, where we enjoyed a great gig playing a live radio session for WXPN. Theyve been really supportive of us from the start, and theyre a great station with a loyal following. If you fancy it, you could listen again on http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120745108 whilst reading this. Why not put the kettle on and get comfy...
Lots has happened since we last spoke we thoroughly enjoyed touring supporting the wonderfully eclectic and hilarious Bob Schneider, along with his fantastically tight and entertaining band. They (and of course his enthusiastic audiences) made us feel very welcome.
After shows in Des Moines Iowa, Minneapolis Minnesota, Madison Wisconsin, Chicago Illinois, Burlington Vermont, Teaneck New Jersey, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pittsburgh, and Brooklyn New York, we finished up in Baltimore - Maryland. Phew!
It was our first time in the city; The Ravens had lost a home game to the Indianapolis Colts (17-15 since you ask) and we were a little anxious because just as we pulled up outside the venue, two large men fell out of the bar next door punching each other. Thankfully, The 8x10 was full of music-appreciators who were seemingly indifferent to any sporting defeats, and it turned out to be a great gig to end the tour on. Bob invited us back on stage for the encore; encouraged by our less-than-sober state by then, we provided some manly backing vocals to Sex Machine, whilst I shook a tambourine, Kristian did some falsetto freestyling over a breakdown, and Jamie sang, played melodica, euphonium, and even gamely prodded at a keyboard. At the same time!*
We were without tour bus or gourmet catering for this trip, so we definitely feel like weve been on the road in a very real sense for the last month! We shared driving duties, personal space, and good wholesome times, mainly spent in a van that we managed to load each night in a Tetris-style fashion, ensuring we generally had a bench each to lie down on for the often large distances we covered in shifts throughout the night. Highlights include driving all the way from Indianapolis, Indiana to Burlington, Vermont, only to stumble on the last hurdle and get diverted and subsequently very lost on the charmingly named, Dick Mountain. Its name felt increasingly appropriate as we drove in circles around it seemingly for hours, with an ill-informed yet belligerent sat nav, becoming increasingly afraid we were starring in a sequel to Wrong Turn.
We also enjoyed our first American Thanksgiving experience. We stayed in the same apartment hotel as last time for a couple of days in Soho, New York, and were treated to roast chicken and all the trimmings (not enough of us for turkey; salmon for Kristian), sweet potato and roast potato, all expertly cooked by Pete Masterchef Rinaldi, with hot cider (AMAZING!) and Bass Players Delight dairy-free Pistachio ice cream with berries. We squeezed ourselves out the door after a food-coma-induced nap that evening to see Ninja Assassin. Am looking forward to next Thanksgiving already
We also enjoyed playing for the following please feel free to check us out on the following links
We did a session at XM for The Loft with Mike Marrone show in Washington DC. It should be online soon, at http://www.xmradio.com/theloft
We also did a show at the City Winery in NY hosted by Rita Houston that was broadcast live on WFUV. It should be online soon also at: http://www.wfuv.org
And so with no small thanks to the invention of the combustion engine we power our way towards the west coast to play some shows in Denver, Salt Lake City, LA, San Francisco, Portland, Spokane and Seattle (please check out dates and details on www.oneeskimo.com and www.myspace.com/oneeskimo ), including a very special FREE SHOW in the Silent Movie Theater in LA on December 10th.
Also, check out the Shockhound Session we recorded last time we were in LA: http://www.shockhound.com/features/873-one-eskimo--a-magical-world-of-their-own
As always, dear music-lovers, we hope to see you there.
Byeeeeeee!
Adam x
*Not true.
November 2009
Hello all!
It's been a while. How are you? Good, good. Sorry? Well, since you ask, we're fine too. Thanks.
What a summer! We've been in America so much, we almost speak the language. Still can't order a water in a restaurant without receiving a prodigious amount of confusion though.
First we had the Tori Amos tour in the US & UK, followed by our own US tour before immediately joining Paolo Nutini for a UK tour. We had a few weeks at our respective homes (spent wondering how to tie our own shoelaces and why room service never answered our calls) before flying out to New York last week and setting up a home-away-from-home in an apartment hotel in Soho (if at home you sleep in a bed that appears to be made for large 6-year-olds).
Actually, we love it round there - usually we end up staying in Times Square and spending all our food money on taxis there & back, so it was great to have Soho on our doorstep this time.
When not competing between ourselves at seeking the best sushi, we went and performed a few songs in the offices of VH1 (who have just added Kandi), Clear Channel (where we're a New!' featured artist), and ADA Creative Licensing (who have a tradition of bands bringing in beers for a Friday afternoon performance, which was handy as we definitely sound better the more you drink).
We've become extremely adept at traveling lightly and not plugging anything in for these office gigs it's great playing busker-style like this; there's no pa or production to hide behind(not even a mic for Kristian), so it's a good test of whether your songs are actually any good or not! We then did a studio performance at RXP radio, and even found some rare time to bounce some ideas around in a rehearsal studio.
We then got up at 5am and went to La Guardia to begin the familiar routine of eliciting gasps of horror from airport staff as we attempt to check in our 13 bags (after shipping 6 boxes and that's just our hair products), before flying to Moline, Illinois (via the worst sandwich I've ever had, in Detroit).
There we did a recording of Kandi, Hometime, Astronauts, and UFO for Daytrotter in Rock Island session should be available soon. It was really cool - they are one of the few studios that still record old-skool onto 2-track half-inch tape!
Whilst loading in there, I discovered that my bass drum had suffered at the oaf-like hands of the airline baggage handlers (we suffer so regularly at their mercy that we may actually consider buying some proper flightcases some day!). I needed a gentleman hero fast, and I found one courtesy of Guitar Center, Davenport, Iowa, who took my drum home and fixed it that evening thanks Chuck McClurg!
So now I write to you, dear reader, as we wind our way through the endless, Autumn sun-dappled corn fields of Iowa, on our way to The Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines for our first day of supporting the estimable Bob Schneider on a US jaunt that should keep us out of trouble until the 22nd November. All the details are on www.myspace.com/oneeskimo and www.oneeskimo.com It would be great to see you if you can make any of the dates!
Cheerio!
Adam : )
August 2009
Well, what an awesome few weeks... At the beginning of July, we flew to LA (fast becoming our second home) and made a video for Kandi, directed by Meiert Avis who's previous credits include such losers, no-hopers, and also-rans as U2, Bruce Springsteen, and Van Halen. Much of it involved us playing either behind (Kris, Pete and Jamie) - or balancing precariously ON (me) - thin sheets of perspex, whilst animation was projected onto us. By the end of the long day we were aching from laughing and had a lovely time.
We did a few bits and pieces of promo, including a video for Yahoo and a showcase at the Warner Bros studios, and reminded everyone that - if left to our own devices - we will always fail to arrive anywhere without first getting lost, forgetting equipment, or not leaving the requisite amount of time most responsible adults would automatically factor into their travel plans.
One demonstration of this being when we left for Warner, Jamie realised his horn was at the hotel so we duly sent Frankie (our long-suffering sound engineer) back to the hotel to collect it. We proceeded to attempt to find our way there on the basis that LA's a small town and we've been to Warner once before, a long time ago. We arrived late, and I then realised I had left my drumsticks and leads behind; cue us stressing out a Shangri La intern by sending him back to collect it from the other side of LA in peak hour, and arriving back LITERALLY in the nick of time for us to do a relay-style run onto stage with me frantically plugging equipment in in front of an uncomfortably silent and baffled audience. However, not as baffled as they would have been as I was genuinely ready to go on and play the drums with some plastic salad spoons I had prepared just in the event mine didn't arrive in time.
We then began the Tori Amos US tour. On the first day, Pete managed to make an impression on Tori upon our first meeting: Whilst set up on side of stage before our soundcheck, Tori came to introduce herself. Pleasantries were exchanged, and - in noting that we're English - declared, "Oh my husband's English - he's kind of annoying!" to which Pete had intended to reply, "Well at least he's YOUR kind of annoying". What actually came out was simply, "YOU'RE kind of annoying!". Cue Pete and the rest of us politely laughing in an uncomfortably overcompensatory and confusing way. A tour phrase was born which was either, "YOU'RE annoying", or, "YOU'RE [whatever was being discussed at any given moment]".
Despite this faltering start, Tori and her crew couldn't have been more friendly and helpful and made us feel totally at home. I've never eaten so well (or so regularly) due to her amazing catering every day. Most of all, we're really grateful to everyone involved for the opportunity it gave us to play to and her brilliant audiences in great venues around the country night after night - especially the uber-fans who were at ALL the gigs, and were particularly supportive of us. Thanks guys!
Other highlights include my drum kit completely falling over in Miami, nearly dying of heat getting lost by foot in Phoenix, Arizona in the 117 degree midday sun, and of course Holly accepting Jamie's proposal of marriage! We all wish them both the very best for the future.
Anyway, we're not ones for sitting around (unless there's catering involved), so we have a gig tonight in the Hoxton Bar and Grill in foggy London town, we have a UK tour with Tori Amos, and then we're popping over to the States again to do a few headline gigs of our own - we would love to see you there.
YOU'RE annoying...
Adam x
One eskimO
One eskimO in New York - to the sound of their song 'high low'. Come back soon for video blogs from the band!
