Ten Things I Learnt On Tour

Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to get to see too much of the Irish countryside - most people told me I must go to the South and West side of Ireland where the most beautiful coasts are but I saw some pretty amazing coastlines just outside of Dublin. My Irish friends took me swimming twice in the frigid Irish sea. I can't actually believe that I survived. I am not very good in cold water. My lips turn purple before even getting in. I could use a little more fat on my body to keep me warm - Stefan

Me, Pietro, and Stef showed up early at the Electric Picnic near Dublin in order to acclimatize ourselves and check out some of the music and to try to get some kind of vibe about Ireland, instead of just racing in, playing a show, and then leaving for Scotland the next day. I'm really glad we did. I have played at a few of these festivals before, but the experience as an artist and as a spectator are completely different, and it was fascinating to see things from the other side of the stage - Kaveh

It was my first experience as a spectator at one of these infamous muddy European festivals. Even as a member of a band that plays undefinable instrumental music and has only achieved very modest success, I am used to a certain amount of comfort and efficiency on the road: artist entrances, toilets, beds, free food, a place to check e-mails... When we decided to check out the festival as one of the punters, all of a sudden these amenities disappeared. Now we were just three of 30,000 other soaking wet people dodging bouncers, hopping fences, trying to get dry, hoping for a port-o-let that wasn't completely disgusting, trying to catch a few winks under the sonic thunderstorm of relentless house beats, and most of all, seeking musical and human connections.
After a couple of days of mud, music, and alcohol (and whatever drugs the kids are doing today), it was incredible to see thousands of otherwise nice normal people revert to an animalistic state of being; or maybe it is an essentially human state, without the veneer of normal society to control peoples' urges. People falling on top of my tent at 5am, screaming at each other, strangers hugging, people having sex in the mud, shitting in the mud, and most of all, dancing, dancing, dancing. When you haven't changed your underwear in days, forget about showering, the only reason you're there is to experience a collective catharsis. Everyone there has chosen to spend days in conditions worse than some refugee camps. There is something so beautiful about it – Kaveh.

As usual most time spent on tour is actually time spent in the van. We all have our favorite pastimes while driving around the world. When looking out the window and listening to music aren't enough some of us play games involving abandoned footwear sightings on the highways. Some of us play Euchre. Some of us geek out on practice pads. This tour I am doing something that I rarely do. I brought a couple of poetry books to read in the van – Stefan.

I've am slightly ambivalent about reading poetry. Some poems speak to me, many don't. I always come back to it though. My mom is always sending me new poems to read. Most often she is the reason my curiosity for poetry gets renewed again and again and again. I suppose poetry is like music in that there is something out there for everyone, you just have to search for it. Perhaps with poetry though the effort has to be more conscious. It makes sense that reading poetry is a perfect thing to do in a van while on tour. I find it ideal for digesting a poem -reading a line and then re-reading, pausing, looking out the window.....................then barfing up the Irish breakfast I just ate along with the beer and whiskey I drank all night before – Stefan.

And for the music at the Electric Picnic...well I spent my early twenties listening to Orbital so there was something amazing about finally hearing them live. Although there was so much Irish whiskey in my system that my memory of the whole thing is a little patchy – Kaveh.

In general, I found that the things I had been most excited about were a little lacklustre, but that there were amazing surprises out of nowhere. A guy spinning incredible dancehall 45s outside of a Jamaican food stand, Fourtet playing in a natural amphitheatre at 4am, and most of all, hearing Chic play "Le Freak" and just about every other disco hit live to thousands of enraptured crazy dirty Irish people in a tent and rocking one of the best parties I can remember. And they were having such a good time onstage too. Best bass player I have heard in years - Kaveh.

Every once in a while we would escape the mud and unyielding techno beats into the beautiful little town of Stradbally next door that seems to be full of magical old people selling scones and telling stories and smiling. So we even got to experience a little piece of charming rural Ireland with its enchanting landscape and accents - Kaveh.

I trip out pretty easily on any kind of change and new experience. I think that I have grown as a person in many ways while on tour. I have learned the most through meeting other people who by authentically Being who they are have inspired me to more authentically become who I am. I strive to constantly grow as a human being every year, every month, every day and every moment. I am definitely not thinking about that on a daily basis but remembering it can come in handy when I find myself in difficult situations that challenge my preconceived notions or put me out of my comfort zone. Can you tell I read Eckhart Tolle? Stefan.

The more I travel the more I love having Montreal as a home base. Montreal is probably the best city in the world to be a homo. I forget that until I go to other places. In many ways compared to most big cities it is really more like a small town. You don't need to own a car there. Everywhere I need to be is accessible by foot, bike or public transportation. It is becoming one of the most bike friendly cities in North America. I love speaking French and the fact that one can interact totally in the Francophone world there if one so chooses is another reason that makes it one of the most special places in North America - Stefan