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DOUG HOEKSTRA FEBRUARY UPDATE – BIRTHDAY GIG 2/28 – TOUR RE-CAP
First off, we've got a birthday gig coming up. Yes, hooray for Doug - Hoekstra celebrates friday February 28th at The Basement in Nashville, splitting a bill w/the very talented Amelia White. Look for Doug's longtime combo Waldo LaTowsky and Pat Meusel to support him; Amelia will have the Blue Souvenirs in tow. Doug & Amelia will sit on each others stuff a bit, to add to the festivities. If that weren't enough, Scotland's own Paula McNally (Sunshine Delay) is planning on making the trek down to do a solo opener. Mark your calendars and come on down! The Basement is located at 1604 8th Avenue S. Nashville. Doors at 8, $5.00 gets you in.BRACE YERSELVES - LOTS OF TEXT FOLLOWS - the GERMAN DUTCH TOUR RECAP!
In other news, Hoekstra's fully recovered from the recent Berlin-Saxony-Netherlands tour. What a trip it was, all starting in Berlin on a rainy Friday in January, when Doug wandered off the train and into Zoo Station, exiting next past the mission where a homeless person began speaking to him in a strange dialect, waving newspapers in his direction. "Ich spreche kein Deutsch" he shrugged as he hailed a Turkish cab driver who smiled and shuffled American slang like a card shark, spinning him through the brightly lit night streets of Berlin, dropping him at the door of Tom Cunningham, the Berlin ex-pat host with the most. New places, sounds, smells - the energy, the vibe, it was the beginning of what would no doubt be a tour of strange and wonderful experiences. But it was more than that, it was a tour turned trifecta, adding good shows and warm crowds to the mix.
Tom set Doug up with his first gig, a Songwriter's in the Round show at Rickenbacker's - photos can be seen at http://www.tomcunningham.de/songwriter_XVI.htm and it was the perfect way to ride jet lag, get acclimated, and be introduced to the songwriter scene of Berlin. Tom scores extra points on the cool-o-meter because he also lined Hoekstra up with a flop at the home of Dr. Wolfgang Heinze, Berlin's finest flamenco dentist/guitarist. Wolfgang and his border, jazz singer Peter Fessler, graciously took time out to give Hoekstra a quick 2-day tour of Berlin which included stops ranging from the majestic Brandenberg Gate to the rebuilt Reichstag, from the Russianesque Karl Marx Allee to the glassy window into new Berlin (Jahn's Sony Building). And let's not forget the strudel and melch kaffee of the famous Einstein Café.
Ich bin gern in Sachsen – wo die hubschen Madels auf den Baumen wachsen!
Monday rolled around and on the train to Zwickau we go, where promoter extrordinnaire Thomas Neukirchner picked Hoekstra up, made some killer vegetarian schnitzel for dinner, and provided him with a cheat sheet of German phrases to use in the next weeks gigs. The next day it was an early morning recording session at Studio de Stefan (four live acoustic/guitar cuts) capped off by a crash course in stick shift driving for Doug - in the driving snow. That night, the Saxon leg kicked off wonderfully with a show in the groovy little beat club basement of Schwartzenberg Castle, an old stone fortress sitting high atop a picturesque town of the same name. The tone was set and was followed by a weeks worth of equally fine Saxon shows (courtesy Mr. N), which found Doug playing in a klaffenbach - or watercastle, an Irish pub, a shooting club, a former Gasometer turned arts center (matinee for the handicapped, evening show for clubgoers), and of course, the the sold-out Zur Linde of Affalter. Pix and text on some of these shows can be seen at http://www.live-music-affalter.de/.
In every town, it was a "routine" of warm hosts, audiences that listened intently for a pair of sets AND encores, and of course new fans who wanted to begin their Hoekstra CD collection. Gotta love 'em! When planning this tour, Thomas wrote a letter that said "for many of the shows you will stay in a pension in Affalter, it will remind you of a fairy tale, with rolling hills everywhere, and horses to ride." It snowed too much to ride the horses, but it was like a fairy tale, and one afternoon, a walk through the snowfilled forest near Thomas' house completed a picture capturing the beauty of the region. Which of course, could only be matched by the lovely sincerity of the people - particularly the Neukirchner family - Thomas, Christiane, Franzeska, and Michi. Extra dankes to Thomas & Christiane for the photos; Michi, the translations; and Master Accordionist Roman Schuster - the accompaniment in Affalter. Next time we'll rehearse all the songs Roman!
I like to be in Saxony where the nicest girls grow up on the trees! (in case y’all wanted a translation)
After Saxony, it was back on the train to Berlin and a return to Rickenbacker's, this time a short set as part of Maik and Doreen Wolters Bluebird Café series. New-old familiar faces in the audience, Berlin scenesters Raschi the shot man, Tom C., California Gaye, Esther & her Irish Chips, and Stay True Wayne Grajeda (with whom Doug split the bill). Tip Magazine previewed this one with a critic’s pick, which commented that "Dass Doug Hoekstra sein Berlin-Debut augserechnet im Rickenbackers feiern kann, entbhert nicht einer gehorigen Portion Ironie…."
Sad to leave Germany, but the train kept a-rollin' right to Amsterdam, Schiphol, where of course, the rental car attendant recognized the homegrown Hoekstra moniker and rewarded him with a Mercedes for hire. The drive to Edam was made without incident and walked in to the De Harmonie accompanied by the strains of the local town choir, as they rehearsed selections from "Les Miserables" – Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men? Was this a good sign? Perhaps. The next day was FREE so Hoekstra walked around Edam buying cheese and chocolates for the wife, and toys for the boy and took a nice little drive along the dyke to Volendam as the sun finally poked through the crowds. That night, back to work - this time among warm Dutch audiences that listened intently for a pair of sets AND encores, and of course old fans who wanted to complete their Hoekstra CD collection. Gotta love 'em! Beginning with the DeHarmonie in Edam, cozy room on the canal, with a fine top o' the house apartment to crash in, thanks to Siem. Familiar faces in the house, and a more-than local legend, guitarist Jan Akkerman (ex of Focus), who was there and shared his extensive knowledge of Frisian folklore. It was onto the Theater Lexor in Limburg (Heerlen) the next day, where Hoekstra met up with Inbetweens Record Magnate Jos Starmans. Good to see Jos and meet his irrepressible brand new booking and web team. A load of good will in the audience - Jo, John, Jos, Lex, Marcel, Richard Tim - and god bless you Henk, for driving 150 kilometers to see the show. Even the canines in the audience loved it, dozing peacefully. This of course prompted Doug to suggest that the next tour should be underscored with the qualifier "puts dogs to sleep". Up and at 'em, rolling on to Leiden next, and the intimacy of Hans' CD Special gig, packed to the gills for a special in-store Christmas show w/tree, food and drink. No wonder the Pilgrims couldn't take it in Leiden - it was TOO MUCH FUN! Chocolate sprinkles at Elly’s to start out the next day, and then, finally, wrapping the tour in Amsterdam with a gig at the rockin' Hotel Winston, which was a stranger-than-usual crowd, this joint is near the coffee shops and "fun" of the Red Light District and I guess it was all a bit too much to ask them to properly to meditate on the Hoekstra catalogue. But, it was all good, and the surprise appearance by Brighton's own Paul & Ashley turned the evening, before and after the show, into something special! Of course, all parties continued the fun up to the wire, meeting up for breakfast, doing some heavy duty Concerto CD shopping, and for Doug solo, leisurely soaking in the Van Gogh Museum and perhaps for the first time, seeing all sides of this great man and artist.
Sorry if the recap's a bit long, but believe us, it's the short version! Thanks to everyone who came to a gig, said hello, discussed the political situation (go peace protesters!), chauffeured Doug around, provided a flop, and just made all these gigs and places feel so warm, even though it was almost always cold and snowy. We can't fit y'all in, but who know who you are and you’ll sure get the personal notes! Until next time! ALL THE BEST!
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