the land down under

     In late February, The Donavon gang headed to the Southern Hemisphere for a month long stint through Tasmania OZ and the Land of Kiwi. We were there for just shy of a month. Touring those territories are very easy and well planned. We started out in the South and made our way to the West coast for few shows in Perth and Margaret River.  It was the beginning of their Fall season so the weather was nice with mild temps and very little rain.
     The tour seemed to fly by as we seemed to spend more time in the air than actually on the ground. We had at least 20 flight over those 29 days. It's always such a pain in the butt to have to drag a 70lb keyboard, Trumpet, cable bag and luggage through these airports especially with all the baggage overages. Our poor tour manager Tito and the promoter rep had to sweet talk all the gate agents in an effort to lower our overages which in some case would run as much as 2000.00 per flight. I am so thankful that I don't have to deal with that mess. It's hard enough to live out of a suitcase, constantly be on the move and perform almost every night.I think the hardest part of touring is coping with airports and the lack of sleep. 
     This was my fifth trip to Australia and let me tell you it is so expensive. The U.S. dollar has been sliding against the Aussie dollar for the last year and prices of food and necessities have been on the rise. The average fast food meal runs upwards $10 U.S and a six pack of beer is around $22. Our per diems do not go very far. Restaurants actually charge for condiments. How about a $9 dollar Big Mac? At least there are lots of options for dining all throughout Oz. Meat pies a plenty!
     We traveled over to the East coast for the second half of the tour. All the shows were great and we were well received. I managed to get a surf in with Donavon, Will Conner and Taylor Steele at the point in Byron Bay. What a great wave! There was talk of a session with Kelly Slater but he was busy after winning the contest at Snapper Rocks. Byron is my favorite place in Australia. The vibe is super cool and the town is laden with great foods stops, shopping and street vendors. There's definitely a hippie vibe happening throughout that whole area. 
     We left Oz and headed down to New Zealand for the rest of the tour. Donavon was scheduled to do a show in Christ Church but in wake of the recent quake there, the show was cancelled. Bummer! New Zealand has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. The landscape is very lush with breath taking harbors and tropical rain forest. The Kiwi people are so genuine and they have such a warm welcoming spirit. Plus the beer is amazing and I do like a good beer. The locals are hungry for good music and it shows in there attitudes at the concerts. After two shows in the land of kiwi, we headed back to Jacksonville.  Fifty-two hours of delayed flights and airport layovers we finally made our way home. That was the longest travel experience in all of my years as a touring musician. The good news is we are heading back down to New Zealand for New Years. Bring on those frequent flyer miles and thank God for the Red Carpet Club!


       
     

D.R. photos

Heading South.

     Well, it's been too long since my last post. A lot has happened over the past 3 months. We have been burning up the airways. After Brazil I had the priveladge of traveling to the Dominican Republic with pro surfers Asher Nolan and Cody Thompson and up and legendary film maker Luke Thorpe . My wife and I were invited by our friends from Zapstix Surf shop in Salisbury Mass to come down to their new surf camp in D.R. This was my first trip down to the Dominican. It is such a beautiful place chalked full of great waves and beautiful beaches. After a few days of surf and sun, Our friend/personal tour guide Pat Hall and I played a couple of super fun shows for the local peeps and tourists in Cabarete. First of all, I never realized how heavy the waves are down there. The area around Cabarete has some sketchy reefs and pounding beach breaks. Needless to say I sat out a couple of sessions in fear of having my butt pounded on the reef riddled with spiny sea urchins.
     The fellas at Zapstix surf camp treated us to an island style BBQ while Pat and I entertained the campers with an impromptu Jam session/rehearsal. The weather is grand year round and the waves seem to pump during hurricane season into well into Winter. The water is crystal clear and so warm year round. The beaches are beautiful and uncrowded. It's nice to take walks along the coast from cove to cove climbing over mounds of volcanic rocks.
     As the sun sets in Cabarete, The parties begin and don't seem to stop until sun up. Outdoor bars and discos line the beach and people flow in and out from club to club. It becomes quite a scene after 10pm with street vendors and locals selling everything from ice cream to boot-legged dvds.
     Pat and I played two shows and we seemed well received. It's always fun to play music with friends and for people who appreciate live music. It is truly a universal language that knows no borders. A local musician was kind enough to let me use some of his gear which is very hard to come by in the Dominican. Especially with the prices of baggage fees by Spirit Air. They love to take advantage of weary travelers. You even have to pay for carry-ons!
     After a week of fun in the sun it was time to head back to good old Jax. We had a grand old party the last night before our 3a.m. flight back to Florida. I want to say thanks to Mike, Pat, James and John for making our trip possible and for the unbelievable hospitality that they all arranged for Cat and myself. so until next time...

Brazil Pics

Viva Brasil

     Our next few shows in Brazil were amazing. We went down to the coast to the city of Atlanchida and managed to grab a few waves before our show. The shows in Brazil are so late in comparison to places like Japan where the downbeat starts around 7. I would always manage to sneak in a catnap before the session. Thank goodness the coffee is very potent.  Once my body becomes sleep deprived it is impossible to actually get proper rest. So I had to offset the jetlag compounded by early flights with heavy doses of caffeine. I swear these people never sleep.

      We had a few days off in Sao Paulo after 4 shows in a row. Our hosts from Alma Surf had plenty of activities planned for us. Matt became deathly ill from an unknown virus the he may have contracted from Chile. He was out of commission and under a Brazilian physician’s care for 3 days. The promoters had the great idea of having MTV sponsor a Rock and Jock soccer game between the band and a team of Brazilians. To our defense we did acquire a few Brazilians from Alma Surf to join us. We actually held our ground considering we looked like the Bad News Bears of Futbol. Donny attempted several Bicycle kicks that were nearly successful and our TM  managed to score a few goals. I on the other hand was completely useless. Nevertheless it was a fun day and we all got some much needed exercise. The downside was I paid for it for the next two days.

     Our tour guides took us all down to the largest farmer’s market in the heart of Sao Paulo. This market is where consumers and restaurant owners come to purchase fruits, veggies, meat and fish. I saw some very interesting pieces of animals displayed by the vendors. These people use every piece. Nothing is wasted.  You could buy every part and reassemble the animal if you chose. It is quite a different food culture from the states. There were rows and rows of vendors selling delicious cheeses, chocolates, acai bowls, wines, olive oils, spices. I was beginning to get dizzy from gazing upon all the goodies.

     We finished to the tour with two shows in Florinopolis in the South of Brazil with Ben Harper. The shows were on the beach making for a breathtaking backdrop. Each show was packed with 15,000 very elated Brazilians. Ben Harper and his band were great as always. After the final concert, the Donavon crew as well as Ben and his peeps went over to watch the Super Bowl at a beautiful house on the cliffs over looking the Concert area. I had the best time listening to Ben and Tom Curren try to explain the rules of American football to a bunch of soccer fans.

     After two weeks of no sleep and way too much food, we boarded our flights and went on our separate ways back home. This was my third trip to Brazil and by far the best. The Brazilian people are very hospitable and passionate about their country and their culture. With every trip I feel that I get a better taste of what this country has to offer. 

Viva Brasil

     Our next few shows in Brazil were amazing. We went down to the coast to the city of Atlanchida and managed to grab a few waves before our show. The shows in Brazil are so late in comparison to places like Japan where the downbeat starts around 7. I would always manage to sneak in a catnap after the session. Thank goodness the coffee is very potent.  Once my body becomes sleep deprived it is impossible to actually get proper rest. So I had to offset the jetlag compounded by early flights with heavy doses of caffeine. I swear these people never sleep.

      We had a few days off in Sao Paulo after 4 shows in a row. Our hosts from Alma Surf had plenty of activities planned for us. Matt became deathly ill from an unknown virus the he may have contracted from Chile. He was out of commission and under a Brazilian physician’s care for 3 days. The promoters had the great idea of having MTV sponsor a Rock and Jock soccer game between the band and a team of Brazilians. To our defense we did acquire a few Brazilians from Alma Surf to join us. We actually held our ground considering we looked like the Bad News Bears of Futbol. Donny attempted several Bicycle kicks that were nearly successful and our TM managed to score a few goals. I on the other hand was completely useless. Nevertheless it was a fun day and we all got some much needed exercise. The downside was I paid for it for the next two days.

     Our tour guides took us all down to the largest farmer’s market in the heart of Sao Paulo. This market is where consumers and restaurant owners come to purchase fruits, veggies, meat and fish. I saw some very interesting pieces of animals displayed by the vendors. These people use every piece. Nothing is wasted.  You could buy every part and reassemble the animal if you chose. It is quite a different food culture from the states. There were rows and rows of vendors selling delicious cheeses, chocolates, acai bowls, wines, olive oils, spices. I was beginning to get dizzy from gazing upon all the goodies.

     We finished to the tour with two shows in Florinopolis in the South of Brazil with Ben Harper. The shows were on the beach making for a breathtaking backdrop. Each show was packed with 15,000 very elated Brazilians. Ben Harper and his band were great as always. After the final concert, the Donavon crew as well as Ben and his peeps went over to watch the Super Bowl at a beautiful house on the cliffs over looking the Concert area. I had the best time listening to Ben and Tom Curren try to explain the rules of American football to a bunch of soccer fans.

     After two weeks of no sleep and way too much food, we boarded our flights and went on our separate ways back home. This was my third trip to Brazil and by far the best. The Brazilian people are very hospitable and passionate about their country and their culture. With every trip I feel that I get a better taste of what this country has to offer. 

South of the Border

After coming off freezing but yet successful tour, We headed down to Brazil for a couple of weeks of sun, surf and music. After our grueling commute from good old Jacksonville, We landed in Sao Paulo at 3 a.m. and went for an hour long car ride across the Sao Paulo metropolis to our hotel to meet the rest of the crew. On top of being exhuasted from our previous bout with the Great Blizzard, We had 45 minute nap before our 5:30 am lobby call to board yet another flight to our first show. I filled myself full of Caffeine and loaded the people mover. Donavon and Grundy as well as surfing icon Tom Curren met up with us at the lobby looking far more rested the Florida crew.
     I have to preface all of this with a little information about touring and traveling in Brazil. First of all, I love this place. Brazil has amazing food and coffee. Every hotel has a complimentary breakfast spread chaulked full of fresh fruits, Juices, cold cuts, cheese assortments, eggs, bacon and freshly baked pastries. It makes a great start for the day or end to your night as in this case. Brazil is also known for it's Chucharrista style restaurants  which fashion a crazy assortment of beef, veal, chicken, pork and everything in between cooked on giants skewers on an open flame.  The all have amazing salad  spreads as well as table side service for the BBQ. There goes the diet!
     Our first show was down at Brava Beach. By the time we got to our hotel  after another two hour plane ride followed by a hour long van ride we were so spun out with jetlag and sleep depervation. I managed to sneak in a short nap before soundcheck. Brava Beach is beautiful place with a great left hand point break right out front of the venue. We managed to sneak in a surf in between load in and soundcheck. I was great to get a surf in with Donny and Tom Curren at the same time. The waves were great and the locals were super cool as well as our promoters from Alma Surf. It's always fun to walk to soundcheck barefoot with your trunks on still wet from the surf.
     Our first show was packed full of hungry enthusiastic Brazilian fans. ABout 2500 of them were packed like sardines in an can. Brazilans are definately are night owls. Our show started around 3:30 a.m. and ended around sun up. Welcome to life south of the border.