The P. Hux Chronicles ISSUE #6
Hux...@aol.com
June 19th, 2006
In this issue:
* Denmark we love you
* Better than OK in the UK
* Product
Dear McChronicles:
A happy birthday to Paul McCartney yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's
turning 64 and the song is suddenly ironic as hell, isn't it? The UK
press are having a field day, rewriting the lyrics, etc. "Will you be
greedy, will you still bleed me, when I'm 64?" NO ONE likes Heather
over here. Anyway, last night at our show in Birmingham I did my own
little shout out, switching a lyric in Rockaria: "She's sweet on
Wagner...I think she'd die for McCartney...". Least I could do.
Here we go, picking up from the last issue. Again, I'll try to be
succinct.
* Denmark We Love You
When The Orchestra landed in Denmark from Moscow, we were greeted by
English speaking tour hosts, walked crisply to a giant clean bus and
whisked to our delightful hotel. We were presented with our tour
schedule: Breakfast 8-10 Crew Load in 11am Band Lunch 1pm Sound check
4pm Dinner 5:30 etc.
We all exhaled deeply and, figuratively, kissed Danish soil. The
contrast in organization from our charming Russian friends was
remarkable. The Danes were SO together it was almost laughable. After
running around Russia like a beheaded chicken, our front of house sound
man John Shipp was sipping coffee three hours before soundcheck with
Nothing To Do. Incredible.
Of course, the Russian trip will be more memorable to me in my rock and
roll dotage...but, man...the Danes are good. We were seconds from
going onstage at a festival and Lou noticed the light on his in-ears
monitor pack was red, indicating a low battery. One of the Danish crew
ran six steps to a road case, grabbed a pack of batteries, ripped out a
nine volt, opened up Lou's monitor pack, slapped a new battery in,
adjusted the volume and said to Lou, "Okay?" This took about six
seconds. We were slackjawed. "Holy shit that was fast!" In Russia,
our translator would still be explaining that 'someone had sent for
batteries yesterday and they would arrive within the hour' etc.
Better Than OK in the UK
On May 12 I left DC for the first leg of our 25 date UK tour. This is
our first proper tour of England since 1999, and we're all excited to
be back. Normally we fly long distances, play a handful of shows and
fly home, but here we're on a bus for days and days. We get to see the
countryside and the cities. We establish a rapport with our driver and
crew. We do three shows in a row, day off, two more shows, day off;
and repeat. The greatest benefit of this schedule is as it relates to
the quality of the show. Our band, once we have a couple of gigs under
our belt, is a fierce, nasty little beast. Every song gets nailed
down, hammered into battle ready condition. The harmonies get tighter,
the grooves get fatter, the parts more expressive. It's the BEST part
of being in a band--playing as one--kicking ass.
By the time we arrived at Shepard's Bush Empire in London, we'd done
eight or nine shows and we were primed. The three tiered theater was
sold out, standing room only on the bottom level, and the crowd was
packed in tight and ready to go. We opened with Evil Woman and the
punters nearly sang louder than we did! (Excuse my anglicisms, but
'punter' is such a great, useful term!) The show went off gangbusters,
one of the most memorable in years. I think it's safe to say that most
bands get a little more juiced up in major capitol cities, a bit more
nervous. It doesn't actually change what you do on stage, but you're
cognizant that Cream just played down the road at Albert Hall. Or that
Londoners have heard and seen Everything. Or that The Hottest Band of
The Moment just played this same venue last week. Etc. So it was
particularly gratifying that we Destroyed in London. The noise and the
excitement were so great. A very satisfying feeling.
Not that we didn't enjoy Manchester, also a fabulous gig. And even
humble Grimsby, saddled with the easily mocked name...Grimsby was
tremendous. Hats off to you Grimsbyianites!
In Liverpool, Gordon and I made a pilrimage to the Cavern...walked down
the steps into the club...and voila. It's so...EXACTLY as it should
be. Claustrophobic...brick walls covered in graffitti...lovely. We
stood on the stage and photographed each other. Beatle wankers.
Certified.
We also went to Starbucks...the same one the Beatles went to in 1963.
Honest!
PRODUCT!
We have merchandise for sale on the UK tour and it's flying off the
table. It's exciting. Who knew people would actually buy things if you
made them available? What a concept. The items include a DVD of The
Orchestra performing in Reno. This was discussed in a previous
chronicle. We also have a new edition of No Rewind. Same album, new
art. Plus, an album we call the Pre Show Sampler, which plays before
our shows. It's a collection of solo work from Lou, Kelly and Mik,
Eric, Gordon (with his band Twintwelve) and myself. Something like
fifteen songs. It's pretty cool! Finally, we have an excellent new
tour program, with loads of photos and info.
I hope to make all the above available at www.p-hux.com in the P. Hux
Store after the tour. Stay posted, please.
Until next time...
PH