We had our first day off in Berlin, just in time for Dan to catch the cold that I was getting over. Taking it easy feels good after the last week and a half of travel and shows.

From Berlin, we went to Dresden for a day off and rendezvous with the good K&F Records folks.

After going from air travel to sickness, and through the first week of shows, we got some time to stay in the same city for more than a day. It’s a bit strange to try to figure out what I do with spare time. It makes me think about what I do with my time at home, and why I sometimes feel like I want to go home, even if I’d be doing a similar thing here.

Like, right now, I’m sitting in an apartment, eating some homemade hash browns, drinking some coffee, and writing a little bit to recenter my thoughts. I took a shower. I got enough sleep. All of that is fine.

We played a show in Annaberg-Buchholtz two nights ago. It’s this lovely little town by the Czech border built into the little hill/mountains of the area. Windy streets and all that, feeling like a roller coaster as you drive through the neighborhood. We met Jens there at Alte Brauerie. They made us dinner, breakfast, and beds to sleep in between in the two. We played two sets for about forty folks. It was a lovely little bar/living room vibe, and we sold more CDs here than anywhere else.
It’s been helpful to talk about the burgeoning right wing and draw connections to places outside the US. Pretty much everyone that I’ve talked to about Trump or the US right brings up the AFD and the German right. They call it part of the same thing. We’re not exceptional - this is an event that’s bigger than any one country. And we’re confused and trying to make things better at our respective ground levels.

We went back to Dresden to play at the Sound of Bronkow - a singer/songwriter festival that K&F runs. Mario, Lars, Hanna, Hannes, Annette, Ronny, Louisa, Hillary, Elmer, and everyone do such a great thing for the city this weekend, all the while treating the musicians to a real treat of an audience. There’s no lack of food, drink, or support. And always good songs around every corner.

We caught some good sets. Mark Berube is really something. Go listen to his music and catch a show.

Also, Sam Vance-Law writes some of the most thoughtful songs I’ve heard in a long time. We caught his set at the end of the festival, then shared a beer with the whole band. He wrote “Homotopia” in 20-minute blocks while working as a summer camp counselor. That sent me over the moon.

This morning, we leave our borrowed apartment home for another string of seven shows. Thanks so much to Ronny, our host. Looks like he also hosted my favorite band, Frontier Ruckus. We'll sign our goodbye on the wall right next to it.

Stay safe, sleep well, and cook something new.