The latest newsletter from our Canadian friend Geoff Berner
Dear Everybody, I hope you're making it by okay in these difficult times.
Things are still going well at Berner Industries. My November show at Paradox in Tillburg is going to be broadcast on National Radio on the 13th of December, 21.00-24.00 in a program called De Zaterdag van Zes" (Saturday on 6): www.vpro.nl/programma/dezaterdagvanzes. The show went so well, I'm thinking of releasing it at some point, partly just to be able to say "Geoff Berner Live at Paradox", like some kind of accidentally incredibly accurate pidgin English statement about my career.
I am making a rare little trip down to the U.S.A. this weekend. I thought I should reward you nice Americans for your recent good electoral behaviour. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO EMPHASIZE HOW EARLY THE PORTLAND SHOW IS! 6PM! Really! But that will give us more time to have drinks and chat later, so that's good, no?
Touring the "Klezmer Mongrels" album, I am particularly sensitive to stories of odd cultural mixing. If any of you have any, I'd be happy to read them.
I have to tell you this story that the brilliant photographer Fumie Suzuki, who lives in Budapest, told me.
This crew of Hungarian graffiti artists went to Japan last year, with the aim of working their way from the very North to the very South of Japan, tagging public spaces in their particular Hungarian graffiti way.
They thought it would be a fun project to blog and photo their work for their Hungarian site, in this distinctive new setting for them.
Unfortunately for them, public tagging is not a particularly popular sport in Japan. According to Fumie, it's unheard of, and considered incredibly, offensively anti-social by pretty much everyone. As a result, while the Hungarians believed that they were sneakily spray-painting while in cognito, they were, in fact, causing a massive sensation in the Japanese national media, who were running pictures of the offensive scrawls on the front pages of the newspapers, which, I suppose, the Hungarians weren't bothering to glance at, as they toodled along the north/south axis of the country.
After a few days, the oblivious Magyars were easily caught. As Fumie says, "I wouldn't want to be the Hungarian Ambassador to Japan on that day."
I hope my little trip to America won't be like that.
Dec. 12 USA/Seattle - The Tractor, opening for The Squirrels Christmas Show Dec. 13 USA/Portland - Mississippi Pizza Pub, EARLY SHOW, 6PM. Future Historians play early short opening set.
JANUARY 27: KLEZMER MONGRELS RELEASED IN CANADA!
ONTARIO and QUEBEC, FOREST CITY LOVERS opening: Feb. 5 - Guelph, ON - Ebar Feb. 6 - Toronto, ON - Tranzac Saturday, Feb. 7 - Peterborough, ON - Spill Cafe Feb. 9 - Waterloo - The Starlight Tues., Feb. 10 - Hamilton, ON - The Casbah Feb. 11 - London, ON - London Music Club Feb. 12 - Kingston, ON - The Artel Fri., Feb. 13 - Wakefield, PQ - Black Sheep Feb. 14 - Montreal, PQ - Casa Del Popolo
EAST COAST. VARIOUS ARTISTS OPENING: Feb. 17 - Charlottetown, PEI - Baba's Feb. 18 - Sackville, NB - Strutz Gallery Feb. 19 - St. John NB - The Blue Olive Feb. 20 - Halifax, NS - Gus' Pub. Feb. 21 - St. John's, Newfoundland - The Ship. Friday, Feb. 27 - Vancouver - Biltmore Cabaret
PRAIRIES. DOUBLE BILL WITH BOB WISEMAN March 12 - Saskatoon - Lydia's March 13 - Regina - The Exchange. March 14 - Winnipeg, MB - The WECC March 19 - Lethbridge AB - The Slice March 20 - Calgary - The Ironwood March 21 - Edmonton - Artspace.
ISLANDS TOUR March 26 - Saltspring Island - Mahon Hall, with Ora Cogan March 27 - Victoria, BC - Logan's
APRIL: Scandinavia! Shows will include all Scandinavian capitals and a bunch of other places. Booking is in process.