Our Canadian friend Geoff Berner will be touring Europe again this month. Here´s a message from Mr Berner as well as his tour dates. (By the way, the album in question will find its Scandinavia release through CCAP in the beginning of 2009) Dear Everybody,
As I write this, just out the window, I can see the coverall-clad men and women of Berner Industries finishing the inflation process on our Trans-Atlantic Corporate Zeppelin. I picked it up at a recent Manhattan auction. They're practically giving them away these days. And hydrogen commodity prices are dropping nicely, as well.
I'll soon be lugging my accordion up the rope ladder into the cabin, and effortlessly floating my way towards the great old continent of Europe, where I'll be playing in 7 countries: Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK. Whoa.
My friend Dave Lang, the brilliant Canadian songwriter, reminds me to "enjoy the crossing and don't forget - no throwing the empty champagne bottles out the window this time - the captain says they're needed for ballast or you'll just go up up up up until the beeswax melts." I've made a note of that to the social director.
The crew and I should get there just in time to play the first show in Dresden, on the 21st.
And I'll be bringing copies of the new album, "Klezmer Mongrels", the crowning achievement of my Whiskey Rabbi trilogy! All those songs I've been trying out on you the last year or so. I can finally say, "here you go," and hand them to you. And wait till you see the cover, by Kelly Haigh! It's, well, really something.
You can see the cover, and LISTEN to MP3's from the new album, at my website
I'm looking forward to sharing all this with my friends out there. Maybe we'll have a drink or two, as well. Who knows?
The album is being officially released in Europe on October 24, on the 9pm label, but you can go bug your local independent record store to stock it any time. You can also order it yourself from kioski.de People outside continental Europe will have to wait to buy it until early 2009. But if you figure out a way to get ahold of it before then, I won't be angry at you.
Here are the dates. 9 countries in 2 months. In 2009, I'll play Canada in Feb/March, Scandinavia and Northern Ireland in April. I look forward to seeing you there, too.
KLEZMER MONGRELS EUROPEAN TOUR, October/November 2008:
Oct. 21 DE/Dresden - Projekttheater (Jiddische Musik- und Theaterwoche) Oct. 22 DE/Berlin - Kaffee Burger Oct. 23 DE/Hamburg - Astra Stube, with Dusty Awe Oct. 24 DE/Leipzig - Galerie KUB Oct. 25 DE/Hildesheim - Folk n Fusion Festival Oct. 27 DE/Osnabruck - Unikeller Oct. 28 DE/Bremen - no*ok Oct. 29 DE/Braunschweig -Studio Ost Oct. 30 DE/Hannover - Feinkost Lampe Oct. 31 DE/Dusseldorf - Solaris 53 Nov. 1 DE/Mainz - Hafeneck Nov. 2 DE/Trier - Variete Chat Noir (with Micke from Sweden) Nov. 3 DE/Augsburg - Der Pavian Nov. 4 DE/Furth - Kofferfabrik (with Micke from Sweden) Nov. 5 DE/Munchen (Munich) - Cord Nov. 6 Switzerland/Schaffhausen - Fassbeiz Nov. 8 Hungary/Budapest - Csendes Art Bar Nov. 10 A/Wien (Vienna) - Chelsea Nov. 11 A/Feldkirch - Sonderbar Nov. 12 DE/Castrop-Rauxel Bahia de Cochinos Nov. 13 DE/Leverkusen-Opladen - Cafe Topas Nov. 14 DE/Koln (Cologne) - Bauwagenplatz Nov. 15 NL/Roelofarendsveen - Splotsz, with Perestroika Soundsystem Nov. 16 NL/Tilburg - Paradox 15:30 EARLY SHOW! Nov. 17 BELGIUM/Liege - "Cafe Le Surlet", 8:30 pm Nov. 18 NL/Amsterdam - Nieuwe Anita Nov. 20 NL/Haarlem - Patronaat Nov. 21 NL/Vaals - 't Vereinhoes, Koperstraat 21 Nov. 22 NL/Middelburg - Kaffee 't Hof Nov. 25 UK/London - The Black Gardenia, 93 Dean Street, Soho, near Tottenham Court Road Tube Station Dec. 12 Vancouver - Benefit for Theatre Replacement, Venue TBA 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. Feb. 6, 2009, TORONTO, ON - TRANZAC CLUB: CANADIAN RELEASE PARTY for "Klezmer Mongrels", with Forest City Lovers.