Charles Simmons | Adventures in La-La Land Chronicles of an American musician in exile

Road Trip Recap: Here Comes The Sun

It’s been a few days since my last road trip, and it’s often difficult to find themes that make each and every gig experience unique, because frankly, most of my shows follow similar patterns. What I like to report on are certain subtleties I notice at each show or block of shows. One of the more interesting subtleties is the observation of how people tend to party during certain times of the year. With summer just around the corner, people are definitely getting into party mode. How did this change in attitude affect my job on this latest road trip? Let’s take a look.
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Road Trip Recap: Nice Bathrooms, Long Gigs, and the Gala Event Food Chain

There are certain undisputed truths about being a pro musician in Europe, particularly in Germany, where I work most of the time: you’re always asked to do more than you want to; you’re always treated well, but never as well as you think you should be; and the cleanliness of the bathroom in your hotel room has more of an effect on your performance at the gig than you would like to believe.
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Last Night: iO’s Excellent Czech Adventure

Like Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter (a.k.a. Bill and Ted) before us, we set out on an “excellent” quest to bring our brand of rock music and good vibes to the people of Brno in the Czech Republic. The destination was very cool indeed; the journey itself was just as interesting, and we didn’t need a time machine to reach it.
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