Šumperk, Czech Republic: Prelude to a Ghost Story

When I started booking an Eastern European tour for my band, I really had no expectations, other than the conditions set forth in our rider. Even those were minimal: vegan dinner upon arrival, wine if possible, a bed to sleep in after the performance, and payment. Prague had a sense of safety to it because it’s a bustling metropolis, but once we were out on the open road, it was just us and our GPS. This was the first European tour in which we had a GPS and let me say that it was a breath of fresh air. We’ve traveled across the United States and Western Europe together sans GPS but having one this time took a lot of stress off of me, the navigator (aka the manager, the booking agent, the press agent, etc).

The Czech Republic is divided into two regions, Bohemia and Moravia. On my birthday, we had a gig in Šumperk, a ski resort village in Moravia. It was the first birthday, in over 10 years, that I didn’t perform as part of the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. I hoped we would have a good experience in Šumperk for my birthday and as it turned out, it was one of my favorite shows of the tour. We arrived at our pension, a modest room with two twin beds, a kitchenette, and bath with shower, where we were able to contact our promoter for the evening. He met us and let us in so I could take a short nap. It was comfortable, clean, and quiet.

The venue, H-club, was huge compared to some of the places we had already played. It featured a cool art gallery and lounge on the first floor called Elektric.

Elektric Cafe & Gallery

The venue itself had a great sound system and was beautifully lit. We shared the bill with Czech bands, The Finally and Blackerfeed. We were greeted warmly, ate delicious pasta, enjoyed Czech wine, and had great conversations with members from both bands. The line-up was the best of the tour with all three bands having a similar melodic, hypnotic thread of psychedelia.

The Finally

Blackerfeed

Carlos, my husband/bandmate

We met our promoter, Jirka,  the next morning for a small tour of the village and lunch. Since it was off season for skiing and the weekend was upon us, things were pretty quiet and most of the shops were closed. Luckily, his Mom had a jewelry shop where all of the items were handmade and very unique. He got the key and let us in to shop! I purchased my mother a necklace, Carlos bought me earrings for my birthday, and Jirka gifted me with a necklace for my birthday. He was also kind enough to allow us to leave our equipment at the venue after the performance, so we stopped by to pick it up after lunch. I loved being able to go back to the venue for a view during daylight.

H-club

Jirka made me an espresso before we hit the road again.

I purchased an art book from the gallery and we gave Jirka a copy of our new LP.

I honestly can’t wait to return to Šumperk. The drive was beautiful through the hills of Moravia and getting to know Jirka was such a treat. We made a friend we will keep in touch with and hopefully tour with in the future. It was also the first time I’ve seen a ghost. I’m serious. But that’s a topic for another post!

Add a comment

Upon exiting the plane in Prague, Czech Republic, I could feel I was in for something special. The first thing I noticed was their recycling system, which seemed more progressive and logical than any airport I’ve been through in the United States.

Luckily, we had several days to explore the city and recover from jet lag before we had to pick up our music equipment and rental car. Having used VRBO for seven years, I rented us (my husband/bandmate and I) a flat in the Malá Strana neighborhood. I chose it based on the location and it seemed to have everything we needed – kitchen, washing machine, bathroom, bed. For the first time in my experience with VRBO, I rented a place in which the owner opted out of reviews. Big mistake. The apartment seemed fine when we arrived, bleary eyed from the transcontinental flight, but unfortunately the bed was one of the worst I’ve ever slept on.

VRBO recently merged with Home Away and added additional insurance, available for purchase. With so many positive VRBO experiences under our belts, we did not purchase the additional insurance and we paid for the balance of our rental in cash when we arrived. I only lasted a few nights on that bed, with very little sleep, before looking for an alternative. Financially, this was frustrating, but Prague was so lovely, we just felt lucky to be there and did our best to find a solution. We found an amazing boutique hotel that felt like a 1960s art gallery. They were kind enough to let us test out the bed. I was sore and we had weeks of gigs coming up, so I threw down the credit card.

The Czech Republic is quite affordable when compared to Western Europe and in the states, this hotel would have cost three times as much. It was a great treat. I finally slept well and we had a fantastic room to entertain our French friends in after our Prague performance, since they had driven all the way from Paris to see us play.

We had one of the larger rooms in the hotel since that was all they had left. There was a nice sitting area, mini bar, and desk with laptop provided. The shower and toilet were in two different spaces, separated by a hallway with a small balcony. Each bathroom featured Mickey Mouse pop art on the walls.

We took breakfast on the rooftop patio one morning and enjoyed a great view of Petrin Hill featuring Lookout Tower, Prague’s Eiffel Tower.

Design Hotel Sax features a great collection of vintage toys by designer Libuše Niklová, two Picasso drawings, incredible furniture from the 1950s-1970s, and a plethora of Cécka.

This is a window treatment using Cécka.

Cécka are pieces of plastic in the shape of the letter C (also S, H, 3, and G) that can be connected to create chains. They spurred a collecting craze in the 1980s amongst Czechoslovakian children. Originally they appeared, with no success, 20 years prior as part of a skirt belt and later as door curtains in small flats, instead of the usual wooden doors.

The C’s ended up in dumps until discovered by children. Young people then began collecting Cécka and wore them as necklaces or bracelets and even played games with them. Some children used them as currency to trade for the more desirable, or more rare C’s. Cécka played an important role in the lives of many children who were the last generation to experience the communist regime. In 2008, musician Michal David released an homage to the plastic phenomenon in the form of an electronic pop song.

I never expected to be writing about a children’s collecting craze in 1980s Czechoslovakia, but that is just the kind of surprise that’s waiting around every corner in Prague!

4 comments

My first travel experience as a musician was with the high school band just a few weeks after my freshman year. We were invited to perform in the U.S.S.R. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for my parents to allow me to go to a communist country at the age of 15. I fell in love with the architecture, but mostly I fell for the people. I was blown away by how generous the Soviet teenagers were. The people and the architecture are still two of the most poignant parts of my journeys, but now that my palate has matured, food is up on that list too. Traveling as a musician offers the benefit of being integrated into a culture as soon as you arrive. Usually, upon arriving in a destination, we either meet the promoter at our place of lodging, or at the venue we’ll be performing in. Being a somewhat shy traveler, this is helpful because there is an instant musical connection with a local, even if language is a challenge. Join me as I take Travel Tracks in a new direction by documenting my musical and artistic experiences on the road, on the rail, and through the skies.

4 comments