Travel Tracks » Live music performances

Šumperk, Czech Republic: Prelude to a Ghost Story

Rachel Staggs - Travel Tracks — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:52:48 +0000

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!

On Tour: Luisa Maita

Anne Stewart - Travel Tracks — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:59:01 +0000

Looking for a low-key concert to close out your summer? Cumbancha artist Luisa Maita is on tour right now, criss-crossing the United States. Maita’s easy style and smooth vocals won her the title of Best New Artist at the 2011 Brazilian Music Awards. Check out Maita’s mellow, sultry track “Lero-Lero” and the more up-tempo “Alento” below, and click Lero-Lerohere to download the album. If you like what you hear, click here to see a list of tour dates and enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Cumbancha; photographer Joao Wainer

Naked Karate Girls!

Anne Stewart - Travel Tracks — Tue, 24 May 2011 03:51:43 +0000

Naked. Karate. Girls. The four Midwestern boys on stage don’t fit any of these descriptors. There’s no nudity, no martial arts, and no females. There is, however, all kinds of awesomeness—literally. Awesome plaid pants and unusually short neckties. Awesome devil hats and sombreros. Awesome fake moustaches and shiny, metallic Ray-Bans. Awesome wind fans and corded telephones. Awesomely bad dance moves. And awesomely entertaining cover tracks. These are the Naked Karate Girls, the awesomest cover band ever. Seriously, how can a cover band be awesome? Well, these chaps seem to have taken everything they have ever found funny and crammed it into one rockin’ stage show. If you were born in the 80s, your enjoyment is guaranteed.

TravelTracks recently caught NKG’s show at Sloppy Joe’s, a Key West landmark that’s famous for having been Ernest Hemingway’s haunt. The house was bumpin’ when we walked in, partying to that classic club track “Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The band’s repertoire is varied to say the least—everything from Beastie Boys and Lady Gaga to Journey and Flo-Rida. Each song prompted a head wear change from the front man—from a blond foam wig to moose antlers. The last song of the night clearly called for a bunny suit, and the front man didn’t disappoint. Look for the Girls to hit up a venue near you or get a little taste of them here.