I managed to incorporate a 3 night gig at No. 9 pun in Kristiansund, Norway with an added musical activity: teaching a 2-day blues workshop for the 7th graders at a local primary school! Playing nights and teaching days was pretty tiring, but given it was only a couple of days, I coped pretty well. Thank you, caffeine. It's been a few years since I've taught in a classroom, and I enjoyed team teaching with Torstein, who is also my lead guitarist for the gigs. Talented US rapper, Trey Sykes, started a short documentary series called 'Passion' where he interviews musicians, poets and creative types in Long Beach and he has featured me in the first episode! Granted I'm not living in the US, but I am still connected to the community there and miss them a lot. There are so many welcoming and creative folk in that city. I went to a jam night in Malaga, Spain. It started after midnight which I think is crazy for a Monday night but also precisely why I loved it (you rock, Spaniards). It was 2.15am by the time I got up and sang! My second 3 week contract in Europe takes me to Copenhagen, Denmark. I'll be performing at Fisken Pub at the picturesque waterfront Nyhavn Thursday-Saturday nights and the Old English Pub (across the road from the Tivoli Gardens) on Tuesday nights until the end of October! I decided to go to Poland for 10 days in between gig contracts (as it is close to both Germany and Denmark). I reached out to several venues via email before my arrival and was fortunate to book a last minute gig at Duffy's Irish Pub in Krakow! It was a really busy night for a Thursday and I had a ball! Below is a video from a jam night I attended in Warsaw! Back in October, I shot a video clip in Long Beach with Vaughan Risher (camera/editing) and released it on YouTube today. It was filmed at the home of local music supporters Jody & Judy Timmerman and features me playing their lovely baby grand piano. The song is a cover of Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid'. What happened tonight was typical of what happens here in Long Beach & why I love this place so much & why I call it my home (even if I can't live here permanently). Tonight we put on a Refugee Crisis Benefit gig at the Wine Bar on Ocean Blvd, Long Beach. There was amazing energy in the room. 'Magic' is a word I would use to describe it & all the hard work putting it together was worth every minute. I loved watching all the smiling faces & people making new connections & just having a great time. It was truly beautiful. We raised $205 just from the raffle tickets! Big shout out to the Wine Bar LB with their generous 20% donation of $200, raising a total of $405!! I love you all so much xxx Below is a video of everyone singing a rather funny version of 'We Are the World'. |
AuthorLisa Spykers is a singer, songwriter, piano player, acoustic guitarist, instrumental and primary school teacher, porridge chef, vegan caterer, author, nomad, and unstoppable force of nature. Archives
January 2019
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