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[jefflewis]

Tues Jan 21 -
Snow storm in NYC, seems like flight will definitely be delayed or cancelled but somehow it's not. Head to airport way early, it's a 10:50 pm flight but I leave my house at about 5:30pm because I know it will take forever to get to JFK airport in this weather. Mom comes over and helps me lug my stuff thru the snow to the F train then to the A train at Jay St, which is right across the platform. Actually both trains come fast, and both run fine despite the accumulating storm; then even with the Air Train shut down the shuttle bus picked me up immediately and so I got to JFK terminal 4 about 7pm, the whole journey from home only took 90 minutes, which is just about the usual amount of time despite the blizzard.
On the airport board many other flights to Europe are listed as cancelled, and many flights are listed as delayed, but somehow ours is listed as still running on time. Since I have lots of extra time I start drawing in my brand new sketchbook. Caitlin gets there about 8, I pack some stuff into her luggage for weight-distribution, Heather is running late so we decide to check in without her because we want to get thru security with enough time to get something to eat. Anyway, eventually we are all on the plane, I get about an hour of sleep as the takeoff is delayed… of course very nervous about taking off in this crazy weather but the takeoff is strangely smooth, barely even speeding up on the runway, just a quick runway roll then quick up into the air, no bumps, plus i was super tired so that helped a little too (and had 2 Tylenol PM pills an hour before the flight as usual). Got some rest on the plane but not enough as usual, then we got to Amsterdam about noon, a 3-hour wait at Schipol airport then the flight to Copenhagen, definitely got more sleep on that flight, about 2.5 hours.
Eventually arrive, get coffee, change dollars to Kroners, take train and taxi to Malmo and to Alexander's house where we're staying, meet his new housemate Kalle (he's pronounced Callie), admire his collection of original Fall 45s and LPs, plus nice LP collection of Pebbles, and other good stuff. We go out for a late dinner about about 10pm, they recommend this local felafel place, but it is not a sitt-able place, just a kiosk, and for some reason we have to stand outside for really almost an hour before we get our food to take home, and it is very cold out. Standing, standing, waiting for our food order, soooo cold. We eat at the apartment, listening to Pebbles volume 3, it's good times! Later we go back out to a bar nearby, have some whiskey, the DJs at the bar are nice guys, one is Felix - they play Ultimate Spinach, and the third Litter LP, and other such psychedelic stuff that I of course nerd out on, like from the first Dr. John LP, and the Monks, etc. So I talk to DJ Felix about psychedelic music and he shows me a record I don't know, The Ford Theater. We all head home and go to sleep at Alexander's apartment about 1 or 2am.
A looooong day-night-day of crazy storms and planes and trains and automobiles but we made it all the way from NYC to Malmo and we're ready to start the tour!

[jefflewis]

Thurs Jan 23- Malmo Sweden
Heather goes out early, gets lost on her way to find a sauna, we don't see her till evening but she keeps on texting Caitlin in a panic trying to find her way, she's totally lost in Malmo, but there's nothing Caitlin can do about it and it's wasting lots of phone money for her to be using her US phone to text. Anyway the rest of us (Stuart, Alexander, Kalle, Caitlin, me) go out of the apartment eventually and get great veggie soup and bread and fig jam at a really nice little empty cafe a few blocks away, it's very cold out and the hot soup is a great breakfast/lunch at about 2pm or whenever it is. We all go to the local Kunsthaus museum, see some really cool art stuff (like the rotating chair that turns you upside down, and the giant felt/cloth saw hanging from the ceiling).
By about 6pm we get to the club for soundcheck, they have us in the big fancy room tho it will probably be way too big for us. The smaller room where we were originally supposed to play is being renovate. The tall guy working there is Daniel, he says me and Jack and Dave stayed with him in Malmo before but I don't remember. He's got a Wipers shirt and a K Records pin. Heather is there at the club! She found the sauna eventually and then eventually found the club. So we reunite for sound check. The stage is quite big and the movie screen behind the stage is huge, and there's a huge disco ball from the high, high ceiling, and fancy couches etc. Our set is not till midnight, and before us is Mykie and the Ugly Fire, they do a very good set, four gals on the usual unusual array of melodica, bells, cheap synth, ukulele, guitar, trumpet; one of those sorts of bands, very well done. We actually play quite a good set even though a lot of the songs are new for us, and it's Caitlin's first time playing a "real" tour show with us. Afterwards we hang out a little bit while Alexander DJs in the next-door bar but it's getting very late. Me and Heather and Caitlin hang out with this drunk guy back stage then we walk back to Alexander's place with our stuff. I check internet then get to sleep about 4 am on the couch at Alexander's, and we have to wake up very early at about 8:30 for our train to Aalborg Denmark.