Ex Shanti Future Shanti: On the road pt.1

Prvi trije koncerti na evropski turneji so za nami in trenutno se s Praha Departi polni vtisov mudimo v sončni Barceloni.

Kratek povzetek dogajanja:

-N'toko se pelje v Benetke pobrat bend in po razmerah na cesti sodeč je bil najbrž njihov prvi vtis o Evropi kar zastrašujoč. Ta del sveta je očitno pred njimi vstopil v novo ledeno dobo in se vsak dan spopada s snežnimi meteži in burjo.

-V Ljubljani gre N'toko iskat novi EP Praha Departov, ki smo ga za turnejo dali tiskati kar pri nas. Natisnjen je bil kake 3 ure pred koncertom v Menzi, barva se je sušila na poti tja.

-Ta čas se Japonci odtajajo pri njemu doma ob slovenskih talent showih. Slovenski televiziji se režijo isto kot se mi japonski.

-Koncert v Menzi je eno najlepših koncertnih doživetij tako za N'toka kot za Praha Depart. Kljub grozljivemu vremenu se nabere kakih 100 borcev in poskrbi za čudivit sprejem gostov.

-Praha Depart razturijo do konca.

-Publika gre z njimi do konca in jih pokliče nazaj še za 2 bisa.

-Naslednji dan Zanina mama poskrbi da se gostje temeljito spoznajo z domačo slovensko hrano.

-Pred koncertom v mariborski Pekarni v klub vstopi kakih 7 policajev in inšpektorjev. Sledi temeljita tržna inšpekcija med katero bend živčno čaka v backstage-u, publika pa pred vrati. Po dveh urah se jih že polovica pobere domov. Sklep: bend sicer lahko igra, vendar organizator ne more pobirati vstopnine. Organizator se odloči: spustimo ljudi notri, koncert bo! Praha Depart spet raztrgajo in odigrajo še 2 bisa za navdušeno občinstvo. N'tokov dj set odpade, ura je že pozna in ekipi se mudi v Lyon.

-Fotograf Aleš odšopa nočno vožnjo do Lyona.

-V malem klubiču Le Kraspek Myzik se N'toko znajde pred številnim občinstvom, ki ga je tja pripeljala odlična lokalna hip hop zasedba Zero Absolu. Žal pa bolj rappersko naravnana publika nima toliko posluha za Praha Departe, ki nastopijo pred pol manj ljudmi.

-Naslednje jutro ponovno odkrivamo čar francoskih pekarn in posedanja na kavi.

-V Toulousu možakar ki bi nas moral prenočiti zahinavi in ekipa se znajde pred dilemo kje spati. Najde se heroj Matija ki nas vse vzame pod streho v Barceloni.

-Do špila jim je ostalo veliko časa za klatenje po mestu, posedanje na plaži in dela za računalnikom.

Mene predvsem ves čas spremlja občutek sreče, da sem na turneji s svojim najljubšim bendom na svetu (ta status so si z dosedanjimi koncerti na turneji samo še utrdili ), pa seveda zadovoljstva ob misli, kako dobro so bili sprejeti v Sloveniji.

Včeraj smo šli na koncert Acid Mothers Temple, danes pa nastopamo na istem festivalu skupaj z američani Bardo Pond.

Vmes pa je z zamudo padlo še nekaj datumov na turneji, in sicer se bomo v nedeljo 30.10 ustavili še v klubu Gastiez v španski Vitorii, za sam konec turneje pa nas 8.11. čaka klub West Germany v Berlinu!

Hvala vsem dosedaj za res topel sprejem!

The first 3 gigs on the tour are behind us and we are currently catching our breath in beautiful sunny Barcelona.

A quick summary:

-N'toko drives to venice to pick up Praha Depart. Judging by the road conditions on that day their first impression of Europe must have been: "Wow, looks like the ice age has arrived here and they have to deal with blizzards every day!"

-In Ljubljana N'toko goes to pick up the freshly printed Praha Depart EP for the tour. The paint just barely dried before the gig.

-Meanwhile Praha Depart try to unfreeze themselves in his apartment watching Slovenian talent shows. It's apparently as funny for them as Japanese TV is to us.

-The gig in Menza is one of the greatest concert experiences for both N'toko and Praha Depart. Around 100 people decide to overcome the horrible weather and give the band an amazing welcome.

-Praha Depart kick ass.

-The audience demands two more encores.

-The next day Zana's mom shows them the wonders of Slovenian home cooking.

-Just before the gig in Maribor the venue fills up with police officers. While they perform an extensive inspection of the club the band waits backstage and the audience waits at the door. About half the people leave. After two hours they come to a conclusion: the band can play but the organizer can't charge tickets or sell merchandise. The organizer decides to go on with the event and loose tons of money.

-Praha Depart kick ass again. 2 more encores.

-Our photographer Aleš drives us straight to Lyon overnight.

-In the tiny Lyon venue Kraspek Myzik N'toko finds himself playing to a full house, thanks to the cool band Zero Absolu who brought in a lot of people. Unfortunately the mostly hip hop orientated listeners didn't pay as much attention to Praha Depart.

-Next morning is dedicated to the magic of French bakeries and cafe au lait.

-The organizer in Toulouse fucks up and the crew ends up having to find a place to sleep in the middle of the night. Slovenian friend living in Barcelona comes to the rescue by letting them all stay in his house.

-They get plenty of time to explore Barcelona, chill on the beach and do computer stuff.

I'm basically still shocked by how good all the gigs have been and realizing that I'm touring Europe with my favorite band in the world.

Last night we went to see Acid Mothers Temple playing and today we have a gig on the same festival together with Bardo Pond.

We also have two new gigs, we'll be stopping in Vitoria's club Gastiez on the 30th and finishing our tour in club West Germany in Berlin on November 8th.

All photos by the one and only Aleš Rosa!