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Mostly Harmless – US Tour 2010
Still in driving mode today. We have to make ANOTHER 600 miles today in order to make Carbondale, CO. We’ll be cutting through Idaho, Utah and finally Colorado. Our day begins in Twin Falls, Idaho, where we pulled in late last night into our usual spot – Motel 6. Cheap and cheerfully consistent. The morning…
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Way from Oregon – US Tour 2010
I CAN HEAR THEM CALLING, WAY FROM OREGON Dock cranes loom up over the San Franciscan fog like herd of Freight-osaurus Rex, We’re leaving San Fran and heading up the coast to Portland. It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m travelling with two Irish guys for 10+ hours in a van. (In fairness, they have to travel…
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People in Motion – US Tour 2010
So yes, I’m quoting the song that most San Franciscans must be thoroughly sick of. Hardly a way to endear myself to them, but I needed a title to tie in somehow with this trip north towards Sacramento and San Fran. We’ve officially left SoCal and our friends there, and we’ve been driving through strange…
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Ad Ventura – US Tour 2010
I’m writing this from the back seat of the Grotto’s new (second-hand) Chrysler, as we head northwards to Ventura, CA. We’ve just got the car today, hours before the deadline, and one day before we’re set to leave SoCal (Southern California to the uninitiated). It was an absolute steal. The car looks and feels new,…
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Long Beach Pear Plum – US Tour 2010
Last night we played our first show of the tour. The weather was okay – certainly nothing bad by Irish February standards, but the drizzle seems to affect Californians more than it does us. Luckily, the drizzle didn’t drive away the crowds, and we had a lovely, friendly crowd at the Art Theatre in Long…
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SongRise 3
The US Tour starts in early February in California, so I’m leaving on Monday 1st with Kevin from the Guggenheim Grotto. We’re all running around doing our last minute When the tour starts in earnest, we’ll start our tour blog too. Until then I just wanted to draw your attention to this compilation : Wave…
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US Tour Summer 2009 – The Trials of Betsy MPV
The Grotto’s van, Betsy, was a real war horse. A loaner from Miguel, one of Kevin’s cousins, the Mazda saw us through some incredible mileage and awful storms. From day one, she was packed to the gills. We determined early on that there was only one or two ways to fit all of our equipment…
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US Tour Summer 2009 – Sarkozy’s Wham-like Debut Album
NB. I’ve had some previously unpublished blogs from the US tour this summer that I’ve decided to release into the wild. They’ll be appearing here over the next couple of days. Hope you enjoy! I watched Dylan’s “No Direction Home” with Chris & Liz in Brooklyn the other night. It was extremely entertaining, even just…
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US Tour Summer 2009 – Driving Miss Mobile
NB. I’ve had some previously unpublished blogs from the US tour this summer that I’ve decided to release into the wild. They’ll be appearing here over the next couple of days. Hope you enjoy! Driving in the US has been quite easy for us Irish drivers. Huge wide roads. Satellite Navigation systems that work because…
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US Tour Summer 2009 – The Firth, The 4th
NB. I’ve had some previously unpublished blogs from the US tour this summer that I’ve decided to release into the wild. They’ll be appearing here over the next couple of days. Hope you enjoy! We spend the 4th of July in New York staying with the wild and wonderful Alfonso Velez, sleeping above the polished…
