2/27: So, we’ve conquered Wales! Two successful nights at two nice, modern venues (theater is an important part of the culture here, more on that later), with rather enthusiastic crowds, and I have just one word for you; deddfwriaeth! Which means...
I really don’t know. I just glanced at one of the local touristy mags they place in hotel rooms wherever you go and searched for an interesting-looking word. But, in my very limited way, I have found Wales and it’s people to be rich in history and culture.
With cities, theaters, and shows beginning to become just a little bit of a blur, I have noticed one constant; people here value & enjoy their live theater. All the venues we’ve played - from very old to somewhat newer vintage - have shown that they are supported and attended heartily by their local communities. It’s quite a thing to exit theater after theater and see so many people waiting enthusiastically to greet me and say “nice show lad!”. Alright, so maybe they’re waiting to greet a certain legendary singer. Allow me a little dramatic license, okay?
Tomorrow we leave on yet another lengthy bus ride for an area on the other side of the country called Eastbourne; specifically, the city of East Sussex. We’ll have two days off there followed by a show at the Congress Theatre. I don’t mind the long rides so far as the bus is quite comfortable and my bandmates provide for pleasant & often interesting conversation. We have people from various parts of the US as well as other countires so it’s a fertile source of stories, points of view, and general conversation.
JD (our piano player ) & I - the lone L.A. representatives - have only our complaints about freeway traffic to share.
At the risk of dropping a bomb, I have to say I really dislike the food here. With my experiences thus far at various eating establishments and even though our wonderful cooks put together these fabulous dinners for us, it’s just not agreeing with me. Let’s just say dropping the kids off at the pool has been kind of a wild ride.
Finally, on an up note, I felt good about the way I played last night and how the bass is feeling in my hands. My lack of a healthy appetite combined with less frequent and intense workouts has affected the size of my upper body (or “man-mass”, as my gal likes to say).
I began to wonder if it affected the way the bass was hanging off my body - specifically my chest & shoulders. It did seem to be hanging a little lower, so, as an experiment, I shortened the strap one notch and found I liked the result. A minor adjustment, but effective.
I also noticed that the neck - perhaps through so much loading & unlaoding in planes, buses, and so forth - had become distinctly concave or bowed. A slight adjustment of the truss rod (a long threaded rod that runs the length of the neck underneath the fingerboard) got the strings back to a comfortable setting.
Well, that’s all for now music fans.
Stay tuned!
--Adam
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