King of the Road

I felt the chapter about Trigger was incomplete, and there is so much more I need to describe about how great it is to have a bike here.  Two nights ago, I raced (friendly) against Jasper and his thoroughbred Dutch Legs and bike.  It was a skirmish all the way, until the ticksy (triggsy) Trigger took a short cut and reached the Windmill first.  It was a true Tortoise and Hare affair.

I always say how fast Trigger can go, there are not many people who overtake him on these roads, usually only racer bikes.  You feel the urge that when you are taking over somebody on the road, to look as natural as you can, like you are not trying to ride as fast as you can.  I love the wobble that you start with from the lights.  You wait at the red light, along with the people who overtook you, or you overtook on the last stretch.  The lights equal the race again, then when the lights change green, there is this beautiful wobble as you try steady yourself and try to get a good starting speed.  Trigger usually always gets pole position from the start.

After a few jointjes and Wijn at Jaspers we head to the windmill.  I slowly start to get Trigger into a fast flow, and Jasper is eager to show his speed (Which after years of riding a bak fiets and being Dutch he has a strong advantage)  I catch him up and he says, let's speed things up a bit.  He races on, and I keep pushing Trigger to above 20kmh, but keeping steady as the snow can be treacherous, especially after a few joints and wines.  Jasper has shot ahead around the corner, and when I reach the corner, I find him stopped brushing himself down after falling off.  I ask if he is OK, and then Trigger dashes on in front.

I feel him creeping up behind me again, as we are approaching a set of lights.  Jasper gets the lead after the lights, but Trigger is nicely warmed up now.  I take the lead, and each set of lights we go through after stopping is more of a skirmish between us both.  Jasper had been burning himself out by showing how fast he can go, but you have to stop at the lights, and start again, I felt I had a good energy level and when I seen a massive straight ahead with no lights, I put him into full gear.  Pushing 30 I get far in front, but not for long, as there is Jasper once again riding strong and going for the take over.

Once we reach the city stretch, it becomes a different game.  Jasper has shot on ahead, but he missed the shortcut I always take!  seeing him far ahead I turn down the alleyway to get to the Windmill even quicker.  I get to the final stretch before the Windmill expecting him to be not far behind or already there.  When my phone goes, and it is he, thinking that I had got lost and he was waiting for me!  I said I am waiting for you at the finish line!  He got there, and we had some very nice Leffe biertjes and talked about a rematch.

I wonder why the Dutch don't always win the Tour De France as they are riding bikes from birth.  The Dutch girls are beautiful and tall with long strong legs and it is beautiful when you see an old woman take you over on a bike.  The roads and pathways are all catered to serve the bike.  The bike is king.  The car is a nuisance, and is naturally subservient to the bike.  They are always conscious of them here.  Whereas in Liverpool it is the other way round.  The Car is king there.  But here, as I ride through this snowy cold, windy, beautiful city.  I feel like a true king. 


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The Dead Sea......Businessman?

When I decided to stay here in Amsterdam, it became a second thought to bring my label with me.  I thought I could build it here, it is a rich city with an unsaturated music scene.  Whereas Liverpool is a poor city with a saturated music scene.  I felt, yeah I could do something with Lost at Sea here.  But things became a lot clearer after a good chat my good friend Jasper.

It is two conflicting personalities he told me, you can't be this travelling busking Dead Sea Captain, and at the same time be a business man.  It is two different hats to wear.  I looked at the hat I always wear for busking and  it hit me clearly.  I set out on this adventure to build myself as a musician, not be a business man.  Why should I focus energies on building a label with this suitcase full of old music I produced and wrote.  When in fact I should keep building the Dead Sea Captain and get in touch with already established labels here.  I set out for a fresh start, and the label is part of my old life.

Perhaps I feel obliged to carry the label on, as it holds some great music and ideas, but just not yet.  The goal is to get a strong web presence and live presence for the Dead Sea Captain.  Some busking videos, Jasper is planning a bike tour on the bak fiets where we would ride with a group of people of bikes, and then start playing in random spots from the bak fiets.  Capturing it on video, and getting festival bookings along the line.

When I decided I was going to build Lost at Sea in Amsterdam, I had this niggling doubt that it wasn't right.  I buried it though and thought.  No, Let's build a great bond and connection with Liverpool and Amsterdam.  Which I believe I will.  But just not yet.  The focus is to become a great acoustic songsmith, and I don't get that by sitting on a computer, networking as a booking agency and publishing contracts.  Nah, I get that by getting out and busking and playing wherever I can.  And that is what I will continue to do for the future. 

Jasper has this great place on the outskirts of Amsterdam.  It's where I recorded that little 'When Autumn Leaves' E.P.  Over the next ten days I am there again, to start recording some more songs I have been writing.  He is a cool guy Jasper with a golden heart, and I look forward to getting involved in a few of his plans for the spring and summer.  I enjoy the way our talks evolve, he offers a great different perspective to my sometime blind enthusiasm, and that talk we had over a few joints and some watered down sharp white wine made the future a lot clearer for me.

I need to accept that I make a million different plans sometimes and am always thinking of new directions to head to, but I forget that I already have a plan, and that is my own journey to become a great acoustic songsmith and player, and build a great musical chapter of The Dead Sea Captain.  I should have another acoustic e.p recorded and up for download in the next few weeks.  I still feel I have a lot to write about, and will be doing a lot more chapters on this blog.

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Mijn Fiet is My Only Carriage

The bike is king in these lands.  My steed, my fiet, my bike, my friend....Trigger.  He is a shining black hybrid between a traditional Dutch bike and a racer.  He has a dashing speed of 32kmh. Still, on a windy rainy cold nights journey, he still carries you along at 18kmh.  His bell is like loading a gun and firing.  Positioned exactly so the trigger finger does the pulling, and the thumb looosenes the cartridge to get a fuller ring.  Like firing a gun.  And when you watch the traffic before you part at the ring of that mighty bell, a smile doth cometh to mijn face.

Trigger came into my life one sunny hazy day at the Magneet festival.  Whilst I was working the Magneet, I had no bike at all.  It was the full on experience with little ventures outside of that world.  During the last weekend, I spotted him with a puncture and broken locks around him.  I asked Raymond who's the bike was, and he said he found it outside.  I asked if I could borrow it, if I fix the puntcure and he said sure. I felt an instant bond with the bike.  He looked a bit battered and old, and the locks still around him dented his natural beauty.  With an angle grinder, Bart took off the locks for me, and already he was looking better.  I bought a can of black spray paint and couldnt wait to give him a new coat.

So there he was, looking like a prize winner.  Shining jet black with his traditional Dutch shape.  Whenever I have money I can't resist spending it on him.  As soon as I had made 15 Euroes I bought a speedomater and distance calculater.  Fitted it with excitement and wonder at how many kilometeres I would notch up.  I always felt I did so much riding here, and would be intrigued to know just how much exactly.  (I have done 500 kilometeres since the 27th November!)  Next was a car lock.  It's a lock that makes your bike like a car, a circular lock that goes on the back wheel, you keep your key in until you park, and then take them out.  I was really excited at getting this too, for peace of mind, and the fact it makes it like a car. 

Once this snow clears, I plan to take him apart and put him back together.  Just to know how every bit of him works.  And also to give him some improvements.  I have some pre-historic shark teeth that I am glueing onto the front wheel rim, plus an Amsterdam flag magnet for the back.  I am going to get him a brown seat and brown hand grips, and some glossy black paint to give him that extra black shine.  I also want some devil shaped horns for the front handlebars, so that when people see me taking them over, they think, 'What a bike'.  And he is a great bike.  With these finishing touches he is gonna be the best bike in Amsterdam.


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Back to the Future

Well, after a brief glimpse back into the past with the last few entries, I feel it perfect to follow it up with the future.  It felt kind of strange digging up all those memories and writing them out and putting them out into the world of internet voyeurs.  You never know who's reading I suppose. But, lets get back to the future.

I am living well.  Like a beggar prince almost.  I have 2 homes and a garden house!  Making (sometimes) 50-60 Euroes a day, eating lots of veg, fruit, salads, honey, chickens, just good food (still like my sugars though and a chocolate give in now and then).  I feel good, I am halfway through a really great album with my dear friend and musical maestro Cato.  It takes you everywhere from techno, operatic electro, filthy hip hop, anthemic alchemy.  We are aiming for a spring finish and are quite excited that we are building something special, with good energies in it.  I have also been a part of her family since I returned from Liverpool last.  It has been an amazing experience, and I feel a great friendship, love and bond with Cato and Chiel and their 2 wonderful kids Isaac and Sophie.  I also have a girlfriend here, a shining smiling special soul in this world with whom I have become beautifully entwined in love with.  I feel my home and heart is Amsterdam. 

The other day, after a great evening busk at Max Euiwplein, where it was slow going until the end, then the last song, I got 3 paper drops of 5 euroes, and a few 2's within seconds of eachother!  It was a special night, and after feeling like wanting to go home as it was slow and cold, I perservererd and was rewarded for it.  I was riding Trigger my bike home, I felt the cold wind blowing in my face, hitting 30kilometres an hour and gliding past beautiful buildings and bikers, I felt like I was flying.  I have these dreams where I can fly and I step up through the air.  Feeling that moment with my legs stepping through and flying me through the city, brought that smile to my face and I truly was flying.

On the way to the library just, I kept asking myself how can I make Lost at Sea work in Amsterdam.  It's an asset, and an achievement that I believe could be built on here.  I am making great contacts, making great music, finding all her musical hidden hubs.  Now I am asking myself the question, and getting more and more ideas. Alls you need for anything to grow, is an idea.  So expect maybe some life in the old dog yet of Lost at Sea.  I love dearly the people who said they would run it from Liverpool.  Amazing people.  Great at all they do, but Lost at Sea needs me.  A ship needs a captain hey.  Expect some nipples of change in the coming weeks.



More than anything, the reason I set out on this adventure was for the training.  Busking.  The best training any musician could do.  Get out in the streets and play for hours and hours, in wind and cold, in the sun and spring.  Learn songs, chords, lyrics, feelings of the songs, write more and more as you go.  It is what I enjoy and will do more than anything.  Come spring, I will be armed with a sharpened repatoire from the winter of training, and be able to make a good living here from hitting the best spots on a daily cycle.  I know this place so well now, and I am ready to fully work her as a busker in the peek season. 

My dream, and hopeful reward from this training, is that all I have ever wanted to do, is make a truly special and great album.  You know the ones that are timeless, that will be a soundtrack to peoples experiences.  Something that is the best thing I could ever make.  The music I have made in the past, is good, and certainly interesting, but not truly great. I am dedicating myself to the guitar, and understanding and becoming more and more natural.  The world of opening tunings is calling me deeper, and the songs I am writing more complex.  It´s just the ultimate dream for me, to make an album that stands up amongst the best.  You gotta dream high havent you! 

I have also started drawing these murial collage pictures that are quite striking, so as another project for self betterment, I am designing some artwork for the image of ´The Dead Sea Captain´I am quite excited about drawing again.  When you go into a coffee shop, you smoke a joint, drink a coffee while drawing as your mind drifts.  The core of the pictures is little thinking.  Don´t think about what you are drawing just let things join and twist and create weird visual illusions and a world of different things.  I will upload some soon anyway. 

Anway, may your way be warm I say. 

Greets.


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