Hello,
I've been absent for some time. Life has its ways of determining these things and the last year has been characterised by a couple of time/energy sponges. One musical (see this blog - the name was Trowbridge's idea, honest) and one not. The latter involved taking 35 people to the Swiss Alps for a party. There was music, of course.
The essential musical me (in a 'Simon Hopper, singer-songwriter' kind of way) is resurfacing, though. I revisited a couple of German friends over the last weekend and played a couple of gigs. Both were in Swabia.
One was a solo effort at An Sibin - the Irish bar in Backnang that is becoming a regular stop-over for me. Claudia and Thanassi, the special hosts of this special venue are always a joy to meet and play for. (Those of you who have 'always wanted to run a bar' should see how hard these two work!)
The second was a house concert in trio form wonderfully hosted by Simone and Ilona in Waiblingen - but brokered by the lovely Norma Huss who herself hosted a house concert for me last year. S&I were fabulous as were the audience. My accompanists were Norma and her guitar/mandocellist partner from her Germano-Scottish folk band Clarsach, Paule Zeyner. It was a pleasure to play with these two. Their experience and musicality allowed us to prepare in double-quick time but with great results.
And I'll be playing again before I leave Germany. If you're reading this in or near Berlin (where I currently am) pop down to see me on 29th August at Laika around 8.00 where Anna has invited me to play. It's a joy in store for me.
Also, I'm currently ensconced in the funky Die Fabrik, a hotel in the equally funky Kreuzberg quarter here (a place that has been mentioned in my songwriting before now). I'm trying to get some writing done in the week or so that I have before m'lady Angelika arrives for our three-week holiday together in the city. (I'm treating it like my own Chelsea Hotel.)
I'm enjoying being a singer-songwriter again.
S. x
Btw, I spent Bitcoin last night for the first time - in Room 77 'the restaurant at the end of capitalism': I'm cutting-edge, I am.
