This Hotel

Two gigs completed in Die Fabrik, my own personal Chelsea Hotel by the Spree.

Have to say I was intimidated by a sparse and incidental audience (not there specifically for the music) into playing mostly standards on night one (8th Aug). But last night I resolved to pull them on to my territory by sticking to the SH songbook and was rewarded by a warm response and the sale of half of my now dwindling stock of CDs.

Achim (see last post) showed up for a while in the second set and I sang the song I wrote about being in Die Fabrik hotel, written in Die Fabrik and entitled This Hotel. You have to, don't you?

Nina and Robert, running the bar, looked after me splendidly, creating the mood with strategically placed candles. An accidental tourist from Graz in Austria (we didn't expect live music!) bought all four available CDs (insisting on paying full price) and I gave a run out to many of my quiet solo numbers that usually only muscle in for one or two slots in a more upbeat set.

The energy of the place began to pick up as I was finishing - Berlin is a late, late city. Perhaps I'll start later next week.

I've long fancied finding a low-key bar with passing trade in which I could, over a year or two, build a following by playing regularly. This would be a great place. Pity it's 600 miles.