Sweden 2009, part 1

JUNE 10
It's 4:30 in the morning, California time. I kiss my cats goodbye, hop in the car with my sweetheart, and he drives me to the airport. He's not feeling well, so our goodbye is brief. But I know despite his pounding headache, he'll miss me as much as I'll miss him. The adventure begins.

JUNE 11
After flights to Newark, Stockholm, and Ostersund, I arrive on June 11 very tired but ecstatic to see my band member in Aftermath again. It's really hard to be away from them for such a long time, even though we work very well together long distance. We have some gigs planned, as well as some creative time and recreation. Sadly, I seem to have caught a sinus and throat infection right before I left, so most of the first day is spent jetlagged and in bed, though I do manage to spend an hour or so in rehearsal. The band is based, and I am staying, in Hammerdal, which is exactly 62 km from the middle of nowhere. I love it.

Timo's grandparents are letting me stay with them... I love them already.

JUNE 12
Gig today!! We played at a place in Stromsund for 2 hours. People were really getting into it... we seem to have made some new fans. I had a hard time singing because of my stuffy nose and sore throat, but the band did a couple of covers here and there to give me a break, and we powered through it. After the gig I was still very tired and jetlagged so I went home and tried to sleep. Not easy... the sun does not really set here this close to midsummer high in the north. I finally got to sleep by wrapping a scarf over my eyes to block the light.

JUNE 13
Today Tobias (guitarist) and I met up with some of his friends and went to a Medieval Faire. We were too late for the tournament, but arrived in time for the dinner and entertainment. Everyone except a few people like me were in costume. The food was served on wooden platters and was rustic and tasty. Our knight had won the tourney but was otherwise lame. Catrin and I kept asking him to please make a speech or something to inspire his subjects, but he didn't, so we elected a new knight... some old guy at our table named Knut ( I think). The other knight eventually got tired of our disloyalty to his realm (table) and left.

I got quite inebriated. Actually, we all did. The girl who was part of the performing group somehow found out I was a singer and handed me her guitar to play and sing. It was a Larivee, my favorite guitars after Taylors. I don't think I did it justice with my croaking. =p

After we left the fair, we went to a couple of different hosues to meet with friends, then back to Timo's where apparently Tobias and I got into a very eomtional discussion about how much we love the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and Tobias cried, and Timo almost puked with disgust, and Tobias passed out on the floor.

An interesting evening.

JUNE 14
I'll admit, most of this day was spent getting over the day before. My bad. Timo and I saw a movie at Jocke's (drummer) house, "The Cave." It sucked just a little.

JUNE 15
Not much today... we were supposed to play a gig, but it was outdoors and the weather has been shitty so it got moved to Wednesday. Instead, we went and saw "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" at Alex's house, then drove Karlsson (guitarist) back to Stromsund. On the way back, we took a side road and I saw several mooses! Moose? mooses? Meese? =p Truthfully it was breathtaking.

JUNE 16
UGH!!! Henrik (bassist) I HATE YOU!!!!! Just kidding of course. I could not sleep at all, and not one hour after I finally dropped off, he storms into my room saying "wake uuuuuuuup, we have photo shoot today! waaaaaaake uuuuuuup!"

UGH.

So I got myself put together and we had a photo session on location at a great spot that Timo and Alex scouted the day before. You'll see the pictures later, closer to the album release date.

That evening, we played car bingo. Yes, it is as idiotic and entertaining as it sounds. You buy bingo cards, sit in your car, they announce the numbers over the loudspeaker, and if ou get a bingo you honk your horn and yell "BINGO!" Nice thing is, after 3 games, the guys didn't have to translate the numbers for me anymore. =))

JUNE 17
Gig today!!!! outdoors, the weather was gorgeous! I think there were 10,000 mosquitoes for every human. The gig went well. There was some video shot, and I think pictures taken... no idea where they ended up.

JUNE 18
Today we had a photo session and interview with the regional newspaper. The photographer and reporter were both very nice, and somewhat amazed that I would travel as far as I do to be in this band.

We also needed to go to Stromsund to buy booze for the big midsummer party. All the liquor stores are state-run here and sort of a pain. I almost cried.... not a single bottle of good tequila. I settled for Jameson's.

Not far from Stromsund is a site where there are 5000-year-old rock paintings on a big cliff right by a lake. We hiked to the site - it was beautiful! - only to find that time and misus are fading the paintings. I wish more was being done to preserve this archeological treasure.

A long drive awaited us afterwards, for we decided to go to the Dead Falls, which is a good hour and a half from Stromsund. Check it out, it's an interesting place. http://www.bispgarden.net/e-dodafallet.htm

I fell asleep on the way back. No surprise as I had not really slept the night before.... damn the light!

JUNE 19
MIDSUMMER!!!!!!!!! A huge holiday here. I had heard rumors, but dared not think they could be true. Turns out they were.

I spent the day with the band and Timo's family. I saw an old house in Hammerdal that is like a museum, and could "feel" the previous occupants, as I touched their possessions. The cross was raised, the children danced around it, and then we were off to Timo's mom's house. I ate moose and other delicious dishes, drank too much, tackled Tobias like a fottball player, and otherwise misbehaved but not in a bad or shameful way. Since this is a blog that my coworkers and students will likely read, I'll keep it clean. At least I didn't fall asleep in the middle of the road like Karlsson apparently did last year!!!!!

JUNE 20
Officially designated as Band Hangover Recovery Day. Useless.

JUNE 21
Sunday. We packed up and headed for the Camping place in Stockholm where we are staying for the next six nights while we play 2 gigs and take a trip to the studio where the boys recorded their tracks. It was a long but uneventful drive. I got to see a lot of beautiful countryside.

Our cabin sleeps six comfortably thanks to 3 sets of bunk beds, and there is a cofeemaker, though the walk to the bathroom is longer than I'd like. And the boys are sort of smelly. =p

JUNE 22
Today we drove into Stockholm and went to the Natural History Museum, and saw an Imax movie about the Colorado River and Grand Canyon. After that we went to see the vasa, a ship which sank in Stockholm Harbor in the 1600s and was recovered and preserved intact at a museum. Truly fascinating.. have a look at http://www.vasamuseet.se/InEnglish/about.aspx

More later!