Every March, dozens of D.C. artists join thousands of musicians from around the world at Austin, Texas’ massive South by Southwest Festival—a place where hopes are live-tweeted and dreams are expensively publicized. Is this the year the D.C. delegation makes its mark? There will be plenty of individual artists and bands making the Austin trek, but [...]
For the last few weeks, Arts Desk contributor Justin Moyer and his band, D.C. modern rock quartet Edie Sedgwick, were touring Europe. Here is his final dispatch.
Dear corrado90,
I write to express disappointment that you fucked me out of a 450 euro guarantee for a show at the club "Lo-Fi" in Milan on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. [...]
We drive more than six hours from Vienna to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia and the only stop on our tour outside the European Union. Booking Agent A., who’s planned this part of the trip, warns me that Croatian border police may prevent us from entering their country without an “auto carnet”—a list of our [...]
One of the hallmarks of Capital Fringe, however unpleasant, is the time spent on those sweltering nights on New York Avenue NW underneath the festival's Baldacchino Gypsy Tent, trying to drink away the thick, punishing heat. And sometimes, the booze isn't enough, but a band playing in the next room might ease the swampy brutality [...]
The drive from Piest’any to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is less than one hour. We kill time in Piest’any at two different bowling alleys. At the first, I manage to break 100. During a second game at a second bowling alley, I sleep in the car.
The venue in Bratislava is “Sub Club.” Sub Club is [...]
Boss J. drives us to the train station in Brno to meet Driver D., who will rejoin us for the rest of the trip. I pay Boss J. the rest of the money I owe him—about 16,000 Czech crowns, or 650 euro. I’m left with 1000 euro.
This is a crucial moment. The money we will [...]
We drive a little more than two hours to Brno (BURN-OH). We arrive early—always a problem. Some members of our traveling party want to sleep; others want to eat something vegan; others want to eat something not vegan; some want WiFi; some want to go to the music store; some are indifferent. Somehow, we kill [...]
We arrive in Novy Jicin (NO-VEE NEE-SIN)—a small city in the far east of the Czech Republic that looks like Annapolis, but without cadets or water—at dusk. The venue is called “Galerka.” We are served delicious vegan soup by a handsome young man with the left side of his head shaved, like Jason Newsted in [...]
Boss J., our driver for the next three days as Driver D. gets some rest, pilots our Ford Transit six hours through rain on country roads from Hradec Kralove in the Czech Republic to Krakow, Poland. We pass four car accidents, then stop counting. We also pass Auschwitz, and a huge poster of Chopin. The [...]
I wander Prague for two hours in search of a cowbell to replace the one I left in Bielefeld. I find one that is as bigger than my head for about 1500 Czech crowns, or 60 euros, or $80. The cowbell is enshrined in a glass case in the music store. I decide not to [...]
