It’s only Rock and Roll
We were supposed to play tomorrow on top of some dam somewhere opening up for Torfrock. That translates as “Peat Moss Rock” or something. Their fans are known to get wild. Wild like throwing tomatoes and other objects. I don’t know, I’ve just heard. Their claim to fame is that they recorded the theme song to a cartoon series called “Werner”. So we were supposed to open for them tomorrow. If it would have gone through we would have played for a few hundred people (500+ by some estimates). Some history…
First the gig was booked and we had to cancel because we don’t have a steady bass player. Fine, whatever. That’s how it goes.
Since I thought the gig was canceled I had planned with Jens to go down to Southern Germany this weekend and participate in some weird ancient German tradition called a Kirchweih*. I had wanted to do this for years and was really looking forward to it.
Then we got a bass player together who knows the songs and said he would sit in with us. So the show was back on and I had to cancel with Jens. Damn. I really wanted to go but the chance to play for that many people doesn’t come along everyday.
Today I get a call that the whole show was called off because the promoter forgot (and this is just hearsay because I can’t believe anyone can be this stupid) to arrange the sound system. When he realized his folly he tried to book one today and with such short notice it was impossible without spending an arm and a leg. I’m sure there are many other interesting details to which I am not privy but it’s a colossal fuck-up nonetheless.
This means I could have gone to the Kirchweih but it was too late as jens was already underway and I would have to take Mon and Tues off and I couldn’t do it on such short notice (scheduled meetings, appointments, facade of professionalism, the usual).
Yes it sucks but what can you do? Nada zip zero stingy wit dinero. Typical Rock and Roll if you ask me though.
*Kirchweih- sort of like a church’s birthday or local fair but in this case it was different. In this small village, somewhere near Nuremburg, it has been the tradition for hundreds of years, that starting on Saturday all the single men in the village get good and drunk and go out into the forest and find a nice tree. Then they cut it down and cut off all the branches (Ah yes, copious amounts of alcohol and sharp implements of destruction. What could go wrong?). The tree is then dragged into the center of the village and stood straight up. There it must stand until monday night. The men have to protect the tree from invaders from the neighboring villages who will surely try to steal the tree in order to embarrass the village elders or something like that. Nevermind that no one from any neighboring villages has tried to steal the tree in like the last 500 years. It is tradition and it must be kept. While the tree is under heavy guard the guards are heavily intoxicated. So basically it is just an excuse for the single men in the village to drink for 3 days straight. Why they need an excuse I don’t know but more power to ’em I say. What a great tradition it is. Or so I have been told. Who could blame me for wanting to participate?