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Apparently
Russell frequently missed training....
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The
Start:
Tuesday,
!4th March
Today
we are off to Philadelphia via New Jersey
to begin another month in the United
States of America and to make this journey
all the more interesting, our connecting
flight has been cancelled so we are
obliged to herd a flock of twenty-odd
bags onto the train at Newark airport.
This would be impossible without the
good-natured Trinidadian staff at the
Railway station, one of which informs
me he played football as a youth with
wayward genius Russell Latapy.
Surely
this is an omen of good things and we
should perhaps support Trinidad and
Tobago in their upcoming foray into
World Cup football in Germany as Scotland
are without representation in the tournament
this time around. Moreover, St Johnstone
striker Jason Scotland leads the attacking
line for T & T so, in a straw-grasping
way, Scotland did make it to the World
Cup in 2006. All the more reason to
support them. Upon our arrival at Philadelphia,
the porter tells us he was born on St.
Patrick’s Day, so surely good
Ju Ju is with us.
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Our
first three days consist of playing in
schools for pupils in and around Malvern
Pennsylvania culminating in an evening
concert on Friday. This is both a great
opportunity to show the kids they are
not obliged to become office workers and
for us to kick around a football in each
successive school gymnasium. That adds
up to at least three games a day so the
highly honed team of Battlefield Band
Disintegrated begins to take shape...
from left to right: Special
Brews Grobbelaar, Rob Van Santelroy, Reidaldo,
Battystuta & Tattystuta
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A
by-product of this educational work
is that we are finished each day at
four o’clock. This is highly unusual
and affords us the opportunity to take
advantage of the happy hour at the Chicago
style pizza corporation bar next to
our hotel: Surely the best method to
both rid ourselves of jet-lag and put
on those unwanted pounds as recommended
by both Chuck Norris (www.chucknorris.com)
and our very own stylist, personal trainer
and fitness guru, Rob Bon Sante.
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| Saturday,
18th March.
The schools and the concert are great
and after four nights in Pennsylvania,
we are up and running and ready to squeeze
ourselves and our instruments into the
smallest van we can find and drive up
to Roxbury in the snowy wilds of upstate
New York: The Hilt Kelley Hall is a great
small theatre run by the Roxbury Arts
group and has the feel of a highland village
hall. There is a space at the front for
visual art and they run workshops as well
as concerts. Unfortunately we have to
re-sardine the van and drive off to Albany
for an early flight to Florida in the
morning.
Sunday,
19th March
The
Greek fishing village of Tarpon Springs
lies on Tampa Bay: An expansive and populace
bay on the Mexican side of Florida. The
Theatre here is part of the town hall
and is run by techies Mike and Mark who
do a great job and everything runs smoothly.
After the show we find a bar in town run
by a Liverpuddlian and a lassie from Glasgow
who has arrived in Florida via Majorca
and they kindly find it in their hearts
to keep the bar open for us.
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| Monday,
20th March.
Mike the Techie, himself
from a Greek family, recommends an excellent
Restaurant at the Harbour where we dine
with our old chum and colourful Texan,
Dale Gross before we head off to Kissimee
near Orlando for a night off before tomorrows
flight back to the snow. A popular holiday
destination for Brits as well as Americans
Orlando, and especially this part of Kissimee
, exhibits all of the class of Las Vegas
married with the style and grit of a Tenerife
Time share.
Thankfully we happen upon
Coconut Willy’s. No, not an entry
from “Captain Van Sante’s
Dutch Navy Encyclopaedia of Salty Medical
Complaints”, but a “British”
pub. The landlord is an affable fellow
from Essex with the lizard-like countenance
befitting any northern European who moves
to the sun. We are doubly in luck as not
only is Monday night “ happy hour”
all night long – this is our kinda
time-keeping – but it is also karaoke
tonight though not before a marathon of
pool and Lynard Skynard with the locals.
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Aaar,
I'll tell you, a case of the Coconut Willys
is nowt after you've suffered from the
Sandy Bells.
Aaar etc. |
| Tuesday,
21 March.
After the balmy nights
in Florida, it is back to Heavy snow in
the Ohio River Valley. So much so that
Shockarooney, the gig in Covington, Kentucky
is postponed until the 26th. Shockarooney!
No gig! As
such we have no recourse but to go for
a Turkish meal and yet another Happy Hour
– 10 p.m. until Midnight –
at Donna’s in downtown Covington.
Though in Kentucky, Covington is really
attached to Cincinatti, Ohio which lies
directly across the river.
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Sean looks after the gear
on tour...
(While my guitarist gently sleeps) |
Wednesday,
22nd March.
We
spend this day promoting tomorrows concert
both on Television and Radio. The Radio
program is particularly enjoyable with
host Nick Lawrence at WUKY
– University of Kentucky public
Radio. Aside from playing live around
a couple of microphones and mixing the
bagpipes spatially – this manoeuvre
requires running to the furthest point
from the microphone between whistle and
bagpipe parts – Nick’s style
and turn of phrase provided much enjoyment.
Any man that can call Alan the “Pope
of Battlefield Band” is certainly
doing something right.
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After
Nick’s radio show, we are off to
Desha’s for steaks and beer with
Allan Mann who is promoting tomorrows
concert. Al is originally from Brechin
though he finds himself now in Georgetown
Kentucky running the Upbeat Cafe, a tip
top café and live music venue.
(www.downtownfolk.com)
After we eat it is time for a carry out
– no mean feat in a state where
every other county is dry – and
off to our hotel to watch a dvd of “Still
Game” on Rob’s
computer. Al has been away from Scotland
for some years so he is particularly thirsty
for the opportunity to update his ken
of the highpoints in modern Scottish culture
– Qvality. |
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