AL SLAVIK: News

31st of December 2007


40 (plus) degrees celsius in Melbourne,the last day of the year 2007...
Its midday and just got back from shopping buying the last supplies for new years eve.
I had a swim this morning,early enough not to get burnt by the Australian sun which is pretty though on my European skin.
At 9am the sand of St Kilda beach was nearly too hot to walk towards the refreshing and cooling water but every step was worth it.
Yes its summer in Australia but iam not telling you this to make my friends in the northern hemisphere full with envy,in fact,when you´re exposed to temperatures like these
its best to hide in your house close all windows,put up the blinds and try to stay cool...(the whole scenario can be compared to a very cold winters day..you do exactly the same:
seek shelter in your (hopefully)well isolated four walls...)

I havent got aircon but a fan is all i need to make it bearable.just about...
Everything slows down,your body,your brain...no people on the streets,even the beach is emptier than usual...you would be insane to expose yourself to those rays in the middle of the day...some still do it...i really dont know how...all i can do is to sit on my computer and write the last newsletter of 2007 (and iam struggling to focus...another coffee will help..)

So whats new..

Firstly...since i got back to Melbourne at the beginning of November i have mainly been working on my upcoming album (or maybe albums...?)
There are more than thirty plus songs to pick from and every day is full of surprises...some songs that i felt were good but not strong are developing into something much bigger than expected...really love that process since you never know whats round the corner..eventhough you think you got an idea where its all going...NO...you dont!
And surprises are almost always welcome ...you know what i mean..the good ones especially;-)
Slowly but surely its all taking shape and iam pretty happy with the progress eventhough it will be a while till i put something out in the open...maybe i´ll create a secret site only for the newsletter subsribers to get some reactions...who knows....but thats future talk right now...

One Instrument that had a profound effect on the creative process for this album is my new Chapman Stick.
Last year i visited Emmett Chapman and he was kind enough to let me try his personal instrument...from the first touch i fell in love with the 10 string Grand Stick..i wanted to take it with me...even added a comment on the last picture of the photo story "NO...you can´t have it back..."(pics can be found on the photo page)
I´ve been in touch with Emmett on a regular basis eversince and one day he asked me wether i would be interested in his instrument...well,what could i say !!
Needless to mention that iam now the proud owner of the very 10 String Grand that i played at Emmetts house a year ago...and its a beauty!
Emmett,if you´re reading this:
Thanks a lot mate !
It trully means a lot and you should know that its in loving and good hands and i will treasure "the Time machine" ;-) forever..


BASS BY AL


Its been a long time in the making but now i can announce that my virtual bass instrument "BASS BY AL" is available from AMG-UK
You can get it at: http://www.samples4.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=739
here is the official press release:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over 700 Bass Loops and over 100 One Shots performed by Al Slavik!

About Al Slavik: Over the years Al has played on hundreds of albums in Europe and the UK. Apart from his work as a Bass/Stickplayer he’s also an artist, composer and producer in his own right. To find out more you can visit his website www.Alslavik.com
“‘Bass by Al’ has been many years in the making. Featuring various musical styles, different Bass techniques and Chapman Stick riffs the musical material was specifically created for ONE to ensure the best result possible.

For me it’s NOT about the ‘ultraclean sound’.... it’s rather the opposite! Whenever i get invited to a production, artists and producers are looking for something special and exciting, a different angle perhaps... and always something to make the music more ‘alive’. I gave it my best shot to achieve a simular result with this library and hope that you have as much fun using ‘Bass by Al’ as i had making it. I definately didn´t hold back ;-) “ - Al Slavik

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I started recording for this project back in London after talking with Matt and Lee from AMG-UK,a renowned company which already has released numerous sample projects by Phil Gould,Keith LeBlanc,Neil Conti,Steve White,Norman Cook aka Fat Boy Slim and many more....

The takes were recorded in Studios in England,Vienna and Melbourne...
So if you are in need of happening and highly individual Bass and Stick lines BASS BY AL is the ONE for you !
(i normaly dont boast about my work but this time i make an exception ....am serious...its great... and ...i mean it !!)




more news and photos to follow soon,iam melting away right now and need an ice cold drink ;-)


for now though i wish you all a happy new year

may 2008 will bring health joy and happiness

best

Al

http://www.alslavik.com

Back in Vienna,still recovering from that nasty virus,i was invited to play on some albums.
Once again it felt great to be back in my hometown,i walked the quiet streets, met with old friends and made the most of stuffing myself with Austrian food.
I simply cant hold back,specially when grandma is cooking..(and she doesnt take no for an answer..)
Had great times with my good friend Mats Jakisic,great violinist and musical allrounder..he´s like a younger brother to me...
It so happened that another of my good old friends was in Austria at the same time.
Christian Eigner just finished work on the new Dave Gahan album in New York and had time to play drums for my upcoming album..
We go way back and we both seem to be able to read our minds having worked together for so many years.
Making music and hangin with him was an absolute pleasure once again...
We recorded at Dieter Libuda´s new studio in Lower Austria which made the whole process even more special and enjoyable; Dieter is a master at his craft,a great musician and top engineer. (you´ll find some pictures of the session on the photo page)
I dont really wanna say much at this stage,only that the new album that iam working on will be quite something...there´s still a lot to do....

Of course i couldnt resist visiting Villa Berging again.
This organic farm is based on the top of a hill,overlooking a picturesque landscape,and my buddy Uli,the landlord, is one of the most interesting people i´ve ever met.
It didnt come with a surprise that some discussions went till early morning...

Just before i was heading back to Oz i heard a rumour that Angus "Bangus" Thomas was back in town.I met Angus years ago,before i actually moved to London.
He first came to Vienna to teach bass at the A.I.M.( having played with Miles Davies definately qualified him for the job)
We hit it off then,when we played some shows together (two bassguitars and a drummer...mayhem,what else ;-)and we hit off 15 years later...great to see him again.

The night before my departure i went to a local gig organised by keyboard maestro Geri Schuller.
Naturally the gig turned into a jamsession and later into a party....great fun

So many more stories to tell... maybe another time....

prost

Flew to London on the 13th of September,a few months before my mate Simon and Dee invited me to their wedding.
I was determined to come,even more determined to talk some sense into him ..no..actually more into her;-)
So i had all my arguments ready when i arrived and met up with them,"dont do it" etc..all that stuff...
but when i saw the happy couple a night before the big day i simply had to accept that they are made for each other...
i rested my case and enjoyed the harmonious evening...
The big day..the stage was set (and Simon loves his stage;-)...sunshine...no rain (worth mentioning...after all this is England)
all went according to plan,the usual scenario unfolded,all the guests got hammered slowly but surely..myself included..
Best man Phil Dearing was in charge of the musical entertainment and did a great job(Phil and Simon are also called "STILL",great band..you might wanna check out their myspace site,they are amongst my topfriends...) before that he made me cry with laughter bringing back memories of strange tour moments (and there have been a few...)
Mike Westergaard was there too...and last but not least my soulbrother Gus Isidore...it was a great night.


Two days later it was time to meet my longtime friend and musician extraordinaire Phil Gould so i traveled to beautiful Dorset were i stayed at Phil´s house.
Its been a while since we saw each other and of course i brought Austrian schnaps with me to celebrate.
There we recorded more tracks for his upcoming Solo album soon to be released...as i mentioned to many people..."This album is gonna be stunning!!"
We also went to the Isle of Wight and hooked up with Rupert Brown to add more overdubs in a studio in an old 13th century house (go to the photo page)
,I lived in the UK for more than 9 years so the lush english countryside resonates with me,so does the
"you want a cuppa?"question during recording...not to mention the great sense of humour...

And it was exactly that sense of humour that was challenged the following week...
Apparently,while on the island,a nasty virus got to us,everything seemed fine but slowly all energy was sucked out.
Back in Dorset there was still a lot to do but progress was slow and we only managed to work a few hours a day,the rest of the time was spent in bed or on the sofa watching
Movies,Documentaries and the good old BBC (thank god for the BBC...i miss it a lot in Australia...)
We still had a good time...and no ,we didnt loose our humour..thats simply not possible with Phil ;-)

dont know why i like to write it all when it already happened,
iam bad at announcing gigs etc though this should really be in my interest...but the latest trip to Europe
wasnt so much bout playing concerts..i spent most of the time in studios around England and Austria recording
some great music that will soon be heard....


Beginning of September i flew from Melbourne to Vienna,its a bit of a journey but by now i really got used to the whole longhaul sardine in a box scenario..i actually enjoy it for some strange reason...is it the movies onboard?
or the food?...hmmm...maybe its just that you´re in between worlds...this can be quite a creative experience..unless
you´re put off by the guy next to you who´s is snoring louder than you are...
It all starts at the airport when you´re waiting to check in... it doesnt feel that you´re actually
still in the same town...you´re in transit and your mind is set on the journey ahead..
enough of that...iam sure you all know what iam talking about..
So arrived in Vienna,a good friend picked me up, and we went straight to a coffeehouse (Kaffeehaus),enjoyed the morning sun and chatted away...
If possible i try to give myself a couple of days to settle into the new timezone,sometimes its on (like in this case)
or sometimes its straight to work (which i dont mind either...in fact i played some of my best gigs in that jetlagged state..)
But since i havent seen my family for quite sometime it was beautiful to spend some time with them.

on a sad note:
It was during my first stay in Vienna when i heard that Joe Zawinul wasnt well (he moved back to Vienna,his hometown, a few years back
and opened a jazz club called Birdland in the basement of the Hilton hotel...)
A few days later,on the 11th of September 07, the great man passed away.

So many words have been written about him,but you only know who he was when you listen to his music...
Unfortunately i never had the chance to play with him,some good friends did...
to me he was one of the TRUE greats,groundbreaking and inspirational, ...one of a kind!!

It was getting colder,autumn arrived..and i was in a somber mood......

hello friends,fans and critics ;-)

Before iam off to Europe for some projects i decided to put some new
live recordings on my website.

So now you can download the whole Live@The Toff-Gig ...thats 8 tracks
of unpolished cuts of raw life music!

Feel absolutely free to share the music...iam an artist..no greedy
record company;-)

AND of course i'd love to hear YOUR opinion!

Let me know what you think,keep those emails coming and i will
respond ..as always

all the best& enjoy

Al


ps:"Freestyle bass" is now available as a download too;-)

hi everyone

Many people asked me when i gonna come and play in
America/Europe/Japan etc...So for the time being the next best thing
was to upload some new live tracks on my myspace-site ...

All the songs you can hear where recorded live in Melbourne on the
28th of July 2007 in a club called "The Toff in Town".

When i listened to the gig a week later i thought..why not let it out
into the open of the WWW.

So here we go..those recordings are straight from the desk,pure
energy,no editing,no fixing,no nothing...this is as raw as it gets !

live&rough.....perfectly imperfect ;-)

Its Davey Porter on drums,Steve MacKay on guitar and me singin and
playing bass and the Chapman Stick...

many thanks to John McDiarmid who mixed and recorded the show....

to listen to them go to:
http://www.myspace.com/alslavikmusic
i also added a few pics from that show on the Photo page.


enjoy...
Al

ps:more news to follow very soon !!

After busy times moving house and fighting the flue and other
things...iam back on track and things are looking up ;-)

This Saturday,28th of July, i'll play with the trio (Davey Porter on
drums and Steve MacKay on guitar) in "The Toff in Town".
Its been a while since i played with the Trio so this something to
look forward to,the gig might also be recorded..a live album in the
making?...we'll see...

Its gonna be a great musical evening with three acts:

Al Slavik Trio
Coby Grant (and band)
Ben Smith Band

starting at 8pm !!

adress:
"The Toff in Town"
Level 2,Curtin House
252 Swanston st (above "Cookie")
Melbourne


tips for the following week:

August 2nd:

CD Lauch in Bennett's Lane

my dear friends and fellow Which Way Music artists Luke Howard and
Lenny Grigoryan present their highly anticipated instrumental album "Stationary" !

fantastic musicians and great great music ,simply a "must see"event !

with Darryn Farrugia, Leonard Grigoryan, Luke Howard, Ben Robertson,
and special guests.

9 pm
25 Bennetts Lane, Melbourne, Victoria 3000


August 3rd:

I'll be joining Aussie band Matt Finish on bass
@the Espy,Gershwin Room
8.30

August 4th:

another gig with Matt Finish this time with special guest Kevin
Borich ...

in Canberra (Southern Cross Club,8.30)


thats all for now,

all the best and take care

Al

Its been a while eversince i left a new post.
trying to make up for it now...
Many good things have happened and many good things will eventually unfold (its nice to be optimistic isnt it ;-)
Eversince the residency in the fabulous Z Lounge ´have been playing many more gigs in Melbourne.
This city has a thriving Live- scene which can´t be said bout many other towns so i feel that iam at the right place right now.
Its been a while since i released a new album and many of you would love that to happen sooner than later...at this point i have to thank you for all your messages and feedback .
Being an indipendent artist you have to juggle many balls at the same time and this can be quite confusing (at least for me...)
So when you are in your "email mood" or have your imaginary business suit on (no way that could ever happen to me in real life ) music can take second place every once in a while..
HANG ON..what did i just write there???
Actually iam really shocked that i just wrote this...never ever thought that music would come second because its my true love....
So lets go back to music,the thing that really matters..
There are many gems in my "Vault" but somehow the time wasnt right to let them out into the open,iam still looking for clarity and because those ideas are so various iam planning on releasing not one but maybe three,four albums in different formats over the next months (lets hope its not years cause while iam working on recordings there´s a great chance that many more songs will see the light of day... )
Iam planning to record
a Bass solo album,a Live album with my band here in Australia and a studio album(the songs are all nearly there but i somehow keep waiting for the right moment,the right mood,the right..hmmm..there you go,its the efficient mind of an artist..they are very strange people...)

OOhhh,nearly forgot:
uploaded two more Live tracks ...the last one (Freestyle bass) has had more than 7000 plays to this date so i thought you might enjoy the new ones.
"Man from the sea" and "Don´t Despair" where cut at a gig at LIVE@ Crown in Melbourne this February

in the meanwhile,thanks for all your support and emails!
enjoy and keep them coming...
peace

Al

hey hey...
I just started a residency in The Z Lounge,a very cool club in St Kilda,Melbourne...
This will give me the chance of showcasing some of my material as
well playing with friends of mine.
where: The Z Lounge
362 St Kilda road (between Inkerman and Carlisle)

when:
every Thursday 9.30pm

Its a great vibe there so come on over

peace

Al

Dear Friends
Just in case you didn´t know:

You also can visit me on My Space: http://www.myspace.com/alslavikmusic
best

Al

After spending Christmas in Austria i finally have some time to settle again.
End of last year i have been to three continents in a month or so...maybe a bit too much..hmmm...so its good to have my feet on solid ground again.
Christmas in Vienna was wonderful as always.This time even more special cause i haven´t seen my family for nearly two years.
Time to reflect,time to hatch new plans and of course time to make music with dear friends again.
anyway

take care

best

Al

I just got back from LA where i had some meetings but also had time to catch up with friends!
I actually surprised Adrian Belew during one of his shows...
It was so good to see him again and i´ll never forget his face when i went close to the stage to say hi !
Also had a great time meeting fellow Stickplayer and allround great guy Don Schiff and the man who actually invented The Stick...Mr Emmett Chapman.
what can i say...such a pleasure and GREAT TIMES !

please go to the Photo page to see more...pictures capture so much words cannot describe.
(A BIG thank you to my friend Gina Ortiz for those lovely pictures )

Gee it´s been a while...sorry for the lack of updates !

Here´s what i´ve been up to in the last months:
The main time was spent in my studio working on new material
but I´ve also done some interesting things with other musicians...

In June i played two shows with George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) who came to Oz for some guitar clinics.
Davey Porter (drums) and I had about 15 minutes to rehearse the songs at the first soundcheck and off we went.....bring on the shredding !

l also played bass clinics/presentations alongside David Nordschow (founder and mastermind of EDEN-Electronics) who came to Australia to introduce his formidable Bass amps...

I wanted to write some news recently but nothing could have prepared me for the sad news i received from Adrian Belew on friday the 28th of july...
Ken Latchney,his longtime friend and engineer had died the night before.
I only spent 3 weeks with Ken on Adrians Australian tour but in that short time we became good friends,shared thoughts,hotelrooms and laughter and i was very sad to say goodbye when he and Adrian left to the states.Little did i know that i would never see my friend again.He touched so many people, made so many friends in Australia alone,how many must miss him worldwide...
For all of you who went to see Adrians gigs in Australia...Ken mixed those concerts,always making sure that it sounded perfect.
After every gig we would look at each other and he would say "Schlavik !!!" after that we had our "bearhug"....(photopage)
I will miss him dearly and offer my condolences to his family and Camp Belew.

Just came back from the mighty tour with Adrian...
My next gig in Melbourne is on saturday 20th May in the Cornish Arms 9pm where i will perform my songs with Ben Edgar(git),Luke Howard (keys) and Davey Porter(drums)
see ya there...

Adrian Belew will be coming to Australia in April/May and I´ll be joining him on this tour.

This is Adrian’s first solo tour in Australia (he was here as David
Bowie’s guitarist previously) and he will be performing classic King
Crimson tunes and new material from his solo catalogue. His latest
efforts include the Grammy nominated “Side One” and the recently
released “Side Two “.
Adrian was discovered by Frank Zappa while playing in a
covers band in Nashville and Zappa auditioned him and quickly added
him to the band. Adrian developed a reputation as a guitar wizard and
has since been the weapon of choice as an innovative “stunt guitarist”
for Zappa, Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Laurie Anderson, Nine
Inch Nails, Tori Amos and many others.
Fans of King Crimson will recognise Adrian as the principle architect
(vocals and lead guitar) of their sound since he joined the band,
recording what many fans consider their finest record “Discipline,”
which was released in 1981.

Website-Update
Hi everyone,its been a while...
I managed to update my website again so feel free to have a look at the goodies that I´ve provided .
Whats new ....?
1) Interview with -Australian Guitar-Magazine (in the Press-section)
2) New Songs in the Listen-Section (including a Live-Bass-Performance called -Freestyle Bass-)
3)I also provided backround information and/or lyrics for each song...just click on the songtitel and a new window opens up...
4) The Secret One is now also available on I-Tunes Australia (just go to the Albums-section)

So whats new in the world of Al..?
Hmmm,
Well, its all going pretty well, I experienced my first full Australian summer here in Melbourne instead of wearing my winter clothes back in Europe...
I don´t have to mention that it can get incredibly hot,some days were simply over the top...but I am sure that I am not the only one who´s suffering with 43 celsius in the shade.
My European winter-proof body simply can´t function properly and so I had no choice but to enjoy some days of basically doing nothing......
Ok, I admit,this goes against all rules of our society where being busy (no matter what you do) is THE state of existence...BUT you must understand that everything about Australian summer is pretty laid back....The entire nation shuts down in January and the first half of February!!!
Nothing, absolutely nothing happens...everybody is on holiday and/or on the beach...(or seeking shelter from the blazing sun in my case :-)
For me it was a time for reflection and creativity,I´ve been working away in my studio and walked away round Albert Park Lake and St Kilda Beach while listening to new ideas in search for new lyrics and arrangements...
I always find it hard to write while on the road ,its just a completely different mindset .
So I treasure times like these....
People often say : Time is money....fair enough...though in my case it goes : Time is Music :-)
It simply takes time to write and create something new...sometimes you just have to step back to actually understand what it is that you created....
Some ideas take years to show their true nature,or better it takes me that long to discover it; others present themselves ready on a golden plate...funny that...
One example is -Goodbye Vienna-, when I wrote it I was singing the melody that Slava Grigoryan would later play so brilliantly in his own way on Continental Shift.
I truly love this instrumental version but I also hear a song with vocals and a different arrangement....and finding lyrics for such a personal song is a long process (at least for me)...I just want to do it justice...
I am not getting bored ,lets put it this way...:-)

Thanks so much for all your e-mails and messages in my guest-book,
Keep´em coming, its always great to hear from you :-)

all the best and take care
Al

On Nov 26th there will be a very special concert.
The musicians:
Slava & Lenny Grigoryan (git),
Luke Howard (piano,keys),
Nick Karisavidis (drums),
Al (Vocals,bass,Chapman Stick)
Where:
The Cornish Arms (163A, Sydney Road,Brunswick,Melbourne)
Time:8.30

see ya there!!!

I gonna start a residency with band in "The Felton",a new venue on 87-89 Aclandstreet,St.Kilda,Gigs will be on Thursdaynights starting from 25th of August...
Those nights will give me an opportunity to play old songs,new songs,new ideas...as well as sharing the stage with friends and guestperformers...

So if you are based in Melbourne you know where you could have some fun
on a thursday-night !!!(starts at 8pm)

Hi everyone,
i just updated the site again, put all tracks of "On The Air" on my homepage.
"On the air" is an album i recorded with my first band "Bass by Al" back in Vienna in 94.
After recording loads of songs on my four-track in previous years i was lucky enough to find the right musicians to realise and share my vision in a bandformat.Robert Altmann(guitar) and Nico Bernhard(drums) and myself (voc,bass,Stick)rehearsed for a couple of months before we played our first gig in Vienna in February 92,loads of gigs followed and in 94 we recorded this album in a studio in the Vienna Konzerthaus.This recording still means a lot to me.It is a production with Live-spirit and when you hear those tracks you pretty much have an idea how this three-piece-band sounded live.(apart from a few overdubs)
The title track received heavy airplay in Austria and also made it onto a Hitbreaker-sampler that was released in Germany,Switzerland and Austria...
all the best
and seas
Al

now you can listen to samples of "Continental Shift" in the "listen-section" ,as mentioned before this album is a collaboration with Slava Grigoyan (available in recordstores throughout Australia).
Also put some new photos from Europe in the photogallery...

Hi everyone,
It has been manic so please forgive that it took so long.
I hope you enjoy some impressions of my European trip !

I just spent nearly two months in good old Europe where I recorded lots and played some gigs.
After one day in Vienna (I simply had to be in Austria for mothersday to see my family)I flew to England and recorded whats gonna be Phil Goulds Solo-album in his house in Dorset.It was great fun hanging and playing with Phil,Mike Lindup and Miles Bould and to make things even better Mike Westergaard was in charge of the recordingprocess.I met Mike way back when Slava and I recorded “Another night in London” in Studio 99,London;he also mixed my Solo-album“The Secret One” which is gonna be released in Australia later this year...
Back to Phils Album…its gonna be a beauty !!! …not the typical drummer-album at all; besides his skill&tasteful drumming the man is a great songwriter and lyricist as he proved with Level 42 in the past…We also managed to play a gig in a small local club called Monkey´s where we played a real mixture of songs by Phil ,Mike Lindup and myself, old classics like Stratus by Billy Cobham and some Level 42 classics to finish off a great night .

Back in Vienna I hooked up with good friends and spent some time with my family...
Vienna ,my place of birth , always gives me inspiration.It’s a beautiful town and everytime iam back I walk down memorylane for hours…here I found time for reflection because this city was also the starting point of my journey that has brought me to many parts of the world…
I organised a concert at the Villa Berging,a beautiful organic farm outside of Vienna where I had great times in the past.
It’s a magical place with incredible views and everytime I played there the jams went on till dawn…This time was particulary special cause Slava and Lenny Grigoryan came over to Europe.Mats Jakisic,a great violinplayer who recorded strings for “Continental Shift” joined in the jam and Dieter Libuda who mixed and mastered “Continental Shift” brought his guitar too…it was great to hook up with many good friends including old buddy Christian Eigner who played drums on my album“The Secret One”.. .he´s a busy boy too and will play another tour with Depeche Mode starting later this year…Many thanks to Uli and Kraji for their hospitality,you are the soul of this magical place !!!

Then it was off to England again where we (Phil Gould,Mike Lindup,Slava & Lenny Grigoryan,Mats Jakisic and myself ) played another gig at Monkeys in Dorset and fell victim to Phil Goulds formidable Winecellar…say no more…
The next night was special too: Simon Strevens,singer of Uk band Still, celebrated his birthday and invited us over to celebrate .
It was another night of special musical (and drinking) performances in a London pub.
I was glad to see old friends i´ve worked with over the years; among the musical performers : Gus Isidore, Marie Claire Dubaldo, Still, Phil Dearing and his Bluestrain, Darryn Farugia, the Grigoryans and a certain bassplayer from Austria…
This evening brought back great memories of my time in London ,the hangover though reminded me that I should leave the beerdrinking to the Brits :--)

Back in Austria I played a few more studiosessions and enjoyed the summer before I headed off back to Melbourne were iam getting ready for the next release of Which Way Music.
The Secret one ,an album I recorded back in London will be released in Australia later this year…
more news later
till then
All the best and “SEAS “ !!!

just got back from touring `Continental Shift`with Slava...for those of you who have no idea bout the distances you have to cover when you are touring Australia...dont try this at home...
Its been great and we had a lot of fun (like always)...specially the last leg has been pretty intense and to make things worse the touring-party was hit by the flue...still we managed to carry on and play seven gigs in seven days ,the last being a Lunch-show at the Bellarine Estate.
Coming back to distances one travelday specially is worth mentioning:
We got up at 5am to drive from Woolongong to Sydney,there we catched a flight to Perth(4h 30 min..timedifference 2hours),from Perth we drove to Albany(Western Australia),another 6 hours drive....quite a travelday...(fortunately we didnt have a gig that night...) As an example a simular journey in Europe would mean:
driving from Manchester to London;flying from London to Moscow and then driving from Moscow to St. Petersburg...just that you get an Idea...But it all makes sense when you get such a warm response everywhere...Thanks for that!!!
Al

Now you find more information of the new album ´Continental Shift´on this site...you´ll find the cover on the Photo-page and i also provided a brief description and some links in the Shop-section ...all the best,Al

Hi everyone,
at the moment iam on tour with Slava Grigoryan.
This Australian Tour has been incredible fun so far,last week we played in Brisbane,on the Gold Coast and in Byron Bay,one of my favourite places in Australia...simply stunning...after that we had a day off in Melbourne.
After our shows in Deni and Katoomba(Blue mountains)`we drove back to Melbourne (what a ride)Tommorow we hit Sydney to promote `Continental Shift also playing on Kerri Anne´s TV-show(1pm).
From there we will travel to Canberra and Wollongong ,after that we´ll be flying to Western Australia to continue our tour.
Thanks so much for your all your emails and thanks for coming along to the gigs.We really enjoy playing those concerts and meeting you after the shows.till then,all the best,Al