Spearhead-Home.com

SpearHeadBlogs

Gig reports and other special events

Latest Blog

All
Selected item(s): 81 - 90 of 116 item(s)

ASC
DESC

Page 9 of 12

Total item(s): 116

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

New Home for StayHuman.org - Berlin(DE)

2006-10-05

Posted: 2006-10-06 06:15:03

After two days&nights of backup&restore the database of the StayHuman Messageboard, it was done. Messageboard files and database is on the new server now. It seems the new server at mediaTemple is very fast. Good descision to change the provider. Looks like I can bring back in time the old features like sound playing and videos.

New European Tourdates - Berlin(DE)

2006-09-29

Posted: 2006-09-29 03:02:32

I can't believe it - they are coming to Berlin. WOW. I am so so haaappppyy.

Two more gigs in Germany. Berlin and Hamburg. Maybe I can go to both of them.

This makes my descion to cancel Eindhoven much more easier, although I wouldn't see all the spearits there - especially the Tripple-J's: Juiceman, Jurg and Johan.

Part of my Dream Team: Special report from the Festival in Brescia - IT

2006-08-27

Posted: 2006-08-27 23:59:11

(Radio Onda D'Urta Festival - Aug 24, 2006)

After I have seen the announced European tourdates in May it was clear that I couldn't make any gigs in Netherlands, Belgium or Germany because of my vacation in Finland. The only gigs which seemed to be possible would be one in the UK or Italy. UK or Ireland was to expensive so I looked for cheap flights to Italy and the Brescia-gig seemed to be this one. I ordered the tickets for the plane to Milano/Bergamo and the rest for the tour-travel I would manage in Italy. Problem for me was that my schedule was very strong because my son had his first schoolday (celebration and party) two days later so I had to leave very early the next morning after the gig.

One day before the gig we were coming back from the Finland vacation. There was a lot to prepare for the schoolday party. So I was going very early to bed because my flight the next day would be 6:20 am.

The gig day started at 4 am for me with coffee and some bread and I was leaving my home half'n hour later - taking the bus to the airboard not knowing if I would get the plane in time. Well, everything was ok, I could boarding and got the window place I had already reserved. Knowing that the flight was going directly over the Alps I was looking outside most of the time but it was very cloudy so there was not much to see. We arrived Bergamo at time - taking the bus to the railway station and arrived one hour later Brescia - raining all the time in the first hour. I was asking people where the festival should be located. Less people spoke English and knew where this should be but I found out that the festival area was more than 5 km outside of Brescia. How to go there?

Michael Franti & Spearhead @ Radio Onda D'Urta Festival - Brescia(IT)

2006-08-24

Posted: 2006-08-27 23:10:54

(Radio Onda D'Urta Festival - Aug 24, 2006)
- thanks Andrea

The gig started at 09:45 pm - so it was 45 min later than planned. The area before the stage was filled with a lot of people (maybe 1000 - at the end there were maybe 2000). They opened with "Time to go home" and "Yell Fire!" and the sound was excellent. During the whole gig I was changing my position from the backstage to the frontstage area. I was making pictures with my old slowly digi cam until it run down - here are Pics from the gig, providing Versace at the mixer with cigarettes and beer, helping Catherine to bring T-Shirts and CDs to the promo desk at the back of the mixer. It started raining again when they played "Sweet little lies" and Michael highlighted this with a lot of smile: "tell me that the rain won't fall today".

Michael Franti & Spearhead - Yell Fire! (EU) - Berlin(DE)

2006-07-21

Posted: 2006-07-21 21:46:10

(Yell Fire! - July 24, 2006)

It was announced "Yell Fire!" would be out on 24th of July in Europe but I could buy it already on 21st. I was so happy to have the CD now for my own although I knew already all songs of this record several weeks before (thanks Bodhi and Trendski).
Musically it changed from the two Spearhead records before. It became more reggae like. My favorites of this record are
Time to go home
What I have seen
followed by Yell Fire, East to the West, Light up your Lighter, Everybody ona move, ... See you in the light doesn't belong to this arragement in my opinion. I know I'm not alone sounds like an U2 songs but this is ok for me.

Michael Franti & Spearhead - I know I'm not alone (EU) - Berlin(DE)

2006-07-15

Posted: 2006-07-15 18:23:45

(I know I'm not alone - July 15, 2006)

I went to my local record store that day to order the new Yell Fire record but they told me that it will not be out before 21st July but they had already this single. Of course I bought it. "I know I'm not alone (Radio edit & album version)" is on this record and another blow up song "I've been away (Lighthouse Version)" which I already know from the live gigs. Great. Didn't know that there is this single out. Was never be promoted.

Little Axe @ Gruener Salon - Berlin(DE)

2006-06-09

Posted: 2006-06-10 01:34:56

Well, I was very excited about this gig. See Doug, Skip and Keith after 1 & 1/2 year again. I was calling at the venue Gruener Salon of Volksbuehne Berlin and they told that the gig will start later because of the beginning of the world championship in football and that Bernard Fowler (singer of Tack>>Head - at the moment on tour with Rolling Stones) would also join the gig. Wow. The whole Tach>>Head crew. I was writing some comments at the myspace sites of Tack>>Head, Little Axe and Doug Wimbish about this wonderful news.

Matisyahu @ Kalkscheune - Berlin(DE)

2006-05-18

Posted: 2006-05-19 21:56:13

It was really great and it was sold out. But from the first moment when I come into the venue Kalkscheune I knew that there was something strange according for security checks in Germany when a jewish artist performs. First at the entrance they were checkin the people for some weapons or bottles which could be thrown (this is ok). When I was coming inside I took something to drink and went in front of the stage. Around the stage they had build a security fence. So I already knew he will not making audience diving or something like that. There were some people I wouldn't expect in a reggae gig. Somekind of hype because it is an jewish artist but the rest of the audience fit to it. It should start at 9 pm but they let the audience wait more than an hour.

Damian Marley / Asian Dub Foundation Sound System - Berlin(DE)

2006-03-17

Posted: 2006-03-19 18:05:10

Yeah, on Friday night I saw Damian Marley, it was the same venue where Spearhead played the last time when they visited Berlin (Kulturbrauerei / Kesselhaus). In conclusion to the discussion why black people are missing at Spearhead, Parliament gigs I think there were a lot of black people (maybe more than 10%). I saw Papa Pretty very short at the beginnig of the show no time to talk with him more detailed. The Marley gig was totally sold out. It was ok but I was not really enthustiastic about the gig like I always be after a Spearhead gig.

Damian really was making a good job, he sang with his heart and also the two female background vocals but there were two thinks to mention which makes the whole gig that way. First of all there was one guy on the stage which was waving all the time the flag of Jamaika. It could be a good element for two or three songs but not the whole time (it was taking my concentration). Or he used it as a kind of ventilator for the actors than it would be ok. The second thing was the drummer. I thought he had problems to get in the songs. So they break several times a song with keyboard sound and other noise (so everybody thought it belongs to the show) and start again. They were playing 2 or three Father's classics like 'war' and 'Could you be loved' and I knew two songs from the new record: 'Road to Zion' and of course 'Welcome to JamRock'. It was very short. After 1 hour and some minutes break started the encore so it was only maybe 1 and a half hour. But the best was coming after the gig.

There is a club in Kreuzberg called Watergate (wonderful location at the Spree-river under the Oberbaumbridge where I was on the guestlist of Lord Kimo (one of the singers of Asian Dub Foundation). Asian Dub Foundation Sound System was making a gig there. I am not sure who all of ADF was there but I talked with Lord Kimo. He was happy that it had worked with the guestlist. There was also Ghetto Priest and if I remember right Sun-J. From the first moment I had the beat and it was taking me 3 hours dancing "I say drum - You say BASS". Totally exhausted. It was 6 o'clock in the morning when I fall in my bed hoping my family give me some hours to relax. Thanks Jurg from ADF discography by JuRgen welcome page who put me on the guestlist and gave me my first time of a drum and bass club night and that with the almost age of 40. :lol:

One step closer ... a Family affair - Geel(BEL)

2005-08-13/14

Posted: 2005-08-16 23:52:04

(Juiceman, Johan and me @013 Tilburg)

Well this weekend in Netherlands and Belgium was so amazing - even now two days later I don't know where to begin. For the first time in my exspearience I learned to know wonderful spearits, almost all members of the Spearhead band and the crew and ...

But lets start from the beginning. I arrived Tilburg by train at 6 pm and Juiceman, Anna and Lies took me from there with their car to a parkhouse near the venue 013. Well Juiceman excused himself for that fishy stinkin inside his car. He was transporting fish for barbeque at his cafe - Bacchus Café Geel. We went to a cafe just around the corner of the venue for some drink, only sitting there 5 min and we saw Michael together with a woman walking along the street. They had a little talk with us and the woman was introduced as Carla(?) - Web designer for SpearheadVibrations. Juiceman asked Michael if he could come to the Bacchus Cafe for some songs in between the festival gigs and well Michael found it a good idea but didn't know if the festivals schedule allowed this extra event. Anyway - it was 7:30 pm and we were going to the entrance of 013 expecting a wonderful show of Spearhead at 013.