Sunday, July 6, 2008

Back in the USA


Made it back home safely and had a nice welcome from Stella!
And of course it was nice to see Jen, the loft, and my neighborhood again,
and to ride my scooter in the warm Southern evening.

These past few months in London have been fantastic on many levels.
I made some great friends there with whom I hope to stay in touch,
and visit from time to time.

Its been my pleasure also to share the experience with all of you
who have participated in this blog, either by commenting or blurking.
While I'm going to give it a break for a few weeks,
I plan on posting again once in a while - so don't delete the link!

Cheers!

-Hutch

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Born in the USA


These are my dear friends in London who gave me such a great send
off - with "Born in the USA" blaring from the boom box-so great I
could barely keep it together.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Office Friends


My last visit to Turner's favorite pub, the White Horse, for now anyway.

Ladies of Turner House


I'm really gonna miss these gals!


Passing the Baton

I'm pictured here with my replacement, Tamera Alexander. We've spent the last two days together going over the status of various deals she's taking over, and also showing her the flat, the tube, bus routes, and of course, the softball team. I hit a home run shortly after this photo was taken - yeah, it felt good!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Cycling in Amsterdam

In Amsterdam today where its warm and sunny. Stayed over with my old
friend from Choate, Doug Heingartner. His girl recommended renting a
bike as the best way to experience the town, which turned out to be
great advice. It was good fun cruising over the many canal bridges and
through wooded parks. I took a break from the sun and checked out the
Van Gogh
Museum, which was impressive.

Brighton Graffiti



"Um, is there any cool graffiti in Brighton?" I asked hesitantly.
Hesitantly because I am somewhat obsessed. "You have to take
pictures of stuff other than graffiti," I was informed by my husband.
So yeah, I've got some photos of buildings and bridges and statues
and animals and flowers. But if graffiti floats your boat, check this.
There's more where that came from...I'll be posting soon.

-Jen

Monday, June 30, 2008

Keepin' It Real

...at the Micky Ds in Shorditch with my Senegalese friend Chris (see "British Joker" and
"East End Yo!" for background).

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Cous Cous

For Jen's last proper meal in London we went to Cous Cous, a Morrocan place in Notting Hill. We had a very nice cozy meal here and then walked home through several nice neighborhoods.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

London Eye

The London eye was the largest farris wheel in the world for several years, but I understand there is a larger one now in China. It was still VERY high up, as you can see the tiny size of the barges on the Thames below. It was really fantastic to get this vantage point because London is quite flat, and the roads twist and turn, so you really don't get many broad vistas. It wasn't that scary to be on because it moves very slowly so you're able to get used to the height. Also, its completely enclosed so you don't feel as exposed. We were lucky to have such a clear day.

Last Gig in London?

This gig was at the Troy Bar in Hoxton, a gritty jazz/soul themed bar not too far afield from the beloved Village in East Atlanta. We played a few songs in between the set break of the fastastic house band. Their bass player, Rick James (seriously) is one of the best I've ever witnessed live. Jen lent me her shoestring so I was able to secure my strap on my bass and stand for the set - it was kinda romantic! Later after our set I waited around to see if I could sit in with the house band, but there were already several bassist waiting to join in, so I took my bass and amp on the bus and went home. It was nearly 2am and I was beat.

I did enjoy playing with David's even though the music is more mellow than what I typically go for. He wants to come to Atlanta sometime in the future and do a gig or two there, with the help of local musicans, which would be great. Also, Jen and I certainly plan on coming back to London again, and then maybe I'll catch up with these guys again and play another one. I had to buy a little bass amp wired for England (they are 220 volts) which I'm leaving with David in case that next London gig comes to pass...

Friday, June 27, 2008

Hoxton Square

Hanging out at a coffee house in Hoxton Square called Macondo Cafe
getting fueled up for the gig later on tonight.

Middle-Aged White Men

Earlier in the week I caught up with some classmates from Choate again, this time at a swank restaurant in Mayfair called the Guinea Grill. Starting from my left are John Lasala, Owen Jones, Chris Lodge and Pat Stanton. Everyone seems to be doing just fine.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Second Gig in London

Played again last night with the David Halpern Quartet at a cool venue in West London called Cogden Club. It was a much more spacious place, with more people in the attendance, and most of the other acts had soul or neo-soul elements. One girl from Glasgow was particularly good.

We lost our French drummer since the first gig - he left for better compensation - so we had to break in a new guy. He did a pretty good job considering we just had one practice. Overall it was a bit sloppier than the first gig, but actually got a better reception from the crowd.

I appear to be transfixed by the Kama Sutra-inspired painting behind the stage.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Life Imitates Art

We had fun imitating this Banksy after a few beers in Brighton. Its so popular (and valuable) the property owner put up some clear plastic vinyl to protect it from being damaged or stolen.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

More from Brighton



Hey everyone! Sorry to be out of touch...internet access is few and far between for me. The clock is ticking right now....As Hutch mentioned, we went to Brighton this past weekend and had a great time. Matt and Kate were great hosts...the short trip included catching a couple of bands along the boardwalk, a trip out to the pier for a little gambling (well, throwing money away really!), a scary-as-hell ride for Hutch, killer graffiti (coming soon on my flickr), and good times at the pub! Gotta run. Just a couple of minutes left on my internet access, and they are now playing Bryan Adams's "Summer of '69" for the second time here at the coffee shop...

-Jen

Monday, June 23, 2008

Brighton Beach

Jen and I spent Saturday and the first part of Sunday in Brighton Beach, which is an hour train ride south of London. Its a fantastically quirky place, and I had a really hard time deciding which photo to post. Jen will post more on her flickr account, which I'll link to. Anyway, these guys on stilts played a fairly convincing version of Hendrix's Voodoo Child despite strong gusty winds off the English Channel. How they managed to stay upright on those stilts is a mystery. At the end of the pier is an amusement park and I went on one of the rides where they bring you a 100 feet up into the air and then let you free fall. I was scared shitless!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Back in the Pub

Jen, Aruna, Aurea, Andy and Diane in a Colliers Wood pub watching the European Championship quarter-finals last night. Germany beat Portugal 3 to 2.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Globe

This is a historically faithful reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare's plays were performed during the early 1600s. The reconstucted one is just a few blocks from the original, which burned down in 1613 after a live cannon used in a performace of Henry VII set the thatched roof on fire.

The reconstruction was the life work of Chicago-born actor Sam Wanamaker, who came to Britian fleeing McCarthyism in the 1950s and was surprised to see that only a small plaque commemorated the original Globe. After several decades of pressing the British government, work began on the project, and it was completed in 1997. Its been a huge success ever since.

Last night Jen and I and a few other friends saw a performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor, a comedy first published in 1602. The first act was a bit slow and confusing (the Brits felt this way as well) but the second was jovial and fun. The fact that it was performed in the open air (there is no roof) and with no amplification added to the ambiance. There was also a band on top of the set that played traditional lutes, drums, and other instruments of the Elizabethan period.

Don't you feel smarter now?

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Potemkin

Last night we had a very tasty Russian dinner at Potemkin in the Clerkenwell district with my colleague Natasha, who is from St. Petersberg, and her husband Anton. The food was simple but very well prepared. It started with a plate of pickled vegetables and dense bread, along with a shot of the smoothest vodka I've ever had. Even Jen liked it. The brand is Russian Standard, and its considered the finest in Russia, in part because of the very soft water its made from in St. Pete. http://www.russianstandardvodka.com/

For the main course I had a pork dish called "shashlyk". Jen had the chicken shashlyk. Dessert was a chocolate truffle cake. Neither Jen nor I had ever eaten Russian food before and we really enjoyed it.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Acoustic Music at Source Below

On recommendation of a fellow music buff, Jen and I went to this club in Soho called Source Below to see a night of acoustic music. It was a tiny room in the basement that was completely packed. The first act (left to right above) was Cecelia de Lisle, who sang in the style of Jewel with nice finger picking accompanyment. http://www.myspace.com/ceceliadelisle

The second was The Boy Who Trapped the Sun, from Scotland, who was a bit shy at first but did a good job overall. A distinctive voice was in his favor. http://www.myspace.com/theboywhotrappedthesun

Finally, the featured performer of the night, AA Bondy from Alabama, was a fantastic guitar and harmonica player with dark eerie songs and a rugged voice, clearly influenced by Bob Dylan, but with gothic Southern, Faulkner-esque colors. http://www.myspace.com/aabondy

If you click on the photo it will enlarge for more detail.

Monday, June 16, 2008

My Girl Can Hit

After our visit to Southbank (see below) we went to the CNN Thrashers' softball practice in Regents Field. It was very nice out, and the team really needed the practice as we've lost a few in a row. Jen did more than hold her own even though she hadn't played in years.

Southbank Skatepark

On Saturday Jen and I went down to the Southbank district, which is on the other side of the Thames from where we are staying. It has a completely different look than most of London - all mid-century modern, large steel and concrete buildings, some of which reminded me of John Portman's buildings in downtown Atlanta. The area has lots of modern art museums and gallerys. We went to the Hayward Gallery and saw a really cool exhibit called Psycho-Buildings, in which cutting edge artists created temporary living spaces and related sculptures. Afterwards, we came outside and saw all these Brits on BMXs and skatboards tearing up this graffiti wall/skate park. Jen took many more photos, which can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/genesse/

Choaties Reunite

On Friday night, Jen and I caught up with some of my friends from Choate. We met up for drinks at Chris (far left in photo) and Annie Lodge's beautiful home in Chelsea (Patrick Stanton is in the middle; his wife Katie also joined), and then had a terrific meal at a nearby gastro-pub called the Pig's Ear. It was great fun to catch up on all the Class of 1987 stories that I had completely forgotten about!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Social Again

I had to go back to The Social with Jen to have a go at their excellent meat pies. Jen and I had chicken and Adrian had the beef and cheddar. We shared a table with a Londoner who attended Georgia Tech, and who took this shaky picture of us. He really loved his time in Atlanta, but didn't finish his degree at Tech.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

40th Birthday Party

It was great to celebrate my 40th birthday at the White Horse pub in Soho. Its the regular spot for Turner House revelers after work when the weather is nice, as it was yesterday. In addition to the friends and co-workers pictured here (including John Malone from Atlanta to my immediate left), Mark and Aurea came by, as well as my old friend from high school, Patrick Stanton, which was nice. After a few hours here, a few of us went into Chinatown for a tasty, late-night dinner. Good Times!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Jen's Arrived !

Jen arrived on Saturday afternoon, and we've had a blast since. After taking a 2 hour nap, we headed off to the East End for a beer and some Indian food, then we took the tube to Finsbury Park to see a friend's band play (called the Whole Schabang, they were good). The next day was nice and sunny, and we went to Hyde Park and met up with my old friend from boarding school, Patrick Stanton. From there we went to a free city festival called StokeFest, which was fun, but too crowded. So we headed east again where we bumped into this cool graffiti exhibit on retired tube cars, which was up on the roof of a building in Shoreditch. Here is the link if you want to see more: http://www.flickr.com/photos/endoftheline/

The Tailors

On Friday night I went to this club called the Windmill in the Brixton
area of South London. It was a endearing dive bar with a surprisingly
decent sound system for bands. They get some pretty good bands coming
through there considering its small size - I saw that Sterolab was scheduled to play this week. For those in Atlanta, it was a blend between the Earl and El Myr, with a
similar "slapped together" vibe. Here is their website: http://www.windmillbrixton.co.uk/

The band pictured above is The Tailors, some of whom live around the
corner from the club. They play a compelling blend of alt-country, with
good harmonies and very catchy tunes. I've gotten to know guitarist
Chad and singer/guitarist Adam fairly well over the last two months.
Here is their myspace page - check them out:
http://www.myspace.com/thetailors

Treecreeper


Treecreeper is another London-based band that impressed me on Friday night at the Windmill. I've gotten to know the lead singer and guitarist Will Burns and his brother Greg, who plays bass. They sound like a blend of Dinosaur jr. and Uncle Tupelo. Very good live playing. Here is their myspace page so you can listen for yourself:
http://www.myspace.com/treecreepermusic

Friday, June 6, 2008

My First Gig in London

So, the gig went well. It was a nice, intimate room with tables, sofas and lounge chairs, and we had a decent number of people come out to see us, about 30 I'd guess. Except for a few minor slips, I feel it was a good performance. Our Greek pianist has a large, extended family living in London, and about a dozen of them came. They were all very vocal and supportive.

A decent singer-songwriter had the warm up slot, then a solid but VERY loud hard rock band played and drove many people outside due to their volume and intensity - it wasn't the right venue for them. We had to go on after them around 11pm and try to bring everyone back inside, which we did. The lighting made it very difficult to get good photos of any of the bands - this one is the best taken, and unfortunately David is in the dark. Still, you can get a flavor of the evening. I've never played a gig on a stool, but my strap was not very secure on this bass, so it was best to sit.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Introducing Adrian

Adrian, to my immediate left, is a proper English gentlemen that has
greatly assisted me in finding and exploiting recreational
opportunities. To his left is another good English chap whose name I
have forgotten, or possibly never knew. We are pictured at the Hope &
Anchor pub in Brixton, which has a lovely beer garden.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Rehearsal

I've been playing with this singer songwriter David Halpern for the last few weeks, and we have a gig coming up on Thursday night at a club in West London called Number Ten. Our style is mellow jazz/soul, and we recently picked up a Greek pianist and a French drummer. Verbal communication can be a challenge but musically we are all speaking the same language. This is a photo of David and pianist Nikos from our last rehearsal. In London most of the practice spaces are booked in 4 hour periods and come with a drum set, amps, and a PA. The room we got costs about £30, or $60.

Monday, June 2, 2008

New Posse

Chad, Dan, Molly, and Kimberly (above) and a bunch of others like Jessica, Adam, Adrian, and Charlie (not shown)are part of a new group of friends that have taken me in and shown me some good times. They are all welcome in Atlanta if they take me up on the offer. They
are also ready to meet Jen when she comes in a week. I can hardly wait!

Saturday, May 31, 2008

The Boss

Was interesting to see an American icon play abroad. He was very well
received. This was the first concert ever in Emirates stadium where
Arsenal football club has its home games. It holds about 60k people.

Bruce played Roselita, Badlands, Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freezeout,
Glory Days, and Born to Run but did not do Born in the USA.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Collector & Son

Yesterday after work I visited my friend and colleague Andrew at his lovely home in Collier's Wood. He has this amazing collection of Star Wars memorabilia, including all the figurines ever produced, several Darth Vader helmets, a few functioning light sabres (such as the one wielded by his son Adam) and countless other items. Very cool! He also has a treasure trove of World War I collectibles.

After checking out these collections we went to the local pub and watched the UK beat the USA 2-0 in a "friendly" football match in Wembly Statium. Despite the loss, we didn't look all that bad out there, and apparently some Americans play in the English Premier league and other European leagues.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Horny Girls

You just don't see too many women playing jazz/funk saxaphone, but these two ladies did it quite well. The band is called Odd Job, and they played a high-energy set at the Notting Hill Arts Club. I found the band's myspace page if you're curious: http://www.myspace.com/oddjobworldfunk

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Windsor Castle

Here I am pictured at the front of Windsor Castle, which is the largest and oldest continuously inhabited castle in the world. Queen Elizabeth II still stays here on weekends - including last weekend when this photo was taken. The Castle was built in the 1100s, but has had many expansions through the years. There is a quaint town that surrounds it, which runs down to the Thames. The prestigious boys school Eton is also nearby.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Country Pub

My Austrialian co-worker Donna and her English husband Ken took me for a nice drive in the country yesterday and we stopped at this pub in Marlow, which is where Mary Shelley wrote Frankinstein, about 25 miles west of London. Ken and I both had the "mixed grill" plate, which included sausage, steak, pork, chips (fries) and "black pudding", which is pig's blood mixed with pig's brains, or something like that. They intentionally (and wisely) didn't tell me what it was until I had some. I can't say I loved it, to be honest, but I didn't hate it either. The whole plate went well with the locally brewed ales we had.

Friday, May 23, 2008

British Beer Garden

Last night after our softball game some of my teammates and I went to this pub called Edinboro (not spelled exactly like the Scottish capital), which had this fantastic outdoor area with picnic tables, bars, and grills. Although obviously English, it kinda reminded me of some of the outdoor patio bars we have in Atlanta, like The Brew House, 97 Estoria, U Joint. My teammate Vicky, on the table facing the camera, bought me my first cider on ice, Magners, and I really liked it.

Can anyone tell me if its available in Atlanta?

Might become my summertime drink this year!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

The Championship Game

Last night, for the first time ever, two English teams played against each other in the European Championship Cup - Manchester United against Chelsea. The game was played in Moscow and something like 50,000 Brits flew there with tickets in hand. That left millions behind to watch it in the pubs, such as the Sussex Arms, pictured above, which near my flat. The game came down to penalty kicks, and it was quite tense. At one time Chelsea (the team I was pulling for) pulled ahead when Ronaldo's shot was blocked, but then Manchester turned it around and won. The place was split fairly evenly between the two teams: Chelsea is a London team, so there were many supporters, but the other London teams (Arsenal, Tottenham, and probably some others) all hate Chelsea, and there are also lots of Northerners in the area, since its near the train station. The place simply erupted at the end of the game, and this was the best I could do to capture it.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

In the Footsteps of Giants

This is a fairly common thing to do - getting yourself photographed crossing Abbey Road as the Beatles did on the album cover back in 1969 - but its not easy. There is almost constant traffic and you need it to be fairly clear both ways. I took about 6 shots for this Mexican family until we got it just right (in full stride, equally spaced) and on the last try this driver yelled at us for slowing down traffic. I yelled back, "Hey man, all we need is love!" with both hands waving the peace sign, which didn't seem to go over so well with him.

Anyway, unfortunately the teenage girl that took this photo was not as careful about getting my stride right. In fact, she may not have known what the album cover looked like, or even why we were taking these photos in the street. Seemed the mom was most interested in the project.

You can't see much of Abby Road Studios (where the Beatles recorded their entire output) because there is a closed gate, but I could see some people in the lobby through a window so its still a functioning studio. The white pillars of the gate (you can see one of them at the far left of the photo) are covered in scribbles from people expressing their enduring love of the Beatles, and of John and George particularly. Its in a really nice, seemingly residential section of London a few miles from the center, not far from Regents Park.

After taking these photos I had my first-ever Iraqi meal at a nearby restaurant, which consisted of lamb and chicken , some tomatoes and pickles, and some crusty nan-style bread. It was pretty good and quite filling.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Stonehenge

They got some very old rocks over here - and I had to stop dad from
trying to rearrange them.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

When in Bath...

We spent a good part of the afternoon in Bath, England bathing in the same natural hot
spring mineral water that the Roman's did 2000 years ago. No shrinkage!

Later on we ate a fantastic meal at Dower House, which is in a section of town called The Royal Crescent, a huge 18th century half circle on a hill overlooking all of Bath. It was quite sublime.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Pubbin' with Pop

My dad got into town today and we walked around Buckingham Palace and
Big Ben, which was neat.... but then we caught up with friends at the White Horse pub in Soho and the good times really started to roll. A police van with three or four "bobbies" came down the narrow street where everyone was drinking outside and they couldn't get past a metal post that was in the ground - everyone was hootin' them over it in a good natured way. Eventually they removed the post and everyone cheered!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The Whip @ 93 Feet East

I went to see this band, The Whip, last night with Mark, Aurea and new friend Michelle. The Whip is an up-and-coming electronica/pop band that sounds like a mix between Depeche Mode and the Psychedelic Furs. This is not a style I usually go for, but they were quite convincing and they won me over quickly. The crowd really ate it up as well, which made for a good vibe. The club, 93 Feet East, is on Brick Lane in the East End, and in addition to this 500 person room also has a nice outdoor patio and lounge area. I saw that the Southeastern band, Lucero, had recently played here as well.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Back in Great Britian

Got back into London just after lunch local time after a long overnight flight that got delayed with an unexpected landing in NYC due to mechanical issues with the landing gear.

The weather here is beautiful and the Brits are not letting the opportunity for sunshine pass them by. All the parks and public spaces are full of folks basking in the sun.

I took this picture on the way to work just a few hours ago. There is a nice long horse path in Hyde Park and the stables are just accross Bayswater Rd very close to where I am staying. They keep this section of the city (and most sections for that matter) spotless and so I've not yet stepped in any horse shit - a significant point of pride for me.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Sweet Home Atlanta

Came back to Atlanta this weekend to record the 4th Cadillac Jones
record. The session went well. We finished the basic tracks (bass,
drums, keys and rhythm guitar) in three days and began overdubbing
solos.

It felt good to be home and to see Jen, Stella, my bandmates, and a
few random pals (you know who you are). The recording took up all my
time so I was unable to see many close friends, in fact I made a
point of not arranging anything in advance.

I'm not sure whether it was the 6 weeks in London, or because it
was Mother's Day weekend, but Atlanta seemed sleepy and mellow to
me. Hardly anyone walking around, and not much auto traffic
either. In London there is constant buzzing in the background -
Atlanta is mostly quiet except for the wind whipping through the
trees and the occasional booming car stereo. They are two very
different cities, that's for sure. Love 'em both!