Year end thoughts
Hello Polka Peeps,
I hope that Christmas was good for everyone and that 2008 brings forth the best of all things for everyone!
2007 was an interesting year for us. We were able to take two trips to Europe as we expand our fan base. Each country we visited brought out new fans and greater appreciation for the music that we are creating. Of course it was good to see the old friends at many of the shows here in the States as well.
We’re still chipping away at a new project that we hope to release in late spring/early summer that will hopefully have a little something for everybody. It’s been a challenge, but the best things always are!
As for the news from the Hartford show concerning my leaving Lynn to tour with Air Supply, I will not be doing that. I met Graham Russel (half of Air Supply) through a writing appointment, flew to Utah to sit in with the band and discuss the situation. I was ready to start with them in July, but after going over the details, I decided that being on the road 150-200 days per year would not have allowed me to continue my current career path, which includes music for television, working with and developing new artists and producing. I have always wanted to move forward musically and creatively and in the end touring with Air Supply would probably not have allowed me to do that and definitely would have limited my opportunities here in Nashville. While it would have been fun to tour with a band that I listened to growing up, I would rather be part of music of the future.
As always, stay tuned! For those of you who like good music, without the boundaries of time signatures and tempos, we have the goods headed your way.
Thanks again for all your support and friendship,
Charlie
Holland Re-cap
It’s a cold morning here in Nashville, and although I’m glad to be back home, I am sitting here reflecting on what a wonderful time we had in Holland, and looking forward to going back again some day.
Here’s the recap of four amazing days! Be sure to check out the website www.mooifeessie.nl for photos!
After an uneventful flight (thank goodness after our last European trip) we arrived in Amsterdam on Thursday morning, Dec. 13th, and we were met and greeted by Jan & Johan, the organizers of the trip. They are two amazing men who did all of this for us because of the love the music. They are not booking agents, or record executives, they just wanted to see LynnMarie & The Boxhounds in Holland so they made it happen. After meeting them, we were shocked to see the van they arranged for us, a Toyota, with a big photo on the side and with LynnMarie & The Boxhounds in tour in Holland written underneath! (When I was telling this story to my brother he commented “that’s a far cry from the polka bus!” and he couldn’t have been more right!) We loaded up and got introduced to our new best friend.... the TomTom!! We were told “you can’t get anywhere in Holland without” and they were right!
We managed to get within a 100 yards of our hotel without a hitch - which is rare for this band - however... we couldn’t get TO the hotel because of the one-way streets in Holland. So, it took us about another hour to finally be able to pull the van close enough to unload and get checked in. We stayed at a very small hotel right on Damrak Street in Amsterdam. We were surrounded by shops, restaurants, nightlife and historical monuments. We soaked up the 24 hours we had in the city, inbetween trying to catch up on the jet lag. Amsterdam is quite a sight to see... and smell! But that’s another journal entry.
On Friday morning we went to see Anne Franks house. For those of your who don’t know anything about my past, I was a theater ‘geek’ in high school. I thought my career may have taken me to New York at one point, but that didn’t work out. However, I was fortunate enough to play Anne Frank in my sophomore year Lake Catholic Higg School production of the Diary of Anne Frank... and was also honored to have received the Lake Country Rotory Award that year for my portrayal. So, needless to say, the fact that I was standing in her room, all these years later, was quite a moment. Because I had known the story and lived her life for that year, I was prepared for what I saw. What what I realized in a different way however is that in one of her journal entries she wrote, “I hope to be a famous writer when this crazy war is over” and she has!! She is more famous then she probably ever dreamed she’d be. I was reminded how everything in life has a purpose, even if we can’t see it at the time.
After the museam and more shopping, we left the city and headed east to Reutum. Once again TomTom provided the route and we arrived to find our friend Peter from Slovenia waiting there to greet us! It was great to see him and have him there to experience our performances in Holland.
Our performance that night was at a great club called Disco Bays. After a meal and soundeheck it was show time. As we started the show I looked out and only then realized that there was not a single woman in the entire place. Well, I take that back - there was one down in front, but that was it!!! There were only boys (the legal drinking age is 16 in the Netherlands) and I’m sure there wasn’t anyone over 24! Charlie and the guys weren’t too thrilled, but I of course tried to soak it up! We had a great show. It was such a neat feeling out there and seeing all these people sing along to Cleveland the Polka Town, Lud’s Hotel, Squeeze Box polka. Wow!
I learned a lot on the trip about the power of music. It turns out that in the east and northern areas of HOlland there is a huge following of Cleveland-style polka music. Thanks to a few die-hard fans of Yankovic, Peacon and Frankie Novak, these young kids have fallen in love with the music. I mean, if they ever made there way to Tony Petkovsek’s Thanksgiving Polka Party they (and Tony’s crowd) wouldn’t know what to do!!!! It’s truly amazing. They hard core fans of traditional polka.... and I know you’re asking the same thing that I was asking... ‘then why are WE here?“ Well, it turns out that they also like what we do as well. We learned that there are over 50 illegal radio stations in that area that play this music, and they are committed to playing it off of Vinyl records! So Jan & Johan had a vinyl recording of Lud’s Hotel and Never Ending Love made for sale. How cool is that???? I never dreamed my music would be available on vinyl!
Anyway, back to the tour. We arrived at our next destination once again by way of TomTom. It was a quaint Bed & Breakfast in the town of Rolde, near Assen. I collapsed that night from not enough sleep and the time change, and I think we slept for 12 hours straight. By the time we got up, it was time to leave for the next gig!
We had a very nice meal at the restaurant (www.horecahofsteenge.nl). HOlland has this interesting food called croquets (sp?) - deep fried pork, and more pork. Not my favorite - I’ll stick with the french fries! This evenings show was quite different from Friday nights. It was a mix of men & women, young and old, which made the guys happy! The night was magical. Once again, everyone singing along to the songs and enjoying the music. Even with the language barrier, they seemed to understand it all.
We have a down day on Sunday, so we decided to venture even further north to the North Sea and to a little town called Pieterbruen. If you get out a map of The Netherlands, it’s the area as far north as you can go. On the drive I was struck by how flat it is. I mean, I felt like I was driving through Texas!! However, even in the dead of winter it is still green. (I’‘m told that the southern areas of Holland has the rolling hills!) In the town, they have a facility there that rescues Sea Lions, cares for them, gets them healthy again, and then puts them back in their habitate. (www.zeehondencreche.nl) Iit was so cool to see. And one of those things that you don’t know anything about really and wouldn’t unless you were there. But now I feel an attachment and responsibility to be a part of helping the cause. Isn’t that what life is about? Giving back? On the way back, we found a great little pizza place in a small town called Weldon and then headed back to the Bed & Breakfast.
On Monday morning we followed Jan and Johan back to the Amsterdam airport. I was sad to leave Holland. I can’t enphasize enough how wonderful the Dutch people are. They are kind and kind-hearted and seem to love life and music! They want us to return in May or June of 2008, and it would be an honor to do so!
