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Dear All,
Finally back at home after a whirlwind summer of gigs and sun and thunderstorms and a chance to reflect on all that I have witnessed in the last six weeks.
Climbing in to a helicopter at Nice airport, I fastened my seat belt extremely tight and prepared to be terrified but no, the strange sensation of a vertical take off was quite enjoyable and within seconds we were up and over Cap Ferrat. I could see the Phare on the top of the hill and the little toy harbour of St Jean glittering in the sunlight. There was the Plage Paloma with it's $10 ice creams and the lurking super yachts with their own baby helicopters on the back. Past Eze village and around the mountains of Petit Afrique and down very gently in to the heliport of Monaco. This is a bit more like it - no more the dust encrusted motorist of yore seeking out convenient lay-bys in which to sleep in the car but a genuine jet setter, a high roller, one of the in-crowd. Well at least that's how it felt until the little 5 seater touched down in the Principality and spat me out on to the street again, 100 euros lighter after my epic 3 minute voyage. I was there to see Mark Knopfler and his superb band play at the Sporting Club of Monte Carlo and I enjoyed every minute of it. The roof of the venue rolls slowly open during the show to reveal the stars and lights of the riviera and the grand Corniche that spools like a glittering piece of tape along the coast towards Italy.
On to Vancouver for a connecting commuter flight to Portland Oregon and at dusk Luke, Dorie, and I look down on the three mointains that mark our route south. Up early with lag we head to Kink FM where we do our lunchtime broadcast in front of a great group of people and enjoy our first US deli lunch of 2010. The crowd at the Mission Theatre is as friendly as ever and we depart Portland the next morning happy as ever to have visited the rose city and encouraged by the bratwurst of the only German airport restaurant I have come across on the States!
Down we swoop into Dallas and then up again on our way to Tennessee. I love Nashville and feel quietly proud that we can play our acoustic set to the folk of Music city. If these people can tolerate our guitar stylings then anyone should be able to. They know guitar here. Good friends old (well done Chris) and new chat to us after the show and I am pleased to be back again. Great food too at Shintomi in Green Hills and the Crab place next to the Boundry - and a nice write up in the Nashville Scene.
Up out and early to Denver, thence Boulder and my suite at the Boulder Inn, thank you Ari for my wine but on a show day this chaste correspondent wears his temperance with pride. I am sorry to have upset the people who talked to me outside the Bluebird but they upset me too - it is hard to be told before a gig that your show is going to be bad. I should have known at my age to stay in the dressing room and have take out Chinese food but I didn't and I apologise to anyone who cares.
A nice lunch on Saturday with Mary and Tristan and I really enjoyed the gig on Saturday night. The music felt right and the crowd were very warm and seemed to get what we were going for. The next time we come to Colorado it will be with Dorie and a full electric band.
I packed and waited till five in the morning and left for DIA, flopped on to a plane for Miami at seven thirty and had my first Kalik at the Orange Hill Hotel in Nassau by six that evening. I walked down the road to the Travellers Rest on Bay Street and ate fried chicken whilst watching a rake and scrape band and a tropical storm over the tongue of the ocean. A four seater Southern air charter had me at North Eleuthera airport by lunch time the next day and I was relaxing at the Landing Hotel on Harbour island by 2pm.
A la recherche du temps perdus. I love the colour of the sea and the sound of the palm fronds and the dignified whirr of the golf cart. I was soon gulping down Goombay Smashes at the Blue Bar of Pink Sands as the sea turned gun metal in the dusk. Recording the next day in Toby's new studio, I knew I wanted to come back to the Bahamas for good one day. Perhaps I will.
In the morning I was invited to join a joyous spin around the Cistern bay in a fantastic new Abaco skiff with two stonking outboards and then American Egret whisked me back to Miami and a British airways jumbo jet for London.
Two days later I stepped off yet another plane in Barcelona this time on my way to the Faristol, a hotel in Catalunya, where I first played music for real in 1983. Nice one Agusti for organising the show on Sunday night and thanks to the great players who dived in at the last minute to back me up. Spain is the heart of the matter and Altafulla still feels like home.
Thanks to Lisa and PC for organising the tour and a special thanks to Luke and Dorie for sticking with me through thick and thin and for their talent. I owe you guys!
Most of all thank all of you who came to the shows in Portland, Nashville, and Denver and Spain.
I really do hope to see you again soon.
With best wishes,
1. A la recherche du temps perdus...
2. US tour dates
3. March 2010
4. New material - a note from William...
5. 10.30 pm Zurich old Town...
6. Christmas greetings...
7. London gig in December...
8. A tour diary by William...
9. William Topley and the Sea Gypsies present WATER TAXI. Out now!!
10. 20.04.2009
11. 11.03.09
12. 26.01.09
13. Happy New Year!
14. The leaves are turning red upon the cherry trees and the beech woods are going golden in the clear autumn sun...
15. UK and US tour dates...
16. 09.06.08
17. 14.04.08
18. 21.01.08
19. 01.12.2007
20. September in Perugia
21. 15.08.07
22. 06.07.2007
23. 07.06.2007
24. 23.04.07
25. 22/03/2007
26. 05-02-07
27. A Message From William:
US Tour 2005, photo courtesy of Barry Scovel
