On the cover...

It seems that recently, most of my artistic time has been spent creating covers for the ever growing series of live, fan made CD's and DVD's from TheHipTracker. I really enjoy making these covers. Not only do they provide me with an outlet to give something back to a community that has given me so much, but they also give me a focused project to keep me ticking over, as well as somewhere to try out new techniques and ideas. It's also nice as it gives me scope to use type, thus giving me a nice mix of illustration and graphic design - winner! So, with all that said, I thought I'd share some with you on here. I'd like to hear what you think...

Most, if not all over the above can either be downloaded as part of the torrent from the tracker, or from The Unique Motel or covers.hipfans.com

EuroHip: Day 10

I've woken up late on the morning of the last day - Probably too late, especially considering I have to check out in less than half an hour! Oops! I've got a text message waiting for me from Trevor, asking if I want to come and pick my camera up as they're all ready to leave! I throw some clothes on and leg it upstairs to find Trevor, Adrian, Mark and Matt leaving to start their journey to Germany. Part of me is ready to head home, but another part of me really wants to stay on (stupid work getting in the way again!). After collecting my camera, I head back downstairs for a swift shower and packing session, before checking out, donning my wet weather gear (it's raining again) and making the ten minute walk to Brussels North station. As I'm wandering along the road in the rain, I find myself becoming increasingly worried by the
sounds of drums and the waving of flags. There seems to be some sort of protest going on, and I'm heading straight for it. Joy. Images of closed railway stations, angry Belgians and stranded, rain soaked English travellers filled my head as I approached the mass. Fortunately, they weren't protesting against the Belgian rail service, and I found my way clear to nipping down a side road to the station. After negotiating a series of bus lanes under the station, I finally found my way inside, and out of the rain. Now, the phrase "worlds most depressing place" is thrown around a lot these days, however, if I ever find myself on the board of judges for such an event, I know what'll get my vote: Brussels-Nord Station. I'm sure the gray skies, wind and rain do nothing for the ambience of the place, but it was certainly putting on a pretty poor show even without the outside assistance. It's vast, sparse and devoid of any human faces that have seen a smile in at least the last six months - and at this moment in time, I was hardly doing anything to redress that balance. I stand and scour the departures board, desperately trying to find the train to Amsterdam! It seems to take an eternity to appear, but when it finally does, it warms my heart! That series of sorry looking, yellow LED's signal my iminent (well, just under 30
minutes) departure from this place. I decide to kill some time, and try and find some food.I find a little bakery, and order a sausage roll and Danish pastry and make my way into the waiting room. I bury myself into my book until the train arrives, and I settle for the three hour journey back to Amsterdam...

The journey was fairly uneventful (I've spared you the gory details). It wasn't until I emerged at Amsterdam Central that I realised that perhaps getting off directly at the airport might have been a better idea. D'oh. A sift ticket purchase and some nimble footwork later, and I was back on the train following the motorway to the airport. I'm starting to get a little nervous now, as things seem to be taking an awful lot longer than I was expecting. As it turns out, my nerves were unfounded and I'm at the check in desk before my flight's even called to check in! I wait for about ten minutes, whizz through the check in and head to the departure gate. I use a bit of spare time to get online and catch up with a few things before joining the security queue and boarding the plane. Much like the train journey, the flight goes smoothly and before I know it, I'm stood on the chilly platform at Gatwick waiting for a train to Victoria. I finally get back to the flat, dump my stuff wherever it happens to land, stick the kettle on (my God am I desperate for a cup of tea!) and order a Pizza. So, that's it, the dream and the trip is over. It's been a great journey and even better than I hoped! I've met some great people, and made some new friends along the away. Friends that hopefully, I'll be able to catch up with again soon.

Now begins the mammoth task of editing and uploading photos, audio and video footage - Perhaps the journey's only just started...

EuroHip: Day 9

It's raining in Brussels. I thought, due to the light streaming through the curtains of the Hostel room that it would be a nice day, but on closer inspection, it really isn't. By the time I've showered and gotten dressed though, the rain has begin to ease off. I wander upstairs and knock on the door of the other guys rooms - They are far from ready to go, and Adrian fixing something for work remotely, so I leave them to it and head downstairs to kill some time catching up with things on the net and to drink copious amounts of free coffee. After an hour or so, Matt comes down to get me and, loaded up with wet weather gear, we venture out ontp the mean streets of Brussels. When we checked in, we were given a back-packers map of the city which showed all the main places of interest. We put Mark on navigation duty and headed off in the direction of the main square. We stop at a pub for (what is now) lunch time. We order some beers (Trevor A and I have a Raspberry based one, while
Mark, Adrian and Matt go for cherry) and after trying to decipher the menu, Matt and I both go for the special: Mussels! We certainly weren't disappointed. I think Adrian ,who avoided them as he didn't want to risk getting ill, was kicking himself when he saw them arrive! There was an absolute mountain of them, and they were delicious. After we were fed and watered we made our way along the shopping streets where all picked up some chocolates and beer, and bumped into Ricky, The
Hip's head of security - probably doing the same, before we finally reach the main market square. It certainly is a sight to behold! A full 360 degree, hugely ornate and decorative architectural experience! We stay there and take a ton of photos (as well as accepting our free Orio cookies that were being handed out) before we continue our exploration to find the Manikin Pis. We follow the signs, and make our way down winding roads until we see a crowd of people in an otherwise seemingly featureless street. I'm surprised to find such a famous monument to be tucked away down such a small side street. the fountain itself is also a lot smaller than I was expecting, but it's cool to have seen it. After a few more photos, we find our way back to the main street and stop by the venue to find out details about the evenings show. It's getting towards late afternoon now, so we make our way back to the Hostel. The other guys get their heads down for a while, and I get back online and read some of my book before it's time to go! It's brightened up considerably, and has become a very pleasant evening as we walk along the main street the venue again. There's about five people in front of us in the line, and while we're waiting, Johnny's drum tech comes out and we chat to him for a while. Before long the doors are open and we're into the building. We get held up at the doors to the venue itself though, while Racoon are soundchecking (rather late!). After another twenty minute wait or so, we're let in - No security checks again. Either Ricky's been onto the venue staff already or they're just a lot more laid back on the continent. Mark, Adrian and Trevor set up by the soundboard, and I head upstairs to the baclony to the left of the stage - It's a prime spot! I set up the gear, and settle in to watch Racoon. They're pretty decent actually. Probably the best of the support bands so far. About ten minutes before The Hip are due to come on, I start Mark's camera running - Or at least I tried to! there's some issue with the Firestore which gives a few frantic minutes trying to sort things out! Finally everything was sorted and we settled into watch the show.

The setlist was the standard "hits" one (similar to those in Groningen and London), but the performance was outstanding as always! The lighting was great as well, which meant some great photos. Unfortunately though, the technical hitches weren't over completely and I had some tape issues (all my fault - I forgot to check the times, and put the 60min tape in for the main set instead of the 85min - D'oh!) Also, we were joined up on the Balcony by "Captain Canada" who proceeded to hang of the edge of the balcony for more or less the entire second half of the concert, waving his Canadian flag - much to the "delight" of those around him. Thanks for that...

After the show we packed up and chatted with various people who were asking what we were filming for, and many hipfans fliers were given out. It was also when I got down to join Adrian, Mark and Trevor that I learnt a very sad fact - 'Escape is at Hand for the Travellin' Man' had been on the setlist but had been skipped due to time constraints! I was gutted. I love that song. I guess you can't win them all - Sadly...The night was still young though, and after a quick stop off at the hostel to drop of camera gear, and to pick up some extra t-shirts to sell we hit some bars on the main street, picking up a large group of various other fans on the way.We sank a few more Raspberry Beers and laughed and chatted the rest of the night away. A doner kebab and a short walk later, we finally got to bed at 2am. Again.

...I love being on tour!

28-09-2007 - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels Setlist:

The Lonely End Of The Rink
My Music At Work
Grace, Too
It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken
In View
Ahead By A Century
Yer Not The Ocean
Courage (For Hugh Maclennan)
World Container
Springtime In Vienna
At The Hundredth Meridian
Bobcaygeon
The Kids Don't Get It
Fully Completely
New Orleans Is Sinking
===
Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man (On the setlist but not played - Boo!)
Family
Band Blow At High Dough

EuroHip: Day 8

After a very good nights sleep in my new, pitch black in the very bottom of the hotel (I moved from
the double room to a single when Snoo left) I'm packed up and ready to go. I lug my stuff upstairs, check out and head for the tram. Luckily, there's three tram lines right by my hotel that all lead to the Station. I hop on a number 5 after a couple of minutes wait, and before long I'm winding my way through Amsterdam again. The trams certainly a nice, comfy way to see the city! The journey takes about 20 minutes. I head into the station and queue up to get my ticket to Belgium! I'm surprised and relieved to find put that not only do I have to get one train all the way, but it'll also only cost me 52Euros for a return ticket! I've lucked out big time! I get my ticket, and after consulting the boards, I decide to wait around and get a later train so I can get some food. I get on the train at around 1:30pm and sit and watch the (flat) Dutch countryside whizz by. The journey takes about three and a half hours, and is pleasant enough. I listen to a live Rush show and read some more of my book, and before I know it I'm into Belgium. Sadly, the nice sunny weather that greeted me in Amsterdam has decided not to travel, and a light Beligian drizzle has taken over. An announcement comes over the tanoy informing us that, for reasons unknown, the train will be terminating at Brussels North instead of the Central Station. I gather up my stuff and get off the train at the North station. After a bit of consultation of boards, I find a train and travel the remaining stop to the centre of the city. It's not until I leave the station that I realise that I have no clue where the Hostel is! I decide the easiest course of action would be to get a taxi. I get in a cab at the near by rank and we crawl through the packed streets as the driver gives me the lowdown on the different areas of Brussels (including, and he was very pleased about this one, where the red light district was...). We finally pull up outside the hotel (which ironically was considerably closer to the North station than the Central one - D'oh. I'm suprised to see Adrian, Trevor and Matt waiting outside the Hostel, which was very fortunate! We all check in, drop our stuff off in various rooms and meet up again to explore. It's a gray and drizzly evening but we wander along and take in some of the sights. We venture up and find the venue before heading back to a restaurant called Chichi's (a chain which has long since been defunct in North America, but who Adrian used to work for apparently) for a Tex-Mex dinner, some huge beers and great chat. At around about 11pm he make our way back to the Hostel and call it a day...

EuroHip: Day 7

I was awoken early (around 6am) by a knock at the door. Snoo's taxi had arrived to take her to the airport. I said a sleepy goodbye before drifting off again for another couple of hours. At around 9:30am I'm awake again, and getting ready to go. I've arranged to meet the guys at the hostel - on todays schedule: The Heineken Experience! It's another grim and drizzly day, as I make my way to the hostel (via the bakery). As I arrive, it seems that everyone else is running behind schedule - I thought it was just me... While we wait for people to get ready, I transfer some photos off my camera to free up some space for the day (and night). The first port of call before the brewery though is for food. It's pushing lunchtime now so we head for The Hard Rock Cafe for food (in mammoth quantities! Once we're finally finished (the speed of service left a bit to be desired), we started wandering along to the Heineken Brewery. There's plenty to see along the way, so the journey is slowed down some what by myself, Trevor C and Adrian taking photos. We arrive at the experience and head straight in. We managed to get cheap tickets at the hostel, which means we don't need to queue - and we saved ourselves some cash! Winner! We collect our free beer chips and begin to look around. I have to say that The Heineken Experience is one of the best museum/tour things I've been on with loads to see and do. There's also a lot of interactive elements which makes it much more interesting than just seeing how the beer's made. We planned to be in there for about an hour and a half, but by the time we leave, we'd been in there closer to three hours! It was easy to lose track of time... We wander back towards town. Some of the guys go shopping, but I pop back to the hotel to sort a few things out, and then we re-convene at the hostel, load up the gear and head to the venue again. It's nice having two nights at the same place, especially when the place is as nice as the Paradiso! After a short stint waiting in line, we're in and fan out into our various positions. I set up shop pretty much directly opposite to where we were the night before. Matt joins me on the balcony which is nice. Once the gears set up, we relax and watch The Junes again. In between we chat about which songs we're hoping for that night - spookily enough, the band must have been listening! The first two songs that sprung to mind were 'Inevitability of Death' and 'The Dire Wolf' and sure enough, those two would make an appearance (back-to-back no less! Amazing!) The rest of the show turns out to be an absolute stormer, and easily the best of the tour so far! I had a feeling it would be...

26/09/2007 - The Paradiso, Amsterdam Setlist:

The Lonely End Of The Rink
New Orleans Is Sinking
Inevitability Of Death
The Dire Wolf
Yer Not The Ocean
Ahead By A Century
In View
Courage (For Hugh Maclennan)
Nautical Disaster
Pretend
Fireworks
Locked In The Trunk Of A Car
Long Time Running
The Kids Don’t Get It
Fully Completely
Blow At High Dough
===
Family Band
The Magnificent Seven (The Clash Cover)
Fire In The Hole

After the gig, we head out again in search of beer and food, and finally we say our goodbyes as Chris, Trevor C and Dave will be heading back to Canada the following. I make my way back to the hotel to prepare for my solo adventure down to Belgium...

EuroHip: Day 6

After another good nights sleep (I never realised how stressed I'd been recently until I went away from everything) Snoo and I were up and out in search of food. We stopped at a place called 'Pancake Corner' and had two monster pancakes. Mine came complete with Strawberries and Whipped Cream, and Snoo's with Banana and Chocolate. After that we went and met the guys at the Anne Frank House, and took a look at the museum. If you're interested in the history of the WWII as I am, it's definitely worth checking out. As we left, the heavens decided it would be a great time to open - so they did. We braved the rain, met up with Adrian and Mark and headed to a Noodle bar for lunch. We parted company again for a while in the afternoon, and headed back to our respective lodgings to recharge our batteries (both literally and figuratively). After a nap, I was ready to go! I've been excited about the back-to-back Paradiso shows since they were first announced, and couldn't wait to get there.

We got to the venue, and waited in line for the guys. There was only a handful of people there, even at half an hour before doors, which is a real stark contrast to Manics gigs. We could (had we wanted to) gotten up front every night with no problems. As it was, we both decided to go upstairs and enjoy the show in comfort. Also, I'd spoken to Mark, and decided that it was a good night to lose my video taping viginity. I was amazed at how the security didn't even bat an eyelid as we ferried in bags full of camera, mics, cables and monopods. There was a bit of a mad dash up the stairs, and as Mark and Dave set up shop at a great spot at the back of the balcony (the railings of which were perfect for clamping mics to), Snoo and I took our position on the right, opposite Chris and Trevor on the left. Adrian went down to the soundboard. The venue was amazing with three huge stained glass windows at the back behind the stage. There was a great atmosphere from the moment we entered.

After a quick 101 briefing from Mark, we were all set up and ready to go. I was really excited, and before long the Hip were in front of us again! The setlist started off similar to previous shows, but then they started mixing things up with the additions of Daredevil, Little Bones and On The Verge. The band put on a great show and we all had a fantastic night. After the gig, I walked Snoo back to the hotel as she needed to get some sleep as she needed to be up early in the morning, and I headed back out to grab some beers and food with the guys. We finally all turned in at around 2am (again) but we were all geared up for more of the same (or at least similar) the next day...


25/09/2007 - The Paradiso, Amsterdam Setlist:

Yer Not The Ocean
My Music At Work
Grace, Too
It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken
The Drop-Off
Ahead By A Century
In View
Poets
Daredevil
World Container
Springtime In Vienna
At The Hundredth Meridian
The Lonely End Of The Rink
Bobcaygeon
Family Band
Little Bones
===
Johnny Appleseed (Joe Strummer Cover)
The Kids Don’t Get It
On The Verge

EuroHip: Day 5

We're up and ready to go (relatively) early on Monday morning. The plan is to catch the 11am train to Amsterdam. In theory, we only have to make one change on the way back which is nice. We grab our tickets and pile on to the train and head to Amersfort - So far, so good. We change onto outr new train, but after a few minutes of sitting there, the driver makes an announcement in Dutch, and everyone (bar us) gets off again. Erm... Anyway, the conductor comes through, and tells us that there is an accident ahead, and says we can either stay on the train (which will go as far as the next station at least) or we can get off. We opt to stay on in the foolish hope that the accident will be cleared by the time we get there. It doesn't. So, we have to go all the way back to Amersfort and get the train to Utrecht and change there. Oh, and we have to do all this in the rain. Joy.

Anyway, we get to Amsterdam a bit later than planned, and at this point we go our seperate ways as Snoo and I are staying in a different hotel to the others. We check in, and dump our stuff in our room. Considering all we've done is sit on trains, I'm suprisingly tired and fall asleep before I even realise. After a short power nap, we're good to go again, and we head off in search of food. We find a nice little italian restaurant, and order some pizzas and wine. After dinner, we go for a stroll into town, and I recieve a message fron Trevor, and we go to meet everyone at an Irish pub called 'The Tara'. The guys are already well on their way, but after a few more rounds we soon catch up. We stay in the pub for a good few hours, and laugh and joke with each other and our barman, Dillon. We wander down, through the red light district (that was an eye-opener!) and back up along the main street to look for food. We split up and each grab various burgers and things. As Snoo and I leave the kebab shop with our food we see the Police talking to Dave, Trevor A and Trevor C, Chris and Adrian. As we get closer, we realise what's happening. It turned out that the police car drove past Dave and Trevor A, then as they went to cross, the officer in the car put the car in reverse, seemingly without looking, and floored it backwards, slamming into Dave and Trevor! Unbelieveable! Trevor seemed ok, but Dave was noticeably shaken (understandably so!). After the police and Dave exchanged information, we all decided to call it a night. We wandered back to the hotel, and turned in for the night...

EuroHip: Day 4

Ok, first off - I relise I have majorly slippped behind on this, due to having no internet access, and having far too good a time to worry (no offence, readers) but I'll try and give you a retrospective view of the trip...

Snoo and I landed in Amsterdam after a pretty good, uneventful flight, and were soon through baggage claim, and into the station. We spoke to the guy at the ticket desk (in English which all the Dutch speak perfectly - I do feel bad about not being able to speak their native tongue though!) and we found that we could get two first class tickets for cheaper than a standard! Winner! So, we grabbed some food and hopped on the train. Trevor had already alerted us to the fact that they had had a pretty unpleasant journey up to Groningen, having to stand for pretty much the full three hours, so we were prepared for a rough journey. Thankfully, it never came. We had to make the the changes at Amerfort, Deventer and Zwolle but other than that it was cool, and we had seats the whole way. We even got to go on the cool double decker trains they have! Exciting!

We arrived in Groningen, and after a mild panic as Snoo left her handbag on the train (but managed to retrieve it) we got a taxi to the Hotel. The Hampshire was really nice, and the staff were very welcoming. We dumped our bags off, and then headed out. We wanted to meet up with the guys, but it seemed that we were having communication problems with the phones, so we ended up in a little cafe instead. A couple of beers later, and we were ready for sleep.

The next day (Sunday - Day 4) we awoke to beautiful blue skies. We got dressed and took the lift down to reception. Bizarrely, we picked up Chris, Trevor C and Dave on the floor below. It turned out that they had been texting us (through a drunken haze) all night. I wouldn't actually recieve the messages until after the first Amsterdam show, two days later. Isn't technology wonderful, eh? Anyway, we walked along the river, I took some photos, and then Snoo and I left the group for a couple of hours while we hired bikes. Under Groningen station, they have multistorey carparks - but for bikes (Bikeparks I suppose) which were incredibly vast! It was a site to behold. We got our bikes, and rode long the river to a lake (with a windmill for the traditional Dutch experience). We stopped and had an ice cream sandwich, and continued our way round the lake and back into town. We were out for maybe an hour and a half, but stupidly we forgot to bring any water, so we decided to turn back a bit early, as the sun was really beating down at this point. We got back, dropped the bikes off and walked into town to meet the guys. We sat outside in a small square, and drank some beers and soaked up the sun. By this time, it was getting quite late, so we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the show.

The Oosterport is right on the river and looks really impressive when lit up at night. We arrived about half an hour before doors, but we got to sit inside and chat to some locals. It was here that we ran into our first (and so far only) problem with security. There seemed to be a bit of a break down of communication with security and the Hip's management (the guys were just doing their job), so we waited patiently. Finally, it was decided that the video gear could go in, but not the SLR's. So, Trevor and I walked our stuff back to the hotel, and arranged to meet in the lobby again in few minutes. I dropped my stuff off, and then, as I was leaving the room, heard a banging on the door. Snoo had run back to tell us that the SLR's WERE now allowed in! So, we gathered our gear up again, and headed back. The security guy we were dealing with was very gracious, and waved us in as if we were VIPs. We shook his hand and said thank you. He was a good guy.

We got into the venue and were shocked to see it was pretty much empty! We stood and chatted by the sound board, before we (Snoo, Trevor, Chris and I) decided we'd go up front. We got front row with no problems at all, right in front of Sinclair and Robbie. The stage was really high (coming up to my chest height!) but we discovered why. There was the solid stage, with an extra stage on legs on top of it. This was handy as it gave us a shelf, covered with a black cloth, to leave our gear on! Anyway, we stood and watched the Junes, and before we knew it, The Hip were on stange. The set was similar to London, and the band performed great as always, but it was an odd show. The crowd seemed... let's say... "more mature", but they all seemed really into it, dancing and singing along. The venue never really filled up though. I still enjoyed it, and even managed to get a setlist at the end which was sweet!!

After the show, we hung around, and managed to speak to a few of the band members (I gave one of the spare shirts to Robbie who seemed to really grateful) and then we headed into town, and managed to get a quick beer in before bed. We had a lot of travelling to do the next day, so we all turned in to get some rest. Tomorrow, we'd be off to Amsterdam...

23/09/2007 - Oosterport, Groningen Setlist:

The Lonely End Of The Rink
New Orleans Is Sinking
Fully Completely
It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken
Yer Not The Ocean
Courage (For Hugh Maclennan)
Ahead By A Century
In View
Poets
World Container
Springtime In Vienna
At The Hundredth Meridian
The Kids Don't Get It
Bobcaygeon
Fireworks
Blow At High Dough
===
Family Band
Grace, Too
My Music At Work

EuroHip: Day 3

Last nights show was amazing! It felt like a lifetime since I last saw the Hip and they didn't let me down. It was a bit of a Greatest Hits set, but We got a load of songs that we didn't get last year so I was happy. Gord was at his aminated best, leaping all over the stage using the microphone stand for all manner of things (just what I was hoping for! I can't believe I still have another four to go! I can't wait.

21/09/2007 - The Astoria, London Setlist:

Yer Not The Ocean
My Music At Work
Grace, Too
It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken
The Drop Off
Ahead By A Century
Giftshop
Family Band
World Container
Springtime In Vienna
At The Hundredth Meridian
The Lonely End Of The Rink
Bobcaygeon
In View
Fully Completely
New Orleans Is Sinking
===
Queen Bitch (David Bowie Cover)
Courage
Fireworks

The day time was slightly more subdued than the previous day. We started off having lunch at The Coal Hole on the strand before wandering along the river, past the eye and on to Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately the weather was against us to an extent, but we still managed to have a great time. Snoo and I are in Gatwick now, just waiting to board our flight to Amsterdam for more fun and games...

EuroHip: Day 2

It feels soooo good to be on holiday! And it's even better knowing that last night was just he beginning. I made record time from the office to Leicester Square where I met up with the guys (with the exception of Mark who arrives today) in the Yates's there. We had a few beers and a good chat! Everyone was really friendly and chatty, and it felt like I'd been friends with them all for ages (which, I guess, with the power of the internet, I have been.) We sank a few drinks in Leicester Square, before hoping on a tube two stops to Green Park. The ticket gates seemed to have it in for Chris though, as it took him about five attempts to get in or out of either station! From Green Park we made our way The Hard Rock Cafe where we were shown round 'The Vault' (and it literally is that!) by a guy called Dan. He was very cool, and knowledgeable and we chatted to him and took photos of the various exhibits (my personal favourite being Eddie Vedder's acoustic guitar with the hand written lyrics to 'Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town' taped to the side!). We were supposed to eat in the Hard Rock, but due to a few drinks, jet lag and a long wait for the table, all the guys from Canada decided to head home. Matt, Emma, Snoo and I stayed and had some food, some more drinks and set the music world to rights before going our seperate ways. It's all beginning again in a couple of hours, so I really think I should get myself motiviated! It's the London gig tonight which I'm really excited about. I'm really happy that the first gig is in London - It makes it all the more special for me. It doesn't feel like it's actually happening tonight, but I'm sure as soon as the band hit the stage it'll all become very real! Stay tuned...

(Oh, and I'll be tracking the journey in photo form here. Enjoy.)

EuroHip: Day 1

Tick. Tock. Tick... I'm clock watching. Just under an hour and a half to go before I can say "so long" to work, and head up to town to officially begin EuroHip 2007! After a few problems, I think everyone's finally managed to finally get to various hotels and sort themselves out. Tonight should be a fairly relaxed affair with the usually "getting-to-know-you" chat and general phsyching each other up for tomorrow night when it all kicks off! It's all falling into place nicely. I'll keep you posted...

(Typically, after weeks of unseasonably nice weather - the rain has come back for a visit. Welcome to England, guys...)

EuroHip Top Ten...

Photo by the extremely talented Trevor Connell

As anyone who reads this blog regularly (or indeed, at all) you'll probably be aware that EuroHip begins this Friday in London with the first show at the Astoria! I'm currently feeling like a coiled spring at Christmas (imagine that!). It's been over a year since I saw the Hip last (at Shepherds Bush Empire) and in that time, I have gone from casual fan to obsessive - What a difference 365+ days makes, eh? This time round, one show just isn't enough so I'm (along with Snoo and a bunch of die-hards from Canada) heading off to mainland Europe to take in another four shows over there - I. Cannot. Wait.
I've decided to complile a list of tracks that I'm hoping to hear across the next week! Some are fairly safe bets I reckon, and some are a bit more left field (based on what they've been playing recently). They are a band that are full of suprises though, so never say never ('We'll Go To' at SBE, anyone?!). So, here (in alaphbetical order) are the top ten songs, which weren't played last year, I'm hoping to hear over the next week or so - I hope you enjoy them...
1979 (Smashing Pumpkins cover)
Chargrin Falls
Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man
Family Band
Fiddler's Green
Inevitability of Death
Pigeon Camera
Silver Jet
The Dire Wolf
Vaccination Scar

Of course, I'll be happy with whatever they play...

Not long now!!

EuroHip T-Shirts...

Ok, I know that most of the regulars (I hope I have regulars!), with the exception of a few, that read this blog will probably be sick to the back teeth of hearing me bang on about my Trip to Europe to see the Hip, but I'm afraid you're going to have to sit through another post about it. Or, well, more specifically, a post about the official t-shirts that are going to print this week! I was given the great honour of designing the shirts for the (ever expanding) group of travellers who will be hitting the continent in the autumn. Corby, of Unique Motel fame, has very kindly given us a great deal on the shirts - and yesterday I recieved the proof of the design. What do you think?...


I can't wait to see them for real - I shall be sporting mine with pride!

New Hipfans Banner

My recent Hip-based image for The Travelling Sketchbook has now been made into another banner for Hipfans.com. Personally, I think it's one of my favourites that I've done!

The Travelling Sketchbook

I have finished my Hip themed image for the Travelling Sketchbook project. I hope you like it! There's a bit more information about it on the official Travelling Sketchbook Blog.

The Hip on your desktop...

I've been working on a series of Tragically Hip desktop wallpapers (obsessed? Moi?!...) over the last few days for the Unique Motel. It's been quite a nice exercise in honing my Photoshop skills as well - Always a pleasure...