John Ashton in Basel, Switzerland

Rex Theater in Paris

Soundcheck in Paris

Detlif and Solvi

Gendarmes Surrender to the Promoter

Scottish Bob Finds McHaggis

Koln Cathedral Inside View

Column Sculpture of Saint Christopher

I did not recognize this carving for who it is...I wear a medal with this likeness on all trips - including this trip to Europe. Saint Christopher Protect Us.

Stained Glass

The Arch

More detail

Detail of Arch in Doorway

Koln Cathedral Doorway

American Hotel, Amsterdam

Bridge on Canal

Bridge

Houseboat on Canal

Amsterdam Canal

Scandinavian Hotel Room

By The River Looking at Grote Markt

Spire of The Kathedral

Silvius Brabo Statue

Grote Markt in Antwerp, Belgium

Front Entrance The Kathedral

Jeff and Simon at Da Giovanni Pizza in Antwerp

The Kathedral in Antwerp

Gig-a-Byte Caterer Heather Sephton in Oslo

Bob Britt in Oslo Club

Bob is JF's favorite guitarist, as he mentions on stage nightly. Why? Well imagine crossing Keith Richards with Tommy Bolin and Duane Eddy and you might get an idea of what makes Britt such an in-demand guitarist.

We met when he came into the Wynonna camp, and have become fast friends and cribbage opponents ever since. His wife Etta sold me my house, and we go to the same church in Nashville. Bob played on (among tons of other projects) Bob Dylan's Out Of Time LP, if you want to hear him in that setting. Tone, touch, taste - what it sounds like when all three come together.

Simon In Motion, Sundsval

AFG in Sundsval

Andy Greenal, Australian raconteur, gadabout, generally hilarious rigger from NegEarth lighting. From load-in to load-out, a treat to hear and see.

Crew Shots 3

Les was the long-time Marty Stuart soundman, now head of in-house P.A. at The Ryman. He's been doing the Fogerty tour for a while.

Tim Holder is a Clair Brothers man and a wonderful monitor engineer. That's a tough gig to step into, and he did so without a hiccup.

Crew Shots 2

Albert Bermudez was the video guy. He helped me out on a daily basis and was a joy to work with. He's on the Lenny Kravitz tour at the moment.

Goteburg, Sweden

Kitchen Clock/Timer


Found this clock/timer at a Swedish shop for around $15.00. The paint color of the walls in my hotel are similar to my kitchen at home, so I removed the safety exit plan and hung it on the wall for this picture. I like the retro vibe.

On the streets of Goteburg, Sweden

Jeff Szalwinski, Rob Rankin, Bob Britt, Les Banks,
Jake Loveridge, Billy Burnette (L to R)



Jeff Szalwinski is an incredibly talented luthier who I begged to go on this trip with me. He takes care of Billy Burnette and Bob Britt. He is the creator of Original Senn guitars and a wonderful, articulate friend.
Rob Rankin was the systems tech for Clair Brothers U.S.. He is a great guy, easy to get along with and dedicated to his gig.
Bob Britt is one of the finest musicians I know, a good friend and a worthy cribbage opponent. Les Banks is Marty Stuart's long-time mixer, now doing FOH with Fogerty. Les is very funny and helpful - he made my "new guy" break-in period easier.
Jake Loveridge is a big, tall, ex-pro baseball player with a superb talent for teching drums and getting the stage set up right. He was invaluable to me for gig info - they don't write manuals on how to do this stuff!
Billy Burnette is the other guitarist/vocalist and a very humorous guy with a great attitude.

We all set out in various groups for a walk in Goteberg and ended up on the same street for a photo.

Billy Burnette and George Hawkins in Oslo

Guitarist/vocalist meets bassist/vocalist. Hilarity ensues.

Billy Burnette

Me and Billy Burnette in Oslo, Norway

Billy is the son of Rock and Roll legend Dorsey Burnette. He plays and sings great and is a blast to hang with. Here we are in the hotel lobby in Oslo, drinking coffee while waiting for our rooms. The heater on our crew bus had died that night, and we drove all night in the cold. It was 17 degrees fahrenheit inside the bus when we arrived at the hotel!

The Spektrum, Oslo, Norway

Oslo, Norway

Oslo as seen from the window of my hotel room. We did a show across the street at The Spektrum. Very interesting automated rigging system, a demonstration of which I slept through, but I did hear details from the early crew-call boys. All load ins and outs have been pretty smooth. A couple of the stage hands were from the USA, and that helped speed things up. The local crews all speak excellent English and are very competent.

Trail of Ice


Aboard the ferry "Amorella" from Finland to Sweden. 11 hours through the fjords and Baltic Sea, then an 8 hour bus ride to Sundsval, Sweden for the first Swedish gig. It was - and is - very cold in Scandinavia this time of year. The shows are going well, last night being the smoothest so far.