The frigid chill of the Texas Hill Country air added the bluesy feeling to the 5th Annual Blues Festival in Luckenbach, TX. What's more interesting than it actually being cold in Central Texas is the fact Luckenbach isn't technically, well, a real town. It encompasses a general store, one beer stand, several portapoties, another loo and a concession stand all in existance because of a dance hall. Eight bands over the course of eight hours engulfed the hall with various blues-influenced sounds, yet many didn't even flinch so much as dance.
Beck Beckendorf featured a six-piece band, half of them guitarists. There's nothing wrong with having three guitarists when it's for a purpose, but somehow I didn't see the purpose of it with this group. Nevertheless, their contemporary blues sound was very enjoyable, and it was cool to see a member whose sole purpose was to kick ass on the harmonica.
My favorite act of the day was an Austin-based three-piece band called Porterdavis. With a beatnick-like appearance, they played a non-pretentious blues style with more depth than the other acts featured. The drummer relied only one a kick drum, a stick and a tamberine. Another member was strictly a harpist like in Beck Beckendorf, and of course, the guitarist/vocalist.
W.C. Clark and his backing band played a more blues-jazz fusion with 60s-style keyboard thrown in for good measure. While a very good set, a few of the songs felt a bit too long, which isn't a problem with the music itself but rather reveals my sometimes lack of patience when it comes to extended jazz and blues songs. Then again it was also getting quite chilly by this point so that didn't help my patience any.
Guy Forsyth brought out a more polished country-blues fusion with catchy hooks, while Band of Heathens slanted more towards an outlaw country-blues combination. Both were very enjoyable, and in fact, Band of Heathens was the only band I had even heard of in the line-up before today.
Unfortunately, the cold forced us to retreat to warmer areas of the grounds during two of the other acts, and we left as the final act was starting.
It was nice to hang out with Josh and Amanda, and it was nice to get out of the big city for the afternoon and evening. Tomorrow, I think a nice morning bike ride around the neighborhood and a good core workout is in order before a pleasant rest before lunch.
The U.K. blogs will be posted soon.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
5...4...3...2...1...Rebooting. 2012 Begins!
Yes yes, it's been nearly a full Gregorian cycle since last updating. Part of the reason was due to the lack of sufficient cheap internet during my first lucrative contract for Holland America Line.
Picking up where the story left off, I not only successfully worked the first three months of the Alaska season onboard the ms Statendam but I was blessed with, at first, a three-week contract extension provided I transfered to the ms Veendam to finish the final two months of their NYC-Bermuda run. At first, I wasn't exactly jumping for the beanstock when I accepted the transfer, but I figured that working what is arguablly the most boring of our itineraries would show my flexibility in placements and that I would land something lucrative afterwards.
I was correct.
Disembarking the Veendam in mid-October, I came home for a brief one-week break before boarding the ms Maasdam and embarking on a 45-day Western Mediterranean and Morocco cruise. The thrill of tasing exotic lands and peaking into the cultures that defines them reminded me of why I chose this path to begin with. Not that Alaska or Bermuda aren't exotic in their own right. But with the Mediterranean offering the best itinerary, it's important to realize that a lot of fun adventures emerged from both the Alaskan and Bermudan runs.
For me, my time on the Statendam in Alaska was an equal mix of both about the destination and the people I met. For the Mediterranean and Caribbean, while I met wonderful new friends, my time was spent more focused on the destination, largely because of needing to know many different excursions in many different ports. But it was the Veendam in Bermuda that focused heavily on the people rather than the destination, as well as providing the most challenge concerning customer service and flexibility. Combining my experience on in Alaska and Bermuda prepared me for Europe. So in short, my first contract not only exposed me to many new places, but also different work environments and what is necessary to succeed in those environments.
There is so much to be said, so many memories made that it wouldn't be feasible to post everything here. However, I will make the best effort to be more consistant in updating this year. I also purchased a brand new camera, a Nikon D3100, back in August that has served me well and will continue to do so. I will also try and be more consistent in posting photos, although with a slower internet connection and the fact it costs money, photos may have to wait until free time in port. Speaking of that, I will be boarding the ms Oosterdam in mid-February to work Mexico and Hawaii for the first three months, and, starting in May, return to Alaska. Unfortunately, Skagway and Haines are not on our itinerary (but Juneau is!). Plus, I will get to experience Sitka's charm for the first time.
Last year was a blast, and I look forward to continue serving Holland America and exploring our wonderful planet.
For next time, I will post about the New Years exhibition to the United Kingdom, starring Ross Ramirez and myself. Hopefully, that will come sometime this week.
Welcome to 2012, and let's live like the world is going to end.
Picking up where the story left off, I not only successfully worked the first three months of the Alaska season onboard the ms Statendam but I was blessed with, at first, a three-week contract extension provided I transfered to the ms Veendam to finish the final two months of their NYC-Bermuda run. At first, I wasn't exactly jumping for the beanstock when I accepted the transfer, but I figured that working what is arguablly the most boring of our itineraries would show my flexibility in placements and that I would land something lucrative afterwards.
I was correct.
Disembarking the Veendam in mid-October, I came home for a brief one-week break before boarding the ms Maasdam and embarking on a 45-day Western Mediterranean and Morocco cruise. The thrill of tasing exotic lands and peaking into the cultures that defines them reminded me of why I chose this path to begin with. Not that Alaska or Bermuda aren't exotic in their own right. But with the Mediterranean offering the best itinerary, it's important to realize that a lot of fun adventures emerged from both the Alaskan and Bermudan runs.
For me, my time on the Statendam in Alaska was an equal mix of both about the destination and the people I met. For the Mediterranean and Caribbean, while I met wonderful new friends, my time was spent more focused on the destination, largely because of needing to know many different excursions in many different ports. But it was the Veendam in Bermuda that focused heavily on the people rather than the destination, as well as providing the most challenge concerning customer service and flexibility. Combining my experience on in Alaska and Bermuda prepared me for Europe. So in short, my first contract not only exposed me to many new places, but also different work environments and what is necessary to succeed in those environments.
There is so much to be said, so many memories made that it wouldn't be feasible to post everything here. However, I will make the best effort to be more consistant in updating this year. I also purchased a brand new camera, a Nikon D3100, back in August that has served me well and will continue to do so. I will also try and be more consistent in posting photos, although with a slower internet connection and the fact it costs money, photos may have to wait until free time in port. Speaking of that, I will be boarding the ms Oosterdam in mid-February to work Mexico and Hawaii for the first three months, and, starting in May, return to Alaska. Unfortunately, Skagway and Haines are not on our itinerary (but Juneau is!). Plus, I will get to experience Sitka's charm for the first time.
Last year was a blast, and I look forward to continue serving Holland America and exploring our wonderful planet.
For next time, I will post about the New Years exhibition to the United Kingdom, starring Ross Ramirez and myself. Hopefully, that will come sometime this week.
Welcome to 2012, and let's live like the world is going to end.
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