K's Choice.de

West Coast Tour Blog Feb 2009

I don’t know if it was because we were on the West Coast, because we were on the verge of some giant K’s Choice madness or just because the stars were aligned, but our big road trip adventure in little places totally delivered. As much as I’m looking forward to all that lies ahead with K’s Choice shows already booked in Holland, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Israel, I have learned in all these years that the fun lies solely in the music and the company and both elements were well represented on this venture.

We started in Seattle in typical rain, my piano player Reinout and I, two lonesome cowboys in a rented SUV (sorry, environment, we needed the space). Crashing on my good friend Kim’s couch, we discovered the benefits of home dried fruit, Throat Coat Tea and a brisk walk in the Seattle rain. The kick off show felt good and comfortable. After all, this wasn’t our first rodeo and we had been touring as a duo for a few months now.

We met Clayton Senne and his manager Robert, who would be joining us for the entire trip and sighed a big sigh of relief to know that everyone was ‘nice’. I don’t take ‘nice’ for granted on the road, it can make the difference between good tour and bad tour.

From there we travelled down the coast through Portland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Hermosa Beach and Los Angeles. By the grace of more good friends and family who offered clean sheets and comfy beds, it felt more like a vacation than an actual tour. Not to diminish the shows, because we both decided not one night wasn’t worth the often grueling drive, but the scenery in between, the hikes and the time spent with people we love, made the experience unforgettable.

In L.A. I parted ways with my girlfriend, who hopped the train in San Francisco and got my good friend and USA Street Team Coordinator Leslie to keep us company instead. This is also where we joined paths with our faithful Belgian friends Anouk and Fanny, who seem to consider my work as a perfect excuse to leave Belgium and road trip like mad women!

We made a pit stop in Vegas, and like the true rock ’n’ rollers that we are , spent our entire day hiking to the Hoover Dam. To offset our wholesomeness, we ended the night with pizza and beer watching some good old fashioned Winter Olympics. As hard as I tried, there were no Belgians to be found in the snow or on the ice anywhere, but with my newfound dual citizenship, I had plenty of fellow Americans to root for.

From Vegas, we travelled to Salt Lake City, probably one of the most beautiful drives ever. Somehow, sitting in a car for 7 hours isn’t quite as bad when you’re surrounded by crazy shaped desert land and sunshine. On an eternal quest for healthy food, we found another Whole Foods and splurged on apples and bean salad.

Colorado was our next stop and I could feel the pull of the mountains. I’ve had the pleasure of skiing in Utah and in Colorado, so driving through those mountains and seeing the snow was quite the invitation I unfortunately couldn’t accept. And therein lies the difference between a tour and a vacation!

I dare not speak of the drive from Denver to Dallas, other than it was not all it’s cracked up to be. Two problems: one, it was too far!; two, there wasn’t much to look at (no offense to the Wyoming cows).

Texas was fun as ever, especially Austin with an entertaining Lady Longhorns basketball game and perfect last night.

Thank you to all friends and family along the way who made this trip so special and a special thanks to my companion Reinout for being quite the road buddy.