My Friend Romek's Black Cat

After many attempts at catching it, I eventually got a picture of my friend Romek's black cat.  Even got a crazier shot of it in the blurred picture below:

Yeah, it looks a touch crazy in this shot.

Looking Forward To Seeing Gazpacho at Warsaw Klub Progresja on 4th April 2014

Above is my favourite (long) piece by Norwegian Prog(ish) band, Gazpacho, who have been a sublime revelation since discovering them a couple of months ago. 

Have always loved Prog (ELP; Van Der Graaf Generator; early Genesis; Yes; The Enid; Gentle Giant; Rush; Kansas; Marillion; IQ etc.), and have enjoyed seeing some great more modern Prog bands over the last few years (Riverside; The Flower Kings; Antimatter;  Pain of Salvation; Threshold; Crippled Black Phoenix; Blackfield etc.). 

But how did I discover Gazpacho recently?  I mean - the band have now released a steady stream of albums since the early 2000s and somehow they slipped under my radar for years.  Well, a couple of months ago, I saw that Gazpacho were playing Warsaw Klub Progresja on April 4th on the Klub Progresja website, then dutifully gave them a spin on Youtube, and will now be going seeing them next Friday.

So which other Gazpacho tunes do I really like?  Well, I love another long epic, 'Dream of Stone':

I do a lot of proofreading work for an English language book publishing company in Warsaw, and find that playing Gazpacho at the same time is a wonderful therapeutic antidote to the monotiny of proofreading.  Yes, these long, deeply atmospheric tunes just flash by and make me feel better.

There just seems to be a super-smooth, enigmatic-type drifty quality to these tunes.  Can't wait to see this stuff being done live at the Klub Progresja next Friday.

Yes, this stuff is really beautiful and atmospheric.

Warsaw Plac Wilsona Metro Station (after The Crimson ProjeKCt Gig Last Week)

This was the glorious sight of Plac Wilsona metro station that greeted me after The Crimson ProjeKCt gig at the Warsaw Palladium last week. 

I'm always taking pictures of the ceiling-type thing above as it's always changing colour, but last Wednesday was the first time I'd ever thought of getting a shot of the 'camera-type moon' thing below:

Had just never recognised the beauty of this contraption and its moon-type effect before:

Guess that my eyes must've been closed for the last few years.

Overcoming Bleak Sunday Afternoons in Warsaw

The last two Sunday afternoons have been bleak and dark in Warsaw.  So what do I do to escape such gloom?  Well, my all year round routine, rain or shine, is to catch a tram from the Ratusz Aresenał metro station a few stops up in the Wola direction:

After going to the Old Latin Mass at St. Klement's church (the Gregorian chant gives me an uplift - it's always had that kind of effect), I go to the vegan place (think it's vegan rather than vegetarian but I'm not entirely sure) below:

At this place, I'm always guaranted a good meal and cup of 'kompot' (freshly made fruit juice) for about 20 złoty (roughly 4 pound).

Had to start eating this kind of stuff about two years ago due to having digestion problems, and now have no intention of going back to my previous unhealthy diet, although I still eat meat a couple of times a week.

The Crimson ProjeKCt Live at Warsaw Palladium 19th March 2014

Been getting to a lot of good gigs recently, and last night was no exception with The Crimson ProjeKCt at Warsaw Palladium.  Through luck rather than design I managed to nail a (small mobile) shot of bassist Julie Slick above before a note was even played.

Of course, I was happy to hear all the King Crimson catalogue on offer, especially 'Frame By Frame' (done 2-3 songs in); 'Neurotica' and 'Three of a Perfect Pair', three of my favourite early 1980s King Crimson tunes:

As expected, in different ways, both Adrian Belew and Tony Levin were stars:  love the way that Belew subtly fools around (especially with his facial features) on stage.

Was glad to get the shot of the whole band together below.  At times, the six musicians were splitting into the Belew Power Trio and Levin Stick Men (trio) which gave the show a nice kind of balance and variety.

And what about the most appreciated tunes of the night?  Well, going off the audience reaction, these would have to be 'Indiscipline'; 'Red' and 'Elephant Talk' .

Above, the six musicians of The Crimson ProjeKCt are taking a well-earned bow at the end of the show.

Perła: One of My Favourite Polish Beers

The Lublin beer Perła is definitely one of my favourite Polish beers.  But why?  Well, even though it's Polish, it's what I call a 'Czech-like lager':  having the colour and texture of a lager but the kick and taste of almost a British bitter (the perfect beer for me).  Moreover, it may be 6.2% in alcohol but it retains a beautiful taste.

A Young Golden Retriever

Can't help but notice that golden retrievers are the 'in dog', as I can see them perfectly calmly walking with their owners all round Warsaw.

The young retriever above is Miesek who is now a couple of years older.  Really like this shot of Misiek as it kind of captures the two sides of his personality:  like most retrievers, he's incredibly friendly, but going against the grain a bit, he's also a touch 'rum'.

Misiek is the dog of my parents in law who live in the small, almost rustic town of Szczebreszyn in eastern Poland.

Finally Getting Round To Listen To ''Seeds of Change' by Kerry Livgren

First intended to listen to Kerry Livgren's first solo album (while he was still in Kansas) 34 years ago when I was still a schoolboy, but I just never got round to buying it, and over the years I simply forgot about this album, that is until a few days ago when I checked out 'The Mask of the Great Deceiver' with Ronnie James Dio (RIP) on vocals (above).  This track is magical and I'm almost certain that I've heard it a few times over the years, but this could just be my imagination.

What about the rest of the album?  Well, I also really like the other track with Dio on vocals, 'To Live For the King' (below):

Just think it's great how Kerry Livegren got Dio to do the vocals on these two tracks around the time when the latter was busy with Black Sabbath recording 'Heaven and Hell'.  Had the honour of seeing Ronnie James Dio on the Sabbath 'Mob Rules' tour at Stafford Bingley Hall in 1982, and as Dio at Castle Donington in the late 1980s and at Warsaw Stodoła in the mid-2000s.  Absolutely loved the last of these gigs, my first ever gig at the Stodoła.

What about the non-Dio tracks on the 'Seeds of Change' album?  Well, 'How Can You Live' (below) has Steve Walsh on vocals and comes across as a kind of (mellow-type) Kansas track, so I was bound to like this one (Kansas are one of my favourite bands despite having seen them only once in Berlin in 2004).

Finally, the fourth track that I really like from 'Seeds of Change' is the now almost cryptically titled 'Ground Zero' with David Pack of Ambrosia (if I'm honest, I can't remember this band) on lead vocals and some absolutely amazing female background vocals (trust me on this - it's really incredible):

Yes, I think I can safely say that I'm happy to have finally caught up with Kerry Livgren's 'Seeds of Change' album, and, as a result, I'll also be checking out his AD and Proto-Kaw projects.

Within Temptation Live at Warsaw Torwar 9th March 2014

After several close shaves over the years, I finally had the honour of getting to see Within Temptation live, at Warsaw Torwar last night.  Right from the start, when the incredible backdrop appeared and the band opened up with 'Let Us Burn' followed by 'Paradise' from the recently released 'Hydra' album, I loved every minute of this show:

Massive well done to the great people who have already put their videos from last night's gig on Youtube, of course.

Was also pleased with the Torwar (the first time I'd set foot in the place), as I managed to get far better small mobile shots than what I would've ever imagined, getting quite a few of Sharon den Adel moving around the stage:

Must say that as well as being incredibly beautiful, Sharon has a lot of energy, while also being genuinely pleasant in the chit-chat between songs.

Don't know how I've managed to put the shot below on twice (me and technology, I guess):

So what were my favourite tunes of the night.  Well, 'What Have You Done' had a certain impact, as it's a great sing along tune:

But one of the biggest applause of the night was perhaps quite predictably for the classic signature tune 'Mother Earth':

However, my favourite tune of the night would have to be 'Jilian (I'd Give My Heart'), it was just one of the most powerful (in an aesthetic sense, of course) songs I've ever seen done live:

Yeah, what an incredible vocal range Sharon has.

And my second favourite tune of the night, would have to be 'Ice Queen':

Must also credit the guys in the band for being incredibly tight:

Almost forgot to mention that the biggest round of applause of the night was for Sharon's duet with Piotr Rogucki (from the Polish band Coma), 'Whole World Is Watching':

Yeah, can safely say that I had a good night at the Torwar last night.  The place itself deserves some credit:  polite staff; not having to wait long to get a beer etc.

Looking Forward To Seeing The Crimson ProjeKct at Warsaw Palladium on 19th March 2014

Looking forward to seeing The Crimson ProjeKct at Warsaw Palladium on 19th March. 

Remember my old crazy mate Daz George having the 'Discipline'; 'Beat'; and 'Three of a Perfect Pair' King Crimson albums back in the early 1980s and not really knowing what to make of them back then.  Despite this, several of the tracks have kind of magically stayed in my mental jukebox over the years, especially 'Frame By Frame' (below); 'Heartbeat'; and 'Three of a Perfect Pair'.

Actually, remember King Crimson doing this on the Old Grey Whistle Test at the time, and just finding it 'weird', but it must've been profoundly 'weird' to have stayed in my mental jukebox all these years.

Even though there will be no Robert Fripp, of course, I think it's great that Adrian Belew and Tony Levin are keeping the early 1980s King Crimson stuff alive so to say (doing 'Three of a Perfect Pair' below):

Only seen Robert Fripp once (with David Sylvian at Manchester Apollo in about 1992) which was amazing.  From amongst the other parts of the King Crimson family tree, over the last few years, I've got to see John Wetton with Asia at Warsaw Stodoła and Tony Levin and John Wetton with UK at Warsaw Palladium; and also got to see the Giles brothers and Ian McDonald with the 21st Century Schizoid Band at the Canterbury Fayre some time in the early 2000s.

Warsaw: A Few Ethnographic-Type Shots

Let's start with the 'simple' and yet sublime:  what appears to be a Polish bison drawn on a Warsaw pavement (above).

And very soon we move from the sublime to the ugly and (sub-) ridiculous:  the dreaded 'Gender' word being advertised in the centre of Warsaw (below).  Yes, all the leftist politically 'correct' nonsense (gender theory; gay propaganda etc.) has gradually seeped up from the Western sewers since Poland joined the EU (the economic gains = cultural degradation calculation).

Getting back to something more sane and eye-catching:  the historically protected water pump at the Ratusz Arsenał tram stop (below):

Below, just a random shot taken in the Palladium hallway during the interval of the Agnes Obel concert in January.  Somebody has suggested that the guy I've caught has something of a Tarantino-type look.

Below, nothing like the fluorescent atmosphere of a weekday evening football match, this shot being taken outside the Polonia Warszawa ground:

And below, one of the interesting murals that can be found round one of the sides outside the Polonia Warszawa football ground:

Finally, an old train on the outskirts of Warsaw which, with its large snake-like cargo, held up the traffic early this morning:

Looking Forward To Seeing Within Temptation at Warsaw Torwar on 9th March

Got in the mood for the upcoming Within Temptation concert at Warsaw Torwar next Sunday through having a few cans and watching the band's recent Eindhoven gig on Youtube (big well done to whoever has put this here, of course).  Must say that the 'Hydra' material looks good live especially 'Paradise' with Tarja Turunen's face on the screen (above) and 'Let Us Burn' (below):

And the tune I liked best while watching the Eindhoven gig on Youtube last night, well that would have to be the classic 'Our Solemn Hour':

Let's hope the band does this tune next Sunday.  Never seen Within Temptation before so I'm really glad to be finally doing so. 

However, I'm really browned off that Anna Calvi is playing the Warsaw Basen on the same evening:

Would love to be going to see Anna Calvi too, but, sometimes in life, you're forced into making really difficult choices.