There are many things I love about Berlin.  The public transport is brilliant.  Considering I had been awake all night, as I had to leave at 4am to get my 6am flight, I didn’t think I’d have much bother traveling to my friends flat in Kopenick.  I was wrong. Unfortunately there were works being done on the S Bahn rain lines between the main circle line and my destination Kopenick.  I had to get replacement buses.  By the time I got to my friends flat I was exhausted.  I had 2 hours of sleep before leaving for the WABE in the centre of Berlin; the venue for the 2010 Troubadour final.

I got to the WABE without too much difficulty.  It was great to see the host of the Troubadour competition, Mckinley Black, and her team.  As always they were very welcoming and friendly.  Mckinley asked me if I’d be interested in singing with her during her opening performance.  I was honoured!  Unfortunately, my sleep deprived brain couldn’t remember the words, the chords, or work out a harmony part.  It wasn’t going to work out.  I did play some guitar in a higher  postition which worked really well.  Our performance was great fun and well received by the audience.

I really enjoyed the competition as I was under no pressure this year.  All the acts were great and, I must admit, there was very little between them.  It took the judges over an hour to decide.  You can see the results here.  I played a couple of tracks; Caught in the river (premier performance) and EMI.  I went down really well and managed to sell all my CDs bar a few EPs.

I had posted a small box of albums in the hope they would arrive in Berlin and save me extra baggage on the flight.  They hadn’t arrived and I only managed to take 10 albums and a handful of EPs.  I was very encouraged though by the sales.

I must have drunk my weight in Red Bull in order to stay awake.  I was soooooo tired!  I wanted to stay out and party but, alas, my age and my state of mind had caught up with me.  I returned home to bed and slept until noon the next day.

The Saturday consisted of laziness and ice-cream.  I did a bit of window shopping in Kopenick’s shopping centre.  I then went to see a friend play at the Friei University of Berlin.  It was an open day at the University in honour of Science.  My friend Nika did really well and even played a couple of tracks with her friends band.  Unfortunately, because of the transport problems it took 2 and a half hours to get there and the same time to get home.  I was exhausted by the evening.

The next morning I once again traveled across Berlin city centre as I attended the International Baptist Church of Berlin for their midday English service.  What a wonderful and welcoming church.  The Pastor asked any guests to lift their hands and we were presented with a New Testament and a prayer card which I filled in.  After the Service I enjoyed some great food and fellowship with other members of the congregation.

I had just enough time to get home, shower, practice for 30 minutes, before heading out to Art Gerecht where I was to play an evening concert.  I had played Art Gerecht the previous year.  Unfortunately it the venue address had changed and I got lost on the way.  I did get there in the end with 15 minutes to spare.   My friends who were putting me up for a couple of days came to the gig, as did friends from the Troubadour final. My friend Nika and her sister were also in attendance.

Art Gerecht is a lovely venue with an acoustic stage.  I didn’t use an amp or mic.  It was an interesting experience .  My voice was really tired after a few songs.  Mckinley black was also in attendance which was super!  They passed the hat and I made a few bob.  It was the perfect end to a great weekend.

Tiredness had caught up with me on the way back to Kopenick with my hosts.  I had a good sleep before returning to Scotland on the 9am flight.  I am already looking forward to returning to Berlin later in the year.

Once again I crossed the water to mainland Europe to compete in the Troubadour competition in Berlin.  This time it was the final and boy was it a night to remember!  Berlin never ceases to amaze me.  The people here are simply wonderful.  I had to stop and ask directions to get to the Troubadour venue a few times and everyone I met was kind and courteous. The other great thing about Germany (as I mentioned in previous posts) is the transport system.  It’s brilliant!  Having been to Germany 5 times in the last year I know my way around Berlin pretty well now.  This time I don’t have a trusty pocket map for the train but there are maps at every station and they display the stops on the train anyway.

After dragging my poor pregnant wife out of the comfort of our bed yesterday morning at 4am, we got to Edinburgh airport in great time for our journey.  My wife is fantastic at sorting stuff out.  She booked my ticket and made sure my guitar was going in the cargo hold.  There was another band getting on the flight, and their drummer must have planned on taking his snare drum on board as hand luggage.  the case was too big for the hand luggage measure only by an inch or smaller so he had to pay for it.  It turned out that it was £15 per Kg.  The total came to something like £165.  the look on his face was not good at all!!I felt really bad when I walked passed and handed my guitar into the baggage place.

The one bad thing about flying to Berlin from Edinburgh is that the departure gate is one of the last two in the airport.  After being searched to within an inch of your human rights by airport security (although I must admin I do like the feeling of latex) you have to walk 15 minutes to the gate.  This is when you see all the obese suffering Scottish exercise as if their life depended on it.  Think stampede with walruses.  Albeit a tad flustered I was on the plain and on the way to Berlin.

There was a few crowds of 30 something gentlemen on the flight who were away for what must have been a stagg doo or a pissup.  I hate that their sense of common decency and manner escapes them fresh after a few pre-flight pints in the airport. It reminds me of the irish coffees I used to have which would hide the fact I’d been drinking, but I was never as loud mouthed.  I was a secret drunk by day.

I made good use of my ipod and Handel’s Dixit Dominus and eventually fell asleep.  Upon arrival in Germany and the very prompt pickup of my guitar I hit the S Bahn (Trains to you and me).  I arrived in Köpenick and found my way to Kim Nixon and her husband Matthais’s flat but not before stopping at a little kebab stall on the main high street.  This place makes the greatest kebab I have ever had!  If you ever go to Köpenick it’s just across the street from McDonalds.  after a delicious Doner I went to Kim and Matthais’s flat.  Once again they offered to put me up for my stay in Berlin.  They have made e very welcome and I’ve had great fun visiting them.

So I had a wee nap to catch up on my sleep and then I headed out in the early evening to get to the WABE; the venue where the final was being hosted. After getting there a wee bit late I did my soundcheck and met up with the other finalists and Mckinley Black; the host of the Troubadour.  Once again the Troubadour team made me feel right at home with their witty banter and friendly nature.  They were all geat fun and very accommodating.

Upstairs in the back, where the artists were fed and watered, we had food provided by one of the event sponsors.  I was delighted to see an Indian Banquet of vegetable and chicken curry.  It was Heaven!!  Not only that, at the back of the room where the drinks stood were two bowls of mini chupa chup lollie pops.  Indian and chupa chups are my biggest vices after ice-cream so I didn’t think there was anything wrong with eating about 40.

It wasn’t long before the place started to fill up with local music lovers.  Mckinley made it aware that the WABE was a stage  for performers who don’t really get the chance to perform and it was kindly offered for us to use for the final.  You can find out more info here.  The place was packed and most probably in excess of 400, the maximum capacity.

I was on 5th of 6th.  I was happy about this as I could spend most of the time worrying about the performance and not the result.  I had no expectations of winning the final.  I had been runner-up in the semi-final and I was up against some great performers, native musicians, and full bands.  So, I had made up my mind not to play in competition mode and enjoy it for the great privilege it was.

I was to play 2 songs, as everyone was, for the audience to vote on.  The audience voted on their ballot papers who they thought was the best act ordered 1 – 6.  That was only 1 third of the decision as there were also 2 judges from Radio 1, Berlin (NOT THE BBC).  I played alone in the dark to start with as I wanted to show my songwriting ability to not only the judges but aclaimed singer/songwriter Brett Perkins, who was listening in the audience.  For my second track I played Grace as I thought it was more of a song than EMI.  EMI is great for rocking out but I wanted to share the music I spent a long time on.  It went down brilliantly and I was blown away by the responce from the crowd.

After all the acts there was a good break while everyone voted and had a drink.  I met up with some of the audience who were very complimentary, kind, and encouraging.  It was very overwhelming.  If nothing else, regardless of the result, I was so happy that I got to experience my performance.  It was a dream come true.   I even met people who had befriended me on myspace and come to the gig especially to see me.  It was a wonderful feeling.

Mckinley gathered us all up and anounced the winners upstairs.  As before, 3rd place got to play 1 more song on stage, 2nd place got 2, and the winner got to play 3.  It was very exciting.  In thrird place was local lad Dagalexus Dux, in second was another local talent Am OK.  Mckinley then turned and said, “…and in first place is Steph!!”  This took me aback big time.  When everyone started clapping I had to hide my face in my hat.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was so overwhelmed that I had to go in the next room and chill.  I texted my wife and mates with, “I WON!!” and they promtly called me back.  It was fantastic.

With a few other things and performances it was time for me to go on stage and play my 3 songs.  I played Soul Searching, 2112, and Human condition.  After I played I got a standing ovation.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!  I had to do everything not to start crying but I couldn’t help it.  I was so overwhelmed.

Mckinley came on and gave me my prizes:

1. 1000 Euro
2. 1 week at a Brett Perkins Songwriting retreat
3. A E900 Sennheiser Mic
4. 1 year subscription to Song Quarters

This really was generous.  Mckinley asked me to play an encore.  So I finished with Goodbye EMI.  It was the perfect end to a perfect gig.  The crowd were grateful as was I for them, and the compliments and thanks I got outside really meant a lot to me.

Even though I was invited to go out celebrating I coudn’t as It had been a long long day.   I got a taxi back to Kim and Mathias’s flat and crashed.

Saturday came and I spent a bit of time in the morning with Matthais moving some furniture for someone, then I had a quiet day to myself shopping, getting my ear peirced twice, eating ice-cream, kebabs, and all things indulgent.

I got back early the next day to my loving wife.  It had been a greatweekend and an experience I will treasure forever.

I’ve been terribly ill of late and unable to apply myself to anything.  I’ve made it along to gigs, and that’s been keeping me going, but the rest of the time I’m a bit of a zombie.  I already suffer from depression and anxiety, brought on by years of alcohol abuse, which is controlled with medication, but I developed a mighty pain in my crown jewels last August.  Thinking the worst I went to get it checked out at my Doctors.  At first the gave me antibiotics for an infection called epididymitis.  That didn’t work and it was getting much worse, so they sent me for an ultra-sound.   I went and got the KY Jelly smeared all over me (very weird sensation!) and it turned out I had varicose veins in my scrotum and that they could explain the pain I was suffering.  It’s also known as varicocele.  The great thing was I didn’t have anything life threatening.  The bad news, it wasn’t considered an emergency so I had to  wait until April to get an operation to fix it.  Also known as a Varicocele embolision.  This is where they  put a big wire in through your groin, travel up your veins to your stomach, then down towards the testicles.  They then place platinum coils in the varicose vein to block it and stop the blood flow causing the swelling.

All was going well until the told me they could only do one side.  This was due to not having the appropriate catheter.  I’m going back in next week where they will go in from the vein in my neck as they will have the equipment then.

I have been on very strong pain killers for quite a while now and, as they do relieve me from being very sore, they make me quite drowsy.  The problem is I can’t do anything while I’m sore.  All I want to do is crash out in my bed.  The other option is to take the pain killers and be a zombie.  Because of this my work-flow has been hit hard, I’ve lost actual work, I’ve had to cancel gigs, and my college work has been effected.

With that pretty much hitting me all the time, I was in the bath a couple of weeks ago and my right ear suddenly went deaf.  Again I went to the Doctors and they are making me wait for 2 weeks until they drain it.  I’ve been given ear drops which I’ve been using.  It’s been very weird and difficult to sing and play gigs, or do menial tasks, with only one working ear.

The whole experience has left my depression levels a bit low as it’s all left me feeling drained.  But I suppose things could be worse.

The good news is I’m still gigging.  My music has been keeping me going.  I was in Germany again in April for the semi-final of the Troubadour competition.  I came second which secured me a place in the final on the 12th of June.  I was put up by Kim Nixon, who was runner up to me in the first round.  I really love Germany and Berlin has so much history and culture.  The German people, are quite  simply, wonderful.

I have also been able to continue with my album, albeit rather slowly.  My college, JEVC, has been refurbished big time and it has had a whopping amount of cash spent on their recording studio.  Apparently its better that the BBC’s studio.  It really was amazing.  I have been allowed to go into the studio so that the students have someone to record with a bit of experience.  I think we will be doing another album in there after the summer.

Back in January I had the great privilege of writing and contributing to an album of original Christian music for Origin Scotland.  I wrote 3 songs for the album and two of my close friends both contributed equally.  The album has band, choir, and orchestral instruments in the tracks.  We spent a week recording on the Isle of Mull at a fantastic Studio run by the Scottish charity An Airde.  It’s been a bit of a struggle for the Sound Engineer Ewan Mcrae but it’s finally done, and we should be getting the finished CD in the next week.  I am really looking forward to it.

Open Doors have also asked if I’d play at the annual Christian festival Frenzy on their stage.  I’ve got the Origin band coming with me to promote and sell some of their CDs.  My good pal Jodi Anne Thomson is coming to sing too and the guys in the band are going to back her songs.  It’s going to be a cracking show.

So all is not lost.  The summer festivals are looming as is the completion of my first album.  I’m really looking forward to getting better, travelling, and writing new material.  Things can always be worse.  I remember where I was  over 3 years ago and realise that I am very lucky to be here.  So I persevere in my struggles and rejoice in my sufferings.  I have a feeling that the horizon yields great tidings.

This is a little later than I wanted to write.  I’ve been oober busy with recording, designing, college, weddings, and rehearsals.  But now that  I have some free time at 01:56am in the morning, I thought I should update my blog.  The Troubadour gig was fantastic.  The venue was the very cool Schlotts Jazz Bar in Berlin.  It’s a proper underground, through back streets venue with a classy look, great staff, and a great soundman.  We arrived, after a great day doing touristy things in Berlin, and the the very cool Mckinley Black.  It was straight to work with the sound check.  I asked for my customary chair as bar stools restrict my foot stamping.  It turned out it wasn’t a problem though.  Mckinley and her team made it very clear they wanted us to be as comfortable as possible and they certainly did.

We met the other musicians that were performing that night.  All of them were very cool and had their own style that, in my opinion, really made the night what it was.

We went for a bite to eat at the ever reliable Subway and came back for our ‘briefing’.  The show was split to let each performer play 2 songs.  After that the audience would vote and place in order who they thought were best from 1-6.  Third place would get to play 1 more song, second 2, and third 3.  When it was my turn to play I was very well introduced and then I played Disco in the Sky and Goodbye EMI.  It went really well and I won the evening.  It was a very flattering experience.  To have an audience like your music is great.

I normally have a thing about competitions as I think they drive a wedge between performers.  But on this occasion, and this really isn’t because I won, everybody was very congratulatory and supportive.  I’m just glad we could get together and enjoy live music.

So Joaquin came 3rd, Kim Nixon Second, and I got to play 3 songs, actually 4 as I got an encore.  We had a great night and are looking forward to visiting Germany for the 4rth time in less than a year.  I’m hoping to do a few more gigs while I’m there and really enjoy the wonderful country that Germany is.

For More information on the Troubadour click here.

 I never travel well as I can’t seem to sleep.  I was a real mess when we got here, in fact I can’t remember much about earlier.  We travelled from the airport by Train (Germany has one of the best rail networks I have ever experienced!) to our hotel.  

We got these Welcome Berlin travel and discount cards.  For 16 Euro we now have unlimited access to buses, trains, underground, and I think trams too, for 48 hours.  We also have a very cool booklet with lots of tourist info on the city and discounts on tours, attractions, resteraunts etc.  All in all it’s fantastic and a must have if you come here.

We had a much needed nap at the Hotel we are staying at and then ventured out into the city centre which was buzzing with life and pzazz.  There was the BKs and the McDs and our choice of nosh KFC.  But there was loads of cool buildings, skate shops, and an old church which still has some severe scarring from what must have been the 2nd World War.  We then got greedy and endulged in a 12 box of Dunkin Dohnuts….mmmmm Dohnuts, and now we’re burning off the suger with 100 words a second at DD’s handy internet facilities.

All in all a good start.  Not very German mind you with the American fast food and suger fixes, but we are going touristy tomorrow and checking out the Berlin Wall, The famous Berlin Zoo, and of course…the gig at the Troubadour in the evening.  Until then…