Anny Celsi: Blog

Nelson and I arrived back on these shores at the end of March, after over a month in Holland, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and England.  Having spent the better part of ten months planning the tour, organizing, booking, promoting, juggling planes, cars, trains and musicians ...  it's an epic job!  I'm very happy to say it was successful on many fronts.  The travel (mostly) came off without a hitch.  The shows were fantastic - a great excuse to discover new places, new faces, new roads and towns.  We met beautiful, music-loving people everywhere we went - and even some of our musical heroes.  We saw some of the most incredible mountains/lochs/churches/statues/valleys/ponies/ancient ruins/sandwiches and more of my lifetime.

One of the best things about touring this way is collaborating with brilliant musicians like Roland Wolff, Duncan Maitland and Richard Snow. Rather than taking a band on the road, Nelson and I have managed to condense our traveling gear down to a couple of suitcases (yes, drum kit and all).  These other guys join the party along the way, and it makes every show new and different.  We get to hear their great songs as well as their musical and vocal contributions to our set.  Every night is a fun and exciting surprise - keeps things fresh for us and it's fun for the audience.  Not to mention how much fun it is to have them on the road with us!  So, thank you guys, for being part of the Anny & Nelson rolling volcano band!

This kind of trip would be impossibly expensive without the generosity of others.  Along the way, we were hosted by friends old and new - many of whom also helped with booking, promotion and other things. Homecooked meals, a few loads of laundry, insider tours and shopping tips, internet connection, rehearsal space and most importantly, a good night's sleep.  All are invaluable when you're spending weeks at a time on the road.  So here goes -- Roland and Barbara in Munchengladbach, Hans and Karin at The Stables, Yvonne and Paul in Haarlem (and thanks for the jacket Paul!), Suse in Kiel, Tish and Andreas in Hamburg, David at Mojo Soulfood Cafe in Osnabruck, Flip & Jeroen for the camping house, Daragh at 7A in Dublin, Brendan for the gigs in Cavan and the history lessons and Paul & Blathnaid for the lovely overnight, Duncan and Irene for the cushions and the packing assistance, Tony in Glasgow for the Bay, the phone and the car service, Nell for the luvly steak pie and for being Nell, Rob and Ann for showing us all of Scotland, Nigel at The Argyll in Ullapool, Jo and Neil in Fort William, Richard & Heather for the much-needed day off in Nottingham, Terry & Fiona for letting us be at home with them in London (not one but two locations!), Andy Partridge in Swindon for playing DJ in his kitchen, Paul and Ashley for inviting their friends to their living room in Brighton, KC, Rowena, Sarah and everyone at the Jenny Lind in Hastings....the center of the universe.

This is truly the best way to travel, and I never want it to end.