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November 27th, 2008
Just finished reading a book called “Heart of the World”, by Alan Ereira, a former TV journalist from the BBC in England… still may be for that matter. The book was first published in 1990. It is about the ‘Kogi’ tribe that has virtually existed as it did a thousand years ago, high in the Sierra mountains of Columbia. They have existed this way because the Spanish found no use in chasing them up to where they escaped during the conquests. The Spanish took most of their gold, so felt no need in pursuing them further. Now days the Kogi are guarded against tourism and the like by any number of cocaine manufacture’s and marijuana fields… all protected by machine gun toting hired hands. So it is hard to reach the Kogi, therefore protecting their culture.
The Kogi speak of a time when once they had silent conversations with hundreds of tribes around the globe in the world of ‘Aluna’… a spiritual plane. Over the centuries the ability to communicate with all the ‘tribes’ became damaged… not so much the ability became damaged, but rather the number of groups began to decrease… they sort of lost their ‘web connection’… slowly disappearing off the soul map. Now, the Kogi say, they are the only ones left of the old tribes that are ‘out there’ pining for the days of telepathic conversation, thought… dreams. They hear only themselves in the land of Aluna on earth now.
The Kogi say it is still possible to talk to other non-earth entities… but they will not discuss that because what is important now is for humankind to take care of mother earth first, stop mining the minerals, sucking the oil out of her… instead, heal her. Saving the planet would have to happen long before conversations of other beings and how the universe formed could be breached. Fair enough… perhaps Al Gore has Kogi blood in him somewhere in his lineage.
Thank you, Howie… for the “Heart of the World”… and for waiting 15 years to pass it on.
November 19th, 2008
Thank you Jan and Kay for such a lovely time… what a magical kingdom you both have forged with Hark to Towler. Both shows were some of the best, especially with everyone singing to Brave New World. Most of the people from both shows had apparently attended the Manchester show two weeks back, and now had that song in particular on their minds. Many people had made long drives to come and you have my gratitude for making the journey. Also to the three couple’s who confessed to having ‘Stronger than Steel’ be their wedding song… I am honored. The Network seems to have touched many lives and I feel proud to have had the pleasure of performing and living beside such good men as Dan, Brion, Blake and Melvin. It was and is my foundation… and not forgotten. I look forward to returning to the Manchester/Bury area soon! The late night jam session was priceless, and the laughter shared will be remembered for years to come. Sebastian… keep those parents of yours in line! And finally it is good to see such respect and hope for Mr. Obama… the world is inspired by him winning this election, and the light has been turned on in the hearts of so many that had lost faith in American politics… beautiful.
November 16th, 2008
Jan, thank you for your passion to have put this show on, and I appreciate you already getting to work booking more shows throughout Norway in April. What stood out most at the Oslo performance was the number of musicians attending, some who are quite successful in Norway. To hear all your loving comments about the past and the present was deeply inspiring. Music can be a powerful force for good energy… and to have these very talented musician’s support puts me beside myself. Thank you to all who made it to the show and also those who made the trek long distance to attend. The next day I was able to spend the afternoon alone traveling to the castle and fortress on the waterway, the old city hall building decorated with massive painted murals of the labor and joy the people of Norway have put in to forging their nation. I will post some photo’s here soon from this wandering. It was breathtaking. I am looking forward to returning in April and possibly doing the big concert the musicians suggested… could be magic.
November 16th, 2008
Stockholm was yet another warm evening of great energy and good emotions. It was pointed out by an audience member that it was 20 years to the date that Dan Reed Network first played in Sweden at the club then called Melody… it has since moved to another location, I hear… yet holds the same name. Like the Marquee gig in London, our first in the UK, the Melody Club show in Stockholm was unforgettable. Now 20 years later to return, the first show in almost 13 years, was a great experience. I was able to see many old friends… also many I had been conversing wtih on Myspace and Facebook… and even had the joy of connecting with Robert Hultman, who once worked for Polygram and was the guiding force in our past success in this most beautiful country. The train ride from Goteborg to Stockholm was calming as the serene lakes and endless forests and farmlands wheeled by through the misty air outside the windows of the train. Ahh… to live in the countryside of Sweden in my next life would be a peice of heaven for sure.
Thank you to AEG, the most helpful staff at Berns… especially Caroline! Ulf and Micke for the desire to do some photos, to Brollan for running sound, to John and Bo for coming to the show, Suzanne for your undying faith, to Rebeca for un-expectantly turning up the light in my heart and soul, to Nathalie Olsson for your kind heart… congratulations on the upcoming marriage! Alfred… not sure if you made it, but hope you enjoyed the new songs. Thank you to Classic Rock Radio with Ian and Ima! Renne… what a suprise!! Vanessa a joy to meet you and your mother. And to my dear friend Teresia… my deepest apology for the mess up on the list. I was honored to see you again, and was happy to hear the music moved you… the crystal is magic and the book from many years ago is appreciated more than you know.
See you all in April… it has been a true joy returning to Sweden.
November 15th, 2008
There has been a small intimate show added in London on the 21st of November at the venue listed below. There will be some industry folks there that were unable to make it last friday at the Borderline. Please help spread the word, and if you are able try to make it down if you have the time and energy to witness some of the new and old songs again. I hope to see you there and thank you all for coming to the Borderline last week… it has been an exhilarating time coming back to music. Peace… Dan
November 13th, 2008
Like the UK shows, the audience in Goteborg was wonderful! Seeing old friends was such a loving feeling, and the comments after the show once again re-inforced my reasoning for writing this collection of new songs. One couple of women said perhaps the most inspiring comment to date with regards to the new songs. They mentioned that they had been experiencing difficult times and were considering seeking physcological help. They said that hearing the new songs lifted their worries and said “All we really needed was to hear these lyrics and all was better.” As I remember back to traveling India, I had written a mission statement as to what I had hoped to accomplish with writing new songs. The statement summary is “These must be love songs to our soul, to our friends and family, to whatever we believe the higher power is, but most of all they need to be love songs to ourselves, to remind us that life is short, but precious… challenging, yet beautiful.” I may have penned the words and formed the chord progressions and melodies, but I truly believe the songs came from somewhere else inside that is inter-connected with all those who have been hungering for simple, yet uplifting music. Thank you to all the wonderful people whose smiling faces in Goteborg made it a true welcoming back to Sweden.
Especially my thanks to Nathalie for working hard on the show, and big love to Kim, a new friend that was most gracious during every moment of my stay in Goteborg… thank you for helping me find my way and for your humble assistance. And to Anders and the Magic Ollson Sister’s… it was GREAT to see you all and congratulations on all the new children in your respective families! Nathalie… my humble gratitude for making the journey from Malmo.
November 10th, 2008
I will say the crowd in London was by far the most vocal of the five shows in the UK, singing almost in Chorus to all the old songs, often making me forget I was suppose to be singing too… it was startling and at the same time I was overcome with a deep appreciation for the past and a vision for what is to come. I met Alex who traveled from Spain to come to the show, and a lovely couple from France that made the journey as well. The five shows booked through Live Nation were an amazing re-entry back in to the live music word in Europe and I am most grateful to all who came to support, re-live the past, and listen to the future of the music. Thank you Mick for the interview, George for all the video and camera work and especially Andy Copping and Toni Metcalf for making these shows come to fruition and believing in me once again. I am more inspired than ever… and I realize that I have come home to music, never to retreat again. See you all again in April. Words cannot describe the emotion of joy everyone has given me… so I will say simply ‘Thank you for believing and for never forgetting’.
November 7th, 2008
And yet another beautiful show in Nottingham thanks to the all the lovely souls that attended. I so appreciate the attention playing solo acoustic I have been utterly blown away by the love and comments after the show, and the smiles during. Thank you for all the hugs and supportive comments during the signing afterwards. I feel truly blessed to have been able to come back to this magic city of good energy and meet so many passionate souls and for sharing your stories with me. Thank you Rescue Rooms for the nice food and good vibes. See you in April!
November 6th, 2008
Once again I was honored and humbled by the reaction to the new songs in Newcastle this night. All the wonderful souls remembering the music from the past and embracing the songs written in Jerusalem and in India gave me much to reflect upon. What a joy it was to speak with everyone after the show as well. The hugs and the tears… it has been overwhelming. A highlight of the night was to hear the crowd supporting our new US president, Mr. Obama. Hope is alive in America… and it is spreading like wildfire throughout the world. Thank you Newcastle for the love this cold fall evening… it is warm in my heart.
November 5th, 2008
President Obama - A New Day
Today America can be proud of blazing new trails once again. It is the new beginning… now let’s all ride this wave of good energy in our daily life, our personal life, our business and in our actions towards ourselves and to others we agree with and those we disagree with, as this election of Mr. Obama for president is the primer… now the engine will start and where we drive this car called ‘the future’ is only up to us. It would be all too easy to go “Ahh… now things will be different… go Mr. Obama… you will fix it all.”, but as he has said time and time again, that if he got elected this would be only the beginning and that it would be all of us making the commitment to bringing about that change, economically, environmentally, our national health, and our way of dealing with prejudice, pride, fear of our enemy and our commitment to volunteer our time, energy and action to our neighbor, our country and the world at large. John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ is alive and well on this day!
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