I’m back in Austria after my visit to Sweden and the gig at New Sound Made festival. I really enjoyed to be home and see all friends again, and to hear a lot of them at the festival, there were quite a few really nice musical moments during the three days.

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t the best, but although the air was cold, it still was outweighed by the warm atmosphere of the festival, both among the musicians and the audience.

Our gig with Blue Corners was good, unfortunately I myself had a bit of a fever and was pretty dizzy during the gig, and since we were playing outside in the freezing cold combined with a pretty bad stage sound, the conditions could have been better.

Despite this we still had a good time playing and came up with some special moments. Unfortunately we ran out of time and had to shorten out program a bit, we did three tunes that got a bit longer than planned, and had to finish everything off with a very shortened version of one of the bandleader Morgan’s beautiful ballads, and take our planned last number out.

Not a bad decision though, Morgan featured this ballad beautifully and it felt good finishing our set off this way, especially since the rest of the concert became pretty powerful, and as an effect of the bad stage sound also became a bit unvaried dynamically.

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It was fun to see how fast I got into the “normal life” again, except for the fact that I tended to think a bit more in English and German this time, answering with yeah and greeting people with hallo! on first impulse.

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I missed Zlatan’s big show in the Serie A-finals, It started fifteen minutes after I boarded the plane. I’m definitely not missing his show in Euro 2008. Is that gold I smell?

Tomorrow at 11:35 I’m taking off from Vienna International Airport, and 2 hours and 25 minutes later I’m landing in Stockholm. I can’t wait, I’m really looking forward to going home this time, I haven’t been in Sweden since Christmas.

On Wednesday New Sound Made Festival starts and runs until Friday. We’re playing with Blue Corners on the big outside stage at 18.50 on Friday. Don’t miss it!

I’m going high-tech in this post and throw in two pictures from a gig with Blue Corners at Jazzclub Fasching last year. Now I only have to find my passport and I’m ready to go.

A while ago I ordered the above soundcard to use with my computer. To be sure it was gonna be delivered to the right address I chose my girlfriends name on the shipping adress, since her name is written on the postbox.

Last Thursday I received a device of delivery, but since Julia was away from Wednesday to Sunday we couldn’t pick it up until today. I followed her to the post-office and then walked home very happy. Well, until I opened the packade… Instead of my soundcard, the book Rhythmisch-musikalische Erziehung, ordered by my girlfriend, is revealed. Now I’m angry, where’s my package!?!

Sorry, but you can discard everything you just read, someone just was at the door and delivered a package…

Just came home from a big band rehearsal for a gig tomorrow on Wiener Stadtfest at Judenplatz here in Vienna. We rehearsed in a tiny little basement with no airflow whatsoever. It was warm, it was stuffy and it was LOUD! The band was very good though and I’m looking forward to the gig tomorrow. Nice to have the trumpet section behind us then, instead of aimed straight into my right ear!

I’ve discovered lately that I’m probably lactose intolerant. Over a period I’ve from time to time had really bad stomach pains around solar plexus, and after a while I made the connection to eating milk products. I stopped eating them and the pains went away.

I’ll probably do a proper test at the doctor when I’m back in Sweden, but I’m pretty sure the diagnose is right since yesterday I had some ice cream, and the pains once again came back. A bit boring, I like stuff with lactose in them, but I guess I have to start checking out the lactose free alternatives instead.

Good to know the reason anyway, blowing in a saxophone with pains around solar plexus isn’t the greatest feeling of them all, that I can tell you!

Some new stuff are planned for the page. First of all, my new archive page which is already up. I’m also working on the concerts page, right now looking a bit unfinished (Well, it is!). I also want to work a little with the output of the comments. The weather in Vienna is very nice and I have lot’s of rehearsals coming up though, but I’m working on it!

I have some new concerts scheduled, and some more of them coming up soon, which is fun! It’s not easy coming to a new country, trying to make contacts and trying to get gigs, but it has turned out surprisingly well!

Now we’re heading for the sun!

I’m flying home to Sweden to play with Blue Corners at the New Sound Made Festival, which takes place in Stockholm the 14th to 16th of May.

I’m really looking forward to it, the band is really fun to play with and the festival is great!

3 days, 3 stages, 45 really cool bands, and everything totally free of charge! 2008 is the third year of the festival and since it started in 2006 it’s been a total success every time.

This is the perfect opportunity to hear the latest from the Swedish Jazz, Pop and Impro scene, and there’s really something for everyone, the mixture of different music is bigger than I’ve ever experienced on another festival. This really is an event you shouldn’t miss!

Check it out at myspace.com/newsoundmade and kmh.se/nsm

For some more information about the festival, here’s a summary I wrote over My New Sound Made 2007.

I’m not sure about this one since I haven’t been there for almost a year, but I think that AXE Shock Shower Gel smells like the fruit section in food store Sabis on Gullmarsplan, Stockholm. If someone living in the neighborhood feels like testing this, I’m willing to pay for the bottle of Shampoo needed!

Sorry, I had to delete my last post, the picture made me crazy. It was small, cute and funny in my phone, here it was big, ugly and annoying.