Alicante is HOT! You can try to fight it, but the Spanish Siesta will always win. It sucks you in, spits you out and makes you sleep for days! Thankfully, we had a cool place to rest our heads. Our mate, Luis Giminez welcomed us in his home with fresh oily fish, gazpacho & an endless supply of watermelon. We relaxed and slept on a beach, waking up to proud nudists showing off their of bums & willies on the flat rocks next to the Mediterranean. (see picture).
Luis’s friend, Ferran, had invited us to a jam session one evening, and we went not knowing quite what to expect. It turned out to be one of the most magical evenings of our musical careers! The three of us (Luis, Tim & Amelia) warmed up the crowd and slowly more and more musicians joined us on stage, including a rockin’ rhythm section made up of a small croaky Italian drummer & a robust double bassist, plus a slippery sax player who sang out from the back depths of the venue, and a wailin’ harmonica! And all the while, there was Ferran’s magnetic smile peering up from the mixing desk, encouraging us to play harder so the crowd would dance faster. It was truly an unforgettable evening, and the audience went wild over the “band’s” rendition of “Streets of Cairo” & the interactive “Just Say No”. We hardly realised we’d been playing for 4 hours straight! Thankfully it was recorded, so you can listen to it on our MYSPACE, and also some of Amelia’s tunes with a full band on her website.
Spain was incredible, but it’s not so kind to professional musicians. There is no paid work, which can mean no paid play. But we recommend you go to Alicante anyway!
