Today / Mexico City

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Originally uploaded by stromo.

Nice to be back. Got out yesterday to enjoy the beautiful weather and took a drive to Pecos.

Travel day home - Friday, Jan 25th

Got back to the hotel around 11:45 last night. Couldn’t fall asleep till 1:30 AM with a 4:30 AM wake up call to look forward to. I find it hard to fall asleep right after a show. I usually need to wind down a bit.

Got down to the lobby by 5 AM to leave for the airport. Flight left at 7:20. Happy to get a window seat.



As soon as I got settled, the person in front of me put their seat back with full force. Wait a second; we’re still sitting at the gate??? Then her arms came back over the top of the seat and are resting right in front of me, inches from my face. So much for personal space I guess. I took a picture here.



Beautiful scenery after we took off. I could see numerous volcanoes and took some video clips and pictures.



Then I heard the announcement that they will soon be showing a movie. Ah yes, it’s that time of the flight already. I’ll put money down that they’ll make another announcement asking everyone who is sitting by a window to lower their…..., say no more, here’s the announcement now. No surprise and dig this, everyone around me is putting their shades down! Great, now it’s getting really dark in here and I’m that guy letting all the light in. I’m clearly a target for all those people that want the window shades shut. Help, I’m out numbered! This whole situation really seems out of control to me, I need to write my local congressmen or something.

I know I’ve discussed this subject a bit in a previous post a while back but lets get into this a bit more shall we? I guess this is what you’re supposed to do on the airplane now days. Hell, this is serious standard airline procedure! Let’s refer to the safety card in the seat pocket in front of me shall we?

MOVIE TIME

1 – Please note: there are windows on the airplane



2 - If you’re looking out the window, you ARE disturbing ALL passengers



3 – Immediately pull down window shades



4 - Enjoy a super cheesy movie that EVERYONE will love!



Usually everyone watches the movie regardless if they like it or not. I’d much rather listen to music, write a bit with my iBook and occasionally look out the window like I’m doing now. Keeps me creative and entertained all at the same time, it’s a win-win situation. It’s not like you can’t see the TV screens with the light coming in? I’m sitting here right now and I can see the screen just fine and my window is WIDE OPEN! Don’t get me wrong, I like a good movie, in fact, I’ll probably watch a movie on my iBook in a few minutes. But for now, I’m content with what I’m doing.

(a few moments later)

Well, I should say, I was content. Someone just asked me just to lower the window shade ☹ ☹ ☹ !!!!................

Anyone for tennis?

Photos from the tour

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Originally uploaded by stromo.

Quito - Show Day - Jan 24th

Quito - Show Day - Jan 24th
Originally uploaded by stromo.

It was great to get out and play again; I love playing with the band. I wish I could bottle up the experience so you could give your self a spritz and see what it’s like. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the show and the crowd was great. Before dinner at the venue, Ottmar and I had a good conversation with a glass of wine. We talked about photography and music and he shared some of the photos he took the night before in Quito. We also took a look at a few of the Luna Negra set lists from over the years. It was really cool to see the set from 1997. I saw them play in ‘97 at the House Of Blues in LA. It was the 9 piece Luna Negra XL band. Before they started that tour, I remember reading OL’s diary about the XL band and thought, I have to see this. It was a great show and seeing the set list brought back good memories.

Day Off - Quito

standing around 13,500 ft
Originally uploaded by stromo.

Started out today with a production meeting at 10 am. I had to discuss the lights for tomorrows show with the promoter. Grabbed a quick bite to eat and met everyone in the lobby at noon to head out for the day. We went to this place where they have a tram that goes way up into the Andes mountains. Fantastic view from up there. It was exactly what I wanted to do today, get up into the mountains and see the countryside.

Had Lunch with Jon when we got back while Ottmar did a few interviews. Tonight I will stay in and go over a few guitar parts for tomorrow nights performance and just relax to give my neck a break as it's been a bit soar from physical therapy.

Coffee with Ottmar and Jon

Coffee with Ottmar and Jon
Originally uploaded by stromo.

P.S. When we reached the top, we found a coffee shop up there. It was nice to sip and enjoy the view with good conversation.

Tuesday - Travel Day

Sunset on the way to Ecuador
Originally uploaded by stromo.

Woke up at 4:50 AM. Met Jon at 5:40 and road up to Ottmar’s place together. When we arrived, Ottmar made me us a very tasty espresso. The driver was running a bit late so we ended up getting to the airport about 10 min. before boarding time. By the time I was passing through security, I heard the final boarding announcement for our flight. Got to the gate and saw Ottmar discussing where to put our guitars with the gate agent. After that was settled, I got on the plane and saw that I had a middle seat assignment! However, as I was on my way walking down the aisle to the dreadful middle seat, I saw a window seat open out of the corner of my eye! It was clearly a gift from the window seat Gods. Knowing that we were the last people to get on the plane, I raced over and sat in it. I was happy.

Arrived in Houston with a 4-hour layover. Stopped in a restaurant and met up with Alan our sound engineer, Jon and our tour manager for a bite to eat. Ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad and a Dos Equis. The salad was totally enormous, it took up half the table. Everyone had to move all their plates and drinks while they loaded this thing in with a fork lift.

Back on another flight for 5 hours. Great sunset on the way. Landed in Quito with a very quick stop, must be a short runway. It’s good to be here. Got to the hotel room and settled around midnight.

Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra concert in Quito, Ecuador - January 24th

Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra Quartet: OL - Flamenco + Electric Guitars, Jon Gagan - Bass Guitars + Keyboard, Dave Bryant - Percussion, Stephen Duros - Flamenco Guitar + Keyboard

Jan 24 Quito, Equador – Teatro de la Casa de la Cultura

EL Meson

ELMeson
Originally uploaded by stromo.

Performed with Nacha Mendez last Thursday at El Meson. It was great to play with her and I'm looking forward to this coming Thursday evening. I also sat in the week before and jammed a bit with her trio.

Taking over the music room

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Originally uploaded by stromo.

Of course they'd rather climb all over the music equipment then the kitty tower! So for those of you who have cats, you might want to think about purchasing a full ProTools rig instead of a kitty tower.

February + March 2008

In Feb. and March I'll be back out on tour with Toto doing my lighting design for them.









31 - Jan - 2008 - Mexico DF - Salon 21 - Mexico

01 - Feb - 2008 - Mexico DF Salon 21- Mexico

02 - Feb - 2008 - Puebla Complejo Cultural Siglo XIX- Mexico

05 - Feb - 2008 - Monterrey Arena- Mexico

07 - Feb - 2008 - Guadalajara Auditorio Telmex- Mexico

08 - Feb - 2008 - Leon PoliForum- Mexico

09 - Feb - 2008 - Queretaro Auditorium Josefa O.- Mexico

02 - Mar - 2008 - Auckland The Civic- New Zealand

04 - Mar - 2008 - Brisbane The Tivoli- Australia

05 - Mar - 2008 - Sydney The Enmore Theatre- Australia

07 - Mar - 2008 - Melbourne The Palais Theatre- Australia

08 - Mar - 2008 - Adelaide Thebarton Theatre- Australia

10 - Mar - 2008 - Perth Metro City- Australia

12 - Mar - 2008 - Surabaya Shangri-la- Indonesia

14 - Mar - 2008 - Bandung Sabuga Convention Hall- Indonesia

15 - Mar - 2008 - Kuala Lumpor neu Perdana Lakeview East, Cyberjaya- Malaysia

20 - Mar - 2008 - Tokyo JCB Hall- Japan

21 - Mar - 2008 - Tokyo JCB Hall- Japan

22 - Mar - 2008 - Yokohama Pacifico- Japan

24 - Mar - 2008 - Osaka Festival Hall- Japan

25 - Mar - 2008 - Osaka Festival Hall- Japan

27 - Mar - 2008 - Nagoya Century Hall- Japan

29 - Mar - 2008 - Tokyo International Forum- Japan

31 - Mar - 2008 - Tokyo International Forum- Japan

Tuesday night meditation

I started physical therapy last week. I found out that I had a disk out of place in the lower half of my neck. That probably explains the slight discomfort I had been feeling. It has been sitting on a nerve and caused loss of strength in my left arm and hand. That explains the reason for having trouble with my left hand while playing the guitar lately. This has been due to sitting in the same position while playing and practicing guitar for years. And for me, stress is another big reason. I don't handle stress well, I tend to hold things in, I think a lot of us do. I needed to learn a way to clear my mind and relax. I've been looking for a new way to deal with it and my physical therapist recommended meditation. Of course! Why didn't I think of that? And who better to ask about Meditation then Ottmar

So I asked him about meditation and he offered to give me a meditation class. I thought that was great. We set up a time and I stopped by his place last night. We started the evening off with tea (very good organic tea by the way) and he started explaining the history of meditation. For about 45 min, he talked about all this amazing history along with showing pictures of Buddhist temples from a book. He explained about Zazen and how to prepare your self for meditation. (I think he would make a great professor - Then again, maybe he is? When I first arrived, he did say there would be a test afterwards!!)

He talked a bit about Martial arts and it brought memories back from when I took martial arts growing up. Since I've had that experience and playing an instrument, he said It shouldn't be too hard for me to be comfortable with meditation. We then walked into a room where he had two Zafus set up on Zabutons with candles lit. We meditated for probably 10 or 15 min. After concentrating on my breathing for a bit, I started to relax and it felt very similar to when we start a show. Ottmar will start playing a solo piece and I'll sit there quietly until it's time to start playing. At that moment, I'm concentrating on my breathing, trying to calm my nerves a bit and getting focused to be in the right mind set for the show. Also when we're playing live, I'm not really focusing on just one thing, my mind becomes free and kinda scans everything going on. Sometimes thoughts will come into my head and you just have to discard them. This was similar. Thoughts would come and go, I see the connection he was talking about. I really felt refreshed afterwards and very moved by the whole experience. He sent me home with a Zafu to try out and I will make this part of my life now.

What a great introduction into meditation! If you're like me and have a hard time clearing your mind, this might be something to consider? I hope you'll be inspired the same way I was. Being at peace in your mind makes a world of difference.

The Midnight Snack - SOYRIZO TACOS

I'm no Bobby Flay when it comes to cooking, but I know my way around the kitchen enough to make a MIDNIGHT SNACK! Ok, midnight is not always the best time to eat, but when you're pullin a late night in the studio and need something tasty to keep you going, it's always good to know how to prepare a few things. And that brings me to these Soyrizo Tacos. I have to admit, I'm trying to cut back on the red meat and there's nothing like a good healthy substitute like Soyrizo. It's soy, not meat and it's 60% less fat then Chorizo and has no cholesterol. Ok yeah, you could use veggie taco meat but that's boring. You could use real Chorizo but we're trying to be somewhat healthy here right? And for those of you who are vegetarians, this could be a good option.

Ok, so what we've got going on over here is - Cilantro, Onion, Jalapeno, cheese and the soyrizo etc...




Step one - (I never do a step two. Everything is step one when it comes to the "Stevo world of cooking" so please pay close attention!)

To make it extra tasty, you might want to saute some minced garlic, chopped onions and jalapeno up in a pan with a touch of olive oil. Make sure you add a bit of salt and pepper.



Then add the Soyrizo. Now, it may be a bit scary looking when it first hits the pan so just ignore that part and start mixing it up in there. Oh! Make sure you cook it on high heat, very important. Half way through, add some chopped cilantro and squeeze some lime juice in there for some zing. I have no idea what the word "Zing" means, but it sounds like it would be the right word to use there.

Around this time, it might be a good idea to put the taco shells in the oven. Believe me, you don't want to finish everything in the pan and realize you have cold taco shells awaiting. Well, lets just say I've learned from experience.




Moving right along....

When you're finished, it should look like this - very similar to taco meat.



Now all you have to do is put it in the taco shells along with shredded cheese and some low fat sour cream if you choose. Don't forget to add your garnishing!! Garnishing is key! Now, you have a perfect midnight snack.



ENJOY!

Pet Bed

Cosmo's new Pet Bed in the studio. (Just waking up from a cat nap) seems to be her new favorite place to hang. She sleeps while I work and meows when she wants a pet every so often.

TODAY

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Originally uploaded by stromo.

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Originally uploaded by stromo.

Took some photos with the new camera today. Still learning how to use it but the scenery around here makes it easy to take good photos.