Hovefestivalen

First let me comment on how this 'blog' has become my journal for
the tour. Please excuse the verbose insanity that may ensue! I'm
keeping it raw and unedited for my own process and possibly
yours. Thanks for reading.


I had a lucid dream last night that this odd machine with
helicopter blades was attached to my head. I was in this old,
gigantic, wooden barn, flying around decapitating and chopping
up demons, monsters and other ghoulish creatures. I was
determined to kill them all until I woke. My first night of real
rest in Arendal, the small Norweigan town, home to
Hovefestivalen was curiously imbued with this strange vision.
Perhaps the dream was a response to my own shadows that
needed a house cleaning, not quite sure yet...

When we left Amsterdam, I had an intuition about my equipment
possibly getting lost on it's way to Kristiansand airport. I told the
guys to hold on and let me follow up to insure it's delivery onto the
plane. I asked the little man with the odd size luggage cart that
held my flight case (containing the guitar rig), if everything was
going to be ok, and he assured me with an abrupt couple of nod's.
I wasn't convinced. When we arrived into Norway all our luggage
arrived except my flight case. The next KLM plane wasn't coming
till 11pm, long after our slated show time. I filled out the necessary
paperwork to declare it's lost status and soon after were driven
straight to the festival, where load-in and soundcheck commenced.

On the long and intensely scenic drive to the festival grounds, I
prayed that if my gear was not to appear, something else would.
The silence of the surrounding mountains, forests and lakes told
me to let go and trust. To allow the universe to find a way.

For some reason, (maybe it's a survival mechanism), this situation
reminds of an early guitar teacher, who at my first lesson, handed
me an acoustic guitar with super heavy gauge strings and insanely
high action. He asked me to 'shred' on it. I was humbled and
learned a great lesson. The music and tone must come from my
hands and fingers, not the instrument. I should be able to make
music on any instrument/equipment which is merely a tool for
the greater sound a musician is trying to 'hear' or connect with
regardless of the instrument itself.

So what does not having my guitar rig mean to me? Absolutely
nothing other than adding further 'sonic' details and colors to what
should be a solid foundation. If I'm dependent on my gear, I'm in
trouble. Of course the lesson would have to be greater. I learned
Hovefestivalen would be Internationally broadcast with a live five
camera shoot! Sure, I want 'Focus' to be accurate and true to the
original work, but again the execution and playing is the sound,
not necessarily the production. To some degree all the
components work together to create 'the sound', but not now.
Breathe, surrender,  let go. Perspective, ahhh, yes. Not a big deal.
Dying of cancer or losing a limb is a much bigger deal and that's
not my dilemma today, thankfully.

Effects, guitar synths and other toys are merely a luxury and
sometimes an inspiring means for experimentation and ideas.
Ultimately, the melodies, harmonies and rhythms must stand
alone without all the production and trickery. A song must work
on a simple, energetic level. Atleast for me.

We arrived to the festival and local Norweigan band 'Keep Of
Kalessin' were sound checking. The guitar player Arnt, mentioned
he had a Boss pedal board setup similar to a POD XT Live (which
is my backup rig) as his backup and that I was welcome to use it.
I was graced!... and spent the next couple hours programming the
unit as closely as possible to something workable. I'm thankful that
it worked out and actually sounded ok. The whole situation was
admittedly a bit stressful, adding that we were on a festival rush
schedule, but once the show began, all the worries faded away.

The primarily younger Norwegian crowd was receptive and
enthused to hear Focus. A nice feeling for Cynic's debut gig in
Norway and great to be a part of Hovefestivalen's first year.
The light rain and wind enhanced the drama and again provided
a proper cleansing for all, me included!.

Hove has a true camping/collective feel. The music fans that go
to this festival, come together like a big giant family for their
summer break to chill, enjoy the surrounding beauty, soak in the
sun, rain, and appreciate an abundance of musical genres. It
seemed there was a tent/stage for nearly every style, from
hiphop and dance to metal, pop, punk, and alt rock.

Hove was our 3rd festival of the tour with Slayer on the bill,
although this time we played just before them on the main stage,
which was a full circle kind of honor. We must give Slayer the
cred of having written a style of guitar riffs and songs that has
massively influenced a couple generations of bands. In my
elementary school days, Sean and I were deep into the tape
trading scene and somehow got a hold of all of the members of
Slayer's phone numbers. I remember calling Tom Araya and
telling him Sean and I were playing Crionics as a cover in
our group. Tom says to me "oh yeah...play it!". I put the phone
down next to my little Peavey Bandit amp and did my best to
show him my earnest amateur skills. Sean and I were huge
fans of Slayer, and talking to them on the phone was really cool.
Ahhh....the days of falling asleep to Hell Awaits and scaring the
hell out of myself mid-sleep! Having watched them from stage
side at Hove opened up intimate childhood memories....hmmm
maybe my bizarre dream was related to those early Slayer-ish
visions that swalllowed me whole in my early teens. Jeff and
Kerry are the kings of chromatic frenzied solo'ing madness!

Hove was super organized. We were assigned a contact person
who was with us the entire time, ready to help with anything
we needed. The festival is held on a small island off main land
Norway's coast in the middle of a forest surrounded by a fjord.
Stunningly gorgeous. I was happy to just hang around and take
it all in when the performance was over.

The day after the show, we were taken on a scenic boat ride
around the town's rivers and into the greater ocean expanse
with light houses and massive stone island formations breaking
the water's surface. The sun was shining on our faces and we
indulged in the peace. I can't help but surrender to the power
of nature and it's grandeur when in the presence. Norway has
an immense natural landscape.
One where nature seems wiser, gentler and more open than
anything in the world.

Thanks to the entire Hove crew for all their help. Including
Torje, our band contact person, Stien and Jen for the boat
ride, Arnt for the Boss board, Andreas for the knowledgeable
and sensitive interview. Much peace to you spirit brother.
Also thanks to all the fans that traveled far and wide from
other parts of Scandinavia and beyond. Including Jack and
Simon (great to finally meet you). You are the light warrior!
I'm thankful for a great experience.
Norway is a special, special land.

Paul




Hovefestivalen set list

Veil of Maya
Celestial Voyage
The Eagle Nature
Sentiment
I'm But a Wave To...
Evolutionary Sleeper
Textures
Uroboric Forms
Cosmos
How Could I