MikeBeck.us - Tour Diary - Thursday, October 10, 2002

Rodisc Productions & Café de Heertje
Tiel & Hilversum, The Netherlands
Thursday, October 10, 2002

GIG DAY! Frank's first gig in Europe ever! And the kickoff party for the Big Eyed Beans From Venus Fall 2002 European Tour. We are ready to have a blast!

First stop, Rob Orlemans' Rodisc Productions Studio in Tiel, a nerve center of music production in central Nederland. Rob, guitarist for renowned Dutch blues-rock power trio Half Past Midnight, graciously made his collection of vintage amplifiers available to Frank and I for our tour. We utilized both a Fender Bassman and a souped-up Twin Reverb during the course of the tour, as well as a Line 6 POD on several occasions.

One of Rob's recent productions, a chick-punk trio recently hit the charts in the Netherlands. Way to go Rob!

In September, I served as Executive Producer for Half Past Midnight's new CD Live In Chicago, recorded before a studio audience at Paragon Recording Studio in Chicago. It was an incredible evening... Check out the photos!

After leaving Rob's, we drove to Hilversum, the center of the Dutch media universe. The nation's radio, television and media industries are concentrated in this small city 15 minutes south of Amsterdam. After a brief, though excruciatingly hilarious/embarrasing episode in which I somehow managed to get us lost with all our equipment in middle of an indoor shopping mall, we played at Café 't Heertje (across the street from the mall! Oops!), a cozy, friendly venue that serves a fantastic late night schnitzel. Special thanks to Branko for giving us this acoustic performance opportunity. We revisited 't Heertje in November with the full Electric Beans Rock & Soul Revue.

Two guitar greats meeting for the first time... Rob Orlemans and Frank "Finger" Curtis. In the control room of Rodisc Productions. For six years, Half Past Midnight worked closely with Hendrix collaborator Curtis Knight, shown at bottom right of the painting next to Rob on guitar. Checking out his amplification options.

Onstage, ready to play at 't Heertje. On the pedestrian mall in front of 't Heertje. Live Muziek! Branko and Meita (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!), but thanks for the good time!

A new fan. She returned for our November show, and boogied all night!


Two guitar greats meeting for the first time... Rob Orlemans and Frank "Finger" Curtis.	In the control room of Rodisc Productions.	For six years, Half Past Midnight worked closely with Hendrix collaborator Curtis Knight, shown at bottom right of the painting next to Rob on guitar.	Checking out his amplification options.

Onstage, ready to play at 't Heertje.		On the pedestrian mall in front of 't Heertje.	Live Muziek!	Branko and Meita (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!), but thanks for the good time!

		A new fan. She returned for our November show, and boogied all night!