Kielce has a good gig shocker

Random roaming around the city yesterday made for a really good day.
The weather was as beautiful as it has been over the last month - around 20degrees C. Strolling around led us to an old quarry, with an ampitheatre built into it. There was some old Communist sculpture on a hill, and some crazy caves to scoot around.

The day got better as we made a plan to go to the old prison to take some photos. Having been told it had been the site for the extermination of everyday people that the old Reds didn't approve of sounded like an inspiringly heavy loaction to check out.

We never got there.

Half way through the park the cameras batteries decided to calf. We walked towards the jail, but heard a suitably catchy dose of sub-bass (sound check). Turning our heads showed us that there was a live reggae band playing in a very odd and quite fancy looking little cafe. We quickly got in touch with some others, grabbed a bite to eat and went to give it a go.

A nine-piece reggae band with drums, bass, dual guitars, trumpet, trombone, keys, male and female vocals, were shaking things up in a real nice style. This Polish outfit were called "Bakshish", and have apparantly been on the scene for 25 years! They sounded so good, and got the crowd worked up good. So we skanked about, broke a sweat, grinned our faces off, and then went for more beers afterwards.

Good times.

We did end up swimming down the streets on our way home once it was all done, but a great weekend was had, with many pit-stops and late mornings. If only it were like this all the time? I guess the spirit of making the most of it before it's gone is what is propelling us along at the moment. And that's not a bad spirit to roll with as long as the company is good, I guess.

Still haven't got a job for next September though, so this partying will have to be balanced out with more work-hunting. Will see if the other folks we were with got some photos of the band, and get 'em posted if I can.

Jean MIchelle Krakow

Went to Krakow over the weekend to se a few friends from the old CELTA course. Spent a little too much time in the bars (łubu dubu particularly?!?) but it was all good.

\As i often do when I am out and about, I took control of Sophie's camera, and snapped away at each and every stencil i could lay the lens upon.

After a couple of little jaunts around the country I am fairly sure when I say that Warsaw was the stencil capital. But all little cities and towns ghave plenty of stickers, graffiti and tags all over the place.







All of the images I've decided to add here today have a slight music association to them. The turntable is quite a standard image, the symbol of vinyl, and credibility. Then there is the biohazard symbol, which has been adopted by several anti-capitalist groups. Then there is the Exploited "let's start a war" image which was found beside a large scrawl declaring "punk zone". And a rather odd image which seems to echo the front cover of Sigur Ros' debut, and advertising a web-site.

Hell and back.

So Soph and I went to Hel. A small penincula at the North coast, by the Baltic sea. Good times. Not much in the line of stencils while I was there, but a couple turned up. Here I've posted what I've noticed are either by really big discovery channel fans, or what I believe is termed "guerilla advertising", all part of what might be termed a "street campaign" carried out by people no doubt referred to as a "street team".






















I have eaten some of the tastiest fish I've ever experienced, and had a very short week at work, and travelled to parts I never thought I'd have the time or money to visit. I strolled along the coast at Hel, walked the beaches at ChaŁupy and oggled amber in GdĄnsk.

In other news, I managed to get the www.myspace.com/dodgystereo site to host some new tunes and images which didn't seem to cause me large amnounts of grief and stres, which is nice for a change. If only life were like that all the time.

Currently enjoying the fact that Fallt.com have a fine collection of mp3's for free. Go there. Enjoy the static blast of Pimmon, or the guitar textures of Christopher Willit. Time well spent.