Rachelle Van Zanten

5 Black Bears, 1 Moose, 1 Grizzly Bear, 6 Furry Mountain Goats, and a Handful of Elk...oh and a partridge in a pear tree. I am back in Canada and so far it feels good. Well mostly. I flew back in time to make the last day of Midsummer Festival in Smithers where i had the privledge to play with the Mark Perry Band. Then it was time for three days of R&R and pimping out my van for the next string of dates. I came home to insanely high gas prices and a potential carbon tax and as a result, a very disturbed father. The world is in an uproar and everybody knows. Anyhow, me and my propane van rolled out on the highway and we are now in Alberta starting off the tour in Banff. Sunny sunny. Unfortunately my bike has low PSi which as Graham knows, is one of my biggest pet peeves. If I see a bike go by with low tires, I freak out. Your rim , your rim! Don't you know about your rim? Anyhow I need to find a pump. Come out to the show on Canada Day in Calgary. We are right after the fireworks!

So after a few days of hanging in London while sorting out my new white passport, I finally managed to find flights back home. On thursday morning I woke super early to catch a train from Castle Cary to London and then catch the underground to Charing Cross where the Canadian Embassy lies. Everything went smooth and £100 later I had a new passport that could get me out of the country. I then took the underground to Earl's Court to the London Calling Conference to meet with a friend and talk about the music biz. All was still smooth at this point. I then hopped the underground again to get to my Luton Airport train. The Victoria line was shut down so I continued on to Black Friars ( I am sooo London) where i found a train departing immediately for Luton. I jumped on at 4:30 pm thinking how on top of everything I was. 5 minutes into the ride the train suddenly stopped in a tunnel and remained parked there for 30 minutes. Now you have to remember that I have been through alot these past few months and have managed to go fairly zen even after the Pakistan bombs, cyclone, near abduction, fire ant attack, and passport theft. Well this time I felt myself slipping into a breakdown. In England you CANNOT be late for a flight and the ticket warns passengers that they must be at the gate 90 minutes prior. My flight was at 6:45 pm and by the time the train started rolling again, it was 5 pm with another 45 minutes to go til destination point. I felt my heart raise, my palms sweat, my mind spin, and tears well. I can't miss 6 flights in a row...that's just ludicrous. FYI, due to stolen passport, I missed 5 flights on wednesday and the chance to see Michelle Shocked in concert. So the train arrived into Luton parkway at 5:45 pm and I immediately sprinted with all my gear to the shuttle bus. I had no ticket and was confronted by the ticket dude at the bus door. The bus was jammed full and I looked at him with wild, crazy eyes and said I have no ticket but I am getting on this bus. I pushed him aside and rammed my way into the bus putting all of my weight on some innocent little British man who was on his way to somewhere sunny. I said sorry and he saw the desperation in my eyes. The doors shut and I saw the ticket man standing there in complete shock as the bus drove away with me on it. The traffic was insane and by the time i arrived at the desk, it was 6 pm. I was getting ready to do my "taser me if you want" routine but the Easy Jet desk clerk, said "Berlin?" and said yes. She took my passport and checked me in. Little did she know, she had just saved me from a near trip to jail or the hospital.
So I flew into Berlin to be greeted by raging, rioting crowds of drunk football lovers. Germany had just won the quarter final against Portugal and the whole country was freaking out. I walked out of the airport with a look that would scare even the biggest German. "Touch me and I will bite off your head". So for all you kids out there, be ware- touring is tough. Try a month at a time and always keep your passport in sight.
Now it is even smoother...I am in Ottawa sucking on a Soy Blaster or some high calorie health drink and waiting for my 5th flight to Edmonton where I am hoping someone is awaiting. It always sucks when you arrive somewhere and nobody knows. Then tomorrow is off to Prince George and then home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been 4 months so Eddy will be ecstatic!

Slight low point in the journey...my passport was stolen here in Glastonbury. So now I must think about getting home when all I really wanted to do was focus on the final mixes. Tchad is brilliant. He has given the songs space and managed to turn "Green Eyed Boy" into an emotional river. It is sunny today and I am have bought Yoga Pants that fit. John and I are heading to the Mocha Berry for Cream Teas. I was blessed last night to be surrounded by some of the world's best soul musicians.

After an hour in immigration with an extra high heart rate, sweaty palms, and high hopes, I tried to convince the officer that I was indeed going to Glastonbury for holidays, not work. You see, I have already been kicked out of the country and sent to Sweden and did not really want to take a red eye flight back to Berlin on the pretense that I was intending to work in the UK. I am actually here to hang with my friends while listening to the final mixes of the new record. So exciting! Tchad Blake has worked with Sheryl Crow, Paul Simon, Tom Waits, Crowded House, just to name a few. So far I have only heard three songs but they sound great. So I am trying not to spend any money and live like I lived in Nepal although I have had a sushi meal, brushed my teeth with the tap water and danced the dance of joy when my Rosemary Lamb dinner arrived yesterday. Today I am back to being a minimalist. I have received word from Hamish and Graham that they still have Delhi Belly but have been remedying it with Guinness, footie, and fry ups.