In the years since I’ve been touring with Kevin on the Brambus label, a number of other bands that I have played in have also tried to get a record released over here. Paul will usually decline with a comment about how the band is “too country” and that Brambus is more of a folk and jazz label. That’s cool. Kevin is not really a country singer, but more of a songwriter in the vein of Dylan or Springsteen. So it’s always strange when we find ourselves booked into a room like Beni’s Backroad Beiz, where they play classic country on the jukebox all night, everyone smokes, and where literally every other band I’ve played with that has ever shown interest in Brambus would be completely at home.
Yes, that is a stuffed goat peeking out from behind my amp. There was also a still living giant dog named Rover. He was incredibly big and adorable.
As for the show, it went really well. We had to run our own sound so we had a long sound check, working out our stage setup, levels, and eq. Pro tip; always bring gaff tape. It’s worth every cent. The result of our long sound check was that we sounded good on stage and in the house. I’m really starting to love singing harmony and wish I’d started doing it decades ago. The mix was great and we all played really well. The crowd definitely preferred the more uptempo numbers, but they did pay attention to some of the ballads. I dug into my honky tonk bag a lot as well.
We were nervous going into this gig because it looked like a place where we would not go over, but in the end it was fun. We had a good time and the crowd did as well.
Tomorrow we play Esse Bar in Winterthur, which is actually a jazz bar. We played there before and it should be a fun night. The drive is short (or “handsome,” as Paul says), so we might arrive early enough to do laundry! Our clothes smell like smoke.
Alex Anest 
That looks like a very interesting place. I’m glad the show went well.we have a picture of you with a Newfoundland we dog sat for 6months when you were a toddler. You loved that dog.