Relentless Night

It's Sunday night. April 19^th, 2009. I'm in Kentish Town, London, England. Julie, Isabelle and I arrive early at The Forum because it's open standing room tonight and I want to be one of the first people through those doors. We're here to see my new favourite band, Relentless7. Also known as, Ben Harper and Relentless7.

Ben Harper is my all-time favourite musician. He's an amazing guitar player, a brilliant singer, a prophetic and inspiring lyricist and he has more passion and soul than anyone you've ever seen on stage. I saw him for the first time in September of 2007 at historic Massey Hall in Toronto. He was touring with his long-time band, The Innocent Criminals in support of their latest album, Lifeline. I sat in the fourth row, centre-stage and was taken to new emotional levels that night.

In late 2008, Ben put things on hold with the ICs and reunited with three musicians from Texas he had worked with on his 2006 album, Both Sides of the Gun; Jason Mozersky, Jesse Ingalls and Jordan Richardson. Ben is often considered to be a very laid back musician who makes “chill out” music and indeed, many of his most popular songs do have a mellow vibe but anyone that has enjoyed his whole catalogue knows that Ben Harper is an eclectic musician who's music transcends genres. Working and creating with the Texan trio has produced a Ben Harper album that is heavily rooted in rock and blues- something that has been long-awaited by many fans, including myself.

As planned, I'm one of the first people in and I grab a spot right up against the stage, front and centre. I'm on my own because Julie and Isabelle's tickets are for upstairs, but I quickly make nice with the other fans around me. The moment Ben and the boys take the stage the sold-out crowd loses it's collective mind. We are ready to rock. So ready. And as the band attacks the first chords of the opening number, “Better Way”, it's clear that we're not the only ones. This is in-your-face rock and roll.

After a ten-song set and a three-song encore Relentless7 take their final bows. I'm so fired-up! That show kicked some serious ass. Julie, Isabelle and I meet up and share our uncontrollable excitement. The crowd begins to file out of the building and most people start heading home, but not us. I'm determined to meet Ben Harper tonight so we go around the building and wait by the side door. Some other fans have the same idea and in total there are twelve of us hoping to meet the man. After waiting for more than two hours (the band had a couple of obligations after the show) the door opens and Ben Harper steps through.

Finally, after being such a huge fan of the man and the music for so long, I get to meet Ben Harper. I wondered if I'd be nervous, but I wasn't at all. There's just something about his vibe. He's so calming and gracious. Ben is honestly blown away that we have waited so long just to see him. After taking the time to personally meet everyone and thank us so genuinely for being the fans that we are, we take a group photo and Ben starts signing a few things. I managed to obtain a copy of the setlist from one of the roadies and as Ben throws his signature down on it I tell him that I'm going to be in Paris the next night (although I couldn't get a ticket for the show) and Bourges the night after that (for which I did have a ticket). Ben's eyes open wide and he says, “No way! Are you serious? Man, that's unbelievable!” He says if I'm going to be going on tour with them I need to be backstage. Now, this is unbelievable! Ben calls his manager over and tells him to write my and Julie's names down and we'll have tickets and backstage passes for Paris and Bourges.

HOLY SHIT! I just about lose my mind! I can't believe this just happened. Ben has to go and the twelve of us celebrate in the streets. This has been an incredible night but the next couple of days are going to be absolutely insane. I get back home, pack my bag and try to get a few hours of shuteye before I need to be at the coach station, but I know there's no way I'm going to be able to sleep tonight.

Road Mojo

My life has been in turmoil for the past month.

"Turmoil" sounds so negative. And yeah, sure, there have been some tough times over the last 30 days- emotionally (won't go there), financially (lost my job in London and had to move out of my flat because I couldn't make rent)- but there has also been a lot of positivity. I've made a few spontaneous decisions and I've had a LOT of time to think about some others. On the spontaneous side of life, I sold my newly acquired bicycle and donated 2/3 of my stuff to charity. There was a brief emotional struggle when it came to a couple of articles of clothing that had sentimental value, but I convinced myself that the memories are all I need.

I then purchased a 70L backpack and threw what remained of my belongings inside. I can now carry everything I own on my back. I love it!!! It's an incredible feeling, very liberating and a step in the right direction for me. When I left Canada eight months with vagabonding dreams my motto was "Live simply so that others may simply live" and I feel like I'm finally progressing toward that goal. So, with my backpack on, I left London, England only 44 days after moving there. I originally thought I would be living in London until the fall, but as John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

My first stop was Brighton, England. I reunited with my good friend Will (from the Disney days) and started working with him at EF Language Travel. For two weeks I was the Activity Coordinator for a group of thirty students from Austria. It was a pretty sweet gig. Basically, I got paid to go bowling and play football with a bunch of really cool kids and help them with their English. When it was all over, I collected my much-needed paycheque and threw the backpack on once more.

I'm going to return to Brighton in June and work for EF over the summer, but for now I'm going to hit the road. I have some big plans for the next five weeks. Stay tuned :)