Updating!

Sorry for the long break in my blogging. I would like to blame the bad internet connections around certain parts of Europe but then again that might just be an excuse for my laziness... Anyhow, Fork has not disappeared anywhere if that is what you were thinking. No no, we have been busy busy busy and here is a small photo collage on what´s been going on. I give you the most important Fork moments from the past five months:

What goes up must come down.
When you are on the road it s very important to keep people in a good mood. We found the best way to keep Jonte and Kasper happy was to take them to a playground. This one is in Hamburg, Germany.

For Anna and me a cool jazz bar will do for a good mood. Here we are in Cologne enjoying a local swing.

This is what keeps Greg going. We are saving money by letting him sleep on the floor, no hotel room needed for him. So far he hasn't been complaining. This is in Wolfsburg.

On the other hand, this is what he looks like in the morning...while he is entertaining us with French jokes. It is like travelling with Mr. Bean. Confusing.

A good cold vishy Catalan and some antennas to keep her wired up to outer space, that is what Linda needs. Here we are in Barcelona.
I think our stylist must have seen this picture because a few weeks later she brought me these:

Anyway...other important things we have been doing is of course some dry-canoeing in Freiburg.

Here we are kind of combining the fun things to do - playground for the boys and the cool jazz bar for the girls. It is a win-win situation.

Sometimes life isn't only about having fun. There is nothing funny about having to sew on a leather kilt.

Or being lost in the middle of Germany.

But we are no rookies. When you are on the road always make sure you have something to eat and to drink with you. Just incase.

We have also been working a bit. Here we are sound checking in Cologne and Jonte is not totally happy with the monitors I guess.

In the end of the day it is always good to get some feedback. As you can see in the picture we are really enthusiastic about that part of the work.

We still have a few days left of vacation and then we are back in business. First stop is Vellmar, Germany and then Lovisa, Finland! Looking forward.

A very confusing roundabout

That's what this tour sometimes feels like - a very confusing roundabout. On Saturday morning we left Eastleigh and drove towards Selsey and Bunn leisure Park. 

Little did we know that the cold car was the warmest place we would find in the upcoming 24 hours. Bunn leisure Park is a place with 2000 caravans and a huge entertainment complex and no heating system what so ever. (maybe they have one but they just don't use it)

And little did it help us when the staff told us that last year at this time people were sunbathing. Well, not this year. 

We had decided already in Finland that we would go a bit wild and crazy and sleep in a caravan this one night. 

Why, I ask myself? 

Sometimes the glamour and the bling bling feels very distant from an a cappella singers life. 

Welcome home girls! 

In the girls caravan the temperature was above freezing point. In the boys caravan it wasn't. 

The backstage room was the only warm place in the whole area.  And the spirit was high.

And Linda was crying and Anna was trying to choke her gently.

The gig went fine once we were able to open our frozen jaws and the crowd at Selsey seemed happy and made sure we felt warm. 

The next day we left the wonderful Selsey very early in the morning and headed towards St Albans were we had a gig in the evening. We have almost nothing to complain about St Albans, the hotel rooms were warm, the audience was great, but the breakfast out on the terrace was a bit too much.

So we went to eat at the best breakfast place in town.

There are clearly a few things that makes us sad and a few things that makes us happy. In that way we are very simple people. Good food makes us happy.

Look at that happy face. Who would't want to have hot chocolate with marshmallows for breakfast?!

Today we arrived to Wavendon, Milton Keynes. Looking forward to the gig tonight! At least the hotel rooms are warm.

He is so ready for Wavendon! The question is: is Wavendon ready for him?

The UK tour!

Here we are in the English countryside on our first UK tour. This morning we woke up in Eastleigh at the Ellington lodge hotel where we also had a gig last night.

The hotel has a bar where non members like us are welcome.

We landed in Birmingham on Thursday morning. Hasse and Greg had arrived a day earlier with our technical equipments and a van and they were kind enough to pick us up at the airport. The left hand side driving doesn't seem to be a problem for Hasse, that is why he will be driving for the whole tour!

While Greg and Hasse were roading and building the rest of us focused on the more important things. Like food.

In Birmingham we performed at the JamHouse. The place was packed with students who in the beginning of the show wasn't quite sure of how to behave in front of four Finns dressed in white and singing Final countdown, was this for real?

Yes it was for real and when we came to our last song which of course was Bohemian Rhapsody we actually didn't need to sing at all.  The crowd was singing for us. Wonderful!

The next day while Hasse and Greg were roading and building we were focusing on the more important things. The local cheesecake.
Jonte: why are you doing this to me?! Why?!
Kasper: I am so happy I didn't have any cake, not jealous at all, just happy!

After the cheesecake we had to do a very soft version of a soundcheck.

The gig in Eastleigh was lots of fun. We told the crowd that before the night was over they would all be dancing. And so they did!

After the gigs we like to hang around as a group and just share our thought and feelings of the evening.

Enjoying each others company.

Also Hasse, our light guy, is enjoying our company.

Today we are heading towards Bunn Leisure Park in Selsey!

The Year of the Snake

It is already February and the Year of the Snake has just begun. You might think we´ve been on vacation for this long (except if you´ve been following us on facebook, then you know we´ve actually been working a bit already). Anyway, here is a small update on what´s been going on so far.

Our first gig this year was on the new ship Viking Grace. You can see the design lamp in the back. Oh yes, and the champagne of course.

A new year means new arrangements. Oh the joy in this group when we actually have to work. Fun fun fun.

After work party. Jonte is doing his victory dance.

Then we went to Freiburg, supposed to be the sunniest city in Germany. It rained for two days and then it started snowing. The bad weather doesn´t do any good to the group spirit. Here Kasper is left outside. Probably for a good reason. Or then not.

In this picture Greg is running.

The after party in Freiburg wasn´t as wild as the one on the ship.

Here we are back at Casino Helsinki where we will be spending many evenings this spring doing our show Spin the wheel. In this picture we weren´t still sure of what we were going to do and Greg got so frustrated that he suggested a different sound system for us. Just to bring something new into the show.

Kasper had been using his skills in counting Pi and the result was a very round and nice circle.

Look at that proud face!
Since we are spinning the wheel many times during the night it means that each night is different. It is all up to Lady Luck what songs we are singing. One night Jonte had 6 solos and I had 1. Clearly my career  can not be left to Lady luck alone.

Linda working.

 Queen Linda. Anna wears that crown on stage. Linda wears it off stage.

Yeah so basically nothing new with us. We are older and wiser and ready for the year of 2013!