Sylwia Bialas

voice composition poetry education

United Kingdom

Sirkis/Bialas IQ, Summer Tour, Llanelli Jazz, Llanelli, UK

August 30, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

Next stop - Llanelli (it is hilarious to say this name correctly:-))!

First you need to learn pronouncing "LL" in Welsh, give it a go - Gwynneth will help you :-):

Now when you got it - try to spell : LLanelli. Good Luck and much fun with that! :-D

We had some real adventures on the way and again the Universe took a good care of us. This blog will be about incidents, baloons stucked on trees, snail-cars with eyelashes, chasing rainbows and a true HERO named Jon! ;-)!

Let`s start our trip!

Slightly tired but in good mood we began to head in the direction of Llanelli. The weather was fantastic that day...

This is the Diplomat Hotel in Llanelli - the Festival's Venue. We`ve met many different bands beside us playing at the Festival.

Funny snail-car with long eyelashes at the parking place in front of the Diplomat :-):

A bunch of baloones stucked on the tree behind the venue that caused many musicians waiting for their performances to lead some philosophical speculations, such as:  "how the heck did the balloons get on that tree" and " why the heck are they blue???!) ;-D (...)

We had enough time to relax before the gig, eat some lunch and hang a bit at the terrace...

The gig was very nice, promoters careing and friendly and the audience, even if usually used to listen to more traditional Jazz, gave us a very warm welcome. This had nothing to do with the tropical temperature inside of the building ;-)))

After our set we were ready to pack our gear and head back home as we realized that one of the back car tires was completely flat and it was obvious, that we`ll have to exchange it.
Asaf took the car to the nearest petrol station, that luckily turned out to be around the corner, in order to exchange the tire and the rest of us packed the equipment and waited for him to come back.

Nobody could guess that the middle of the wheel was pretty rusty and there was no way that we could take it off and replace with the new one without a heavy duty - hammer...

So we were standing there - in a lonely petrol station in the middle of nowhere, on Sunday, tired after the intense three days of touring, watching video tutorials about removing rusty wheels and concidering what to do next as suddenly, out of the blue, a guy appeared and started to help us to exchange the wheel. It is not so common that someone helps strangers with such determination - see yourself...

Meet Jon - our HERO! :-)

He was ready to lay on the ground to get this bloody tire out :-). Using hammers and physical power helped! Check this out! :

ONE HOUR LATER WE HAD THIS CHAT ON FB ;-):

On the way back we were very tired after this exciting 3 days in the Welsh Country...

We still managed to catch a beautiful sunset:

It was fun to watch the same bridge we`ve crossed on the way to Whales now in a completely different light:

To compare 3 days before ;-):

Some timid rain caused many rainbows :

I managed to catch one and take it with us ;-)

We all got home safely and happy and thankful about the successful tour. Time to say good bye and...

... evaporate ;-))):

Bye Frank, bye Kevin, see you guys next Sunday! Thank you for everything !!!

Good night everybody!

Thanks for taking this trip with us.

See you soon at the Norwich Jazz Festival!

Much love,

Sylwia & the Sirkis/Bialas IQ

 

 

 

 

 

Sirkis/Bialas IQ, Summer Tour, Aberjazz Festival (Pepper`s Bar at the Art Centre), Fishguard, UK

August 29, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

This tour blog will be about discovering a mini Stonehenge, an encounter with a good Finnish Witch ;-) and her distinguished and prominent doggy named - Toby, about happy coincidencies, crazy street parades and levitating cars :-). Have fun reading!

"Highway to Fishguard" :-):

We were heading to Fishguard to give a rhythm workshop at the local theatre and play a gig at Papper`s in the evening. W`ve experienced loads of adventures on the way to the next venue.

Some raw landscapes reminded me my trip to Iceland...

Before the tour we`ve brought our van to the auto mechanic for an annual check. On the road to Fishguard there was some strange noise coming from underneath the car. We were not able to locate the noise until a passing cyclist gave us a sign that something is hanging underneath the car. We stopped the van by the road and found a piece of rubber protecting the engine that wasn`t properly secured and now was hanging down almost touching the ground. It was not possible to fix it on the road so we decided to keep driving and hoping that nothing bad happens...

Of course even an incident like that can be a nice opportunity to enjoy the lush Welsh nature :-).

Clouds trapped in our van:

We got to Fishguard without problems but couldn`t find the venue immediately which caused a little detour through the center of the city. Fortunately this detour brought us straight to the one & only exhausts servicing in town :-).

Best thing about the situation was the fact, that the guys from the Garage were truly wonderful people. They brought our van inside of the workshop 5 minutes before closing their services, lifted it up almost to the ceiling (including our entire crew and gear on board), fixed the hanging rubber in a few minutes and didn`t want to accept from us even a penny for the repair. We gave our saviours some of our energy-bars for their coffee break ;-))) and left the garage very happy and calmed. It was amazing how everything worked out so smoothly and how we had enough time to get our gear to the venue, drop Frank and Kev at the hotel and get together with Asaf to the local Theatre where Asaf and I were going to give a workshop...Weeey heeeyyy.

Her some views from our levitating van :-)

Adverts of the Jazz Fest were to see all over the town.

On the way to the Theatre Gwaun, we got surprised by a crazy, colorful street parade!

Klick on the video below to get some vibe ;-):

Fishguard parade

The rhythm workshop at the Theatre Gwaun went great and was fun! The participants were international and very enthusiastic. We were very happy to see them again in the evening at our gig.

Pictures from the Theatre:

After the workshop we hat a little time to move to the venue where Frank and Kev waited for us allready. Pepper`s is a small and cosy venue belonging to the art`s centre. The staff is very friendly and helpful and their kitchen absolutely delicious.

Here some pics from the Pepper`s:

Our gig was sold out and the students from our workshop made the atmosphere even warmer and very enjoyable. Doors behind the stage were widely open and some wind and sunshine came in while we were playing...

During the concert I spotted two smiling eyes and a soft wrinkled face at the back of the room, listening very carefully to our music and smiling constantly... They belonged to an older lady from Finnland, who as it turned out later, was the owner of our Hotel in Fishguard.

After the gig we had a tasty dinner at the terrace in the backyard of the venue.

We enjoyed very much the art works from the Gallery and our green room:

My favorite art corner:

It was a good and truly succesful day and we`ve earned a proper Rest before heading to the next venue...

Our hotel was a very warm, charming and cutely chaotic place, not only because the ambience, but because of it`s Finnish owner and her smart, cuddly & prominent ;-) dog named Toby :

This is our good Finnish Witch taking care that we ate enough at the breakfast ("Good Boy -Frank!" ;-) ) and telling us some nicely wicked stories from her past.

On the pic held by our Lady : Toby & Toffie chilling out after a long walk :-)

This is Toby ;-)

Obviously irresistable ;-):

Nice breakfast at the Cartref:

On the way to fetch our van from the parking place me and Asaf have discovered an ancient mini Stonehenge just at the best panoramic point of the city.

Good Bye Fishguard! Good bye Good Finnish Witch! Good bye Toby! Hope to see you soon again! ;-)

Next direction : Llanelli. See you there :-)!

Much love,

Sylwia

Sirkis/Bialas IQ, Summer Tour, Bocabar in Glastonbury, UK

August 29, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

The Sirkis/Bialas IQ`s Summer Tour continues. I`ve been very much looking forward to share with you all our adventures on the road!

Our next stop:

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Let`s go!

There would be no touring without some energy! :

I invented a brand new recipe for some serious energy bars with plenties of super foods, nuts, dried fruits and self made peanut butter. This one deserves to be featured in my new cook book :-)! Yum....

And here a genius invention "lounched" the first time during our tour ;-), PORTABLE USB-CHARGED SMOOTHIE MAKERS. Woooh!

Late - Summer vibe hung in the air as we started our trip to Wales. The light was changing constantly...

Mellow landscapes, golden fields and still loads of fresh green everywhere...Awesome... How was that? Right - England is always dump, grey and cold ;-)))

Birds plunching in ponds...

Some serious "swan - break dancing" here! :

A nice graffiti - art on the way:

Glastonbury is an astounding and exciting city full of hippies, art, meditation-groups, mixed, colored communities and open minded people. They have their own spring with great water, plenties of organic gardens, social projects and spiritual gatherings.

Here the Glastonbury Tor. The Tor is mentioned in Celtic mythology particularly in myths linked to King Arthur, and has a number of other enduring mythological and spiritual associations:

I`m not sure what exactly this other hill is. Maybe an ancient pyramid...Everything is possible in this area ;-)...

The Venue where we played our gig is amazing. Created by the local community and offering everything that we love: a corner with some great food, a huge meditation room, a nice stage for gigs, not to forget the art items embellishing the entire location and a small garden with veggies and flowers outside. Awesome...

BOCABAR from outside:

The RED BRICK BUILDING

Getting our gear to the venue:

My favorite brick wall:

A view from the venue...

From the inside:

MEDITATION SPACE visible from stage. The light burning in the center of the room has been brought all the way from Tibet...

A very nice picture of Asaf at the Meditation Space:

Stage and rest of the venue with some tasteful details:

Pineapples, flamingos and a touch of India flair:

Enjoying water from the local spring!:

 

A cosy corner with sofa to relax between the sets:

The gig was pure fun. Wonderful, responsive, warm and open audience, the nicest promoter, great acoustic... No wish left to be open. Hope to see you soon Bocabar!

Thank you Adrian Smith for having us, it was a real pleasure...

Time to have some sleep, we have an early start tomorrow.

Next stop: Fishguard!

Me and Asaf are running a workshop "Breathing rhythms" at the Theater and then we will be plaing a gig at Pepper`s in Fihguard! Looking forward to all of that! See you there, guys.

Much love, and good night!

Sylwia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sirkis/Bialas IQ, Summer Tour, Fleece Jazz in Stoke by Nayland, UK

August 02, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

Another lovely gig behind us. This time we played at the Fleece Jazz in Stoke by Nayland. 

Frank could`t play with us this time because he became a freshly baked daddy! "Junior - Joe" will probably become a violin- or violoncello - player according to the position of this tiny hand ;-):

These joyful circumstances created an opportunity and a real pleasure to feature our good friend and wonderful pianist - John Turville on the piano and keys. 

Nice to pass all those familiar corners of London, watch the instantly changing landscapes and to chat on the way to the gig...

Clouds mirrored by the tremendous, fully glazed, industrial buildings...I like this blend of geometry invaded by nature...

Streams of pouring rain painted colorful scenes on the windows of our touring - van...It is never boring to travel, even when it rains...

Landscapes were changing drastically the closer we were getting to the venue...

Fleece Jazz is runned by a bunch of nicest people. It was my first time in this place and a very warm and positive experience. It will be lovely to come back here...

Michael, John, David, Carole, Dave, Gerry and Marion, who joined after the picture was taken.

Nice to play together and as John said "it was a good shred " ;-)))!

Here some photo - impressions and a beautiful review from the gig written by David Lyons.

Review by Dave Lyons:

Wall of fame from the club ;-):

Some food after the gig :-)

All in all it was a very nice evening. Thanks to Michael, Dave, David and Carol for a great hosting, hope to see you again!

Time to drive back and say good night...

Bye guys! John, it was great to play together again! Thank you!

Good bye everybody! See you again on the 26th of August at the Glastonbury Jazz. This month I`m going to compose music for a new album and do some writing for my cook book. 

Much love,

Sylwia

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Summer Tour, Eppy Fest, Stroud, UK

July 24, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Back on the road with the Sirkis/Bialas IQ.
This time featuring an amazing pianist - Tom Hewson!

Cloudy skies on the way to Stroud:

What an awesome event it was...

Huge thanks to Ian Fairholm for putting so much love and energy getting together many unique artists and the warm and responsive audience at the Eppy Fest in Stroud!

Ian Fairholm and Judy Dyble

Ian Fairholm and Judy Dyble

Here some impressions from our set.

Photos by Rebsie Fairholm

Review from the gig by Jez Rowden

Nighty lights on the way back:

Bye guys!

Good Night everyone! Next stop : Fleece Jazz, this time with our friend John Turville on the keys!

See you there :-)

Love, Sylwia

A BRAND NEW RECIPE - this time vegan

July 11, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

A recent creation of mine - this time vegan

here is the recipe! ;-) - TRY OUT & ENJOY IT GUYS!!!

 

"THE GREEN GROOVY WRAPS"

 

SPICY some SWEET POTATOE & GREEN BEAN - WRAPS WITH GREEN HERBAL SALSA

Plan the timing in advance - it takes some hours to dry the self-made veggy wraps.

 

For the Wraps

 

Ingredients to blend in the mixer:

 

1 pack of rocket

fresh basil

fresh cilantro

2 apples

carrot

mixed nuts,

peeled pumpkin seads

garlic

onion

green cucumber

fresh lemon juice for the taste

pink himalayan or sea salt

some water to get a consisteny of a thick creme freche paste, easy to spread on the backing paper

 

Blend everything in the food processor, spread thinly (about 5-7mm) on the baking paper and put in the dehydrator or baking oven (70 celcius degrees to dry until it`s possible to separate it from the paper and form the wraps)

it takes some hours to dry it carefully...

It is WORTH THE INVESTED TIME

 

For the filling :

- oven roasted sweet potatoes

- shortly cooked green beans

- salt for the taste

 

for the sauce :

fresh basil

fresh parsley or any fresh herbs you like

lemon juice

himalayan salt

olive oil

garlic

1 pack rocket

Everything blended in the food processor

 

you can add cumin if you like, but just a pinch to leave the natural taste of the ingredients (this is a real taste - explosion :-))

 

Spread the sauce on the wraps, put the sweet potatoes and green beans inside and roll everything tightly. Cut in halfs & enjoy!!!

 

Much love, S

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour 2016, Gig No.13 at Villa Sträuli, Winterthur, Switzerland

May 29, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends, the happy gig No.13 ;-) was a Jazz Martinee in the artful Villa Stäuli in Winterthur on the day after the gig at the Tangente (Liechtenstein). It was an early morning for us but the travel went smooth. Only the damp and hot weather made us switch to a slow-motion mode...

The Winterthur City Vibe... A mix of lush nature with some concrete and metal.

If you know the movie "Secret Garden", you`ll immediately know what I mean when I tell you that the garden where Willa Sträuli is situated seems magical...

My favorite part of the garden...A huge tree with fairies hidden between it`s leaves :-). The fingertips tickled again...Of course my "fairy-detector" never fails to spot some of them anywhere ;-)...

Villa Sträuli is a very artful place, full of contrasts with many awesome "peculiarities" to discover, such as for example these pictures:

I truly loved this "wall of memories", the vintage charm of the photos, that dried Hortensia and facial expressions of those young women on the pictures beamed me for a moment to some passed times... I didn`t have enough time to research the story behind those photos but I hope to catch up on that...

Another lamp for my tour - photo collection ;-)

Green room - rituals must be kept...The time of the day is less important :-)

Another association of mine - couldn`t help it again :-), XXX

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The space at the Villa Sträuli where the music happens was very small but connected with two other, bigger rooms entirely packed with people. That was a very nice surprise. The audience was colorful and in a various age. Many bright, smiling and open faces. It is so different to play at the time of the day when you clearly can see the appearances of people sitting in front of you...

Windows were open so the smells of rain, plants, flowers and herbs kept spreading themselves in the room while we played...Before the last tune (called "Orbs"), Asaf spoke to the audience about the silence and the space between the notes and it`s magical effect... As Frank started to play the ascetic lines of the tune introduction - the magic happened straight away and we all (the band and the audience) lost it completely hearing the birds outside responding the Frank`s "calls". After the concert one of the people from the audience said to me that he saw me smiling and hasitating to start singing the theme, because I didn`t want to "spoil" this moment :-) - he was so right...

It doesn`t happen very often that so many people come to you after the gig speaking openly about their emotions, simply saying how the music moved them, describing which pictures they saw inside their minds while listening. That was a very precious experience... Feeling thankful for all that...

The weather got really humid and hot around the noon and the excitement and adventure from our tour made everybody very tired, very happy and ready to rest.

A warm good bye Winterthur!

I`m saying also Good bye to all of you my friends from the Sirkis/Bialas IQ, see you all again on the 16th of July at the EPPY FEST in Stroud, UK!!! Looking forward to it!

Much love, Sylwia

 

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour 2016, FOTOS by LYNDON REGINO from the Gig No.11 at The Alex, Felixtowe, UK

May 26, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Hello Friends, here some nice pics from the gig in Felixtowe made by Lyndon Regino

Thanks for the lovely pics, Lyndon!

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour 2016, Gig No.11 at The Alex, Felixtowe, UK

May 26, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

Here an update from the gig at The Alex in Felixtowe.

Some cloudy drama on the way to the venue...

The Alex is a very modern place situated straight on the coast, close to the beach in Felixtowe.

And here, "Farty the parkingspacestealer", a little, cute symbol of a van-driver-parking-place-frustration :-)))

Soundcheck with a view on the sea...

A beautiful, rainy seaside - view and some delicious food...

Frank subconsciously created a simulation of a sunset on our table but I couldn`t help turning it into an apple-juice arrangement ;-P

The gig was very nice, as the acoustic of the venue is very clear and the audience attentive.

FLASHY BATHROOM EXPERIENCES ;-)

My "patriotic" outfit ;-):

After the gig we had to split in 2 cars again which almost caused a collision! Hahah, of course nothing bad happened and it ended in a big laugh but I guess it is more safe for us to stick to our touring van ... ;-)))

A bloomy good night, everybody! See you again in Liechtenstein!

P.S. Many thanks to our friend Lyndon Regino for taking pictures from the gig. I`ll post them when they`re ready.

Much love,

Sylwia

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour 2016, Gig No.10 at The Calstock Arts Centre, Calstock, UK

May 22, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

The weather gets foggy and grayish, the spring landscapes are changing constantly and the amount of chocolate consume in the car increases! Outch...

Kevin developed a very scary sound that expresses the level of exhaustion - I called it "A dying dinosaur" - if you saw Jurrasic Park, you`ll understand. It sounds more or less like that:

copyright © Jojikiba

:-DDD


We`re tired and the rain does not help us to stay fit.

Anyway - we`re very excited to play tonight in this special venue! Carlstock Arts Centre...Some warm food should give us the needed energy...Enjoying the lunch at the Cardinal`s Head (hahah - love the British names of pubs ;-D)

Here some snapshots from the way to the venue...

Calstock Arts Centre is situated in an old Chapel, where some genius architect decided to remove the back wall of the old building, letting the stunning cornish nature and daylight to gaze inside of the concert hall through a huge glass window. What an amazing place this is.

I loved the unpretentious windows in gothic shape offering the nicest views and the colorful stained glass...

 

The acoustic of this room is a bit challenging for a band because of the length of the natural "churchy" reverb but it carried our music surprisingly well!

The audience was fantastic. So great to observe the constant smiles on people`s faces while playing!

We had some funny moments during the concert :-). One of them happened as I spotted two huge white eyes staring at me from the darkness of the room where the audience was sitting. They looked so bizarre, and I had no idea who did they belong to until I recognized the silhouette of a stuffed Shaun the Sheep sitting on one of the chairs next to the rest of the audience :-D. I had to laugh so badly… It reminded me "Mr. Staring Ram" from the day before...

We finished the gig and felt very happy when some members of the audience reported to us serious goosebumps and fluttering hearts. That`s definitely a great reward for all the hardships of our vagabond-life in the last days… :-)

All in all the gig was really great and we enjoyed playing in this wonderful place immensely, feeling the depth of the night behind our backs…

It would be too easy to finish this evening so peacefully (...) The pouring rain turned the transport of the gear to the car into a pretty wet experience. Soaked to the skin we hardly found the way to the hotel and were overjoyed to finally land in our beds and fell asleep after the long and intense day…

Tomorrow we all have a day off - which means - sleeping, resting, hugging the loved ones and preparing for the gig at The Alex in Felixstowe...

Take care! Till soon XXX

 

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour 2016, Gig No.9 at The Bancourt Hotel, Torquay ,UK

May 22, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Hello dear Friends!

Today we got stranded in a fairytale made in Devon. No jokes - I haven`t seen such fantastic and romantic landscapes and ambience since I moved to UK.

We left our hotel in Charlestown pretty early to get some rest in the next B&B before the gig at the Bancourt Hotel.

Our lovely, warmhearted hosts David and Hilary opened up for us the doors of their fantastic cottage surrounded by the lush garden full of blooming apple trees, ruins of some “ancient” buildings, chilled out and lazy sheep chewing grass starring at you when you attempt to start any reasonable conversation with them…;-)

 

Hilary is a specialist in weaving baskets and an enthusiastic collector of baskets of all kinds from all over the world.

The cottage was full of different art - works and furnished with some passion and love to the tasteful detail. I couldn`t resist wondering around and discovering the different rooms and spaces of this magical place... Certamic lizzards climbing the walls, seashells, paintings and sculptures... Do you feel the tickling in your fingertips? ;-)

I really love this sculpture of two faces changing their expressions when looked at from different perspectives and angles... Aspecially the play of chiaroscuro makes a difference...


After some rest in our cosy bedrooms, we started getting ourselves ready for the gig at the next venue. As we found out later we were the first, live music - act playing at the Bancourt Hotel.

An interresting "invention" against plaing too loud ;-))))). The peacemaker ;-P


Dave made a massive promotion for this evening but the “tearing” weather and the fact that it was the first music event in this place made people rather to stay in their warm homes then to attend to the gig. The audience was very small but fortunately so enthusiastic about the music that the good vibe filled the venue straight away and accompanied us till the end of the gig compensating the low attendance. We sold some CD`s and got plenties of warmth and appreciation after the concert. If this little amount of people reacts in such way on live music - it will be a real fun to come back there and play in front of bigger audience.

Here a picture from the gig by Fougou Media:

 

It was lovely to come back to the dreamy cottage and sip some late red wine chatting with David and Hilary.

The morning welcomed us with the delicious, fresh breakfast prepared by our hosts.

We had a relaxed morning, then said "goodbye" to our hosts and the lovely cottage (and I said farwell to my new friend - “Mr. Staring - Ram”)

and got ready for the way to the next destination of our tour - the Calstock Arts Centre...

Dear David, dear Hilary, thank you for having us! We wish you good Luck with the new music venue and hope to see you soon again!

XXX

 

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour 2016, Gig No.8 at The Bosuns , St. Austell, UK

May 22, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

The cornish landscapes are so juicy and lush, especially in this time of the year. You can observe all the possible shades of green and golden (I must think about Oregon`s tune with this title) ;-)

Today me and Asaf were running a Breathing-Rhythms Workshop at the Cornwall College in St. Austell. It is such fun to work together with Asaf and to see how we accomplish each others work, showing the youngsters some new ways and possibilities to improve their rhythm, physical awareness, coordination and breathing.
Running workshops in different cities or even countries gives a pretty good insight in the modern music education systems. I observe different patterns, that repeat no matter which age, nationality or cultural background you`re dealing with.

Each year more and more musical giants of our times are passing away (Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Charlie Haden, BB King, Prince, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Nana Vasconcelos and sadly many, many more others)...

Considering the fact that surviving in the music business gets harsher and that the music industry feeds us with the mp-3 oriented artificial fast-food it is still very refreshing to see how many young people want to become musicians today!

They work hard and are interested to master their musical skills. They got much more access to music - education and more possibilities than for example my generation in their age. Many of us are moaning that the music stars that accompanied us for the decades pass away and with them all the high quality music. The question is - is this the reality, is it true?

Are we so consumed by the commerce that the new generation is going to be too week to tattoo our culture with their greatness? In my opinion - not necessarily! Times are tough, that`s clear- the world is crazy and threatened by our own materialistic approach (...)

There`s this huge positive -  “BUT” thow… This "BUT" is followed by the stream of the facts like: there are so many musical geniuses now in such a young age exploding with creativity - even if the medias try to feed them with junk. So many enthusiastic, hard working, inspired young personalities that are fighting their individual way through the artificial world of plastic values.
Look at those kids : Joey Alexander, Jacob Collier, Daniel Clarke Bouchard... Those are just several examples of the whole wave of the new generation...
I am seeing all those young people hungry to learn, explore and create free from stylistic restrictions and old fashioned - radical learning systems… It feels so good to see the musical future in the brighter light. It feels right to contribute this tiny bit to their development. I see them being stressed, sometimes overwhelmed, often under pressure of delivering, comparison or criticism. They fight with worthiness issues more than ever but still - this enormous wave of enthusiasm and passion about making music is too massive to be ignored.  I feel thankful to see all that from this perspective. It makes me smile.

Ok, enough reflecting - time to get to the next venue and shake it`s walls a bit ;-).

The Bosuns is situated directly at the coast of Charlestown. The first thing we saw arriving to our destination were the huge old regatta ships anchored at the bay in front of the venue. What a beautiful view it was :  sapphire - greenish water and the evening sun were a real treat to our eyes... :

The Bosuns is a spacious, cosy marine place serving some good sea food and other local specialities. The audience there was very calm but warm and enthusiastic…

Each gig is a treat with this band, no matter where we play and which kind of audience we`re playing for or how tired we are :-).
The ability to create this “musical bubble” on stage gives us the security of keeping our level of energy as high as possible and raising the vibe in each situation.

I had some moments of frustration when the effect board of my amplifier stopped working (It`s just been repared before the tour) and I had to improvise programming the effects on the mixer and adding them to the sound of my amp, which I`m also using as a monitor.
I forgot to mention before that we`re doing the tour using our own PA system, which means some serious physical activity at least two times a day ;-) but also the comfort of controlling and developing our own strong sound under any circumstances. At the beginning it was difficult for me to help “schlepping” the gear before each gig, then setting up the PA (which is my job in this set up) and then delivering a relaxed performance (and looking nice at the same time - hahah). I`m going to spare you guys the details of my dressing room - and make up survival experiences that I had to degrade to the cave-woman level in order to focus on the priorities :-D, gosh - still laughing recalling some situations. Not every venue has the luxury of a green room. Well, the tiny toilet space or even the car will do if necessary :-DDDD!

Anyway, fortunately I managed to solve the technical problems better then I thought I would. The gig went very well and everybody was happy.

We all enjoyed listening to some great music in the car on the way to the hotel. I used to choose the music adequate to the weather and the times of the day.

GOOD NIGHT...

GOOD NIGHT...

Tomorrow - The Bancourt Hotel !

See you there ;-)

 

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour 2016, Gig No.7 at the St.Ives Jazz Club, St Ives, UK

May 22, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

Our next stop - St.Ives Jazz Club...

Here some snapshots of the landscapes & cornish architecture we passed on the way to St.Ives:

What a great place it is. Always fun to come back there. The sound at the venue is always good and crisp, the staff extremely friendly and helpful, the audience enthusiastic but the biggest treat for a traveling musician is to be able to leave your gear on stage after the gig and just go upstairs to the warm beddy waiting for you in the hotel room as the venue is placed at the Hotel where you stay!

Some great and funny chats with nice people that came to join us by having our “after-gig-meal” accomplished and rounded this lovely night. We ate and laughed together till late exchanging some funny stories and musician - jokes ;-)!

I truly love those times when you`re not pushed to pack your gear straight after the gig and you can go to the venue next morning, being relaxed and lazy taking life in the slow-motion mode. The very best part of it thow, is listening to Frank using those moments to play some beautiful tunes on the grand piano… Awww, how much do I love that…:-)….The grayish, rainy magic mornings without rush, filled with beautiful music…ahhhh….awesome…..

The calla lilys outside:

Then getting some cornish pasties and scones with clothed cream and strawberry marmalade from the proper, traditional pastie - bakery in St.Ives and heading to some new adventures!

The next station: The Bosuns in Charlestown!

See you there, much love, S XXX

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour 2016, Gig No.6 at The Beaver Inn, Appledore, UK

May 22, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

Tonight`s gig was all about the "silence before the storm…" :-)

Seeing the seaside getting out of the car after some hours driving feels like putting a soothing balm on your soul.
After setting up the gear each of us decided to enjoy the afternoon sun and take some rest. Asaf took a nap in the car and fell asleep watching the waves, Kev mad a long lonely walk to switch off his brain and me and Frank went down to the beach and said “Hello” to the Sea.

We`ve found loads of treasures on the beach. Strangely “blooming” and slightly phosphorising algae, abandoned crab houses, sea shells (Frank took one with him as a present for little Beth :-))...

I found out that tickling some tiny sea - monsters hiding under the water can be a pretty happy activity :-D, hope that the pleasure was on both sides, gulp… :-).

We`ve been inhaling the fresh air and enjoyed the view of setting sun having a meal before the gig.

So funny to see this tiny sculpture of the frog facing the setting sun...

The view from the window...

It was good to come back to The Beaver Inn. I love the bravely painted red walls, old pictures, marine - style cutlery, victorian mirrors and colorful stained glass - pictures creating the lively and peculiar vibe in this place.

The gig was fun, the audience enthusiastic and appreciative. After playing we set off to the private house of Sarah and Denis - a couple of music lovers that offered us their cosy rooms...

 

... and a breakfast with the view of the seaside.

Thank you for hosting us!


We left Appledore with an intention to come back soon…

St.Ives, we`re on our way!

Much love everyone, S

 

Sirkis/Bialas IQ - Spring Tour - Preparing for the travel to the South - West Coast

May 22, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Ready to go to the South - West. Cornwall and the seaside are waiting.
I made some food for the road ;-)

And here some snapshots of the Landscapes. The weather is sunny and the smell of blooming, yellow rape flower fields invades the cabin of our touring Van.


Frank works on the computer using the high-tech table painted by his little daughter,

 Kev practices shredding on his bass and Asaf masters his Konnakol skills. I got some time for breathing exercises, taking pictures and writing the blog chewing my fav pistachio choc.  

Of course there`s no better exercise for me during the travel-stops than to chase little bunnies on the squares close to the petrol stations! Gosh, sometimes I think that there`s no way for me to get too serious, but honestly - I hope to keep this spirit as long as possible! :-P

And here some street-art snapshots from our detour to Bristol in order to pick up some gear we have forgotten at the venue after the a gig (yes, those things happen, aspecially after long night gigs when you`re tired and want to get to the hotel asap.)

Good to fly through the highways in the Springtime!


Looking forward to play and to enjoy the peacefulness of the sea before the gig tonight...

 

FOOD! :-) Some nice recipes for you...

May 15, 2016  /  Sylwia Bialas

Dear Friends,

We have a day off and of course we need some nutrition and proper energy for the next part of our tour.

Some real food is demanded! :-) I also promised to some of you to post some simple and quick recipes so you can try them out

I`d like to share with you what I cooked in the last days of touring ;-)

Here they are:

1. Vegetarian raw cucumber-avocado spaghetti with pistaccio crust and cherry tomatoes on the lemony spinach bed

INGREDIENTS:

For the Salad bed:
baby spinach
cherry tomatoes
good olive oil
fresh lemon juice
pink himalayan or sea salt

For the raw pasta :
-cucumbers sliced in the long, pasta-like stripes
(it goes well with the sharp vegetable peeler)
-a good bunch of spring onions cut in tiny pieces

for the pasta sauce :
2 ripe avocados
lemon juice
himalayan salt
olive oil
(everything blended into a smooth paste)

Black pepper, chopped pistachios and olive oil to garnish

2. Simple protein salad with grilled beef stripes and avocado

INGREDIENTS:

Green mixed salad
rocket
good olive oil
fresh lemon juice
pink himalayan or sea salt

For the "protein garnish"Green mixed salad
rocket
good olive oil
fresh lemon juice
pink himalayan or sea salt:
organic beef stripes
(grilled or slowly fried on coconut oil in the wok with amchur powder, smoked pepper, cumin, salt)

Dressing:

fresh lemon juice
pink himalayan or sea salt, olive oil, black pepper

sliced avocados

3. Quick, spicy minced beef stew with egg plants, red peppers and tons of parsley & garlic

INGREDIENTS:

organic, grass fed minced beef fried with
cayenne pepper, cumin, dry coriander, 1 black cardamom, garlic, sumac

red peppers & eggplants added to the meet and fried with more garlic
2 bunches of parsley, 1 bunch of fresh coriander cut into smaller pieces

The stew should simmer covered till the meet gets tender.

4. Coconut - Chia - CinNamon pudding with goodies

 

INGREDIENS:

1 glass of chia seeds,
2 big glasses of coconut milk, cinnamon, honey, lemon grass powder - mix everything together and leave for minimum 4 hours. I prepare it over the night so it`s really smooth and yummy

fresh fruits of all kinds, dried fruits, honey, nuts and loads of cinnamon to garnish.

HAVE FUN & BON APPETIT ! ;-)

XXX