by Melissa Blue
Melissa Blue is a photographer, musician and vintage clothing enthusiast. She recently went on a six-week tour of Europe playing in POW!, a San Francisco synth punk band: facebook.com/straighttothekisser.
See some of her photos at www.MelissaBurmanPhotography.com.
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| Pow's first day in Europe at the Hamburg Bay |
AKA in the van all day. You are only in each city for one night! Seize the moment and make friends, get a tour of the city by night and when the sun rises find your way home and sleep it off on the way to the next city. I quickly adapted to van life and the driving lulled me to sleep like a baby. I would wake up an hour outside of our destination and freshen up for the next show en route!
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Flier for our first show on Frau hedi a small boat that
gave us a tour of the Hamburg Bay at sunset
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Everyone said bring extra merchandise. Halfway into our six-week tour we sold out of our CD’s and our LP’s! We had to get 50 extra records airmailed to Paris, and good thing we did because our Parisian fans not only bought everything, they had me autograph their records with my red lipstick kiss! At nearly all of our shows people wanted autographs on the records they bought, but we couldn’t find a sharpie anywhere! We had to get creative.
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| Pow! merch set up on a pinball table |
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Following the boys down a cliff in Sweden to the Baltic seashore
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When I arrived in Germany I realized very quickly that I was that dumb American going up to people and asking questions in English. A lot of people speak English in Europe, but it’s best to learn key phrases so you can get their attention and people will be more likely to give you good advice!
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POW! outside of garage Projektet in hammenhög Sweden,
a village with a population of 900
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Every show we played we had a meal and a place to stay, and I’m not talking crashing on someone’s floor using a towel as a blanket. People are serious about hosting touring bands! The promoter of the show would usually cook us dinner and serve it to us at the venue after sound check. Every meal accommodated our dietary needs - our driver was vegan and Aaron and I are vegetarian. The meals were healthy and delicious, lots of vegetable stews and pasta and salads. Most nights we would stay at the promoter’s house or they would arrange for us to stay with one of their friends. There were always enough mattresses, blankets and pillows for the four band members plus our driver. Some nights we even got to stay in hotel rooms!
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POW! playing our first show of the tour on Frau hedi in Hamburg, Germany
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Or you will get confused and buy stuff that makes you smell like a grandma. Pharmacies in Europe are much nicer than in America, hence much pricier. The languages and the exchange rate will confuse you and you may end up buying mattifying facial moisturizer and using it as body lotion as my bandmate and I did. Germany is the country to buy makeup, bath products and vitamins! It was by far the best selection in stores and lowest prices that I found. The substitutes you find will be more expensive and less satisfying than what you regularly use at home!
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A hostel we stayed at in Harlem, Netherlands. A converted castle, we stayed in the servants quarters but got to hang out in the castle bar after our show.
6. Somehow all of your clothes will rip apart at the seams
This may be drinking related. It may also have something to do with the fact that I purposely brought mostly polyester clothing because I wouldn’t have to worry about stains or wrinkles, and it folds up small for maximum packing capacity! My travel sewing kit was well used on this trip - thanks mom!
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| Byron still chose to eat McDonalds, despite the wonderful rest stop food. |
Fresh sandwiches displayed with pride at every gas station! Supermarkets are cheaper so it’s best to stock up on fruit, yogurt, bread and cheese before getting on the motorway. But in a hurry you can find satisfying meals on the road, as opposed to the greasy fast food we are used to on the American highways.
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Seth hosing down our tour van... moments before it broke down in the Spanish desert
8. Ditch that rolley bag
You need both your hands free to carry instruments. Get a travel backpack. They are less bulky and no one wants to hear you rolling your suitcase down a cobblestone road in the middle of the night. It’s dorky. |
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Say goodbye to your socks.
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9. It’s ok not to wear socks
Most apartments in Europe have washing machines, but when you don’t get to your host’s house until 1 am and have to leave at 9 am the next morning that doesn’t leave enough time for laundry and hang drying. I gave up the luxury of socks very quickly and got intimate with my tennies. It’s not so bad, and it looks cool. Bring some Gold Bond to combat the smell, but watch out- the boys might use it all up.  |
Limited edition color vinyl Hi-Tech Boom that we sold out of 2 weeks into the tour.
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10. The men
Being the only girl in the band, I got some attention. German men were very persistent about force dancing with me and spinning me around 10 times in one song. French people really are as fashionable and romantic as you have heard. In general my bandmates looked out for me and saved me from some silly situations.  |
Yogurt I got in the Swiss alps
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Spending six weeks straight with my bandmates, or as I so affectionately call them, the boys, I got to see what guys really talk about. There were a lot of apologies: “Sorry Melissa, I forgot you were a girl.” Lots of talk about butts, kissing girls, and more butts. I learned a lot, and hopefully I taught them something too!
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Byron with our backstage dinner spread in Germany.
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