Kurt Reifler

New single coming soon...

2012-01-17T22:26:00.000-08:00

Hey kids - by now you have all given up on your work out regimines for the new year. What a perfect time to read a little note from your pals, Kurt and Kill!

We're excited to announce that our new single is coming out soon. It's a remixed version of "Just Like You" but it's completely different - it's been altered, arranged and mixed by Dylan Stoddard, the co-producer and mixer on Sure as the Swing of a Pendulum. It's a very different direction than what you're used to hearing from us and I think you'll dig it.

Also, since it's 2012, we have decided to make the single completely FREE. Remember when people used to pay for music? Me neither. Long live piracy...without it, would I be expected to pay for "Pony" by Ginuwine!? My saddle's...waiting...come and...jump on it!

Lazy Holidays...but a Christmas show.

2011-11-21T01:10:00.000-08:00

Sure, everyone will be stuffing their face with food over the next month. It's important to make some room for beer on December 17th though, as Kill Kurt Reifler has a Tampa area show at the Dunedin Brewery. Craft beer, bad ass tunes, free albums, and NO cover.

Nothing says Christmas like our last song on the album, "Fuck That." So come on down. Bring the family.

Kurt Reifler and the Bastard Sons - September Tour!

2011-09-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hey kiddies,

The Bastard Sons and I are proud to announce we're hitting the road tomorrow for our two week tour.

We also have a couple of radio interviews lined up for this weekend. For those in the Louisville area, check us out:

Friday, 3:10 PM
The Terry Meiner Show (840 AM)

Sunday, 3:00 PM
The Fox (93.1)or stream it, here;
http://www.foxrocks.com/main.html

And now, the show dates;

Friday, September 2, 2011
The Mad Frog
1 East McMillan Street
Cincinnati, OH
9:00 PM, Price TBD

Saturday, September 3, 2011
Derby City Espresso
331 E. Market Street
Louisville, KY
9:00 PM, Price TBD

Thursday, September 8, 2011
Annabell’s
782 W. Market Street
Akron, OH
9:00 PM, 5 dollars

Friday, September 9, 2011
The Lemon Grove
122 W. Federal
Youngstown, OH
9:00 PM, 5 dollars

Saturday, September 10, 2011
The Rock Room
1054 Herron Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA
9:00 PM, 5 dollars

Sunday, September 11, 2011
WBNY, Interview (on air)
Buffalo, NY
3:00 PM (but will be updated if time changes), Free

Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Vault
702 Main Street
Buffalo, NY
9:00 PM, 5 dollars

Monday, September 12, 2011
Nietzsche’s
248 Allen Street
Buffalo, NY
9:00 PM, Free

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Delilah’s
112 S. Cayuga Street
Ithaca, NY
9:30 PM, Free

Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Delilah’s
112 S. Cayuga Street
Ithaca, NY
9:30 PM, Free

Thursday, September 15, 2011
Funk N Waffles
727 S. Crouse Ave.
Syracuse, NY
9:00 PM, 5 dollars

Friday, September 16, 2011
Sullivan Hall
214 Sullivan Street
New York, NY
8:00 PM, 10 dollars

Saturday, September 17, 2011
Bella
Washington, DC
900 Florida avenue
9:00 PM, 5 dollars

FUCK THAT live video from February...

2011-06-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of us performing "Fuck That" in Jacksonville, FL. Just dug this up going through some pictures. Decent performance, questionable sound (as usual with a personal camera.)

Video link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOKg7m2Pe44

Enjoy.

Starting another leg of the tour...

2011-06-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to all the people who have been coming out and seeing the recent shows. As most anyone who is reading this knows, the band has been on tour for the last month or so, and we have another couple weeks ahead of us. We're thrilled to be playing in Boston tonight and New York City tomorrow...

We also have a Washington, DC show next Friday and a few Wilmington, NC shows, followed by a couple Florida gigs in Gainesville and Tampa.

The response has been amazing and we really couldn't be any more thankful for people's support.

Hope to see you at a show soon...

Sure as the Swing of a Pendulum is OUT NOW!

2011-04-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hey kiddies,

The album is finally available as of this past Tuesday, March 29th. As many of you know, there are a host of ways to acquire it, hard copy or digital - whatever you prefer. It's also up to you whether you pay retail price, donate, or download it for free.

We hope you enjoy it. Tell your friends about the earsex we're giving out.

Thanks. :)

- Kurt

March 29th, Release...

2011-03-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Our album drops this Tuesday, March 29th...enjoy. All the tour dates (which start in May) will be posted within the next two weeks.

- Kurt

February Tour!

2011-02-04T17:47:00.001-08:00

February Tour Dates:

The Dunedin Brewery
Friday, Feb 11
937 Douglas Avenue
Dunedin, Florida
8:00 PM, Free Entry

Backstage
Saturday, Feb 12
1315 S. Main St
Gainesville, Florida
8:00 PM, Cover TBD

Studio 17
Friday, Feb 18
1187 Edgewood Avenue
Jacksonville, Florida
8:00 PM, Price TBD

The Sentient Bean
Monday, Feb 21
13 East Park Avenue Lane
Savannah, Georgia
8:00 PM, Free

The Rye Bar
Tuesday, Feb 22
140 E. Clayton Street
Athens, Georgia
8:00 PM, Price TBD

Bandito Southside
Saturday, Feb 26
11220 Memorial Pkwy SW # P1
Huntsville, Alabama
8:00 PM, Free

Voodoo Lounge
Monday, Feb 28
110 Southside Sq
Huntsville, Alabama
9:00 PM, Free

Kill Kurt Reifler Album to be released on March 29!

2011-01-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hey kiddies,

Kill Kurt Reifler is excited to announce that March 29th will be the release date for our debut record, 'Sure as the Swing of a Pendulum.'

The album will be released roughly one year after our first rehearsal. That might not seem so fast, but in band-time, it is. To put it in perspective, most bands spend years writing songs and months in the studio. We spent 3 months working out the material and 3 days recording. It seemed crazy while it was happening. It seems crazier now.

We owe so much thanks to everyone who supported our shows over the last year in Australia and to everyone who followed our progress here in the US. We also are eternally grateful to co-producer and mixer, Dylan Stoddard. He was our sonic architect and helped us to create an album we were truly proud of.

The US tour starts in February and we'll be harassing you about it soon enough. We can't wait to start playing for people here in our own country! Til then...

- Kurt

Australian Tour Over, Album Close, Back in the USA

2010-11-30T12:58:00.001-08:00

After spending a year outside the country, Kill and I are back in the good ol' USA.

The Australian tour was an absolute blast. We started in Melbourne and headed as far north as Cairns, playing an 11 date tour in total, which lasted roughly three weeks. I got multiple sun burns, enjoyed the coast, ate lots of seafood...and, oh yeah, played concerts! Brisbane was among my favorite spots for anyone asking...and I think I heard you ask.

So, the album is about done. What's that mean exactly? It means Dylan Stoddard (audio genius, bass master) is nearly done mixing, and then we enter the mastering phase. We are set for a late February release. Details to come soon.

Being back in America is...well, fucking weird. But, it's an amazing weird at the same time. Can't wait to get moving around here, touring behind the album. The first show is February 11th in Tampa, FL. Stay tuned...

- Kurt

Mixing, Tour, Melbourne Show...

2010-09-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

Much to tell, much to tell...

First off, the album process continues. KKR is so proud to announce that Dylan Stoddard will be doing the mixing on the album. He's a true professional, a good friend and Kill's brother. We are ecstatic to have him involved on all counts!

The album will be an early 2011 release.

We have some of the tour dates up on our site, and more will be posted soon. We can't wait for the Australian tour. For as long as we have been in this country, we basically have only seen Melbourne. That changes starting October 13th.

We are also playing one of our final shows in this city on Friday, Sept 10th at The Blue Tile Lounge. Should be a ripping time. :)

Early tour dates, here:

Sep 10 2010 9:00P
The Blue Tile Lounge Fitzroy, Victoria

Oct 13 2010 8:00P
Karova Lounge Ballarat, Victoria, AUSTRALIA

Oct 14 2010 8:30P
The Golden Vine Bendigo, Vic, AUSTRALIA

Oct 15 2010 9:00P
Barwon Club Hotel Geelong, Victoria, AUSTRALIA

Oct 16 2010 9:30P
Grumpy's Fitzroy, Victoria

Oct 23 2010 9:00P
Fitzroy Hotel Windsor Windsor, NSW, AUSTRALIA

Show Tonight...Recording, Recording...

2010-07-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

We are playing tonight at The Blue Tile Lounge in Melbourne, AU! It's on 93 Smith Street...hit the stage around 10. Should be a fun night so come down if you are around!

Recording, Recording...

Well, after much anticipation on our part we have finally recorded our new tunes. It was 3 days of tracking at Soundpark, which is an amazing analogue studio here in Melbourne. Our engineer, Idge, made us feel really comfortable and was a big part of what we were able to get done in such limited time in the studio. It was just the two of us (Kurt, Kill) on the album. No tricks, no studio musicians, just a couple old guitars and a couple old drums...

The experience was great, but there is so much left to do. The mixing and then mastering processes take time, not to mention manufacturing the discs, etc.

All in time...

Anyway - just a quick update. It had been awhile. About to meet with Kill for a run through of tonight's set...

For The Record!

2010-06-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

For The Record!

We are officially recording our new album, starting in a few weeks. It's exciting to announce, as we have been thinking about and planning this for several months and continents now. We can't give too much information away, but I will indulge the hipsters and old school types by stating that we are going analogue. That's the news for now. Stay tuned for pictures from the studio, a video blog and more info...

Show Recap and Video

2010-05-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Show Recap and Video...

So Kill and I had our first concert. Well, the first in two and a half years anyway. It couldn't have gone better. We were so thankful that so many people came out to support us and it felt especially great, knowing that we were in a foreign land and people made us feel right at home. Just being on stage together again was so liberating. Below is the first half of Wake Up Dead, which was the last song on my debut album. We play a few songs off that record but we do our best to make them as different from the originals as possible. Excuse the video quality!

Now, we are looking forward to our June 8th debut television in Australia on "1700" which can be seen on Channel 31 in Melbourne and Geelong. We will be performing live and doing an interview to promote our upcoming June 12th show at Cherry Bar in Melbourne.

Looking forward...

2010-05-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice little photo from a shoot that we did here in Melbourne recently, courtesy of Joahnna from six8eight6. We are thinking about perhaps using some of these for the CD design or web site, which is coming soon. I am a bit hung over and should not be sitting upright. Back to horizontal...

Rehearsal!

2010-05-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

First show since 2007! May 15th, in Australia...

2010-04-25T02:39:00.000-07:00

Kill Kurt Reifler has a show booked for May 15th, right here in Melbourne, Australia at The Blue Tile Lounge. That will be our first show together since September of 2007.

I repeat. That will be our first show together since September, of 2007!

It's hard to believe how time flies. But, these past few weeks have playing have gone about as smoothly as they could. We seemed to pick right back up without missing a beat, and we have been able to fly through some new material as well, something I had no idea would come so naturally. We are pretty excited, though we would never admit to being nervous or emotionally affected by anything. We're men, goddammit.

Seriously though, we can't wait to get cracking. The idea was always to get our sea legs back with some shows before delving into the recording process, so this show will be one more step in a long journey of making the new record...

Perfect.

In the Laboratory...

2010-04-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

Working, hard.

Rehearsals are every weekday from about 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM. We set up, have a cup of tea, jam for a couple minutes and break right into our set. Mechanical. Musical.

The time is split between reviewing old material and working on new songs. It's odd to talk about rehearsals on a public forum. It takes away from the mystique, doesn't it? Tight bands don't just happen. It takes time...months, really years, to get it together. By the time you have heard your favorite band's song, they have played it thousands of times. Weird. Imagine being The Stones or U2. Shit. Don't they get bored playing that stuff? I watched It Might Get Loud - the guitar movie with Jimmy Page, Jack White and America's favorite douche bag (besides John Mayer), "The Edge." The movie was pretty bad, but I did like Jack White's ramble about rehearsals and developing new material. He mentioned something about how "the heavens don't always part when you pick up your instrument, but you work through it, and at the end of it sometimes you get something pretty good." Noted.

Anyway...

Once rehearsal is done, I, anal-retentively write out the schedule for the next day's session including time for set-up, a break, and allowing for a small margin of error, depending on what may need work that we didn't account for. Then, ears ringing, we unplug the Fender Deluxe amp, tear down the mic and cables and have some dinner. On the nights I manage not to fall victim to nightlife, I work on new songs and ideas to bring into the next rehearsal.

That's life. One small problem...there wasn't any mention of an income in that schedule, was there? The formula:

Musician in 2010 + X = Person able to pay for food

Anyone who knows what X is will be hailed as a revolutionary genius in the music community. Trust me.

KILL KURT REIFLER is about to become ALIVE.

2010-03-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

KILL KURT REIFLER is about to become ALIVE.

I moved into my new apartment a few days ago. It's a huge room with funky green walls in one of my favorite parts of Melbourne. I now have a single bed, propped up on milk crates, and a guitar. Just wait until I put up a little nerf hoop above my fireplace...and yes, I have a fireplace. Perhaps the best part of the apartment is that it's about a 15 minute walk from Kill's place. Why does that matter?

Because tomorrow is Kill Kurt Reifler's first rehearsal.

It's true. After almost a half-year of planning and anticipation, Kill and I both have places to live, a rehearsal spot, and most importantly, stability. We can now get to work, post-global adventures.

Our goal, as many people who would read this blog know, is to make our new recording here in Melbourne. Tentatively, the plan is to start gigging within 3 months, and make our album within 6. Think it's do-able?

Yeah, I do too.

Don't Kill Live Music, Kill Kurt Reifler

2010-02-23T07:37:00.001-08:00

DON'T KILL LIVE MUSIC! KILL KURT REIFLER!

Today marks two weeks since I arrived in Melbourne, Australia. It's been quite a departure from the cavalier traveling and motorbiking through Asia, volunteering in India, pacing around Europe aimlessly...

No, this has been way different. Those adventures were always meant to be appetizers for the main course. The meal. And as always, the meal is music related. The plan: to make my new 2010 recording here, as you will be hearing much about as the months go on (hopefully not just from me.) And yes, it will be released digitally, for FREE.

I will soon be getting to work once the smoke clears from being/moving to a new place, and the logistics get worked out. Our new 2-piece outfit is Kill Kurt Reifler, featuring myself and Justin Stoddard, AKA Kill. Though I can't give you the true back story of this name, it's origins date back to when we had started playing together in 2007 when Justin generously and crazily went on tour with me to promote my solo record. It was pretty easy to realize that anyone who could tolerate me in a car for 12 hours at a clip should be rewarded by being in a proper band and not just some solo shenanigans. So, here we are - and we are both pretty damn excited about the whole thing.

Today we protested some wacky live music restrictions that are happening here in Melbourne, partly out of interest and partly because until we have jobs and a functioning rehearsal space, what the hell else did we have to do? What started as a casual day turned into something interesting. It was amazing to see people come out in the thousands to support live music - a feeling that I haven't had in a long time. Anyone that knows me as a person or musician knows that I have been around, but I can't think of more than a handful of cities that the cohesiveness of the music community is quite so strong. I wound up feeling oddly connected to the whole thing, despite being an American. As I walked around in my purchased "Don't Kill Live Music" shirt, I felt like I became a part of the city, even as an outsider.

Don't Kill Live Music. Kill Kurt Reifler.

It's going to be a hell of a year.

Dogs!

2010-02-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

Vietnam Rhythms!

2010-01-29T09:15:00.000-08:00

Cambodia, and the start of the Motorcycle Adventures

2010-01-27T09:08:00.000-08:00

I have been running behind on these blogs! I'm drowning in regret (not true.)

Cambodia; amazing. From the sassy 12-year-old girls trying to sell me stuff, to the temples, to The Killing Fields, to the capital, I was pretty taken with the whole thing, especially since I had no idea what to expect. People were friendly in general, and I felt really great about being able to see "the 8th wonder of the world" - the temples.

I am in Vietnam now, on a motorcycle adventure with Justin. After spending a few days in Ho Chi Minh City, and then a couple days in a national park, we are doing a 6 day ride up the coast. We started in Dalat yesterday and the trip ends in Hoi An. I can safely say that almost 4 months into my travels, this past couple of days has been at the top of the list. The history, the mountains (unbelieveable), and just the freedom of riding a motorcycle across the Vietnamese countryside has been everything I was hoping for. It's also been nice to see some sincerity (instead of the non-stop quest to acquire my tourst dollars) on the part of the people I am around. The kids are truly excited to see us. They slap me 5 as I ride by and smile the biggest smiles you could imagine when they see us ride through. "Hello!"

Our guide, Tan (pictured with me, here), informed us that he was a "ladykiller" when he was younger. But, now hat he's older, "the ladies kill him." When we can't understand what he says (which happens a lot) we pretend that we do. This arrangement seems to work out well. Our food costs have been about $1.50 per meal, and this is for about 8 dishes scattered across the table from eggs to fish to veggies to soup to, of course, rice. I seem to eat about 2 or 3 times as much as the other men at the table, but anyone who knows me knows that this is nothing new. I don't like to see food go to waste. I consider it a challenge of some sort.

Cambodia, check. Vietnam, check. Feeling great...

The New Year

2010-01-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

It's a New Year.

Are you kidding me? When did that happen? 2009 really seemed like it flew by more so than most years. 2009 was also the only year in the last 5 years that I didn't move forward, musically. I took a purposeful step away for a little while to see how it felt not to be a musician. How would it feel not to be a performer? Not be someone who is on stage all the time? Instead, I lived quietly in Kentucky, biding my time, and thinking about my next step.

It was a strange but important move for me.

The answer, naturally, was a resurgence in my yearning to create sounds (and all that sappy kind of crap.) So, it's been nice to realize that 2010 will once again be a year moving forward for me, musically, and I truly can't wait to get started on my new album. It feels good to be hungry again. Excited again.

The last several months of my travels have been sort of eye opening as well. Sure, I knew I had my western views of the world, but you can never truly open your eyes all the way until you see things as different from what you are used to as possible. It's been a learning experience that has helped me shape my plan for the next year...the new year. 2010.

I am Thailand now, and I made it out of the Full Moon/NYE party in one piece, relatively. I did wind up with a burn on my arm (from jumping a fire torched jump rope,) a busted lip (from getting accidentally hit in the mouth by some uncoordinated moron,) and a bloody toe (from stubbing it on the concrete, mostly sober too!) But, despite all that, I was able to bring in 2010 on the beach with a lot of excitement about the coming year.

I wish everyone a truly Happy New Year.

An Amazing Hike and Thinking Forward

2009-12-08T03:51:00.000-08:00

There are a few things I have done in the last couple of months as rewarding as taking hikes in southern India. The green foothills are absolutely incredible, and on my last trip, Mike and I were lucky enough to have some chance meetings. For one, we came across a sugar cane farm thingy. It was a family who lived in thus little hut, and they graciously offered us some cane to chew on, as we accidentally stumbled upon their house/business.

After our snack, we made it to the top of the mountain-ish hill. Naturally, we were followed by the dogs that unoffically live on the school compound. Tiger (who had a car run over his penis last week), and Julie. This week is my last week at the school, filling in for the teacher's English classes, and generally being a big, silly white presece for the students.

In other news, Mike and I fly out of India December 17th - I am leaving for Thailand to meet Justin. I am so pumped to get going on the next portion of my adventure, I can't even wait. The trick will be trying not to attack Justin with all the musical ideas I have when I see him. The first few days we will just need to relax, and get used to seeing each other again. I still think he should be up for sainthood after going on multiple tours with me, stuck int he car for hours on end. Looks like he will be stuck doing it again...

And I am so grateful for that.

A trip to Tirumala, and Breakfast for my Indian friends

2009-12-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was one of the single most unpleasant experiences (at least socially) that I have ever dealt with. Mike and I went to Tirumala, which has a temple that thousands of Hindus make a pilgrimage to everyday. We hiked a mountain to get there, and that was the part I enjoyed. Upon arrival though, they had us quarantined like animals in what I would describe as holding cells to control the crowds. This was also after an all nighter of climbing so I was not amused to be wallowing in filth and thousands of people sleeping on the floor, etc. As we got funneled into this zoo of a religious exhibit, people pushed, shoved, screamed, and hurled women holding babies out of their way. Absolute chaos. Oh, and we can't wear shoes in the temple of course - so while trying to keep myself from being swallowed by a mob and getting pushed downstairs, I also had to deal with get my ankles being cut by other people's long toe nails, and then having the cuts get filled with the filth from the feet of perhaps 100,000 people that day. Having fun yet?

Of all the amazing things about India I have been experiencing, utter filth has been a real sticking point for me. To make matters worse, the bus back from the weekend was quite literally as packed as it could be. Sardines. I could not move an inch. This went on for an hour or more, and I had inadvertent sex with about 7 different people.

Once the hell subsided and we arrived home, the week took a nice relaxing turn, as it always seems to here in the village. The next few days were perfect, just spending time with the kids at school. Wednesday was a holiday so Mike and I climbed a near by mountain/foot hill, while being escorted by the school dogs, one of which recently got hit in the penis by a car (that's not a joke), and the other of which recently gave birth to 2 dead puppies. Our crew of four (two with mangled genitalia) hiked up the mountain, and enjoyed panoramic views of rural southern India. It was the most exercise I have gotten since being here I think, and it felt amazing. The following night Mike and I made some breakfast for John, Babu, and Vasant - teachers here at the school. Their taste buds may not have been totally prepared for our American breakfast (scrambled eggs and home fries) but it was a nice time anyway. Plus, Babu and Vasant flanked me with guitars for one of my favorite pictures from India, as you can see...

Thanksgiving in India

2009-11-26T03:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Now that the initial shock of India has subsided, I am working with my friend Mike Haslett at the school he has been working with. He started a foundation to assist a school in rural India, and you can see more about what he does, here:

http://www.ddevoefoundation.org

Today was my fourth day of school, and the kids have been amazing. If I had to miss my favorite holiday (and I did), then this was the way to do it. By coincidence, one of the teachers at St. Peters is having all the school staff over for dinner tonight. It's going to be my first Thanksgiving dinner not spent in Poughkeepsie, NY in as long as I can remember.

It's OK though. I have slipped into a routine pretty neatly here. I spend the days at school with these amazing little Indian kids. Sometimes I fill in for English classes, and sometimes I just hang out in Mike's class or wander around the school. At some point, I will be performing for the kids in some way, which should be a real trip. But, everything is going well on the Indian front.

I have a lot to be thankful for, especially as I look around at so many less fortunate people than myself here...

Made it.

2009-11-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

Children pooping on the street.

People coming up to me and touching my hair.

40 mosquito bites during a one hour nap.

No toilets, toilet paper.

Welcome to India. This is the developing world. I have toured Eastern European war torn countries, and I have been to Flint, Michigan (The worst City in the United States, says me.) But nothing compares to this.

I arrived at the airport, roughly as culture shocked as could be. The unwritten Western laws of personal space simply don't exist. It took me a little while to adjust to that, but little did I know that the airport was the least of my worries. When I came outside, I found that I was the only white person in sight. I expected to be one of the only white people, sure, but not the ONLY one.

Mike picked me up at around 6:00 AM, and after a snack, we got ourselves a room at a nearby hotel. Hotels are a little different in Chennai than they are in say, St Louis. We decided to get some lunch and head to the beach. At the beach, we must have looked like a zoo exhibit to people. Mike has a mohawk, and I am...well, me.

Sometimes high school kids will come up and ask for autographs or try to shake your hand. It's very bizarre. It's like the life of a celebrity. People stop on the street and stare, point at you, get their friend's attention, etc. It's some real Vincent Chase kind of shit.

After my shock subsided in Chennai a bit, Mike and I got some food. Everyone I talked to and every guide book has really good advice about what not to eat. Here's what they don't mention:

There aren't any options. Either you get "the meal" or you don't. Surprisingly, Indians don't seem to have a special menu for white American assholes, especially in the small villages. So, when you get the fried fish on the beach or some unrecognizable stew from a hut or "restaurant," you just have to assume that if it's cooked, it can't kill you. Then, you have to hope you are right.

For the night, we made our way to one of the few bars in the area. We got our little buzz. Being jet lagged and culture shocked, I inexplicably woke up at 5 in the morning. That gave me to absorb my new surrounding and figure out the new bathroom situation was...not what I'm used to, and we can leave it at that.

Finally, after a few days, I am starting to feel settled. I don't mind when people stare at me and I am even starting to get used to eating with my hands. But, I still have little Western victories. Today, I snuck a spoon into lunch and used that for my rice. Some people were upset, but I'm a rebel! :)

India, Finally

2009-11-18T10:04:00.001-08:00

Well, it took me 22 days to get the hell out of London, but alas, the time has come. My visa has finally cleared and tomorrow morning I leave London for Chennai, India. In all, with the lay over, it will take me about a full day to get there. That's OK. I have waited this long. What's another day?

Shit happens. You move on.

Since I was able to give Mike - who's meeting me at the airport - only 2 days notice about my flight info, I can only hope that he gets the e-mail and meets me in time. This is a huge variable. If he does, I am sitting pretty, have a friend who knows the lay of the land, and we casually make our way to his village over the weekend. Otherwise, the scene will look a lot like this:

A clueless white guy steps off the plane with his laptop case. He makes his way to the luggage, picks his bag up and then pensively thinks about what the hell he is going to do since his friend Mike doesn't appear to have gotten the message and flight info in time. Helpless and hopeless, he weighs the pros and cons of trying to find a place to sleep outside. Using his better judgment, he finds an information desk in the airport which directs him to a hotel that he has no urge to stay in, nor pay for. But with few options, he winds up doing it. Upon arrival in the hotel, the quest to make a phone call is next. Then, using a currency he has never seen before, and a set of numbers that don't seem to make any sense, the clueless white man proceeds in vain to try and dial his friend's number. The call cannot be completed, but the clueless white guy isn't sure why, since the error message isn't in English. And so on. This comedy of errors continues over the next 48 hours until through some mild miracle, the clueless guy finds his friend...

Eh, maybe I think too much.

On a serious note, though, I fully expect the trip to be amazing. I am not entirely sure of what I will be doing over the next few weeks. Step one will be to follow Mike to school each day, and watch the way he interacts with the kids, and how the classes are run. From there, I may act as his teaching assistant, start a little curriculum of my own, or decide that Western culture is too ridiculous to return to and find an Indian woman to marry. Maybe all 3. Whatever the case, I am definitely excited about my next mission. It can't come soon enough.

Wandering...

2009-11-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

Excuse these all too frequent blogs. I just plain have too much time on my hands. It's been weird to travel without having the burden of playing shows. What the hell do people do with the time? Go to museums? Boooorrrrrriiiing!

I milled around London quite aimlessly yesterday, and came to the conclusion that almost anything is free if you look hard enough. I found a food flea market thing that was closing down, and I was awarded free pizza and bread for looking at the girl with the puppy dog "what are you going to do with that stuff?" eyes. Then, an hour later, I stumbled upon an art gallery of some of the worst paintings I have ever seen. BUT, there was free wine and beer. There I was, standing with free food in one hand, and free alcohol in the other.

I realized something at 27 years old as I walked around yesterday. I can walk in anywhere. I know this sounds ridiculous, and it's something I should have felt comfortable doing years ago. But, I didn't. I always felt like if I was in a store, people were looking at me, expecting me to steal something. Or, if I walked in an art gallery people would wonder who I knew there. I know it sounds insane. It's the mentality of a wayward fifteen year old. I don't know what to tell you. Yesterday was the first time I ever felt comfortable going into stores, and looking around at things.

So, it's Friday - I have had a good few days to accept being stuck here. Now, I actually feel kind of good about it. I have some projects and thoughts that will take a good week to put together, and this might have worked out just perfectly in the scheme of things. As for the goddamn rain and clouds, it sucks. But, this may be just the stretch I needed to get the creative juices flowing.

How I got stuck in London...

2009-11-04T16:07:00.000-08:00

How I got stuck in London for 3 weeks…

I bought my ticket to India online when I was in Geneva a couple weeks back. Man, what a feeling! Pretty soon I would be warm and teaching little kids the nuances of English words and silly American music. Perfect.

I got to London, and bombed around, naively thinking that since I wasn’t working in India, that I didn’t need a visa. Sure enough...wrong. Really wrong.

Not only did I find out the day before I was supposed to leave for India that I needed a visa, but I also found out that it takes a good 10 days or so to get it. That means that even if I had worked on it the second I got to London, I still wouldn’t have had it in time. In short, I was fucked no matter what I did, but it took me six days to even realize I was fucked.

Depression set in. My ticket was non-refundable since I got it off a cheapo website, and I couldn’t take my flight, at least not without being detained in Chennai (which I strongly considered.) So, my only recourse was to show up at the airport today to tell them I could not, in fact, fly to India, as I had no proper visa. Then, hopefully, someone would have pity on me and just enough power to try and salvage my ticket money in which case I could use it for a future flight. I didn’t think I had a chance, but it worked. As long as I would pay a change fee, I could switch the date of the flight, thankfully.

I strutted out of there feeling amazing and loose. It turned out I didn’t have to waste over 400 bucks!

Next stop was the Indian embassy, where I had everything I needed:

A filled out application
2 passport sized photos
My passport
Money

After a TWO hour wait (or more) I sauntered up to the counter, feeling quite confident, only to find out that I needed to pay much more for the visa since I wasn’t a UK citizen, and that I needed to fill out another form, also. Shit.

I brought the second form up a minute later.

She looked at the papers, comparing them, rustling them with her brown fingers, smiling.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” she said. “It’s just that on this form you listed yourself as unemployed and on this other form you listed yourself as a musician.”

I smiled, politely.

“I don’t know about India, but in the states, it’s the same thing.”

She then went on to casually tell me that it took 5 to 7 business days, and that I had to pay more than double what I was expecting.

Translation:

You might as well take up cricket, because you aren’t leaving London for a good ten days or so. Cheers!

London, again...

2009-10-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today I walked around London for the first time in over six years. Back in 2003, for anyone who may not know this, I sort of lost my mind an fled the United States. No forwarding address, phone disconnected, etc. It was in London that I really "learned" to play the guitar. I brought that thing with me, and played it every free hour I had.

When I got out of the tube at Russell Square today (the same station that had been bombed a few years ago), it felt very odd to be back in my old hood. The streets and smells were basically the same. But, the people weren't. Everyone was younger and more active and vibrant. So, it seemed.

Actually, I am pretty sure that I was just older. Six years older.

The whole thing was quite a mindfuck.

I walked to my old house. It was right across from the Charles Dickens Museum. It seemed to be the same, basically. Everything around seemed the same. Everything except for one thing.

The week before, I had experienced Germany for the first time, ever.

In Munich, I got to see the normal tourist beer drinking shit, juxtaposed with the real history. I saw some of the sites where Hitler gave his speeches. I saw the temple in Munich, which has a wall of remembrance for all the Jews who were killed. Walking around as a half-Jew in Germany is really something...

In Berlin, the skies were dark and the city was worn. But, it's also one of the hippest cities in the world. Nightlife, fashion, decent prices, art, music, etc. I was blessed to have some great hosts during my time there, including this hippie commune (not literally, I guess) that I stayed at. I met a lot of great people there, got a friendly German (thanks Marcel) to help me upload videos on my computer, and got turned on to some funked out random band called Level 42 (thanks Rob.) I also got to see the Berlin Wall (thanks Rebekkah), which is obviously a reminder of how big a difference twenty years can make.

Or six.

Berlin to London....

2009-10-28T03:59:00.001-07:00

Flying to London in a couple hours. Rubbish!

The journey has begun...

2009-10-19T03:55:00.000-07:00

Last week I left the states for Switzerland! The first couple nights were a madhouse, and on Monday we went to Interlaken, a touristy Swiss town situated between the Alps. It was some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen, and I even got to walk over a glacier. Amazing.

I also did a day trip to Courmayeur, Italy and then later in the week to Annecy, France. It was a great week spent with great friends.

Now, I am in Zurich, heading next to Munich and then Berlin for the weekend.

Just a quick check-in to let everyone know I'm alive. More soon...

Donations for 2010 album.

2009-09-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

I am starting to send out e mails, facebooks, tweets, and every other damn thing in the world to garner support for my 2010 album. The idea is to acquire donations, which will help subsidize the recording costs for the coming year.

In return, the album will be released for free, digitally. Seems like a good deal, huh? I truly appreciate everyone's support...

2010 Album Donations...

2009-09-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Pretty soon I will be doing the usual PR nonsense regarding this album donation thing I have going on. But, in the meantime, for anyone looking at this site...

As you can see, I am raising a couple grand to help neutralize the recording costs of my new album, which is to be released in 2010. Believe me - this is no money making proposition. In fact, all toll, I'm sure I will spend at least double that. Even still, every bit counts. Any donations - big or small - would be truly appreciated...

2009-09-04T12:29:00.001-07:00

2009-07-26T09:43:00.001-07:00

One more try...

2009-07-26T09:37:00.001-07:00

Testing out Ping, once again...damn technology.

2009-07-21T15:23:00.001-07:00

Hey peoples - twitter me, facebook me, and myspace me here:

www.twitter.com/kurtreifler
www.facebook.com/kurtreifler
www.myspace.com/kurtreifler

Thanks!

2009-06-30T18:48:00.001-07:00

Testes 1, 2, 3 - trying to ping once again...working?

2009-06-13T10:01:00.001-07:00

Testing out my Ping Updates. Let us see...did it work?

Kurt Reifler Video Blog # 1

2009-06-04T23:30:00.001-07:00

First Band Show

2009-05-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

So, last night was the first band show - featuring Nick Goldring and Karsten Nelson. Rather unrehearsed, we took the stage, and I kind of expected the worst. Fortunately though, it went pretty well. Aside from the usual problems of playing small places (like vocals being too low) - overall the sound was good, and it was a good time. I thought we played well, minus a few little blips. But, that ruggedness is something I enjoy anyway. I wouldn't have wanted it to be too perfect.

Many thanks to all the people who came out to support, and make it a fun night.

Can't wait to do more shows with those guys.

Website soon...

2008-12-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

I am back in Louisville, after a pretty relaxing holiday in Florida. The weather was so nice. Why do I live in the middle of the country again?

The new year is coming, and hopefully that means a new website within a couple weeks. I have a small team of amazing people helping me out with it, including my faithful, Cuban friend Al.

So, once it gets up and running, I will let everyone know. In the meantime, I will try and perfect the art of "blogging." Jesus Christ.

New to this

2008-12-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

I officially just created a blogger account.

I am in Kentucky currently, working on the new website with Al, my comrade and promo guru. So, the night time has arrived, and it seems that beers are in our future.

Just getting something down here to make sure I know how to use it. :)