RETURN TO ANGRY ISLAND

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Folks,

Welcome back.

I know these missives are coming fast and furious. Of moment, we’re headed back to the UK or the “Angry Island,” now that the election is over. I’m ready.

Stephie couldn’t make the first couple weeks of gigs. And now she says she’s not ready to fold up the tent. So she flew in for the Spanish dates. And the UK ones too. I guess she needed to put a few more miles on her roller bag. We’ve got our own loyalty program going here. We like to keep everyone a few points shy of the big reward. We’re all happy she’s back. And we’re stepping up our game, accordingly.

There’s a couple things I’m supposed to mention. Our show in Nottingham has been moved to The Maze. Which is a cool room. In a kind of medieval way, I guess. Hopefully they’ll have the glassed-in VIP room ready by then. If you want a reservation for the VIP lounge, contact Glenn Sayward. I’m sure he’d love to hear from you. Okay, so I made that last thing up. But one thing is for certain: without James and Glenn promoting shows in Nottingham over the years, we wouldn’t even be able to find it on a map. Stand-up men. Both of them. And Nottingham is a great gig. As is the entire Angry Island, in a grab-a-pint-and-stand-on-a-sticky-black-floor-listening-to-loud-music kind of way. Every show hits the pavement running. And if they’re digging it they let you know. And if not? Prepare to take evasive action.

Last night was our last gig in Spain. I have to be honest, there are nights out on the road when we’re sometimes 4, 5, or 6 songs deep into the set and I still haven’t made up my mind how I feel about the audience. But that’s NEVER the case with Spain. It was a blast. The gigs were fun. And there’s nothing like partying until 5:00 AM dipping churros into a Styrofoam cup of chocolate lava to bring it all home.

So, what else is going on? This tour started about three weeks ago. Our mascot Keith was supposed to meet me at the airport. I tweeted at him. Said he’d better be there when I arrive. I’ll be expecting a plate of bacon-wrapped scallops when I get there. Or else the tour is off. Empty threats. Who am I fooling? I just work here. Keith is the boss of me. But Metzler from the home office and I managed to make the ferry to the Dutch island, Vlieland. It was a cool festival. I played acoustic. There was a campground involved. It rained. Then Keith and I tooled around Scandinavia. And met up with the band in Germany, headed east into Austria, Prague, Serbia, Croatia, and then Spain by way of the French Riviera.

Back to Keith. What do I really know about this Keith guy? What does it matter? I do know he gets me to the train on time. And he never leaves a bottle of wine from a gig behind. (I know this because they’re always rolling around clanging into each other on the floor of the van.) Plus he’s savvy enough to pack a piece of fruit and some snacks for train journeys. He takes cool photos. And after all this time, I really do take orders from him. And believe me, he gets bossy. He gets bossy a lot. But what do I know about him? Not much. And how come I’m the guy toting his camera bag around?

How did this happen?

Rock on monsters,

UK

WED MAY 27 THE TUNNELS – BRISTOL, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

THURS MAY 28 THE GARAGE – LONDON, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

FRI MAY 29 THE ART BAR – OXFORD, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

SAT MAY 30 THE MET – BURY, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

SUN MAY 31 THE MAZE – NOTTINGHAM, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

MON JUNE 1 GREYSTONES – SHEFFIELD, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

TUES JUNE 2 BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB – LEEDS, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

WED JUNE 3 VOODOO ROOMS – EDINBURGH, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

THUR JUNE 4 THE CLUNY – NEWCASTLE,UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

FRI JUNE 5 THE JOINERS – SOUTHAMPTON, UK Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

SAT JUNE 6 BITTERZOET - AMSTERDAM,NL - Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

HOLLAND

SAT JUNE 6 BITTERZOET - AMSTERDAM,NL - Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express

JUNE 19 - San Francisco (details to come).