I’m very much in a traveling mood lately. Unfortunately I have to leave London today but I can’t wait to pack my suitcase for another adventure. You can follow my adventures on my blog, as always, but I’m also giving you a peek into another adventure. A trip called Station to Station. Led by curator Doug Aitken a colorful group of internationally respected artists and musicians is traveling from New York to San Francisco by train between 6 and 28 September. The trip is hosted by Levi’s and Sef (Dutch music artist) and Tess Milne (Dutch actress) are joining from the Netherlands and reporting from this great Levi’s trip. At every of the 10 stops they make, there’s a big festival taking place. A few days ago you could see the first part of their trip here, the second part here, and now I’m showing you the third part.
“We took the train to Chicago where the 3rd Station to Station event took place. The usual bands performed but they added some bands to the line-up that were really good, especially The Black Monks and Chi-town legend Mavis Staples. After that we partied with Gregor Salto in some dark cave with a sick atmosphere. It was a legendary evening. The next day we got back on the train and went to Minneapolis which unfortunately is the last stop. The train journey was a long sightseeing tour through an endless postcard. That night was the absolute highlight, with Patti Smith performing and an after party in the Amsterdam Bar. Too bad this trip is already over for us. I have been in places where I otherwise would probably have never been (when do you come to Pittsburgh?) and I’ve seen parts of this country that were so great that I wanted to jump off the train and explore everything in sight. I’m pissed off that I have to say ‘farewell’ to all the people with whom I have built friendships within a very short time. I’m aggravated too, because it was becoming clearer at every stop for anyone that this trip is a once-in-a-lifetime situation. The mix of people, music styles, art venues and is one which I my proverbial hat off, Doug Aitken. You need balls to have something ambitious-fangled. What may at first felt like a random idea, turned out to be educational and inspiring for all concerned. I believe discovery is the core of everything. This may all sound very corny, but that doesn’t interest me. It’s true. Go further where you would otherwise stop and turn left where everyone goes right. Go out there and explore.”
- Text by Sef