The “Borders” tour officially kicked off last week with five concerts in Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, Paris and Saint-Claude. In this short time I have already experienced quite a variety of cities and venues!
Our first mini-concert in duo with David Chevallier took place in Clubhouse Nantes: a place and community for people whose lives have been disrupted by mental illness, to support them in finding employment, building new relationships, and generally becoming more independent and confident in themselves. Though we only gave a short concert of 4 songs, we were warmly welcomed, had some nice chats after the concert and ate baked goods made by members of the community. It was truly lovely!!
On Wednesday, we gave our first full-length and full-band “Borders” concert at the Pannonica, Nantes. The house was packed and the ambience was wonderful. The concert was a success in many ways!
HERE
The next day, we were off to the coastal Saint-Nazaire, a city with an industrial appearance, known for its ship industry. We performed in a former World War II submarine base, in a venue called Le VIP, which felt quite surreal and epic. We took an energizing stroll to the moody ocean after our soundcheck, followed by a massive dinner. Then we played another nice concert on a much bigger stage than the day before and went to the hotel for a short rest before heading to Paris the next morning.
Paris! On Friday, we played at Sunset/Sunside, a legendary jazz club on two floors, with 3-4 concerts happening every evening. This venue was a peculiar one, with a stage so small we could barely fit on it and floor monitors so broken that they sounded like old radio speakers. Of course this didn’t stop us from doing the best we could during the concert and honestly, the tricky circumstances felt humorous in a cinematic way. But I must say, I now have a lot of respect for the Paris-based jazz musicians who often play in these kinds of clubs.
After yet another short night, we were off to Saint-Claude, a city in the mountains near the Swiss border. The views were simply amazing: admiring big tall mountains is an activity an Estonian doesn’t get to enjoy every day! We played at a club called La Fraternelle, a cozy and welcoming venue. Before us played the fascinating trio Ostrakinda, it was a superb concert experience. Our performance was a late one, but felt magical nonetheless.
So there’s the overview of the first quarter of our tour (5 done, 17 to go!). Moving onto the texts. This time, I’ll reveal three more song titles from the “Borders” program and explain the background of the lyrics a little bit.
“Kodu arm on igihaljas” (“The Grace of Home is Everlasting”) talks about the exploitation of vulnerability. The subject’s personal boundaries have been worn down, yet despite its weakened and disoriented state it wishes to offer shelter and security to anyone in need, even to those who might abuse it again.
Original extract of the lyrics in Estonian:
Kalk, vastamata hool,
paekivi praguneb
ja liivana pudeneb teele,
minust alles jääb pool.
Translation:
Cold, unrequited care.
The limestone cracks,
And falls onto the road like sand,
only half of me remains.
“Otsus” (“Decision”) speaks about the intertwining of the past, present and future. Decisions made by others before us, who had no clear vision on the outcome, seem significant and irreversible to us in the present. Furthermore, we often perceive the future as if it were a child who knows nothing yet (or a child who will grow up to fix the consequences), which helps take responsibility away from our own present decisions.
Original extract of the lyrics in Estonian:
Otsus on kui uisutera
tundmatuse kirkal jääl,
eemal, kesk eimiskit.
Otsus on kui kohtumine,
joonest saab üks teine joon,
seistes vastamisi.
Translation:
A decision is like a skate blade,
on the crystal ice of the unknown,
far away, in the middle of nowhere,
A decision is like a meeting,
one line becomes another,
standing face to face.
“Estranged” talks about the internal conflict between a desire to belong and a resistance to being controlled. In this text, the mole acts as a symbol of a human stuck in an alienated mental and physical state.
As the mole’s retrieved from grime,
and invited to the inside,
into the invisible panopticon of wishes,
Though the mole forever blind,
its heart’s unable to withstand,
belonging and being controlled by loud and piercing whistles.
I’ve now enjoyed two invigorating days off in Nantes. This week is generally more chilled and we have just two concerts left in this part of the world:
13.11/ 6 La Croix Judith, Landemont (Fougeres was unfortunately cancelled last minute)
17.11/ Abbaye de Neimenster, Luxembourg
I’m looking forward to these, before we fly to Finland for the next part of our tour!