My story with The Lazy Dreamers (I)
So, who are The Lazy Dreamers? TLD was my band for around three years, one of the reasons why I decided to stay in China beyond the one year that I had planned initially, a very important part of my life while it existed and one that I miss very much now that it's over. Too many experiences to be explained in one post only, so I'll take it from chapter one today to give you a taste.
The origin can be traced back to one afternoon a couple of weeks after my arrival in Dalian University of Technology. I was jamming outside the dorms with a guy I had just met ( Alfons, from Papua New Guinea, by the way. I never dreamed I'd meet someone from such a mysterious country). It didn't take long for Max's sensitive ear to catch the sound waves and join us. After a little while, he suggested the two of us playing together at the Open Mic sessions in the Herzt Bar. And we did! This is the stuff we used to play to cater to the public.
Not long afterwards we were invited to play there weekly, and then in a few other venues in Dalian as an acoustic duo, playing covers, of course. But some of my original songs, beautifully adorned with Max's tasteful arrangements, made their way to every set. This feels like ancient history, now, but we're talking about late 2013 and early 2014! Not so long ago. Take a look at some of the pics from those days!
The second phase is what I like calling "the advent of the Vladi". February 2014, winter break at the uni, all white and windy and freezing cold outside, the dorms are virtually deserted, only a few outcasts are still there, hanging around. It so happened that Max and I were among the forsaken ones. And so was Vladi, whom we had already met and whose unfathomable talent was a known fact. The question was, would he be up for a jam with us two? How about a three-piece band gig at the Shamrock (Dalian's best Irish bar)? He agreed, yay!!! So we sunk our avid claws into the Vladi and never let go again. We survived the bleak winter by meeting daily in my room to put together a two-hour set of nice nice covers with Vladi at the keys (but don't be fooled, the guy will play anything… you'll see as our story unfolds). The need for a name became apparent, and Max came up with "The Lazy Dreamers". During the next few months we played a few gigs as a trio and put the machinery in motion… to be continued! Enjoy the visuals.
