Abroad Experiment This Saturday at Rock Club Time in Zagreb

Hoping to widen Abroad Experiments fan base outside of Croatia, I have decided to translate/reinterpret this promotional post from my "domestic blog". So, without further ado; if you find yourself in Zagreb this weekend do not miss ABROAD EXPERIMENTS concert on Saturday, November 28^th at Rock Club Time, Samoborska 32, starting at 10 PM. Included in the price of ticket of 20 Kuna (about 3 euro) there will be beer at the bar and also a chance to feel good about yourself because you would be helping Abroad Experiments to raise the money needed for mastering of their upcoming album Meadows Of A Grand Design.

While wanting to introduce Abroad Experiments to wider public I found myself in need of more information than I could find online so I approached them with the request for short interview. My request was soon graciously granted by Marko, band drummer and spokesperson for this opportunity, fact that certainly does not raise any 'brows ... drummers being the paramount of musical aptitude both in this world and universe parameters*.

DF: Who are Abroad Experiments?

AE: That's us; Beli, Marko, Mak and Stale (Zucker kommt zu letszt). Abroad Experiments are guys that met each other on the hungg.com webpage and found out that they have something in common... and that being making music.

Beli - semiprofessional bass player

Marko - full time dad, unemployed and occasional percussionist

Mak - Ivan Makovec Maki Johann Sebastian Mack. Full time Marko’s best man, part time permanent student on FFZG (Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb), part time guitar player and full time Abroad Experiments frontman

Stale- Dan Staxxx Stinky Finger, part time director, full time abroad Experiments lyricist, the only straight gay in the band

DF: How was the band named? Who conceived so becoming visual identity of the band (and I mean this cute ea sign and general look of official web pages)?

AE: The name was not given, it was always there. Cute logo came to Marko one fateful evening when he pondered upon conjunction of A and E. Official pages are under construction.

DF: How long are you a band? Why?

AE: The band came into existence in 2005. We gathered together for.. making music I guess... Mostly we got together because of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll! And, of course, the money we managed to earn until now (the purpose of our getting together was to make profitable music - sellable music - what can be heard in our work! (laughing)

DF: Do you have more musical endeavors? And how about non-musical ones?

AE: Our drummer is a music prostitute, playing in every other Zagreb-based band, Beli is Jura Stublic's favorite bass player, Mak is an artist philosophical in nature and Stale... (?)

DF: Who is the driving force of the band? Who contributes ideas?

AE: MONEY!!!

DF: What were you doing up until now? Where have you played music? What did you find most endearing/most despicable/ most interesting?

AE: Some of us made babies, some tried to make babies, some were attending college, some tried to attend college, some were part of celebrity world, some attempted to be part of celebrity world, some involved in prostitution, others also, waited tables, washed cars, delivered burek (filo pastry stuffed with minced meat), done hotel information systems setup, karated all Europeans, worked in warehouses, sold music gear (and sometimes canned fog), brought illegally first MMS mobile phones to Croatia, sell advertising space on the Internet (and didn't leave any for ourselves), been instructed and instructed others, threw up and lived abroad...

We played all over the place; from Urban fest in Osijek in 2005., gigs in Sisak, Pregrada, Zagreb, Velika Gorica, Istria, Pag, Knin, Dubrovnik, Rijeka to London, Hodokvas and Slovakian Television (youtube link here)

Most endearing: When Beli left band

Most despicable: when Beli returned to band

Most interesting: when we nearly won 100000$ in England (in band competition lottery) and Vatra's female keyboard player.

Mostly... we like to spend time in vans together...

DF: Hodokvas?

AE: It is festival in Slovakia. We HAD NOT got to perform at Hodokvas through shady connections and our act was supported by minor bands like Korn, Placebo, Machine Head, Joey Ramone, Nomeansno, Iggy Pop, Living Colour and Presidents of the USA (for non-believers we have a T-shirt for proof - smallest lettering being reserved for headliners :-)

DF: What happened on your campaign to English contests that are referred to in concert announcements on Croatian web portals?

AE: We lost. But participation is the thing that counts. (laughter)

DF: Meadows of a grand design - album concept? Why is it named like that?

AE: Life, love, politics, religion... everything that a person thinks of or is surrounded with. Everything that matters... to someone, or someone else... in his own world... meadows, levels, parts of life...

DF: Could it be that I heard Mak singing Easy on Halloween Combustion Party finale? Hot damn!, that was supersupersuper!!!

AE: It is true, it really is true! Mak is really Patton’s lost child (for all of you who weren’t aware of that). At least that's what Billy Gould told us in Bratislava; "Your singer looks like Mike, dude!"

DF: So, why is it necessary to fall in love with Stale and what does chick-factor say in regards?

AE: Stale is such a good boy, and oh so innocent...

DF: Foreword in the end?

AE: Abroad Experiments do not guarantee truthfulness of viewpoints shown here - you can find the real interview in next Gloria (Croatian celebrity/lifestyle magazine). All rights reserved ... with the left hand.

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Of course, how we live in the times of electronic (virtual seems just too... virtual) socializing please do share this Facebook link (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=171006046767&ref=mf) with all of your friends and come to Time to Saturday gig.

Until then you can listen to Abroad Experiments from their MySpace profile, all in the effort of learning their lyrics for the concert (sinful pleasures 1-0-1)

S Tax

I've been listening to Porcupine Tree's She's moved on whole week and have been pondering on not completely unrelated note; how do people get stuck? On idea? On a person? On a (disfunctional) relationship? I often see things like that happening. I do acknowledge appearances of those situations. I could dismantle such a situation down to its possible components and make it look plausible... but I still feel that I do not understand how people get stuck and justify that situation to themselves. I mean; the only permanent thing in the world is change and that is only natural. We can all aspire to and succed in making this change customized, user-friendlier and more palatable. So why do we get stuck?

Early snow

Through my skylight I see crow circling overhead blinded by wet fluffy pads of whiteness. It is too warm inside, I yearn for brisk walk and smell of roasted chestnuts.