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.: OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2004

Welcome to the most romantic tours of the summer!

We embarked on our lively summer festival run at the end of July. It began in Florida with the Curiosa Festival, truly the best traveling tour I have ever participated in. The line-up - hand-picked by The Cure's Robert Smith himself - was impeccable, and the crowd, open-minded, excited and curious. Introducing the music to new ears - people who have never heard a note or mention of my name but were enthusiastic to find something new that connected with them - was amazing. A true "alternative" to other North American summer festivals.

A traveling tour like that lets you really get to know the other bands, both musically and personally. I discovered the great Cooper Temple Clause, enjoyed Interpol's beautiful sounds, and every evening was perfectly topped off with the familiar sounds of The Cure. Evenings of wine, talk and occasionally even gambling made the tour even more fun. (I doubled my money playing blackjack, beating Mister "Gamble" Smith himself!)

Unfortunately we had to leave Curiosa a week early to - fortunately - play the remaining weeks of the European summer festivals. There's nothing like it in North America, so it is a fun novelty to trek through mud and all-night celebrations. They are usually two- to three-day affairs, in the middle of farm land where the fans camp out. It's a rugged experience, with many stages and tents, and the bill is usually incredibly diverse, bringing together bands from around the world and across the musical spectrum.

In Belgium, we played the main stage alongside The Darkness, The Streets, The Chemical Brothers and more. Then off to uber-liberal Holland, where we had one of our best shows. The Dutch are particularly connecting to my album. Takes a liberal to like a liberal, I guess. Then off to the Germanic part of Europe where my name baffles everyone except my fellow Swiss. Auf der Maur means "on the wall" so people in Austria and Germany think it's a stage name. It's also the title of an old children's song, along the lines of 'Humpty Dumpty'. It all gets a bit silly trying to explain my genuine attempts to use my ancient Germanic name to evoke dramatic heavy rock imagery when they are giggling about a children's song. The dualities of the world - good and evil, man and woman, heaven and earth, silly and serious - never cease to make themselves present wherever I go.

Britain's legendary Reading Festival was a highlight. The UK is music obsessed, as they should be. Just look at their heritage! From The Beatles and Rolling Stones to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, they know rock music. Our three weeks in Europe was non-stop fun. A little jet-lagged and over-traveled, of course, but always perked up by a new country or band to discover. Here are some photos and stories from our Summer Of Rock journey.

- xMAdMx

Auf der Maur are:

"Melissa Auf der Maur. Pisces. Born in Quebec. Bass, vocals. Horse lover, redhead and believes in magic."

"Josh Johnson. Gemini. Born in Wisconsin. Keyboards and guitar. Surfs, big rib cage and knows far too much about technology. That's why we love him."

"Julien Blais. Scorpio. Born in Quebec. Drums. Joker, red facial hair and embodies Quebecois humor as true as poutine. That's why we love him."

"Kim Pryor. Scorpio. Army Brat. Guitar. Real deal, San Francisco heart, tinkers with computers, guitar pedals and crossword puzzles like a rocket scientist. That's why we love her."

"Steve Durand. Taurus. Born in California. Guitar and chops. Speed boat driver, a Skin Receiver connoisseur and always up for it. That's why we love him."

...and now for the action shots!

"Day one of The Cure Festival started in dramatic and romantic Florida. Just look at that renaissance sky calling on all angels and demons to the show."

"My own wine? Oh my?! Red wine is the treat of choice on the road with AdM [Auf der Maur]. On the Curiosa tour we had tonnes to spare so I customized bottles and handed them out as gestures of joy and musical friendships to the other bands."

"Steve and I in Austria with Urge Overkill. Remember Tarantino, Uma, "Girl, you'll be a woman soon"? Well, these fashionable lads from the Windy City are back, at least for a party of European summer festivals!"

"I was losing my voice after eight months of touring, and talking is the worst thing for your vocal chords. I like to talk. I talk a lot. Steve put tape on my mouth and told me to be quiet for the afternoon."

"Fun nights at European festivals with bands you'd never think you'd meet, let alone bond with: The Bloodhound Gang ("You and me, baby, ain't nothing but mammals, let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel..."). Jimbo is a funny bunny from Philly."

"Marcie Von Bondie cutie and I met at the Reading and Leeds Festival on a haystack. We spoke about being redheads from the north and going on tour together this fall in North America. Fun!"

"This was our farewell night. The night that Robert Smith dedicated the song 'Close To Me' to me! There was champagne, oxygen and kind goodbyes. It was hard to leave the tour, but like tough rock soldiers, we finished off The Cure's pizza and went off to Europe far too early the following morning."

"This was our going-away party night on the Curiosa tour. Denver, CO. All the Cooper boys sported AdM T-shirts; through their tears and beers they supported us. Daryl, the gentleman in the middle, is the fun-as-hell manager for The Cure. He once played keyboards in Depeche Mode back in the day in the UK."

"Reading 2004 was my 10-year anniversary of my first show with Hole. The Reading festival 1994 was also my first show out of Montreal and only my eighth show ever. My full-time life in music all started that day. To be there a decade later with my music was amazing and emotional. It was one of the best days and shows of my life. The crowd was so great and the mood just right. Thank you, England, for celebrating with me!"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Montreal-born Melissa Auf der Maur used to play bass for Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins. Now she rocks the world under her own glorious name. Her solo debut album, Auf Der Maur , is available on Capitol Records.

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