R I F A S


For 18 days straight we retrace Evan's path through Europe.
From Vienna to Munich to Amsterdam.
One song at a time.

(scroll down to find all the videos)

At the end of 2011 my wife and I took a trip through the heart of Europe. For 18 days we roamed the streets of Vienna, Munich and Amsterdam. I decided to always carry a travel guitar and camera so we ended up making lots of videos of me singing songs in the streets like the troubadours of old.

In order to share my journey I've assembled these videos into a collection called "Weaving Through the Old World". You can retrace my steps by watching 18 different videos- one for each day I was there. There's even an interactive map with stories and anecdotes to guide you along. I'm back home now, but you can scroll down to see it all and relive it with me as it happened.

Click the play button on the bottom right to activate this interactive map- just let it play and journey along.
 (Requires Adobe Flash)


Day 1: The Journey Begins

This was shot in the heart of Vienna on a charming cobblestone back street where Mozart once lived. At one point I walk by his house. At the moment, I was completely unaware of the significance of the street I had randomly chosen, but I can tell you that it felt really right to be singing this song at that exact time and place... probably right where he was inspired centuries ago.

For the lyrics to Against the Wind, click HERE

 

Day 2: I Challenge the Boulevard

Within any urban center it is quite challenging to remove oneself from the industrial audio medley that never seems to sleep. Its signature is surely stamped throughout this whole collection of videos, but for some reason on this day I decided to confront it head-on… to sing out my song right there amongst the racket of the boulevard. The words seemed appropriate in multiple ways that day as well.


For the Lyrics to En Route, Click HERE.

 

Day 3: I Hit the Town Square

This video was shot in the most populated square in all of Vienna in front of one of the largest cathedrals on Earth. Amidst the bustle, I could barely find room to stand at first, but after the guitar and camera emerged an invisible mote seemed to have been created. You can do almost anything without sticking out too much in Viennese squares, unless you happen to be a long-haired foreigner perhaps.
  
For the Lyrics to Ten Ton Shoes, Click HERE.

 

Day 4: I See Beyond the Glass

Filmed beside an Anti-Fascim memorial in Vienna, I was standing there trying to feel out which song would be right and this one popped into my head, so I went with it.


For the Lyrics to Fishbowl Life, click HERE.

 

Day 5: I Celebrate the Local Vine

Vienna is home to tons of local vineyards and as such, the "Wine of Wien" is quite ubiquitous. It might as well be flowing from the fountains!


For the Lyrics to Underwater, click HERE.

 

Day 6: I Hop Over to Munich

Every time I travel to a new city I always seek out the highest vantage point possible to get the desired perspective.


For the Lyrics to Vamp, Click HERE.

 

Day 7: I Make the News

This video was filmed in the beautiful Englischer Garten in Munich... A fitting setting for this anti-technology love song. A few minutes after this a man approached us and asked if we would mind if he took our photographs. The next day our photo landed on the front page of the Munich newspaper. The Image of it below will enlarge if clicked on.

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For the Lyrics to "In A Time", Click HERE.

 

Day 8: I Am Greeted By An Old Friend

This video is my personal favorite of the whole trip. The instant I approached, I knew what song had to be sung. I have come to know the tower seen behind me quite well. We have a special bond, you might say. At the end of the song this becomes evident in the form of a brief duet.

For the Lyrics to Eye on the Moon in a Hole in the Sky, Click HERE.

 

Day 9: I Do A Little 2am Window Shopping

The stores were all closed,
but the night was still young!


For the Lyrics to A Light in the Dark,
Click HERE.

 

Day 10: I Bring A Song Home

Couldn't be a more fitting song for this spot. I wrote it seven years earlier standing on the very same canal and I truly believe it to be the pulse of the city. I would constantly hear this riff in the footsteps of the people everywhere I went. Now I have the unique privilege of returning it to its rightful birthplace.


For the Lyrics to Discarded, Click HERE.

 

Day 11: I Reminisce

Stopped our bikes one afternoon at a bench beside the Amstel River to admire the fog that suddenly enveloped the area. Of course in this mystical, floating city, many things whisper away as quickly and mysteriously as they arrive. The fog disappeared like a mirage before my foot even starting tapping the beat.

For the Lyrics to Rabbit in the Moon, Click HERE. 

 

Day 12: I See Things For What They Are

Scenery-wise, this is a pretty little spot that would look more like Venice if it weren’t for the building facades. It’s also where the cover photo was shot. Lyric-wise, this is a special song to me (especially the last few rounds of words).  


For the Lyrics to Long Divide, Click HERE.

 

Day 13: I Go Upstairs and Dream

This song is my take on the classic Greek Myth of Theseus, filmed on the third floor stairs within a typical Dutch house in The Jordaan.

For the Lyrics to Ariadne's Favor, Click HERE.

 

 

Day 14: I Wake Up

Although this song is featured on our album, the band hardly ever performs it, so I figured that while I was band-less on this nice little dock, I’d give it a go. Notice that right after I say the words “you’ll be waiting for crescendoing footsteps”… a couple engaged in a passionate argument slips into earshot, followed by me smiling about it and a bell chiming in as well.


For the Lyrics to Ammunition, Click HERE.
 

 

Day 15: I Pay My Respects

This is my ode to the city of Amsterdam… stating how I felt way back when I first wrote the song and still do to this day… while flanking the same vista that first struck my eye the first time I visited the city almost 15 years ago. It’s aptly named for those who have learned to master the sea. 


For the Lyrics to From the Sons of Sailors, Click HERE. 


Day 16: I Sing A Lullaby

This is my late-night lullaby to the residents of this particularly beautiful canal on which I had stayed a few years prior. No doubt all were fast asleep, save for a passing bicyclist who stopped to listen.

For the Lyrics to Sleeping Birds, Click HERE.


 

Day 17: I Take In These Last Moments

Like all these videos, the timing was random and unintentional, but I love what happened to be happening with the bridge behind me.


For the Lyrics to Lift, Click HERE.

 

Day 18: I Come to the End of My Journey

This was the last video of the journey...
Just my sentimental way of saying goodbye.


For the Lyrics to Wishful Thinking, Click HERE.


 

 
© ® RIFAS 2011