The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream

	€		37
	$		41

We have 5 signed copies of the latest The War on Drugs album, "Lost in the Dream". This is the third one.
At Smoeff we have a long lasting relationship with The War on Drugs. We started working with them since their first European tour. What we like the most is the very dreamy long guitar expeditions from Adam. For a few years we seemed to be some of the few people liking this, but in 2014 they released ‘Lost in the Dream’ and finally people started recognizing the genius of it. Favourable reviews, airplay and lots of shows at big festivals and sold out club shows. These copies are signed by all the members who play the live shows. Black vinyl.
In september 2010 I went to Tanzania for the first time. Initially with the aim to climb the Kilimanjaro with a friend. However, a heel injury threw that idea out of the window and so we started to explore a country that was completely unknown for us at that time.
With 1 address in my hand, given by friends who had already been to Tanzania we headed towards the Usambara mountains to visit Lushoto. From there we kept asking locals where to go and what would be great to do.
One advise kept coming back: visit Mambo View Point, set up by a dutch couple. I hesitated; as a dutchman I can see dutch people everyday of my life at home. I am here to meet tanzanians I felt. They convinced me however and so we went. The click with the dutch people, Herman and Marion, was there immediately, the click with the local people and the views from the top of the mountain as well. I knew I had to come back here (www.mamboviewpoint.org <http://www.mamboviewpoint.org/>). Now 4 years later, I have been several times. That first time I had promised to help setting up a creative activity for the local children in the village Mambo.
Now 4 years later, we have progressed with a circus already. Kids juggle, ride unicycle, walk on their hands, do gymnastics. But also they learn how to work together, to encourage each other, not give up easily. After 4 months they did their first performance, and they have done at least 50 since then. In january we went around the country in a hired van and did 7 shows in 3 days, including a TV performance for Tanga TV.

Other projects hopefully will be added to the grogram soon: painting, music, theatre, sports, woodcarving, jewelry making and so on.
The idea is to get children to play, but also to become creative and make them eager to learn. In the end to see them being able to see opportunities and take chances when they get older. Hopefully this will help their surroundings to grow, be less hungry, benefit from the natural resources that are there.
The last 3 years I have donated about 5000 euro each year to get tools for the circus children and to build a house that is used to generate money for the infrastructure of all kinds of development projects that are happening there. I live in it when I am there, but it gets rented out to tourists when I am not there (or even when I am there if they are willing to pay enough to get me out and stay somewhere else).
Based around my company, a music equipment rental company called Smoeff I am setting up a new project, together with 2 dutch musicians: shipping a container to Tanzania with lots of musical equipment in it. Older gear from Smoeff, but also equipment given by others. The 2 musicians are planning to go to Tanzania to play music with children at the end of 2015.
To finance the shipping and importing it into Tanzania we have come up with the idea to ask all bands that we work with to donate 5 records, signed by all touring members, and auction those at eBay.de. The first band to say yes was Swans (i actually came up with the idea while sleeping on their tourbus) and then followed The New Pornographers, Sharon van Etten, Wire, Earth, The war On Drugs, NoMeansNo, White Hills, Enablers, Absolutely Free, Screaming Females, Patrick Watson... and hopefully more to come. We ask them when they are here on tour.
The idea is to sell the 5 records; 1 at the time with 10 days in between each of them, starting with another band every week and keep going until we have no more records to sell...
Gijs, may 2015
If you feel you should donate something without buying the records that are offered, feel free to get in touch with the vendor….
We also have signed Swans - To Be Kind 2LP and Earth - Primitive and Deadly 2LP for sale!