Dave Bidini

Dave Bidini brings a working musician’s perspective to journalism, authorship, and travel writing shaped by life on the road. Around the World in 57 1/2 Gigs follows a solo tour through Finland, China, Russia, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, where unfamiliar venues and local musicians reshape his understanding of performance. Rather than presenting touring as a sequence of glamorous arrivals, Bidini attends to improvised stages, difficult journeys, cultural misunderstandings, and the communities built around live music. McClelland & Stewart first published the book in 2007, and Emblem Editions later issued it in paperback. Bidini was a founding member of the Rheostatics, experience that gives his account the practical perspective of a working performer. His other books include On a Cold Road and Tropic of Hockey, which likewise combine travel, sport, music, and personal observation. Around the World in 57 1/2 Gigs turns a demanding itinerary into a study of why people continue to make and share music across borders.