Happy Thanksgiving!
Category: Music

We are very thankful for all the wonderful people in our lives and we hope that you and yours have a great Holiday Season. Please keep those who can't be home or with the ones they love in your hearts and prayers.


God Bless,
The Rick Monroe Band

Currently watching : Happy Feet (Full Screen Edition) Release date: 2007-03-27

4:30 AM - 2 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Euro Blog 10
Category: Music

9/21/08
I ride with my friend Anne and it's nice to hang with her and catch up. We are pretty close to Hamburg but far enough not get to go hang out and it is a Sunday which is pretty dead.

Last show! We get to the venue and a first look it is as small as a living room. Except it had a full blown PA and light show. We sound check and head across the street for our last chance at a Donor sandwich. It was funny there was a table of people that we were going to invite to the show but they were already coming to see us. I guess the saw us in Key West, how random huh? We get back and the place is pretty packed and everyone is ready to go. It's amazing 75 to 100 people that are crammed together and really want to hear music are better than a few thousand complacent crowds you can run into. I could play rooms like this every night.

We tried to go out but ended up at Burger King. I guess that's what you do in Hamburg, eat a Hamburger!

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Euro Blog 9
Category: Music

9/20/08
Guess what Traffic! Yup we are on the way to Berlin and we are in stop and go traffic.
Finally we made it to the hotel first. Pretty swanky old school high end Europe, these poor people :) Our friend Anne is here with her parents. I guess her mom has learned the "Crank It Up" dance. That is to cool. Check some email, think about a nap. Skip it have more coffee and get through soundcheck.

We get to the club and they are putting up Jager stuff everywhere. This could be really cool. We have a very pro sound crew and a great sound man and everything is sounding great.

Show time and we walk into a German Hip/Biker/Honky Tonk crowd ready to rock. We do a set and then I find out that the PR staff from Jager is hanging out waiting to see their promotion crew of Jagerdudes & Jagerettes do their thing. Then in walks a giant Deer, 5 girls in orange wigs and a guy with a whistle running everything. What was a good night turned into an amazing night. We hoped back on stage and started kicking with the Jager folks dancing drinking and just getting things wild. After the show we got to meet the PR staff and they were a great group of people. They said they were only going to stay for the promotion and they had a few other events they needed to get to but they enjoyed the show so much they stayed all night. They invited us to come visit them next time we were over there and I figured since it is a long trip maybe we could figure it out on our last day. Some how Gabi figured it out so we will see them on Monday!

We all planned to head into downtown the next morning but we were all so jacked from the show we hung out in our room till 4 or 5 am and everyone overslept the day trip. Now it's time to head out!

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Euro Blog 8
Category: Music

9/19/08
It took us 9 hours when it should have taken 6. We got in just in time to set up, wolf down down some food, run to the hotel, shower and hit the stage. I guess the hotel from last year was closed for safety reasons. That's good because I think we kind of permanently borrowed some beverages from their bar while everyone was a sleep. The new hotel was great. They had little gifts in the room, at least I hope they were gifts. Switzerland is still one of the prettiest places I've been, this morning with the mist, the Alps the rolling farmland. It can be very breath taking.

The show was a lot of fun and it was great to see several familiar faces. The funny thing is it always starts kind of polite, everyone is stiffed backed in their seats you play they applaud. Then something happens, one song, one riff, or one solo. I'm not sure which one that turns it around and then it's on. People start getting on their feet , they start dancing clapping and cheering and this doesn't stop till you finish a few encores. It's just to bad we only had one show here this year. We did get a nice package from our sponsor and we are loving all the Jager stuff we are getting here. It seems that it's not as popular here as it is in the states but we are flying the flag proudly.

We are back in the Van of Pain and heading back to Germany. I hope we miss the traffic that we hit yesterday. Even just riding can wear you out. Still tired or not the mood has been great around here and the shows are kicking ass.

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Euro Blog 7
Category: Music

9/18/08
Ok, not I'm caught up. We had to get up early and we are heading to Dream Valley in Switzerland. Except we are stuck in stop and go traffic that is about 14K long. It's been freezing cold and now it is roasting, I could use some shorts. I'm in the front seat so I guess I'll leave my pants on, if I were in the back I'd rolling with just my boxers. Its that hot in here. Maybe it's the computer??? Alright my iPod is charged and I'm gonna fade back into music world. Chow

Random thoughts:
Rainy, sunny, icy cold then scorching hot that was just that last 5 min. The ride is brahma bull rough with mogul like patchwork bumps and seat clearing jerking abrupt stops. a few extra hours of stop and go traffic extending the time we spend in torture chamber style van benches wrecking havoc on our backs and bodies. 4 unbathed musician fresh from a night of playing and drinking in a room filled with more smoke than a four alarm fire. Racing at breakneck speed to make up lost time as we hurl the B&D designed van toward the Swiss boarder. Computer is cooking my legs as I await the charging of my saviour ipod, so I can melt back into a half sleeping floundering scrunched an uncomfortable mess.

Morning after a sound sleep crisp swiss alps air fresh breeze and heavy dew in long grass and low clouds crawling through deep valleys. My shoes are wet from running up the steep hill to catch a perfect picture. Snow capped alps peaking through the mist. Warm strong coffee soothes my rough voice from the long night at the smoke filled log cabin. Finally blue skies and morning mist racing on damp streets my toes still feel the effect of the dew back in the Van and back to Germany. The mist is growing thicker as the sun becomes a soft glowing ball in the sky.

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Euro Blog 6
Category: Music

9/15/08
Ali Kahn Radio I guess the day before let Ali know that I was about the music and didn't want to get into politics and I won't throw my country under the bus to to make him like me. The Radio station was great and tonight Ali was really being cool. We had a great time and I look forward to seeing that kookie bastard again. I can't believe I just said that but he is just trying to stir stuff up to make people talk.

9/16/08
Off day sight seeing in Munchen with Rose, Hans, Ferdy and Mickey! What an amazing city and I really appreciate my hosts for taking us in and showing me around.

9/17/08
Back to work and off to Andstat. Which we found out was where Bach lived for a few years very cool old city. Wow have things changed at one time the owner Udo did 5 years in prison for using the F word from stage when he had a band in the old DDR. The club is like an old school rock club and Udo is a great host. It ended up being a slow night but still a fun show. Out of no where Udo jumped up on stage and we rocked till the end.

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Euro Blog 5
Category: Music

9/14/08
I slept till 3pm. It was awesome! Now to the Ali Kahn show. OK, first we must have been late but since I do not speak German it's not our fault. I guess we got lost or whatever, I just wait till Gabi says move and play. We finally get to the show and it was pretty surreal and Ali, well he is a trip. I hope I can get a copy of the show. Now I know there is some hard feelings about what the US has been doing in the last few years and I understand the Europeans really have an issue with our current administration but I'm here to play music. Ali tried his best to drag me and the guys into some sort of rant or conflict but we all smiled and played. We let him say his peace and just kept showing him that music is music no matter what you call it.

Currently reading : Slouching Towards Gomorrah: Modern Liberalism and American Decline By Robert H. Bork Release date: 2003-12-16

3:01 PM - 2 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Euro Blog 4
Category: Music

9/13/08
Now to Munchen and yes we actually played at the Airport, which is massive. Thanks to Rose from T-For Texas band for setting the whole thing up. We had an opening act that was great Ranch House, Holland Cowboy swing. People must think we are a metal band in comparison to the matching shirt, belt buckle cowboy boot bands they have over there. Actually that is a big problem when you mention Country Music to people in Germany the get this look of UGH "Truck Stop." Especially the younger ones. They haven't quite gotten into all the new stuff but it is getting better. We are trying to help the cause!

I guess we had a few clubs close because of the new smoking ban, if you have been over here they live to smoke! So we ended up with a few days to fill in and thanks to Rose we got to spend some great time in Munchen with her and her family, or as we say my new Munchen family. She set us up with a TV and Radio interview with Ali Kahn. He was a trip. If I can I'll get the show from the Archive but more about that later. After the show we went back to Roses house. Believe it or not they own a Beverage store :) yup, let the good times roll. We got to hang out with her husbands Hans, son Ferdy, Daughter Veronica and there cool little dog Mickey. We had a pretty late night trying all the different liquors that Hans kept bring up from down stairs.

3:54 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Euro Blog 3
Category: Music

9/12/08
Time to head over to the Blues Garage and see Henry. Since last year they've opened a Motel, Motel California. It's awesome with music themed rooms. I would have to say it's the best Hotel that we have run into here. We had the honor of being joined by Ferdy Doernberg, who was kind enough to start the show and then lend is awesome skills to our show. It was a great way to start the tour. The rooms sounded great we had some of our close friends and family there to get things going.

We ended up going back to the Motel and hanging with Henry and his family. We had a blast drinking, listening to and talking about music. They have a great thing going. I guess in the middle of the night Josh and Zack decided to barricade Johns door, it's just something we do to each other. We had an early bus call that everyone made on time no broken bones or scars. I would say a very successful start.

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Euro Blog 2

9/11/08
it's 7am in Holland and we still have one more flight till we hit Germany. I really need to fire our travel agent? Oh wait that was me :) OK I'll admit it I'm having a beer but come on it is the home of Heineken.

We get into Hanover all the bags made it Gabi was waiting and no problems. We have to pick up the gear from Renee at BRS. Thanks to Peavey and MAPEX for have all our gear ready and good to go. We have to wait till 4pm to check in so we head over to Gabi's for some lunch and grab a couch for a nap. We've stayed at this hotel a few times, last time we were attacked by spiders it was creepy. So far the spiders are there but not attacking. Gabi's son David agrees to go out and show John Downtown Hanover. As usual we hit a few of the regular spots like Rockers and got a few shots of absinthe and the late night Donor.

9:02 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment