17 Hippies worldwide

well OK, not quite … but almost world-wide! Our new album HEIMLICH in our packs, we were touring France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, the US of A (for the first time in 10 years!) and Canada. Not to mention our spring and autumn tours in Germany.

Gosh, with so much going on, it’s actually quite tricky to pinpoint the highlights. The Sfinks-Festival in Antwerp definitely is one. A great festival, with great musicians … and great people, behind, on, and in front of the stage. It was made even more special by the fact that we rushed in from the desert venue of Fraga in northern Spain, where we played the night before. There it was hot hot hot (to be precise: 42 degrees Celcius … at 10 o’clock at night) Then hours of driving to Barcelona in the unbelievable early morning light of the plains of Spain … just in time to catch the plane to Belgium…

… where it rained … (it had been pouring there for days, northern Europe was flushed out) … the festival was flooded too, mud everywhere, and us being too tired to be tired … and everyone seemed to be handing out hot drinks … followed by a truely fantastic gig! We just loved it!

September saw us in North America, the land of pancakes and maple syrup. 6000 km of Indian summer, great concerts … and great people in Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Montreal, Ithaca, NYC, Washington, Stone Ridge and Bloomington. Stopping at a motel in the middle of nowhere the owner put it all in a nutshell: „You guys sell tickets? For music? Wow, you must be famous!“

Live at Kennedy Center / Washington D.C.

In December we visited friends in Paris, and they … let us play at the legendary Olympia. Are you getting it: THE OLYMPIA!!! The temple of French culture. Edith Piaf has played there, Jacques Brel has played there, even The Stones have played there … we’re thrilled to bits, and what a way to close 2007!

So what’s up in 2008?

Well, among other things, we are going to record a new album and play concerts here and elsewhere, including tours both in the US and in Algeria. We’ll be back at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, when “Kasimir & Karoline” hits its second season, … well, let’s wait and see what else will be in store for us … there’s so much …

As poets say: “those who don’t leave, won’t come back!”

Photos: ?, Kruisko, ?