Boogie Woogie in Broechem!

I just sat down to blog one last time before we head for home tomorrow bright and early, and our friends, whose house we’re staying at here in Belgium tonight, just started serenading me with some kick-ass boogie woogie on piano and guitar!!! That’s rock and roll.

The guys all have Westmalle ales, and we’re all quite prepared to head for home. This past week has been absolutely incredible though. I can’t believe it’s only been a week since we first set foot on German soil! We were wined and dined and treated oh so well everywhere we went. Thanks to everyone who helped us out, put us up, and came out to share the good times.

The past few days, we played a wonderful venue in Solingen called the Cobra Canteen, where Fritz took SUCH good care of us. Jorge climbed up on the bar and wowed even the rough-n-tumble German cowpokes with Texas plates on their van who came out to see us. That was some night.

The next night, we played at the infamous Rattlesnake Saloon in Munich- the very place Dale Watson wrote about in his ‘Rattlesnake Tequila Train’. There actually is a model train that runs around the perimeter of the bar back to the stage, and they send you drinks that way while you play! The kick-ass Dresden band The Lazy Boys opened up for us, and we shut the room down with some serious honeyfied honky tonk. THAT was quite some night too!

The next morning, I got up and went downstairs to see about putting some stuff back in the van, and the owner Bruno and his staff were all still up, in a smoke-filled room, playing poker. I’m still amazed. Oh and by the way, this place looks almost exactly like the Broken Spoke in Austin, customers too!!

Our last night of the tour, last night, actually, was one of the very best, I’m so happy to say. Andy Widder brought us out to Walldorf to play the Weekender, and we BROUGHT IT, if I do say so myself The Lazy Boys played before us again, and after we played, the Neanderthals closed out the night. The place was rockin’, and that’s after a long weekend of boppin’, rockin’, dancin’, drinkin’, and who knows what else? The crowd was the best, Andy and his staff too, and man, they really took incredible care of us! Liliane and Jacky from Attignat even came out to the Weekender- those are the folks who put on the Good Rockin’ Tonight Festival in France that started the whole tour out. It was great seeing them again.

And I finally got to meet some folks that I’ve been emailing back and forth with for years- one of them actually lives up the road from us in Dallas- Rob from Rob’s Chop Shop. We had to go halfway around the world to finally meet up! And Nick, my buddy from Arson Roulette, good on ya!

Last thing, boy, watch what you agree to on tour: Rosie Flores needed a van for her US tour these past few weeks, so I got a friend to give her the keys to my van to help her out. I just realized yesterday that we actually need the van to play a show at Hondo’s on Saturday, so I’m renting a van!! Sheesh.

Living and learning, as always, all set to the fine strains of boogie woogie Ruby Dee