Duncker & Uelzen

OK, second try at writing this diary entry. The first one was accidentally deleted while writing it right after the Uelzen gig at the Komma (crappy pc, but nice idea to have a computer with internet connection at the bar.) So let's fucking go.

The Duncker Club in Berlin is a very cool place, with a room flooded in red light somehow reminiscent of a whorehouse more than a rock club (but then, whores and rockers, we're pretty much the same anyway...) In this gig, we had the worst sound EVER, on and offstage, it was a formless mass of decibels no-one at the sound desk was apparently able to control, not even turning amps down, up, sidewards and backwards... Tobi and Timo were especially happy with it, with broad smiles and cheering face. I'm joking of course, ironic mode ON.
A lot of unknown faces, yet somehow familiar that keep coming to our gigs. Either they like us or they suffer from alzheimer and never remember they've seen us before. I prefer to believe the first one. And then a lot of friends who brought new friends and kept shouting at the end for more. Well, giv'em what they want, right? So there goes Tomorrow Never Knows for the very second time ever. Heavy, fucking heavy, man.

After loading all the gear yet again in the middle of the coldest night in a long time and freezing our asses off, back to bed for a few hours before heading back to Uelzen again. We were quite happy to play the Komma again. Knut, the owner, did his best to reschedule the gig and we found ourselves celebrating the place's 20th anniversary with two other bands. On the way there (this time just with guitars), the complete Guns N' Roses discography and Verdena, and a fucked up navigation system that didn't hinder us from arriving very late at the venue. Arrival, and five minutes later show. A hit'n run underneath the stars, as someone would later sing. We rewrote the setlist on the spot and just played "in-your-face" songs, blowing away the first rows. After us, Skapes, a local band releasing their new record, kept their friends happy while we enjoyed a few drinks before heading home again in the middle of the, oh so cold, night. The Komma in Uelzen is funny place. It's small and has quite funny corners, still it has a GREAT sound for the band and the audience, and what's more important, a great bunch of people working there who always make you feel comfortable. Completely different to what we had to endure the night before in Berlin, especially regarding the sound.

Well, another rock n' roll weekend, who can ask for more?

Erfurt gig

New gig added to the list: Erfurt on February 24, at the Centrum Club, at another John Lennon Tribute. Seems like they liked what we did at the last one...

Online again... geez!

After a few weeks down, FROGCIRCUS.COM is finally back online. We had some problems with the server, but are now over for good (at least we have been told so!).
In the meantime, we've entered a new year, and done a few cool gigs, including a Lennon tribute which was a blast, I guess we had so much fun as the audience did. Next stop on the agenda is an unplugged gig at the Hard Rock Café in Berlin (our third visit there) on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), but don't expect us to go soft and romantic, even on that day! We'll seriously kick ass again, promise!
Plans for this year include getting back in the studio and record a brand new album, shoot the video for "Off The Tide" (which is also coming in the film "Ludgers Fall" sometime this spring) and keep on hopping around the stages as we've always done.

John Frog & the Lennoncircus

I've just raised from the land of the semi-dead and the arms of Morpheus, and I'm slowly remembering flashes from yesterday night's gig at the John Lennon Tribute. My back hurts and I don't know why, as there was no gear to carry around this time, just guitars and thirst. Great!

We had prepared a few Johnny songs triturated by the mighty frog mixer, and I'm sure a little bit of rock'n roll is what the audience needed after too many slow acoustic versions. So it was time to giv'em something for their money, so with great confidence and a few beers, we took the stage and raped "Norwegian Wood" (aka Der Wäldchen-Song), "Come Together" (one out of five hundred times during the night, ehem), "Any Time At All" and finally, the most heavy version of "Tomorrow Never Knows" we've ever managed to play. We were deaf, but the people wanted that extra push, so we had to come back and do "Weekend Lover", which I'm sure some might have thought was a B-side from Lennon's Anthology or something similarly silly...

Timo had the chance to use the Rickenbacker bass to get the real sound, and I introduced Torcuata (my brand new ES-333 Gibson semi-hollow geeetar) to the world. And Tobi, well, Tobi had to play with the crappy drumset that was there and bite his lips :o)

All in all, a great evening. A lot of fun to be there later on with a few special fans (hi Hanna and Maxi, I hope your socks are dried) ;o) and a lot of cool bands that played some fucking rock'n roll for a change. Lennon deserved it.