YOU Jugengmesse Berlin

Hey frogs, another bloody Monday, another gig behind us. The YOU Jugendmesse last friday was a strange gig, really. First of all, we all came there thinking we were the funny ones with our silly white shirts and ties... until we saw what all the other acts were wearing! Geez, what a nightmare wardrobe! (What can you expect from dance acts anyway?).

We played about quarter past four to a selected audience of quite young people and some (exactly two) known fans who had just come to see us (thank you girls!!), as well as Messalina, our new booking agent who came all the way to Berlin to meet us in person (probably she's still shocked by our punctuality!).

As said, we took the stage and did exactly three songs from the new record (the main singles, if you like: Titanium, Million Miles & WhileYouCan). I believe we shocked some of the younger members of the audience with the music... and the volume. hey probably went home with ringing ears, haha!

It was also Tobi's first appearance with us, and he did a pretty good job if you ask me! (especially taking into account his new shoes giving him hell)

After the show we all (us plus managers Ricardo & Serena) went to a very cool Indian restaurant in Mitte (the Tagore, may I get now some free food for the advertising?) and jumped over a well-deserved food. After that, sleep tight my friends (right Tobi?).

See you round the bars!
El Niño desde El Otro Lado
www.frogcircus.de

Spinal Tap

Gestern Abend haben wir zusammen den besten Film aller Zeiten angekuckt: This Is Spinal Tap. Falls einer das nicht kennt, bitte schnell sehen, das Leben ist weniger schön (und lustig) ohne diesen Film. Tschechisches Bier und spanische Tortillas und Lomo haben alles abgerundet...
Aber trotzdem regnet es heute schon wieder...
El Niño auf deutsch heute...
www.frogcircus.de

Summer is gone...

The days are getting shorter, it's somehow darker in the mornings and colder. Geez, I wish I was back home in Gran Canaria enjoying some bits of sunlight and warmth.
It's becoming time to stay at home, revamp the website, watch telly, write songs and all that you do in winter...
"One day you'll get the shivers
Winter's getting nearer
So feel the summer while you can
While you can"
Love from The Otherside
El Niño Stone
www.frogcircus.de

It's coming up

As you might/migh not be aware of (who cares anyway?), we've got a new drummer boy entitled by the name of Tobias Fröhlich, who really kicks the shit out of you when hitting the drums. We had to part ways with our previous and short-lasting Paroli due to "musical and personal reasons", which is a very standard phrase meaning everything and nothing at the same time. Sometimes a zeppelin has to throw away its weight if it wants to go up again, right? You get the message.
Nuff said, the band is sounding really cool with Tobey in and we got a couple of gigs coming up in Oberhausen, Cologne and somewhere else I can't remember right now. And oh, yes, we are playing at the YOU Jugendmesse (a youth fair) in Berlin on October 1st. Seems like playback or something like that, TV stuff. With us will be great bands such as BroSis and shit like that... excuse, gotta puke, be right back (...) OK, I'm back, nothing left. But that's the thing about a television show with a lot of different music. I'm already thinking about something to say in between songs to annoy someone, hihi.
Alrite, gotta do something else. It's good to share a few thoughts with you and tell ya this band is right here, right now!!

1976

I have just finished recording a demo of a relatively new song, "1976", which maybe one of you has heard live lately. It's a fucking awesome tune, man, I'm proud as a Spaniard, although I'm not really supposed to say it.
I forgot my mic at the rehearsal room, so there are no vocals yet, but still kicks some serious ass. I guess this is the countdown for the new, sorry, "newer" record after Allergic comes out. I'm starting preparing songs for the studio somewhere next year.
I know I'm supposed to concentrate on Allergic coming out now and all that, but you see, I'm too desperate to record more songs, share them, play them, get bored of them and tsart doing new ones. Timo feels the same way about that, "what's on tape is finished, now let's move to something else". Fine words by a fine bassist.
I gotta eat something, been recording the whole day and my stomach is starting to make some funny noises between a flanger and a metal distortion pedal.
Up to eleven,
frog#1

New label

Well, labels are a necessary evil in this business, so we signed yesterday to release Allergic under Soja Music Ltd. a fine new label located in Birmingham and in Berlin.
Let's hope it turns OK with the record and in a few months we become coke-snorting, limousine-riding, top model-dating,  spoiled rock stars. Or so... :o)
We did have a few beers afterwards, so today I'm feeling a little dizzy, the heat you know. And tonight we're going to a party... Mmmm, it's going to be tough.
From a sunny Berlin city on a lovely Saturday afternoon,
El Niño Stone

Explorer

Today I brought out the Explorer. Man, what an amazing little guitar that is! It had been a while since last played it (Kurt Cobain Tribute in April) and it just feels SO right... not too heavy, right balance, it's no wonder you start riffing like a madman and come up with a few new ideas for songs on the spot.
Otherwise I've been experimenting with a capo for the acoustic guitar. I did some songs live with the acoustic a few weeks ago and it just gave the tone such a cool chimey sound. I probably suffer under the GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), but I seem I can't stop getting cool stuff lately on my hands... the Orange 2x12 box, the pedalboard. the capo... IÄm gonna get broke if I go on like that, man.
I'm catching up with the last two weeks of guitar retirement, as I had positively no time at all to play with my family here, but it was fun anyway. Family always is. Sometimes, of course.
Stone

New web presence www.frogcircus.de

Well, it seems we're back. Back from where? you might/might not ask. Back in the universal digital faceless world wide web. Yep, from now on, www.frogcircus.de is the door that opens to the froggy world.
Our old address is no longer valid, as it's the current subject of dispute with our old label, which didn't take the news of our "no" to further work with them very happily. Indeed, they were not quite amused, so we had to change the domain (long story, but it's lawyers stuff right now if you want to know).
Anyway, www.frogcircus.de is now the place to be. At the moment our webdesigner/photographer/video director/Belgian-beer-drinking friend Maxim Matthew is revamping the website, and it might take a few days to be online. But hey, we're using the occasion to add more useless stuff, more videos, more songs, more pictures, more of that you never asked for: it's gonna be there, buddy.
In the meantime... well, Jens has been finishing his presentation at school (finally!), Timo is getting his new home finished in time for the monsoon season, and me... well, I've been busy with business shit like old label, negotiating the new record deal, nerving the management, taking care of the visiting family... usual stuff really.
Did I already say that www.frogcircus.de is our new web address? You know I'm repeating it (www.frogcircus.de) so it goes up in Google :o) So here again... www.frogcircus.de
Thanks for the bread.
El Niño Stone

Music business sucks

Yep, in this nice music business you'll never know who will be the next one backstabbing you... perhaps an old friend who can't accept he's not in the race anymore? Record labels suck, all of them, without exception that I know.
I'm not exactly in a good mood today: too much to think, too little sleep. I wanna go where nobody can find me.

España 0 - Portugal 1

Si es que ya lo veía venir... panda de memos, no ganarle a Portugal, que son una extensión de Extremadura...
En fin, voy a darme una vuelta por la red a ver si hay algún país de los que ganan a algo que ofrezca nacionalidad (se me ocurre ahora Andorra, San Marino, Lichtenstein...). Que asco...

España 1 - Grecia 1

Ay, joder... que putada. Hemos jugado mejor, pero esto es lo que hay. Ahora toca acojonarse el domingo contra Portugal...

American Frogball

...also Leute, viel wichtiger als ein 1:0 im Spanien-Russland Spiel ist doch wohl ein anderes großes Sportereigniss dieser Tage. Schließlich hat unser aller Lieblingsteam Berlin Thunder zum dritten mal den World Bowl in unsere wunderschöne Haupstadt geholt!!! Und das nach einer Saison mit nur einem verlorenem Spiel. Noch besser kann das wahrscheinlich nur unser zweitliebstes Footballteam, die wunderbaren Berlin Adler Girls, die haben schon mal eine Saison gespielt ohne einen einzigen Gegenpunkt! Also, wenn das nicht rockt dann weiß ich auch nicht weiter....

Spain 1 - Russia 0

Yeah! Hemos ganado el primer partido, a ver que hacemos a partir de ahora o si va a a pasar lo de siempre...

Spandau & Bike Day gigs

Hi folks... I know a few days have gone, but who cares anyway? Friday was a very funny day, we were playing at JWD in Spandau, in a tiny island far away from all sign of civilazation, but it's a very cool club. The name JWD stands for Janz Weit Draussen, Berlin dialect for "Way Out There", and it truly is way out there... thanks god we had the navigation system and then Timo, who actually lives in Spandau and knows it all!
We came to the club and first thing you notice is how extremely clean and tidy everything is. It's a real nice surprise for a change, normally all clubs have this "sticky" and dirty feeling, but not this one, hats up! And the backstage area was also ver clean and we had a lot of space, but really didn't use it very much. We rather stayed at the bar, having a beer, or two...
Friday was also the birthday of our manager Ricardo and of our friend Diana, responsible for a few cool things for this band I'll tell you another day. Anyway, we had some drinks, we had some laughs and then üplayed the gig, which went pretty well really. Especially funny were the fog machines and the ventilators, I liked them really, but Jens wasn't exactly thrilled at them (and the strobe lights) as he got the whole fog the whole time... it's hard to please a drummer! We did a punk rendition of a birthday song we all know and had some more beers.
Later that night I met Diana and a lot of other Spanish and German friends at the Flower Power (one of the coolest places in Berlin, believe me!) to further celebrate her 20th birthday and get pissed in the meantime. Same procedure as every year.
The sunday gig at the Bike ay festival was a rather bizarre appearance, all around us were old Öko-Futzis (German not-so-nice term for all things green) with their sandals, socks (!), riding their bikes, complaining about how loud we were and telling us we were using way too much energy and that it was bad for the environment. Ha! Totally annoying, but then there was a lot of other people who didn't come to point their fingers but actually to listen to the bands, and we gave them what they wantwed: some serious frog'n roll as they deserved! Yeah! A few people came to us after the gig to tap on our shoulders, which I must admit is a very cool thing. Maxim was filming and taking pictures so you might see them soon in the website. Poor Jens couldn't play Titanium as his left hand was bruised and did hurt a lot, but Timo and me didn't understand him and played it anyway, so he was a little pissed after the gig. As said, it's not easy to please drummers, Sorry Jens! :o)
All in all it was a good day, and now it's time to go to bed! See you!!

Ooh, mein Kopf

Mann bin ich müde heut... zuviel Rock'n Roll...

Stone Deaf Forever

Yep, like the Mötörhead song. Today we had rehearsal and I plugged in my brand new Orange 2x12 box for the first time. LOUD AS A FUCK! I'm still trying to hear my own thoughts, man. It sounds really really good.
I bought it last Saturday from a small but very fine shop in Leverkusen, just before attending a wedding of a friend. The shop guy looked pretty amused seeing me coming in "wedding dress" with tie and all. And then me telling I came all the way from Berlin! Ha! that was fun! The shop, in case anybody wants to know is called Real Guitars, and is highly recommendable.
Anyway, it sounded cool today, but I must turn it down somehow, otherwise we all will end up like the good old Ludwig Van.
Jens also told an extremely weird story today involving a palm tree, a window and a near-fire... maybe he'll write it down sometime.
Oh, and almost forgot it. Be sure to check out Brussels if you have the chance to, it's a very cool city, though the weather is pathetic. Great beers as well, I've just had one here at home and I'm starting to feel it now askcjXCJSyus

Frogmobile

Today we were supposed to rehearse, but in the end we had to put it off. But the best part is that Jens came along driving a brand new metallic green Volkswagen bus he had traded in for his old combi! The fucking perfect Frogmobile!! Simply over-cool... we were flabbergasted when we saw it.
Now we have our very own froggy tour bus. Only the drigs and the groupies were missing, but we'll sort that out soon... I hope!

Stupid Monday

How else can a Monday be? A Monday is a stupid day by definition, no one can change that. Everything seems not to work properly on a Monday, not even the own brain. I was born on a Monday, I know what I'm talking about.
We've been arguing with the record company on the details of the contract, and believe me when I say I just hate it all. I'm tired of the bickering that goes with it, but in the end, I'm a lawyer, so I'm supposed to handle it and get it all settled. Which is not always easy. Let's just hope the whole thing does not blow up, I want Allergic to come out soon. We don't want to sit on our record for too long. We've already started rehearsing new songs for the next record, you know? Nobody can stop us, buddy! Not even a stupid monday...

Mierda de servidor...

...fuck, the server where our website is located is gone, it is deceased, gone to make its maker, it has ceased to be, the server is no more... so we're stuck with a backup from last month, which means a lot of our best stuff is lost, or at least it has to be uploaded again and partly made new. Great!
And to round it all, I have just seen on TV a video from Manowar called "Glove of metal". Seriously, sometimes I wonder if Manowar wants to be a Spinal Tap tribute band or something. Not only are they real bad and play sucking music, they have this totally ludicrous costumes... I don't know how to say, I believe the tears I get from laughing didn't prevent me from watching the last image on the video, a plastic "metal" glove totally similar to the infamous Anal Intruder you can see in Top Secret, that cool movie with Val Kilmer.
OK, back to TV to watch Valencia play UEFA's final vs Marseiile.

Unglaublich...

...wie viele Leute aus Berlin bei diesen Blog dabei sind... hätte es gar nicht gedacht. Aber sieht so aus als ich der einzige wäre, der auf Spanisch schreibt! Ha! Naja, was kann man sonst erwarten?
Shit, es ist wieder 12 Uhr nachts und immer noch nicht im Bett... typisch.