Feral Children

Just a brief update. Curious minds are inquiring so I pulled some strings and now I am joining the band on the whole tour. That means all the way to Essen, Germany! Turns out my help is worth the extra mouth to feed and liver to damage. So look for me at the shows. I'm the humble roadie, merch man, photographer...But we tell the ladies that I'm the 6th Prima Donna (rawr). Rock'n'Roll

Fear And Loathing In Europe

Ladies and gentlemen, in a few days I will embark on an epic journey.  While back in Los Angeles for the holiday season I was talking to a friend of mine who plays in a band called Prima Donna.  I asked him how it was going and how the band was doing and he said that they were booking a tour around Europe in February and March.  Kind of half serious, half joking I said, "Well I'm living in Helsinki and I'm unemployed, let me know if you guys need an extra hand".  We clinked our drinks and laughed.  Long time readers will recall that in October 2009 I flew to Stockholm, Sweden to see them perform as the opener on Green Day's European tour.  Read that blog post here.

A day or two later I got a phone call from him and in a raspy voice he said, "I just got home from practice and I was just talking to the boys.  Dude, how serious were you about joining us on tour?"

When else would I be legitimately unemployed and living in Europe at the exact time that a friend's band is planning a European extravaganza?  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

"Oh man, I am so excited, it is going to be fun", I yelped.

And to that he replied:

"Well 'fun' isn't the right word.  It's really more of an experience."

Now, pragmatism has a way of getting the best of me sometimes, so there was a lot that went into this decision.  I am still paying rent (now with no income) and being in a new city every night has the unfortunate consequence of spending my days in a van amidst several other grown men and, did I mention that I'm pee shy and a germophobe?  So in the end I decided that while I am clearly taking full advantage of my being unemployed, for my bank account's, health and bladder's sake I ought to only join for a portion of the tour, half as it turns out.  And since we were planning on playing a lot of small cities I have never heard of before, having access to major airports for my arrival and departure was also a factor.

My job is to carry gear and snap lots of photos, but other than that, as far as I know, I get to drink beer. I will also be tweeting from the road if interested, follow my twitter @tuomasbrock and you can follow them @primadonnaband.  Their new album Bless This Mess is already out fresh this week on the itunes store.

So here are the dates!

10.02 Berlin, Germany @ Wild at Heart
12.02 Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic @ Doma Music Pub
13.02 Vienna, Austria @ Arena Beisl
14.02 Velden, Austria @ Bluesiana
15.02 Conzano, Italy @ Uva Blu (free show)
16.02 Arezzo, Italy @ Velvet Underground
17.02 La Spezia, Italy @ Shake Club
18.02 Torino, Italy @ United Club
19.02 Milan, Italy @ Ligera
21.02 Zaragoza, Spain @ Sala Paramo
22.02 Estepona, Spain @ Louie Louie
23.02 Cadiz, Spain @ Supersonic
24.02 Madrid, Spain @ Wurlitzer Ballroom

Then sadly I must return to Finland (but not before the weekend spent in Madrid!), but the rest of the dates are as follows:

25.02 Villa Real Des Infantes, Spain @ Japan Rock Club
26.02 Monzon, Spain @ Zona Rock
28.02 Lyon, France @ Trokson
29.02 Rennes, France @ Mondo Bizzarro
01.03 Cambridge, U.K. @ the Junction w/ Eddie and the Hot Rods
02.03 Harlow, U.K. @ The Square
03.03 Westcliff, U.K. @ Riga Music Club w/ Eddie and the Hot Rods
05.05 Brussels, Belgium @ DNA
06.03 Aurich, Germany @ Sixties Pub
07.03 Aachen, Germany @ HQ
08.03 Lille, France @ Maison des Etudiants
09.03 Marange-Silvange, France @ Dock 412
10.03 Essen, Germany @ Panic Room

Go check 'em out if you are around any of these places.

Here is a video of them playing one of their latest singles acoustic