Chapter 5 - back on stage again


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After the CD was finished, Till and I did some experimental stuff and lots of studio work with different band projects. Then 2005 came, a very special year because Till became 50 and I became 40. Already years before, during our studio sessions - well actually while drinking instant coffee and eating sweet stuff - Till and I developed the idea to have a joint birthday party. We started preparation of the event in late 2004, we went almost nuts finding a suitable location, because one thing was crystal clear, there would be live music at the Birthday Bash, finally we found a place called "the backstage" and the date got fixed to the 13th March 2005! In November we started putting together 3 different bands: The Blues Brewers and the Joint Birthday Bashers which both consisted out of musicians Till played with since decades and the Family Band, in which my brother Edi, my son Kampan and I played amongst others. All in all we would have had fourteen musicians on stage - I guess one could call this an All Star Band.

The rehearsals went on from November to February and given the fact, that we did not have much time to prepare, things went quite well. Then bad things started to happen... First the drummer who should have played in two of the three sets could not make it anymore, then one of our two back background singers got sick, but because they are twins soon the second one also got the flu. So we started the plan B scenario: Mick Dörle the drummer of the Family Band had to take over all three sets, but there was no replacement for the backing vocals Hanna and Maja.

Things got worse when Valerie McCleary our dearest friend and one hell of a singer called in sick a week before the event. Oh well we thought, one week is enough to heal a flu... it was not... Vallie got worse by the day and indeed could not make it to the concert, which was even worse for her than it was for us. Just to make things a little more "interesting" our special guest Mike Dürrschmidt, who was scheduled to play some guitar parts together with Till, flew in from London just about an hour before he should appear on stage - but amazingly Mike appeared right in time.

Given the fact, that we lost three out of four vocalists, one drummer, we had to thin out the set list and it was my first time back on stage since 1985, the concert went very well, also due to the fact, that the backstage crew did a tremendous job. They provided excellent monitor sound, live sound and a great light show. After the show all the musicians agreed that this must not have been a one time event, but that we should continue playing music together. So the idea was born to make Till's project Long Felt Need a permanent band consisting of Tom Ströter on Vocals, Valerie McCleary on vocals, Peter Kunert on keyboards, Hanna and Maja Kjellström on backing vocals, Friedrich Friebel on Bass, Vartan Tekneyan on drums, Till on guitars and me on keyboards.

In 2005 Long Felt Need, or short LFN had their first stage appearance at the Music Club Night of the European Patent Office in Munich, and there will be more... stay tuned !

So finally I found my way back on stage, and from the first moment at the Birthday Bash on I could feel how much I was missing this experience during the last 20 years. There is nothing more soothing to the soul than having a good time playing some tunes with good friends !


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