Two Great Nights!

I just finished the last date with the band and will now get a break for two days before the tour picks back up again with a solo show on Wednesday in Nagoya. It is hard to keep coming up with words that convey the wonderful experience Japan has been. Last night we played in Nara at Never Land (no Michael Jackson here). We were told by another band that the venue is family owned and that they treat musicians with great respect and even feed you. Guess what, when we walked in the dressing room, they had delicious rice balls and grilled chicken on a stick for us. The bands that opened for us where again very tight and original. One that stood out was Paper Cup (see picture). Another band with a killer female drummer! Tonight we played in the beautiful city Kobe (home of Kobe beef) at Urban Square to a fired-up crowd and again had great bands on the bill!
I want to say thanks to my main brother Donnie for providing his trademark beat-smoke! The crowds went crazy for his drum solos and his vocals were spot on! And what can I say about Jim Laberge on bass? This guy was a godsend being so good and available at the same time (not everyone can take off to Japan with 30 days notice).
I also want to take a moment to thank my manager/agent here in Japan Duane Levi with Shalestone Music, for putting this all together. Not only is he a great sound engineer and fluent interpreter, he is also a musician and a first class gentleman to boot! The guy knows how to mix FOH and even put a new recessed handle in my flight case!!!
We have every show filmed and the mix recorded (thanks to Jim Laforest, Presonus and Sweetwater) as well as tons of great footage in the can. The "Sounding Rick Live in Japan" DVD is gonna rock!
That's it for now as I need to catch the bullet train to Hiroshima early in the morning!
Love Rick