Well, it’s a been a few days since we landed back in Finland after our last German tour with Crossfyre over late September – early October 2012, and I am still feeling the exhaustion from that jaunt.

Last rehearsal before the tour: Jay Jay Asikainen, Jaakko Kinnari, Danny Cross, Jupi Hjelt and StarBuck (left to right)

Our drummer Danny and guitarist Jay Jay drove out to Germany via Sweden and Denmark, whereas bassist Jupi Hjelt (filling in for the MIA Dan Rönnbacka), guitarist Jaakko Kinnari and I flew out ridiculously early in the morning on Wednesday, September 26 to play Bremen on the same evening.

Waiting for our flight out of Helsinki at around 4:00am in the morning … I would rather be in bed fast asleep!

Danny and Jay Jay picked us up at Hamburg Airport, and from there we headed to Meisenfrei Blues Club in Bremen for our first gig.  German wrestling promoter Eddy Steinblock of EPW (European Pro Wrestling) came out to say hello and talk shop.

Wrestling promoter Eddy Steinblock came out to shoot the proverbial shizzat — I have worked several times for Eddy over the years.

Jay Jay and Jupi jam it up in Bremen.

The following day, we drove out to Braunschweig to Barnaby’s Blues Bar owner Peter’s rock and roll mansion – a relic from WWII – before heading out on Friday to Magdeburg for our scheduled next show.

My good pal, Braunschweig promoter Peter’s Labrador dog, Buddy!

Much to our surprise and chagrin, once we arrived at UrBar in Magdeburg, the club owner informed us that the city placed a restriction on all live gigs in their city block back in June of this year.  The problem was, the club booker forgot to inform us of the changes.  It was Spinal Tap 2012 – or perhaps we could call it Anvil – as we realized that not only did we drive all the way out to Magdeburg for nothing, we also ended up losing money because of the lost date and fuel expenses.  I tried to salvage the day by scoping out other venues in the Magdeburg area, should we be so lucky as to score another gig on that same night, but to no avail.  We were screwed.

Crossfyre live on the air at Radio Okerwelle in Braunschweig.

On Saturday, September 29, we played Barnaby’s Blues Bar in Braunschweig.  Before the gig, we did a radio interview plugging the evening’s show at Radio Okerwelle with DJ and all-around good guy Florian Damm.  Florian has had us on his station and show for three years in a row now, every time that we have played in Braunschweig, which has kind of become our German hotspot.  Barnaby’s is always a good show when we are in town, with capacity audiences on hand.  This time was no different, as we rocked the house like nobody’s business.

Crossfyre commands the stage at Barnaby’s Blues Bar.

Heading up into the mountains, on Sunday, September 30 we played Rockkneipe Jungfer in Arnstadt.  Club owner Udo is one of a kind, a burly and loud, warm-hearted German bloke whose club is like a cross between a living room and a rehearsal pad.  Udo even got on stage with his harmonica and jammed with us on our final number, ZZ Top’s Sharp Dressed Man!

Rockkneipe Jungfer owner Udo plays a mean harmonica.

Laying down a soulful mood in Arnstadt.

Jaakko Kinnari rips into a solo.

After Arnstadt, it was back to Braunschweig for us, as we had one more gig to play on Tuesday, September 2nd at Barnaby’s.  This was the absolute highlight gig of the whole tour, as the “magic” was most definitely in the air that night, and the band played on “10”, bringing the audience on hand to life.  Truth be told, the folks at Barnaby’s that night had such a blast, that they didn’t want to let us off the stage!  That – I would say – is a job well done.

Jay Jay showcases his blues aptitude for the appreciative audience in Braunschweig.

Yours Truly tears up the stage with a rocking rendition of Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower.

Be sure to check out our newest Crossfyre studio offering, called Born to be Free, recorded just before our tour at Seawolf Studios with engineer Hannu Leiden in Helsinki.

When I got back to Finland, I was asked to perform in pop star Jessica Wolff‘s new music video Broken Wings.  The video shoot was on Friday, October 5th in Helsinki, and I portrayed a violent alcoholic who was down on his luck.  Truth be told, that is rather funny and ironic, as I am not a drinker … but I do partake in a rather aggressive sport, being a professional wrestler.  As an interesting side note, Jessica Wolff’s producer Eric Gast has also worked with Britney Spears as an engineer on her hit, Oops!… I Did It Again.  Read Jessica’s own blog about the Broken Wings music video HERE.

StarBuck and Jessica Wolff, on the set of “Broken Wings” (photo by Mikko Löppönen)

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