It's confirmed.  on the 12th of February at 19:00, Ricky Fahrenheit and the 451s will be playing a FREE CONCERT at the Little Theatre, JHQ.  no need to buy tickets!  just turn up on the door.  the band will be playing (as we like it!) COMPLETELY UNPLUGGED.  no  electricity (apart from the lights).  bring the kids.  bring the dog (don't).

we will try to update our adventures as often as something happens...

Dear Diary

have just arrived back from the Chinoiserie in köln.  great gig, lots of laffs!  "lied united" made us feel very welcome, and the audience seemed to really dig us!  quite an experience to enjoy good acoustics - now the second time that we have played "unplugged" (note:  unplugged means the COMPLETE lack of electricity, mics, amps...).  swapped LPs with Marcus Apitius - very nice music and a great voice.  throat now hurts a little, 12 string needs new strings. 

from left to right:  zoe (matt's wife), matt, eva, ricky

have just come home from the film premiere of "The Receptionist", which is matt's film debut as a director (did we mention that our matthew is a film maker?)  the film also features 3 ricky fahrenheit tunes.  great evening, lots of nerves but the audience loved it!  matthew is very talented, and has achieved wonders despite a non-existent budget! 

drank too much.

looking forward to the dvd

am knee deep in scores...   preparing music for this summer's big project:  Ricky Fahrenheit & Orchestra!  i have been invited to compose a series of songs for group and orchestra to be performed with the "jugendsinfonieorchester" from the Musikschule Mönchengladbach.  matt has agreed to make a film.  about 4 songs orchestrated so far.  help...

damn damn damn damn damn.  looks like the planned weekend in holland is all off.  the planned gigs in Amsterdam and Rotterdam have both been cancelled due to "financial problems" at the club's end.  in other words, they've gone out of business.  hmm.  oh well.  matt has spent the day today in Rotterdam talking to the owner and looking for alternative venues.  so watch this space...

juhu!  it is possible to organise a gig in two weeks!!  on Thursday the 12th February, Ricky Fahrenheit and the 451s will be playing a FREE LIVE CONCERT in the Little Theatre in JHQ, Mönchengladbach.  it will be an earlier show, probably 'bout 7 o'clock, and we will probably be filming the event!  will put the details up as soon as i know more.

good gig last night!  already planning playing at the little theatre again.  the entire evening was being filmed by Middle Name Productions, so also looking forward to seeing some FILM material soon.  photographer Peter Stanikowski and his glass eye were also present and correct and has captured some good'ns!  will put up photos as soon as possible!

hello friends.  sorry i haven't called.  today i recieved confirmation of the date for the project "ricky fahrenheit with orchestra".  on the 30 August 2009 ricky will be performing about 45 minutes of work specially written for rock group and symphony orchestra.  the performance will be with the jugendsinfonieorchester from the musikschule mönchengladbach, as part of an evening of events in Schloss Rheyd celebrating the 50th birthday of the musikschule mönchengladbach.  songs will include widescreen versions of "Be a Man in the Heart of the Jungle" and "Other Side" as well as a couple of new tunes...  will keep y'all posted.  have also bought a new microphone... 

well...what have we been doing?  firstly..Berlin!  we did have a good time!  first gig was in the Popo Bar (neukölln) and the second in Café Bilderbuch.  new friends were made and a return later in the year promised...

matt's halo developed slowly over the course of the weekend.

post gig discussions at the bar could be quite intense.

who is party boy, and what drives him?  is there a party boy in all of us, waiting to get out?

so, what news, brave sir knight?  well... studio work is going on well for the Ricky Fahrenheit studio album (end of the year?). spent a week in france doing some pirate-like recording.  have bought some expensive microphones, preamps...

watch out for new concerts coming up soon!  Also:  Peter Stanikowski, our esteemed photographer, has put together a video of our Berlin trip, featuring the song Photograph.  Check it out!

and a bed.

this is how the beatles didn't record

have just about recovered from the open-air gig yesterday!  played about 20 minutes long, and then the storm arrived.  living on the moon was played with a thunder and lightning background!  still, the audience seemed enthusiastic... also slipped and hurt my arm.

have lost my voice this morning!  we had a very cool gig last night in Burgerhaus Kalk, Köln.  unfortunately, both eva and myself have been sick this week, and played last night thanks to large doses of Aspirin Complex, Nasenspray and Paracetemol.  a live recording has been made (but not heard yet!).

Our photographer, Peter Stanikowski, has also put together a second video on youtube of our Berlin gig in PoPo bar.  and here it is!

rock and/or roll baby yeah. soaked and happy.  fever came 2 days later.  (see latest entry)

but then....

did we not promise colourful wounds?  the arm is now black and yellow.

the audience disappeared as the storm developed.  we got stuck here.

another confirmed gig!  Projekt 42, Mönchengladbach.  details to come soon.

have just had to walk back from projekt 42 in Mönchengladbach.  lots of fun.  am a little tired.  matthew's bold leap into the world of social anthropology:

Yesterday we had the dress rehearsal for the upcoming RICKY FAHRENHEIT & SINFONIEORCHESTER at Schloss Rheydt.  The sound of 60 orchestral musicians plus a four piece rock band is big big big.  I am happy happy happy happy.  It will be loud!  It will be proud!  BE THERE or BE FOUR SIDED.

There is a big smile on my face this morning!  Yesterday's orchestral show was a big success!!  many thanks to all of the musicians in the band, Christian Malescov and the Jugendsinfonieorchester Mönchengladbach and everybody else who made the event so successful!

As usual, the whole thing has been photographed recorded etc.  hope to post some photos before the end of the day!

Merry Christmas, everybody! hope you're all having a good one.  am pleased to announce that the new Ricky Fahrenheit CD:  "Ricky Fahrenheit & the J.S.O" is now ready and available!  The CD is a studio recording of the music performed by Ricky and the Jugendsinfonieorchester der Musikschule Mönchengladbach in Schloss Rheydt in August.  Fulfill those winter urges!  Buy now! More information here.

Ricky with Christian Malescov, discussing troublesome violin runs.

Ralf Baumann on the drums