European tour coming up

My profile shows that my main career has been in the mental health field, but my primary interest and involvement is in music. I play in several bands in the Omaha area:

The Dereck Higgins Band

Son Ambulance

Flamethrower

Paddy O'Furniture

The Pat Higgins Trio

The Family Radio

R.A.F.

I have always been active somehow with music, but in the year 2004 I made the decision that I would attempt to move forward with my musical activities, in other words get beyond just local involvement. I made a plan and the plan has been working. One of the developments was being asked to join the band Son Ambulance, who are on Saddle Creek Records. This led to some personal goals being realised right away; being on a recognized record label, going on tour, meeting musicians I like not as a fan but as a peer, seeing my picture in magazines other than Omaha publications. The scheduled tour of Europe is another dream I have always wished for. European music has been the mainstay of my musical preferences since my teens. I am so grateful for the opportunity to finally visit the continent. From The Beatles through to Genesis, Faust, Gong, Magma, Pulsar, PFM and many others the music emanating from England and Europe literally gave me a reason to live when I was a suicidal teenager. The music remains very important to my life. Even though I am curious about how I will be receieved in Germany (racism?) I am fascinated by that culture and can't wait to absorb what I can of it. On top of that the band is scheduled to play in Brussels, Belgium, another country that has provided me with some very cool music (the Play it Again Sam label for starters). What's more incredible is that the venue we are playing it is also hosting a concert of Magma (!!!) the same night. This is amazing news for me. To think that I may get to meet Christian Vander, a living legend of the drums, whoa.