Quay Paree

InCiters on the Seine [Click for Larger Image]

In Paris we were booked on a converted barge boat docked on the river Seine. In the area there were several other boats converted to restaurants and clubs. Ours was the Alternate. We arrived fairly early in the morning and after some maneuvering, got positioned on the quay a short distance up the Seine from the Alternate. No power or facilities but there was a hotel room nearby that we hit up for showers after the show.

With five hours liberty, most of us walked up to Notre Dame and poked around there, eating and sightseeing. I walked into the restricted area of a Venetian costume event, completely innocently. I snapped a bunch of pictures with the press before someone realized that my little camera looked out of place and asked for my press pass.


Venetians are from Italy [Click for Larger Image]

The Alternate show was good. We played to an enthusiastic if not overwhelming crowd. I am sure we would have sold a bunch singles if we had any. The motion of the boat when rocked by the wakes of the tourist boats took some getting used to but no one got seriously sea sick.


Fans in the Alternate [Click for Larger Image]

Belfort Lion

Belfort was everything Metz was not. The club itself looked like it might have been a guard house for the citadel of Belfort. The room was not as large as St Gallen but the production level was just as high. The club was right under the old fort, which loomed over us. The old city is also in it's shadows so we had easy access to the restaurants and shops. We also had a room in hotel there for the shower ritual. When 12 people need to use one shower, it can take a couple of hours for all of us to get cleaned up.


The Belfort Lion [Click for a Larger Image]


How the Lion Saw Us {Click for Larger Image]


The Old Town Belfort [Click for a Larger Image]

The fort was very impressive. We all visited the earthworks and the huge Belfort lion carved by Bartholdi, the sculptor of the statue of liberty. We also witnessed something I thought was impossible, pigeon death by slow moving car! Maybe French pigeon are not quite as quick as American pigeons… or were they hitting some spilled wine. (Pigeons pop when crushed) Anyway, it was a messy sight, with feathers settling over some beer drinking Inciters. Yuck.


Some of the Fans [Click for a Larger Image]


Betsy and Adam go Through the Warm Up [Click for a Larger Image]


The Feeding Trough and Warm Up Act [Click for Larger Image]

The show itself was great! Kevin was able to position his video camera on the balcony and we have an awesome video of a live performance. The lighting, sound, and our performance was all tight. Very fun!!! The whole experience completely erased any bad aftertaste from Metz. For me personally, I would compare Belfort to St Gallen for the beauty of the city, quality of the venue, and the level of accommodation we received. Unlike St Gallen however, there was a good size crowd. We wanted to stay longer but had to pack and leave in order to get to Paris early. Bye Belfort!

Bon Jour, Good to Metz You?

The Fort [Click for a Larger Image]

Metz was our first date in France. As we drove in, Metz appeared to be an industrial/commercial area. Parking near the club was a bit complicated so we hung out for awhile next to an empty lot while we waited for the assistance of the club owner. In the end we parked on the sidewalk across the street from the club after the club owner promised to cover any parking tickets. The club was small and messy and no shower or flat provided. Our food was a large bowl of roasted red potatoes with a sour cream/garlic sauce to go with it. We demolished it in short order.
The club was in the old part of town but it definitely had the rundown feel after St. Gallen. We wandered around in the immediate vicinity, checking out the old fortification just across the street. We even sold some of our singles down the street at a local record store. We had a few classic French snubs but we took it in stride.


The Metz Crowd [Click for a Larger Picture]

The show itself was ok. We played well and there were enough people there that it felt well attended. After the show we all went out for kebobs at around 1 in the morning. Overall Metz was a little disappointing and we were happy to head for the next gig.

We Love St Gallen

Why don't they love us? St Gallen is a very picturesque city in the lower foot hills of the Alps. Very clean and apparently prosperous, it fulfilled all my expectations for a Swiss town. I left early in the morning for a walk about; climbing up the side of the valley St Gallen in nestled in. My reward was a view of the Alps over farms and forest.


The Alps (or part of them) [Click for a Larger Image]

The venue was the largest room we have seen so far. An excellent sound system and lighting. And the smoke machine of dubious value. We found great food backstage and were provided a flat nearby for showers.


Our Bus is a Very Happy Bus {Click for Larger Image]

Unfortunately, Tuesday are a difficult night to bring out a crowd. The small crowd seemed even smaller in the large room. Nonetheless we played our asses off for the choosen few. We wanted them to tell their friends that they missed something really special. Next time we will fill the hall!


Dapper Adam and Mighty Mike Lay Down the Groove [Click for Larger Image]

Surprise Gig at the Blue Note

The Inciters had such a successful presentation at the Groove Station, the owner of the local jazz club invited us to play on our day off at his little club the Blue Note. No really, little. Our front line could just about reach out an touch the wall in front of them. We spread out with bari and trumpet facing the rest of the band at the end of the room. Lots of folks from the Groove Station showed plus many others. We filled the room without any promotion. Very very mellow show. See how we packed in.

The Stage [Click for a Larger Image]


The Horn Section (really !!!!) [Click for a Larger Image]

Wade in the Water Debuts

The gig at Groove Station was very very nice. Lots of fans, lots of dancing and great energy. We played TWO encores - our usual and expected one PLUS we talked Rick into letting us play Wade in the Water. Betsy delivered the goods. Check it out.


Betsy wows the fans [Click for Larger Image]

Dresden Groove

We rolled into Dresden in the morning and got hooked right up to power. The Groove Station club was ri/ght down the street and on our way down to the club we found our poster right next to a poster for the Los Banditos. You got to see it to believe it.


Is The Bandit Naked? [Click for Larger Image]

Everyone has a hump day.

Beat Club in Stuttgart.

When a promoter tells you that it's going to be hard to get people to come out, it is going to be hard to get people to come out.
"Day after Easter is a hard night, everyone did everything this past weekend, all the partying and things." So with that in mind we suited up and got ready for a glorified practice. But looking around we were all at that point. Hump Day. It was our hump day.
"If there is any day to have a hump day, I'm glad it's for a show that no one is going to come to." We found comfort in that, and with monitors that buzzed angrily at us we sang out into nothingness, watching the 30 or so people filter in and out, with one very enthusiastic old potential skinhead copying our dance moves. We got off stage and that night I went to bed the earliest time I have this whole tour, about 1 in the morning. When I awoke this morning Stuttgart was already behind us, and we woke up in St. Gallen, Switzerland to one of the more beautiful cities we've been in. We'll let you know how tonight goes later.

Roadside Attraction: Bratwurst

Breakfast of Champions [Click for Larger Image]
On the way to Dresden we stopped for breakfast at a rest stop. Everyone had to have a bratwurst and potato plate. Also worth noting about German truck stops. You pay to poop and some have auto-cleaning toilets that spin the toilet seat around while sanitizing it. Awesome use of German engineering! (sorry, no picture of that - use your imagination)

Berlin: Late for an Important Date

Late for our gig in Berlin, we called ahead to cancel the sound check and request that our food be ready as soon as we got there. We hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and we were all starving! Most of us napped on the way - getting sleep when we had the chance.
Finally around 9pm we pulled up in front of a big, beat-up metal gate with a very small sign indicating that this was the LoveLight. There was a mad rush for food in the backstage then a quick setup. Our hosts, Mutti and Monica were fantastic at making us feel at home. Monica even cooked the chicken stew, rice, and tofu veggies herself. It was also the only club (so far) to provide the bottle of scotch stipulated in our contract!


Backstage [Click for Larger Image]
The show itself went off without a hitch and though the InCiters stayed up late to party with our new friends, we eventually all loaded back into the bus for our 9am departure to Dresden. Hopefully, next time we visit Berlin we will actually see some of it.

The Fans [Click for a Larger Image]

Easter Scooter Rally

Our second day was at the Easter Weekend Scooter Rally on the Elbe. Still jet lagged and and frazzled from a bit too much late night fun, we got a late start. Not helping was the flea market that sprung up over night around the KNUST. Very interesting to see what can be found in a German flea market. Lil' Kevin fell in love with a Kielsworth Super King tenor sax but the 300 Euros they were asking would have cleaned him out. So with longing backward glances we focused on getting our equipment out of KNUST and onto a nearby street where the bus could reach us. Finally, in a light rain, we loaded our gear onto the bus and we were off to the rally.
Sand Trap
The drive over the the Elbe was very scenic as we wound our way through upscale neighborhoods looking for the correct river access. The bus was dragging a trailer for our gear that actually we didn't need, so a few spots were a little tight maneuvering. Hats off to our bus driver.

[Click For Large Image]

[Click For Larger Image]
The little road into the campground ended in a firm spot in the sand about 100 meters from the tent we were going to play in. Looking over our new venue as we drove in I couldn't help but think this was going to be interesting. It was immediately apparent that dragging our heavy gear through 100 meters of sand was not a good idea. Some quick minds got together and came up with a plan. We loaded our gear into the empty trailer and a tractor (talk about lucky happenstance) dragged the trailer over to the tent.
Late for the gig in Berlin, we set up in record speed. The scooter clubs were great, helping us, bringing beers, and making us welcome. All my doubts faded away and we had a great time filling that tent with soul. Humm now that I think about it - a little tent revival was going down!
Even load out was fun - but I will let the pictures tell that story.

[Click For Larger Image]

[Click For Larger Image]

Soul Weekender at Club Knust

Our first gig in Hamburger was great. We all were a little wupped from the trip but we found our second wind after inhaling the backstage buffet washed down with the local Pilsner. The club KNUST reminded me a little of the Red Devil Lounge but with a second room. The sound was excellent and looking out over the crowd I didn't see any empty space.



After we finished the party raged on until the latest hours of the morning. After an hour or two, some of us went back to the Hostel to train for the bus in the bunk beds. Others stayed to train at beer drinking. A small contingent went for a tour of the redlight district but were turned away because of their sex. Why non-working women are not allow in the redlight district was a little unclear. This seemed pretty unfair but since no one was there to spend money they returned to the hostel cold and disappointed but maybe better off.

Wir Sind Hamburgers

We made it to Hamburg after a long but uneventful flight. Betsy had to dance for joy at the empty club before sound check. Check it out!

Final Shows, Final Throws

The Inciters finished off our bon voyage shows Saturday at Streetlight Records and the Poet and the Patriot. At Streetlight, squeezed between the record bins, it seemed some how appropriate to be surrounded by used vinyl. Short and sweet, the Inciters laid down some solid soul for family, friends, fans and a few passerbys who walked in looking like they had just discovered Christmas.



The Poet was absolutely packed with more of the same for our complete set. A tight room for tight tunes - dancing drinking and carrying on. Soul Clap seems to be taking on legs as a good part of the crowd did the Soul Clap along with our gorgeous vocalists. Our sincere thanks to everyone for the fantastic send off! Stayed tuned for more news from the road!