2006-05-08
Al & The BlackCats a vintage rockabilly band from Lowell, Michigan (the real rock & roll capital of the world). are leaving on a 17 city, 5 country tour of Europe later this month. As part of their tour, they will be playing dates in Iraq and Afghanistan for the troops, through the USO. They will be broadcasting all their overseas shows back to their website, live. The website is www.alandtheblackcats.com. One of the things they will be doing is videotaping individual soldiers for messages back to their families, live. They will also archive them so their families can access them and download them at any time. The countries they are booked for are The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium & France, in addition to the Iraq and Afghanistan dates. "We are more excited about playing for the troops than anything else. We have friends who are over there", says Eric Soules, bass player and lead singer of the band. "the whole band feels that way" "The title of the cd is a tribute to Al, our founder, and also the founder of The Fabulous Rockabillys, one of the pioneer rockabilly bands of Grand Rapids", says Hugh Skiffington, the drummer. "Without Al , and The Fabulous Rockabillys, there would be no Black Cats". "The party will also be broadcast live back to our website", says Tony Cozzaglio, the band's guitar player. "With a big party here in Grand Rapids at the same time."The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.