News and Diary Archive

5th August 2008

Hi y'all, Andy here.

Just a quick update to let you know what's been happening of late. It's been Summer Festival season in the UFO camp and we have been keeping pretty busy. One of the nicest things about festivals is that you quite often run into people that you haven't seen for a while. First off was back in June at Kunzelsau in Germany where we bumped into our old mates Nazareth. Have to tell you they are still sounding as good as ever!

Next we embarked on a brutal five day back-to-back jaunt that took us to Fort Worth, Houston, Santa Fe in New Mexico, the South Texas Rock Fest in San Antonio - where we caught up with Tesla,Y&T and Stephen Pearcy's band - and finally on to Pryor in Oklahoma for the Rocklahoma festival. This event was hosted by our good friend Eddie Trunk and despite some extreme weather the previous day, Sunday turned out to be glorious. The line up included Axe, Steelheart and Tesla once again so there was no shortage of rockin'.

We had quite a few 'interesting' incidents on this tour, such as when Batttttty got into the wrong cab in Fort Worth, and when Andre left his laptop at Alberquerque airport, and the most interesting, when Jeff and Martin's plane had to make an emergency landing after an engine failed just after take-off from Tulsa! Whooow! But the whole thing turned out fine in the end - the end being this last weekend when we headed to Aurora Illinois to headline the 'Aurora Downtown Live' show. Once again a good time was had by all. Vinnie jammed with Blue Oyster Cult on the Friday night show and then we followed Molly Hatchet to wind up the festivities on Saturday. It was great to see everybody and thanks again to the organisers (especially Gina) for making the whole event such fun. Also a big thank you to Mr. Jeff Kollman for doing such a great job on bass guitar, it was a real pleasure to work with you.

Next event on my list is Murcia in Spain on the 23rd of August where we really will be running into old pals as Mr. Way is scheduled to play bass on that show. Watch this space for an update later this month. Until then, check out the latest photos.

Be safe and keep on rockin'.

Andy

 

Diary Update - 2nd June 2008

Hi y’all, and greetings from Texas!

I thought it was about time for me to update you all on what’s been happening in the UFO camp. As some of you may know we recently completed a five week tour of the U.S. and I would personally like to thank all of you who came to the shows for making it such a success.

This tour was especially exciting for me as the last time that I toured the U.S. with UFO was back in 1982. It was great to finally get to meet so many of you and thank you all for making me feel so welcome. Thanks must also go to Rob DeLuca who filled in at the last minute for Mr. Way. I’m sure that all of you who saw the shows will agree that Rob did a fantastic job. Not only is he an excellent bass player but he is also one hell of a nice guy.

While I am on the subject of thanks I have some more people to mention. Firstly our manager Peter and our agent Mark (where’s my lunch?) Hyman, for putting the whole thing together. Secondly our amazing crew, Tonio our tour manager, Martin our sound engineer, Dave our lighting designer, Andre and Eric our backline techs and last but by no means least, Kate our merch queen and webmistress. Thank you for all your hard work. We could not have done it without you.

Thanks also to our pal Eddie Trunk for all his support. To Tom Turbrock at K-She in St. Louis. To Todd Smith and Martin Popoff. To Daniel Zimmerman at Paiste. To Steve Lobmeier at D’Addario/Evans and to Jim Beier at Beier drums for my new baby which you can see on the Gear page. Finally thanks to all the guys in the band for making the tour so enjoyable and a special mention to Mr Mogg who despite being laid low by a nasty little stomach bug early on in the tour, managed to play every show. And for those of you at the Chicago HOB show who were disappointed by the absence of ‘Lights Out’, we promise to catch up in Aurora later this year (Check the Tour page for dates).

As I mentioned earlier, it was wonderful for me to get to meet so many of you and once again I was blown away by your support and enthusiasm. For all of you who brought your albums to be signed, I thank you for your patience and promise not to make you wait so long in future. For those who gave us gifts (too many to mention but you know who you are) thank you for your kindness and generosity. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, "you guys are the best". I look forward to seeing you all in the near future. All the best and keep on rockin’.

Andy

 

Diary Update - 26th November 2007

Well we made it! There were times when I began to think we wouldn't, but we did. What am I talking about, you ask? The recent UFO tour of Russia and the Ukraine, I answer! Let me begin by saying that in no way am I knocking the promoters. They were absolutely great and really took care of us. It's just that touring in that part of the world was so-o-o-o different to what we are used to.

Firstly there was the travelling. Due to the vast distances involved and the apparent lack of decent roads, this was accomplished mostly by plane and train. In hindsight this was probably a good thing, because they have some of the worst traffic jams that I have ever seen. The planes were old, the trains even older. Fortunately there was always an ample supply of alcohol to help things along (an absolute necessity when it comes to getting Pete on a plane). That can be a problem on the trains though, when you have been drinking beer all day and they insist on locking the toilets every time you get within twenty miles of station. Happily the small pliers on my multitool solved this problem. Of course being inebriated can sometimes come in really handy. Let's say for example, you're out in the corridor at three in the morning because it's too hot in your compartment and you can't sleep. Suddenly you are presented with a vision of Pete Way, stark naked, lumbering towards you in some kind of vodka fuelled semi-stupor. Believe me, you would not want to see that sober! Apparently 'What it was, was...." he had a cramp and was walking it off. Scary none the less.

Next came the equipment. Because of the transportation problems the promoter had arranged for the gear to be supplied at each venue. This turned into a kind of lottery draw. Every day we would wait with expectation for Tonio (our tour manager) to text us with a list of what we would be using that evening. Exciting times, I can tell you! For any of you who are drummers, you know how hard it can be using unfamiliar equipment, so it was always nail biting stuff. Would there be two bass drums or only one? Would I have any cymbals worth using? Some nights I won, some nights I lost, but all in all I have to say they did a pretty good job!

Finally there were the fans. Now, if you think that I have been somewhat negative about the whole experience so far, that is not my intention. I just want to give you an idea of how different this tour was from what we are used to. This goes double for the audiences. They were so appreciative, they made us feel really welcome. For a band that is used to having to break new markets, it was a novel experience to go to a country for the first time and be so well received. Thank you all. Point of interest, Belladonna from No Heavy Petting was a huge hit in Russia. Who knew? Certainly not us until we got there.

Anyway, that's about it. If any of you get offered a tour of Russia or the Ukraine, go for it. Just be aware it's not like anything you have experienced before. I for one am very glad to have had the chance, and hopefully will get to go again some time soon. Many thanks to all at Spika, Alexi, Dennis and Peter. Thanks to all the local promoters, especially Andre, the promoter in Kaliningrad. Not only did you wine and dine us, but your moving speech, beautifully translated by the lovely Helena, really brought a lump to my throat. It made us realise just how much our music has meant to you and many others over the years. Lastly, thanks to Aeroflot for getting us there safely and for finally finding Phil's luggage... on the last day of the tour.

Spasibo and Nostrovia!
Andy

p.s. There are a few photos from the tour HERE

 

News Update - April 2007

Hey all - Andy here
I thought that it’s about time that I let you know what’s going on with me, as I haven't sent an update since my accident.
First off I would like to thank all of you who turned out to see the band on the last leg of the tour. By all accounts you did them proud, I am just sorry that I could not be there myself. I really missed seeing you all. My second thank you, and it’s a big one, goes to Mr Simon Wright, who, at a moment's notice and with nary a thought for his own personal safety, jumped in (with both feet) to fill the gap left by yours truly. Thanks a lot mate! I owe you one - or two!
My heartfelt thanks also go to everyone who so kindly sent me get well messages. Dan McDonald in Canada, Russ in Connecticut, the two Brians somewhere in the USA, Attila in Vancouver, Salvatore in Malta, Nom and Liz in Leeds and any one else that I might have missed. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH. It really meant a lot to me.
Finally, I met with Dr. Louden, my orthopaedic surgeon, yesterday and everything is great. This means that I will be back behind the drum kit for the upcoming UFO shows in June and July. WOOOO-HOOOO! Can’t wait! And I hope that I will get to see some of you in person. Until then please take care, and in the immortal words of Mr. Mogg. “Keep on rockin’”
All the best, Andy.

 

There is a recent interview with Andy
over on the SITN website