Greetings, Scandinavian fans!

We have survived another Oktoberfest season.  It has been very busy.  We started on September 19th on Lopez Island for an Oktoberfest-themed wedding and we finished on October 24th at the Queen Anne Beer Hall.  In between there were several private events, a number of small gigs at retirement centers, and three trips over the mountains to Leavenworth.  It was a lot of fun but it was also a lot of work.  Some weeks we played five gigs in seven days.  That's a lot of playing in a short time.  It's also a lot of administrative work.  Every gig we play requires booking, organizing, contacting musicians, loading gear, hauling gear, and unloading gear.  The fans never get to see any of that work (after all, do they really want to watch me answer emails and talk to people on the phone?) but it has to happen for each and every gig.  Normally, when we're playing a couple gigs a month that's manageable.  However, when they all happen in quick succession, it becomes a huge amount of work in a short period of time.

There were some definite highlights of this year's Oktoberfest season.  The wedding on Lopez Island was super fun.  The couple was laid back and relaxed and we were able to pick our favorite music to play.  The trip to and from the island is beautiful; if you've ever been to the San Juan Islands you'll know exactly how beautiful the trip is.

Another highlight of the season was our performance at the Lynden Music Festival.  The town of Lynden is a real treasure up in Whatcom County; it's an adorable little Dutch village and the whole town turns out to support the music festival.  The concert was held in the Lynden Pioneer Museum which is a really cool place just in and of itself.  It was a wonderful venue for a concert and the audience has a lot of appreciation for all of the performers who come to their town for the festival.

The Leavenworth Oktoberfest is always a highlight.  It's a huge event and it's always fun to be a part of it even though it's the most demanding performance of the season.  It takes a lot of time and energy to do the shows in Leavenworth but it's worth it.  Few things are as thrilling as getting a crowd of several hundred people up and dancing.

With Oktoberfest season completed we can get some rest and turn our attention back to finishing the album.  Eric Likkel finished all of his clarinet and saxophone tracks in a couple of recording sessions in September.  That leaves just some of the vocals and then editing, mixing, and mastering.  Hopefully we'll be finishing that up in November.  Once it's all done we'll be sure and let you all know.

That's all from us here in the band.  Enjoy the remainder of autumn!