by Sarah (posted Oct. 12)

Dear friends,

Now this tour is really taking off. We've had a hard working week, rehearsing like crazy with the new guys and trying to get ready for what will hopefully one day be known as the most ass kicking k's Choice tour ever. Every night we get a little bit better and my guess is we'll be cruisin' soon.

I was so excited to start this tour - for many reasons:
- I get to be on the bus and on stage again with my brother, who I've missed tons.
- I get to tour the States again, which I've also missed.
- We're part of something much bigger than our little band - raising awareness for cervical cancer.
- We have brand new musicians playing with us.
- And last but not least, I never pass up an opportunity to share a tourbus with my loyal tour buddy Eric Grossman.

Rehearsals were fun, but not easy after having played with Jan and Koen forever and being so used to their sound and approach (not to forget their unique scent). We played an unannounced warm up show in Los Angeles a day before the actual kick off in San Francisco and for a first show with a brand new band, we weren't TOO bad. The next day was showtime and we met Christine and her band Skills of Ortega and the guys from Avion who are on for the first 4 dates.

I love San Francisco. It's one of my favorite cities in the world. First night, so we're all a little nervous and I had friends and family coming, which always adds to the nervousness. The crowd was great, but we were not so great. I felt like the San Francisco people deserved more, but they still seemed happy and enthousiastic. We had an after show beer with our friends, got on the bus and on our way we were to San Juan Capistrano.

First time for us in San Juan and the club didn't really look all that great for a rockshow when we walked in. Table seating is just not inspiring for jumping up and down to rock tunes. Well, I was wrong!! It was so much fun. The crowd was amazing and we felt like we were finding our groove on stage too. Very cool. Note to self: don't skip San Juan Capistrano next time!

Next day LA. It's always just a little more pressure to play in LA. Label people are watching and you just want it to be right. I worked out in the afternoon, had a great salad at some French bakery café in West Hollywood and caught Eric watching the Yankee game when I arrived at the venue. The Dan Band was playing too that night. I had never heard of them, but I laughed hard during their show. They do covers of chick songs (they're all guys) and the choreography and the singer swearing the whole time made for a very entertaining show.

Our show was fun too. Everyone seemed happy. Eric's friends, parents, brother and grandma were there, so for him that night was like playing in Belgium for me.

Tuscon was the last show with Avion, which made us all a little sad. We've known Steve, the lead singer, for a long time, because he used to be the singer for the Tories, a band we toured with many lightyears ago. It was great to see him having fun and doing well and getting to know all the other guys a little. All very sweet and what a bummer we had to say goodbye already.

Long drive ahead of us next to Texas. We're having fun though!! K's Choice is back, baby! (Even if it's just for a really short period of time)

Love

Sarah