This time it´s for real...or...GO WEST!!

Music was always a big part of my life! With my 28 years I´m too young to have rocked the 70th parties together with the Jukes and the long distance didn´t make it easy to come across the band earlier. But fortunately a friend of mine took me to a Bon Jovi show…this was the first time I saw Bobby Bandiera live on stage and I thought: “Wow-he´s really great, there must be much more he can do as what he does here in the back of Bon Jovi!” That was the time I found out about the greatest band ever-Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes!

Not much later I visited my first Jukes-show; and not only was the place on fire, I was as well!!! The atmosphere was amazing! I love the music and the guys are fantastic!! You have to like them-it´s great to see how they enjoy making music together-it´s always like a big big party!! Last year I went to the shows in Melle, Amsterdam and Gent and it was an awesome weekend! I had much luck-on my way from Melle to Amsterdam I met the Jukes in their “Brotwagen” (as we in Europe call the bus they always use here) on the motorway. I have a big “Asbury-Jukes”-label on the back of my car, some guys saw it and it was a really funny meeting somewhere in the depths of Holland.

But not enough: In Gent the luck was with me again. I had a little birthday present for Bobby and Joe and Neal helped me to come through to him (thank you again guys! and thanks to Carina, Liz and Glasgow John ?). Bobby was really nice and it was wonderful to meet him. He is such a great musician and I hope I´ll get the chance to see him play solo somewhere sometime. His song “Only in a dream” is my all-time-favourite!

I´m not sure if I´m worthy to be a Fan of the month-all these great people before me with their special stories-but I can say that Uncle Southside, the guys and their music, the other fantastic Jukesfans (I met so many great and special persons during the Jukestime!!!) and the whole Jukesfeeling are a substantive part of my life and I´m happy about this! Can´t get enough! So this year my friend Karin and I´ll GO WEST and come to New Jersey for the first time to see some Jukes-gigs, especially the legendary Martell´s shows!!! I want to listen to the music, feel the special Jersey atmosphere and finally meet my Jersey-friends in reality (Greetings to all of you and thank you for everything!!). I´m sure this will be another great Jukes-chapter in my life!! And hopefully many others will follow…

Andrea