Ray Collins Hot Club

06/09/2026

Next Stop:
September 19th
Ludwigshafen
Kulturzentrum dasHaus 🇩🇪

20/08/2026

The first time we played in Ukraine was also the first time we met and got to play with the local young band called Ruki'V Bruki
We got along with them very well from the very first night on. It was such a lively gang of cool and talented but also funny and heartful guys. Through the years we played a couple of times together. Looking back at it from today´s perspective it was the most carefree time you could imagine. Russia attacking Ukraine of course changed all that. We heard horror stories about bandmembers fighting and getting injured. But we still somehow thought and hoped that at one point they will all make it through and we will all reunite soon or later. That hope got shattered now by the news that Tolik, their drummer got killed at the front line. It is very hard to get that in the head.
I remember exactly the last times I saw him. It was an after show party in Kyjiw. It was a bit messy with way too much alcohol included. And I remember how he somehow stood out. Being part of the party but showing best manners and just positivity in crowd of all of us being pretty wasted. That was the last time I saw him and that´s how I will remember him. To think that he lost his live in this war is hard to believe and reminds us of what a horror is going on there right now.
We are deeply shocked and sad and we send our prayers to him, to everybody he left behind and to the whole country having to fight this fu**ed up war.

11/08/2026

For anyone from Hannover who hasn't heard of it yet: We're heading out with the Trio on Friday to play at the Restaurant Heimathafen ⛵

Hallo Leute aus Hannover und Umland,
am 14. August spielen wieder auf dem schönen Schiff im bzw auf dem Heimathafen. Aber diesmal ist Sommer und wir können auf Deck spielen. Ich liebe diese Location seit ich sie zufällig entdeckt habe.

Es sind zwei Schiffe, die direkt aneinander liegen. Um 17:00 legen wir mit dem einen ab und machen eine Schifffahrt durch Hannover. Dabei gibt es eine hervorragende Gelegenheit zum Tanz. Eigens dafür aus Paris eingeflogen wird DJ JayCee!!!!!

Anschließend werden die beiden Boote so miteinander vertaut, daß um ca 19:00 das Konzert an Deck stattfinden kann. Die Decks der beiden Schiffe sind dazu miteinander verbunden. Beim letzten mal lag Schnee, und wir fanden es schon super, diesmal hoffen wir auf eine laue Sommernacht. Nicht auszumalen, wie schön das werden könnte.

Die komplette Veranstaltung kostet 30,-. Wer es erst zum Konzert schafft, kann um 19:00 für 17,- dazu kommen. Tickets bitte über den Heimathafen. Hoffentlich bis dahin:)

23/07/2026

Next Stop: The legendary A-Bombers Old Style Weekend!!!

19/07/2026

In the book I wrote about the different concepts and philosophies of putting bands together. But since I wrote it, one way of doing it gained a lot of momentum. And that is: Not doing it at all.

And instead of that, establishing a name for yourself and for recording sessions and festivals, playing with whoever is available and willing to sit in.

I see this getting bigger and bigger. No wonder, because it has a lot of good things to it: The promoters (who like all of us suffer from rising costs) can get several big names and don’t have to pay for a full band for each act. The act himself doesn’t have to bother trying to keep a band together. And on top of that, he or she doesn’t have to split even and can take home much better fees. The session musicians can take home a couple of extra bucks from a festival that they eventually played anyway. And of course it also can be fun to play with different people and try to contribute to a good show. The audience gets a lot of names.

The loser of all this is the bass player, the drummer, the guitar player or whoever, who spends his weekend at home while efficiency shapes the line-up of the festival. The audience might get a feeling of seeing the same faces again and again. But also the bands like us who try to keep it together, suddenly we seem oddly expensive compared to one of several patchwork acts.

Of course this is nothing new. It always existed. Even in the 1950s and earlier. In the 1980s and 1990s most of the original artists were backed up that exact way. But now more and more people simply start off like this.

So do I panic and think this will be the end of the band-system? No! Do I blame anybody for this? No! Do I play with other acts too? Sometimes. But am I the biggest fan of that development? Well, take a guess!

Read more thoughts about bands in the book: https://www.amazon.de/High-Life-Andreas-Kollenbroich/dp/3565468793/ref=sr_1_1?s=books

11/07/2026

Such a great line up at the Firebirds Festival ! Good times with rockabilly aces Jake Calypso and Marcel Riesco and Frikadelle.

28/06/2026

In the book I wrote how my beloved guitar got stolen. But when I finished it, I had no idea this was NOT the end of the story.

So after the loss of the guitar I tried to replace it. I bought the same model again, an old Lindberg built by Rodebald Hoyer. But it felt completely different. So I tried again and bought another one. And another one. I ended up with 4 Lindberg guitars, one Gibson ES125 and a Gretsch from 1964. Desperately trying to fill the gap of my old one. But I wasn´t really happy with any of them. Then the incredible happened. After three years!!! someone contacted me through the internet, saying he thought he had my guitar. He was very sparse with words and I couldn´t really figure him out but we agreed on a meeting.

It was in a part of town where I normally never go. I was a bit nervous when I went.

I didn´t know anything about him. How did he know about me? Was he the one who had stolen it? Did he want a lot of money for it? I had no idea but I was about to find out. When I finally got there it turned out to be one of these precious moments when you are reminded that the world has NOT gone all bad. What I found turned out to be the nicest people you could imagine. Silvio Klimt and his partner Ms Rosenberg were as excited as I was. It turned out they had bought in on the flea-market. And on the side of the bag it still had some of our CDs. And one of them showed me with my guitar. That´s how they found out. There was no negotiation. They were just excited and happy to give it back to me. And as I had bought all these guitars in the meantime I was more than happy to give him the same model in better condition in return. What a day! What great people! I am still thankful.

(I posted the story before. But now that I re-read the book I had to post it again to complete the story)

Read more about the guitar! How I got it and how it got stolen in the book: High Life

https://www.amazon.de/High-Life-Andreas-Kollenbroich/dp/3565468793/ref=sr_1_1?s=books

20/06/2026

Jimmy Maxwell

The first copies of the book have been ordered and here is the first update. In the book I introduced the band but this guy joined after it was written: Jimmy Maxwell .

We all love original line ups. But sometimes fresh blood can save an old band. And that´s what happened when he joined. I had frequently seen him at sessions or with his great blues band The Chain Gang Kings. I didn´t know his name so I nicknamed him THE MILLIONAIRE because he was always dressed up and so positive as if he owned the world. Musically and personally he was exactly what we needed at that point of our band history. He had a new perspective on our material and made us rediscover old songs that we had simply forgotten. His unspoiled positivity made us realized how crazy band-life has made us through the years. And his musical skills gave us a boost that made it much easier to create new songs or play old ones differently. Last but not least his brain twisting sense of humor keeps us entertained and we are glad to have him on board.

More updates will follow. Read about the other members in the book: High Life

https://www.amazon.de/High-Life-Andreas-Kollenbroich/dp/3565468793/ref=sr_1_1?s=books

16/06/2026

We're happy to be back at the fabulous FIREBIRDS FESTIVALsoon! Happy to see y'all there! 🎉🎉🎉
___

Nur noch zwei Wochen bis zum Firebirds Festival!
3.–5. Juli 2026, Kloster Nimbschen bei Leipzig
Sei dabei!
Infos & Tickets: firebirds-festival.de

10/06/2026

Good News: Our book, High Life is finally available again.

I was down to 1 copy so I am glad .
But I realize how much has changed since I wrote it 8 years ago. So for the ones who might order and read it, I will read it again too and will post a few things with additions that might be worth mentioning in the coming weeks.

Unfortunately you can NOT order it from the Brisk Store.
But you can order at Amazon and other online bookstores if you either search for High Life 9783565468799 or simply go to
https://www.amazon.de/High-Life-Andreas-Kollenbroich/dp/3565468793/ref=sr_1_1?s=books

We hope you enjoy it and please let us know what you think!