hi matt,

i came in contact with counting crows in 1995. i was seventeen, i had no money, but a cd player and the “august and everything after” album. i was amazed, bass lines like in “perfect blue buildings” and “omaha” were thrilling my best friend kathi and me.
it was in 1997, 1st of july, when we saw you the first time. “batschkapp”, frankfurt, germany. we were standing in the first row to see that concert, we were some of the very last people leaving the room.
in 2003 i invited kathi to amsterdam. we met you while we were standing in the waiting line for the entrance to open.
in the heineken music hall we met again, and i showed you my tatoo, showing the seven “scatch marks” related on “murder of one”. you told me about the seven shakras the this based on. i was quite impressed, kathi and i had a great evening.

time has ticked away, we grew older. i was really sad about hearing you were leaving the crows, but i really liked your songs on your old web site, and it made me understand that also for the people, that influenced my sense of music most, “change” might be something good.
it´s a part of processes in our lives, learning and deciding, course and consequences.

kathi now lives in london, but she´s still one of my very best friends. she just was here yesterday, we were drinking wine and were talking like we always do.

i am still living in germany. my mother moved to california some years ago, my girlfriend miriam and i visited her in pacifica last year. we were driving highway one down to big sur and i am thinking of of moving to my family in CA. we´ll come back to SFO in october, and head down to tijuana for day of the dead.

so, thanks for the patience of reading my bad english. i just was feeling that i have to type this after a few months being registered in this forum without writing anything.
i´ll sure keep reading.

volker

Hi Volker – what a great story!! Changes in life always seem to be bitter-sweet don’t they. Like little deaths…they sometimes involve the grieving process but the miracle of change is how we always end up growing isn’t it? I had to leave Counting Crows because I realized that I wasn’t growing. Sitting on a tour bus in my 40’s started to feel symbolic of sitting on my behind in life in my 40’s. It was so much fun in my late 20’s and even 30’s but to devote a lifetime to that solitary lifestyle was too much to bear. It felt sort of important for a short time but there are other things to do with one’s life than a single career chasing after money. Funny that you are from Germany as I am right near you at the moment on vacation in Vienna. Thank you so much for writing. Stop by any time! Matt