Update from the Middle East #2

ROCK & ROLL CAN SAVE THE WORLD, ACCORDING TO ARMY COLONEL

The Redding Brothers, a rock & roll band originally from West Virginia, are currently touring the Middle East, performing at military bases across multiple continents. And according to one Colonel, they just might be on their way to saving the world.

In the country of Qatar, front-line troops who have been deployed for over six months get to take a brief 4-day leave, before heading back to the danger zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. So when The Redding Brothers walked on-stage at Qatar, their audience consisted entirely of soldiers normally exposed to heavy fire.

Colonel Cotter, of the military base at Qatar, presented The Redding Brothers with a certificate of appreciation, thanking them for their contribution.

"If what [you say] is true, that Rock & Roll Can Save The World, then this is a good place to start," the Colonel stated.

The Redding Brothers Middle East tour has taken them through war-zones in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Bahrain, and Africa so far. They've traveled in military planes performing evasive manuevers, seen people living in mud houses in Afghanistan, and brought a little bit of America to people far from home.

"For us, this is really about getting to meet and talk to people. We've had late-night conversations with people who've seen things you just don't imagine seeing," stated Micah Redding, lead singer of the band. "They talk about how hard it is to convey their experiences to people back home. I feel like now, we've at least had a taste of it."

And according to at least one Colonel, that may be how rock & roll starts to save the world.

The Redding Brothers are a rock & roll band originally from West Virginia area, and currently based out of Nashville. They gained notoriety in 2007 for writing and releasing one new song every week for over a year, and for their large-scale shows at the Charleston Civic Center and in Huntington. The Redding Brothers are out to prove that Rock & Roll Can Save The World.

For more information, see ReddingBrothers.com.

Middle East Tour Press Release

The Redding Brothers have been busy trekking across the Middle East, performing for military bases all over Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan  since leaving the United States on April 29. The concert locations have ranged from beside rocket bunkers to inside of large tents, and the brothers have met and performed for the US Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, and the British, Canadian, Bulgarian, and Dutch coalition forces.

"One of the greatest things about this is the people we've met", Micah Redding, guitarist and lead singer, stated. "We've had conversations with people all over. Some of them talked about how nice it was just to hear about life in the states; others have mentioned how they really identify with some of the songs we're playing."

The Redding Brothers also had the opportunity to venture a short distance outside an Army base in Afghanistan, and see some of the local children.

But the flight into one of the bases was probably the most intense experience of the trip so far. As the military plane filled to capacity with soldiers came over the mountains and dropped onto the airfield, it swerved back and forth, ducking and spinning, to avoid becoming an easy target for rocket attacks.

"Rocket attacks are a real concern here in Afghanistan," Micah stated. "When we came on base, we were warned they had happened during concerts before."

The Redding Brothers will be traveling to 5 more countries, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Quatar, before returning home at the end of May.

See ReddingBrothers.com for more information.

Afghanistan Update

The band finished up their 3rd concert of the tour last night at Kandahar, Afghanistan. At 11:30 a.m. local time they will be hopping on a plane and heading back to Baghram, Afghanistan for the last show in the country before heading out to Qatar. More coming, inlcluding photos & videos, when the guys get a little more time on the internet...

-Doretta, Jamie, Micah, Josiah, and Gabriel, from a military barracks in the dustiest wasteland we've ever seen.

Concert in Kyrgyzstan!

Here's our first update since we left the USA. We'll be posting more details of our trip later, but so far we've traveled through London and Armenia, and ended up in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Tonight (which is morning for most of you) we had a great show at the Manas Air Force Base, from 8pm -10:30pm. After the show, we packed up, and will be leaving here at 2:30am for Afghanistan.

More to come... 

 -The Redding Brothers 

Redding Brothers Featured on TV Evening News

The Redding Brothers were one of the top stories on all the major WV Television Stations last night and this morning. Their send-off celebration and 25-day Middle East tour, were featured on WOWK-13, WCHS-8, and WVAH-11.

You can read one of the news spots here:
http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=37831

Or watch it here:
http://www.boomboxradio.net/

And here's a bit of press about our sound "guy":
http://news.clarion.edu/News/556.html

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