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N.R.B.Q. ruller videre!
Datum: 2011-04-28

De siste årene har det vært uklart hva som skjer med det amerikanske bandet N.R.B.Q.

Bandet har vært splittet i to (flere?) deler og pianisten/ sangeren Terry Adams har vært alvorlig syk.

I mai kommer det imidlertid et helt nytt N.R.B.Q-album, »Keep this love goin´«, laget av den nye bandbesetningen. Bestaående av Adams, Scott Ligon, Pete Donelly og Conrad Choucron.

Under følger en redegjørelse for den dramatiske utviklingen i N.R.B.Q.-verdenen som har ledet frem til den nye situasjonen.

N.R.B.Q. planlegger for en svensk (norsk?) turné til høsten.

Hello people, this is Terry.

I'm extremely happy to announce that, with the release of our new CD next week, my Quartet will be resuming the name NRBQ. After three years of playing music with Scott, Pete and Conrad under the name The Terry Adams Rock and Roll Quartet, I'm finally ready to continue doing what I know how to do best and that is to move NRBQ forward.

The new album, with cover art by Tom Ardolino, is called KEEP THIS LOVE GOIN' and that is exactly what we're going to do!



There's been a lot of confusion and speculation for the last six years about what happened with the band in 2004. The time has come to set the record straight.

I love NRBQ. I didn't break up the band. I didn't quit NRBQ. I didn't fire anyone from NRBQ and I did not stop to pursue other projects. I would never end it – it's my life's work.

Funny how things work out. When I wrote the chorus to the song »Ain't No Horse,« (»ain't no horse that can't be rode, ain't no man that can't be throwed«) little did I know that five years later I would be the man that could and would get throwed.

First I was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer in mid-August of 2004. As anyone who has ever gone through cancer or any other serious disease knows, it's a scary and life-changing diagnosis. I decided to deal with it privately so I only shared the information with the band and a few close friends. We continued to work until mid-September, at which point I began a leave of absence. The reason given for my break from NRBQ was a bout with tendonitis (which was also true, by the way).

I didn't want to go the traditional way of radiation and chemotherapy, so I took the leave of absence to see if I could find a holistic approach. I did come back to honor bookings at the end of October.

Five weeks after that, the oncologist who was monitoring my illness said that I was actually improving. He said, »I don't know how you're doing this, but whatever it is, don't stop!« He advised me to get back to the music, keep my diet and spirit in check, and of course keep a close eye on my progress.

When I called the guys with the good news, that is when I learned that my bandmates, after ten years of great fun, shows, and recordings, were not interested in continuing with NRBQ but preferred to continue working as Baby Macaroni. It was unbelievably sad for me to hear this, especially at that time.

There have been several versions of NRBQ and I've loved every one of them. Great musicians and friends have come and gone. I've always hated to see anyone leave. But in time, change can turn out to be a good thing.

I decided to keep going, with a short tour of Scandinavia with Tom Staley and the Hot Shots, but I felt that I was starting to lose the battle. The cancer began returning in full force. Tom Ardolino resigned from Baby Macaroni in an effort to be supportive of my situation. I finally had to turn myself in to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and gave them my permission to blast away. I miraculously survived all that and was released with a clean bill of health at the end of September 2005, although I would have a feeding tube in my stomach for many months after that. That was fun.

After only two months into recovery, Tom and I reached out to Joey and Johnny in another attempt to get the band back together. After a nice talk and one rehearsal, communication stopped. Eventually Joey told me that he and Johnny really didn't want to continue on with me or NRBQ, and that it was their destiny to have their own band.

At that point, I guess I could have let people know what was going on, but really, the subject was still too difficult for me to talk about.

Once again, I kept going and organized some recording sessions to complete Louisville Sluggers with Steve Ferguson, a project we had started a few years before. With Tom on drums, we did a few U.S. dates and a short tour of Japan. Shortly thereafter, Tom said he couldn't physically handle touring anymore and retired from the road, although he did join me and my good friend T-Bone Wolk in the studio to record Rhythm Spell.

As many of you know, NRBQ managed a reunion of sorts in April 2007. I hope the music brought as much pleasure as ever to those who heard it. Although reunions are always fun, behind the scenes the vibes just weren't there, and it confirmed for me that another era of NRBQ had come to a close.

But it all did work out for the best. I've learned a lot about myself and a lot about people. I'll always be grateful to those who dropped everything to help me. And the experience reminded me to never compromise my spirit, not to waste time, and never take the gift of music for granted.



Rebuilding my health and rebuilding my band at the same time really took some doing!

I was blessed to find Scott Ligon, Pete Donnelly, and Conrad Choucroun. We seemed to come together by magic. A year and a half later, it was really starting to happen. We were ready. Fans and friends were starting to ask me why we weren't working as NRBQ. So, for many of you, this announcement will come as no surprise.

Anybody who has witnessed a performance by the band since the Clang! Thang in April 2009 knows that we've really got it and that we take it somewhere new with every date. I'm proud of these guys for their amazing flexibility and ability to play any music chosen. They also have their own ideas, which I welcome so much.

But to keep them from unfair comparisons to former members, I chose to take the time to give us more road experience and a real chance to write and record together. The results are in: Keep This Love Goin.' Check it out. I'm happy once again with my life and I'm doing what I'm supposed to, by just being myself. I feel like I haven't felt in years. New band, new life. What else could I want?

The time has come. It's been a long climb back. For awhile, the very name NRBQ caused me much pain, but in time I could separate the circumstances from the music. With all due respect to the past, NRBQ is a living, breathing, ongoing sound. I never intended it to ever become a trip down memory lane.

It's been great to see each and every one of you who came to hear the band play over the last three years. It means a lot to us. NRBQ fans are the best fans in the world.

We've already got some bookings as TARRQ through October and hey, we'll be sounding the same no matter which name winds up on the marquee!

Love to you all, see you soon.
And to all our Japanese friends, Itsudemo kimi wa boku no hahto ni.

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