USAFE 'Touch 'n Go' band plays in German documentary

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Travis Edwards
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  The United States Air Forces in Europe rock band played for a German television station here, July 1.

The band, Touch 'n Go, lead by front man Staff Sgt. Craig Bowman, rocked out a condensed version of "Don't Stop Believing," by the classic rock group Journey in front of one of Ramstein's C-130J Hercules aircraft.

The recording was for Germany's Südwestrundfunk, a public broadcasting company for Southwest Germany. SWR is creating a documentary on the various musical influences in the Rheinland-Pfalz region. This was the pilot-episode recording for the Kaiserslautern area.

"It's great to be highlighted on such a highly-viewed TV station," said Bowman speaking of the 14.7 million homes SWR reaches. "We're thankful they considered us to be among the best of what Kaiserslautern has to offer".

The rest of the band is made up of Tech. Sgt. Mark Frandsen, Bass Guitar; Staff Sgt. Dustin Trimble, lead guitar; Staff Sgt. Jon Friedman, Drums and Staff Sgt. Matthew Peacock, Keyboard.

The group is lead by Commander and Conductor Maj. Matt Henry.

"It is an awesome thing for our band to be featured in [SWR]'s segment on Kaiserslautern. It shows that music is universal and our little band is helping create a bridge between Germany and the U.S. Forces in Europe," he said.

When performing, Touch 'n Go's normal song-list includes the best of rock, country, pop and R&B -- covering most of American popular music.

Touch 'n' Go is currently on tour around the European theater. The first episode featuring the band is scheduled to air sometime in October.