We are EXTREMELY proud to announce that one of our own will be going to Iraq in July to entertain our troops. Adam Roach will be heading to Iraq with his soul mate and their band ‘Danni Leigh and the Boomtown Hustlers' on a “Stars For Stripes Tour”. Whether you agree with what is going on in Iraq, or not, I think you’ll agree that what these guys are doing is pretty damn gutsy and that they deserve our thanks and support!
Their tour with the troops will, apparently, last for 15 days during which time they will be under constant military protection and will be staying in unannounced military facilities which will, likely, include some of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces that have since been converted into US military facilities. Nonetheless, Iraq is a very dangerous place and there is still considerable risk associated with a tour like this. Adam, Danni and the rest of the band, however, feel that doing this is worth the risk- to show our troops that we support them, that we love them and that we are thinking of them.
Adam will be taking several small boxes of tattoo-oriented gifts for the troops. Because they will be traveling with the US military, on military transports, they are very limited in terms of space. Most of the gifts will be business cards that have discounts (i.e. $50 or $100 OFF a tattoo) written on them. These cards come from various studios around the country that have donated them for this trip. I want to thank those studios, and those artists, that have donated cards for the troops. If you are interested in sending in a business card with a donation, or a cash donation to pay for a tattoo to give out to the troops, send me an email and I’ll give you the address and any other information you may need. Or, you can just send them directly to Adam Roach, care of Body Adorned- the address is on the home page.
I’ve asked Adam to take as many pictures as he can during his trip and to write about the experience. When he returns from Iraq I’ll try to get him to post the story here on the site. Unfortunately, he and the band will only be in town for a few days before they ship out again to do a 3 week tour in Europe! So, we may not be able to get the story onto the website until they return from Europe. At some point, though, we’ll get the story up here for you to read if you’re interested.
I want to reiterate how gutsy I think Adam, Danni and the rest of this incredible band are and to say, publicly, how proud I am of them; and how proud I am to be their friend. Adam Roach is one of the most talented individuals I’ve ever known and it’s a real honor to work with him and to have him here at Body Adorned. He’s one of Austin’s relatively undiscovered talents that really deserves the attention. If you aren’t familiar with his work, check out his gallery or read his bio; or better yet, stop by and get a tattoo by him- you won’t be let down His portrait tattoos (that he never bothers to photograph) are absolutely amazing- they are so detailed and life-like that they look like a black and white photograph in the skin!.
Be safe Adam- keep your head down and your helmet ON! But have a great time! We can’t wait for all of you to get back; but in one piece, so no heroics, huh? Remember- you’re a tattooer and a musician, not a soldier; even if you do get to wear the outfit!
- Nick Anderson
May 24, 2004
