Robert Jon & The Wreck at Bonn Harmonie

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Two male musicians performing on stage. One has curly hair and is playing an electric guitar, while the other with a long beard is holding a guitar and looking at the audience.

Southern rock band from Orange County, California Robert Jon & The Wreck have been around since 2011. The five-piece consisting of Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar), Henry James Schneekluth (lead guitar), Warren Murrel (bass), Andrew Espantman (drums), and Jake Abernathie (keyboards) have since gradually been building up a solid reputation with their warm, rocking sound. They brought that sound, along with trademark soaring guitar leads, rich vocal harmonies, and songs that stick with you long after the show, to the Harmonie once again on Wednesday. My impression? Despite being a great live band even when I first saw them back in 2023, they just keep getting better.

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Jazz coming to Dottendorf

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A musician playing a green guitar on stage, smiling while performing, with a band member on the left and a drummer in the background, under colorful stage lights.

Bonn Jazzfans should check out the new website from Dottendorfer Jazznacht. There you will find all the good music coming your way from this very popular venue.

A triple threat as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Goods has spent over two decades earning his place among Germany’s finest jazz voices. In 2005 he was the only European selected for the final round of the Thelonious Monk Jazz Guitar Competition in Washington D.C., and critics have long reached for superlatives to describe him — the Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote that he “plays the guitar like George Benson, sings like Frank Sinatra, and composes like Joe Sample.”

Having seen Torsten already in Dottendorf (see above image) I can vouch for of the above!

The concert is on 15 May. Details, you guessed it, on the DOTTENDORFER JAZZNACHT WEBSITE.

Embracing the Unexpected at Folk Club Bonn #168

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An elderly man playing a mandolin while standing, alongside a woman sitting and playing an acoustic guitar. They are performing in a cozy, casual setting with wooden decor.

If John Harrison had only known what the evening had in store he would surely have kicked the 168th Folk Club Bonn off with ‘To a mouse’. The poem by Robert Burns that famously notes you can never safely organize anything with its observation: “The best laid plans of mice and men…” . We were well into part one of the evening and no guest stars. Serena Finnati and Andreas Varnier were nowhere to be seen or even reached for comment, which in todays hi-tech world is hard to believe. Easier to believe though, is that they were victims of today’s low-tech transport system and probably somewhere in a tailback on the infamous ‘Endenicher Ei’ or on any one of the many imaginative detours created by Bonn Council. So what happens when life gives you a lemon? Of course – you make lemonade! Consequently a Guest-starless evening of great music was had by all.

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Italian Blues Slides into Folk Club Bonn

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A musician playing an acoustic guitar during a performance, focused and deeply engaged in the music.

This was Folk Club Bonn #167, which if you divide by 11 meets per year, comes out at 15 years plus a bit over for good luck. John Harrison might indeed have considered that itself as a ‘miracle’ when he first shouted “Ladies & Gentlemen!” Indeed,at FC #1 that call might even have been “Lady & Gentleman”, singular, in those early days. 166 shows later it is very definitely plural, as all seats are regularly taken well before 7 pm – which might also count as a ‘miracle’?. At any rate tonight’s ‘Miracle’ theme was definitely, how can I put it? undersupported, although to John Hay’s credit, he did give us ‘Wonderwall’ which is almost the German for ‘Miracle’. On that subject, I wonder how we managed to entice a special guest all the way from Rome in the bluesy form of Pierluigi (PG) Petricca? Having musicians travel so far to join us is, well, a miracle…

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In Memoriam ‘Fliege’

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A musician playing guitar while sitting on a chair in a café, with a black dog walking nearby and people seated in the background.

Fans of Bonn Folk Club, and indeed older fans of Bonn’s street music, might like to know that there will be a memorial concert today in memory of Hermann Josef Wolf – better known as ‘Fliege’ – who died on 19th January this year.

‘Fliege’ was a street musician with heart and soul – playing the guitar, singing and playing the harmonica –, Colleagues at the Menschensinfonieorchester where he played described him as “a great connoisseur of folk music, a man full of stories, told in his own unique way: sometimes crystal clear, sometimes hard to follow, but always authentic. In the 1970s, he often played on the street with Klaus the Violinist. The street was his natural stage; direct contact with people was his way of making music“

Illness forced a retreat from playing music in public and his last years were spent in a care home. I hope my picture captures a little of ‘Fliege’s’ spirit, personality and joy at playing music in front of people (and in this case dogs too!) It was taken at the June 2022 Folk Club meet (ironically the last public appearance too of Steve Perry)

R.I.P.

A live music performance with several musicians playing instruments, including a guitar and saxophone, in an indoor setting. Audience members are seated, enjoying the show.
March 2014 – Fliege (left) accompanied by Matthew Robb & his band

Women of the Blues in Bonn

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Three female singers performing on stage with microphones, showcasing stylish outfits and expressive faces.

Almost a year to the day since his last visit, Krissy Matthews was back at The Harmonie with his ‘Women of the Blues’ Tour. Take all the superlatives I heaped on that performance a year ago and then add a couple more “amazings!”. You’re half way to describing this evening’s show. Last year’s Blues Ladies Dani Wilde, Kim Jennett and Stephy Doherty, were joined by a new face (to me anyway) in Zubaida Solid. In addition we had once again the master rhythm section of Slavek Semeniuk (bass) Gerry Reynders (drums) and of course the best Norwegian/English guitarist on the planet in Krissy Matthews himself. What’s not to like?!

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Dana Fuchs Doubles Down in Bonn

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A female singer with curly hair performing on stage, holding a microphone and engaging with the audience.

Dana Fuchs proved at Bonn Harmonie on Wednesday that she still possesses one of the most compelling voices in blues-rock today — a raw, soulful powerhouse whose music draws on gospel, soul, and Southern rock in equal measure. Back in the day, it must have been both a blessing and a curse to have been compared favourably with Janis Joplin, but over the past two decades she has continued to deepen her craft and expand her reach, both in the studio and on stage.  The result is not Janis, it’s 100% Dana, and she doubled down on her own identity in typical style before an audience clearly glad to see her back in Bonn again.

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