I remember getting my copy of Daniel Bongart’s last disc ‘Little Bird’ very succinctly because it was at the Poppelsorfer Street Festival in 2019 – an evening I look back on with happiness and sadness. Seeing my favourite Bonn cover-band Sunny Skies for the last time and hearing founder Rope Schmitz talk with trepidation of an impending hospital visit that he would not survive. There is a picture too on the report I did of that evening’s concert that shows Daniel singing as a part of the band Winterfeld to a smiling white-haired lady with a video camera named Christa who is also no longer with us. I mention all this because I have the same mixed emotions after listening to the lyrics from the songs on Daniel’s new disc – sadness at loss, and happiness at what was, and at what has survived.

The popular free concert series Music in the Park kicked off this week with visitors able to hear bands from Bonn and the surrounding area in the Kurpark in front of the Bad Godesberg Trinkpavilion for the next few Wednesday evenings. The organisers wanted particularly to give local artists who are not yet so well known in the area a chance to perform and this was particularly evident on the opening night with two young local bands appearing: Fish in the Elevator, Stranger’s Dopamine together with a cover band presenting largely female rock classics, The Right Pill.

Congrats to Ana Popovic for reaching #1 on the prestigious American Billboard Blues chart with her new disc ‘Power’. It seems like only yesterday when I saw Ana for the fir st time at the Harmonie with Blues Caravan alongside Candye Kane and Sue Foley (it was actually 2005!) I was so impressed that I later went on to help run her website. Even then it was clear the lady was not for turning from her determination to be a major player in the US Blues scene. A shout out to for Michele Papadia who has been Ana’s keyboard wizard since the time she stepped up from the trio format and to her own label ‘ArtisteXclusive’. She’s sitting on top of some impressive names in this chart – Joe Bonamassa, Van Morrison and Bonnie Raitt to name just three.

The weekend music at the Bad Godesberg Wine Festival was of a heavier ’70’s rock nature on Saturday with ELPI aka Lother Prünte & Friends providing the backbeat to the excellent wine on offer at Theaterplatz, whilst Italian Christian Meringolo and his smooth sound was perfect for sipping a glass or two of wine.

The weather might not always play along – but Summer isn’t far away. This weekend sees a Wine Festival at Theaterplatz in Bad Godesberg along with live music. The music at the three-day festival got underway on Friday with Country & Western/Pop band Jacky & The Two Strokes (see pictures) who curiously had the Morecambe & Wise classic ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ in their first set. Like those two classic comedians, the band certainly put their audience in a good mood.

Saturday (13 May) will have live music from Lothar Prünte and Band. Lothar is best known for ELPI and as a part of the Woodstuff Band (Begin 6 pm)

Sunday (14 May) It will be the turn of popular German/Italian musician Christian Meringolo to entertain the wine drinkers (Begin 5 pm)

Another victim of the Covid concert disaster that still has repercussions to this day, Layla Zoe is on her first tour for three years. There were people who originally bought their tickets from the Mr Music shop in Bonn which closed at the end of 2020. It’s easy to look back angrily at all the lost live music from those equally lost years as we wait for Layla to come onstage at a pleasingly full Bonn Harmonie. Pleasing especially since only yesterday was the popular Blues Caravan on which Layla herself has ridden on several occasions over the recent years. The good turn-out is, above all, a tribute to Layla Zoe’s voice and musical sincerity.

Ahead of her show in Bonn Layla Zoe was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions about how she has handled the last few years of concert uncertainty and also to introduce her current touring band…