Before music became his life Mott The Hoople’s legendary frontman had no career ambitions. „I did everything, Goods in, Goods out, lathe-turner, milkman…“ Ian Hunter told me in a pre-show interview. Bonn Harmonie was the place to see what he did best though – sing Rock ‘n’ Roll. Seventy eight years young, there’s still an energy about Hunter’s performance, and the voice, thankfully, is as gloriously, raspingly, eloquent as ever.
I think it’s a first – at least to my knowledge. A band introduces not only it’s debut CD but also a new name on the same evening. Reigning Toys 2Masters winners Millennia certainly made an impact at the RPZ Centre in Bad Godesberg to introduce their very first release ‘Relations’ to a capacity crowd. The impact started before a note was played as a banner was unfurled behind the drumkit proclaiming the new name Letlowe.
The flying fingers belonged to guitar/mandolin virtuoso Attila Vural, the squirrel to an as yet unrecorded song by Canadian guest Vince Andrushko, and the Tom Petty German style to wordsmith Gerd Schinkel. The weird and the wonderful – business as usual at Dotty’s Sportsbar for Bonn Folk Club Meet #84.
No announcement of dates yet, but the line-up for RUF Record’s celebrated Blues tour next year has just been announced.
Bernard Allison and Mike Zito will need no introduction of course but a new face is sure to be Vanja Sky who is enticingly described thus on the RUF website: “Croatian gunslinger Vanja Sky. Channelling the fire and flair of Rory Gallagher, Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, this 23-year-old hot-tip has already broken out in her home country and bordering Balkan States. Now, with her highly anticipated debut studio album due for release in January 2018, Vanja is planting her flag in Europe and North America as the junior partner on the Blues Caravan”.
Hot tip or hot air? Sounds like a tough description to fulfill. 3songs will keep you posted on dates in this area…
If you want to experience what life on the road was like in 70’s Rock, find a copy of 1974’s ‘Diary of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’. The book takes you into a crazy world of touring as experienced by one of David Bowie’s favourite bands – Mott the Hoople. Next Tuesday though provides a unique chance to hear the band’s enigmatic front-man Ian Hunter live onstage.
As a long time fan I can attest that Hunter’s songwriting and attitude are as strong in 2017 as ever and his current ‘Rant Band’ are everything you’d expect a band behind Hunter to be. I haven’t seen too many dates in Europe announced in recent years, so do yourselves a favour Rock n Rollers and catch the man at Bonn Harmonie (10 October). He’s still capable of giving all the young dudes a run for their money when it comes to Rock n Roll.
Ticket details HERE
What would Muddy Waters be playing now if he were still with us, and wanted to appeal to the music loving public of today? Elvis? Buddy Holly? The music would have to have evolved into something a little more complex than those Blues standards we know and love. Maybe a listen to their offspring would bring answers. In the case of John Lee Hooker there was a chance to match that typical Hooker growl with a 21st Century sound and style as Hookers highly rated son, John Lee Hooker Jr, took to the Harmonie stage last week.
Two pleasant surprises last Sunday. One, it was a precious sunny day before the Autumn sets in, and two Marion and Sobo‘s appearance as ‘Vor-Gruppe’ for the General Election countdown at last Sunday’s Kessenich Autumn Market. As always, a pleasure to hear Alexander Sobocinski’s Jazz/Gypsyswing guitar playing and Marion Lenfant-Preus with her silky smoothe vocals playing tracks from their Migrateurs CD – which was fittingly recorded just up the road at the Blue in Green studio in Burbacherstrasse. CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTO GALLERY
Before his one man show at Bonn Harmonie on Sunday, multi Canadian Award winner Steve Hill kindly took the time to talk about life as an electric one man band and the challenges of making those sticks stick.
