My last visit to the Kunstrasen caught arch rapper Sido in action. This time around it was time to catch a man who’s duetted with him – Mark Cwuertnia aka Mark Forster. Yet another occasion when I forgot my baseball cap. Forster’s own cap is probably glued to his head (try finding a picture of him hatless!) but the head underneath it is pretty good at creating catchy pop songs with a street cred appeal as this evening proved.
Not Open Air? – Frank Turner Raises the Roof
His right forearm has a tattoo of Elvis punching the air in the 50’s, his left a tattoo of Freddie Mercury doing the same in the 80’s. Right here and now, at 8.15pm on 29 June 2016, at the Brückenforum in Bonn Beuel, Frank Turner has his own arm raised, hand balled into a fist. And it’s only the second song in the set…
A bit of Beethoven on the grass
Actually, the headline is misleading as there was surprisingly no Beethoven on the musical menu at this year’s Kunstrasen Klassik Picknick. It was still a magical evening though for a picnic or even just a snooze to wonderful music from the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn.
This years programme, under the baton of Martin Lukas Meister was somewhat less ‘populist’ in comparison to last years offering by BOB (I do love that abbreviation for the Orchestrs!). No James Bond Theme or West Side Story. Some familiar musical fayre though even to my untrained classical ears. Walt Disney loved the most recognisable piece of the evening to me – Paul Dukas’ ‘Sorcerers Apprentice’ featured not long after the composers death in Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ and is now forever linked to visions of Mice in magicians hats and dancing brooms.
I enjoyed too the sweet singing of Anjara Bartz and the pomp of Samson & Delilah’s Bachanal that was cleverly placed at the set end to get picknickers on their feet in time to pack away for next years Klassik Picknick – always a magical evening – and how often is magic like this free?
Open Day – Music Day
Sunday’s Open Day at Villa Hammerschmidt (Official Residence of the Federal President) was a day of presenting the International side of the City to the people as well as a day of music.
This being 3songsbonn, here are some impressions of two of the musical acts who played there – the UN band UNbearables (Folk Clubbers will recognize John Hay) and Christian Meringolo.
Hip-Hop Hooray! – Sido opens kunstrasen Season 2016
To prove that The Hurdman and his website are super cool I headed out to where it was BAD. I’m talking Kunst!rasen Country, I’m speaking Sido cool ya all! Check out my baseball cap on stylishly backwards (try to ignore the ‘Rory Gallagher’ logo above the peak that puts me back in the 70’s).
Here’s the lowdown on da first show at Kunst!Rasen 2016. Chill out and enjoy…
15 down and definitely far from out – Anne Haigis with Ina Boo
It’s shortly after 11.30 am. I’m standing on the roof of the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn. It’s called the General Anzeiger’s Sommergarten Season but the question bugging me is, will it rain? I’m English so I assume the worst, but the two ladies onstage in front of me have come prepared – songwise at least, as Bonn’s own Anne Haigis and Thüringen born Ina Boo kick off in classic thumb to the nose at grey skies fashion with Tony Joe White’s ‘Out of the Rain’. Gauntlet firmly laid down by messrs Haigis and Boo, the grey clouds go scurryingly on their way – one force of nature conquered by another. Anne is here on the back of her latest disc ’15 Companions’ and within ten minutes she has several hundred companions hanging on her every lyric.
Greetings from Paris with Marion & Sobo
Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, The Balkans, anyone who has caught a concert by Marion & Sobo will have been taken on a journey with varied musical destinations. At Fabrik45 on Saturday evening however they were firmly anchored in one land, and with good reason. The duo have a brand new CD to present, Migrateurs, with all tracks in French (not counting a self-written instrumental). Good music though is good music in any language – and spoken French is certainly a language with a sweet melody as Saturday proved.
Old Piano, New Venue – Bonn Folk Club #70
How many men does it take to move a piano? No, that’s not the beginning of a joke, but it is the beginning perhaps of a new home for the Bonn Folk Club. Meeting number 70 (crikey!) saw us visiting a new venue as Italian guest duo Serena Finatti and Andrea Varnier were first guests at Sträters Sports Bar.