Bonn Folk Club edition #128 had the optimistic motto ‘Ain’t it good to be alive!’ and in these rather dark days when the news seems brimful of spiraling prices, war, and human oppression, we can certainly do with all the good thoughts that can be mustered. It is certainly safe to say that if you are going to find your glass half full anywhere these days it will be one filled with Kölsch and served at Dotty’s in Dottendorf to a background of excellent music with just as excellent company.

Down at the Crossroads. In musical mythology, it’s where musicians go to sell their souls to play the Blues. In Bonn it’s where music fans go to hear new bands every year as a part of the Rockpalast Festival. It was popular to get a four day ticket and, to quote Forrest Gump and his famous box of chocolates comparison, you never know what you’ll find. Tonight you will find Croatian Blues Rocker Vanja Sky and Reunion born World musician Morgane Ji treading the boards.

Bonn rock fans will know that it’s that time of year again they love in the Harmonie. Rockpalast is back again with its Crossroads Festival at the Harmonie. Friday (28 Oct) was due to see popular legends The Hamburg Blues Band appear, but Covid within the Band means that a replacement had to be found for the evening and it’s certainly one I heartily recommend checking out – Vanja Sky will be taking the stage by storm for sure, with a little help from HBB guitarist Krissy Matthews. Vanja impressed 3songs in 2018 with her enthusiasm as part of the RUF Blues Caravan, something learned from her musical hero Rory Gallagher no doubt.

Her motto is: ‘Don’t forget to rock n roll!’ so expect a lively musical night!
As of writing, tickets were still available HERE

2009’s ‘Recorded by Martin Meinschäfer’ is arguably the best Album to date by Henrik Freischlader. To borrow from a recent Freischlader disc’s title – it was where the pieces of his previous albums finally seemed to perfectly fit. Thirteen years on, and the new album hitting the shops (highstreet and virtual) is titled ‘Recorded by Martin Meinschäfer II’. It won’t actually be hitting the shops just yet though. “I’m not quite completely happy with it…” says Freischlader on stage this evening with a sheepish grin that conceals how much is joke and how much truth. One wonders if Henrik is ever completely happy with his music. The thirteen years between the two discs have seen a mixture of Freischlader bands and musical directions come and go. From talk of retirement around 2016, recording the barebones Blues of ‘Openness’ as a trio, through the brighter musical bandwidth (pun intended) of 2019’s ‘Hands on the Puzzle’ and 2020’s ‘Missing Pieces‘ through to 2021 when Covid hit the World and Henrik announced the band was no more and October 18th 2022 at Bonn Harmonie. My Birthday, and maybe a rebirth for the Henrik Freischlader Band.

With both a new band and a new studio album the man in the cap is back. Henrik Freischlader is returning to the stages of clubs and festivals which includes a date at The Harmonie in Bonn on 18th October.

After a long live-music layoff you can expect an intense concert. Word is that it will be rockier again (and certainly a fair bit louder those Covid-enforced internet shows!)

A classic blues-rock quartet is promised – drums, bass, Hammond organ, guitar & vocals. So too are new songs, and maybe a few old favourites if you ask kindly 😉 One of Germany’s finest blues guitarists and songwriters. What more need I say?

More info and ticket details HERE

Are yer there? Or are yer not?
Sunday 21st September will be the first chance to see the latest incarnation of the UK’s premier Blues Rockers King King on Sunday (25 September). A pretty awesome band it should still prove, with Stevie Nimmo joining brother Alan (pictured) on guitar. Definitely, a not-to-be missed event for Blues and Rock music fans!
Ticket details HERE

It is both a pleasure and a pain when John Harrison does his sets at Bonn Folk Club. A pleasure because of the songs and his enthusiastic presentation of them, but a pain because they invariably lead me down a rabbit-hole of research. His opener on Friday was no exception: ‘Berry Fields of Blair’ was written by Belle Stewart about Blairgowrie in Perthshire – famous for its fields of soft fruit, especially raspberries, drawing seasonal workers from all over Scotland. There was, she later described, often a holiday atmosphere with old friends and ready money, although the work was hard.  As with so many other labour tasks, mechanization of the process meant the end of the human side of the picking process and the camaraderie that went with it. Belle wrote a new song each Hogmanay, of which this was the first. She went on to become one of Scotland’s finest traditional singers… and there I withdraw before I become lost in another rabbit hole of information.