Wincent Weiss Charms the (young) ladies at Kunst!Rasen

July 14, 2018 by 3songsbonn

Music these days isn’t measured by discs sold, sometimes not even by files downloaded. Careers now are made (and presumably also ended) via YouTube. Take tonight’s show at Bonn Kunst!Rasen: Wincent Weiss first made his musical mark via an acoustic version of Turkish/German pop-singer Elif Demirezer’s song ‘Unter meine Haut’ on YouTube. Main support act LEA (aka Lea-Marie Becker) began making music at 15 but broke through when a YouTube video of ‘Wo ist die Liebe?’ rang up a mind-boggling 45,000 clicks overnight (now almost 3 million). In addition – the best introduction I could give you of local openers for the evening Steal a Taxi would be to send a link to their song ‘Time’ – on YouTube…

Do they measure up, not on a flat screen after countless edits, but on a stage with just one chance to deliver?

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Makeda Magic starts the Stadtgarten 2016

August 7, 2016 by 3songsbonn

Bonn’s Alten Zoll isn’t the only place near the University that workmen have been frantically re-constructing. Last week saw the Stadtgarten concert stage arising from the ash of the boules courtyard next to the Biergarten and last night saw the first concert of the new season with Belgian band The Herfsts and Bonn’s own Steal a Taxi on hand to ease the stress of a hard week’s work.

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Stadtgarten 2016

May 25, 2016 by 3songsbonn

Baum’s Bluesbenders (20 Aug)

A new highlight for me last year in Bonn was the excellent free concert programme put together by Bonn’s own Rock- & Pop Beauftragter Hans-Joachim Over. Audiences went into the 1000 plus category, and there was certainly magic in the air for the final show with Cynthia Nickshas. I was especially pleased then when this week saw the press conference for this years Stadtgarten Season at Bonn’s Alten Zoll.

The 2016 season sees an excellent mix of established local acts and exciting International ones that should offer something for pretty well everybody , there’s no Gothic Heavy Metal on the list, or Viking Norse Rock (and yes I made the last one up!) but there is ‘Free Music’. Not sure what that is for a category, but it will start this years season on 5 August when the Dutch band Aligaga are in town. I certainly aim to be there for the evening because one of my favourite Bonn Bands will be headlining the evening – Steal A Taxi with Makeda fresh from her success on the big stage appearing in Bodyguard in Cologne.

Steal A Taxi and currently Bodyguard star Makeda

Steal A Taxi (5 August)

I’m also looking forward to catching the 20 August Blues Night. On the Bill is Bill, Mr Baum and his Bluesbenders that is. Always a pleasure to hear Bill’s Harp player Uwe Placke in action too.

Anika Auweiler (3 Sept)

For the youngsters there will be last year’s Toys2Masters winning band TIL and for the, ahem, somewhat olders, like me there is an open air Sixties United. No word of the line-up for this but I’m hoping Sticky Fingers will be in it. Like me, go along and find out. Jazz fans will want to catch successful local ‘Future Sounds’ winners JinJim and Miao-Mio headgirl Anika Auweiler will be appearing on 3 September along with French-Poetic Rock from Laura Cahen to end what should be a magic season by the Rhine in fine style. Did I mention these wonderful concerts are free admission? There is a God after all!

See the full programme HERE.

Steal A Taxi – You Want What You Don’t Want

October 16, 2015 by 3songsbonn

Some Six months after the official release party at Fabrik45 on the Hochstadenring the new Steal a Taxi CD is finally on my CD player. That must set a new high in anticipation building, something SAT’s mentors ‘Band Camp’ would have probably recommended as a marketing ploy even. Six whole months to build expectations. So, is ‘You Want What You Don’t Want’ as good as I’d hoped? Is it as good as it could be? Should you even care?