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Tag: Hafenklang

… the art of covering vs. the art of adopting a style: A difficult art indeed – Flanders 72 vs. Hamburg Ramönes ends 1:0!
It would have been Joey Ramones 66th Birthday this year and the Hamburg Ramönes do have a habit of throwing a birthday bash for Joey. This time round it included Flanders 72 from Brasil, a Ramonescore band leaning towards a Green Day sound rather, and it was set upstairs at the Hafenklang.

For me it was a wee bit strange as i only knew two people in the audience and they had the same experience – it was a strange audience, to a certain extend due to many of the regulars being over in Berlin to see Razors supporting Cock Sparrer. Still, it was a strange feeling to be in an audience that seemed to be made up in majority of friends and family of the band (with an average age even above mine).

Flanders 72 kicked off and from the first second they proved to be experienced musicians – right from the start great sound, tight and on the point playing and moving to the music radiating joy. According to me mate Frosch they did the same on a not sold out MS Hedi (a small ship hosting bands for tours through the Hamburg Harbour), a trip & show the day before i did let go in favour of the record release party by the Spitfire Stevens.
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Flanders 72 (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 19.05.2017) (c) gehkacken.de)
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For a 3 piece they had it all there was needed: Smile, speed and precision. Plus stage personas and some entertainment of the audience (“Danke ihr Penner” sure is a custom greeting in Germany) – all in all a great package driven by a great sound. The main reason for everybody thinking “… that’s Green Day style” sure are the vocals of Paulinho:

And i’d bet they are huge down there in South-America! Not for a reason most of Brasil and Argentina are Ramones territory, already back in 1996 when i saw Ramones in Buenos Aires that was a stunning thing to see. I’d love to see them though with a proper long set on a slightly bigger stage and getting say 450 people going – that would have been the right thing for them. I do hope though they come back!

Next and with only little changeover the Hamburg Ramönes took the stage. I saw them a couple of years downstairs at the Hafenklang and i was not too impressed. The good think though is that they graduated from being a cover band to playing also own songs. And they have by now 5 records out, though i guess not sold record quantities.

How do they sound? Like this:

Frank – i did struggle with them, specifically when they played Ramones songs: To much mid tempo, to bad drumming and i just did not get along with the vocal style of the singer. The art of covering is a tough one, you need not only play the chords in the correct sequence you also need to hit the groove and the intend – and them Hamburg Ramönes rarely hit it right for me (and my two fellow observers, one of them a professional cover musican).
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Hamburg Ramönes (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 19.05.2017) (c) gehkacken.de)
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The more they played though the better they sounded and i have to admit that a couple of their own songs had some groove and the vocals did fit – but it was one out of 10 if i dare to judge (and yes, i am a hard judge).

The audience (friends’n’family?) though liked it and ensured a couple of encores. The final encore was sure a hats off to the mighty Ramones and Paulinho of Flanders 72 joined to sing the bubblegum ode:

A strange evening, with heavy rain and thunderstorm outside, and an evening with a clear winner: Flanders 72 played “Green Day style” but in their own fashion and with both heart and quality. The Hamburg Ramönes did not score for me, though i bet they have their heart in it (i saw a Johnny Ramone signature Mosrite on stage).

Never mind, it was a pretty Friday and i was home all wet (but not too late). And as always mu-sick is enjoyed best live!
2017/05/21
… the tale of the singer that can’t be heard: Saint Vitus, 2017 edition!
I generally do not like the “heavy” section in the record bin, though sure Motörhead and some others are not alien to me (spare some time for The Moth from Hamburg if you can). But Saint Vitus, thanks to their SST Records legacy and their affiliation with eg. Black Flag do make sense to me.

And because of that we have a little custom habit with some friends, who are wider than my narrow mu-sick-al ambition, to see every Saint Vitus show in Hamburg. This time round it was at the Hafenklang and sold-out.

And that was strange, as Saint Vitus this time round where lacking Scott “Wino” Weinrich (still not able to enter Europe since the ill-fated 2014 tour where he was caught with methamphetamine (or, if you prefer some street credibility: Crystal Meth, Meth, Ice or Crystal) at a border). Instead they sported Scott Reagers, who was the original singer during the early years.

We dropped the support band, Tombstones from Oslo, who claimed part of the full house as they are a much loved newcomer (as someone in the know put it). We had a beer and a bite around the corner and when listening to the last 3 songs from Tombstones i found them sounding really bad (and that was more on the account of the sound rather than the mu-sick). They got quite some applause still.

Next on Saint Vitus and … where are the vocals? You could see Scott moving his lips but barely hear the vocals. Also turning the stage monitors towards the audience did not help. Given he entered the stage with a pot of tea i assume his voice was weak or gone – and speaking to him after the show confirmed that.
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Saint Vitus (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 10.05.2017) (c) gehkacken.de)
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Because of the missing voice it was somehow an odd one, as the vocals too carry some of the songs and are needed to blend in with the slower parts. But also on the faster songs they where missing, see “White Stallion“:

The good item though was that because Scott Reagers did sing they turned to a set list with a heavy load of early area songs. The bad one was that it was rather short and no bonus was to be expected.

Saint Vitus – Set List (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 10.05.2017)

The finished off with an 8-minute version of “Born to late” that included Dave roaming the audience but i spare you that (as the vocals where not audible) and give you a snippet of “Saint Vitus” rather:

So, was it worth it? From where i stand it was, Dave and his guitar are just killer assets and the rhythm section (Henry Vasquez on drums and an excellent Pat Bruders (ex-Crowbar) on bass) where perfect counterparts.

That said, to me it was lacking some of the Saint Vitus spirit that is injected when Wino is fronting and it did lack … the vocals being audible (confirmed by other people who roamed the room in search for a position that had it audible).

Lets see how they come back next time round – they still have credit with us!
2017/05/11
… the fate of a rainy Monday: Small turnout but big smiles – young guns with retro party sound and old lads with new unique sound!
Some times rainy Mondays in March can be … dull. Boring. Not really getting you out. But then you realise it’s the Cyanide Pills in town, definitely one of the most powerful retro party machines, supported by Hamburgs C³I, who are coming with a unique sound.

And then you just take the stroll down to the Hafenklang … and realise that a handful of friends did the same but in total only like 38 people turned up. Damn.

Kick-off was on time and at 21:02 C³I took the stage, faced the empty room and … took it like this:

Tough start and the hardship of the support (yet again). But C³I are in it for long enough to force their way through it and got into the groove. If there is one thing than it is indeed their distinct and unique sound that makes people listen – i would not be able to pinpoint what it is but it makes people interested.
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C³I (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.03.2017) (c) gehkacken.de)
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The only item that did not work out this time was the sound, the vocals for my liking where too thin. This was specifically bad as some of singing nicely contrasts the hooklines (and maybe that is one of the unique secrets). The more songs they played, the more pleasure it was and the more recognition they got from the few attending. And the finished it off with this one:

C³I – make sure you get their 2017 LP, it is a worthy effort!

Next on them Pills and it is always great to see them take the stage as they for years now have their unique stage personas including their distinct white leather jackets and other looks. You will be able to to identify them anywhere, no matter what. And they kicked off like this:

Back with a bang to Hamburg i’d say with no strings attached. Despite the small turnout they went into it full throttle. And acted out on their stage personas without giving to much of the idea of just acting – they are the real thing indeed.

Frank, they are just one perfect retro-machine with songs so well crafted that you just want to listen, listen and then some more!
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Cyanide Pills (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.03.2017) (c) gehkacken.de)
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And they are down to earth and they do listen to their audience. As such words of the recent passing of one of our mates made it to them and they dedicated on song to Toni, in loving memory:

Thanks for that Cyanide Pills that was much appreciated. By now they had people smiling and even some dancing away with broad smiles. And they delivered their set with full energy and then even gave us some more.

And then even another one, as thank you for coming out on a miserable rainy Monday evening.

And within 45 minutes and some overtime they where done. Quick and efficient. I’d wish next time round they come back in summer and on a Friday. And then some serious party business to start.

The real thanks go out for those attending and thus still making it a worthwhile evening, both for the audience and for the bands. And that is what it is about.
2017/03/21